Every album is FANTASTIC. And even from starting with the debut you can see how they progressively get more interesting 5. The Party’s Over 4. It’s My Life 3. The Colour Of Spring 2. The Spirit Of Eden 1. Laughing Stock
1. Spirit of Eden 2. The color of spring 3. Laughing stock 4. It’s my life 5. The party’s over The party’s over is good, everything else is really fucking amazing
Great analysis on the most influential bands in pop/rock history. I think that Spirit of Eden is the best record ever made, meaning Laughing Stock will be no:2 in my TT rank. Favourite track: Desire (SoE), it totally blows me out. The mix of minimalism and bombasticnes, Harmony and chaos. It's brilliant.
It’s truly amazing how Talk Talk went from a very interesting and unique synthpop outfit to an extraordinary experimental jazzy improvisational proto-post-rock act! Great group, R.I.P. Mark Hollis!
The Life's What You Make It single has an a mind-blowing B-side called It's Getting Late in the Evening, which is the connective tissue between the Colour of Spring and Spirit of Eden.
Great video. This group was from another planet. Tim Friese-Greene’s influence and contributions can’t be overstated. For a direct musical DNA link, listen to Ferment by Catherine Wheel with this in mind.
I’ve recently listened to these guys and I’ve decided that Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden are some of my favorite albums of all time now. I’ve listened to a lot of post rock records over the years, some of my favorites being Spiderland, Agætis Byrjun, and Lift Yr. Skinny Fists, but really nothing hardly comes close to the spiritual and lovely power of those two records from guys. It’s funny to think of Talk Talk, who were once looked at as some trendy new wave band, pioneering an entire genre as well as being the peak of said genre. I Believe in You and New Grass are straight up some of the greatest compositions ever conceived. Rest In Peace, Mark Hollis.
'Have You Head The News' on their first album is a stand out track on the whole album. Absolutely phenomenal tune both musically and lyrically. The fretless bass on this album (particularly on that track) is a sheer joy to listen to and still I love this album. Good work, thanks for putting this together.
Laughing Stock and its predecessor are indeed as good as it gets, original, minimalist and utterly captivating there really is nothing else quite like it. Not something I listen to everyday but is always a different experience, masterful in its execution and essential in any collection, genius.
I have loved TT from the very start, I used to bunk off school to travel all over the UK to see them live, I first saw them when I was 11 and saw them live 22 times! My countdown on the albums would be.....at number 5 is The Party's Over, 4 is It's My Life, 3 is Laughing Stock, 2 is Colour of Spring and 1 is Spirit of Eden. However they are all amazing albums so ranking them is a little like trying to choose my favourite child, Mark's solo album would be between 2 and 3 if I had to put it in but as it is a solo album I don't have to!
A bit weird that you don’t mention how Spirit Of Eden was a complete flop upon it’s release! Crowd expected Colour of Spring vol. 2 but instead got a post rock record before post rock even existed!! It was commercial suicide. Costed a lot in studio time and as I said, it flopped commercially. That’s what, Up to about 10 years or so ago, you could find the Spirit Of Eden vinyl in the €1 bin in pawn shops! A lot of the poppy/synthy 80’s fans absolutely did not get This new artistic direction the band took. It’s only many many years later that This album got the recognition it deserves. A masterpiece indeed (but not for the masses - which is fine).
TT are a band I loved in the 80’s, in fact they were pretty much the only band that myself & and my similar minded friends all loved, well maybe ‘Japan’ but since they split in ’82 I will just concentrate on TT… Musically the eighties was a decade that for the most part I find has dated badly… Many of the more popular electronic/New Romantic bands I never liked too much at all:- Duran Duran & Spandau Ballet, Culture Club & Midge Ure era ‘Ultravox were not for me… My preference at the time were the likes of John Foxx & JF era Ultravox, Fad Gadget, Early Human League (Pre Heaven 17), OMD (I even liked their poppy stuff), Japan, YMO & of course Talk Talk… So here is my Talk Talk ranking… 05... The Party's Over… Talk Talk, Today, Have You Heard The News, Candy, It's So Serious… Pretty 50/50 for me… They got better… 04… It's My Life - Tomorrow Started, Dum Dum Girl, It’s My Life, Renee, Does Caroline Know 03... Laughing Stock… Myrrhman, Taphead, Runeii 02... The Colour Of Spring… Life's What You Make It, Happiness Is Easy, I Don't Believe in You, April 5th, Chameleon Day 01... Spirit Of Eden… The Rainbow, I Believe In You… The album deserves to be listened to as one… Listening to Radiohead’s ‘A Moon Shaped Pool’ made me think of this album and this took me to this ranking… Songs... 10… Taphead 09… Today 08… It’s My Life, 07… Desire 06… The Rainbow 05… It’s My Life 04… Renee 03… Life's What You Make It 02… April 5th 01… I Believe In You Mark Hollis & David Sylvian are my two favourite front men from the early eighties both got better and better, both did their own thing and both made some of my favourite music of all time, I think both are geniuses… Sorry to say if I have to pick just one of them, then Sylvian takes my gold medal… The saddest news is that Hollis is no longer with us ... RIP & Sylvian is retired... Thanks for doing Talk Talk, somehow I missed them when surveying your lists...
One of my favourite bands, and I would rank the albums precisely the same. One of the few bands, or maybe the only one, that went from commercial to experimental instead of the other way round.
Laughing Stock just shades of for me with Spirit of Eden in 2nd and CoS in third. I would not argue with anyone who puts these 3 albums in a different order as they are all solid 5 star masterpieces in my opinion. Laughing Stock just gets better and reveals more and more layers every time i listen to it. My favourite Talk Talk track is New Grass. It's one of my favourite tracks of all time.
Wish they had done a couple more albums in the style of The Colour Of Spring, the perfect mix of the pop and later material...but sadly Hollis couldn't wait to stop playing live and commercial music, they had just done a massive tour and top 10 uk album, they could have gone to be massive but Mark didn't want any of that...
You have to respect him at the same time, though. That's a pretty badass way to go... But I don't disagree. I would have liked another Colour of Spring style album.
@@tokyochuchu oh yes he had a perfect chance to earn millions, world tours, more hits, he chose not to....very rare ideals, as bands from the same era are still churning it out in 2022
Great video, though don't agree with everything.... 1. Does Caroline Know is more than just an album track. 2. I'd possibly put It's My Life album above The Colour of Spring.... Agree with everything else! 😃
Laughing Stock is great but Spirit of Eden is better. Song for song, Rainbow is better than Myrrman, Inheritence is better than Taphead and Wealth is btter than Runeii.
