Living In Another World
It’s hard to believe that it’s 40 years since the release of the album that proved pivotal in the career of a band who were yet to find the critical success they deserved nor, crucially, the commercial success that their label craved. By 1985 it’s probably fair to say that Talk Talk had lost their way.
Released on 17th February 1986, The Colour of Spring can be seen as pivotal not least because it acts as a bridge between their earlier, synth-pop sound and their later more expansive, experimental work. Though 1984’s ‘It’s My Life’ produced three brilliant singles – Dum Dum Girl, Such A Shame and It’s My Life – and had showed that the band had made significant progress since their poppier debut, it didn’t quite hold together as an album, which was undoubtedly due to the fact that the band were being pulled in two directions.
Mark Hollis had begun his musical career in post-punk band The Reaction before forming Talk Talk in 1981, with Paul Webb, Lee Harris & Simon Brenner, and the band were soon signed to EMI. ‘Talk Talk’ was released in 1982 and failed to live up to their label’s initial wish for them to become their own Duran Duran. By 1984, then a 3-piece following the departure of keyboardist Brenner, the band were still struggling to find their place in the musical world, a pressure no doubt compounded by their label’s desire for chart success. As that continued to elude them, things were looking bleak, but Hollis was already beginning to sharpen his focus. So, to The Colour Of Spring, and a shift away from synths and a reliance on studio gimmickry to a more organic sound.
The majority of records made in the 80’s sound dated because of the clinical over-production and generic electronic sounds that will forever be cemented in that decade. CoS, on the other hand, was one of the first new albums I remember hearing that truly sounded out of time, harking back to the late 60’s perhaps, but also floating above anything ever recorded to date, as if inhabiting its own musical universe, or Living In Another World. And that was the track with which I was rudely awoken one morning in 1986. My older brother, having decided that I was at risk of becoming a loafer, burst into my bedroom, fired up the stereo, whacked the volume to max, shouted ‘Get Up You Lazy Sod’ and slammed the door. As the music filled the room, rather than crawl out of bed and turn it down, I decided just to let the drama of Living In Another World unfold. Even at that volume it was easy to bear; it sounded incredible.
The Colour of Spring is one of those albums that can act as a barometer for your own changing tastes and musical maturity. With the exception of it’s first two singles, Living In Another World and Life’s What You Make It, I didn’t find the record as instantly easy to like as It’s My Life, but even then I recognised that in time I would probably grow to love it, and that is definitely the case. In my older, wiser years CoS has become a comfort album, a reminder that my musical tastes have evolved in exactly the right way, whereas if I felt the same way about Spandau Ballet’s ‘True’, for example, I’d be worried.
Mark Hollis’ own musical vision may have crystallised with either Spirit of Eden (1988), Laughing Stock (1991) or his self-titled solo album (1996), but The Colour Of Spring was the stepping stone, a crucial and significant statement of creative intent. It is multi-layered, melancholic, melodramatic, yet infused with a sense of hope, not least on the epic closing track Time It’s Time, whose final, uplifting refrain points the way to a brighter future. Even the cover image suggests a huge leap of maturity, with James Marsh’ stunning painting symbolising metamorphosis, a shift from the fantastical to the worldly wise.
The Colour of Spring tells us that Life’s What You Make It and that Happiness Is Easy, and even within Talk Talk’s own back catalogue, it will always be Living In Another World. Happy Birthday old friend.