Talk Talk Albums Ranked From Worst to Best
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 พ.ย. 2021
- Talk Talk is a band that really caught our attention back when we were going through the 80's in our Albums of the Year series. We saw them popping up on a ton of our viewer's lists and decided that, eventually, they'd need to be covered on the channel. Well, the time has come. It's my list, don't you forget.
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Talk Talk were a British band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles "Talk Talk" (1982), "It's My Life", and "Such a Shame" (both 1984) before moving towards a more experimental approach in the mid-1980s, pioneering what became known as post-rock. Talk Talk achieved widespread critical success in Europe and the UK with the singles "Life's What You Make It" (1985) and "Living in Another World" (1986); in 1988, they released their fourth album Spirit of Eden, which was critically acclaimed yet failed to sell.
Friction with the band's label, EMI, resulted in legal action and countersuing. Webb departed, and the band switched to Polydor for their final studio album, 1991's Laughing Stock, but split soon afterwards. Singer Mark Hollis released one solo album in 1998 before retiring from the music industry; he died in 2019. The band's founding bass player and drummer, Paul Webb and Lee Harris, played in several bands together; long-term collaborator Tim Friese-Greene continued in the business as a musician and producer.
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Let us know what you think of Talk Talk, our lists, and how you rank the albums down in the comments. Thanks for watching!
Next week: ELO
After that: George Harrison, Faith No More, The Smiths
#TalkTalk #AlbumsRanked #WorsttoBest
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Let’s get this clear Mark Hollis had a wonderful voice and Time it’s Time is my favourite song of all time
At last! someone talking sense.
Here here
Absolutely! I get why Jason doesn’t really like it tho. It’s not as immediately iconic and captivating as Ferry’s voice, but it it very beautiful and pleasant to hear, and that’s good enough for me! 🖤
His voice was amazing and unique
He was a genuis and i love this voice sonic much
YESSSSS!!!!!!
5. The Party’s Over
4. It’s My Life
3. The Colour Of Spring
2. Spirit Of Eden
1. Laughing Stock
0. Mark Hollis (not an official Talk Talk album but still amazing)
This band is UNPARALLELED!!! They literally metamorphosized into more and more of an amazing unique sounding avant garde band. CANNOT OVERSTATE HOW AMAZING THIS BAND IS. Every song and every album is wonderful to my ears
My ranking prob
1.Laughing Stock (5 stars)
2.Spirit Of Eden (5 stars)
3.The Colour Of Spring (4 Stars)
4.It's My Life (3 Stars)
5.The Party's Over (2.5 Stars)
Will never forget the feeling I got during that first listen of side one of Spirit of Eden on cassette when it was released in '88. Made an impression that stayed with me forever and helped train my ears to listen for the unconventional in music... the silence, the dissonance, the dynamism. The album never left rotation for the following three years, so when Laughing Stock was released in late summmer of '91, I was ready... and I was not disappointed. It still commands a certain environment when I listen to it. Still a top-5 all-time album for me.
#1 Laughing Stock
#2 Spirit of Eden
#3 The Colour of Spring
#4 It's My Life
#5 The Party's Over
You will never get the full impact of Laughing Stock or Spirit of Eden w/ one or two listens... you have to live with these records for years.. decades even. They reveal something new every listen, true gifts.
1. The Colour Of Spring 2. Spirit Of Eden 3. Laughing Stock 4. It's My Life 5. The Party's Over. My top 3 are albums for the ages, the other 2 are pretty good. Also, I think Mark Hollis voice is perfect for this music and like N Young its not about technical ability but emotional depth.
I couldn’t agree more with this assessment. Critically, TT gets the most love for the last 2 albums but to me, Spring is the perfect blend of the end of their pop stardom and the beginning of transitioning to a more ambient sound.
The vinyl reissues of these records they did a few years ago sound amazing. A must have for albums like this.
Bought the top 3 they all voted a few days before watching this. Haven’t listened yet, so happy they are supposed to be great
Great episode. I love Talk Talk and it was so good to hear really intelligent reviews. For me it’s:
5. The Party’s Over
4. It’s My Life
3. Laughing Stock
2. Colour of Spring
1. Sprit of Eden, which is in my all time top 10. I have no problem with Mark Hollis’s voice.
I discovered this band last year. Before that I only known the hit-single It´s My Life...What a great band I miss all those years.
My Ranking:
1. The Colour of Spring (10/10)
2. It´s My Life (10/10)
3. Spirit of Eden (9,5/10)
4. The Party´s Over (9/10)
5. Laughing Stock (8,5/10)
Greetings from Canary Islands.
