Talk Talk Laughing Stock ( 180g vinyl LP )

Release date:25-05-2016(originally released in 1991)

2016 EU reissue (180g vinyl LP + download )

Talk Talk began as a quartet consisting of Mark Hollis (vocals), Simon Brenner (keyboards), Lee Harris (drums) and Paul Webb (bass guitar). They were generally associated with the New Romantic movement; more specifically, in their early years, they were often compared with Duran Duran, as both bands not only featured a double-barrelled name and a Roxy Music-inspired musical direction, but also shared the same record label (EMI) and producer (Colin Thurston).

Active from 1981 to 1991, the group had a string of international hit singles including "Today," "Talk Talk," "It's My Life," "Such a Shame," "Dum Dum Girl" and "Life's What You Make It." In their later years the band's commercial appeal receded, and their critical reputation increased as they moved from synth-pop to a more experimental form. Their last two albums, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, were highly acclaimed and remain influential to experimental alternative rock genres.

Laughing Stock, the group's 1991 final album, took a year to make, and yet it has required decades to fully appreciate. Following up on the abstract and composerly Spirit of Eden, which sufficiently alienating pop fans of the band's earlier material, Laughing Stock took spaces in recorded music to new extremes, with layers of silence breathing through strings, woodwinds, percussion and Mark Hollis' delicate vocals. The record exists as one complete thought, albeit with jagged diversions and tangents. Ultimately Laughing Stock has made an indelible imprint in the evolution of human musical expression, becoming evermore intriguing with each spin.

Tracks:
A1 Myrrhman
A2 Ascension Day
A3 After The Flood

B1 Taphead
B2 New Grass
B3 Rune II

 Virtually ignored upon its initial release, Laughing Stock continues to grow in stature and influence by leaps and bounds. Picking up where Spirit of Eden left off, the album operates outside of the accepted sphere of rock to create music which is both delicate and intense; recorded with a large classical ensemble, it defies easy categorization, conforming to very few structural precedents -- while the gently hypnotic "Myrrhman" flirts with ambient textures, the percussive "Ascension Day" drifts toward jazz before the two sensibilities converge to create something entirely new and different on "New Grass." The epic "After the Flood," on the other hand, is an atmospheric whirlpool laced with jackhammer guitar feedback and Mark Hollis' remarkably plaintive vocals; it flows into "Taphead," perhaps the most evocative, spacious, and understated piece on the record. A work of staggering complexity and immense beauty, Laughing Stock remains an under-recognized masterpiece, and its echoes can be heard throughout much of the finest experimental music issued in its wake.