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Rating:
Looking through the reviews on DeBaser, I noticed that there is a lack of a review for a symbolic album of the '80s, namely "It's My Life" by Talk Talk.
The band was composed of singer, guitarist, pianist, and composer Mark Hollis, bassist Paul Webb, drummer Lee Harris, and keyboardist Simon Brenner.
They stood out in the first half of the decade with a couple of albums characterized by genres like synth-pop and new romantic, while later on, already with their third album "The Colour Of Spring" in 1987, they embarked on new paths introducing jazz and classical elements and sounds, reaching the creation of albums totally different from the previous ones, such as "Spirit Of Eden" and "Laughing Stock" (released in 1988 and 1991 respectively), so much so that they are considered by critics as the pioneers of post rock.
Returning to their second work (the follow-up to "The Party's Over" of 1982, which among other things contained singles such as "Talk Talk" and "Today", which introduced them to the general public), this was released in 1984 and was an enormous success, also thanks to the presence of "It's My Life" and "Such A Shame", two singles that became very popular.
The album opens with "Dum Dum Girl", the third single extracted, which begins with Hollis' sweet voice accompanying the listener through bass lines with a funky cadence together with well-defined piano notes. The keyboard interlude in the central part, which enhances the song, is beautiful.
It is followed by "Such A Shame", preceded by a one-minute intro in which a hypnotic rhythm produced by percussion and some echoes is proposed before reaching the beautiful onset of the singer. It has an alternating rhythm, slower in the verses and sustained in the choruses, and in this track too, a keyboard solo is inserted that makes the atmosphere sad and rather evocative: it is undoubtedly a great piece.
"Renèe", even though it is the longest on the album with its six and a half minutes, does not bore the listener but rather involves them. It presents itself as a slow, melancholic, and reflective song where the keyboards in the choruses highlight Hollis' voice.
Thus, we arrive at "It's My Life", perhaps the most representative track of Talk Talk, often covered (by No Doubt, for example) and of great impact. It begins with a base of synthesizers accompanied by layers of keyboards that create a very relaxed atmosphere that then explodes in the chorus, interpreted with great intensity by Mark.
The fifth track, "Tomorrow Started", in my opinion, represents the masterpiece of the album. Simply stunning and moving for all its six minutes, it is also characterized by a slow and melancholic singing that progressively grows to the choruses, sustained with extraordinary expressive intensity.
The next track, "The Last Time" presents a higher rhythm, partially resuming the sounds and tempo of the title track, although it has less impact, but it's not bad.
"Call In The Night Boy" is another decent piece with a lively pace marked by the drums, where an engaging ensemble of synthesizers and keyboards is found.
The penultimate "Does Caroline Know?" is a completely different piece from the previous ones. Introduced and fueled by percussion and funky sounds, it is probably the weakest song of the album.
The ninth and final track "It's You" concludes the work worthily. With a fairly upbeat tempo reminiscent of "The Last Time", it features Hollis interpreting the song with full grit and the keyboards do a great job of accompanying him.
I discovered them about four years ago, finding this album on sale and then being very surprised by its quality-price ratio. A pleasant, engaging, and intense album that I recommend to all lovers of eighties sounds.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Dum Dum Girl (03:50)
Another sign with no regret
More coins inside her hand
One more time to own respect
No mercenary she stands
I'm no boy stealing pennies from the poor
Break it down
Can't you see she's the dum-dum girl
Another hand upon her hair
Time probably erased distaste
And so she's left outside of guilt
Break it down
Can't you see she's the dum-dum girl
02 Such a Shame (05:35)
Such a shame to believe in escape
'A life on every face'
And that's a change
Till I'm finally left with an eight
Tell me to relax, I just stare
Maybe I don't know if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Such a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Such a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
It's a shame
The dice decide my fate
And that's a shame
In these trembling hands my faith
Tells me to react, 'I don't care'
Maybe it's unkind that I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Such a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Such a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
Such a shame
Tell me to relax, I just stare
Maybe I don't know if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Such a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Such a shame
Number me in haste
It's a shame
Such a shame
Write it across my name
It's a shame
Such a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
Such a shame
03 Renée (06:22)
Well baby how the weeks fade
Baby was the best part of your youth a sensation
Yeah,
that's a change
I never thought I'd end up fooling you
D'you hear what they say?
