Talk Talk

Fact Sheet

Country

Talk Talk was an English synth-pop group formed in 1981 by Mark Hollis (vocals/songwriter), Paul Webb (bass), Lee Harris (drums), and Simon Brenner (keyboards). The band achieved moderate success in the early to mid 1980s with several hit singles, including, "Today" (1982), "Talk Talk" (1982), "Such A Shame" (1984), "Its My Life" (1984) and "Life's What You Make It" (1986).

Though they were identified with the New Romantic movement and bands such as Duran Duran, Talk Talk had a progressive depth their contemporaries lacked. With the addition of unofficial fourth member Tim Friese-Greene in 1983, replacing Simon Brenner on keyboards and becoming producer for the band, each successive Talk Talk release became more sophisticated and original. They eventually abandoned the New Romantic style completely with Spirit of Eden (1988), an album founded on improvised structures and diverse, natural instruments (violin, harmonica) instead of a synth-driven, pop song mold. The less commercial sound did not go well with their label EMI, so they moved to Verve Records to release Laughing Stock in 1991. Laughing Stock crystallized the experimental sound the band started with Spirit of Eden (which has been retroactively categorized as "post-rock" by some critics) and is widely regarded as the group's masterpiece.

After Laughing Stock, the band broke up. Paul Webb and Lee Harris went on to form the band .O.Rang. In 1998, Mark Hollis released his eponymous debut Mark Hollis. Webb also collaborated under the name of Rustin Man with Beth Gibbons and released Out of Season in 2002.

In 2003 No Doubt released a cover version of "It's My Life" which became a major hit throughout the world.

Tell us what you think in the Talk Talk forum ...