Jason never told us what he thought of Mark Hollis as a vocalist...
lmao
😂🤣
If he gives Kate Bush a pass… 😉
Excellent job (as always) my dudes!!! Never could I have predicted your choices but you were extremely articulate (as ever) and defended them mightily. Thrilled that you dig this music. I have even more respect for you as music critics now.
Laughing Stock.is a masterpiece..
Spirit Of Eden., Oneof the greatest albums ever created.
1. The Colour Of Spring, 2. Its My Life, 3. Spirit Of Eden, 4. The Partys Over, 5. Laughing Stock
Looking forward to this, thanks guys!!! 👍
Mark Hollis s/t is a must-have for fans of the last two TT albums. Awesome video.
Agreed, the Mark Hollis record is a low-key beauty!
I dislike anyone who is not down with Mark’s voice. I imagine them to be people who believe Britney Spears has impeccable vocal chops.
In all seriousness guys, this was a superb watch, I’m so glad you got round to reviewing them. I was one of the commentators who said on your ‘86 albums of the year that the colour of spring was easily the best album of that year and I was in shock no one mentioned it (apologies Joe if I’ve got that wrong). For me it may even be the album of that decade. Great upload though, loved many of your analogies and other descriptive takes, could tell you all really enjoyed your week with the band. Look forward to seeing your top ten songs tomorrow. Also hope you get round to doing Roxy Music some day, TT’s debut album was named after the opening line to one of their songs after all. That might not be factually true!
1) Colour of Spring
2) Spirit of Eden
3) It’s My Life
4) Laughing Stock
5) The Party’s Over
I can’t remember if I actually mentioned it in the honorable mentions for 1986 or not. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic loved your comments Joe on Laughing Stock. Pretty much my sentiments too, a record you admire more than love. However, when you are after something without any commerciality at all, and something artistic that’s a totally honest statement, it is the ideal album. You have to be in the right mood for it, I wouldn’t say bleak, but a time when you want something that compliments deep inner-reflection
After dismissing my previous suggestion that Spirit Of Eden should have been included in your top albums of 1988, I'm glad to see you've at last come 'round to just how great it is. It's an absolute masterpiece, repaying repeated listening with new excitement and insight. For me, it's as great as any of the greatest albums from any decade.
Probably on of the greatest discographies I've listened to. I'm not really into post-rock, so I was quite surprised by how much I loved their last two albums.
5. The Party's Over (1982) ★★★★
4. It's My Life (1984) ★★★★½
3. The Colour of Spring (1986) ★★★★½
2. Spirit of Eden (1988) ★★★★★
1. Laughing Stock (1991) ★★★★★
★★★★★ - Masterpiece
★★★★½ - Really great
★★★★ - Great
★★★½ - Really good
★★★ - Good
★★½ - OK
★★ - Bad
★½ - Really bad
★ - Awful
½ - The worst
I highly recommend their Live at Montreux DVD, maybe on youtube also. Prefer it more than the albums, of which Colour of Spring is best. Hollis voice does the job for me.
yeah, the version of its my life on there is blazing
Yep, well worth a look. I still have it on DVD floating around at home somewhere.
Exactly. It’s on TH-cam and I must have watched it dozens of times
th-cam.com/video/QNIIOr3g8lQ/w-d-xo.html
Here’s the link
So glad you covered this band. Like so many people, I always assumed they were a throw-away 80s synth band... then I heard 'The Colour of Spring' which impacted me in a way that I don't think I've been affected by any other album on first listen. I still get goosebumps every time that coda of recorders plays the album out.
So do I. What an extraordinary track Time it's time is. I have cried during the outro at least once, though I am not sure why. It expresses raw emotion, and a weird mix of them, at least to my ears.
Thanks for featuring this band.
Absolutely love them.
Great reviews, lads. I have to say this channel keeps getiing better. I heard Talk Talk were good, but never bothered listening to them. As with many other worthy artists.
1/ The colour of Spring (5)
2/ Spirit of Eden (5)
3/ It's my life (4)
4/ Laughing stock (4)
…
5/ The party's over (3)
Finished the video, I loved your analysis and respect your opinions! Did not disappoint xD the only thing I follow on the internet! Thank you
There wasn't a bad Talk Talk album. They were the most innovative band of the 80s.
You’re probably right.
The Colour of Spring is in my top ten favorite lps.. I live in NE Vermont where winters are long and hard and when that first day comes when I can open up the house it is the lp I play, every year.
