Echoes of Talk Talk

I have created this page as an overview for people interested in the group Talk Talk and Mark Hollis. I have included links to other source materials, in the External Reference Page. My opinions as Editor, are my own.

Talk Talk were an English musical group whose output was primarily between 1981 and 1991. The group had a number of commercially successful singles including "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World".

As the band's commercial appeal waned, their critical reputation increased as they moved to a more avant-garde form (albeit with older recording equipment.) Their last two albums, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, are highly acclaimed and remain extremely influential and are often cited as influences by modern acts. You will often see Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock cited amongst the 'greatest albums' (often by musicians who play in a very different style) without the corresponding commercial sales figures you would expect.

No doubt this would make Mark smile, ruefully...

History

Talk Talk were one of few bands who made music successfully, but on their own artistic terms. This approach did cause some tension (and gnashing of teeth) amongst their music execs. Confounding the press and despite serious record company conflict, the group have emerged - with integrity intact - as one of the most wayward, elusive, frustrating, determined and fascinating bands.

Having evolved from a new wave (based on marketing) synth-pop band into a sprawling brooding prog rock / post rock outfit in just four albums, Talk Talk seemed a spent commercial outfit after "Spirit of Eden" in 1988.

In 1990, "Natural History" (a compilation of earlier Talk Talk work) deviated from the musical trend of dance / golden oldies music at the time and sold over one million copies worldwide. Their subsequent album "Laughing Stock" was immediately a keenly anticipated British release, with audiences expecting more of the the same (music as found in Natural History.) Oh...

The Reaction was included in the "Streets" compilation on Beggar's Banquet, a song, co-written by Mark with his brother. An early version of "Talk Talk", was introduced to the musical world...

The Reaction disintegrated as an outfit in 1979 and Mark Hollis spent his time on writing more sophisticated material as a song writer.

By 1981, Island Music were impressed enough to book Mark some demo time, and to help out on the sessions Ed Hollis introduced drummer Lee Harris and bassist Paul Webb to his brother. Rehearsals with Hollis's new material progressed, and Simon Brenner was added to the line-up on keyboards. Talk Talk was a four piece band. A publishing deal with Island allowed the group to refine their sound through extensive demo sessions, some of them overseen by veteran Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller.

Keith Apsden left Island Music to manage the group, and after witnessing their live debut in London in October, BBC DJ David Jensen offered the band a session slot on his Radio One show (see links below.) A version of "Talk Talk" from this session later emerged on a limited edition of the same song's commercial 12" release. Impressed by the Island demos and further live shows, EMI signed the group a month later, although unfortunately the company - still flushed by the runaway success of Duran Duran - were intent on moulding Talk Talk in the same image.

Talk Talk began as a quartet consisting of Mark Hollis (vocals), Simon Brenner (keyboards), Lee Harris (drums) and Paul Webb (bass guitar). They were generally associated with the New Romantic movement; more specifically, in their early years, they were often compared with Duran Duran, as both bands not only featured a double-barrelled name and a Roxy Music-inspired musical direction, but also shared the same record label (EMI) and producer (Colin Thurston).

Talk Talk's first line-up released a self-titled debut EP in 1982 which was quickly expanded into a full-length album entitled The Party's Over, typical for what Allmusic called a "slavishly derivative, Duran Duran-styled, new romantic synthpop band."[2] The band charted in the UK Top 40 with the singles "Talk Talk" (a remake of the 1977 song "Talk Talk Talk Talk" by The Reaction, released on Beggars Banquet Records' compilation album "Streets") and "Today", both produced by Thurston (whose other production credits include The Human League, Duran Duran and Kajagoogoo). The album itself was not a huge success upon release, but was later certified Silver by the BPI for sales of 60,000 copies by 1985.

They were introduced to a much wider live audience in October 1982 when they supported a Genesis reunion concert in Milton Keynes Bowl, England.

