TALK TALK

Random and bite-sized facts on all things from the mythical figures that make up Talk Talk. Totally random but totally fascinating if you're into it. Do you know Talk Talk now?

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JAMES MARSH HADN'T EVEN HEARD TALK TALK

When James Marsh was first asked to create artwork for Talk Talk, he hadn't even heard their music. His first idea was simply a visual interpretation of the band's name — the strange "mouth-face" image used on The Party's Over and the "Today" single.

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THE SPIRIT OF EDEN PAINTING WAS ALREADY 12 YEARS OLD

James Marsh didn't paint the Spirit of Eden cover specifically for Talk Talk. The original image began life as a painting called "Fruit Tree" in 1976, more than a decade before the album. Talk Talk simply saw it and decided it was right for the record.

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SPIRIT OF EDEN WAS PAINTED ON AN OLD TEA CHEST

Marsh's original Spirit of Eden painting was made with sign-writer's paint on a wooden panel measuring only 16 by 12 inches. The panel was actually part of an old tea chest.

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MARSH'S FIRST LAUGHING STOCK COVER WAS REJECTED

For Laughing Stock, James Marsh originally painted endangered birds flying together in the shape of one enormous bird. Mark Hollis later asked him to bring a tree into the image so that the artwork would connect with Spirit of Eden. The original painting eventually became the artwork for the After the Flood box set.

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TIM FRIESE-GREENE DIDN'T OFFICIALLY JOIN TALK TALK

Tim Friese-Greene became one of the most important people in Talk Talk's studio history, producing, playing keyboards and co-writing from It's My Life onwards. But he was never officially a member of the band.

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THE COLOUR OF SPRING STARTED WITH A FAIRLIGHT

Tim Friese-Greene said The Colour of Spring started with loops made on the Fairlight II he had just bought. For Spirit of Eden, the process changed completely: much of the writing began with a drum machine before Lee Harris replaced those patterns with real drums.

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LAUGHING STOCK STARTED WITH LEE HARRIS

Tim Friese-Greene said Laughing Stock began differently again. This time the starting point was Lee Harris playing drum patterns in the rehearsal room, with the songs then being written around what he had played.

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TIM FRIESE-GREENE DIDN'T LIKE SPIRIT OF EDEN

Years later, Tim Friese-Greene admitted that Spirit of Eden was actually the Talk Talk album he had the most trouble with. He felt it sounded too clean and too earnest, while preferring the darker, deliberately lo-fi sound of Laughing Stock.

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SIMON BRENNER MET HOLLIS IN A RECORD SHOP

Simon Brenner, Talk Talk's original keyboard player, met Mark Hollis while Brenner was working in a record shop in South End Green in north-west London. Hollis was introduced to him through a mutual bass-playing friend before Paul Webb and Lee Harris joined the group.

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LEE HARRIS WASN'T ALLOWED TO STAY IN THE STUDIO

During Spirit of Eden, Lee Harris laid down the crucial drum parts, but engineer Phill Brown recalled that once the drums were recorded, Mark Hollis didn't want Harris hanging around the studio. Harris would come in, play pool and wait while Hollis, Tim Friese-Greene and Brown continued working.

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JAMES MARSH PAINTED THE SPIRIT OF EDEN COVER BEFORE HE HEARD IT

James Marsh's famous Spirit of Eden painting was already finished before he had heard the album. He said the image was painted from his own ideas rather than being created in response to the music.

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THE MOTH COVERS WERE ONE BIG IDEA

For The Colour of Spring, James Marsh created a whole series of moth images. His idea was that individual moths would appear on the various single sleeves, gradually coming together as a collection on the album cover.

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"DUM DUM GIRL" WAS ORIGINALLY BOOK ART

James Marsh's artwork for "Dum Dum Girl" wasn't originally created for Talk Talk. He had designed the image for a book jacket about dreams before it was reused for the band's single.

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MARK HOLLIS CHANGED THE LAUGHING STOCK COVER

James Marsh's first idea for Laughing Stock showed endangered birds forming one enormous bird in flight. Mark Hollis liked it, but wanted a tree in the image so that the album would visually connect with Spirit of Eden. Marsh painted a second version — and that became the cover.

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THE REJECTED LAUGHING STOCK COVER DIDN'T DISAPPEAR

Marsh's original Laughing Stock painting eventually found another home. It was used for the After the Flood three-single box set and its matching picture discs.

