Would you consider Talk Talk more NW or prog rock?

[mimzy]

Talk Talk were marketed as a new wave band, but I've always felt that deep down they were always a prog group.

[empyrean]

They are new wave in our country.

But i like Speak Speak better

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[i_like_lectric_motors]

Ragtime death metal proto-polka with a touch of doo-wop on certain tracks.

[budaniel]

new wave first album, sort of new wave/transitional second album...pretty much unlistenable beyond that...

[bigwavedave]

I'd consider them New Wave up through and including most of The Colour Of Spring. After that, they morphed into prog rock of some sort. Unfortunately I can't slog through the proggy 4th and 5th albums, even though the critics really seemed to love them at the time.

BTW, I highly recommend their Live At Montreaux DVD (1986 show). Fantastic performance of material from the first three records!

[crywolf]

New Wave till the second album. The 1st album The Party's over was actually a classic New Wave album with synth sound dance tracks.

Later albums were just recorded with being high on heroin.



Didn't I read you right, between the devil and the deep blue sea.

[Nakedprey]

I consider the first 2 to be new wave, with new romantics flourishes. The third album has a little bit of those qualities, just not as dance-y and hints at the post-rock influences to which they would succumb on their 4th and 5th albums.

[q89747]

Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden are supposed to be among the first 'post-rock' LPs. Still haven't heard 'em but they're supposed to be brill. I've always loved NW gems like 'It's My Life', but man does not live by NW alone...
By the way, in the ol' CD changer at the moment is Hex by Bark Psychosis, a lovely album and supposedly the spiritual successors to that latter-day Talk Talk.

[SomebodySomewhere]

I consider their first 2 albums new wave. I consider all the albums afterwards doorstops.

[Sean]

I consider the first 3 albums New Wave and outstanding albums. The band is a New Wave band but they got to a point where they just didn't really make good music anymore. I really can't get into anything after "I Believe In You" and I've tried and tried over the years.

[deevo0]

it's a good question. NW can be looked at in so many ways. right now I tend to view the NW movement as ending in 1984-5 even though NW bands like The Cure and Talk Talk kept making records. I can't call any album made '88 or later NW. Most new rock music post-NW and pre-grunge, especially REM and Smiths and the bands they inspired, I call indie. Even concrete blonde (86) I call indie.

so I see it that NW ran 77-84 and was muscled out by three movements: indie 84-91, hair metal, and rap. Hair metal was mercifully killed off by grunge and 'modern rock', which subsumed much of indie. Rap kept going and doesn't seem to want to die.

all subject to cheerful debate, of course! i'm always revising my opinions

[randy]

The longer they stuck around, the worse they got. The song Talk Talk was actually one of the few songs I ever liked by them.

[wallofboingo]

I thought the first 3 albums were fantastic. Mark Hollis' voice is really really expressive and unique.

[i_like_lectric_motors]

Laughing Stock and Spirit of Eden are both completely brilliant. It's disappointing but not at all a surprise that so few people get them.

[budaniel]

I really don't want to 'get them' past the second album...music really isn't about 'getting it' to me. It's about the music striking the right...um...chord with the person listening to it.