I include an interesting account of the MK concert, with a typical MH response (Pink Floyd!):

https://thedrumdoctor.net/the-partys-over-remembering-mark-hollis-talk-talk-genesis?fbclid=IwAR1SPPehb6VqeKXodjxqlpn_e9RmK1RepjCNn9blJFnSViSEgmTp1nV-pNw

While they never completely embraced the fading New Romantic trend, Talk Talk's name drew unenviable Duran parallels, which were cemented by the hiring of Colin Thurston to produce the first album, as he had done with Simon Le Bon's band. Perhaps surprisingly, EMI's doppelganger strategy failed to break Talk Talk - although it took a pair of stalled singles for the truth to dawn. After "Mirror Man" had flopped, "Talk Talk" itself only managed a modest chart placing of 52 on the back of a national tour supporting - no prizes! - Duran Duran. Both critically and commercially it was hardly an auspicious start, although the two singles retain a measure of interest since they both feature non-album tracks on the flipsides.

The band's first album, "The Party's Over", appeared in July 1982, and reached 21 after a powerful third single, "Today", finally provided Talk Talk with a persuasive No. 14 hit. The LP went on to sell over a quarter of a million copies, although an extensive American tour supporting Elvis Costello produced only modest results. Unhappy with Thurston's production, the band themselves had taken control of the sessions halfway through, but despite this bold move the album contained little that suggested Talk Talk were a force to be reckoned with. Bathed in solid slabs of synth and thudding Linn drums, much of it now sounds naive and dated. While "Talk Talk" and "Today" are still fresh, several other strong songs were ill-served by their arrangements. Tellingly, this would be the first and last Talk Talk album on which writing credits were shared by the entire band. The group's new found success prompted EMI to issue a remixed single of "Talk Talk", the song this time climbing to No. 23 in October. "Another World" (backed with "Candy") also appeared as a single in Germany, an odd choice (even given its obvious disco appeal, and the term isn't used flatteringly) as this Paul Webb composition was easily the weakest track on the album. In any case, only completists need seek copies out, since neither side differs from the album versions.

"Most die hard fans of early Talk Talk records will remember that extremely dodgy photo of us all in white clothes, which appeared on the single cover for the song also titled Talk Talk. Looking more like an advert for washing powder than a band, I have always been pretty embarrassed about it, along with the ridiculous video that accompanied the release.

The Idea behind the clothes and video actually started out alright. We had visions of the whites having a contradictory effect, just like in Stanley Kubrick’s, ‘A Clockwork Orange’, where the purity of the colour is used to create a strangely heavy and sinister world.

A Stylist and video director were brought in to go through the idea with us, but the concept got seriously lost in translation, with disastrous results. This video also cost more to make than the whole first album, which in itself is shocking.

Thankfully, there was a lesson learned and for the second album we worked with the great video director Tim Pope, who was much more in tune with the band and our music.

The image I’ve posted today I’m much more comfortable with, It must have been processed on a cheap old photo copier, but it makes me smile. It reminds me of our early years of camaraderie and that often inappropriate, but fearlessly confident arrogance that comes hand in hand with youth. "

Source: Paul Webb (Rustinman.com)

Rustin Man (Official)

At 10.30pm on the 16th September 1981, we took to the stage as a fresh, unsigned band, to play a set at the London ‘Blitz Club’ in Covent Garden. The venue was famous for being at the heart of the New Romantic movement, but ‘Steve Strange’ and the dedicated ‘Blitz kids’ had long gone. The only remnants of the buildings former glory, was the blue neon lights that spelt the clubs name outside, and a ‘Human League’ 7 inch single that had been left behind in the DJ booth.

This of course didn’t matter to us. Even though we were a band centred around keyboards, with not a guitarist in sight, we saw ourselves having more in common with the early psychedelic movement of the mid 60’s than the fashionable electronic music of the time.

In the preceding months, in-between rehearsals leading up to our first gigs, Lee Harris and I would often stay at Mark Hollis’s flat in Muswell Hill, frequently listening to records like ‘7 and 7 is’ by ‘Love’ or ‘I had Too Much to Dream last Night’ by ‘The Electric Prunes’. We all came from different musical backgrounds, but agreed the darker side of psychedelia was a good point of reference as far as early ‘Talk Talk’ music was concerned, hence the beads, paisley shirts and patterned waistcoats, we all chose to wear for those early gigs.

