Talk Talk were an exceptional band that matured with me throughout the mid 80's. If I could peg it down to one particular thing in the band that drew me in, I'd have to say it was the alluring vocals of Mark Hollis. His is a voice that stood out from any crowd, and you could immediately note any Talk Talk track based on that marker. Musically they were brilliant, and there are few bands which I had managed to tolerate from album to album back then, and still carry a torch for today. Their best album was Colours Of Spring by a large margin, though it can be said that several others could easily be noted as being their best works (Spirit Of Eden for example). This album always gets played here, and one can denote that any time I'm feeling particularly nostalgic, that album seems to end up on the table. This is one of the albums I could get lost in time with, and forever remain trapped in 1986 listening to this over and over. That's a bold statement, but most assuredly true. 'Give It Up' is one of the singles of the aforementioned album, and a great track by itself. The puzzle here is why they chose to put the rather disappointing 'Pictures Of Bernadette' as the b-side. This track absolutely gripes me. It's basically taking the worst of their earlier new wave material found on any cutting room floor and remixing it. At least that's what it sounds like to me. I'd think a single from such a great album would be showcased by whispery 'Chameleon Day' like tracks, which would have seemed to suit it more. As with a lot of releases from this period, I wish a little more thought had been put into coupling a few beautiful gems with the glorious single. The end result would have been a much better single, not one people chose to ignore out of the group. As always, the artwork on their material is top notch, and you can create a gorgeous gallery from Talk Talk releases alone. This single, sadly, disappoints, but doesn't dim my overall view of the band by any stretch.
Track 1, Give It Up
Track 2, Pictures Of Bernadette (Dance Mix)
Track 3, Pictures Of Bernadette (7" Version)
Grab the tracks here!
Canadian Parlophone Records 1986, S 75145
Personal rating 2.5/5
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2 comments:
what a great song to choose, the b-side single version is a great track.
more talk talk here.... http://talktalk.gamingtelly.co.uk/
Just when I was about to "Give It Up", I find more tracks. I hope Talk Talk get back together, and when they do, that it's not that musical sleeping pill called post-rock.
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