Talk Talk are one of the more interesting collectives in
all of popular music. The once Duran Duran infused with Roxy Music group soon
became one of the forefathers for post rock, creating both Spirit of Eden and
Laughing Stock, two of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 20th
century. These two albums, along with their third release, The Colour Of Spring
(which is a perfect blend of jazz-esque structures with an art rock sound)
often overshadow the first two releases in Talk Talk's discography, this and
their sophomore release, It's My Life. However, these should not be written off
as bad records simply due to the fact that they do not compare to the better
albums in Talk Talk's collection of albums. Their debut, The Party's Over, is
often viewed as "just another new wave album" from the early 80s, and
represented the band in their more pop=oriented beginning. Keeping that in
mind, this is an incredibly fun record that, given its time period, has aged
better than the other synth-pop relics that vanished into obscurity towards the
end of the 80s.
I am going to get this out of the way right from the get-go: this album is FULL
on 80s cheese. Plucky synth chords, deep, analogue basses, and Simmons drums
are all over the record. From the exterior, it seems like your typical new wave
album. But Talk Talk has one advantage; Mark Hollis. Hollis is easily one of
the most interesting musicians of our time, and his vocal delivery was unlike
any of their contemporaries. Some like to point to Hollis as sounding similar
to Bryan Ferry, whose producer coincidently produced this album. While that
comparison does hold, Hollis's delivery is very different to that of Ferry's.
Hollis sings in a weird mix of a whisper and a shout, and isn't afraid to belt
out high notes that drastically alter his voice from its normal sound. It's one
of the key traits that make Hollis such a captivating singer to listen too.
"Today" best shows Hollis's unique voice, with the beginning verses
involve him singing in a lower, whisper voice. But once the background singers
scream "Today!" and Hollis belts "It's a dream away!" you
immediately notice the difference in his style.
These carry over into other tracks on the record, including the self-titled
song "Talk Talk," which feature large drums, and even larger synths.
The rest of the record is your typical new wave affair, and all of the tracks
have some appeal to them. That is with the exception of "Mirror Man."
I have listened to all 5 of the Talk Talk records, and this is, without a
doubt, their worst song. It starts out promising enough, but once it gets into
the chorus, Hollis and the other background vocalists sound like they are
choking, it took me by surprise the first time I heard it. It was annoying to
enough to anger me slightly, and I just skipped the track all together. Giving
it a second listen, it got slightly better due to the nice synth break during
the bridge, and the violins and other strings are a nice touch as well, but not
enough to save the song entirely.
If Talk Talk had stopped after It's My Life, they probably would have been a
forgotten about synth-pop band that would fade into obscurity like many other
small bands of the same genre tended to do. But with their colourful history,
the first and second albums stand as an early stage of Talk Talk, that many
look at when examining the band as a whole. The Party's Over not only stands as
the first music of the later incredible band, but a solid synth-pop album as
well.
