After the fabulous First Circle album, Metheny switched record labels then dabbled in soundtrack work and free jazz while collaborating with some big names like David Bowie and Ornette Coleman. When Still Life (Talking) was released, it marked a return to the Brazilian-influenced jazz-pop sound of First Circle. It was a trend that would continue into 1989's Letter From Home. If you've got 15 minutes to spare, you can hear Metheny discuss the making of the album on the following podcast.
In the podcast, Metheny calls Still Life (Talking) "one of the most important records in the group's history." The album won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, a category that existed from 1980-1991. During those 12 years, Metheny won the award five times.
There's a little bit of "hey, guys, check out all these different sounds I can get my guitar to make" going on throughout, but overall I dig the sound here with lots of percussion and wordless vocals. I'll be playing First Circle/Still Life (Talking)/Letter From Home in immediate succession at some point during this next week, if not later today.
Reviews/ratings:
- Billboard: "Outstanding production, playing, and compositions"
- CashBox: "strong effort"
- The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200: #86
- Billboard Jazz LPs: #3
- Billboard Pop CD: #16
- CashBox Jazz: #1
- CashBox Compact Disc: #15
- Rolling Stone: #27
Tracks: Last Train Home is the best tune here, but I also like (It's Just) Talk which includes a tasty piano solo from Lyle Mays and the lead track Minuano (Six Eight) once it gets going. The last two tracks are brief and while they aren't bad, they seem out of place when compared to the others.
Last Train Home was released as a single and Geffen produced a video for the 4 minute single edit. I may have seen it around the time VH1 played jazz videos on Sundays. There's a promo-only digipak single which contains both the album and edited versions that's currently going for a pretty penny.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I didn't buy this album upon release, but I was attending college at the time with a few Metheny fans so I heard it quite a bit back then. If you want to imagine what partying with music majors was like in 1987, watch about ten seconds of this video and substitute records/cassettes/CDs for the laptop (and with cheaper beer).
Previously revisited for the blog:
Selected Recordings :rarum IX (2004)
Steve Reich - Different Trains, Electric Counterpoint (1989)
Letter From Home (1989)
The Falcon And The Snowman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985)
First Circle (1984)
Travels (1983)
Offramp (1982)
As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (1981)
80/81 (1980)
American Garage (1979)
Watercolors (1977)
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