All these people living up in our street,
well they say
"Out of touch,
she lives in faded dreams"
Renée
Baby how the weeks fade
Baby how the streets change
And maybe when the cheat plays
Maybe when the ace
falls from his suit
And he tells you
"Yeah that's the game.
I didn't want to lose it on the two"
You're playing his way,
but the prize that you've been
losing was youth
And I say
"Throw the ace,
and face up to the truth"
Renée
Baby how the weeks fade
Baby how the streets change
Renée
But baby as the weeks fade
Renée
Baby how the weeks fade
Baby how the streets change
Renée
But baby as the weeks fade,
and we've seen quite a few,
I don't know who's fooling who
I'm fooling you
04 It's My Life (03:53)
Funny how I find myself in love with you
If I could buy my reasoning I'd pay to lose
One half won't do
I've asked myself
How much do you commit yourself?
It's my life
Don't you forget
It's my life
It never ends
Funny how I blind myself
I never knew if I was sometimes played upon
Afraid to lose,
I'd tell myself what good do you do
Convince myself
It's my life
Don't you forget
It's my life
It never ends
I've asked myself
How much do you commit yourself?
It's my life
Don't you forget
Caught in the crowd
It never ends
05 Tomorrow Started (06:00)
Don't look back until you've tried
A line so openly a lie
'Outside of you, it's just tomorrow starting'
I've said I'm wrong when I've been right
I've seen times when I've been sure but still I find
I'm just the first that you take
Are there reasons everybody pays
They never seem to be any use
It's just tomorrow starting
Don't look back until you've tried
With time you'll endlessly arrive
Outside of use
With just tomorrow starting
See my eyes tell me I'm not lying
I'm just the first that you take
Are there reasons everybody pays
They never seem to be any use
It's just tomorrow started
06 The Last Time (04:23)
One by one
every courtesy is gone
and the show begins
Bring on the clowns
Pain is quiet
I've laughed at silence
for the last time
Let the show begin
for the last time
Sometimes one,
sometimes each of us is wrong
but the show begins
Bring on the clowns
blind to reason
These eyes are dreaming
for the last time
Let the show begin
for the last time
Let the show begin
(Instrumental)
Bring on the clowns
Smiling sweetly
doubt may leave me
for the last time
Let the show begin
for the last time
Let the show begin
Let the show begin
for the last time,
for the last time
Let the show begin
for the last time,
for the last time
for the last time,
for the last time,
for the last time
7. Call In The Night Boy
Say goodnight
Every hour brings
the morning of my life
Out of time
Every step I take
is further down the line
Here I stand left behind
My eyes open wide
If you need me you should try
calling the night boy
call in
call in the night boy
Say goodnight
Every hour brings
the morning of my life
Out of tune
Every breath I take
I take it over you
I don't care
what people say
I don't care
Night is Day
I'll remember if you say
call in the night boy
call in
call in the night boy
call in
(Instrumental)
Here I stand left behind
My eyes are open wide
If you need me you should try
calling the night boy
call in
call in the night boy
call in
call in the night boy,
calling the night boy,
calling the night boy,
call in
call in the night boy
call in
08 Does Caroline Know? (04:30)
Maybe when the heat's away
you're fine.
To put another drink away
is out of line. (out of line)
It's so easy with a thief to blame
for breaking every pledge I've made.
Does it matter
if I can't say Caroline knows?
Every little accident takes time.
Forget about mistakes I've made
they're left behind, (they're left behind)
It's so easy with a thief to blame
for breaking every pledge I've made.
Does it matter
if I can't say Caroline knows?
(Instrumental)
so easy with a thief to blame
for breaking every pledge I've made.
Does it matter
if I can't say
Does it matter
if I can't say Caroline knows?
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