Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden
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Free Music Notes for Spirit of Eden
Free Music Review: Let it grow on you
Hit: 5 Stars
The music in this collection is very different from both earlier Talk Talk material and just about anything else most people have ever listened to. The most accurate term I've heard is "Impressionistic Rock", albeit, die-hard AC/DC and Who fans will say "this is rock??". After all, English horns and Oboes are generally not featured in rock, but technically the beat, when it exists, isn't jazz or anything too experimental.The first several times I listened to this it was in the car and I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Then one day I was at home alone, I lay down on the couch and put it on a good stereo - wow! I was amazed that this band started as an '80's pop band. It's definitely not "cruisin' music". Sometimes it must grow on the listener.
If you have "Colour of Spring" then check out "April 5th" and "Chameleon Day" - those pieces are precursors to what's on this album. Reading the lyrics and listening to the album has almost always evoked a sort of "epiphany" among my friends who have done so, somewhere around the last several songs. It will definitely change the way you think about music.
Free Music Review: Soundtrack To Life
Hit: 5 Stars
When you open your heart to this album, it will make the rest of your album collection pale and seem very insignificant in comparison because no other album can move you in the deepest and most emotional ways that this one can. This is the album that first anticipated the term "post-rock" but unlike the countless artists and albums that followed in its wake, none can match the grace, power, beauty, and majesty (the textures, mood, and atmosphere, the light/shade, silence/sounds, and catharsis) of this album. From the seamless three-song suite which encompasses abstract jazz ("The Rainbow"), delicate ambience ("Eden"), and earthy, visceral blues/rock ("Desire") on the first side to the second side where quieter yet even more captivating drifting passages of complexity ("Inheritance") share space with one of the greatest songs ever written ("I Believe in You") and a closer with closure and redemption ("Wealth"), Spirit of Eden is, quite simply, a record that stands out because it actually speaks to and becomes part of your most interior and emotional moments--it is one of those rare albums that actually deserves to be called a "soundtrack to life".Free Music Review: Powerful and Emotional
Hit: 5 Stars
It's been a few years since my dear mother lost her battle to cancer, and a long stretch since I reflected on the loss and had an emotional moment.
The other day, I decided to play Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden - as background music really. I was counting on the slow, quiet tempo and rich sound to soothe me as I banged away on my computer.
By the fourth track, I was holding a picture of my mom, sobbing like I had never done before. Don't get me wrong... I'm not trying to convey that this music will evoke feelings of misery and heartache. Not at all. I'm just saying that this masterpiece of work reaches deep and tugs at the human emotion. Whether it be a glorious, personal moment that you're experiencing, a moment of reflection, or one of doubt and dark despair, the music of Spirit of Eden (listened to in the right setting), has the power to touch the soul and push the tide of emotion.
The technical perspective? In short, the production of Spirit of Eden is of the highest quality, and the artistry and arrangements within each track are unique and magnificent.
Free Music Review: Commercial Suicide, according to their label!
Hit: 5 Stars
This is one of the mellowest albums you'll find anywhere. I do love it when bands deliberately make their music more and more obscure. Originally cast in the New Romantic mould, Talk Talk became increasingly uncomfortable with the expectations of their pop audience and the ridiculous clothes they were expected to wear.By 1988, leader Mark Hollis had quit heroin, and the band turned up in a disused church with a large budget and a bizarre collection of musicians -- including violin virtuouso Nigel Kennedy -- to record this gem. More Van Der Graaf than Roxy Music, it impressed the music press, but not their label, EMI. Talk Talk were dropped by EMI the following year, because of the irreconcilable rift caused by this album.
Compared to its predecessor 'The Colour of Spring', this is their equivalent of Radiohead's 'Kid A', though 12 years earlier.
Everyone ought to have this album. As one review said, "melodies flow across soundscapes created by the oddest array of instruments seen this side of Tom Waits".
Free Music Review: Inimitable album from a chameleon band
Hit: 5 Stars
Talk Talk went from synth pop to very sensitive, introspective ballads in less time than many bands take to release a few albums of the same ol' stuff. If you have NATURAL HISTORY, the last few studio tracks on that compilation will give you an idea of the care and subtlety invested in SPIRIT OF EDEN. The songs are quiet, subdued, punctuated by sudden crescendoes and backbeat. Mark Hollis' vocals are almost unintelligible, but the "shoe gazer" effect is entirely appropriate. Do not mistake Talk Talk for whiney, gripe rock; this is more on par with The Tindersticks and Angelo Badalamenti. Initially a commercial failure, SPIRIT OF EDEN has become a sleeper hit, and this sparkling, remastered release rewards the faithful fan. SPIRIT OF EDEN is hard to forget, and yields greater depth on repeated listening. Possibly one of the finest albums release in the 1980s. Followed in 1991 by the equally memorable LAUGHING STOCK, which I also recommend. (Put both in your shopping basket.)