Talk Talk

英藉三人團 Talk Talk 成軍于新浪潮運動后期，一般認為他們應屬于該樂潮的一支，然而，他們自己卻否認與該項運動有任何深刻的關聯(lián)。
雖然該團的前兩張專輯，無可避免地運用了變子合成樂器，但是在本質上該團卻是對電子樂器抱持著反對態(tài)度的。也由于前兩張專輯創(chuàng)下良好賣座成績，該團在「春之色」中，才能放手一展他們所長久追尋的表現(xiàn)手法，舍棄一切電子音色，而已純吉他、純管弦樂、純合聲組….呈現(xiàn)了80年代的另一嶄新浪漫情調。
單曲〝Life Is What You Make It〞推出之后，已出現(xiàn)于英美排行高名次之列，勢必將為該團帶來另一次多采多姿的春天。
1981年，22歲的 Mark Hollis 經(jīng)由其兄長的引薦，正準備與 Lsland 唱片簽約。為了制作試聽帶，他找來了鼓手 Lee Harris 及貝斯手 Paul Webb，三人一拍及合，決定以 Talk Talk 為團名，信心十足地一闖歌壇。
首先，他們在英國各地巡回表演，引起英國廣播電臺權威節(jié)目 Capi-tal Radio 及 Radio 1 的注意，成為該節(jié)目常態(tài)性的特別來賓， Talk Talk 之名因而傳遍英國，在制作人 Jimmy Miller 的牽線下，EMI 唱片公司簽下了這支未出片先轟動的三人組。
82年7月，該團推出首張專輯「The Party’s Over」，獲得樂評一致贊賞，單曲〝Today〞擁有英排行十四名的成績?！窽he Colour Of Spring」是86年作品，共收有〝Happiness Is Easy〞〝Living In Another World〞….等八首新作。Talk Talk 摒絕一切電子合成音色，而以真弦樂及合聲醞釀出音色純度及高的作品，想象的空間極為寬廣，吉他部分的編演尤其令人神往不已。
With the exception of a handful of common threads — chief among them the plaintive vocals and haunting lyrics of frontman Mark Hollis — there is little to suggest that the five studio LPs which make up the Talk Talk oeuvre are indeed the work of the same band throughout. After beginning their career with records which virtually epitomize the new wave era which spawned them, the British group never looked back, making significant strides with each successive album on its way to discovering a wholly unique and uncategorizable sound informed by elements of jazz, classical, and ambient music; their masterful final recordings, while neglected commercially, possess a timelessness rare among music of any genre, and in retrospect they seem the clear starting point for the post-rock movement of the 1990s.
The story of Talk Talk begins with singer/songwriter Hollis, the younger brother of Ed Hollis, a disc jockey and producer who went on to manage such punk-era bands as Eddie & the Hot Rods. Mark originally planned to become a child psychologist, but in 1975, he left university to relocate to London, eventually forming a band called the Reaction; Ed Hollis called in a few favors, and in 1977, the Reaction recorded a demo tape for Island Records. Among the tracks was a Hollis original titled Talk Talk, which later surfaced on the Beggars Banquet punk compilation Streets. After just one single, 1978s I Cant Resist, the Reaction disbanded, and through his brother, Hollis was first introduced to bassist Paul Webb, drummer Lee Harris, and keyboardist Simon Brenner, with whom he formed Talk Talk in 1981.
After recording a number of demos with producer Jimmy Miller, Talk Talk signed to EMI, who assigned Duran Duran producer Colin Thurston to helm their first two singles, Mirror Man and Talk Talk. Clearly, EMIs intent was to mold the band in the spirit of the new romantic movement, and toward that end, they also tapped Talk Talk as the opener on Duran Durans 1982 U.K. tour. Their debut LP, The Partys Over, was indeed a product of its times, defined by contemporary synth pop sensibilities but with an honesty and lyrical depth absent from most other records of the moment. In 1983, Talk Talk resurfaced with the single My Foolish Friend, which in itself marked a major leap from the first record with its denser and more mature sound; the subsequent dismissal of Brenner made it plain that the bands days of relying on synthesizers were over for good.
The remainder of 1983 was spent writing and recording Its My Life, Talk Talks breakthrough recording. The turning point was the arrival of producer and multi-instrumentalist Tim Friese-Greene, who was to remain an unofficial fourth member of the band for the remainder of its existence. In Friese-Greene, Hollis found the ideal partner to realize his ambitions; Its My Life made major strides away from The Partys Over, rejecting the debuts new wave trappings in favor of richer, more natural textures. The gambit worked, with the title track becoming a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. 1986s The Colour of Spring continued the trend, and on the strength of the smashes Life Is What You Make of It and Give It Up, it became Talk Talks best-selling album to date. A major world tour followed, with EMI allotting an enormous budget for the groups next effort.
In 1987, Talk Talk settled into an abandoned Suffolk church to begin working on their fourth LP; EMI executives eagerly awaited the finished product — and they were to continue waiting, as the group worked far past its deadline, seemingly with no end in sight. Already well over budget, Hollis refused to allow label heads any advance tapes, and informed EMI that not only would there be no singles from the record, but that the group would be unable to recreate the complex arrangements on-stage and, as a consequence, would perform no live dates in support of the discs release. Finally, after some 14 months in the studio, Spirit of Eden was issued to thunderous critical acclaim, albeit little commercial interest; an intricate, meditative work, it bore little resemblance to standard pop music, with its lengthy songs and spacious, organic arrangements perhaps closest in theme and texture to jazz.
With relations between EMI and Talk Talk already at their breaking point, the label made the decision to issue an edited single version of the Spirit of Eden track I Believe in You without the bands consent; EMI then attempted to drop the group from their roster, although their contract had not yet expired. Talk Talk then sued the label; improbably enough, EMI countersued, claiming breach of contract. The band eventually prevailed in court, later signing to Polydor to begin work on its next LP; Paul Webb subsequently left Talk Talk, and the masterful Laughing Stock was recorded primarily with guest musicians. Issued in 1991, the LP marked a complete break from convention, adopting an almost free-form aesthetic; however, it was also Talk Talks final work — in 1992, Webb and Harris reunited in ORang, while Hollis disappeared from view, finally issuing his self-titled solo debut in early 1998. A live Talk Talk release, London 1986, appeared in 1999.