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JAMES MARSH DIDN'T ALWAYS PAINT WHILE LISTENING TO TALK TALK

Despite creating some of the most closely associated artwork in Talk Talk's history, Marsh said he didn't necessarily listen to the band's music while working. He explained that music could sometimes distract him from his own thought process.

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FRIESE-GREENE WANTED LAUGHING STOCK TO SOUND ROUGHER

Tim Friese-Greene deliberately pushed Laughing Stock towards a more lo-fi sound. Looking back, he said he wanted it to be noisier than Spirit of Eden and preferred the less polished result.

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THE THREE MAJOR TALK TALK ALBUMS STARTED THREE DIFFERENT WAYS

Tim Friese-Greene said The Colour of Spring began with loops made on his Fairlight II. Spirit of Eden was largely built from drum-machine ideas before Lee Harris replaced them with real drums. Laughing Stock began with drum patterns Harris played in the rehearsal room, with the songs written around them.

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PAUL WEBB'S BASS WAS VERY MELODIC

Paul Webb later described his Talk Talk bass playing as very melodic. He said his approach was influenced by the way he learned guitar and that he was thinking about the bass as something that could add "spice" rather than simply provide a conventional rhythm section.

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PAUL WEBB AND LEE HARRIS HAD PLAYED TOGETHER BEFORE TALK TALK

Before Talk Talk, Paul Webb and Lee Harris were already playing together. The pair had been friends at school and played in a reggae band called Eskalator before joining the group that became Talk Talk.

MARK HOLLIS CALLED TALK TALK'S METHOD "ARRANGED SPONTANEITY"

For "Laughing Stock", Mark Hollis said they didn't know in advance what the music would sound like. Instead, they worked from a feeling and let musicians react to each other, comparing the approach to Can's "Tago Mago". He called it "arranged spontaneity".

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HOLLIS THOUGHT SILENCE WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SOUND

Mark Hollis said that silence was the most important thing they had to work with. His philosophy was that one note could be better than two, and two better than three. The idea was to remove anything that wasn't essential.

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"LAUGHING STOCK" TOOK ABOUT A YEAR

" Laughing Stock" wasn't made quickly. The sessions lasted roughly a year, with musicians improvising around basic themes and Hollis gradually refining their performances until he felt each contribution was right.

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THE SPIRIT OF EDEN PAINTING WAS ALREADY 12 YEARS OLD

James Marsh didn't paint the "Spirit of Eden" artwork specifically for Talk Talk. The image had originally been painted in 1976 as "Fruit Tree". Talk Talk later adopted the existing painting as the album cover.

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JAMES MARSH HADN'T HEARD "SPIRIT OF EDEN"

James Marsh's famous "Spirit of Eden" painting had actually been completed before he heard the album. Talk Talk's management showed the existing artwork to the band and they unanimously decided to use it.

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THE LAUGHING STOCK COVER STARTED WITHOUT THE TREE

James Marsh's first "Laughing Stock" painting showed endangered birds flying together in the shape of one enormous bird. Mark Hollis later asked for a tree to connect the image visually with "Spirit of Eden". The original became the artwork for "After the Flood".

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MARSH THOUGHT THE REJECTED COVER WAS BETTER

James Marsh has said he personally thought his original "Laughing Stock" painting was better than the replacement with the tree. The rejected image eventually found a home on the "After the Flood" three-CD box set.

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THE COLOUR OF SPRING STARTED WITH A FAIRLIGHT

The experimental direction of "The Colour of Spring" partly grew from loops created on a Fairlight II computer. Talk Talk were already using technology as a way of building textures before moving towards the much more organic approach of "Spirit of Eden".

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HOLLIS HATED SYNTHESIZERS

Mark Hollis later said he hated synthesizers. He explained that Talk Talk had originally used them because real musicians were too expensive, rather than because he particularly wanted electronic instruments.

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TALK TALK LOOKED TO CAN FOR "LAUGHING STOCK"

When Mark Hollis explained how "Laughing Stock" was made, he specifically mentioned Can's "Tago Mago". He liked the idea of a drummer locking into a pattern while other musicians reacted to what was happening around them.

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"LIFE'S WHAT YOU MAKE IT" WAS BUILT AROUND A CAN-INFLUENCED PIANO RIFF

The circular piano riff on "Life's What You Make It" was influenced by Can's "Tago Mago". Mark Hollis was a big admirer of Can, and their influence became increasingly obvious as Talk Talk moved away from straightforward synth-pop.

