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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best albums of all time, March 25, 2006
This album was so unexpectedly ahead of its time in 1986 people are still catching up to it twenty years later, although that's not a bad thing. Colour of Spring is one of those rare albums that can be appreciated on a lot of levels. The first thing people always notice about Talk Talk is Mark Hollis's unique nasal-congested voice, and his slurred annunciation. It's often hard to make out the lyrics of a Talk Talk song, which in an odd way is what makes them interesting, in the same way that Michael Stipe's delivery adds a little bit of enigma to a lot of early REM songs. While many of the lyrics are a bit cryptic, Hollis offers a generally philosophical look at humanity, although at moments he can turn quite caustic. As hinted in the album title, there's a general interest here in the cycle of nature, and thus this album's positioning in "spring" reflects a desire to simplify and focus on the important things in life, admonishing listeners not to lose sight of the importance celebrating the simple beauty of the world and living for the present. It's not all oblique cryptograms however, as in this verse from the opening track "Happiness is Easy"
"It wrecks me how they justify their acts of war
They assemble, they pray
Take good care of what the priests say
'After death it's so much fun'
Little sheep don't let your feet stray"
What shouldn't be underestimated is the incredible feeling and power Hollis imbues into these songs. Hollis's vocals are deceptively effortless, and it's not until you hear someone attempt a Talk Talk song (Gwen Stefani for example, with her recent cover of 'It's my life') that you really appreciate what an incredible singer this guy was during this time period. The Colour of Spring is nothing less than the essential Talk Talk album, an album of artists at their creative and commercial peak, focused solely on the composition and recording process as an end in itself. Colour of Spring is Talk Talk's "Sgt Pepper's" if I might risk the employment of that overused cliche.
Having begun their life as a synth-pop band often associated with other bands of the time, most notably Duran Duran (as they shared the same producer initially) Hollis chaffed at EMI's attempts to market Talk Talk in the same vein as other synth pop bands, and despite the eventual success of several singles including "Talk Talk" opted for a change in direction and soon parted ways with synth keboardist Simon Brenner, leaving the band free to employ session musicians, as it was now comprised of a three person nucleus of singer, bassist and drummer.
The creative turning point for Talk Talk came when they met producer/Keyboardist/Songwriter Tim Friese-Greene, who would become a major force in the genesis of the band, co-writing many of their best and most popular songs, and playing on the tracks of Colour of Spring. Thanks to the success of the title single from their second album "It's my life", EMI allowed the band a lot of time and freedom in recording the follow up, and with Friese-Green, they began to adopt an improvisational Jazz approach, bringing in a variety of musicians (most notably Steve Winwood who plays Organ on a number of tracks) who were allowed to vibe and do whatever they felt like. If Friese-Green and the band didn't like the outcome they simply left it out of the final mix.
There are a number of songs on the album that have an undeniable, almost tribal groove thanks to the small army of percussionists employed. A myriad of instruments were used on most tracks, including Piano, Harp, Organ, sax, mellotron, variophon, Harmonica and Dobro. The resulting product was a solid top 10 UK hit, and a critical home run, which would also turn out to be the last album of its kind, as Talk Talk's subsequent albums veered into experimental territory, never to return. For a brief moment, Colour of Spring planted Talk Talk unexpectedly at the forefront of popular recorded music, and had Hollis not chosen to retreat, I imagine given the bands who have clearly followed in the album's footsteps (Radiohead, Coldplay, Keane and Sigur Ros most recently) that Talk Talk could easily have become one of the most popular bands in the world. Instead, they took over 2 and a half years to record the deliberately anti commercial "'Spirit of Eden" with Hollis expressing no interest in singles, videos or a tour to support. Some rumors began to float around that Hollis was addicted to Heroin, but the fact's were a lot simpler: by the time Colour of Spring was released, all the members of the band had become fathers, and ex-psychology major Hollis, always a bit of an introvert, simply wanted to raise his young children on a farm.
The band's final album was experimental, it would eventually become associated with a new genre, dubbed by critics in the 90's as "Post-Rock". Clearly Colour of Spring was a huge step in that direction.
Despite EMI's interest in resigning them, Talk Talk also took the opportunity to depart the label, leading to EMI's release of a greatest hits collection "A Natural History" in 1999, featuring a number of songs from Colour of Spring. That album quickly suprised many people by rapidly selling over a million copies. Colour of spring is an album I have returned to many times over the years, and I consider it one of the best in my vast collection, and one that has that rare quality that seems to transcend the passage of time and fads. Quite simply, if you bought "A Natural History" and enjoyed it, then you need to buy this brilliant album, stick it in your CD player and leave it there for a long time.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Breakthrough sound production, a sonic treasure chest, September 22, 2000
"Colour of Spring" is joyous and yet introspective at the same time, it would be one of my "desert island" discs. (If you were stranded on a desert island, what records would you want to have with you?) One of the fascinating things about this album is the engineering/production. If you have a good pair of headphones, or better still, a really nice sound system, this album will bring you lots of pleasure. For example, on "Happiness is Easy" there's a beautful children's chorus who's stereo image is about 100 feet wide. At the same time, there's a very closely miked accoustic bass, you can almost feel the pluck and bowing of the strings. In "Living in Another World", which really rocks out, there's a great blues-y acoustic piano. The piano sounds like you're right inside the damn thing, listening to the hammers hit the strings. Right along side it is the beautiful thunk thunk thunk of an acoustic drum. Some people don't like this album because its too "ponderous". I have never felt that way. There's always a compelling pulse in each song. There are great "hooks". Mark Hollis' voice is beautiful, and the melodies are very captivating. But the thing that really elevates this album for me is all the subtle details that you may not pick up on the first few times you listen to it. I found that even after playing it over and over again for months, I was still finding new little sonic wonders hidden here and there in the music. I would highly recommend this disc, especially to artists and musicians.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Inflexion Point, March 10, 2001
Its predecessor IT'S MY LIFE was fairly commercial, with little trace of the departure from the New Romantic mould that Talk Talk's label had intended for them. Its successor SPIRIT OF EDEN was firmly in experimental/progressive territory; the band's label viewed it as commercial suicide.In between we have this beautifully recorded crossover album, crammed with guest musicians of the highest quality: Steve Winwood's organ intrudes in several tracks. Danny Thompson's superb string bass guides the opening track through its graceful course. And former Brand X percussionist Morris Pert bangs around on several tracks. It was the band's most successful album, and Mark Hollis's welcome return from a two-year absence, some of it spent in heroin addiction. The piano-driven riff of the preceding single, 'Life's What You Make It', (also on this album), was one of 1986's summer highlights. The drum beat may be a little too ponderous, but that's the 80s for you. I was unaware of Talk Talk until after they had broken up. Personally, I believe that this album and both its successors, SPIRIT OF EDEN and LAUGHING STOCK, are must-haves. I cannot recall another band which so deliberately spat in the face of commercial success and went headlong in the direction of committed, serious and obscure music.
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by Talk Talk 
