Talk Talk (RIP Mark Hollis)

Simon Reynolds on Mark Hollis.

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/28/698650688/mark-hollis-and-talk-talks-brilliant-nuanced-stubborn-visions

I think Why Is It So Hard is a close relation of It’s My Life.

Man, some of the editing/mixing on Spirit of Eden is so incredible -- there's that moment in Rainbow where it goes from the sort of "verse" part into I guess what could be called a refrain, where there's this very quick and smooth transition from an almost screechy sound into what sounds almost like a building up church organ swell into a hammond organ and then suddenly everything drops out and it's just the piano, chills

Associated with this^^: there's a phenomenon I associate with Talk Talk - particularly the last two records and the solo Hollis - where I get a sort of anxiety that I can't remember the track names or the shape and depth of the music: a kind of sonic amnesia. It's not until the moment of listening that I find I can navigate the sonic field and the safety and familiarity returns. I wouldn't say it was just Talk Talk but it's certainly more pronounced with them. Dunno if it's age-related or indeed if it's even worthy of comment but it's definitely a thing.

I think it's worthy of comment, definitely; I feel like I experience the same thing. It's like you can't conceive of it unless you're in it.

Yeah, that's it. It's like a Borgesian puzzle or the uncanny spaces in House of Leaves.

I read that as House of Fraser and started to think that was a Talk Talk connection I'd not come across before.

there's a phenomenon I associate with Talk Talk - particularly the last two records and the solo Hollis - where I get a sort of anxiety that I can't remember the track names or the shape and depth of the music: a kind of sonic amnesia. It's not until the moment of listening that I find I can navigate the sonic field and the safety and familiarity returns

this is why laughing stock always sounds new to me, even though i've listened to it thousands of times

Here's a question for you: how do you interpret the title 'Laughing Stock'? why call it that?

Because it was the title of a Love song and he liked titling things after 60s favorites

Mirror Man, For What it’s Worth, Daily Planet...

ooh, i never thought of that!

It also feels deliberately inscrutable as a title but in an oddly throwaway fashion.

Have all the punning titles ever been brought together before?
Ones I can think of:
Mirror Man / Mirror Man (Beefheart) / Myrrhman (TT)
Candy / Candy Says (Velvets)
? / ? and the Mysterians
Dum Dum Girl / Dum Dum Boys (Iggy)
Does Caroline Know? / Caroline, No (Beach Boys)
I Don’t Believe In You / I Believe In You (Neil Young / TT)
Pictures of Bernadette / Pictures of Lily (Who)
For What It’s Worth / For What It’s Worth (Buff Springfield)
Desire / Desire (Dylan)
Laughing Stock / Laughing Stock (Love)
Renee / Runeii (TT)
Ascension Day / Ascension (Coltrane)
After The Flood / After The Flood (VdG Generator)
The Colour Of Spring / The Colour Of Spring (TT)
The Gift / The Gift (Velvets)
The Daily Planet / The Daily Planet (Love)

well let’s not forget that Talk Talk itself is a song by the Music Machine

Also possible that The Rainbow and New Grass are references to DH Lawrence and Albert Ayler respectively

Re: Music Machine - Doh! Yep slipped my mind!

Didn't know of the Ayler. Excellent - I'm sure there must be more!

Myrrhman / 1983... a merman I should turn be (Hendrix)

also obviously The Last Time / The Last Time (Rolling Stones)

Stuff in bold:

Anyone else notice the way Hollis references other songs? "Does Caroline Know" ("Caroline, No"), Laughing Stock and "The Daily Planet" (Love), "Inside Looking Out" and "It's My Life" (Animals), "Mirror Man" (Beefheart)... I know there are more.

― Andy, Friday, June 1, 2001 8:00 PM (seventeen years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

It's not until the moment of listening that I find I can navigate the sonic field and the safety and familiarity returns.

Feel exactly the same. Like I don't know what bits are in what song but I know precisely how the album goes when listening to it. I didn't feel anxious about it though, stuck me as part of their mesmerising character that my mind wouldn't act on them as analytically as it does other records.

"I don't know what bits are in what song but I know precisely how the album goes when listening to it."

^ That's a good description.

Co-sign this amnesiac feeling wrt Talk Talk and am fascinated at how common that seems to be.

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/what-if-gilmour-had-given-the-division-bell-tapes-to-mark-hollis-for-the-endless-river-project.817595/

Posted, per Elvis T., by Tim Friese-Greene, it seems. Talk Talk, Spirit of Eden rehearsal:

https://soundcloud.com/user-947232876/eden-rehearsal-cassette

Truly a gift to hear that.

having never seen a TT cd in a charity shop before, today I found History Revisited for 50p.
had no idea it even existed which having looked it up I understand why now.
its not great (though I have yet to hear it all), but still for 50p ..
I often used to wonder what ever happened to dominic whoosey (aka neutron 9000)..

