Talk Talk

Talk Talk were an English musical group who had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World".

Talk Talk began as a quartet consisting of vocalist Mark Hollis, drummer Lee Harris, bassist Paul Webb, and keyboardist Simon Brenner. In their early years, they were generally associated with the New Romantic movement.

The band released their first single, "Mirror Man", in February 1982. It was followed by their self-titled single in April 1982 which reached No.52 in the UK. The band's first album, The Party's Over, was released in July 1982. The band had their first UK Top 40 hits with the singles "Today" and a re-release of "Talk Talk".

They were introduced to a much wider live audience in October 1982 when they supported Genesis at their reunion concert with original lead singer Peter Gabriel.

Talk Talk released the album It's My Life in 1984 and the accompanying single "Such a Shame" became a Top 5 hit in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. The title track of the album was also a top 10 hit in Italy, and made the U.S., Canadian, French, German, New Zealand and Netherlands Top 40, and a third single, "Dum Dum Girl", was a success in some European countries and in New Zealand.

The band abandoned the New Wave style completely with The Colour of Spring in 1986. This became their biggest studio album success in the UK, making the Top 10, with the Top 20 single "Life's What You Make It". The album was also a hit internationally, featuring another Top 40 single, "Living in Another World".

Spirit of Eden was released in 1988, and the album was assembled from improvised instrumentation that had been edited and arranged using digital equipment. The retrospective compilation Natural History was released in 1990 along with re-release of "It's My Life" was also re-released which charted number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. A re-release of "Life's What You Make It" also reached the Top 30. History Revisited was released in 1991, a compilation of 12 inch singles and alternative versions, was released in 1991.

Talk Talk released Laughing Stock in 199 1which featured the experimental sound the band started with Spirit of Eden. The album peaked at No. 26 in the UK Albums Chart.

After Laughing Stock, Talk Talk disbanded in 1992, as Hollis wished to focus on his children. Paul Webb and Lee Harris went on to form the band .O.rang, while Tim Friese-Greene started recording under the name Heligoland. In 1998, Mark Hollis released his self-titled solo début Mark Hollis, which was much in keeping with the minimalist post-rock sound of Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock. Hollis retired from the music industry shortly afterwards.