SoE. by far.
― the table is the table, Monday, 4 August 2008 18:44 (fifteen years ago) link
So hilarious -- three years ago and it's LS in a landslide.
― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 4 August 2008 21:12 (fifteen years ago) link
"Spirit Of Eden" is OK in small doses whereas "Laughing Stock" is plain unlistenable. Makes it kind of easy to choose, although "The Party's Over" or "It's My Life" would have been the correct choice.
― Geir Hongro, Thursday, October 11, 2007 9:10 PM (3 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
better late than never, sb'd u 4 this
― davon cuul II (m bison), Tuesday, 30 August 2011 01:19 (twelve years ago) link
I first listened to Spirit of Eden at a time of crisis in my life. It was the year I graduated college and my first love/first relationship ended. I was at rock bottom. Spirit of Eden was the most deeply moving and spiritually cathartic album I had ever heard.
Around the same time, I had also listened to similar albums such as Hex (Bark Psychosis) which became one of my favorite albums and is, for me, perfect late-night listening and the quintessential winter album. At this time, I listened to Laughing Stock, as well, and, although its instrumental complexities were entrancing, it simply did not speak to my emotions the way Spirit of Eden did.
Spirit of Eden is still the album I go to when I'm at my lowest and searching for my path.
It's one of my Desert Island albums, alongsideA Storm in Heaven (The Verve)No Other (Gene Clark)Lazer Guided Melodies (Spiritualized)
― Graveyard Poet, Monday, 25 February 2013 09:37 (eleven years ago) link
I'm a better musician. Serious musicians and composers are not commercial I trained at the top music school in the US.. I'm a CREATIVE person. I am a vocalist, composer, multi-instrumentalist. I taught myself how to write music but I had extensive training. I sing advanced music and write advanced music. I can write simple music too. I need donations since the commercial world does not fund serious composers or serious musicians. I need assistance. All serious musicians do.
― garfield drops some dank n' dirty dubz at 2am (unregistered), Monday, 25 February 2013 14:00 (eleven years ago) link
I feel like both these albums would be better as instrumentals or at least if vocals were mixed lower
― Poliopolice, Thursday, 26 February 2015 07:12 (nine years ago) link
https://procrastimes.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/facepalm.jpg
― brimstead, Thursday, 26 February 2015 08:22 (nine years ago) link
Pope OTM.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 26 February 2015 14:45 (nine years ago) link
The vocals just have this strange adult contemporary feel to them that i find offputting, whereas Bark Psychosis's are by contrast very low in pitch and serve as additional texture rather than a focal point.
― Poliopolice, Thursday, 26 February 2015 14:55 (nine years ago) link
I could listen to a Talk Talk album that was only vocals.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 26 February 2015 15:15 (nine years ago) link
Poliopolice OffTM. Sorry, but Hollis's vocals on songs like I Believe In You are out of sight.
― Unheimlich Manouevre (dog latin), Thursday, 26 February 2015 15:19 (nine years ago) link
Never liked his vocals much tbh
― Romeo Daltrey (Tom D.), Thursday, 26 February 2015 15:22 (nine years ago) link
... though not because they sound 'adult contemporary', which is what exactly?
― Romeo Daltrey (Tom D.), Thursday, 26 February 2015 15:26 (nine years ago) link
The Colour Of Spring is rather "adult contemporary" imo
― example (crüt), Thursday, 26 February 2015 15:42 (nine years ago) link
hollis's vocals on 'wealth' are among the most powerful ive ever heard so i definitely disagree
― diamonddave85 (diamonddave85), Thursday, 26 February 2015 16:49 (nine years ago) link
If you don't like the vocals, maybe you'd prefer this:
http://open.spotify.com/album/1bZJF6RXhSy87wSEAxhiLl
― glenn mcdonald, Thursday, 26 February 2015 16:54 (nine years ago) link
i like hollis's voice a lot but he definitely sometimes sounds like a depressed goat
― let me be your fan taytay (NickB), Thursday, 26 February 2015 16:59 (nine years ago) link
Not sure why but seeing that Talk Talk processed through Paulstretch thing on Spotify makes me mental.
― MaresNest, Thursday, 26 February 2015 17:01 (nine years ago) link
(xp) So that's what Adult Contemporary vocals sound like.
― Romeo Daltrey (Tom D.), Thursday, 26 February 2015 17:05 (nine years ago) link
Is it just that Hollis's voice cues very 80s? Which basically implies that his particular delivery style is outdated.
