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Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk


Carl Spackler

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Carl Spackler

I was put onto this by some learned Kickback Gentleman.

 

EVERYONE should look it out and listen. It is fantastic.

 

Beyond fantastic.

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Guest vanbasten1874

Gwen Stefani covered its my life not as good as talk talks but none the less she is a ride .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1USwEiPZehk&feature=related

Edited by vanbasten1874
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It's a brilliant album.

was also alertrted to its greatness via KB .

However, it's still not as good as Astral Weeks, St Dominc's Preview,Beautiful Vision or Sense of Wonder.

That's a fact

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It's a brilliant album.

was also alertrted to its greatness via KB .

However, it's still not as good as Astral Weeks, St Dominc's Preview,Beautiful Vision or Sense of Wonder.

That's a fact

 

Matter of opinion, but have loved it since it came out, and would love to hear anything that has the same scope and ambition as Spirit of Eden (other than Laughing Stock and Hollis' solo album that is).

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Carl Spackler

I might as well chuck it in but I'm now listening to Black Affair (mind of the Beta Band?) who Kickback also reminded me of. Tremendous also but not in Talk Talk's league.

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I was quite pleasantly surprised when Spirit of Eden was given such plaudits on here - I thought I was the only bugger that actually bought it. Shame it wasn't really successful commercially.

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Matter of opinion, but have loved it since it came out, and would love to hear anything that has the same scope and ambition as Spirit of Eden (other than Laughing Stock and Hollis' solo album that is).

 

Scope and ambition's a difficult one.

Never Mind the Bollocks has more scope and ambition than Spirit of Eden., but Talk Talk's album is better :rolleyes:

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Carl Spackler

Scope and ambition's a difficult one.

Never Mind the Bollocks has more scope and ambition than Spirit of Eden., but Talk Talk's album is better :rolleyes:

Yeah it is!

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Johanes de Silentio

Quite simply the best record ever made!

 

The follow up 'Laughing Stock' is also brilliant, as is 'The Colour Of Spring' from '86, and Mark Hollis's solo album.

 

Hollis is a Spurs fan, incidentally - wonder if he knows about Dave McKay?

 

Best thread on kickback ever! :thumbsup:

 

I'm always very moved when I learn that somebody else loves this record, because I know that they will have experienced the same feelings that I have - it's almost a religious/spiritual thing.

 

The world's best kept secret.

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Quite simply the best record ever made!

 

The follow up 'Laughing Stock' is also brilliant, as is 'The Colour Of Spring' from '86, and Mark Hollis's solo album.

 

Hollis is a Spurs fan, incidentally - wonder if he knows about Dave McKay?

 

Best thread on kickback ever! :thumbsup:

 

I'm always very moved when I learn that somebody else loves this record, because I know that they will have experienced the same feelings that I have - it's almost a religious/spiritual thing.

 

The world's best kept secret.

Wow!being moved,experiencing feelings that take you to a religious,almost spiritual plain,I've got a talk talk album and you must be watching something to get that sensation!yes?

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Johanes de Silentio

Wow!being moved,experiencing feelings that take you to a religious,almost spiritual plain,I've got a talk talk album and you must be watching something to get that sensation!yes?

 

Er...ok, then! :blink:

Edited by Paranoid Android
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Johanes de Silentio

The best song about heroin ever written. Fact. And there have been some belters but this for me every time. Love Mark Hollis.

 

I think it was 'I Believe In You' that was about heroin.

 

There are all sorts of rumours about whether they band were using/had used H - it was alleged that some of the tracks on Spirit Of Eden resulted from heavy opium sessions, but I don't know, tbh.

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Very pleasing to have a TalkTalk / Spirit of Eden thread pop up again.

 

A simply gorgeous album. Very goodto lose oneself in.

 

I still haven't got round to buying Laughing Stock.

 

 

Radcliffe and Maconie had "I don't believe in you" on the Chain a couple of months ago. Spell-binding.

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<br>I think it was 'I Believe In You' that was about heroin.<br><br>There are all sorts of rumours about whether they band were using/had used H - it was alleged that some of the tracks on Spirit Of Eden resulted from heavy opium sessions, but I don't know, tbh.<br>

 

Don't think so - seem to remember Hollis taking some newspaper to court after they alleged he was on the smack.

