SPIRIT OF EDEN

Like Colour of Spring, the only flaw in Spirit of Eden was its timing. Had TALK TALK put out this same music today, I think it might have had a greater chance of success. As it is, I must say that TALK TALK was a very brave band to go against the musical current of their time, ultimately at the cost of their contract, and then their career. This is true artistic integrity.

Spirit of Eden picks up where The Colour of Spring's "Chameleon Day" left off--in fact, "The Rainbow" could almost be "Chameleon Day, Part II". "April 5th" will also help prepare the listener for this album. This time dispensing with the final vestige of the popular 80s scene-- the programmed percussion--TALK TALK completes their break with the mainstream. As with Colour of Spring, the choice of title is again most appropriate. Unlike their contemporaries, this album is devoid of any synthesisers, giving it a very natural, warm feeling. Sometimes the music is almost mournful...a man reminiscing about the time before the Fall, it seems...but this is not a man who has forgotten beauty. I feel that HOLLIS has found a way to make both sadness and uplifting beauty coexist peacefully. Musically, I can't choose a best...they are all gorgeous, all the way from "The Rainbow" to "Wealth". Spirit of Eden does not need a "beat" in order to be great...it has soul, and that is enough.

This album favors the more vulnerable aspect of MARK HOLLIS--both his lyrics and his vocals are soulful to say the least. In "I Believe In You", HOLLIS describes someone's struggle with heroin addiction. In a magazine interview he said once that he had seen how this horrible drug had devastated so many rock stars and others. It's clear to me that his heart aches for them, and he does such an impressive job of putting himself into the shoes of these suffering souls that it's very easy to make the mistake of believing that it came from personal experience. But the fact that such a mistake could be made is quite a testament to the spirit of serene bravery he's captured here.

Moving...that is Spirit of Eden encapsulated in a single word.