Talk Tak: C or D?

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Their catalogue is all over the board frlom the synth pop early stuff to the brooding experimental later work. I know some who find the later dull and the former ace, and vice versa, as well as those who think they are boring dreck. personally, I think Spirit of Eden and Laighing Stock are two of the most beautiful albums I've ever herad, especially in terms of the guitar sounds and Hollis' voice put together. The early work sounds a bit too dated and conventional for me, whereas post Colour of Spring sounds years ahead of its time. Thoughts?

― John S., Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Fret not, you will find many late Talk Talk (and Orang and Mark Hollis solo) fans here! But you raise a good point -- are there, in fact, defenders/celebrators of the earlier stuff over the later here? Because I've not encountered any yet, and a little perspective is often a good thing. :-)

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

When I found out that the bass player in my brother's band was a Talk Talk fan, I was real excited since such people don't seem to be around southeast michigan too much. Then I found out he didn't like anything after Colour of Spring, I was somewhat disappointed considering how lackluster their early stuff is. He liked their more accessible, pop sound, which is fine and all, but their last two albums just sound beyond this realm to me, in much the same way that Loveless or the first Verve album does.

― John S., Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Absolutely brilliant -- all of it, from their skinny tie period throughout the magnificent SPIRIT OF EDEN and LAUGHING STOCK.

― Alex in NYC, Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The later stuff is really great, but I think my favorite really is "It's My Life", the second LP. Such nice songwiting.

― Sean, Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I love Spirt Of Eden and Laughing Stock!! Everything seems to fit together in such a way that you can passively hear the music and its nice melodies etc. But if you really sit down and listen you see thats there is a lot of experimentation going on if your willing to give it your individed attention. Ambient,anyone???

― brg30, Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Although they're no match for the later albums, I'm very fond of the early stuff. It's My Life in particular sounds like the perfect combination of early-eighties synth-pop nous and the initial strands of eccentric, pastoral melancholy that would start surfacing in The Colour of Spring. I was never as convinced by the first record. Anyone knows if Mark Hollis has any plans for a new record? Haven't heard from him since the Anja Garbarek album

― Jorge Mourinha, Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i thought mark hollis retired from making music? the orang cd is not so good. i think mark's solo album is my favorite of any of their releases.

― keith, Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If The Guardian had a sound, it would sound like Talk Talk.

― chris sallis, Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Talk Talk are one of my favourite bands but i've never been able to listen to their first album all the way through.

Anyone knows if Mark Hollis has any plans for a new record?

i read somewhere that he was never going to make music again, which is a shame because his solo album is up there with Spirit of Eden. Whats the Anja Garbarek album like? And what do .O.rang sound like?

― hamish, Monday, 22 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Such A Shame" off the second album is a wonderful song: *why* didn't it go Top 40 in Britain when it was one of the biggest hits that year in mainland Europe?

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

If The Guardian had a sound, it would sound like Talk Talk.

Because of changes in format? What's being alluded to here?

(Spirit of Eden is a classic; the rest I'm less sure about.)

― ciaran, Tuesday, 23 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

five months pass...

are there any mark hollis mp3,s for download? as ive yet to find any.
Does caroline know-live in montroeux 1986 must be the best ever!!!!
nik

― nik-uk, Sunday, 12 January 2003 02:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Talk Talk's Paul Webb is AKA Rustin Man on the new Beth Gibbons LP "Out of Season". I don't think anyone has brought it up yet; it's a beautiful, moving album and is highly recommended.

― Sean (Sean), Sunday, 12 January 2003 09:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, the penny finally dropped for me on that album the other day while listening to some tracks with friends that it was Webb. Somehow I had missed that! Lovely album, but that knowledge gave it an extra zing. :-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 12 January 2003 15:23 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

What is that photograph on the cover of Mark Hollis actually of? It looks like a weirdy gingerbread seal foetus to me. With a tinsel crown.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Sunday, 23 February 2003 11:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Plus, if Radiohead followed Talk Talk's career trajectory almost perfectly, have The Verve done it backwards? ie; got more and more crap and dull after being really great and out-there?

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Sunday, 23 February 2003 17:02 (twenty-three years ago)

Most definitely

― Andy K (Andy K), Sunday, 23 February 2003 17:18 (twenty-three years ago)

one of the only songs i remember hearing while i was 3 years old was 'its my life' and 'its a shame'
so seeng it on vh1 last week took me back quite alot
i had the vinyl somewere (memoty block)
Great band!

now where's that vinyl?????!!

― rex jr., Sunday, 23 February 2003 17:19 (twenty-three years ago)

Classic. I'm surprised how much I enjoy these guys. After hearing all the Pitchforkian hubbub about their later work I grabbed Colour Of Spring from the radio station and it was pretty fun mood music! I can't say I've been knocked out by it, but I sure don't mind it.

I definitely need to hear more. And thanks to vh1 classic I've seen a couple of the videos. Both versions of Talk Talk and one wear they had funny gloves on or something (it reminded me of Supergrass's "Pumping In Your Stereo" visually). Mark Hollis makes some endearingly ugly faces. And I wish that guy with the Mark Lindsay ponytail was my octagon-drummer.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 23 February 2003 23:20 (twenty-three years ago)

that should be 'such a shame' not 'its a shame' shame on me
i really need to find that vinyl!

― rex jr., Sunday, 23 February 2003 23:48 (twenty-three years ago)

There should be a boxset of all there 5 albums (+ bonus tracks)

― A Nairn (moretap), Monday, 24 February 2003 00:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Would be nice, but you can create it yourself -- all five have been reissued and remastered, while A Sides/B Sides and that one little addendum collection to Laughing Stock catches up everything else, at least.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 24 February 2003 03:21 (twenty-three years ago)

nine months pass...

Revival!! Talk Talk CD80 GO!!

1. The Reaction - Talk Talk (Mark Hollis' pre-TT band; available on the Streets compilation)
2. Talk Talk (album version)
3. Dum Dum Girl
4. It's My Life
5. Again a Game... Again
6. Why Is It So Hard?
7. Life's What You Make It
8. Happiness Is Easy (History Revisited version)
9. It's Getting Late in the Evening
10. The Rainbow
11. John Cope
12. After the Flood
13. New Grass
14. It's My Life (Liquid People remix)

TOTAL TIME: 79:54

I don't know. I need a good live song, but nothing on London 1986 really strikes my fancy ("Tomorrow Started" would if the flow of the song wasn't rufely interrupted by the lameass drunk guys that keep hootin' and hollerin' around the two-minute mark. Tossers.)

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 27 November 2003 01:08 (twenty-two years ago)

awesome!

Actually, I really like the live "Life's What You Make It" from 'Natural History'. The guitar tone is amazing...

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 27 November 2003 01:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Never heard of Talk Tak

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 27 November 2003 02:35 (twenty-two years ago)

You should! They're really good!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 27 November 2003 04:38 (twenty-two years ago)

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