TALK TALK

I had no hesitation chasing down this DVD , as my palm was itching upon reading a rather glowing review here on PA by 'daniel 1974nl', a clear omen that compelled me to go the extra mile. I am totally unashamed and even snobbily proud of my devout Roxy Music fascination as it kept me always firmly in line with my severe prog tendencies through 4 decades (and my prog collection seems to be the envy of the uncivilized world!) and I have many Roxy inspired offshoots that I deeply enjoy ( Japan, ABC, Simple Minds and Talk Talk) . While perhaps their smash single "It's My Life" may be perceived as a huge turnoff to some prog fans, truth is than Mark Hollis is a huge talent (as proven by his latter, more ambient and brilliant material) and this DVD amply proves why the adulation is fully deserved . The hit single was OK by my strict standards but I was immediately seduced by some other songs on that album, namely Renée, Caroline Knows, DumDum Girl, the magnificent Call in the Nightboy, Tomorrow Started, Such a Shame, It's You and deeply impressed by the sterling track from Color of Spring, Life is What You Make It and Living in Another World. The DVD Live in Montreux (the prestigious Swiss musical event in that gorgeous Swiss town on the lake) is a spellbinding visual document that demonstrates the prodigious voice of Mark Hollis, who turned out to have influenced a few prog microphones ( Jan Robert Ohme of Gazpacho and Steve Hoggarth of Marillion, among others) and his hypnotic intensity displayed in a live setting! Wow indeed! Yes, it's somewhat poppy but the stellar crew on hand shows some superb chops, namely guitarist John Turnbull, the 2 keyboardists Ian Curnow and Rupert Black and the 2 percussionists (Leroy Williams and Phil Reis). Bassman Paul Webb is a groove meister and mad drummer Lee Harris really gets into it; watching their intensity is as overwhelming as the whole Hollis experience. As I know this material inside out, I cannot remember the last time I sang through an entire DVD, foot stomping, hips weaving and eyes bowed in ecstasy. Even savvy, experienced proggers like yours truly need a little fun and just plain enjoyment from time to time, you know! Even the most über-progger has his personal fun records (not telling anyone BTW!) This is quickly turning out to be one of my finest "off the wall" purchases and I certainly do not regret it. I can Talk Talk all night glowingly about this delirious visual document but in one word, seek it out and you will be swayed. A breakaway overtime winner , 5 Swiss Rolexes.

Where most bands started their carrear with more experimental and lesser acvessible tracks....like Genesis, King Crimson, Yes, Pink Floyd and more recent Porcupine Tree. Talk Talk went completely in the opposite direction...I guess its not everybody's dream to fill footballstadiums and sell millions of records...A rare example of a band that rather created true art if you ask me.

Now...many have commented on the fact that Talk Talk took a really radical turn in style...or perhaps it grew gradually...but I believe it was always there. The studio albums sound indeed pollished and like potential Sky Radio tunes...especially on It's My Live and The Colour Of Spring.....but live it always was a whole different cup of tea...Judging the the way all this pollished potential hits are played live.....there was some great emperimenting already added....Perhaps live what really challenged them and was where they really were showing what they really were and wanted to do...Listen do London 1986 and Live At Montreux 1986.....which both are really great.

Laughing Stock is along the experimental path....resulting in songs that are incredible beautifull and suddle...much like Tomorrow Started and Renee that reminds you much more of the work of Davis Sylvian, Japan or Fripp's Soundscape like creations...I thought...the 2 long songs both were extremely beautifull, touching or perhaps even haunting.

The ling with Radiohead is already made a dozen times...but I'd like to add another to that and that it the Hogarth era Marillion...many of the suddle pieces resemple great equalty to the work of Marillion's more suddle work...sometimes I even thought...is it Hollis or is it...Hogarth that I hear here...

Another work that should be respected.....it's nothing but progressive and daring if you ask me...Not prgressive in the traditional meaning of the word...all of them moved in the other direction...but certainly trying to break borders and clear new ground here.....

Give it a few tries.......I think......

I already had a taste of Talk Talk's live capabilities in 2000 when they released London 1986.....Already totally overblows by the the live capabilities......turning song that already were masterpieces into even greater pieces.......But with this concert....the bar has been raised even higher........what an incredible performance...........that more than ever before shows the importance of Talk Talk's influence on modern music.....I frequently had to think of Radiohead for example.....The link between this 2 bands is more than ever clearly visible.

