Talk Talk

Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981 by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), Paul Webb (bass), and Simon Brenner (keyboards). Initially a synth-pop group, Talk Talk's first two albums, The Party's Over (1982) and It's My Life (1984), reached top 40 in the UK and produced the international hit singles "Talk Talk", "Today", "It's My Life", and "Such a Shame". Talk Talk achieved widespread critical success in the UK and elsewhere in Europe as a new wave band with the album The Colour of Spring (1986) and its singles "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World". 1988's Spirit of Eden moved the group towards a more experimental sound informed by jazz and improvisation, pioneering what became known as post-rock; it was critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful. Friction with the band's label, EMI, resulted in legal action and countersuing. Webb departed, and the band switched to Polydor for their final studio album, 1991's Laughing Stock, which elaborated further on the style of Spirit of Eden. However, the band split soon afterwards. Hollis released an eponymous solo album in 1998 before retiring from the music industry; he died in 2019. Webb and Harris played in several bands together, including .O.rang; long-term collaborator Tim Friese-Greene continued in the music business as a musician and producer.