It never got any higher than #41 when it was released back in 1984, but Talking Heads‘ Stop Making Sense, the soundtrack to their seminal concert film, has just debuted in the top 10 of Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart.
Driving sales of the album is a new 40th anniversary reissue, which includes the complete concert for the first time. There are also two unreleased songs from the series of 1983 shows at LA’s Pantages Theater that were filmed: “Cities” and “Big Business/I Zimbra.”
The album sold 12,000 copies, making it Talking Heads’ best sales week since Luminate, formerly known as Soundscan, starting tracking sales electronically in 1991. Ninety-five percent of the sales came from vinyl.
On the Billboard 200 chart, the album reenters at #73, marking its first appearance on that chart since 1986.
Meanwhile, a remastered version of the film will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, followed by a one-week engagement at IMAX theaters starting September 22. From September 29 on, it’ll be in wide release.
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