Made a mix in tribute to Mark Hollis, whose music was hugely formative for me:

https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/folder-1.jpg?w=1024

Various - 'Elegy for Mark Hollis - A Life (1955-2019)'
1982-2000

01 [0:00:00] David Sylvian - "Brilliant Trees" ('Brilliant Trees' 1984)
02 [0:09:05] Rachel's - "Full On Night" ('Handrwiting' 1995)
03 [0:15:40] Neil Young - "Guitar Solo #4" ('Dead Man' 1996)
04 [0:19:45] The Durutti Columm - "Without Mercy (Stanzas IX-XII)" ('Without Mercy' 1984)
05 [0:26:45] The For Carnation - "Moonbeams" ('The For Carnation' 2000)
06 [0:36:05] Scott Walker - "Sleepwalkers Woman" ('Climate of Hunter' 1984)
07 [0:40:05] Robert Wyatt - "Maryan" ('Shleep' 1997)
08 [0:46:15] Paul Motian Trio - "India" ('It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago' 1985)
09 [0:53:35] Low - "Landlord" ('Songs For A Dead Pilot' 1997)
10 [1:00:15] The Comsat Angels - "Pictures" ('Fiction' 1982)
11 [1:04:40] Dif Juz - "Marooned" ('Extractions' 1985)
12 [1:08:35] Shelleyan Orphan - "Supernature on a Superhighway" ('Humroot' 1992)
13 [1:15:30] Danny Thompson - "Till Minne Av Jan" ('Whatever' 1987)
14 [1:20:15] Stina Nordenstam - "Dynamite" ('Dynamite' 1996)
15 [1:24:35] Haruomi Hosono - "Trembling #1" ('The Endless Talking' 1985)
16 [1:27:40] Dead Can Dance - "The Host of Seraphim" ('The Serpent's Egg' 1988)
17 [1:33:25] Yasuaki Shimizu - "Stir In This Way" ('Kakashi' 1982)
18 [1:35:35] Mick Karn - "Dreams of Reason" ('Dreams Of Reason Produce Monsters' 1986)
19 [1:39:15] Arthur Russell - "Not Checking Up" ('World of Echo' demo 1986)
20 [1:43:40] This Mortal Coil - "The Lacemaker" ('Blood' 1991)
21 [1:46:45] Peter Gabriel - "With This Love" ('Passion' 1989)
22 [1:50:05] The Blue Nile - "Regret" ('Tinseltown In the Rain' single 1984)
23 [1:53:30] Talk Talk - "It's Getting Late in the Evening" ('Life's What You Make It' single 1986)

[Total Time: 1:59:17]

Downloadable or streamable here: https://www.mixcloud.com/musicophilia/musicophilia-elegy-for-mark-hollis-a-life-1955-2019/

Sorry, wrong link--that's just the stream. Download here: https://musicophilia.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/elegy-for-mark-hollis/

thanks, Soundslike, like the look of that very nuch.

and also very much.

Looks great, Soundlike, thanks!!

Great work Soundslike, thanks for sharing!

Remembered that Danny Thompson played bass on both Five Leaves Left and Spirit of Eden (among many others), maybe my favorite two albums ever.

Also Solid Air!

A Danny Thompson POX would be SKILLZ.

And this mix looks amazing, cheers.

Danny Thompson played with David Sylvian and Shelleyan Orphan too, though possibly not on those tracks

think he's on Hounds Of Love somewhere too?

And Andrew Ridgeley’s ‘Son of Albert’.

haha, awesome!

Great mix, Soundslike - really enjoyed the Comsat Angels track in particular (I've never really listenend to them before).

*listened

This is a brilliant mix, Soundslike. Durutti into The For Carnation just damn near made me levitate.

soundslike tha G.O.A.T.

Thank you all for listening! It was a tough mix to make, because I found myself still sort of shocked Mark Hollis was gone, even though he'd been "gone" for all intents and purposes as a listener for twenty years. But also because. . . really nothing does sound like Talk Talk and 'Mark Hollis,' even music I love dearly. TT and 'MH' will give five seconds to a moment of sublime beauty and arresting juxtaposition what other artists will try to explore across entire tracks or albums. No one else really seems to have the confidence and restraint to let things flourish and fade in that way.

Working on the 60s-70s tribute mix now, fingers crossed. . .

And--Danny Thompson is definitely the secret hero of two generations' worth of a certain strand of music. You really could do an entire mix of just tracks he's played on for different artists--I've probably done several mixes which have five+ such tracks. Brilliant artist.

inspired by this thread i was looking through danny thompson's credits on discogs and i really am surprised at how many records he's on that i love. i had no idea he was on s.e. rogie's "dead men don't smoke marijuana"!

(right now i'm listening to dick griffin's "homage to sun ra" - actually a rare error in discogs, this actually has danny ray thompson on it, the bassist is cecil mcbee. so i'm not at all disappointed!)

Someone ought to do a super long career spanning and candid interview with Danny Thompson ASAP, seriously. He turns 80 on Thursday!

He's the best. I saw him do a really memorable duo show with (no relation) Richard Thompson.