I've always had issues with the voice too, but, no Mark Hollis, no Talk Talk. It just is what it is.
True. True.
Just like no Robert Smith - No Cure.
Never heard of them...but your collective enthusiasm makes me want to check them out. Which of course is what this channel is all about.
Colour Of Spring will always be my personal favorite.
Thoughtful reviews of their albums . Well done .
My list in order of preference :
The Colour of Spring
It's My Life
Spirit of Eden
The Party's Over
Laughing Stock .
Thanks .
I love Mark Hollis’ voice; come on now, Jason lol
1. The Colour of Spring (1986)
2. It’s My Life (1984)
3. Spirit of Eden (1988)
4. Laughing Stock (1991)
5. The Party’s Over (1982)
Remarkably brave band that had the skill to evolve and metamorphize into a more experimental and sophisticated sound . Radiohead was listening.
Great reviews lads made me revisit the group after two decades, really loved the two albums Spirit of Eden and Colour of Spring far more than i could have believed.
My list:
1 The Party’s Over
2 It’s My Life
3 The Colour of Spring
4 Spirit of Eden
5 Laughing Stock
I am aware that this is literally just the order of the band’s discography but it’s because I much prefer the early energetic synth-pop sound over their later work.
Really enjoyed listening to this one. Can I say that you guys are by this point reviewing albums/music at a really insightful and high level, I love these reviews. Again I came to TT late via Spirit of Eden but really appreciate and enjoy their music so much. I feel like they bring their own atmosphere and world to the listening experience, a little like being caught in some meditative bubble. The Hollis solo record is very much worth listen.
So this will likely annoy many but I actually think Mark Hollis is much easier to listen to than Dylan and the Counting Crows singer to name two. I think Mark is extremely emotive and deep.
I'm kinda with you on this one, although I don't mind Dylan's voice at all. I definitely don't understand the dislike of Hollis' voice. I think his voice is part of the band's allure. Admittedly, I rarely, if ever, discount a band because of the singer's voice. In fact, I prefer idiosyncratic voices to singers with flashy, technically sound vocals. Chris Cornell comes to mind (the Soundgarden Listography video is in my recommended feed, so that's probably why I'm thinking of him). I'll take a singer like Hollis over that flashier style of vocalizing every day of the week.
Too right. That guy from Counting Crows is awful. Overbaked and insincere emoting. Hollis is great , just takes a little getting used to. Dylan is Dylan, ok at times, terrible at others.
Quite easily one of the most unique bands of their generation. I was a fan from the beginning but the evolution over just 5 albums in 9 years is astonishing. To this day, I still remember the first time I played Spirit Of Eden. I just sat in silence after it had finished for about 15 mins trying to digest what I had just heard and then put it straight back on again. Incredible. My top 5 1. Spirit Of Eden 2. Colour Of Spring 3. Laughing Stock 4. It's My Life 5. The Party's Over.
Posting this pre- watching of the video . My perception of TalkTalk was them being one of the less significant bands of the Brit “ New Romantic “synth pop 80s ( generally a favourite pop era of mine) . The single “ It’s My Life” was ok . Really liked “ Life is what you make it “ but didn’t pay much attention to any of their other work . So being a short discography it was interesting to go through it the last week.
So my list :
1 Spirt of Eden
2 Colour of Spring
3 It’s My Life
4 Laughing Stock
5 Party’s Over
100% with Joe list wise. In fact The Colour of Spring is one of my favourite albums of all time.
NB I love Mark Hollis’s voice 😆
This is an easy one. They got better with each consecutive album.
5. The party’s over
4. It’s my Life
3. The Color of the Spring
2. Spirit of Eden
1. Laughing Stock
Top ten band of all time for me. Mark Hollis is one of my favorite singers ever. I felt deep, physical pain at the placements of Laughing Stock. OUTRAGEOUS. I still enjoyed this very much.
The placements they made for Laughing Stock surprised me too! But I see many others in the comments rank it low!
@@179rich it’s an album that rewards many repeated listens. I liked Spirit of Eden more for a very long time.
You guys are doing The Smiths!!! You made my day! My favorite band. So much looking forward to it. Glad you have reconsidered. As I said before, being a singles band if you don't take Hatful of Hollow and Louder than Bombs into account you would be missing some of their best songs. Thanks guys!
We’re counting both.
@@TastesLikeMusic Awesome!
The smiths are one of my favorites
Watching this again today chaps I get the feeling Talk Talk will end up being one of all your favourite bands that you missed.... Astonishing 5 albums especially The Colour of Spring & Spirit of Eden which are beyond brilliant! For me the late great Mark Hollis's voice is immaculate & again one of the best ever! Sadly missed & check out his one solo album as well.
