Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 21, 2026

Still Life (Talking)

Still Life (Talking) is the fifth studio album by the Pat Metheny Group. It was released in 1987 on Geffen Records. It won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance and was certified gold by the RIAA on July 2, 1992.

Last revised
Jul 21, 2026
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Still Life (Talking)
Studio album by
Pat Metheny Group
ReleasedJuly 7, 1987 (1987-07-07)
RecordedMarch–April 1987
StudioPower Station, New York City
GenreJazz fusion
Length42:30
LabelGeffen
ProducerPat Metheny
Pat Metheny chronology
Song X
(1986) 		Still Life (Talking)
(1987) 		Letter from Home
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star1
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStarStar2
The Penguin Guide to Jazz RecordingsStarStarHalf star3

Still Life (Talking) is the fifth studio album by the Pat Metheny Group. It was released in 1987 on Geffen Records. It won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance4 and was certified gold by the RIAA on July 2, 1992.5

In 2015, "Last Train Home" was used as the ending theme for "Battle in Egypt", the second half of the anime series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.6

Track listing

All tracks are written by Pat Metheny except where noted.

Side one:
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Minuano (Six Eight)"Metheny, Mays9:28
2."So May It Secretly Begin" 6:25
3."Last Train Home" 5:41
Side two:
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."(It's Just) Talk" 6:17
2."Third Wind"Metheny, Mays8:37
3."Distance"Mays2:45
4."In Her Family" 3:17

Personnel

Technical staff

  • Pat Metheny – producer, arranger
  • Lyle Mays – co-producer, arranger
  • David Oakes, Steven Cantor – co-producer
  • Rob Eaton – recording, mixing
  • Alexander Haas – assistant engineer
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • David Katzenstein – photography
  • M&Co. – design

Charts

Years Chart Position
1987 Billboard Jazz Albums 1
1987 Billboard Black Albums 43
1987 Billboard Pop Albums7 86

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)8 Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Category
1988 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance
References

References

  1. Henderson, Alex (2011). "Still Life (Talking) - Pat Metheny Group | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 994. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  4. "1987 Grammy Winners". grammy.com. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  5. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  6. Komatsu, Mikikazu (January 9, 2015). "Pat Metheny Group's 1987 Song "Last Train Home" Featured as New ED Song for "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure"". Crunchyroll. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  7. "Pat Metheny Billboard 200 Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  8. "American album certifications – Pat Metheny Group – Still Life (Talking)". Recording Industry Association of America.