Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/02/25/mark-hollis-lead-singer-of-ta.html
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6 Likes
Fantastic voice, inescapably recognized the second you hear it.
17 Likes
Really awful news. Talk Talk is right up there with my favorite bands ever. Such an interesting catalog. Some lesser known stuff that I love
Live at Montreaux 1986 (full live concert video) - I never got to see them live, but the entire band is in great form here
Call in the Night Boy (piano mix) - the dude that played the piano apparently showed up in the Youtube thread. I love the Internet
Living in Another World - I go back and forth but I think this is my favorite overall
The Rocket88 Talk Talk book is great too. Bummer.
12 Likes
I must say: Laughing Stock, their follow-up to Spirit of Eden, is equally masterful!
14 Likes
Spirit of Eden is probably my favorite album. Absolutely gutted. I’d always hoped Hollis would come out of retirement and gift us with more music.
10 Likes
Wow, The Spirit of Eden is relevant to my interests.
6 Likes
The Mrs is a big fan. I can say that I truly loved what I heard when she played them (except maybe It’s My Life one too many times).
She is gonna be sad for a few days.
8 Likes
Hollis had the perfect career arc- Started out as the new Duran Duran/Teeny pop band (although Talk Talk was never really this band) matured into solid alt rock band and then delivered their career masterpiece, the far out but really quite good Spirit of Eden. He then went on the make two more albums (oneTalk Talk and one solo) that extended the idea without compromise and then… vanished from the pop life- going out on top.
Not sure about his personal life or anything, but his career in pop music was pretty much a perfect path…
8 Likes
wow. soooooo many hours listening to this voice over so many years. still have the cassettes. good bye to a great artist.
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youtube embed has been invalidated. here you can find it on napster https://app.napster.com/artist/talk-talk/album/spirit-of-eden-emi-records-2006
I had only known the hits, this one here is really something.
2 Likes
One of my favorite artists ever. You will be missed. Much respect.
2 Likes
I’ve always thought of them as the proto-Radiohead. Interesting, textured sound that kind of sneaks up on you, with understated delivery.
4 Likes
“Watershed” is one of the most beautiful songs ever made; like a spider’s web it’s equally strong and fragile.
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Talk Talk were an early adopter of the ‘mouths as eyes’ theme:
7 Likes
Mark Hollis was an extraordinary talent who achieved success on his own terms. His music will last generations. My personal favorite Talk Talk track…
5 Likes
Though I realized it would never happen, part of me held out hope that Mark Hollis would resurface at some point with new music.
5 Likes
This simulation is broken.
Oddly, he did briefly come out of retirement to record a piece for the surprisingly-great soundtrack to season 2 of Boss (starring Kelsey Grammer). It’s brief, and instrumental, but it’s the last thing he recorded that’s surfaced thus far.
2 Likes
My first exposure to Talk Talk was their appearance on a show hosted by David Essex, called ‘David Essex Showcase’, which is exactly what it said on the tin, an audience-free showcase for emerging talent.
Talk Talk performed ‘Today’, from The Party’s Over’, and I was smitten!
I never managed to see them play live, although I never gave up hope that Mark might suddenly start writing and recording again, and the band reconvene.
Sadly, that will never happen, and it’s highly likely that, even had Mark not died, that he would never record again. Listening to ‘Laughing Stock’, and Mark’s solo album, it’s clear that the process of stripping back the sound had gone about as far as it could.
I find the solo album difficult to listen to, the long periods of silence, punctuated by brief bursts of music, almost uncomfortable at times.
An extraordinary talent, who’s left an extraordinary musical legacy which will continue to influence musicians for many years to come.
RIP
1 Like
…then the simulacre can’t be noticed
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