As always guys, very interesting how we hear things differently, or sometimes agree. Talk Talk were way better than expected. Enjoyed this one....it was first I've done for a few weeks so felt fresh after listening to my own thangs a while....👍
1. Spirit of eden
2. Color of spring
3. It's my life
4. Laughing stock
5. Party's over
1. Spirit Of Eden (1988) 4.5/5
2. The Colour Of Spring (1986) 4/5
3. It's My Life (1984) 4/5
4. Laughing Stock (1991) 3/5
5. The Party's Over (1982) 3/5
CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:
3.0 The Party's Over (1982)
4.0 It's My Life (1984)
4.0 The Colour Of Spring (1986)
4.5 Spirit Of Eden (1988)
3.0 Laughing Stock (1991)
I'd heard Talk Talk's "middle 3" albums before this week but was ignorant of the debut and Laughing Stock. The Party's Over has a few interesting moments but overall feels like a band still trying to find its way. It's My Life gets a bit weak on side 2 but I think that album's peaks are high enough to (barely) reach 4 stars. I find The Colour of Spring and Spirit of Eden to be their most consistent albums. I'm a fan of 6 out of the 8 tracks on 'Colour.' 'Eden' has become one of my top albums of the late-1980s. My favorite records harvest the territory in-between accessibility and experimentalism where Spirit Of Eden resides. Laughing Stock could've been called "Eden: The Sequel"- I tried to make myself love it as much as Eden but I just couldn't get there (it's good in parts but overall doesn't have the same effect on me.) Talk Talk probably won't make my "top 100 artists" list but I would at least give them cursory consideration. They're another band I've come to love more than ever by participating in these weekly listographies.
MY RATING SYSTEM:
5.0 = major classic
4.5 = minor classic
4.0 = great
3.5 = very good
3.0 = good
2.5 = fair
2.0 = poor
1.5 = awful
1.0 = historically awful
I don't go below 1 star because once I'm in the realm of the truly terrible I don't care to differentiate anymore. Anything I rate 3.5 stars or higher is an album I'm enthusiastic about and would likely revisit at some point.
1. It's My Life - for me the perfect mixture of their pop and experimantal phase, I like what you said: "classy 80s pop"
2. The Colour of Spring - They take it step further, another great mixture of pop and more experimental tunes with a more organic approach and fine guest musicians.
3. The Party's Over - great new wave/new romatic songs with a more experimental approach like early Ultravox! Even the Simmons drums are played in a more sophisticated way and "The Party's Over" - my favourite song by them - hits me on so many emotional levels.
4. Laughing Stock - I think they perfected "Spirit of Eden" with this one going the quieter route, there are some nuances I like better but I have to be in the mood for the album.
5. Spirit of Eden - definitely one of the most unusual albums from the 80s, some great songs like "I Believe in You".
Definitely a band that has never released a bad album, a unique band and I am happy you did a show about their records. :) Thank you all!
It just mystifies me how people overlook the incredible sophistication that was already on display on THE PARTY'S OVER. Side one is just phenomenal
Spirit of Eden is actually my favorite Talk Talk album. The Rainbow might be my favorite songs of theirs.
Back in the 80s when I was making music, for most of the musos I was hanging with, 'Spirit of Eden' was a touchstone for its production values. Also, I recently picked up the Mark Hollis solo album from a charity shop here in the UK. I highly recommend it. A very beautiful and understated piece. :)
Learned a lot from that one; I'll have to check them out. How about tackling the Devo catalog?
Thanks for this.
1. Colour Of Spring 5+/5
1. Sprit of Eden 5/5
3. Laughing Stock 4.9/5
4. It's My Life
5. TPO
Time It's Time, After The Flood, and I Believe in You are transcendent. MH's voice resonates perfectly with their instrumentation. Their top three albums are timeless.
It's basically a tie, but if at gun point, I'd have to pick Colour of Spring. The journey matters more than the destination. Talk Talk discovered their true, authentic identity during the making of COS. The genesis of SOE can be clearly heard in COS. TT's DNA was perfected with SOE. LS is their final destination and requires musical discernment to glean all its benefits. LS is less accessible, but has really grown on me over time. Mark Hollis was both a moral legend and a musical genius. Very rare in the entertainment complex!