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"THE RAINBOW" WAS BUILT FROM A SIMPLE GUITAR RIFF

For "The Rainbow" on "Spirit of Eden", Mark Hollis played the central guitar riff repeatedly while the rest of the track was assembled around it. Musicians who were working elsewhere in the building remembered hearing the same riff being played again and again for days.

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LEE HARRIS RECORDED DRUMS IN AN EQUIPMENT CUPBOARD

For "Spirit of Eden", Lee Harris recorded his drums in an equipment cupboard off the main studio. The sessions used flashing lights and a highly controlled atmosphere, while the drum patterns became the foundation for the music built around them.

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"SPIRIT OF EDEN" USED IMPROVISATIONS THAT WERE BARELY HEARD

Guest musicians could improvise for hours during the "Spirit of Eden" sessions, but Talk Talk might keep only a second or two of what they played. The final recordings were assembled from tiny fragments of performances rather than simply recording complete instrumental parts.

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NIGEL KENNEDY PLAYED ON "SPIRIT OF EDEN"

Before becoming one of Britain's best-known classical violinists, Nigel Kennedy contributed violin to "Spirit of Eden". His performance was recorded as part of Talk Talk's highly experimental sessions, where musicians were encouraged to improvise rather than simply play predetermined parts.

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DANNY THOMPSON PLAYED DOUBLE BASS

Jazz and folk bassist Danny Thompson was another unexpected guest on "Spirit of Eden". His double bass became part of Talk Talk's increasingly acoustic palette as Mark Hollis moved away from the synthesizers that had dominated the band's earlier records.

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THE ALBUM CONTAINS A VERY UNUSUAL INSTRUMENT

Hugh Davies contributed his homemade "shozygs" to "Spirit of Eden". Davies was an experimental instrument maker and had worked with avant-garde composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. The strange instrument was one of many unusual sounds brought into the sessions.

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A BRASS SECTION'S ONLY SURVIVING CONTRIBUTION WAS A SOUND

Talk Talk recorded a hired brass section during the "Spirit of Eden" sessions, but almost all of its playing was discarded. The only surviving contribution was reportedly the sound of a trumpet player clearing moisture from his instrument.

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THEY COULD RECORD HOURS TO KEEP A FEW SECONDS

The "Spirit of Eden" musicians weren't necessarily told exactly what to play. They were allowed to improvise for long periods while Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene listened for tiny moments that could be extracted and placed into the finished tracks.

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PAUL WEBB WAS NOT THE ONLY BASSIST ON "SPIRIT OF EDEN"

Although Paul Webb remained Talk Talk's bassist, "Spirit of Eden" also featured other bass players, including Danny Thompson and Simon Edwards. The album's unusually broad instrumentation helped give it a much less conventional sound than the band's earlier records.

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"LAUGHING STOCK" WAS BUILT FROM DRUM TAKES FIRST

For "Laughing Stock", Lee Harris played extended drum patterns that became the foundations of the tracks. Hollis and Friese-Greene then selected and built around the performances, rather than starting with conventional finished songs.

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48 REELS OF TAPE WERE USED FOR "LAUGHING STOCK"

Engineer Phill Brown ended up with around 48 reels of two-inch tape from the "Laughing Stock" sessions. Lee Harris's drum performances provided the starting point, with other sounds added, removed and rearranged around them.

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"LIFE'S WHAT YOU MAKE IT" WASN'T PLANNED AS A SINGLE

"Life's What You Make It" was written quite late in the making of "The Colour of Spring". Talk Talk's management were worried that the album didn't contain an obvious single, so Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene took on the challenge of creating one.

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THE FIRST IDEA FOR "LIFE'S WHAT YOU MAKE IT" CAME FROM KATE BUSH

Tim Friese-Greene had a drum pattern loosely inspired by Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill". Mark Hollis then played a "Green Onions"-style organ part over it, before the track developed into "Life's What You Make It".

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DAVID RHODES ADDED THE GUITAR HOOK

The instantly recognisable guitar figure on "Life's What You Make It" wasn't originally the main idea. David Rhodes added the guitar hook after Hollis and Friese-Greene had established the basic track.