 

Personally, can't figure out whether Spirit of Eden, Laughing Stock or Mark Hollis is the better album. Usually depends which one I'm listening to at the time! Just wish a few other bands would attempt something in a similar vein, but I guess the record industry's changed a lot in the last 20 or so years.

Edited by Maroonaldinho
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Don't think so - seem to remember Hollis taking some newspaper to court after they alleged he was on the smack.

 

Personally, can't figure out whether Spirit of Eden, Laughing Stock or Mark Hollis is the better album. Usually depends which one I'm listening to at the time! Just wish a few other bands would attempt something in a similar vein, but I guess the record industry's changed a lot in the last 20 or so years.

 

 

even back then, though, didn't their record label threaten to take them to court for making a record without any obvious "hit singles"? Presumably they wanted another "It's my life". And didn't reckon "Desire" would be getting much Radio1 airplay from Dave Lee Travis.

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even back then, though, didn't their record label threaten to take them to court for making a record without any obvious "hit singles"? Presumably they wanted another "It's my life". And didn't reckon "Desire" would be getting much Radio1 airplay from Dave Lee Travis.

 

Don't think they were too impressed with the rumoured quarter of a million pounds spend on recording the album either! So SoE was quite a turning point for the music industry. Of modern bands, I reckon Radiohead would probably be about the only one with enough clout to attempt something similar, though they seem to be more into the idea of individual singles rather than albums these days.

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Don't think they were too impressed with the rumoured quarter of a million pounds spend on recording the album either! So SoE was quite a turning point for the music industry. Of modern bands, I reckon Radiohead would probably be about the only one with enough clout to attempt something similar, though they seem to be more into the idea of individual singles rather than albums these days.

 

 

Good point. But it was money will spent, eh?

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Johanes de Silentio

Don't think so - seem to remember Hollis taking some newspaper to court after they alleged he was on the smack.

 

Never knew that! :thumbsup:

 

After the success of 'Colour Of Spring', they were given an open budget to record 'Spirit Of Eden', which meant that they spent a lot of time and money on the recording.

 

They basically spent hour upon hour improvising on very basic ideas that Hollis and Friese-Green had come up with, and edited the tracks from the numerous takes.

 

Copius session players then came in and were given total freedom to do their thing - the takes by stellar players like Nigel Kennedy, Danny Thomspon, Robbie McIntosh, Mark Feltham, etc, were also edited into what emerged as the finished album.

 

According to legend, Talk-Talk's A&R guy was in tears when he heard the finished album for the first time - he expected 'Colour Of Spring' mark II, with the massive industry drum sound, et al - what Talk-Talk delivered was a work of art that was never destined to sell in the quantities the record company had hoped for.

 

I think the exasperated record company may have considered legal action at that time, but I don't think anything came of it.

 

Then Hollis said that there would be not tour, no single, and no video - promootional interviews for 'Spirit Of Eden' were rare.

 

Hollis eventually agreed to pose for a tasteful Tim Pope directed video for an edited version of the beautiful anti-herion song 'I Believe In You'.

 

When the Record company commissioned a remix album, and released a greatest hits compilation without the band's permission, Talk-Talk launched a successful legal action against the record company, and left the label.

 

Laughing Stock was recorded for Verve/Polydor.

 

Hollis retired after his solo album, feeling that he couldn't take his music any further than he had.

 

Also check out Friese-Green's 'Heligoland' project.

Edited by Paranoid Android
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Johanes de Silentio

Here's a question:

 

On the opening line of track one, 'The Rainbow', Hollis sings:

 

The world's turned upside down

Jimmy Finn is out

 

Anyone know what the Jimmy Finn reference is all about?

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No idea about the Jimmy Finn reference.

 

I had assumed it was some (fictional) accused murderer / rapist or something who evaded justice. But that's just supposition.

 

I gave up try to make head or tail of Holls' lyrics a number of years ago.

Edited by CF11JamTart
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  • 8 years later...
CedricKRosewood
On 06/02/2011 at 10:44, CF11JamTart said:

No idea about the Jimmy Finn reference.

 

I had assumed it was some (fictional) accused murderer / rapist or something who evaded justice. But that's just supposition.

 

I gave up try to make head or tail of Holls' lyrics a number of years ago.

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the narrator mentions giving matches to the town drunk, named Jimmy Finn. He was in jail and burned his mattress in a jail break attempt, but he died before he could escape. Not sure if this is the right reference, but it could be, since Hollis used a lot of literary references.

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