The Blitz night went well considering it was only the third time we’d played in front of an audience. There was a slight hitch, as no one had thought to book a warm-up DJ or bring any music to play before we went on stage. My friend ‘Snowboy’ managed to get the clubs decks working and then went on to spin the ‘Human League’ single we’d found in the DJ booth half a dozen times. It was an odd way to set up the vibe for a Talk Talk gig, but it didn’t really matter in the end. Our mates made up 90% of the audience, and they were all up for a good night out. In fact, when we came on stage, it felt extra lively, almost triumphant, due to everybody being so relieved they didn’t have to listen to the double A sided ‘Human League’ single on a loop anymore.

1982 Band Debut

Talk Talk's first line-up released a self-titled debut EP in 1982 which was quickly expanded into a full-length album entitled The Party's Over, typical for what Allmusic called a "slavishly derivative, Duran Duran-styled, new romantic synthpop band."[2] The band charted in the UK Top 40 with the singles "Talk Talk" (a remake of the 1977 song "Talk Talk Talk Talk" by The Reaction, released on Beggars Banquet Records' compilation album "Streets") and "Today", both produced by Thurston (whose other production credits include The Human League, Duran Duran and Kajagoogoo). The album itself was not a huge success upon release, but was later certified Silver by the BPI for sales of 60,000 copies by 1985.

They were introduced to a much wider live audience in October 1982 when they supported a Genesis reunion concert in Milton Keynes Bowl, England. (Ed. not found any video of this one, sadly!)

While they never completely embraced the fading New Romantic trend, Talk Talk's name drew unenviable Duran parallels, which were cemented by the hiring of Colin Thurston to produce the first album, as he had done with Simon Le Bon's band. Perhaps surprisingly, EMI's doppelganger strategy failed to break Talk Talk - although it took a pair of stalled singles for the truth to dawn. After "Mirror Man" had flopped, "Talk Talk" itself only managed a modest chart placing of 52 on the back of a national tour supporting - no prizes! - Duran Duran. Both critically and commercially it was hardly an auspicious start, although the two singles retain a measure of interest since they both feature non-album tracks on the flipsides.

The band's first album, "The Party's Over", appeared in July 1982, and reached 21 after a powerful third single, "Today", finally provided Talk Talk with a persuasive No. 14 hit. The LP went on to sell over a quarter of a million copies, although an extensive American tour supporting Elvis Costello produced only modest results. Unhappy with Thurston's production, the band themselves had taken control of the sessions halfway through, but despite this bold move the album contained little that suggested Talk Talk were a force to be reckoned with. Bathed in solid slabs of synth and thudding Linn drums, much of it now sounds naive and dated. While "Talk Talk" and "Today" are still fresh, several other strong songs were ill-served by their arrangements. Tellingly, this would be the first and last Talk Talk album on which writing credits were shared by the entire band. The group's new found success prompted EMI to issue a remixed single of "Talk Talk", the song this time climbing to No. 23 in October. "Another World" (backed with "Candy") also appeared as a single in Germany, an odd choice (even given its obvious disco appeal, and the term isn't used flatteringly) as this Paul Webb composition was easily the weakest track on the album. In any case, only completists need seek copies out, since neither side differs from the album versions.

1983 Line-up change

1983 includes the first of several major changes within the group was taking place. Eager for Talk Talk to become a looser, more flexible creative unit, and anxious to shake off EMI's marketing straitjacket, Hollis elected to abandon synthesisers as the musical foundation of the band. Exit the synth player Simon Brenner, and as his role was now obsolete, the reshuffle reduced the band to a nucleus of just three - another odd move, on paper at least, since it left Talk Talk consisting of a singer, bassist and drummer. In interview, MH stated this was a deliberate move, inspired by Coltrane, to have a jazz set up.

Brenner left after the 1983 non-LP single "My Foolish Friend", which was initially produced by frequent Roxy Music collaborator Rhett Davies. After some difficulties in the studio, Tim was brought in to replace Davies and went on to complete and mix the album. Brenner was replaced by Tim Friese-Greene, the unofficial fourth member of the band, who was keyboard player, producer, and Hollis' frequent songwriting partner. Although a major contributor to the band's studio output, Friese-Greene did not regularly play with the band during live shows or appear in publicity material.