I recall meeting their EMI A&R man just after Spirit of Eden had come out. Myself and another student gave him SUCH a hard time for the way EMI had treated both the album and the band. Essentially writing both off. Poor guy. He essentially agreed that it was a masterpiece, but that EMI had literally no idea what to do with the record. It's really only retrospectively that these albums have become so acclaimed. Laughing Stock eventually came out on Verve, which is a jazz label.
Would recommend 'It's Getting Late In The Evening', which was the B-side of 'LIfe's What You Make It'. Amazing track, and in my opinion the absolute turning point between 'early' and 'late' Talk Talk periods.
it is not possible to compare talk talk albums from best to worst, although each is different, so I love them all
I really new nothing of this band. Thanks - i wil definitely check them out
Great Video one of my top 5 bands, my Favorite is also Colour of Spring one of the best of the 80's and even though Hollis has died Paul Webb still keeps up his Rustin Man work which is also excellent especially the album with Beth Gibbons.
Brilliant band very interesting progression from synth pop to experimental art rock band
If you like spirit of Eden you would probably like the rain tree crow album Japan and David sylvan solo work
Colour of spring is my favourite
Im my opinion they don't have a bad album
The debut album is very similar to Quiet life album by Japan as regards his vocals i disagree he has an incredible voice
Lastly a review of CAN certainly an unusual band and lastly Japan who started as a glam funk hard Rock band and progressed into electronic art rock band very similar to talk talk and roxy music
1 - Spirit Of Eden (9.5/10)
2 - Colour Of Spring (9/10)
3 - Laughing Stock (9/10)
4 - It's My Life (7/10)
5 - The Party's Over (6/10)
In order , Spirit of Eden, Laughing Stock, Colour of Spring, It's my life and then The Party's over
Off topic : Are you guys reviewing the new Abba record ? Surprised Joe isn’t bursting at the seams to get his thoughts out to the universe on this momentous occasion 😊( I don’t expect Jason to take part 😂)
I don’t think either of them listened to it. - Joe
@@TastesLikeMusic have it playing while I’m at work . Still umm “absorbing it” before I pass judgement ( their voices still sound great ) . Love ABBA and naturally approaching a 40 year (!) reunion album with some trepidation , expecting a critical bloodbath ..but just reading online the critics have been in general , mostly gentle and embracing . Great they have new material to tour with
They are all far too busy with the new Ed Sheeran album...Abba for Christmas, as perfectly timed by industry.
@@roxannewalsh you might be right there. But I’ll take a cynical marketing ploy pre Xmas Abba reunion album over Ed Sheeran any time .
Excellent review of a great body of work. I really like Mark Hollis's voice. Have you reviewed Japan's body of five albums? If not, please do. They influenced Talk Talk and Duran Duran.
I absolutely loved this band at the time and their music still sounds great today.
Spot on with the comment at the beginning about Duran Duran being musically more advanced than Talk Talk when they released their1st album but that TT had more emotional depth. Totally agree. However by the end of their career TT were able to have matched DD in terms of musical composition and surpassed them in sophistication.
I understand the reservations about Mark Hollis vocals but despite his limitations the emotional expressiveness of his voice makes up for any technical shortcomings.
Now I have to get the first two, great list guys!
And Laughing Stock if I were you. You'd be missing a trick there...🧐
@@threestringsomg just missing the first two
@@alb8390 well imo the boys are all incorrect not to have it in their top two. A few others in comments agree with me so I'd suggest not leaving that beauty out. Especially if you like Krautrock or Scott Walker....I'd say that's a good radar to guage it on...🧐
I came across Talk Talk in a video covering prog rock songs. They are not prog rock but more prog pop and specifically after their 2nd album. Enjoyed this ranking and plan to check their entire albums list.
I know one song by this band, so I'm eager to dive in and see if they live up to the hype! So fun to discover bands that were missed growing up.
In Australia Talk Talk had a minor hit with Life's What You Make It - only reached 70 but had a bit of airplay and really stood out. I remember it well and especially the music video which was a treat at the time. The song was a breath of fresh air in the years of synth-pop dominated charts. I didn't think about them for a few years but saw the Spirit of Eden second hand on vinyl. I bought but was disappointed it wasn't the album with Life's What you Make It. However, on first listen I loved it and had never heard anything quite like it. I discovered and listened to a lot of Jazz in the 90s and 00s and many discussions on message boards would mention Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden. I'd had SOE for years but for some reason never ventured further and Laughing Stock was deleted very soon after release so wasn't easy to get. I did eventually catch up with all their albums but to this day Spirit of Eden is by far my favorite. A perfect album in my view.
