Spirit of Eden

Occupation

  • Vocals, guitar, piano, organ: Mark Hollis
  • Percussion: Martin Ditcham
  • Drums: Lee Harris
  • Harmonica: Mark Feltham
  • Organ, Piano, Harmonium: Tim Friese- Greene
  • Bass Guitar: Paul Webb
  • Dobro 12-string Guitar: Robbie McIntosh
  • Trumpet: Henry Lowther
  • Clarinet: Andrew Marriner
  • Violin: Nigel Kennedy
  • Bass: Danny Thompson, Simon Edwards
  • Shozyg: Hugh Davies
  • Bassoon: Andrew Stowell
  • Oboe: Michael Jeans
  • English Horn: Christopher Hooker
  • Choir of Chelmsford Cathedral

Spirit of Eden, published in 1988, is the fourth studio album by British band Talk Talk. The album is commonly regarded as a milestone in pop music of the late 20th century and is considered one of the first major post-rock albums. However, the album was not a commercial success.

Style and history

Spirit of Eden marks the departure Talk Talks from the still to be found on the previous album The Colour of Spring catchier sound that was strongly influenced by contemporary trends of the British pop music mid-eighties. The instrumentation with numerous orchestral instruments that have been used very sparingly, however, to work in conjunction with the band's sprawling soundscapes, was extremely progressive, but little commercial. Stylistically, the album can be difficult to classify: In addition to rock and pop elements, there are also strong influences from classical music and jazz (Mark Hollis often gave composers and musicians such as Claude Debussy, Erik Satie or Ornette Coleman as its influences on ).

After completing the recording of Spirit of Eden, the band sent the recordings to EMI. There, it was feared that the drive could not be commercially appealing enough, and asked Mark Hollis, record more songs for the album and replace existing ones. Hollis refused to EMI nevertheless published the plate and wanted to also extend the existing contract with TalkTalk, although the band wanted to leave the label. The existing dispute was finally settled in court, and Talk Talk signed up for their last studio album with Polydor.

Commercial success

Despite the criticism from EMI the album reached number 19 on the British charts (as well as a silver medal from the British Phonographic Industry for 60,000 units sold). In the German Charts it came to number 16, and it even reached number 3 in Belgium and number 8 in the Netherlands. In the U.S. charts, the album could not place.

Reviews and late appreciation

In the album's release the reviews were rather mixed. There was a general some confusion as to how to deal with the unusual sounds and arrangements - especially as they were from a previously established as a pop band group. The Spectator wrote:

" It's either a very meritorious and courageous work or a pile of garbage - I can not decide which of the two. "

There was also a direct positive response, such as the Music Express:

" If anything ever " getalkte " in the shade ... Strange style and rhythm changes want to be coped with, unexpected crashes, meditative calm, but also raw guitar riffs and some dissonance. All that still flows with great naturalness then ... Hymnische beauty have a total of 16 musicians not spared. But it is always gently broken, beyond banal clichés ... A classic? "

However, many places lacked an understanding of the new direction of the band. Still In 1992, the Rolling Stone Album Guide of the plate only 1 out of 5 stars ( "disastrous " ) and wrote:

" Instead of being either better or worse, this band has been every year just pretentious ... with Spirit of Eden is Mark Hollis ' vocals, which sounds like Pete Townshend on dimenhydrinate, pushed aside by the senseless noodling of the band. "

In retrospect, the album will be viewed in a much broader scale as a masterpiece. The Music Express chose Spirit of Eden in 2003 to # 5 on the " Best Albums of the 80s ". Allmusic gave the album 5 stars out of 5, Pitchfork Media led the board in 2002 after all, as No. 34 in its list of the "100 best albums of the 80s " on (even before classics like Licensed to Ill or computer world) and wrote:

" Usually used names for music that can be assigned to any genre, as Obscuro or post rock, must not use it -. Spirit of Eden is the sound of elegance par excellence "

Music critic Alan McGee wrote in the Guardian in 2008:

"Spirit of Eden is ageless; it 's amazing how contemporary it sounds, it takes Post-Rock, The Verve, Radiohead anticipated. The sound of an artist who you hand over the keys to a kingdom and to return with a work of art. "

Artwork

The cover design is from the artist James Marsh, who is responsible for most of the album cover of Talk Talk.

Title list

All songs are by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese- Greene.

Record label Parlophone Singing Mark Hollis (musician) Henry Lowther (musician) Hugh Davies (composer) Laughing Stock (album) Polydor Records
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