Customer Reviews

Natural History: The Very Best of Talk Talk

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

OK, I'm writing this review principally because I'm disturbed by the other reviews. Sure, "It's My Life" and "Such a Shame" are swell songs, but if that's where it ended, Talk Talk would not be particularly important. It's the second half of this album that is groundbreaking and timeless. This compilation gets 5 stars from me because it's such an interesting journey from their early pop hits to the experimental tracks on "Spirit of Eden". Pick it up, and then get "Colours of Spring", "Spirit of Eden", and "Laughing Stock" -- essential albums for anyone interested in music.

This outstanding British art-pop band, led by singer/songwriter Mark Hollis, released five studio albums between 1982 and 1991. "Natural History" is a Best-Of collection that covers the first four Talk Talk albums, and I can most certainly guarantee that if you enjoy this disc, you'll definitely want to seek out the band's whole catalog. They only had one Top 40 hit in the States, "It's My Life" (recently covered by No Doubt), but there's a lot more intelligent, sophisticated tunes where that classic song came from. Talk Talk made GREAT music, with a grace and power in the way they used keyboards and piano, the big thumping of the drums, the cleverness of the songwriting & arrangements, the way their music could instantly grab you and hold your attention, and, of course, the distinctive, rich voice of Mark Hollis. "Talk Talk," "Such A Shame," "It's My Life," "Life Is What You Make It," "Living In Another World," "Desire"....simply wonderful songs. Thanks to "Natural History," I'm an instant fan, and I'm already seeking out the rest of the group's stuff. They never got the huge success that they so rightfully deserved, but Talk Talk was and IS a band to treasure. "Natural History" is a marvelous introduction.

Not as popular as say, the PET SHOP BOYS, not as commercial as CULTURE CLUB, and not as beloved as THE SMITHS, TALK TALK is nevertheless an 80's band that really always deserved a closer look. Synth-pop die-hards remember the singles 'Talk Talk' and the sublime (and personal favorite) 'It's My Life', but there are more than a few other tracks that upon closer scrutiny are clearly as strong as those, and they are all included on this disc. Possessing a haunting, pained vocal style, Mark Hollis brings his sensitive p.o.v. to a number of songs that anyone other than hardcore TALK TALK fans probably have never heard, tracks like the hard-driving 'Living in Another World'. As catchy and memorable as any New Wave hit, 'World' to me is one of those lost classics that few have heard and should've. Clocking in at 7 minutes it's a fierce, up-tempo, break-up epic. The singer wounded and hurt but accepting and even complimentary to his lost love. Need other reasons to pick up 'Natural History'? How about the infectious and inspiring 'Life's what you make it'. Alternately funky and New Wavey it's another stand-out on a disc that has several pleasant surprises if you've been only a casual fan. Like New Wave? Order this.

Talk Talk remain a fairly obscure 80's synth band-turned-art/jazz band. Their only top 40 hit was 1984's "It's My Life", but that was a great song, and I still hear it played on 80's radio stations. The band was more sophisticated, musically, than other synth bands and they paid for it by being less commercial. I have all of their cds: "The Party's Over" (1982), "It's My Life" (1984), "The Colour Of Spring" (1986), "Spirit Of Eden" (1988) and "Laughing Stock" (1991). This hits compilation does not include anything from "Laughing Stock". Great melancholic synth-pop hits like "Such A Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "It's My Life", "Life's What You Make It", "Today", "Talk Talk", "Happiness Is Easy", "Tomorrow's Started" and "I Believe In You" display the band's depth and range. I think this band would rank next to Echo and the Bunnymen, The Church, The Call and bands of that nature. It's a good compilation by itself, but you could just as easily buy the individual cds and be no worse off.

Talk Talk is one of those bands few people care to know about (all they remember is the going back to nature video for "It's My Life") but everyone SHOULD know about. This compilation is but a taste of their cannon and the later albums - represented here by a few edited cuts - showcase excruciatingly beautiful songs that talk about the conflicts of a greater sense of spiritruality in a very human and natural word. If that makes this album sound boring disregard all I have said and just buy the album. You will be mesmerized!