1) Spirit of Eden - 5 stars
2) Laughing Stock - 5 stars and not an easy album but one that rewards repeated listens. I hope you guys love it as much as I do in the years to come.
2a) Mark Hollis solo album - 4.5 stars. A minor masterpiece of folky jazz with the touch of the avant garde in some of the reed/brass arrangements and a great companion to the above two albums. Starker than the other records but still brilliant.
3) The Colour of Spring - 4.5 stars
4) In My Life - 3.5 Stars
5) The Party's Over - 3 stars
Mark's voice is something I've grown to love over the years and never once thought of Brian Ferry when listening or considered him the weak link in Talk Talk. I agree wholeheartedly that Mark's voice is at its best on Spirit of Eden. Jason's comments were spot on here.
5.The Party's Over
4. It's My Life
3. The Colour of Spring (all time favorite)
2. Spirit of Eden (all time favorite)
1. Laughing Stock (all time top 10)
Another intriguing choice this week. Looking forward to it. Digestible discography. Glad to hear Joe enjoyed it despite his initial critic-hate read of them. I don't know the band much, which is exactly the Listographies I like to dig into.
This channel does a lot to broaden my musical horizon. It’s always interesting (every rating is backed up with a viable reason) and entertaining (not taking each other too seriously) and it gets me interested in artists that didn’t pique my interest beforehand.
Rustin Man and the album Out Of Season is Paul Webb's collaboration with Portishead's Beth Gibbons. A beautiful autumnal record that I rate as highly as TalkTalk.
Good point. This of course leads to what do the Listography guys make of Portishead?
@@michaelbushell4356 mmm, not much of a fan of theirs, but her voice works really well on that record. Perfect for this time of year..
05) The Party's Over (2.25 stars)
04) It's My Life (3.5 stars)
03) The Colour of Spring (4 stars)
02) Laughing Stock (5 stars)
01) Spirit of Eden (5 stars)
0 stars - irredeemably terrible/ the worst
.5 stars - terrible
1 star - bad
1.5 stars - between bad and fair
2 stars - fair
2.5 stars - meh
3 stars - OK
3.25 stars - pretty good
3.5 stars - good
4 stars - very good
4.5 stars - excellent
5 stars - the Hellraiser box
notes:
* I listened to all their albums in the past and was intrigued but moved on without fully forming an opinion. For this listography, I studied them quite a bit, especially their last two albums.
* On The Party's Over, I'd say "Talk Talk," "Hate" and "Candy" are good songs, but the rest, not so great. The synth playing is a bit rudimentary on this one and a bit derivative of other synth bands. I do love fretless bass though. Reminds me of Mick Karn from Japan (the band).
* I absolutely hate "Dum Dum Girl." That one badly hurts an otherwise pretty good to great set of songs on It's My Life.
* With The Colour of Spring, they finally nailed down a unique sound and delivered their best batch of songs yet.
* It took me a while to fully appreciate Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock. It took several listens, but then I had a breakthrough and started to really like it. I listened in the dark which helped a lot (and a lot of it was actually recorded that way). I love the use of space and the minimalism on these albums and the ways it's disrupted. Mark Hollis' vocals are dripping with emotion, although the lyrics are often inscrutable. The improvisatory nature of the recordings meant that each track flows in a unique way from beginning to end. You could call it Ambient, Avant Garde, or some other labels, but whatever it is, it's quite unique, to my ears anyway..
I like "Dum Dum Girl"! Not that it's my favorite song of all time or anything. Tracks 7 and 8 are the two from It's My Life that I don't care for.
Don't know why but first listen of Laughing stock I was blown away. Oh I was listening to the vinyl version on TH-cam which maybe affected the sense of already spacious vibes....it was otherworldly anyway and that usually means I start dribbling and salivating with joy like a mad man. Which I did. Ah music.❤️🔥
A friend has been trying to get me into Talk Talk for years, but he was so annoying about it I kept blowing him off. I heard After The Flood, just last week, on a late night radio show and I had to admit it got me. Between your show and that nocturnal transmission I think it's time to take a deeper dive.
I love Talk Talk. Spirit of Eden is my favorite. The track I Believe In You always gets me on the verge of tears when that angelic choir sound comes in the middle and then again towards the end.
Alongside The Beatles and XTC, the greatest evolution of any band beginning to end. One day you'll realise that Laughing Stock is sheer genius. The hooks are there.... and you will get there eventually. I must have listened to TCoS, SoE and LS several hundred times. No kidding. Phill Brown's engineering is masterful as always.