Several new songs were recorded with Rhett Davis soon afterwards, yet although the non-LP single "My Foolish Friend" made No. 57 in March 1983, and clearly showed that the band were maturing, nothing further was heard for almost a year. Instead, Hollis spent 1983 writing new material and assembling a floating pool of musicians to record the second album, a process completed by the recruitment of producer Tim Friese-Greene, whose arrival proved to be a watershed in the band's career. Friese-Greene (an engineer-turned-producer who had already guided Blue Zoo into the charts) was not just an accomplished keyboard player but also a compatible personality - which was useful, as the internal chemistry of the band was already proving to be more important to Hollis than mere technical prowess. So strong was the rapport between artist and producer, in fact, that the pair swiftly co-wrote two tracks which completed - and indeed made - the LP: "It's My Life" and "Dum Dum Girl". Although this writing partnership has been responsible for every Talk Talk track released since 1984, Friese-Greene chooses to remain officially outside the group, Hollis instead describing him as an "Al Kooper-type figure".

"In Talk Talk we developed a disliking for doing interviews and photo sessions. This was partly due to the amount of them we had to do, but also the early albums had left a trail of misquotes and unflattering reviews, resulting in us being cynical about the music press. When our paths crossed, we dealt with it by going into a kind of surreal comedy routine. Answering questions with an armoury of in-jokes that only we found funny. Most journalists and photographers thought our humour to be at best bewildering, and at worst, juvenile and rude.

Around the release of our third album ‘The Colour of Spring’ we had gathered on the Embankment in London to record a TV show. I can’t remember what show it was but in the rehearsal break we had agreed to do photos for a NME feature. Mark had already done the interview bit of it on his own, which had not gone particularly well. But the photo session was with all three of us, which under normal circumstances would be a breeze, as we could just go into our mischievous routine and get it over and done with.

This time for me though was different. The photographer NME had commissioned was Lawrence Watson, who was a great friend of mine. There was no way I was going to participate in the Talkie Talkie comedy show in front of him. But I was in a dilemma because as a band we had to get the pictures done the only way we knew how. The fact that Lawrence was my mate didn’t take away the problem that we hated doing photo sessions.

I thought it best to play down my friendship with Lawrence to Mark and Lee and just see what happened. Fortunately I had nothing to worry about. Lawrence is known for being one of the great music photographers for good reason. He is so laid back and easy going that even the most difficult of personalities would find it hard not to feel at ease with him. Mark and Lee warmed to my friend very quickly.

The NME feature still didn’t turn out that great but the session with Lawrence was effortless, meaning we could save our best gags and wonderfully entertaining routine for the next lucky journalist or photographer to come along."

Source: Rustinman.com (Paul Webb is on Facebook if you want to follow him)

Friese-Greene's production imbued the material with an ambitious sound and arrangement which, though less obviously commercial than before, seemed far more natural for the band. Guitars also appeared on a Talk Talk record for the first time (courtesy of sessionman Robbie McIntosh), though in fact the distinctly Floydian solos were performed on treated keyboards. Despite its promise, however, the LP was still the work of a band in transition - no doubt one reason why it stalled at a disappointing No. 35 in the U.K. Another was that the group, already deeply embarrassed by EMI's past image-mongering, now began to cultivate a resolute non-image which would only deepen as time passed.

The second single from the album, "Such A Shame", drew heavily on Luke Reinhart's cult novel "The Dice Man" for inspiration, a fact flaunted on both the sleeve and video. EMI's attempts at charting it included a double-pack 7" in a poster sleeve, featuring a bonus single of Jimmy Miller demos dating back from June 1981. Frankly the three tracks ("Talk Talk", "Mirror Man" and "Candy") are unremarkable, though some may prefer this stringless version of "Mirror Man" to the take on the first LP. What really makes "Such A Shame" attractive on 45 is the flipside, "Again, A Game . . . Again", a superb track which, unaccountably, has never been reissued despite matching anything on the album.