Update on Talk Talk (just in case people are interested): They recorded 2 experimental semi-instrumental CD's under the band name of O'Rang (available on an independent label in the US) with band members from other organizations such as Matt Johnson from The The) and rumor is that they will reunite in 1999. A current import only compilation of B-sides and remixes is also just out in Great Britain (released May of 1998) and it's a must if only for the CD version of their best song EVER - originally a b-side to the 12" mix of "Life's What You Make It" called "It's Getting Late in the Evening"

Talk Talk were a large part of my formative years at college in the UK and are an all time favourite. Their melancholic and ethereal compositions were in stark contrast to clubbing to the equally excellent but wholly different ABC, Pigbag and Heaven 17. Often I had (and still have to a certain extent) no idea what the lyrics are but the haunting and plaintive chord structure just tugs at something deep inside. 'Dum Dum Girl' and 'Such a Shame' stand out. This album is a fantastic introduction/nostagia trip to the beauty of Talk Talk and will undoubtedly lead the unsuspecting listener to buying their whole back catalogue. Just don't play it if you're 22, inebriated at a terrible party in Birmingham and you're relationship's just gone pear-shaped!

A lot of the music from the 1980's has lost it's power and magic, simply because we live in the year 2000 now. But the music from the band Talk Talk has survived. To me songs like "Such a shame", "It's my life" and "Living in another world" seem stronger than ever. Only a very few pop- and rockbands (Pink Floyd, Yello and Talk Talk) are able to create this kind of music: beautiful, imaginative and dreamy music, music that seems timeless, just like classical music from Mozart and Vivaldi. Just listen to those synth-violins, while Mark Hollis sings the chorus in "Such a shame", and listen to the slow, dreamy synthesizer-solo in that song! I don't know about you, but it surely makes ME dream away! And so does the organ in "Living in another world"! Some persons claim, that Hollis can't sing, but I think, he is perfect. His singing is emotional; sometimes he growls and mutters like a bear or he he cries out in anger and dispair. At other times his voice is soft and kind. His singing is in fact the very heart of Talk Talk's music. The music of Talk Talk is very original. I prefer the songs from their first 3 albums, because they are so melodic, so beatiful. I miss a few songs, that aren't on this compilation (for example "Have you heard the news?" and "Time it's time"). But I think, it's a good compilation anyhow. Talk Talk don't exist as a band anylonger. Mark Hollis has gone solo and nowadays he makes very quiet, jazzy music, which seems incredibly boring to me. Apparently he no longer wants to make that kind of music that made Talk Talk so unique. Well, SUCH A SHAME!

Talk Talk as a band, had no characteristic that would suggest
a very bright future. In fact they wouldn't have a chance
to make it in the current music scene. Thank God for the 80's!
Mark 'Ugly Duckling' Hollis, subconsciously led by his
love for impressionists like Bartok and Debussy, created mostly
profound music, occasionally mixed with incomprehensible lyrics.
Two of their flops in England (It's My Life, #46 and Such A
Shame, # 49 in 1984) are considered to be among the all time

classic pop songs in radio stations all over my country.
Their absolute masterpiece as far as I'm concerned was their third Album, The Colour Of Spring in 1986, produced by Tim
Friese-Greene. Tim had been producing hit records for quite
some time (The Lion Sleeps Tonight - TIGHT FEET / #1 in 1982, Cry Boy Cry - BLUE ZOO / #13 in 1982 and She Blinded Me With Science - THOMAS DOLBY / US #5 in 1983). Life's What You Make
It, the first single coming from this LP, was accompanied
by an exceptional ecological video-clip, which I forthright recommend. Happiness Is Easy is brilliant pop, a contemporary prayer filled with children's chorus. Not to mention
that Mark has two of the cutest ears in pop music. I love this
guy!

I just rediscovered Talk Talk this weekend. They have to be one of the best bands that came out of the 80s and are woefully underappreciated. I listened to them then and just pulled out this compilation.

The music is lush and unexpected - synthesizers suddenly give way to beautiful organ pieces and harmonicas and silence where you would expect noise.

I can't urge you enough to give it a listen, because once you listen you'll be a fan.

Once people get over the 80's shame, forever linked with gated snares and haircuts, they will hear clearly that some of the best and most innovative music was written in that era. Standing in the midst of this was Mark Hollis and Talk Talk. This band used the flavour of the 80's as a carrier for their well crafted hooks and heart wrenching melodies, sung with the honesty of Hollis to produce such classics as It's my Life and My foolish friend. Anybody who compares these songs to Duran Duran clearly isn't listening well enough. But Talk Talk didn't stop there. They went on to produce jazz influenced albums that started off with the masterpiece, Colours of spring, with backing by Steve Winwood, and towards more obtuse but critically acclaimed offerings such as Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock. You really can't go wrong with Talk Talk except, as others have mentioned, you might end up buying the entire catalogue. Go for it. Enrich your soul.