Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Talk Talk - The Colour Of Spring CD (album) cover

THE COLOUR OF SPRING

Talk Talk

 

Crossover Prog

3.90 | 275 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator
PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic
4 stars While the punk movement hit hard in 1977 when the Sex Pistols dropped their debut bomb "Never Mind The Bollocks," the death of Sid Vicious found the genre splintering into myriad directions before it really had a chance to take off. Of the two major sub-groups which included the artier grit of post-punk and the pop infused counterpart known as new wave, the latter is the one that dominated the music charts, decorated the pastiche of a nascent MTV video revolution and additionally launched the careers of countless bands that suddenly found unthinkable instant success. One of these groups was the London based TALK TALK that joined the ranks of the legion of synthpop bands that emerged in the early 80s however unlike the majority of such acts, was one of the very few bands to evolve past their early new wave origins.

Despite the lack of major success in their native UK as well as the USA, TALK TALK was quite successful in many regions of the world, especially the European continent and New Zealand once their second album "It's My Life" spawned a pair of hit singles. While easily fitting in with the status quo of the new wave era, there was always something about TALK TALK that transcended the new romantic synth-laden pop sensibilities of the first two albums and as the year 1984 found much of the new wave artists being swept aside for more mainstream artists finally getting in on the video action, TALK TALK instead quietly spent two years transmogrifying itself into a completely new band. By shedding the synthpop stylistic approach and opting for an artier and complex form of more progressive pop that served as a bridge between the synthpop origins and the new musical genre they pioneered eventually known as post- rock, the band clearly set themselves apart in a big way.

THE COLOUR OF SPRING, the third album proved that TALK TALK was a much more sophisticated band than many that emerged in the new wave drenched early 80s. The eight tracks which make up the album continue the romantic crooning vocal style of lead vocalist Mark Hollis (R.I.P.) however the music that surrounded his melodically passionate singing style had completely moved on into a pseudo-progressive sort of pop and although the band was still centered around the triumvirate of Hollis (vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar), Lee Harris (drums) and Paul Webb (bass), THE COLOUR OF SPRING opened the floodgates for new sounds and 14 guest musicians to add new colorful timbres and tones which in retrospect would lead to the padded and bloated sounds of the following "The Spirit Of Eden" and "Laughing Stock." Both of which have gained the ultimate cult following as the very first examples of what would become known as the post-rock paradigm.

While those albums would go over the heads of the public at large during their day, THE COLOUR OF SPRING on the other hand became the most successful album of TALK TALK's career at least during years of the band's existence. The album deftly straddled the line between accessible pop hooks and angsty art fueled errancy. While the synthpop bands had mostly eschewed their punk roots for a more polished pop veneer, TALK TALK revived some of those emotional constructs of sort, not in the music itself but in the delivery of the eclectic melting pot of jazz, pop and rock alongside the emotionally strewn lyrics that resurrect the spirit and zeitgeist of the angst and uncertainties of the world but in a more mature and refined musical delivery. The thread of continuity is cleverly designed despite not outbursts of anarchy or social unrest.

THE COLOUR OF SPRING is a transition album in every way. Not only that it perfectly sits in the middle of the band's five album run, but also in how it drifts from the more pop-infused opening tracks like "Happiness Is Easy" and the single "Life's What You Make It" to the more experimental closing numbers "Chameleon Day" and "Time It's Time" which prognosticated the band's next move into a more ambient future. With a highly creative leap of musical expression, TALK TALK transcended with grace beyond the world of synthpop and evolved not merely into the next version of the pop music industry but rather crafted an extraordinarily idiosyncratic sound that to this very day still sounds like no other.

With the change of style, it became clearer that the band's core element was the vocal style of Mark Hollis. While the music that supported his vocal prowess changed around it, his distinct aural textures are accented by the new instrumental accompaniments that offers a more subtle and fragile tapestry of an ever expanding amalgamation of instrumentation that would set the stage for the artistic post-rock overdrive of the following "Spirit Of Eden." Due to its transitional nature, THE COLOUR OF SPRING sounds like no other TALK TALK album much less any other album ever made but still finds a brilliant balance between the sensual sultry lyrical delivery and the new romantic progressive sophisti-pop of the musical scores. Instantly catchy but allows exploration. As colorful as the assortment of lepidopteran imagery on the album cover art.

siLLy puPPy | 4/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this TALK TALK review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.