Talk Talk achieved considerable international success in 1984/85 (particularly in continental Europe) with the album It's My Life, which Allmusic reviewed as a "cohesive album" which showed improved songwriting.[2] The accompanying single "Such a Shame" (a song inspired by the book The Dice Man) became a Top 5 hit in Austria,[3] Germany, Italy[4] and Switzerland[5] during this period. The title track of the album was also a top 10 hit in Italy, and made the U.S., Canadian, French, German, New Zealand[6] and Netherlands[7] Top 40; though the album and its singles were largely ignored in their native UK. However, the album reflected Friese-Greene's more fluid and melodic keyboard arrangements and far more expansive production, whilst working with Hollis to create more cerebral and effectual songwriting for a more mature audience.

The artist James Marsh designed the first cover image for It's My Life based on the band's name. He followed the theme for subsequent singles, remaining the band's artistic frontman and creating all their covers and posters throughout their career.

Despite the relative failure of the "It's My Life" LP in the U.K., mainland Europe took the band to its collective heart and it went gold all over the continent. A remixed version of "It's My Life" also climbed to No. 35 in the States, allowing the album a five-month ride on the U.S. chart and helping EMI recoup the hefty ?50,000 recording budget. The group capitalised on this success with an intensive touring schedule, reflected in a single issued on EMI Holland coupling two live-for-TV tracks cut at the Veronica Rock Night in September. Both "My Foolish Friend" and "Tomorrow Started" come highly recommended, easily outstripping the studio originals, though strangely EMI didn't release them in the U.K. Since several other countries did, however, neither track is particularly hard to find, with the German-pressed remix maxi-single of "It's My Life" remaining the best source. CD freaks can search out the Dutch 1990 reissue of "Such A Shame" (released in place of "Life Is What You Make It" in Europe), on which this version of "Tomorrow Started" appears as a bonus.

After a third single ("Dum Dum Girl") stalled at No. 74, all went quiet, and the group fell into a familiar pattern of releasing and touring albums in two-year cycles. Later in the year, however, "It's My Mix" appeared in Italy and America (ST 6542) and became a steady seller on import. This mini-LP featured the following extended and/or remixed versions: "Why Is It So Hard?" (Extended U.S. Remix); "Talk Talk" (12" Remix); "My Foolish Friend" (12" Remix); "It's My Life" (12" Mix); "Dum Dum Girl" (12" Mix); and "Such A Shame" (12" U.S. Remix). Though any such collection is of obvious interest, nothing here bar "Why Is It So Hard?" qualifies as a must-have. The track (recorded for Michael Apted's movie "Firstborn") is hardly classic Talk Talk but it doesn't deserve its current obscurity. As for the others, none even remotely improve on the originals, but sadly EMI weren't listening - as we shall see ...

"Back in 1984, Talk Talk released a limited edition single of live versions of ’Tomorrow Started’ and ‘My Foolish Friend’. The record was recorded from a concert at the Ahoy in Rotterdam. I don’t know how rare it is, In-fact I must confess my memory of this record is quite patchy.

We were in the middle of a European tour, when EMI Netherlands requested putting this single out. The Ahoy gig had already been recorded, so when a gap appeared in the touring schedule, a studio was swiftly booked on route to mix the songs. While the rest of our gigging band traveled on to the next city, Lee, Mark and myself spent the evening in a Brussels recording studio with Chris Beal (our out-front sound guy) to get the songs mixed. I remember walking down a long dark corridor to reach the compact, but well kitted out control room. It was the first time we had stepped into a studio out of the Uk, and as it had all been arranged on the fly, I remember it feeling quite an exciting thing to do at the time.

My memory of this evening may have been lost forever, had I not been reminded of it over 20 years later, when producing an album called ‘Hilfe Kommt’ for the Belgium band Dez Mona. By complete coincidence, the studio we were working in was the very same one that the live Talk Talk single had been mixed in, all those years before. The studio, due to expansion and refurnishing, looked nothing like I remembered it. I only found out that it was indeed the same place because of the recollection from the owner, who in turn, eagerly pulled out the original master tapes of the Talk Talk session from his archives. By nature, I don’t usually get nostalgic about such things. But it was eerie having the original tapes in my hand, and reading all the old footnotes on the box. It was like holding some artefact from a past life.

