Poll's What You Make It: The Talk Talk / Mark Hollis Albums Poll

Or Laughing Stock. Gaahh

I haven't heard the first two albums. CoS vs. SoE for me. Can't choose.

Another vote for London '86, the version of Does Caroline Know? on this just floors me every time.

Mark Hollis' solo album seems a bit underrated here. I feel it's easily on a similar level to Laughing Stock at the very least. I haven't voted yet, but it's a tough pick between the last 4 records

idk y'all are we sure that colour of spring isn't the best one

that's what I voted for

i hope someone votes for it's my life bc it's great

Mark Hollis' solo album seems a bit underrated here

I almost voted for it fwiw.

I voted for it.

same, the way the last tt records push towards their ends is feature not flaw but i can spend way more time in the s/t

I would just like to say that for all my pooh-pooh'ing of Laughing Stock, Ascension Day is the best mixed song I've ever heard

the colour of spring just edges out laughing stock for me i think

Each brilliant, but it simply cannot be anything other than SPIRIT OF EDEN for me.

i have to agree there, alex. if there would be only "i believe in you" on it, it would still win the poll for me.

between colour of spring and laughing stock for me, probably going with laughing stock for that incredible moment at the end of ascension day when it reaches peak intensity then abruptly stops, like all the musicians were raptured at that exact moment.

I went with The Colour Of Spring. Yeah the last two are master pieces but this one hits way more buttons and Time It's Time kills me every time

I would just like to say that for all my pooh-pooh'ing of Laughing Stock, Ascension Day is the best mixed song I've ever heard

Holy crap, one thing amazing about this band is their productions are absolutely immaculate. Everything is just brilliantly engineered. Definitely an "audiophile" band

t for all my pooh-pooh'ing of Laughing Stock,

what? please explain.

This poll is really, really, really, really, really, really, really unfair. Zero guesses about what I eventually went with, though.

it's between Spirit of Eden and Colour of Spring for me, but has to be SoE in the end

laughing stock. I've never heard the solo album mind

I ended up voting Spirit of Eden, even though I'm more likely to listen to Laughing Stock. The solo album is highly recommended, given that it very nearly came out as a Talk Talk album called Mountains of the Moon. Should have done, IMO.

going with laughing stock by a hair over colour of spring

going with Spirit of Eden. The one I go to the most. The Colour of Spring is some of the most fun though

Laughing stock or color of spring squad

Not sure I can vote this rn
My feelings about SoE and LS are still a bit murked up from reading Phill Brown's book which I just finished a couple of days ago
It is really something to know just how insanely dogged and grueling these sessions were - the two albums are masterpieces of consolation and transcendence but they came from a very dark process... my thoughts re: hollis' withdrawal have shifted away from the usual 'couldn't take the bullshit and the forced explication' and 'reached a sibelian ne plus ultra' and toward 'maybe he could not face going through his self imposed recording process anymore' (all three things are true I guess)

my thoughts on having to choose from one of the last three albums is that I can't take the bullshit and the forced explication and I cannot face going through this self-imposed exclusion process anymore.

Prob said, apols "I had the Mark Hollis solo one, did try it, didn't make any impression" (repeated for context)

Anyway, I did play "Laughing Stock" off Spotty, blimey it's a bit good! Will investigate further.

I didn't get through it all, I had that "I trawl the Megahertz" on first, not a million miles away, what you think?

(before that, it was Dr Alimantado "Best Dressed Chicken in Town" which *is* quite a few miles away..)

I ended up going with the Colour of Spring... after giving everything a go, that one stuck out as the best balance of the band's sound and as much as I love the next three, the drums on Spring really won me over.

holy hell, it's like picking my favorite childhood pet.

What book are you referring to, Jon? "Are We Still Rolling"?

Reading the Amazon reviews has answered my question.. Must check it out

Gotta say, ordinarily I would argue my case for my pick but this is honestly the first poll I've participated in where I'd be equally happy with whatever garners the most votes, no matter the choice. Mark Hollis didn't release a lot of music throughout the years but each one was a masterpiece.

'Spirit of Eden' and 'Laughing Stock' are both top-100 all-time for me. But 'Mark Hollis' is top-10. All really changed my ears, and set my expectations the heights an album could reach.

none of em set my heart a flutter like it's my life.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Happy to see I wasn't the only 'Mark Hollis' chooser. But echoing folks above, I can't really be partisan in this mix--they're all amazing. Slightly surprised to see 'Laughing Stock' so separated from 'Spirit of Eden,' curious what the reasons will be.

I was expecting to see either Spirit of Eden or Laughing Stock at the top, but I thought the number of votes between the two would have been much closer. These days I'm finding I get different things from these two records. Even though they were put together in a similar way, I find as time goes on I have a deeper emotional connection to Spirit of Eden, whereas Laughing Stock I appreciate on a more analytical level.

Yeah, they're definitely quite different records in my mind these days. SoE is richer, more indulgent. Thicker somehow. It's like eating dessert without a main course, sometimes for me now. LS is spindly, harsher, more uneven. Arid at times, but not in a pejorative way.

I'm not at all surprised by the results of this poll. There aren't many of us out there who tend to lean more toward the first three albums, though I say that knowing that Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock are also perfect, perfectly satisfying albums. I must admit to not having heard the Mark Hollis solo album before, but I'll give it a shot and am sure I'll love it. (I'm guessing it's analogous to David Sylvian's Blemish or Dead Bees on a Cake, two albums of which I can never get enough.)

never really clicked with laughing stock. SOE or the self-titled. There's a coldness in laughing stock, a perfectness. I prefer the watercolour intros on spirit of eden. The feeling of group dynamics (despite what we know about the bitches brew type recording). Or the terrifying quietness of the s/t. the hum of the room, fingers sqeaking on the strings. westward bound is my favourite vocal by him, and i could almost do without his voice elsewhere, though not on I believe in you, the rainbow.

wowww nearly 10 votes separating each album. wild.

I'm more surprised at the participation... this had more votes than ballots for the EOY ballot poll.