Talk Talk Spirit of Eden ( vinyl LP+DVD )

Release date: 12-04-2012(Originally released in 1988)

2012 EU reissue on 180g LP+bonus DVD  =Spirit of Eden is the transcendent fourth album from Talk Talk and it finds the band shelving the pop electronics in favor of more organic fare built largely around mood and atmosphere. Drawing on jazz and ambient influences, the album features six extended tracks dynamic in their space and warmth, impassioned majestically by the plaintive vocals of singer/songwriter Mark Hollis


English art-pop legends Talk Talk’s classic albums The Colour of Spring (1986) and Spirit of Eden (1988) are being reissued on 180g vinyl,  cut from the original analog master tapes, together with a DVD featuring the album delivered as a 96kHz/24 bit LPCM stereo mix. In addition, the accompanying DVDs for both albums also feature one extra bonus track. In the case of Spirit of Eden, included here is the B-side "John Cope."

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"Spirit of Eden has not dated, it's remarkable how contemporary it sounds, anticipating post-rock, The Verve and Radiohead. It's the sound of an artist being given the keys to the kingdom and returning with art." - The Guardian

Tracks:
A1. The Rainbow
A2. Eden
A3. Desire

B1. Inheritance
B2. I Believe In You
B3. Wealth
DVD:
1. The Rainbow
2. Eden
3. Desire
4. Inheritance
5. I Believe In You
6. Wealth
7. John Cope *

 

Compare Spirit of Eden with any other previous release in the Talk Talk catalog, and it's almost impossible to believe it's the work of the same band -- exchanging electronics for live, organic sounds and rejecting structure in favor of mood and atmosphere, the album is an unprecedented breakthrough, a musical and emotional catharsis of immense power. Mark Hollis' songs exist far outside of the pop idiom, drawing instead on ambient textures, jazz-like arrangements, and avant-garde accents; for all of their intricacy and delicate beauty, compositions like "Inheritance" and "I Believe in You" also possess an elemental strength -- Hollis' oblique lyrics speak to themes of loss and redemption with understated grace, and his hauntingly poignant vocals evoke wrenching spiritual turmoil tempered with unflagging hope. A singular musical experience.