- It's My Life (Remastered 1997) · 1984
- The Colour of Spring · 1986
- The Party's Over · 1982
- The Very Best Of · 1984
- Spirit of Eden · 1988
- The Party's Over · 1982
- The Colour of Spring · 1986
- It's My Life (Remastered 1997) · 1984
- Spirit of Eden · 1988
- The Colour of Spring · 1986
- Remixed · 1988
- It's My Life (Remastered 1997) · 1984
- The Very Best Of · 1997
Essential Albums
- Spirit of Eden is one of the most powerful and singular experiences in modern music. Released in 1988, written by singer Mark Hollis and producer-multi-instrumentalist Tim Friese-Greene, and performed as improvisations with several outside musicians, then digitally edited into place, the album is quite simply a masterpiece. Critical reception has only grown over the years as the album’s subtle emotional spaces reveal themselves over longer periods to be even deeper than originally suspected. The pop hooks of the group’s previous works have been dismissed for the extended ambience of the nine-minute “The Rainbow,” the seven-minute symphonic grind of “Desire” and the nearly seven-minute “Eden,” where the organ and guitar again rise to dramatic heights. Lyrics pass in the night with meanings obscured, but the emotions are clearly pained yet hopeful. Hollis’ voice turns the musical spaces into something greater than the sum of its parts. This level of experimentation would continue with the follow-up Laughing Stock and Hollis’ self-titled solo album. He has since retired from music.
- 2007
- 2007
- 2007
- 2007
- 2007
Artist Playlists
- The fiercely independent UK act influenced a host of post-rock groups.
- Rich, avant-garde tapestries of jazz, classical and post-rock.
- Showcasing the full intensity of Mark Hollis' potent croon.
Live Albums
More To Hear
- The band pick the 5 Best Songs on Apple Music.
About Talk Talk
British band Talk Talk formed in the early ’80s, during New Wave’s glory days, but they eventually shifted into a more experimental style that paved the way for the post-rock movement. ∙ One of their earliest hits, “Talk Talk,” from 1982’s The Party’s Over, was a revised version of a song that frontman Mark Hollis wrote for his first band, a garage rock outfit called The Reaction. ∙ International success arrived with the 1984 album It’s My Life, thanks to the one-two punch of its title track and “Such a Shame,” which went to the Top 10 in six different countries. ∙ Their 1986 hit “Life’s What You Make It” was partially inspired by Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” and “Green Onions” by Booker T. & The M.G.’s. ∙ The experimental, critically acclaimed 1988 album Spirit of Eden is credited as one of the earliest examples of post-rock, influencing such bands as Doves, Elbow, Sigur Rós, and Radiohead. ∙ After it was reissued, their now-classic 1991 release, Laughing Stock, received a rare perfect score from Pitchfork and was included on its list of the Top 100 Albums of the 1990s. ∙ In 2003, No Doubt scored a big hit with a cover of their 1984 smash, “It’s My Life,” with the new version earning a Grammy nomination and reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- ORIGIN
- London, England
- FORMED
- 1981
- GENRE
- Rock