Lets talk about Talk Talk *

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Den., Dec 15, 2015.

  1. Den.

    Den. Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    Mark Hollis never cared for or listened to pop music. He listened to classical music and Miles Davis, his favorites being Porgy and Bess and Sketches of Spain. What is your favorite Miles Davis album?

    In another thead I said that Happiness is Easy was the weakest song on The Colour of Spring. I listened to it again and take it back. It's a great song but I still find the children singing annoying.

    I spoke with Keith Aspden several times shortly after The Spirit of Eden came out. He told me what several of the sound effects were. The only one I remember is one of the band members was stirring his coffee (or maybe tea, I don't remember) and it was cought on tape. it can be heard at 1:51 of The Rainbow.

    Talk Talk was my favorite band of the twentieth century. Who was your favorite band of the twentieth century? If it was The Beatles, who was your second favorite?
     
  2. jmpatrick

    jmpatrick Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit, MI
  3. JeffMo

    JeffMo Format Agnostic

    Location:
    New England
    Kind of Blue

    Bee Gees

    But I do love Talk Talk - CoS would be my favorite since it perfectly sums up what came before and after. Masterpiece!
     
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  4. pinkrudy

    pinkrudy Senior Member

    i dont listen to jazz..but
    their last album was basically a jazz/post rock album.....very interesting..its great..but maybe my least favorite besides the debut.

    spirit of eden i prefer though because its more prog and less jazz...it sounds more like pink floyd..love spirit of eden.

    colour of spring...which unlike everyone here sounds like a transition album to me...the pop sound of its my life to the maturing of the proggy spirit of eden. its still a great album...i love mark hollis' voice...all he has to do is sing and i instantly like the song. unlike the OP happiness is easy is my favourite track on the album since it sounds the most like its my life album.

    speaking of its my life...maybe my favorite album from them...a pop masterpiece with depth.
     
  5. Merrick

    Merrick The return of the Thin White Duke

    Location:
    Portland
    "Happiness Is Easy" is my favorite Talk Talk song.
     
  6. Nostaljack

    Nostaljack Resident R&B enthusiast

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Mark has one of the nicest vibratos I've ever heard. Gorgeous voice.

    Ed
     
  7. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    Chiming in to say I love the thread title, and I also love Talk Talk.
     
  8. bunglejerry

    bunglejerry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, ON
    I find it confusing that this thread is not about the Psychedelic Furs.
     
  9. Merrick

    Merrick The return of the Thin White Duke

    Location:
    Portland
    That thread would be Talk Talk Talk Talk, but then people would confuse it for a double thread about Talk Talk.
     
  10. conjotter

    conjotter Forum Resident

    Talk Talk records have been gracing my turntable a lot recently after hearing the band for the first time.

    The Colour of Spring is my favourite LP so far, but partly because I have an original copy.

    My other records of the band's discography are reissues. The music is great, but the sound quality is below par.

    Need to find originals of Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden!

    Great band.

    Mark Hollis has one hell of a voice.
     
  11. Koabac

    Koabac Self-Titled

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Big fan of Talk Talk, particularly the last two. I also really love Hollis' solo album from 1998. It's such a perfect, haunting continuation of where Talk Talk left off. Very acoustic, very quiet - I've never heard the space of a room recorded like that. You have to lean in to hear the songs whisper to you. Brilliant stuff.
     
  12. Eleventh Earl of Mar

    Eleventh Earl of Mar Somehow got them all this far.

    Location:
    New York
    I wish Mark Hollis was just sorta in the public still. Has he spoken or given interviews at all since the 90s? It's not my place to judge him bowing out but I'd love to have an interview from him sometime.
     
  13. Koabac

    Koabac Self-Titled

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    He has an instrumental piece called "Arb Section 1" on an HBO show called "Boss" from 2012 and also worked with Anja Garbarek on her "Smiling & Waving" album from 2001 (I think arranging/producing/playing on a couple of tracks) but, yeah, not much has been heard from him. As I mentioned, if you don't have his 1998 solo album, that's a HUGE Hollis re-emergance. I did a Google search a while back and there are a couple pieces about him, including some interviews from the last decade. Probably worth hunting around for if your interested.
     
  14. Vorlon

    Vorlon Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norway
    I already enjoyed Colour of Spring a long time back, and also listened to Spirit of Eden, but found it "boring". Dumb youngster I was. I purchased the hires Colour of Spring a few years ago, very happy with it. I finally got the hires Spirit of Eden today, my first purchase this year. Good dynamic range, and music from out of this world.
     
  15. Moshe

    Moshe "Silent in four languages."

    Location:
    U.S.
    Talk Talk is in my top favorites along with Roxy Music, Kate Bush and Lou Reed
     
  16. davers

    davers Forum Resident

    It's My Life is always my instant go to album for talk talk...as someone mentioned above it's a pop masterpiece.

    I highly recommend the Life At Montreux DVD...these guys put on a great live show in the mid-80s (also evidenced by the Live In London CD).
     
  17. pinkrudy

    pinkrudy Senior Member

    i sampled a few tracks on youtube..seems a continuation of the laughing stock album.
     
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  18. enfield

    enfield Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex UK
    The Colour Of Spring is an important 80's album.I appreciate the excellence of the performances,production and the care and attention to detail that went into it.
    I do tend to treat it slightly as background music when i spin the disc nowadays.(A bit as a i do with Miles Davis).

    I know the audiophile writers at the time loved the album.And it was frequently a reference album at Hi-Fi Sound and What Hi-Fi magazines.For me it hasn't quite got enough depth and warmth in the bass/lower midrange to make it a reference CD ,but it is still good quality..In the same sort of 80's genre,i slightly prefer the content and sound quality of David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees
     
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  19. Porkpie

    Porkpie Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I recently bought a used copy of Colour of Spring vinyl (I already own the CD) but the crackle on it made it unlistenable. I'm debating whether it's worth getting a new vinyl copy or just enjoying it on CD - any opinions?
     
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  20. Den.

    Den. Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Chicago
    I haven't heard the CD in about ten years so I have no reference for comparison; but my vinyl copy sounds great. So my (extremely biased) opinion is definitely get a new vinyl copy.
     
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  21. SteveCooks

    SteveCooks Senior Member

    Location:
    Lyon, France
    Talk Talk is my favorite band after The Beach Boys.
    The former paved the way for the post rock genre ( Jim O'Rourke, Gastr Del Sol) but have too few released compared with the Beach Boys. Even if there can be clunkers in their large discography, I always find the latter at least interesting.
    Both bands have a very special way to spatialize melodies and or harmony.
     
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  22. Porkpie

    Porkpie Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    As the album has a lot of quiet moments, do you hear much static on the tracks?
     
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  23. jon9091

    jon9091 Master Of Reality

    Location:
    Midwest
    Stunning albums....well ahead of their time.
     
  24. Koabac

    Koabac Self-Titled

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    It is in many ways, as Laughing Stock was a continuation from Sprit of Eden - and, fortunately, it continues in a really, cool, interesting, unique direction. I'd be fascinated to see where he would have gone next. I'm curious if there are any other bands or artists who have been influenced, specifically, by the solo album's approach to recording acoustic sound and played in that sandbox further.
     
  25. It's Felix

    It's Felix It's not really me

    Who?
     
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