Talk Talk

Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). 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”. They achieved widespread critical success in Europe and the UK with the album The Colour of Spring (1986) along with 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, but split soon afterwards. Singer Mark Hollis released one solo album in 1998 before retiring from the music industry; he died in 2019. The band’s founding bass player and drummer, Paul Webb and Lee Harris, played in several bands together, including .O.rang; long-term collaborator Tim Friese-Greene continued in the business as a musician and producer.