"If I could buy my reasoning, I'd pay to lose."
After touring their debut album, The Party's Over, Talk Talk fell silent for more than a year except for the stand-alone single, "My Foolish Friend." During this time, Mark Hollis was busy laying the groundwork for the band's unprecedented journey into artistic iconoclasm, which would yield some of the most progressive music of the rock era and lead the band, ineluctably, toward its commercial demise. Hollis' first step was to dismiss keyboard player Simon Brenner (ostensibly to move away from synth-based pop of the first album) and bring in Tim Friese-Greene, who had an impressive engineering and production pedigree. Friese-Greene and Hollis quickly developed a writing partnership that would produce some of the best songs on It's My Life, including the title track and "Dum Dum Girl." Just as important, however, was Friese-Greene's influence on the band's studio sound; while ample use of synthesizers is made on It's My Life, acoustic instruments begin to play a much larger role, something that would only increase with each successive album. In addition, it is clear that Hollis learned a thing or two from Roxy Music's Avalon in the intervening time between albums, as his vocals have taken on a laconic Bryan Ferry-inspired croon in places. Perhaps Talk Talk's most distinctive sonic innovation during the It's My Life sessions is the subtle use of World Beat elements to give some of the songs a unique hybrid feel that makes them quite memorable. An obvious example of this is the title track, which, on the surface, is about a love affair gone bad, but the various synth-based sound-effects and Hollis' remarkable vocal performance give the song a far more universal connotation. While It's My Life is a transitional album through and through, it represents a significant step away from the thin new-romantic veneer that hampered the debut album and also sets the stage for an even bigger artistic leap forward on their next album, The Colour of Spring.
It's My Life (1997 Remastered Edition)
1. Dum Dum Girl (3:50)
2. Such a Shame (5:35)
3. Renée (6:22)
4. It's My Life (3:53)
5. Tomorrow Started (6:00)
6. The Last Time (4:23)
7. Call in the Night Boy (3:47)
8. Does Caroline Know (4:30)
9. It's You (4:40)
I love reading these Talk Talk reviews you've been writing. Really interesting band.
ReplyDeleteoh hi there, thank you. Talk Talk has a very interesting history, and I'm trying to tell their story piece by piece through the posts. It's a different approach I'm taking for this series. These posts are certainly fun to write
ReplyDeleteI was more familiar with the later Talk Talk albums. I look forward to giving this one a proper listen. Avalon was a great album. Interesting how that influences this album's sound.
ReplyDeletescurfie, the Roxy influence is there in a subtle way in some of Hollis' vocals and arrangements on this album, but on the next three albums he/they move into regions all their own
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that my knowledge of Talk Talk's volume of work is limited to the first two albums. I hope that it's an interesting journey for the rest of the series.
ReplyDeleteandie
andie, the best is yet to come. Talk Talk's last three albums (and Hollis' solo album), which move in a very different direction, are what turned them into legends
ReplyDeleteUgh, this blog is incredible. How long does it take you to write these reviews? I really enjoy them, especially when there's an interesting history behind the album/band, so I appreciate that you put in the effort to write them.
ReplyDeleteelliott, thank you! I'm an English Prof by trade, so, in a way, writing is second nature for me. Some reviews take 15 minutes and others take hours, depending on how inspired I feel. The first sentence is always the hardest to come up with. Writing the reviews is definitely the most time consuming aspect of blogging, but I also feel they are what set this blog apart. Whenever there is an interesting story or history to tell about a band or album, I think it is a great way to provide context for the music. Thanks again for following the blog. It is greatly appreciated :)
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how Talk Talk were evolving album after album.Some bands have no /litlle difference between two albums.I totally agree with you that last three albums are masterpieces and I like the way how they increased complexity of melody structure where you can find elements of new age,new romantism,even jazz...
ReplyDeleteBut this is classic electro-pop album.Very good one!
iggy1, I completely agree. By the way, I posted one of your requests earlier on PPP
ReplyDeleteWriting this to tell everyone that 1997 remastered versions of Talk Talk albums is now really cheap on amazon.co.uk. Starting from 3,50 GBP! I have older cd versions of Talk Talk albums and I've decided to buy remastered versions because sound is really improved.That's why I like FLAC. First I can hear full sound spectrum on downloaded material and later on I can decide what to buy!
ReplyDeleteSupport your favorite artists!
thanks iggy1. These remasters are definitely worth buying and owning
ReplyDeleteI agree iggy1. Without our support the artists don't survive.
ReplyDelete"Call the Night Boy" has a glitch in it @ 1:47 in the song. However, thanks to La Luna, I will seek out this record having a chance to hear it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnon. I've listened to the FLAC version I posted and can find no glitch. Did you download the MP3 version?
ReplyDeleteNope, it was the FLAC. Not sure why but the song pauses for half a second.
ReplyDeleteHi, I played it last night from the FLAC file I posted and there's no pause or artifact that I could hear. I'll DL from the link I posted and see if I can hear what you're hearing
ReplyDeletehas anyone else noticed this glitch?
ReplyDeleteThanks for this I loved colour of spring for years but I haven't heard this one. Great blog I love coming here !
ReplyDeletejozz, thank you! I still have 7 more Talk Talk posts to go in the series. I should have another one up later this weekend
ReplyDelete