IT'S MY LIFE

In my mid-teenage years TALK TALK was among my favourite bands, alongside with other contemporary artists from Dire Straits and Kate Bush to U2 and The Police - and the rapidly expanding number of 70's prog classics. Yes, I still think of my early music-listening years with fondness. And this single was probably my introduction to Talk Talk.

'It's My Life' is the energetic title track of their second album, which still represents the group's synth pop era. But it was a notable step forward from the rather hollow debut The Party's Over (1982). The songwriting - mainly by the vocalist Mark Hollis - is tight and increasingly original, and the production crisp and colourful. The soundscape in this song features very exciting, exotic nuances. The song leans heavily on the catchy chorus which does sound quite plastic, but the overall atmosphere has something more extraordinary.

The B-side has 'Does Caroline Know?', a slightly surreal and hypnotic little synth pop oddity; in a way it would be an ideal B-side song, if it was also a non-album track (compare to some MARILLION B-siders such as 'Live Forever'). But since it is included in the album too, the single does not earn the fourth star from me. Prog purists will stay away in the first place!