A total Zombie comment here, but I want to thank you guys for introducing me to this band back in November last year with this episode. Since then this band's discography has been in heavy rotation and I have come to absolutely LOVE this band. My final ranking;
1. Spirit of Eden (5)
2. Colour of Spring (5)
3. The Laughing Stock (5)
4. The Party's Over (4)
5. It's My Life (3.5)
That’s what we do!
Mark Hollis' voice is one of the reasons i like Talk Talk, extremily talented musician and superbe singer, sadly enough he passed away a few years ago
I remember about a decade ago I was getting loose components to piece together an awesome hi-fi set back when I lived in Holland with my lovely wife (it was around the time we got married) and I bought quite some batches of cd’s at flea markets and second-hand stores.
Ones that particularly stood out were Joe Jackson’s Body And Soul (another artist you guys should cover) and Talk Talk’s The Colour Of Spring, Spirit Of Eden and Laughing Stock because of the first-class musicianship coupled with a flawless sound quality.
They’re masters of dynamics and I especially love how whatever’s the undercurrent on The Colour Of Spring (which really sounds as a spring album) really comes to the fore on Eden. Listening to that one with fresh ears is quite the experience. 😎
I never got around the first two albums, but since your ratings are pretty positive all over I feel compelled to get ‘em.
Easiest, most clear cut discography to rank on this channel so far. The accurate, correct ranking is as follows:
T1. Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden (5* each)
3. Colour of Spring (4*)
4. It’s My Life (3.5*)
5. The Party’s Over (2.5*)
My list and ratings are almost identical.
It's My Life has been really underrated. From what I remember the 86 album may have been more successful in the US and that probably guided some opinions. But the 84 album is better.
Of the last two I've always liked Sprit of Eden a lot more. Not much point comparing it to the 84 album they are totally different.
First time I heard someone not liking his voice. I'm sure many have never seen any comparison with Roxy Music and just look at Talk Talk for themselves. I could actually see more people being annoyed by Bryan Ferry's voice, though Roxy Music are more familiar generally.
One of those bands in my books that made a better album than the previous - They transcended into stillness that was the only logical consequence left over.... And yet, every album has it´s own special character that i could rate all of them as a No. 1 - But here`s my rating:
0: Silence
1. Laughing Stock
2.Spirit Of Eden
3.Color Of Spring
4.It`s my Life
5. The Party`s Over
1-Spirit of Eden
2-Laughing Stock
3-Colour of Spring
Time it's Time or Colour of Spring from the solo album,one of these songs will be the background music for my transportation into the next world....
Fantastic assessment of this extraordinary band. Everything you laid out was spot on (except I am a huge fan of Hollis' voice - but get how some people might not be) Been a fan for about ten years after a work colleague turned me on to The Colour of Spring.
05. Talk Talk 3.5
04. Laughing Stock 4.0
03. It's My Life 4.0
02. The Colour of Spring 4.5
01. Spirit of Eden 5.0
I enjoyed this episode very very much. You all three dived into the catalogue of a band you weren't too familiar with and you all came out of the water with more or less the same conclusion. You all three hit almost every nail on the head. I love Talk Talk since I discovered them in the 80's with their hit singles from the It's My Life album. I think Mark Hollis is a very good singer but he has a very unique voice colour you either like or don't like. I can understand why you might not like it. I can't stand his voice not much longer than one album (which is just enough ofcourse). But please check out the Live at Montreux DVD to find out that he is indeed a good singer (I believe it can be found on TH-cam) or one of the two promo video's of Dum Dum Girl where Mark sings live (the one that starts with Hollis pronouncing the word trousers). One of my favourite "classical" composers might be a key to the sound of The Spirit Of Eden album and that is French impressionist Claude Debussy. I will throw some big names in that are mostly liked by Talk Talk fans as a suggestion for another episode: Prefab Sprout (the songwriter skills), Dead Can Dance (the evolution in their catalogue) and even Cocteau Twins (the uniqueness of their sound). Thumbs up!!!
Talk Talk had a very interesting career... Their later records were brave and remind me somewhat of Scott Walker.
Oh now that you say it I think you hit on a vein of truth there. Especially last two albums for sure....I'm a SW fan so it's not surprising I have them highest maybe.
Love it, guys!
I first started listening to Talk Talk about eleven years ago, starting with Spirit of Eden. What an experience! it turned out their others were great, too.
But...it's so interesting, because all of you guys pretty much said the same about Laughing Stock, and -- that one's my favourite. To me, it's like a more intense and stronger SPirit of Eden almost -- pretty much the opposite of what y'all said! Doubtless you think I'm nuts. That's ok! I probably am.
