Talk Talk: reissue of “The Colour Of Spring” coming for its 40th anniversary. Plus an event-concert featuring some of the band's historic members

To mark the fortieth anniversary of “The Colour Of Spring“, one of the masterpieces by Talk Talk, a new half-speed vinyl reissue will be released on September 4th, just one day before the special one-off concert that will reunite several former members of the band to pay tribute to the album.

The reissue

Originally released in 1986, “The Colour Of Spring” marked a decisive turning point in the career of Mark Hollis's group: it was the album that signalled the gradual departure from the synth-pop and new wave of their early years in favour of a more sophisticated, experimental language, paving the way for the atmospheres of “Spirit Of Eden” and “Laughing Stock“.
Following the recent half-speed reissue of “Spirit Of Eden”, this new edition has likewise been overseen by drummer Lee Harris together with Charlie Hollis, son of the late Mark. The master was cut at half speed by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios and will be issued on 180-gram vinyl.

The tracklist remains that of the original edition:

Side A

Happiness Is Easy
I Don’t Believe In You
Life’s What You Make It
April 5th

Side B

Living In Another World
Give It Up
Chameleon Day
Time It’s Time

The live reunion

The day after its release, on September 5th, several former Talk Talk members will take the stage at London's O2 Forum Kentish Town for a special celebratory concert dedicated to the album. Among those taking part are founding keyboardist Simon Brenner, Phil Ramocon and Ian Curnow, joined by Sophie Barker (Zero 7), Gale Paridjanian (Turin Brakes), Tim Eisenburg (Sweet Billy Pilgrim), Chris Hampson and Jacob Brown.
The evening will also feature special guests such as Ed Harcourt, Fyfe Dangerfield of Guillemots and Mark Gardener of Ride, who will perform alongside the band.
Mark Hollis, singer and principal songwriter of Talk Talk, passed away in February 2019 at the age of 64 following an illness, leaving behind an artistic legacy fundamental to the history of contemporary rock.

The record

The artistic metamorphosis of Talk Talk is a fascinating phenomenon. Midway through the 1980s, the English band set aside the "chart-friendly" synth-pop wonders they'd churned out, especially on their second album, "It's My Life", moving with divine grace towards a dreamily melodic formula, intrinsically delicate and intricate. The group led by the much-missed Mark Hollis still stands today as a genuine singularity. Their second life also anticipates the classic moods of post-rock, offering a shining example of unconditional compositional freedom to be passed down to posterity. The path the English group followed to definitively shed their skin is a trail of a thousand colours. A path whose blooming flowers give off intoxicating scents. The journey that will lead Hollis and his bandmates to the figurative Eden of their 1988 masterpiece can be traced across the eight tracks of "The Colour Of Spring". It's the Middle-earth, to borrow from Tolkien. The tree from which to draw life-giving sap for the future. It is thanks to this record, in fact, that Talk Talk change course. It is above all within its folds that we find both the seeds and the first shoots of a future quite distant from their earlier past. With the collaboration of a rock guru like Steve Winwood (Traffic).

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