Talk Talk

Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). Initially a synth-pop group, Talk Talk's first two albums, The Party's Over (1982) and It's My Life (1984), reached top 40 in the UK and produced the international hit singles "Talk Talk", "Today", "It's My Life", and "Such a Shame". They achieved widespread critical success in Europe and the UK with the album The Colour of Spring (1986) and its singles "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World". 1988's Spirit of Eden moved the group towards a more experimental sound informed by jazz and free improvisation, pioneering what became known as post-rock;[6][4] it was critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful.

Quick facts: Talk Talk, Background information, Origin, Ge... ▼

Talk Talk
Talk Talk in 1988 (photo by Stephen Lovell-Davis[1]); from left to right: Mark Hollis, Paul Webb, Lee Harris
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	Art rock[2][3] post-rock[4][5] synth-pop[6][7] new wave[7][8]
Years active	1981–1991
Labels	EMI Parlophone Polydor
Past members	Mark Hollis Lee Harris Paul Webb Simon Brenner

Friction with the band's label, EMI, resulted in legal action and countersuing. Webb departed, and the band switched to Polydor for their final studio album, 1991's Laughing Stock, but split soon afterwards. Singer Mark Hollis released one solo album in 1998 before retiring from the music industry; he died in 2019. The band's founding bass player and drummer, Paul Webb and Lee Harris, played in several bands together; long-term collaborator Tim Friese-Greene continued in the business as a musician and producer.