― Evan, Thursday, 26 February 2015 17:34 (nine years ago) link
maybe 80s is what I mean... but it's a particular style of 80s, like stuff I remember hearing on soft rock radio in the late 80s.
― Poliopolice, Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:12 (nine years ago) link
I realize now that this is probably what has prevented me from really getting into these albums. I've probably listened to each about 1-2 times a year for the past 10 years, with no success at "getting" them. This morning I listened to both twice, and they are still musically intriguing, but the vocals just feel really jarring and out of place. They take what could otherwise be transcendent music and ground them into an obviously 80s production style, robbing them of a timeless feel that they might otherwise have.
― Poliopolice, Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:17 (nine years ago) link
im not a huge fan of his vocals but i like how i have listened to these albums a bunch and have favourite songs on them yet have no idea what they're called or what the lyrics are because of his habit of not really bothering to enunciate at all.
― Rave Van Donk (jim in glasgow), Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:18 (nine years ago) link
I think 'depressed goat' is a more accurate description than 80s soft rock
― Romeo Daltrey (Tom D.), Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:20 (nine years ago) link
maybe depressed goat from the 80s
― Poliopolice, Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:28 (nine years ago) link
I mean, let's take Chris de Burgh for instance. I just put on "Lady in Red" and vocally I don't hear it as being all that far off from Mark Hollis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt2YIpZWBqA
― Poliopolice, Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:32 (nine years ago) link
his vocals are literally the sound of a religious experience occurring, ban poliopolice
― vacuum head tree disease (imago), Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:53 (nine years ago) link
Poe's Law.
― Poliopolice, Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:54 (nine years ago) link
anyway, i'm sure comparisons to reviled soft rock icons is not going to win me any fans here
― Poliopolice, Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:57 (nine years ago) link
you were kidding the whole time, is that your little scheme
― vacuum head tree disease (imago), Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:58 (nine years ago) link
"I Believe In You" from Color Of Spring has astonishing vocals. I love his voice, it's really unique. Seeing him sing really makes his voice seem all the more extreme.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Thursday, 26 February 2015 19:58 (nine years ago) link
Ha, Chris de Burgh!!! Who has better diction than Hollis tbf.
― Romeo Daltrey (Tom D.), Thursday, 26 February 2015 20:01 (nine years ago) link
his vocals are literally the sound of a religious experience occurring
This^^^
Even more so on his solo record.
― kwhitehead, Thursday, 26 February 2015 21:16 (nine years ago) link
I don't care for Hollis' voice either but then again I don't care for many sax solos on many of my favorite pop recordings so I ignore it oftne.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 26 February 2015 21:17 (nine years ago) link
just like Chris de Burgh's!
― Poliopolice, Thursday, 26 February 2015 22:34 (nine years ago) link
Wow, it never occurred to me before that someone might not like Hollis' voice. It's so tender, so uniquely... bruised-sounding, that I would never have imagined other listeners not being as drawn to it as I am.
― Vast Halo, Thursday, 26 February 2015 22:56 (nine years ago) link
any emotionally affecting voice has potential for being annoying to somebody
― example (crüt), Thursday, 26 February 2015 22:58 (nine years ago) link
I think Hollis has a wonderful voice, but I can see why it might grate on others. He has this "weepy" quality to his voice, I think, that might put some folks off.
― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Friday, 27 February 2015 01:29 (nine years ago) link
finding out that people don't like MH's voice is way more mindblowing to me than that tumblr dress-color thing
― & I was throwing a party the same night as (bernard snowy), Friday, 27 February 2015 03:18 (nine years ago) link
I like the unintelligibility, the "weepy" quality (never thought of it in connection with Hollis before; Okkervil River singer has this quality in spades), but most of all I love how dynamic his singing is
― & I was throwing a party the same night as (bernard snowy), Friday, 27 February 2015 03:21 (nine years ago) link
I'm also curious to hear more about "singing 80s" / 80s vocal production 'fingerprints'
― & I was throwing a party the same night as (bernard snowy), Friday, 27 February 2015 03:29 (nine years ago) link
what kind of vocals should be on these albums? shitty indie vocals? lemmy? millie jackson? phil oakey? smh
― brimstead, Friday, 27 February 2015 05:09 (nine years ago) link
wish they has just gotten rid of the vocals, my friends laughed at me for liking something so adult contemporary
― brimstead, Friday, 27 February 2015 05:10 (nine years ago) link
you know what would be great is if all music sounded like explosions in the sky
― brimstead, Friday, 27 February 2015 05:13 (nine years ago) link
don't take someone else's taste personally
― Poliopolice, Friday, 27 February 2015 05:18 (nine years ago) link
??? i'm just clowning on you dude, relax
― brimstead, Friday, 27 February 2015 05:27 (nine years ago) link
alright, hard to tell. ILM can get weirdly abusive at times.
also, are you saying sounds like Explosions in the Sky with 80s vocals?
