Talk Talk - DESIRE - 1988

[mushies007]

such a rush of long lost feelings bam right down to earth great band.

[looper457]

I was living in a small town in Germany, on the second floor, and all of a sudden like the mythical syrens, I found myself knocking at a door on the third floor attracted by the sound from "spirit of eden", this is like magic, melody and arrangements at the best level.

[denia666]

Miss the 80's best years of my life..Love this band

[Parptoot]

Simply stunning. As a teenager of the 80's they were pretty much on the sideline for me. I've only recently revisited them and this is just a work of art.

I've just bought this and Mark Hollis's album without even listening to it at all.

[jefit]

LOVE this song, especially how it uses brass to convey emotion. Reminds me of another under-appreciated group, The The.

[TheDeerFolk]

Thank you suggestion box, finding me awesome music all the time. shucks.

[Silvade14]

Sounds like Radiohead? :D Or rather, Radiohead sounds like them!

[friendlier]

I'm also a 60s kid, raised on the British Invasion and psychedelia, with a way-too-big vinyl and cd collection. A friend turned me onto this album in about 2005, and it's one of the best I've ever heard. Do yourself a favor and listen to it alone from beginning to end, hopefully in a dark room!

[faunoram]

esto es brutalmente emocional carajo !

genios !

[jerinzat]

This is my pick off this album, nothing short of genius from Talk Talk, I'll be listening to this music till the day i die and still get the same feeling...

[jerinzat]

This is my pick off this album, nothing short of genius from Talk Talk, I'll be listening to this music till the day i die and still get the same feeling...

[greatsanchini]

The intensity of this piece gets hold of you, like a drug. It does what music should - it makes you aware of your soul.

[n8tureboy]

@greatsanchini

YES!

[MancTommo]

as someone born in 69, I never really appreciated Talk Talk until later in life... I can honestly say that I don't think I know anyone who can sing better and stir such emotions in their music. This group were / are still amazing, and this still sounds class today. What a voice and what a sound... streaks ahead of its time.

[sallymcnally]

I remember listening to this album falling asleep on the floor of a one room apartment I shared with a friend. I miss that friend.

[laforzaflandria]

Bizarre groep, begonnen als synth-pop groepje van niemandal, en dan: album na album steeds beter geworden. Met als absolute hoogtepunten de laatste twee platen: Spirit of Eden en Laughing Stock. Absolute meesterwerken zijn dat. En dan, op hun hoogtepunt, zijn ze gestopt, om te janken!!! TT, my all time favorite!! En met het verstrijken van de jaren... wordt het gemis aan nieuw werk van TT alleen maar groter....

[laforzaflandria]

Muziek van een zeldzame schoonheid: de breekbaar gezongen teksten door Mark Hollis, het respect voor leegtes en stiltes in de muziek, de zorgvuldig opgebouwde spanningsbogen en onverwachte wendingen maken deze pareltjes na elke nieuwe luisterbeurt steeds beter...

[mamakoeln]

When in 1986, "The colour of Spring" came out, I loved the album and especially "Living in another world". Two years later, I got "Spirit of Eden" as a birthday present - and what can I say ? This was too much for me little 18 year old boy. NOW I know what great stuff that was - and is... simply timeless, and revolutionary for the musically rotten 80ies !

[metaluranium]

Incredible. 

[Friendo90]

This track... there are times I imagine it drowning out every sound on earth and ringing past our galaxy. Sincerely, no matter how many times I hear it I still get goosebumps

[lemonsys]

There is still nothing like this. Radiohead is up there for me except they are a tad to pretentious and inconsistent.

[7conbon]

he makes music that would make an angel weep!

Come back Mark i will play piano and guitar,

Enough there aint enourgh hidden hurt

[mkloppers]

Prolific.

Desire.... 1988 are you kidding me? A decade ahead of their time.

Reunion Tour???

[pinkfloydrule27]

As an album I find this to lack much strength but these opening 3 tracks are some of the most beautiful haunting and hypnotic soundscapes i've ever heard, the slow sections shit on Eno and the rockier parts are the invention of what Radiohead have based their career on. Just stunning pieces of music and I will always play side one of this vinyl but rarely stick on the rest of Side 2

[Eyyoh77]

Mark Hollis is a real artist !

[jools8989]

One of the most underrated bands ever.

Great music, vocals and lyrics.

It just gets better with age, I guess.

[Pendor69]

@Laxpowertoo Yes, that's right - absolutely!

[MrAshers1]

best album ever, even today

[kidkidkid123]

Divine.

[coolgatos]

i bought this in vinyl at a second hand store in brooklyn for two dollars!what!?i could have paid at least 50 bucks for it.its an amazing album!this album deserves some recognition.

[monicaboca]

Still sounds as good today as it did back in the 80s.. amazing band... amazing song...