Just as with London 1986 there are no weak songs here, but only masterpieces...its a gig that buildsb on highlight after highlight.....pushing all the way up to what probably is one of their most touching and sensitive songs....Renee....Played in a tight, deeply emotional and mindblowing version that is sending shivers down my spine.....This goes for all the songs.....that are played here....Tomorrow Started.....Living In Another World....all of them add alot to the orginal ersion of the songs..time after time showing a much more experimental side that often reminds you more of The Cure in their middle years, or Radiohead......the solo's, distoptions and sound effects are heavy all over the gig.......but mostly during a version of Such a Shame (check out that bassline after aprox 5 min....totally awsome).....that is played here in a much longer version (8.30 min) that is resulting in some heavy jamming.....especially the last 3 min...are amazing....the version is very much the same as on London 1986, but now they are playing an accoustic guitar over the end....that jams up quite tense....creating an even better version....

All in all a totally mindblowing concert that comes highly recomanded....Great great sound by the way...but from Eagle Records's Montruex releases we are not expecting anything lesser....

Buy this DVD

Alongside Talk Talk's other post-rock work, Laughing Stock, Spirit of Eden is perhaps one of the most unique--not to mention otherworldly--pieces of music of the last 50 years. Though it has gone (generally) unnoticed by the record-buying public at large, it still remains a hauntingly beautiful masterpiece. I've only had the pleasure of enjoying this album for 6 months or so--I've owned Laughing Stock for a little over a year--and it was only after 5 or more listens that I was finally able to appreciate Spirit of Eden for what it is. As with most musical masterpieces there are almost no dull moments here (with the exception of the last 2 or 3 minutes of Wealth) and even the silence in between tracks adds to the quiet power of this album. I must truly say that these six songs capture the spirit of Eden in a way no other album has done before or since.

'Such A Shame' was one of songs of my childhood. Logical that I buy the CD where it is contained. But it now sounds too POP in my mind. But still pleasure to me. The rest of this album is too commercial (in POP side) and New Wave because it remains imprinted in my mind. Only 'Renée', a good ballad, please me in the right way. But can not print in mind. Like all the songs in 'It's My Life', except 'Such A Shame'. What I can to bring to light in my mind is the production: extreme beautiful! But I think that has little to save 'it's A Shame', masterpiece for 1984.

Probably the most beautiful rock CD I own, Talk Talk's Laughing Stock is the swan song of the band who is credited for founding the post-rock genre. A marvelous thing about Laughing Stock is that it doesn't seem to have been made in any particular decade; it is a truly timeless album. Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Green gathered some magnificent studio musicians recorded Laughing Stock in much the same way as they did on the previous album Spirit of Eden. Hollis and Friese-Green were able to milk six majestic pieces of post-rock out of the process of recording improvisations (based around themes) and editing them down. Highlights include the minimalistic opener Myrrhman, Ascension Day, and After the Flood with its quiet but powerful organ parts and slightly swinging drum beat. IMO, Laughing Stock is Talk Talk's creative peak. Although some will say that Spirit of Eden is Talk Talk's best and important album, Laughing Stock still stubbornly holds its place in my CD collection as one of my top 10/desert-island discs.

Sprit of Eden is the fourth studio album from experimental rock band Talk Talk. Talk Talk started their career being a synth pop band on their first two albums The Party´s Over and It´s My Life but shifted towards a more experiental yet still commercial pop/ rock style on their third album The Colour of Spring. With this their fourth album the transformation from commercial pop/ rock band into an experimental and sometimes avant garde rock band is complete. Talk Talk had enjoyed considerable success with The Colour of Spring and the financial freedom that followed with good record sales ment that Mark Hollis and Co. made an album that many consider to be a commercial suicide. The record label was probably furious but for us prog heads it´s such a great move.

The music is as mentioned experimental rock with great emphasis on dynamics. Main composer Mark Hollis said in an interview I saw on television a few years back that he emphasised silence as much as sound in music. Sometimes the unsaid is more powerful than the spoken word. The music is a times very subtle and the volume is very low while at other times we´re assaulted with a full on attack of noisy guitar and Mark Hollis singing more powerfully than his usual subtle approach. If you look at the session musicians playing on the album you´ll see that there are used many different instruments on this recording. Intruments like Trumpet, Harmonica, violin, Shozgs ( Whatever that is?), basoon, oboe and clarinet in addition to the more ordinary instruments played by the band like guitar, bass, drums, piano, organ, Harmonium and percussion. That load of different sounds makes Spirit of Eden a very special experience.

The musicianship is astonishing to say the least. Mark Hollis fragile and subtle vocal approach that suddenly turns into a loud, expressive and emotional performance has to be mentioned. But everyone are at the top of their game here.

The production is extremely well done by Tim Friese-Greene. A very organic sound that it warm and full.

