Talk Talk Band

Talk Talk were an English rock band formed in 1981. While they achieved chart success with their first albums and singles like It's My Life, under the creative direction of "frontman" Mark Hollis, they would go on to create some of the most complex, intricate and spellbinding music ever in the form of their last two albums: Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock. Their later music took influences like Debussy, Erik Satie and Ornette Coleman, and fused them with rock sensibilities via improvisation to create a still one of a kind sound (which many claim is the foundation of what we now call post-rock). Hollis's ear for uncommon and abstract melodies, and a unique sense of time and space in music rounded the Talk Talk sound off.

Mark Hollis died last February 25, 2019 - he will be missed and his magic always remembered.

Rachel Goswell from Slowdive said:

"My earliest memory of Talk Talk was hearing Life’s What You Make It on the radio and instantly falling in love. It has one of the best hooks I’ve ever heard and stands up for me as one of the best songs ever written. It always brings me joy when I hear it.

But it wasn’t until 1994 that I discovered Talk Talk properly. When we started the very difficult process of recording our third album, Pygmalion, Neil [Halstead] was absorbed in Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock. Naturally, this led to me listening to those records, and their influence can be heard throughout Pygmalion.

With music, it is often the voice that my ears tend to absorb most. Mark’s voice has such fragile beauty and warmth. Eden floors me every time I hear it – lyrically it’s so beautiful, and the space and depth of the songs are simply wonderful. In my earlier years, I would have spent my time listening to these songs with headphones on and no doubt had a joint in hand. I still go back to these records time and time again – sans drugs – and let them wrap around me like a familiar friend. These records stir a myriad of emotions and give me comfort and peace. I am so sad to hear of Mark’s passing. He was a genius."

Top ten albums ever:

 

Probably wouldn’t have gave this band a listen if I hadn’t seen the Pygmalion influence in your description. You can already hear it in the first track of Spirit of Eden and I am loving this so far.

 

not a single Talk Talk fan on this site???

sigh... v__v

 

me, laughing stock is the best album ever recorded

 

and the early pop stuff is all wonderful too

 

hollis an unprecedented genius imo

 

LS is amazing but my favorite will always be SoE - but very very close!!

and the pop stuff is great for sure

a genius indeed

 

i may be entering a phase where i think the mark hollis s/t is the best

 

Band is good. Rip mark hollis

 

revisited this album based on your comment and it is indeed excellent

like a very intimate version of TT's last two albums

 

I’ve grown to love Laughing Stock over the last year, and I’m looking forward to diving into Spirit of Eden. I also swear that I posted in here before

 

the perfect Spring music

 

I'm gonna try to get into them again. Starting with their first one, which is an outlier from what I understand.

 

I am onto The Colour of Spring. The first two records were fine, some highlights, but "April 5th" is the first song where I'm like "okay I get it"

 

It’s really the last two that do it tbh

 

listening to Laughing Stock for the first time

 

After a 5 month break I'm listening to Spirit of Eden now. Wild that this is the same band as the first few records

 

Wow yeah okay both of these are fantastic

 

Wow, Mark Hollis is brilliant too. Gonna spend a lot of time with these over the fall/winter

 

Becoming my go-to grading music

 

elevated & compassionate grading incoming

 

Been just over a year since LS, SoE, and the Mark Hollis album became pretty much all I listen to in my free time

 

God damn I love "April 5th" so much. First time revisiting The Colour of Spring in a while.

 

Legendary band way ahead of their time