The one I haven't listened to as much is -- Colour of Spring. It always just seemed like that "bridge" album, but I admit I maybe haven't given it a fair shake, especially after hearing that two out of three think this one's their best! Guess I know what I'm listening to today.
It's for sure better than Turbo, though. Stained Class is always where it's at.
I agree with you about Laughing Stock. I think it's the logical conclusion of their sound. I like it more than Spirit of Eden too.
Best band with Talk in their name
Haven't watched video yet. Going to live in the sweet anticipation of Joe loathing this. Don't disappoint. You give good.
Breathed a sigh a relief you guys did not put Spirit Of Eden at #5, with Laughing Stock though I get it , its very dense but worth revisiting
Funny timing. Last week I decided to listen to all of their records not even realizing it would be Talk Talk week on your channel.
As far as where my listening left me I like them in order:
5.) The Party’s Over
4.) It’s My Life
3.) The Colour of Spring
2.) The Spirit of Eden
1.) Laughing Stock
So glad you are all turned on to Spirit of Eden. I've loved it ever since it came out. Over the years it's grown in my estimation. In Album of the Year 1988 it's my no. 1. Not only that, it would be in my top ten of all time. It is really is that good.
Man c’mon Laughing Stock has to be in the top 2! Great band, so unique and fresh. My 5 would be Colour of Spring, Laughing Stock, Spirit of Eden, It’s My Life, Partys over. Thanks for covering this band guys 👍
A band that kind of passed me by a bit in the 80s apart from " Colour of Spring " the only record I bought of theirs ( and still love ) . I was aware of the significance and influence of Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock ( a bit later ) but those records just didn't click for me at the time . Found the songs too long , ponderous. Wasn't ready to listen them I guess..Revisiting them now ( with hopefully some maturity, a less snotty attitude towards " earnest , ambient pop music " and more finely tuned ears ) really enjoyed the experience much more....having said that " Spring " still remains my favourite of theirs :
RIP Mark Hollis
1. The Colour of Spring (4.5 stars)
2. Spirit of Eden (4 stars)
3. Laughing Stock (3.5 stars)
4. It's My Life (2.5 stars)
5. The Party's Over ( 2 stars)
An absolutely brilliant band & my least best to best is....
5 - The Party's Over
4 - It's My Life
3 - Laughing Stock
2 - Spirit In Eden
1 - The Colour Of Spring..
In my humble opinion The Colour of Spring is the greatest album of the 1980s!
and some amazing b sides that were album worthy
They got taken to court by their own record label for producing an album that was not "commercially satisfactory".
That album was Spirit of Eden.
1: Spirit of Eden (5 stars)
2: Laughing Stock (5 stars)
3: The Colour of Spring (4.5 stars)
4: It's My Life (3.5 stars)
5: The Party's Over (3 stars)
The final two albums from Talk Talk improve massively with repeated listens. They are stunning pieces of music!
Love how they released Spirit of Eden twice 🤯🤠
@@threestringsomg woops :)
I have turned so many people on to Spirit of Eden since it came out, and every single person fell in love with it. It's one of those albums.
Laughing Stock was a continuation of that style, but focused more on individual pieces. Spirit of Eden is like one long dynamic piece.
i love this, Talk Talk have been my faves for years, i think you got the whole thing that they were about, but i love Marks voice, i have never got the comparison to Bryan Ferry though, just cant get that
MY RANKING:
5. The Party's Over (7/10)
4. It's My Life (8.2/10)
3. Laughing Stock (8.5/10)
2. The Colour of Spring (8.8/10)
1. Spirit of Eden (10/10)
1 Spirit Of Eden
2 Laughhing Stock
3 Colour Of Soeing
4 It’s My Life
5 The Party’s Over
Laughing Stock (which has been an all time top 10 fave albums got bumped down this time. I love the braveness of this 30 year old album.
Mark Hollis - S/T (1998) is a wonderful solo album and further exploration of that world of sound.
The last two albums are just too self indulgent and ambient for me. I'm really not a fan of their turn to that style of music and understand why they disappearred.
If not for Mark Hollis’ retirement from the biz I’m sure they would’ve kept a high standing amongst serious music lovers whether it’s your thing or not. I think them ‘disappearing’ was probably the least of their worries at that time.
Fun fact: Just found out Mark Hollis had the same bday as me, next to John McClaughlin, Michael Stipe and Til Lindeman. 😎
@@janpoelkamp4229 I think getting another record made was probably important to them. Mark lived 20 years after his last album.