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Reclusive musical genius Mark Hollis.

I Believe in You

He had one of the most remarkable musical trajectories in pop, then decided to stop releasing music entirely.

That he did

My jaw dropped...so sad to see Mark pass...

Give it Up - what a performance!

Very, very sad to hear of Mark Hollis' passing. All three final Talk Talk albums have meant (and continue to mean) a great deal to me. They're albums which can provide solace, joy, wonder and room for contemplation. If you've never heard the likes of 'Life's What You Make It', 'Living In Another World', 'Desire', 'I Believe In You', 'Ascension Day' and 'New Grass', I urge you to. And they are only the start of some of the most extraordinary music ever composed. Such a great talent.

Mark Hollis was an unbelievable talent. Right out of the gate with The Party's Over, Talk Talk was an incredibly sophisticated and
singular group, and the scope of what he accomplished cannot be understated.

It goes without saying that I will deeply miss him, though he's been absent from public life for decades and I've been missing him all this time. Still, he left just about the most unassailable artistic legacy imaginable. He did what other artists only ever dream of. He followed his inspiration all the way to the end in terms of precision and refinement and then recognized that end and stopped.

His lone solo album is a thing of beauty, too. I can't believe it was released twenty years ago.

I've been listening to Hollis / Talk Talk's slender discography. (Coincidentally, it was just last week that I finally managed to plug the last couple of gaps in it.)

Laughing Stock comes more into focus with each listen, after spending a lot of time as 'Spirit of Eden Part 2'.

The Colour of Spring still sounds awkwardly transitional to me, with a track like 'Living in Another World' sounding like a holdover from their second album and 'April 5th' sounding like an anticipation of their fourth. But every track on the album is decent to great on its own terms, as are the three excellent b-sides, so I had a go at resequencing it as a more expansive double album, and I've found it has a more satisfying flow. Try it, or mix your own:

Side A:
April 5th
Life's What You Make it
I Don't Believe in You

Side B:
Happiness Is Easy
Living in Another World
Chameleon Day

Side C:
For What It's Worth
Give It Up
Pictures of Bernadette

Side D:
Time It's Time
It's Getting Late in the Evening

I like it! (Though I'd like these songs in just about any order.)

How worthwhile is it to check out the first two Talk Talk albums?

It's My Life isn't anywhere near the masterpiece the next three are, but I'd still call it worthwhile

You should check them all out. For one, it gives a better appreciation for the arc of accomplishment and development over all. But I also think that even that first album gives indication of what is to come as the songs often have a unique, perceptive melancholy and rare seriousness uncommon for the generic pop they supposedly were at the time. Also, this remains about the best overall appreciation of Hollis that I've seen.

bdsweeney wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2019 1:11 am How worthwhile is it to check out the first two Talk Talk albums?

Coming to The Party's Over after everything else was a real shock, and it took me a long time to hear the traces of the interesting sensibility to come underneath the dated, synthetic surface, but they are there from time to time.

It's My Life is actually a pretty great 80s pop album, with some dross. And there are some really fantastic b-sides / outtakes from this earlier period that outshine many album tracks, like 'Why Is It So Hard?' and 'Again a Game. . . Again'. And the piano-based b-side version of 'Call in the Night Boy' is completely different from the bombastic album version and serves as a very early indicator of where the band would ultimately be heading.

The Asides, Besides compilation is essential for including all these b-sides. (The three Laughing Stock singles are compiled on Missing Pieces, along with a rare Mark Hollis solo piece.)

Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock are my top two albums of all time. Solo album is also incredible.

RIP, Mark.