Thank you, ICP Recording Studios for the Talk Talk & Dez Mona memories, however faded. And my apologies to Lee for not finding a live photo of the Ahoy gig with all three of us in it."

Source: Paul Webb (Rustinman.com)

1986 The Colour Of Spring

The extensive session credits for "The Colour Of Spring" belied the 'arranged freeform' approach to recording which Talk Talk were now able to indulge. With a certainty of approach that seems remarkable in the current musical climate, Hollis and Friese-Greene initially compose skeletal melodies together, after which Hollis alone pens the lyrics. The duo then lay down contributions from a diverse selection of guest musicians and select the best of these before constructing a final arrangement. This is a jazz ethic largely inspired by the likes of Ornette Coleman and Can, whereby distinctive elements meet and diverge many times over; and it's also a discipline very much dependent on the personalities of the musicians. Regardless of their ability, if a player doesn't seem in tune with Talk Talk's nebulous vibe - whether creatively or personally - their contribution is rapidly erased.

Both "Life Is What You Make It" and its successor, "Living In Another World", were issued in two different 12" form, "Life ..." gaining an "Extended Dance Mix" after the original version had charted, and the latter suffering an overblown "'U.S. Remix" as well as a limited 7" picture disc release. The album also spawned two more singles as the year wore on, though thankfully both "Give It Up" and "I Don't Believe You" escaped further studio tampering. The 12" format of the latter actually features an excellent remix of "Happiness Is Easy" by Paul Webb and Lee Harris, its funky-drummer backbeat and spaced-out ambience still sounding startlingly fresh.

All four singles feature excellent B-sides, in fact, with 'Life ..." carrying the best of them in the haunting "It's Getting Late In The Evening", easily one of the best pieces the group have recorded and one that clearly pointed the way towards their next album.

Talk Talk launched a major world tour to promote the "Spring" album in April, and one ultra-collectable item is a BBC transcription disc recorded live in 1986, although a price tag of £42 (in 2010) makes any copy something of an indulgence. Strangely, for a band so popular in mainland Europe, no vinyl or CD bootlegs have yet appeared; and while an '86 show at London Hammersmith Odeon appears to have been filmed with a view to commercial release, to date only one track, "Give It Up", has emerged on the "Natural History" video.

Numerous tracks of this concert are now available on youtube.

Equally stunning was the live version of "Does Caroline Know?" on the flip of "I Don't Believe In You", recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in summer 1986, on which the extended eight-man line-up fleshed out this previously unremarkable song quite beautifully, even adding a verse of "Mirror Man". Interestingly, this track also documents the only concert to date at which Tim Friese-Greene has performed with the group.

The extended line-up for the 1986 tour consisted of Hollis, Webb and Harris plus John Turnbull (guitars), Rupert Black and Ian Curnow (keyboards), Phil Reis and Leroy Williams (percussion) and Mark Feltham(harmonica). Most notable among these concerts was the Montreux Jazz Festival, released on DVD in 2008 as Live at Montreux 1986.

Having seen both sets of concert material, I found renditions of "Life's What You Make It" and "Renee" simply stunning.

About a year in the making, and featuring contributions from many outside musicians, Spirit of Eden was released in 1988, on EMI's Parlophone label. The album was assembled from many hours of improvised instrumentation that Hollis and Friese-Greene had edited and arranged using digital equipment. The result was a mix of rock, jazz, classical, and ambient music. While critically praised, the album was not as commercially viable as its predecessors (though it was certified Silver by the BPI for sales of over 60,000 copies). Although the album made the UK Top 20 upon release, the band declared they would not tour in support of it.

A response from the sound technician Richard Hill who spent a year in the studio for the making of Spirit of Eden from 2 years ago. He preferred this album to Laughing Stock.

"They used a Mitsubishi X850 32 track digital tape machine (and two analogue A800s). I spent 8 hours one night removing clicks from the audio when it went wrong. They spent a year in Wessex Studios with the studio feeling like it was 2 in the morning the whole time. They even had an oil-wheel projector in the control room. I was technical manager for Wessex at the time and this is my favourite album of all time. When I close my eyes I feel like I'm sitting next to Phil at the SSL with the Urei 815s cranked up.