[znj111]

@christiR123 that is really weird and incorrect

[roneugenius]

@DeathXter Very well said !!

[slaphaddalztick]

a greasy English breakfast in a run down smoke filled workman's cafe in Portslade, Sussex, on a grey and rainy November morning back in 1988, and this song playing on the radio. Life just doesn't get any better than that.

[fcrim]

Incredible music. I still don't think the real world is ready for this...

[sledgehammer1972]

i have a VHS recording of this song over an art student's visuals which is absolutely wonderous and beautiful. i just wish i still knew him and where he was so i could get permission to put it on here and share it with everyone...............

[christiR123]

this remimnds me of zero7 maybe where they got there inspiration from just take a listen to destiny! you'll see what i mean xx

[3xWink]

i prefer this band over radiohead anyday

[rezlerken]

beautiful enough said !

[damonjon]

yeah, i know that funny look when I tell people one of my fav bands is Talk Talk

[MegaSoops1970]

Fantastic xx

[Martinarvelind]

Bloody great!! Fantastic!! Mark whatever you are doing now, surely you did better making music! Come back, record another pearl!!

[chillempress]

Spirit of Eden is a masterpiece! One of my all time greatest favorite albums of all time. Talk Talk, one of the greatest bands of all time... and this album proves their true artistry! They redefined musical artistry for me, and this track is indicative of their sheer contemporary genius ... a band ahead of their time... and paved the way for Radiohead and others. <3 Talk Talk <3

[slaphaddalztick]

Hollis's music brings life's deepest emotions to the surface-there is simply nothing like it anywhere else on earth.

[lucky27200]

Thank you!!



[happyhappy85]

Amazing song, i almost shat myself when i heard this.

[landlesspeasant]

speachless got all albums for ever.

[cris24587]

muy brillante no se puede definir un criterio

[shinytinhead]

way ahead of the 80's

[christiannandres]

@shinytinhead way ahead of 2010's too!

[arcencielili]

I just wanna hug you Mark Hollis! Brilliant spirit!!!!!!

[longbendy81]

We need more. Mark Hollis - Talk Talk - either (though TT would be preferable I suppose for nostalgia reasons) Someone on YT or somewhere must know the guy. Tell him how much he's needed. PLEASE - we need more.

Oh, and if someone can re-incarnate Phil Lynott as well - that'll be me fixed for good :-)

[bezz65]

Music that you need to hear, not just listen to - first heard them in 82, they grew and matured a lot by the late 80's. They didn't choose the easiest "pop songs" formula, favouring I'd say deeper meanings and textures.

[JustOneMeatPuppet]

@bezz65 Indeed, and at a time when everyone and their dog was writing songs about "my cherry pie". Damn hair bands... In what bizzaro universe do we live in, in which Jon Bon Jovi sells millions and Mark Hollis is relatively unknown?

[HawK047]

@JustOneMeatPuppet Atleast Bon Jovi made good music compared to what they dare call "music" today.

[cris24587]

marabilloso

[OyDivisionOfficial]

There is a quiet majesty to this song that we love.

[marty9040]

@javierdamien. what are you on about you fruit cake im talking about the rock n roll music hall of fame even the beatles are init only a select few get awarded it in the music hall of fame. you will have to check out what the music hall of fame is.

[marty9040]

its about time mark hollis/talk talk were in the music hall of fame.

[javierdamien]

what? you are a nerd?

[chuckyp64]

The most complete wonder of music for anyone who associates music with emotion.

[ladyfuschia]

@chuckyp64 Just discovered these guys. Took me by surprise. Mark's voice and lyrics are transcendental!

[slaphaddalztick]

@ladyfuschia Wow, you've just discovered them, I'm almost envious! Talk Talk' music has been such a part of my life for the past 25 years. The music changed so much from the early 80's synth pop to the eventual introspective and deeply spiritual sound of Hollis's later compositions. Then, he just jacked it all in, no doubt felt he'd taken it as far as he wanted to take it. We are now left to enjoy some of the most original music ever composed.

[ladyfuschia]

@slaphaddalztick I love youtube because without it, I may never have heard of Talk Talk and heard Mark Hollis' moving and painfully sincere voice, the likes I've never heard before. He lets out an innocent purity and pieces of his heart with such humility as though he's singing to a newborn child. I heard that he made the decision to focus his attention on his wife and kids, which I'm sure he does absolutely and perfectly. Perhaps the experience will inspire him to create even more great stuff!

[slaphaddalztick]

@ladyfuschia I very much doubt that we'll ever hear anything new from Mark Hollis, though I hope I'm wrong. There is an absolutely must see dvd of Talk Talk performing live at the jazz festival at Montreaux in 1986, where Hollis gives in my opinion, one of the greatest vocal performances of all time, and of course, it's all here on youtube. (;

[ladyfuschia]

@slaphaddalztick Yeah, where his hair is kinda long and in his face a lot?? Love "Gotta Give It Up", I crank it and dance around. I wonder if I could buy the DVD. Also, is there anything biographical written about him? So far he's a total mystery to me and very intriguing!! So many faces! Adorable! Seems like he'd be a wonderful guy to hang out with.