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STEVE WINWOOD PLAYED ON "THE COLOUR OF SPRING"

Steve Winwood played organ on several tracks on "The Colour of Spring", including "Happiness Is Easy", "I Don't Believe in You" and "Living in Another World". He was one of several outside musicians brought in as Talk Talk's sound became more organic.

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DANNY THOMPSON PLAYED ON "HAPPINESS IS EASY"

Jazz and folk bassist Danny Thompson played acoustic bass on "Happiness Is Easy". His contribution was part of the much wider range of musicians brought into "The Colour of Spring".

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"APRIL 5TH" WAS ALREADY POINTING TOWARDS "SPIRIT OF EDEN"

While "The Colour of Spring" still contained Talk Talk's biggest pop single, tracks such as "April 5th" were already moving towards the sparse, atmospheric music that would dominate "Spirit of Eden".

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"CHAMELEON DAY" IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST SIGNS OF THE CHANGE

"Chameleon Day" is only just over three minutes long, but its sparse arrangement sounds remarkably different from the band's earlier synth-pop. It is one of the clearest glimpses on "The Colour of Spring" of where Talk Talk were heading next.

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THE FINAL "THE COLOUR OF SPRING" TRACK LASTS OVER EIGHT MINUTES

"Time It's Time" closes "The Colour of Spring" and runs for more than eight minutes. It was written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene and features bass, drums, guitar, piano, organ, percussion and choir.

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"SPIRIT OF EDEN" WAS RECORDED WITHOUT A FIXED SONG FORMULA

For "Spirit of Eden", musicians were generally not given conventional instructions about what to play. Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene wanted to hear what each musician naturally contributed and then decide what, if anything, should survive in the final recordings.

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THE MUSICIANS COULD PLAY EIGHT TAKES AND HAVE THEM ERASED

Engineer Phill Brown recalled musicians recording around eight improvisations over each of the drum patterns used for "Spirit of Eden". Hollis and Friese-Greene could then keep the best material, mix it into the track or erase it completely.

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PAUL WEBB LEFT BEFORE "LAUGHING STOCK"

Paul Webb left Talk Talk before "Laughing Stock" was recorded. That meant the final album was essentially built around Mark Hollis and Lee Harris, with Tim Friese-Greene and engineer Phill Brown central to the recording process.

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"LAUGHING STOCK" WAS RECORDED AFTER TALK TALK LEFT EMI

After the difficult relationship with EMI surrounding "Spirit of Eden", Talk Talk left the label and signed to Polydor. "Laughing Stock" was released through Verve, a label better known for jazz.

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"SPIRIT OF EDEN" WAS BUILT AROUND EIGHT DRUM PATTERNS

The six tracks on "Spirit of Eden" were built around eight basic drum patterns played by Lee Harris. Guest musicians were then invited to improvise over those foundations, with Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene deciding which fragments would survive.

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MUSICIANS WERE NOT TOLD WHAT TO PLAY

When guest musicians arrived for "Spirit of Eden", Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene deliberately avoided telling them what to play. The musicians were given the track through headphones and allowed to respond to it themselves.

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SOME MUSICIANS PLAYED FOR THREE AND A HALF HOURS

Some of the musicians invited to "Spirit of Eden" improvised for as long as three and a half hours. Talk Talk might ultimately keep only a second or two of what they had recorded.

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PHILL BROWN SAID EVERY NOTE WAS "PLACED"

Despite the impression that "Spirit of Eden" sounds like a group improvising together in a room, engineer Phill Brown said every note on the finished album was effectively placed exactly where Hollis wanted it. The apparent spontaneity was created through editing.

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THE ALBUM WAS MADE WITH FIVE TAPE MACHINES RUNNING TOGETHER

Engineer Phill Brown recalled five 24-track tape machines being synchronised during the "Spirit of Eden" sessions. The recording process could involve enormous amounts of material being recorded and then edited down to tiny surviving fragments.

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THE VOCAL WAS RECORDED ON A NEUMANN U89

Phill Brown later revealed that Mark Hollis's vocals on "Spirit of Eden" were recorded with a Neumann U89 microphone, through a Neve 1082 preamp and Fairchild equipment. Talk Talk also experimented with several other microphones before settling on it.

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THERE WERE NO SYNTHESIZERS ON "SPIRIT OF EDEN"

Phill Brown later said that the only keyboard instruments used during "Spirit of Eden" were Hammond organ, piano and harmonium. There were no synthesizers. This was a remarkable change from the technology-heavy sound of Talk Talk's earlier records.