If only Mark and Tim weren't such mean bastards I might have got to like them a bit better. If you ever meet them try to get a pint of guiness out of them. A tenner says you'll fail.

That album finished at least one marriage and caused one complete breakdown. Intense for everyone involved.

I left before Laughing Stock was recorded but I dropped in to the studio to say hello the day they were making safety copies of the mixes. Tim asked what I thought and I told him I thought it was incredibly clever music but asked how the record company were going to be able to market it. I still prefer Spirit of Eden."

Here is a link to a rehearsal session before album was recorded:

https://soundcloud.com/user-947232876/eden-rehearsal-cassette?fbclid=IwAR3JRlfEBVpGQDX-dbKd-y5ABnrPFiaLwyWk2-K4nMsVnmNMr862hnwRQiw

Tim Pope (@timpopedirector) about the I believe in you video

It was just Mark and myself in the studio in Wandsworth, London, to film this. I literally hit the 35mm camera’s start button and sent the rest of my crew away. Love his half smile at the end. So sweet. Watching this, feels like I’m with him now…

Divorce, a Natural History, the (infamous) History Revisited and "commercially satisfactory"

With the band now released from EMI, the label released the retrospective compilation Natural History in 1990. It peaked at number 3 on the UK album chart and was certified Gold by the BPI for sales of over 100,000 copies, and eventually went on to sell more than 1 million copies worldwide. The 1984 single "It's My Life" was also re-released, and this time became the band's highest charting single in their native country, reaching number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. A re-release of the single "Life's What You Make It" also reached the Top 30. Following up on this renewed popular interest in the band, the label then released History Revisited in 1991, a compilation of 12 inch singles and alternative versions which made the Top 40, an unusually high placing for what was effectively a remixes album. The band sued EMI for remixing their material without permission.[12]

Beyond the fact that it contains much music of rare craft, it's difficult to pin down quite why the Natural History should have taken off so spectacularly, though the prevailing musical climate of "anything goes" must certainly have worked in its favour, with Talk Talk's music now praised as timeless instead of being damned as unfashionable. Also, OMD's 'Best Of' package had been a similarly unexpected smash two years earlier, and the fact that too many of Talk Talk's singles had proved to be near-misses in the U.K. possibly provided some perverse foundation for their belated success. More useful was the hit status enjoyed by a re-released "It's My Life", which made the Top 20. Yet while the compilation served the band perfectly well, it sadly contained no surprises. Completists can check out the American CD (which adds the two live tracks from the "It's My Life" single reissue), but it's a pity that EMI didn't add any outstanding flipsides to the European running order. Indeed, the fact that several of these are not available on CD does the group a grave injustice.

Also worthwhile is the video counterpart to "Natural History" a fascinating and frequently humorous document thanks to Cure confederate Tim Pope's extensive involvement. Considering that the band seem unlikely to play live again, however, it is a shame that "Give It Up" was the only in-concert clip that the compilers saw fit to include, for sadly the nature of "Spirit Of Eden" and the new "Laughing Stock" material effectively precludes any future live performances. Since Hollis has no desire to simplify the material, or tour on the back of oldies, Talk Talk currently look like being about as regular an attraction on the live circuit as the Beatles after Candlestick Park.

Worse was to come the following year with "History Revisited", a remix album with which the band were so disgusted they promptly sued EMI. "It's a distortion - more like History Reinvented", manager Keith Aspen commented, yet if anything he's being generous. "History Revisited" is a shabby collection which has about as much to do with Talk Talk as any posthumous, re-tooled Jimi Hendrix LP, and its appearance makes a mockery of Parlophone's 1988 claim in "Q" magazine that "Talk Talk require sympathetic marketing". While the idea of a remix album isn't bad in itself, the fundamental flaw is that Talk Talk got most of their complex originals right first time around. The songs simply don't work with a different beat slung underneath, regardless of the BPM factor. At best the results sound like bizarre jams, and at worst like S/A/W flipsides. Indeed, "History Revisited" almost smacks of revenge on the part of their former label, the only creative remixes present being Gary Miller's "Such A Shame" and "Talk Talk" and BBG's "Life Is What You Make It", while the only sound reason to invest is the inclusion of the Harris/Webb mix of "Happiness Is Easy", which still sounds more contemporary than many of these latter-day reworkings.