[slaphaddalztick]

@ladyfuschia Yes, you can buy the DVD, I've got it, it's about 7 quid from amazon. Plenty of stuff on the internet about Mark Hollis, just google his name and there's loads of stuff. He quit a degree in child psychology to concentrate on music, so obviously, a pretty complex guy, I'd certainly love to sit down and have a pint with him. Happy hunting!

[SonnyAmou]

Love, love this song...unofficially "part three" of the Rainbow Trilogy that makes up the first half of the record. The exposion at the end of the song makes more sense in the context of hearing Rainbow and Eden first.

Totally agree with the guy who thinks Radiohead was influenced by this group. Been saying it myself since the day Kid A came out.

[DOSMILPHIL]

slap is right,20rs later i searched for these tunes.......knew i was right then

[joe44850]

I cannot hear these guys now without thinking of Radiohead. I love Radiohead, but their sound wasn't born out of thin air. This album was, very quietly, the Sgt. Pepper of the 1980's, and at least 10 - 12 years ahead of it's time. Amazing.

[slaphaddalztick]

We all knew, that is, those of us who were Talk Talk fans back in the 80's, that we were living through something very musically special. They were largely overlooked simply because they were so far ahead of their time. Now looking back, one can see how hugely influential the band have been ever since.

[cosmicrider287]

@slaphaddalztick talk talk?still in a class of their own.

[degree7]

@joe44850

Often times, I feel Talk Talk just has that edge over Radiohead because of that beautiful organ work from Thim Friese Greene.

[7223Tanya]

this is just one of those great songs. Mark is such a wonderful singer. very very fine.

ps I listen to Sylvian already. :)

[copeyattamsworth]

Critics often view Spirit of Eden as a departure from Talk Talk's previous albums. Compared to their 1986 hit The Colour of Spring, it was commercially unsuccessful. Many critics, however, praise the album and consider it influential to the post-rock movement of the 1990s.

[witchman67]

This song used to be on a mix CD at the Starbucks where I once worked. It is funny to me how this group is really best known for "It's my Life," but this song is so jazzy and full of sound, it means something.

[AlexUHS]

i just listened to this song at starbucks.. it's the reason i'm listening to it here :)

[Hakon275]

Great Music!

Check out other TalkTalk member projects, such as 'O'Rang, "Bark Psychosis" and Rustin Man & Beth Gibbons. Especially 'O'Rang which is absolutely brilliant.

[wrs6565]

The only song on "Spirit Of Eden" that sounds really really "80s." I mean when those drums kick in the chorus, even the production is a bit slick. It's still a really good song though, I'm just admitting that I like that ominous beginning much more than the chorus.

[Agrati1]

If you like this, try out David Sylvian.

[NaughtyNathanUK]

The word "sublime" was created specially to perfectly describe "Spirit of Eden".

;)

[djdtpacker]

anybody have chords for this???

[atmos111]

I'm hearing E-E-G-E-E for the opening, just played on the A string (high E and G).

Then the chords for the verse: E G D E

Chorus (That ain't me...): E G D A

Sounds about right. Sounds good on an acoustic.

[paolocito]

Wow! This is like progressive rock. It reminds me of King Crimson. Very good.

[beowulven]

In my 40 years here, this is the song that means the most to me. Timeless.

[Laxpowertoo]

Ive been buying music since my first Beatle single in the sixties, and my collection covers everything from classical to the latest club anthems, but if someone ask me my favourite, I dont hesitate in telling them anything by Talk Talk.

I get a few strange looks, but its amazing how many others that know their albums agree with me.

Mark Hollis could write the music for a toothpick advert and sell a million.

The mans a genius!

[julian73de]

nothing to add. it maybe sound weird, but i thank you for feeling obviously the same that i feel listening to it. i guess this is the magic we call genius :)

[kimandaggie]

Have to disagree that Mark could write for an advert and sell a million, sadly. In fact this album didn't sell well at all. But then there is no value in society anymore and certainly not in music. This is from one of the greatest albums of all time and it's largely forgotten. I've never met anyone who's heard this album never mind anyone who likes it as much as me.

[imagewurks]

It is brilliant. It's also extremely intense and religious. (Maybe spiritual would be a better word.) There's a direct rip-off from "the Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" in here, which isn't meant to diminish this work: if anything could have brought me to religion, it would have been late Talk, Talk.

Nothing can, but I really do appreciate the outrageous amount of work and talent in this album. It still sounds completely fresh and powerful.

