I do feel like a right old fart when writing these Alternative Weekends..., 'more like Alternative music from 35+ years ago'.
In 1980 when I was barely out of school I would have been horrified to be presented with music this old. What was about in 1945, Glen Miller and his big band and Vera Lynn singing to the war time soldiers?
That's the stuff my late father might have been listening to, though not quite. His music tastes might have sucked but at least I inherited the 'music-loving genes' from him.
To place things in perspective I do feel the music of the early 1980s compared to now is not so 'that' far apart if you get my meaning?
So if you're a young lad or lass you won't have heard of Talk Talk who started as a synth-pop band in the very early '80s and mutated into a kind of weird progressive band a decade later.
Vocalist, Mark Hollis died in 2019, from what’s been noted as 'after a short illness from which he never recovered'.
His vocal style was different, to say the least, but unique. Like Marmite, you either liked it or you did not.
Today – Talk Talk (The Party's Over - 1982)
This is the song that made me take notice. I loved the synth-pop sounds of this era and though 'Today' was only a minor hit reaching the top twenty it made me a fan.
The voice, like David Sylvan of Japan and Bryan Ferry who Mr. Sylvan tried to imitate, was noticeable and different.
I often wondered if these guys from that period deliberately tried to sing with weird warbles to stand out and get some attention.
Living in Another World – Talk Talk (The Colour of Spring - 1986)
The band hit their commercial peak around 1984-1985 and had that massive hit, 'Life's What You Make It' which made some waves in America.
Though I like the song with it's very distinctive guitar riff I will omit it from this post as I consider it a little mainstream.
More recently I discovered this gem and preferred the live longer version that has a lot more balls to it, closer to the end. It also showed the direction the band was heading in with the extra-long slow start.
Eden – Talk Talk (The Sprit of Eden - 1988)
Choosing something from the highly acclaimed ‘The Spirit of Eden' was always going to be difficult.
That's because although the reviews of this 'ground-breaking' album are all so positive, I find myself struggling to hear what all the fuss is about.
After several listens to ‘Eden’, I found it palatable although strange and nothing like their earlier material.
Maybe you need to be tripping to appreciate ‘The Spirit of Eden. I think I could probably hear something in that state of mind. Now if I could just find some of those mushrooms....
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