Including this album in an appreciation of the psychedelic genre may raise a few eyebrows, firstly, because Talk Talk came to prominence as a synth pop band of the early eighties, secondly, because the album was made in 1988 and finally because the music contained within doesn't really contain any real trademark sounds that would associate it with other psyche masterpieces. But the reason I wanted to include it here is because it is a direct descendant of the spirit of psychedelia in the way it's striving to be original and different, it has taken the best part of twenty years to be appreciated for what it is and most importantly, it doesn't sit well in other musical genres. It certainly doesn't appear to be progressive rock as although it's genesis was the result of hours and hours of self indulgent jamming, it doesn't have that air of self importance that prog rock, at it's worst, has always tended to display. It also isn't a jazz album although it features a fair amount of involvement of a brass section and drums that tend to swing rather then rock out and it isn't 'chilled out' enough to be ambient. So then, what about this misfit album by a synth pop band? I'll explain it all to you, so that you go out and buy this, because if you haven't got this in your music collection then there is a gaping hole there, where this should be.
The band first came to prominence in 1981 when they had a couple of UK hit singles with 'Talk Talk' and 'Today' which were in keeping with the then popular New Romantic output of bands such as Duran Duran, Tears For Fears etc, although they had a slightly darker, edgier sound to them. The album that followed, 'The Party's Over' was in the same mold and all looked well for them as they progressed onto a second album called 'It's My Life'. The title track was a US hit, whilst 'Such a Shame' featured in the charts in the UK and Europe. The sound had become more sophisticated and they started to look like a good long term proposition, as they had begun to move away from the confines of the synth pop template. The only problem with this was that they were possibly alienating their existing fans who might not be interested in following a band that was trying to grow into something more substantial. After a considerable amount of time was spent in the studio putting together the next musical offering, much to the chagrin of record label EMI, the band emerged with 'The Colour of Spring' , which had all but dispensed with the sound of synths and had a more organic feel to it. The single, 'Life's What You Make It, (with a very simple, but memorable accompanying video, shot at night in a forest), gave the band another international hit, along with 'Living in Another World' and they undertook a tour in 1986 to promote it all; the last they would ever do.
At this point, Tim Friese-Greene, who had been producing on 'Colour of Spring' joined them as keyboard player and they set about recording what was to become 'Spirit of Eden'. The recording sessions involved jamming ideas around until something gelled and then it was put to one side and more jamming would take place. Somewhere in the region of 250 hours of recorded jams were then sifted through and the strongest ideas were then culled, edited, or cut and pasted together , and then expanded as necessary instrumentation-wise until they became 'proper' songs. The album appeared in 1988 and immediately had a problem, because there was no apparent 'hit' single contained within. The album gained critical support for being bold, brave and experimental but either the fans had moved on or they just didn't really understand the music contained within and it sold poorly, further straining the band's relationship with EMI. The band's management sought to extricate them from their contract with EMI, which they eventually succeeded in doing, so that they could sign to a label that might be more open to their more experimental sound, but this action sparked off a succession of lawsuits between the band and EMI, which subsequently broke the spirit of the band and played a significant part in their demise. they managed one more album 'Laughing Stock' for Verve Records before they finally went their separate ways. Singer Mark Hollis, subsequently made a solo album in 1998 which went even further into the minimalist sound that had been displayed on ' Laughing Stock'.
'Spirit of Eden' opens with 'The Rainbow' with it's muted brass fanfare and lots of 'found sound' types of effects and gives you an indication of the feel of the whole album. The instruments, which are mainly, piano, Hammond organ, either understated or extremely overdriven distorted guitar, hard blowing harmonica, bass and brass, along with what appears to be half a drum kit, all come into play as the track segues into 'Eden'. What comes to one's attention the most is how the songs are mixed or not as the case may be. Instruments seem to fall in and out of the main frame and nothing seems to relate to a 'standard' method of mixing, but for all this it works perfectly. Track three, 'Desire' follows and this track is a much darker offering than the previous one, but is dramatic and very haunting, to say the least. The understated menace of the Hammond organ figure that drones through the major part of the piece gives way to a gorgeous chord sequence and then squealing feedback drenched distorted guitar and then back to the understated menace once again. There is so much going on in this songs that it's difficult to convey it all in writing, but it sucks you into it's soundscape and you get totally absorbed by what is going on. Track four 'Inheritance' is a timid sounding piano led piece with a jazzy feel, but an interesting brass inflected chorus. 'I Believe in You', which follows, was the single release from this work and although it is a fabulous piece of music, it was never going to garner much in the way of radio play in 1988, which is amusing from this distance as Sigur Ros work in a similar musical territory and you hear their music all over the place, but that is progress, isn't it? The song is alive with the growl of a Hammond organ fed through a Leslie speaker and has the most timid of vocals, but all comes together beautifully. Interestingly one UK newspaper likened the sound of this song to the rush one might experience when taking a hit of heroin. Singer Mark Hollis, was so incensed at the suggestion that he might be a heroin user that he successfully sued the newspaper concerned. The final track 'Wealth' is short and sweet and gradually fades off out into the distance with a gentle organ and piano outro and then it's gone.
What came before this album and what came after in the band's time line only partially relates to what is contained here, as this is the point in the band's career when it all came together perfectly for them, even though it took a long time before the general public started to catch up and elevate it to the classic album status it now enjoys. The crying shame is that although this is Talk Talk's most remarkable piece of work, it also brought about the demise of this great band in the process. As for weather you would regard it as psychedelic album, well just go and buy it and decide for yourselves. Whatever it is, it's unique!
by: Kevin Wallbank
M100 and Honeymoon On Mars
08/02/08