[beowulven]

@Laxpowertoo

Yep.

[Pendor69]

@Laxpowertoo Yes, that's right - absolutely! 

[seanmac75]

The way this track ebbs and flows. I can't think of any other word but beautiful to describe it!!

[ScudX]

Quiet Storm rolling in over the mountains

[Rotaryfatboy]

4:55-5-48 sends chills up and down my spine. I dont know why but I always think of the huge May 29th thunderstorm we had here in Britain everytime I listen to this song. Like I said dont ask me why...this track is brilliant.

[Rotaryfatboy]

In response to my previous comment...it was actually the early hours of May 28th that I had that big thunderstorm I mentioned...I think of the lightning that morning...I remember just how scared I was when I hear this song...because just hours before that storm I had heard this for the first time.

Ohhhh...I'm having a severe goosebump attack right now...

[brfts2001]

perhaps the only new wave band to transition to post-rock successfully. I think they only became better towards the end for it. But I still love their early 80's stuff as well.

[museumoftechno]

Ah - NOW I know why I quite liked Radiohead's "House of Cards" - it's because it's slightly like this, which is probably the best non-pop pop tune ever recorded. My favourite piece of music production ever, I crap myself every time I hear it.

[iRECKONER]

What, House of Cards makes you poop ?  LOL

[tschak909]

Witness the application of classical form to rock.

[Flugpizza]

listen closely... it´s nearly grunge... ;)

[Kannebas]

Ya know, you're kinda right. Especially at 5:10. It definitely gets a little grungy there.

[Zizourian]

Talk Talk was one of those groups that was best at the end rather than the beginning. They almost ran parallel with Depeche Mode, who were also cheap trash pop group in the early 80s but by 87, 88, 89 they had risen to heights that you could not have predicted in 1982.

[Kannebas]

Meh, I'd still say their first two records are better than anything Depeche Mode ever did and you start hearin' those avant-garde jazz influences emerge on It's My Life. I agree that they were definitely a band that got better as they went along.

I still like The Party's Over, but you compare it to Laughing Stock and think, "Is this really the same band"?

[Zizourian]

I suppose these things are very subjective - they have to be. But it is a brave man who says that "The Party's Over" is better than "Violator" or "Music for the Masses". But clearly these things depend on your own sensibilities. As far as I can see by the end of the 1980s DM successfully competed for the souls of the lost, the deluded and the loveless like no other group did. I will confess to knowing nothing of avant-garde jazz - I only know what I feel.

[380streamline]

Fantastic piece of music - very cleverly engineered. My favourite track from this definitive 80s group

[wall875]

If it weren't for them we wouldn't have Coldplay or Radiohead. But that's not saying much. Talk Talk wrote very sophisticated pop back then and remain wholly underrated. Even their early, radio-friendly stuff is still very good.

[CriticXXL]

yes, they kind of invented what they call nowadays "Post Rock"

so sad they didnt continue to exist and make music

[lunaticocacho]

Con estas rolas conocí está majestuosa banda, me recuerdan esas veces que me duché con la mujer que amaba en un ambiente de velas, incienso, besos y pasión.

Grandísima Banda, y este material a mi criterio es el mejor.

[stillinthe80s]

Great song, indeed, but to say it has to be one of their best ever is to admit you haven't been exposed to their complete catalogue. Try After the Flood, the Last Time, Does Caroline Know, I Believe in You, Happiness is Easy....the list goes on and on and on...

[ChannelFavorite]

Yes I could not agree with you more, but this song in-particular was the song that when I first heard it sent shivers up my spine. It is the closest that they got to anger. Most of their material is ethereal and sensitive. Mark Hollis's lyrics are positive and enlightening. This song contains rebellion and is extraordinarily defiant. The kettle drums hinting at the rolling thunder on the horizon and then the chorus unleashing the storm, amazing. A true masterpiece......Eric

[stillinthe80s]

You have great insights about this song. For me, I think After the Flood, especially with that feedback, is Mark at his artistic pinnacle. No man got more out of one note...reminds me of a story read years ago, a Kafta short about a trapeze artist. The protagonist excelled with two trapeze bars, then one, but perfection for him was to perform on the trapeze without any bar at all....of course, it's a perfection by definition out of his reach...I think Mark had a bit of that streak in him...

[ChannelFavorite]

I thank you for your responce. I would like to admit now that if it were not for Talk Talk's career I think that the music industry would be worse for it. They did something on the last three albums that has really yet to be built upon. I was just listening to Myrman and the space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves. Out of "random" sounds comes the full recipe for such amazing work. Again thank you for your shared respect. Eric

[preving]

I would agree with you, Bergischlandcycling. I've never heard the Spirit of Eden album until now. I just heard this song and it has to be one of their best ever.

[Bergischlandcycling]

One of the best Talk talk songs ever!