I DON'T BELIEVE IN YOU

Four singles were taken from Talk Talk's incredibly mature and groovy third album The Colour of Spring. This is the last one, released in November 1986, and it was the least succesful of them in the charts (UK # 96).

To me 'I Don't Believe in You' has always been a strong album track, not necessarily an obvious highlight but a very pleasant, rarely bluesy song -- and an important one in the stylistic middle ground between the catchier hits ('Life's What You Make It' and 'Living in Another World') and the more ambient and experimental tracks ('April 5th' and 'Chameleon Day'). I found an amusing review citation: "Talk Talk fans may disagree but when I hear Hollis's brooding adenoidal dramas I feel like giving him a handkerchief. The band's textures are as haunting as ever and I don't mind the old fashioned echoes of Procol Harum and Traffic. I just wish he'd blow his nose", wrote Max Bell in Number One. Well, on some Talk Talk tracks I've had similar thoughts of Mark Hollis' voice, maybe not on this one though.

The B side offers a great taster from the band's gorgeous performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 11th, 1986. The live version of 'Does Caroline Know' sounds much better than the naiive, synth-centred album version on It's My life (1984). For the tour, Mark Hollis (vocals), Paul Webb (bass), and Lee Harris (drums) were accompanied by a guitarist, two percussionists and two keyboardists, resulting in a rich and organic sound. As often, Tim Friese-Greene did not play on stage with the band. The highly recommendable DVD of the Montreux gig was released in 2008.