This is not an album I embraced on initial listen. It´s taken me a couple of years to really appreciate but patience was rewarded in this case. I think a big 4 star rating for this original album is well deserved. If you want to hear something very different Spirit of Eden should please you. I forgot to mention that the mood on the album is extremely melancholic, so don´t expect happy tunes here.

— First review of this album —

"History reinvented" - Talk Talk's manager

The remixes on this album are not those which appeared on collections such as "A-sides, B-Sides" and "Remixed", which were carried out with the approval and involvement of the band (with the exception here of the Dub mix of "Happiness is easy"). These versions were commissioned by the band's record label Parlophone without the band's agreement, indeed Talk Talk subsequently took the label to court over the matter.

The tracks selected are most of those which appeared on the "Natural history, the best of" compilation of Talk Talk singles, hence the name of this collection. A variety of remixers are hired to add their treatment to the tracks, including Paul Webb, Justin Robertson and Fluke.

To be honest, it is hard to see what all the fuss was about. The songs are still entirely recognisable, most of the remixes being unadventurous and superficial. Apart from a slightly expended intro and some prosaic dance rhythms, Gary Miller's version of "Such a shame" for example is hard to distinguish from the original album track. Likewise, his work on "Today" appears to consist of the insertion of a few extraneous noises and little else, the remix running to a mere 3½ minutes.

Fluke's version of "Life's what you make it" does at least try to generate some interest, the jungle noises and Two Tone beat which opens the track catching the ear. All that happens thereafter through is that the original track is overlaid on the new beat.

It almost seems as if Parlophone were too worried about upsetting the band, and ended up with an album designed by a committee. In the end, such compromises never work, and they ended up pleasing no one.

An opportunity missed.

— First review of this album —

Small talk

As with most (but not all) Talk Talk compilations, this set focuses on the band's earlier pop centric albums. The usual suspects such as "It's my life", "Talk talk" (2 versions), "Life's what you make it", etc., are rolled out in random fashion over 16 tracks. A couple of relative rarities are thrown in for good measure, including a 12" mix of "Happiness is easy", but these as these are already available on other compilations, they hardly offer an excuse to buy this set.

The music is of course superb, being sophisticated pop prog at its very best. There is an atmosphere and excellence to the music of Talk Talk which takes it beyond the simple material of the pop charts, and even sets it apart from peers such as 10CC. The band's albums are however well crafted affairs, where the selected singles sit easily with the remaining album tracks. To extract the successful singles and place them one after the other is to lose the continuity of the source albums, leaving a satisfactory, but superfluous collection of singles.

Those seeking to skim the surface of this fine band will enjoy this collection. Those wondering why they are listed on this site are strongly advised to avoid this collection and look elsewhere in the band's discography for the answer to that.

The Colour of Spring is the third album from Talk Talk. It´s with The Colour of Spring that people into experimental rock music should be able to get something out of Talk Talk´s music. There is a big change from the synth based pop music from the previous two album to this much more mature experimental rock music.

The music is still commercial and the singles from The Colour of Spring were on heavy rotation on MTV which of course led to a major sales number of the album. The Colour of Spring was a commercial succes as well as an artistic statement from Mark Hollis and co. The Colour of Spring was also my introduction to the band even though I had been trying out Laughing Stock which I found a bit too experimental at the time ( this has since changed). I have always enjoyed commercial music that had one foot in progressive music and that is just what The Colour of Spring represents.

The most known songs from The Colour of Spring are Happiness Is Easy, Life's What You Make It, Living in Another World and they are very strong compositions with lots of intriguing sounds and small parts that you wouldn´t normally hear in commercial music. The more quit and introvert songs April 5th and Chameleon Day points towards their future albums which are closer to this style than the more commercially sounding songs on The Colour of Spring.

One of the most exciting features on The Colour of Spring is the many guest musicians playing everything from percussion to horns, harps and saxes. They really add a lot to the soundscape. The music still has lots of synth but organ is the most used keyboard on the album. Talk Talk is moving towards a more organic sound. This is also the album where main composer and lead singer Mark Hollis begins to emphasise his philosophy that silence is just as important as notes in music. The music is generally very dynamic and during the most elaborate parts there are multible layers of instruments and sounds while the more quiet parts are more simple.

The musicianship is outstanding for a pop album and we´re treated to some really nice interplay and strange ideas.

The production is just as outstanding as the musicians. One of the best productions from the eighties no doubt.

The Colour of Spring has always intrigued me as it is both commercial and challenging which is a rarety. Allthough I like their even more experimental albums Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock more than The Colour of Spring today The Colour of Spring is still one of the best experimental pop/ rock albums from the eighties and well worth the 4 stars that I will rate it. Highly recommendable to those of you who like commercial music with a twist.