If EMI really couldn't resist squeezing more money from the back catalogue then surely a collection of quality live tracks and B-sides would have made a more than adequate alternative. Better still, they should have let Talk Talk release "Laughing Stock" and get on with their career.

Another wasted opportunity was the multitude of 1986 vintage live tracks used to pad out the CD singles. Though the programme began well enough with excellent versions of "It's My Life" and "Renee", the quality soon dropped, with several cuts even being faded prematurely. Though this was no doubt in keeping with the BPI's 20-minute guideline on singles, why we have to suffer, say, a truncated live take of "Living In Another World" in favour of 10 minutes-plus of Julian Mendelsohn's yawnsome remix of the same song is anybody's guess.

(Editor: I am not providing any links to the remixes as this is not Talk Talk. Obviously.)

1992 Breakup and aftermath

After Laughing Stock, Talk Talk disbanded in 1992. Paul Webb rejoined Lee Harris, and the two went on to form the band .O.rang, while Tim Friese-Greene started recording under the name Heligoland. In 1998, Mark Hollis released his self-titled solo début Mark Hollis, which was very much in keeping with the minimalist post-rock sound of Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock. Hollis retired from the music industry shortly afterwards.

Webb also collaborated under the name of Rustin Man with Portishead lead singer Beth Gibbons and released Out of Season in 2002, while Lee Harris featured on the Bark Psychosis 2004 album, ///Codename: Dustsucker.

2012 Spirit of Talk Talk tribute album

A tribute album and book is due for release Q3, with musical reinterpretations by a variety of modern artists. Fascinating to see the breadth of influence many generations later, but editor has mixed feelings about this. I do wonder what the original members think about this (clearly well intentioned) activity.

Further details here:

http://www.facebook.com/SpiritOfTalkTalk

Perhaps a wry grim from Mark that EMI were releasing the original materials (in 2012) which was not (exactly) welcomed by those EMI executives all those years ago, allegedly... (there are rumours he was involved in the process of re-release.) Mark maintained EMI always seemed to like the album prior to the one being released. Perhaps EMI did finally learn to love these albums, perhaps they are just following the crowd, perhaps this is their way to recoup their losses... Either way, imagine the group remain pretty proud of the mark such apparently unloved material stood the test of time...

2019 Mark's sad passing (more on this)

After Mark's untimely demise in 2019, a swathe of material was published, one of which I found very informative Uncut UK. Check out, various things I genuinely did not know:

• which football team he played for (anonymously)

• his travels to US, EU and Italy specifically

• the extent to which he was a biker, and much more

A small (but incomplete) section can be found here:

https://www.uncut.co.uk/news/talk-talk-frontman-mark-hollis-died-aged-64-109594

One of many articles on passing

What other artists thought

What other artists thought

I will leave you with a performance which was very Mark Hollis and Talk Talk

I Believe in You

This is also visible via some of the TT Facebook groups.

Link to Mark Hollis Talk Talk fan page: www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mark-David-Hollis-Talk-Talk/

Link to Mark Hollis page: sites.google.com/site/echoesoftalktalk/echoes-of-mark-hollis

You Tube link (videos): http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=talk+talk&aq=f

Also like its predecessor, "Laughing Stock" features nothing even remotely resembling a hit single. Nonetheless, Verve have bravely released a clutch of three limited edition picture CDs, all featuring at least one new song or alternate take. And while it's doubtful that either these or the album will match the astonishing sales enjoyed by their back catalogue, it's a safe bet that Hollis and Talk Talk - now apparently minus Paul Webb - will continue to create innovative, challenging and genuinely moving music for a long time to come.

2020 Light in Dark Times

Tim Friese-Greene (Heligoland)

If you have any questions, you can email me at thosedistantechoes@gmail.com (pls include Talk Talk Mark Hollis in the email heading)