Artist:Talk Talk
Song:It's My Life
Album:The Essential Talk Talk
Talk Talk was an 80s synth rock band who were successful mostly in their native England and Europe. Their 1984 single It's My Life is probably their best known song because it topped the dance chart. Mark Hollis was the leader of Talk Talk. He was lead singer, main songwriter and played guitar and keyboards. He was born Jan. 4, 1955 in Tottenham, London, England. His older brother Ed Hollis produced the band Eddie and the Hot Rods. He encouraged Mark to form his own band The Reaction in 1977. They were a punk band. They released a couple of singles but split up when they were unable to get a record deal. He formed Talk Talk in 1981 with Simon Brenner on keyboards, Paul Webb on bass and Lee Harris on drums. Webb and Harris became friends in school and were in the reggae band Eskalator. Talk Talk signed with EMI and released the 1982 album The Party's Over. It did OK. A couple of singles charted in England. The problem was Talk Talk was frequently compared to Duran Duran. They even toured together and worked with Duran Duran's producer Colin Thurston. Hollis probably thought they were a little too similar. After Brenner left, Hollis met Tim Friese-Greene. He's a recording engineer who produced Thomas Dolby's 1982 album The Golden Age of Wireless featuring the hit single She Blinded Me with Science. He could also help Hollis with songwriting. So Friese-Greene was the fourth member in the studio. But he didn't tour with them so he was not an official member. Talk Talk's first album with Friese-Greene was the 1984 album It's My Life. It's My Life was the first single. It did very well in Europe and topped the dance chart. The song is still memorable so it's probably the closest Talk Talk got to a hit single. The chorus is very memorable. Talk Talk released two more albums for EMI. They did OK but relations with EMI were strained. Talk Talk's manager sued EMI to get them out of their contract so they could sign elsewhere. They were successful and they signed a new deal with Polydor. This budget comp has all their hits. Meanwhile Webb left Talk Talk. Hollis recorded the 1991 album Laughing Stock mostly with studio musicians. Then he ended Talk Talk. Hollis recorded a solo album in 1998 and then retired and died on Feb. 25, 2019 at age 64. Webb and Harris formed the band .O.rang. They released three albums. Since 2002, Webb has recorded three albums as Rustin Man. Harris has done mostly producing in recent years. Here's the video for It's My Life by Talk Talk.
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