It’s My Life

There are some very interesting flashes of Talk Talk's future promise, even in their difficult second album, that can't be denied. What causes a problem though is the fact that it's very clearly stuck in the middle between the decent pop rock of “The Party's Over” and the new direction of “Colour Of Spring”. Even though “It’s My Life” is a highly consistent affair of great pop tunes showing more maturity than their debut album with classic tracks like 'Dum Dum Girl', the bass driven 'Such A Shame', the melancholic 'Tomorrow's Started' and the commercial 'It's My Life'. This was when Mark Hollis really stretched his vocal range with his distinctive tone. There is a certain deceptive simplicity here which disguises some far more complex thoughts and ambitions. The singles and potential singles are still very much in evidence, but even these simply ooze class and refinement. Take ‘Such A Shame’ for example. On the face of it “just another melodic pop song with a killer hook”. Dig just a little deeper though and we find a carefully crafted number, with superb instrumentation and a vocal performance that others can only aspire to. ‘Renée’ is probably the clearest hint of the direction the band will soon find them-selves embarking on. This downbeat, melancholy number features Hollis in the style he suits best, the floating synths and beautiful melody combining to create something unique and powerful. This is another fine effort by Talk Talk and one which offers a template for sophisticated pop.

Ripped from the remastered CD to MP3 @ 320kbps

 

Talk Talk; It’s My Life

1.      Dum Dum Girl

2.      Such A Shame

3.      Renée

4.      It’s My Life

5.      Tomorrow Started

6.      The Last Time

7.      Call In The Night Boy

8.      Does Caroline Know?

9.      It’s You

As a wee bonus here is the non-album 12” single My Foolish Friend in MP3 @ 320kbps

A.     My Foolish Friend (Extended)

B1.  Call In The Night Boys

B2.  My Foolish Friend (7” Version)