The Colour of Spring
| The Colour of Spring | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Talk Talk | ||||
| Released | February 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Genre | Art rock | |||
| Length | 45:40 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Tim Friese-Greene | |||
| Talk Talk chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [2] |
| Mojo | [3] |
| Q | [4] |
The Colour of Spring is Talk Talk's third album and was released in 1985 in Germany, and then 1986 in other countries.
Reception
It became the band's highest selling non-compilation studio album, reaching the Top 20 in numerous countries (topping the Dutch charts), including their homeland (i.e. UK), where it reached No. 8 - and stayed in the UK charts for 21 weeks.[5] It did not quite match the sales of its predecessor in the United States, but was nonetheless their last album to enter the Billboard Top 200, reaching #58. With its international hit "Life's What You Make It", Talk Talk expanded their fan base, and it earned the band the third of their three American hits, along with 1984's "It's My Life" and "Such a Shame".
Composition
Musically, The Colour of Spring was a major step away from the synthesised pop of early Talk Talk, with a greater focus on guitars, pianos, and organs on such songs as "Life's What You Make It", "Living in Another World" and "Give It Up". It had a sound described by the band as much more "organic" than their earlier records, with the improvisation that was to dominate on their later works already apparent in the recording process.
Album cover
The album cover was designed by James Marsh, who also designed the band's other albums.
Track listing
All tracks written by Tim Friese-Greene and Mark Hollis.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Happiness Is Easy" | 6:30 |
| 2. | "I Don't Believe in You" | 5:02 |
| 3. | "Life's What You Make It" | 4:29 |
| 4. | "April 5th" | 5:51 |
| 5. | "Living in Another World" | 6:58 |
| 6. | "Give It Up" | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Chameleon Day" | 3:20 |
| 8. | "Time It's Time" | 8:14 |
Personnel
- Talk Talk[6]
- Mark Hollis – vocals, organ (track 4), guitar (track 8), piano (tracks 3, 5, 6, and 7), melodica (track 8), Mellotron (track 6), Variophon (tracks 4 and 7), keyboards (track 1), cello (track 1)
- Lee Harris – drums, percussion (tracks 1-3, 5, 6, and 8)
- Paul Webb – bass guitar (tracks 2, 5, 6, and 8), backing vocals
- Additional personnel[7]
- Tim Friese-Greene – producer, piano (tracks 1, 2, 4, and 8), organ (tracks 3, 6 and 8), Mellotron (track 3), Variophon (tracks 4 and 7), Kurzweil synthesizer (track 1), keyboards (uncredited)
- Ian Curnow – keyboards (tracks 2 and 6)
- Martin Ditcham – percussion (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8)
- Mark Feltham – harmonica (track 5)
- Alan Gorrie – bass guitar (track 1)
- Robbie McIntosh – guitar (tracks 1, 2, 5 and 8), dobro guitar (tracks 4 and 6)
- Morris Pert – percussion (tracks 1, 2, 5, and 8)
- Phil Reis – percussion (track 1)
- David Rhodes – guitar (tracks 3, 5, and 6)
- David Roach – saxophone (tracks 2, 4, and 5)
- Gaynor Sadler – harp (track 2)
- Danny Thompson – double bass (track 1)
- Steve Winwood – organ (tracks 1, 2, and 5)
- Dennis Weinrich – engineer
- Dietmar Schillinger – engineer
- Paul Schroeder – engineer
- Pete Wooliscroft – engineer
- James Marsh – cover art
Charts
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | UK Album Chart | 8 |
| 1986 | The Billboard 200 | 58 |
References
- ↑ Woodstra, Chris. "The Colour of Spring – Talk Talk". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ↑ Larkin, Colin (2009). "Talk Talk". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199726363.
- ↑ Eccleston, Danny (May 2012). "Lost Horizon". Mojo (222): 100.
- ↑ "Talk Talk: The Colour of Spring". Q (211): 119. February 2004.
- ↑ David Roberts British Hit Singles and Albums, Guinness World Records Limited
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Talk-Talk-The-Colour-Of-Spring/release/74316
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Talk-Talk-The-Colour-Of-Spring/release/74316
External links
- The Colour of Spring (Adobe Flash) at Myspace (streamed copy where licensed)