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THE ORGAN SOUND IN "WEALTH" IS MARK HOLLIS

A distinctive organ sound heard in "Wealth" was identified by engineer Phill Brown as Mark Hollis playing Hammond organ and working the drawbars. The unusual sound isn't a synthesizer or some mysterious electronic effect.

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"SPIRIT OF EDEN" WAS RECORDED IN DARKNESS

The musicians worked in a studio kept almost completely dark. Phill Brown recalled an oil projector, strobe lighting and a few small lamps being used instead of normal studio lighting. The unusual environment became part of the way the album was made.

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PHILL BROWN DIDN'T REALISE THEY WERE MAKING "SPIRIT OF EDEN"

When Phill Brown first joined the sessions, he assumed Talk Talk were making something like "The Colour of Spring Part 2". He said it took him about two months to realise that Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene were making something completely different.

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"THE RAINBOW" WAS PLAYED OVER AND OVER FOR DAYS

Mark Hollis played the central guitar riff from "The Rainbow" repeatedly during the "Spirit of Eden" sessions. Musicians working elsewhere in the building remembered hearing the same riff for days, with one recalling three days and another remembering an entire week.

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LEE HARRIS WAS KEPT OUT OF THE STUDIO AFTER HIS DRUMS WERE DONE

Once Lee Harris had recorded the drum foundations for "Spirit of Eden", Mark Hollis didn't want him sitting in on the rest of the process. Engineer Phill Brown recalled Harris coming into the building, playing pool and waiting while Hollis, Tim Friese-Greene and Brown continued working.

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"SPIRIT OF EDEN" WAS BUILT FROM SIX SONGS

The musicians worked from six basic pieces of music during the "Spirit of Eden" sessions. These were not treated like conventional songs with fixed arrangements. The performances were gradually assembled and edited into the finished album.

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THE VOCALS CAME VERY LATE

Mark Hollis didn't finish the lyrics for "Spirit of Eden" until around seven or eight months into the recording. According to Phill Brown, the vocals were one of the last things added and were recorded relatively quickly once Hollis was ready.

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"SPIRIT OF EDEN" WAS RECORDED FOR TWELVE HOURS A DAY

The sessions could run from around 11 in the morning until midnight, five days a week. Phill Brown later described spending months listening to the same six pieces in the dark while the album slowly took shape.

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MARK HOLLIS DIDN'T WANT THE MUSICIANS TO KNOW WHAT TO PLAY

Guest musicians weren't given conventional charts or detailed instructions. Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene wanted them to respond instinctively to the music, because they didn't want to influence what those musicians would contribute.

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NIGEL KENNEDY WAS ASKED TO PLAY DIFFERENTLY

When violinist Nigel Kennedy arrived to improvise on "Spirit of Eden", Talk Talk weren't happy with his first attempts because they sounded too much like conventional classical violin. The sessions eventually involved taping fingers together to alter his playing technique.

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DANNY THOMPSON GOT FRUSTRATED OVER TWO NOTES

Double-bassist Danny Thompson reportedly became frustrated during the "Spirit of Eden" sessions after being asked to alter the pressure he put on two notes. He pointed out that his playing had effectively been measured down to the pressure of his fingers.

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DAVID RHODES RECORDED GUITAR FOR "SPIRIT OF EDEN"

David Rhodes, best known for his long association with Peter Gabriel, was among the musicians brought in for "Spirit of Eden". His contribution was part of the huge pool of guest performances that Talk Talk could draw from when assembling the album.

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PHILL BROWN SAID THE ALBUM WAS AN ILLUSION

Engineer Phill Brown said "Spirit of Eden" can give the impression that a group of musicians are spontaneously playing together in a room. In reality, he said, every note had been placed where Mark Hollis wanted it.

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"LAUGHING STOCK" NEEDED PARTS TO BE LITERALLY REBUILT

During "Laughing Stock", Mark Hollis could decide that a section needed to be five bars longer. Engineer Phill Brown described copying and flying in pieces of bass and drums to rebuild the section before the rest of the song could be reconstructed around it.

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FRIESE-GREENE WANTED "LAUGHING STOCK" TO BE NOISIER

Tim Friese-Greene later said that he liked noise and deliberately wanted "Laughing Stock" to be noisier than "Spirit of Eden". He described "Spirit of Eden" as only intermittently rough, whereas he wanted the follow-up to have more of that quality.

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