Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden

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It's been a year now since I bought "Spirit of Eden" and "Laughing Stock," and I still find myself putting these albums into regular rotation (although "Eden" is my clear favorite of the two). A bunch of shoegazer and "Cocteau Twins" albums later, I decided to buy "The Colour of Spring" and Mark Hollis' 1998 solo album.

(Frankly, I don't know what I'd do without sites like Amazon.com, because having obscure music tastes means that you generally won't find what you're looking for in a conventional music store. And with Amazon much cheaper than these stores, it's a win-win situation!)

My first impression with "The Colour of Spring" was that it sounds so unlike anything I'd have expected from music in the 1980s. And, 21 years later, it still sounds timeless and relevant, which is probably one of the greatest complements you can give any album. In the end, it makes me all the more puzzled that "Spirit of Eden" was received as such a dramatic departure from this album. Certainly, "Eden" was a far cry from their first two albums, but, in relation to "The Colour of Spring," it's quite clearly a natural progression, and I'd have expected no less from them.

Hindsight, of course, is always 20/20.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect with Mark Hollis' solo album. I knew that it was, if anything, in a similar vein to Talk Talk's last two albums, but whether it would become more monotonous than "Laughing Stock" was the big question for me. In short, I find this album to be quite a pleasant surprise. Yes, it was even more minimalist in structure than "Laughing Stock," but the simplicity and judicious use of silence was absolutely breathtaking. I will be certainly listening to this album for the rest of my life, and although I have serious doubts that Mark Hollis will ever release another album ever again, he has certainly cemented his legend with this very understated effort.
 
I wouldn't exactly describe Talk Talk as obscure, seeing as the "It's My Life" single made the UK top twenty. Still I'd imagine that Hollis solo effort is hard to track down, must have a listen to that one.
 
financeguy said:
I wouldn't exactly describe Talk Talk as obscure, seeing as the "It's My Life" single made the UK top twenty. Still I'd imagine that Hollis solo effort is hard to track down, must have a listen to that one.

They're more obscure here in the U.S., as the only available releases of their albums are "imports" from the U.K., for the most part. So I guess it's all relative.
 
I picked this up for under $10 a few years ago (when the import was selling for $20+). It was one of the best purchases I've ever made. :drool:
 
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