― Poliopolice, Friday, 27 February 2015 05:35 (nine years ago) link
no, i'm saying you should listen to explosions in the sky, they're safe.. no saxophones or adult contemporary vocals
― brimstead, Friday, 27 February 2015 05:48 (nine years ago) link
it's just kind of hilarious to revive a thread and be all "y know this music would be better if you removed this part of it that makes it hugely remotely affecting"
― brimstead, Friday, 27 February 2015 05:50 (nine years ago) link
remotely? i don't know what i meant by that maybe i meant to type "emotionally"
that's a weird video for me. his voice sounds totally unlike what I would it to sound like, based on his appearance.
― Poliopolice, Monday, 2 March 2015 16:41 (nine years ago) link
I miss Geir sometimes
― X-101, Tuesday, 3 March 2015 13:22 (nine years ago) link
Did anyone ever get a copy of the book Spirit Of Talk Talk? It goes for a small fortune these days when it pops up on Ebayhttps://spiritoftalktalk.com/
― piscesx, Thursday, 24 January 2019 19:02 (five years ago) link
I have it with some weird spongy cover, it's nice enough but not at all worth £143
― MaresNest, Thursday, 24 January 2019 19:12 (five years ago) link
nope, but it looks good!
timely revive, as this pair of albums has been in heavy rotation for me recently (along with hollis' S/T). the discussion from late Feb 2015 above is also fun to read, as i also struggled with the vocals for quite a while. which seems to be a concept that some people on this thread have a really hard time imagining! but ultimately, they grew on me quite a bit. and it was apparent from the very beginning that his voice forms the very core of these songs. still, i still feel a tinge of irrational embarrassment whenever someone catches me listening to late period talk talk, because if you're not familiar with them and don't have a full hour to listen at a loud volume on decent speakers, the subtlety of the music can be completely lost, and all that stands out is the "adult contemporary" voice.
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 24 January 2019 19:16 (five years ago) link
I got it because I love James Marsh's artwork but don't feel like hunting down all the various 12" releases
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 24 January 2019 19:40 (five years ago) link
(xp) Depressed goat surely?
― Wee boats wobble but they don't fall down (Tom D.), Thursday, 24 January 2019 19:41 (five years ago) link
funny, i bought all the 12"s because i'd rather see the artwork full size than in a book. The Talk Talk 12"s have been pretty cheap too. I guess they must have made millions of copies of each, so they're not hard to find.
― brotherlovesdub, Thursday, 24 January 2019 19:43 (five years ago) link
Marsh sells nice prints of most of the Talk Talk artwork on his web site as well!
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 24 January 2019 19:44 (five years ago) link
(it was mostly a matter of me having space on my bookshelves but none on my record shelves)
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 24 January 2019 19:45 (five years ago) link
wow, you can also buy Laughing Stock toddler pajamas! I love the 21st century
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 24 January 2019 19:49 (five years ago) link
i recently found an fm broadcast of a 1986 show in Belgium from later in 1986, like four months after the london show that was officially released. It's stunning, just as good as London but with interestingly different set list. Been playing it tons. I think if you search "talk talk belgium 1986 reliquary" you should find the blog i got it from.
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Friday, 25 January 2019 15:55 (five years ago) link
The Salamanca, Spain concert is fab too, Belgium is a radio broadcast from the Werchter Festival iirc.
― MaresNest, Friday, 25 January 2019 16:47 (five years ago) link
yes i also downloaded two versions of Salamanca, great show, both versions had different little audio glitches that were not enough to ruin it for me.
― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Friday, 25 January 2019 17:11 (five years ago) link
ooh, thanks, going to track down that Belgium show!
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Friday, 25 January 2019 17:51 (five years ago) link
yes I have that book (the paperback). I didn't realize that was out of print also now.
― akm, Friday, 25 January 2019 21:42 (five years ago) link