Unless you are a lucky soul to find the rare Live 1986 release, you need the Natural History comp for the last two songs, great live versions of "Life's What You Make It" and an stunningly epic "Tomorrow's Started", both from the same London Hammersmith shows I believe.
After The Flood is listed as an alternate version. It may be simply an edit that starts where the song picks up steam. The times for Myrrhman, New Grass & Ascension Day are so close that they could be the same versions. I haven't really done a side-by-side comparison. Someone else may know for sure. From there, an additional 3 songs are different: Stump, 5:09 & Piano. They're all pretty rough (and Piano is barely a song as it is simply minimalist piano) but if you are being a completist... But this is why I let it go, I found it to be expendable even though I tend to be a completist when it comes to releases by artists I am very fond of.
I'm pretty sure they're the same versions. From what I've read, the songs were released as cd singles and Missing Pieces basically compiles them, and includes the piano track. So they're the exact versions that were on the singles which, except for After The Flood, are probably the album versions.
After The Flood is a different version than the regular album cut. Built from some of the same basic recordings but ending up surprisingly different.
Well, I've said it before ... Best Record Ever ... Spirit of Eden The Arc Trilogy from Shearwater falls in that same soundscape for me, especially the first two albums in the trilogy. Records can't really rise to that same exalted place in modern times, but if they could ...
How important was producer Tim Friese-Greene to Talk Talk's albums? Has he done any albums of his own?
Listen to "I Don't Believe In You" from The Colour Of Spring, an absolutely epic track which will demonstrate why Talk Talk is a band of legendary talent.
He was of course a big part of the Catherine Wheel sound on their debut Ferment, one of the parts in that great sonic puzzle that will always link them to Talk Talk for me, and then later on his own ...
I might have mentioned this somewhere on the forum, but I found my way to Talk Talk through the extraordainary self-titled record by their frontman Mark Hollis. I think I must have heard it in early 2010 and sort of worked backwards chronologically, abosrbing each album considerably before moving onto the next one: Spirit Of Eden > Laughing Stock > Colour Of Spring > It's My Life > Talk Talk. I lean heavily on those last two records - they're incredible achievements and I've rarely heard anything in that guise that comes close, save for Bark Psychosis' Hex and Hood's Cold House/Outside Closer. Aside from those staggering arrangements (i.e. "Eden", "Desire", "Before The Flood", "New Grass"), Mark Hollis' voice is a thing of awesome beauty.
I think he's put out a couple. I think I own two of them under his own name. He's release several under the name Heligoland. They're ok.
He co-wrote all the songs and played the keyboards, so, very! -- I was extremely surprised to find out later that he was never actually an official member of the band (it wasn't really that clear on the sleeves).
The debut album, The Party's Over, is often overlooked. Gorgeous songs, particularly on the first side
The b-sides are an absolute must. Songs like "Without You", "Again a Game...Again" and "John Cope" are brilliant
What he said. I love this band. They're in my top three. Every one of their albums is great, in my opinion. No filler on any of them. Not one song.
I have a cd of his, "10 Sketches For Piano Trio." He played all the instruments and it's not a jazz album at all even though the format is a common one in jazz. It's interesting as an exercise I suppose but I find it moderately listenable. It could be partly due to the recording methodology but the songs are very tentative sounding too, like someone improvising who isn't particularly good at it. The ideas are rather simple and the execution is passable but he doesn't really excel here on any of the instruments (piano, bass, drums if it wasn't clear). It was a difficult thing to pull off, few would even bother trying. There are ten tracks and they are repeated in mono in the left channel only and again all ten tracks in mono in the right channel only. Weird idea and I have no idea why. For obsessive fans only I think.
Agreed. Just a good pop record that shows the inner workings of this band's progression over time. Some beautiful melodies mixed with some upbeat songs.
From a songwriting perspective, I'm not sure. From a production and sonic presentation standpoint, I think that this particular tune made me realize how much of a stamp TFG left on the later Talk Talk stuff. Compare it to the structure and dynamics of Talk Talk's "Desire".
If anyone is interested, they have the first three albums on import cd-remastered on Amazon bundled for $13.99. Not bad for The Party's Over, It's My Life, and The Colour of Spring... TALK TALK - Triple Album Collection - Amazon.com Music
