Re: The Reaction

There is an awesome Beggars Banquet compilation from 1977 called "Streets" which features bands like the Doll, the Members, and others. One of the bands on it is called the Reaction, and they have a song called "Talk Talk Talk Talk." This song is very obviously the origin of the band Talk Talk (which had the popular 80s pop song of the same title). "Obvious" because parts of the 80s song were stolen from the 70s one. However, somebody on another website suggested that the Reaction was actually Talk Talk's prior incarnation. Any truth to this?

Secondly, I have an LP by a band called the Reaction from 1986 on Homestead Records. The album is called "Cracked Marbles." Are the 1977 Reaction and the 1986 Reaction the same band?

i have that record, and as i recall it's the same band. the producer was the singer's brother (Ed and Mark Hollis, is that it?); then they switched gears to do a Duran Duran thing with the guy who produced them...in any case, it's way better than the current no doubt destruction of their other song!

The 1986 Reaction were an occasionally brilliant mod/psych revival band from Ohio. Their finest moment is their "Tomorrow's Time Today" 45.

Best,

Jon

To Ira and Jon: thanks for the info. Agreed completely that the earlier Talk Talk Talk Talk song is far superior to the later 80s fluff. As for the 1986 Reaction, I confess I'm not 100% wild about their Cracked Marbles LP, but I'll keep my eye out for the 45 you mention.

Ed Hollis, by the way, was also Eddie and the Hotrods' producer, and in fact was the titular Eddie.

Incidentally, the trilogy of albums at the end of their career have a lot of fans over here in the UK among people who would not consider listening to the three pop EMI albums.

'Spirit of Eden' gets roundly dismissed in the TPRG, but they developed the sound in 1991's 'Laughing Stock' and on a 1998 release with many of the same musicians, released as 'Marc Hollis'.

It is moody and cerebral music, sold next to nothing, and is now subject to growing cult appreciation - eg Mojo's 'Top 100 albums of all time' list.

Marc Hollis appears to have vanished since then, but some of the band and several of the musicians on the later albums tour with Beth Orton from Portishead and play on her 'Out of Seaon' album.



Post Edited (03-25-04 10:57)

"I never make stupid mistakes. Only very, very clever ones." - John Peel

That's actually Beth Gibbons from Portishead, not Beth Orton.

i knew these guys--from a web page devoted to ohio punk


One eye on the '60s and another on the early-'80's West Coast neo-psychedelic scene, the Lakewood based Reactions were a refreshing three-minute pop song amidst the increasingly stagnating mid-'80's hardcore scene. With Dave Swanson's Who-like drumming, singer/guitarist Chuck Wagner's Television-esque playing and Brian McCafferty's driving uptempo bass, the band found itself on a diverse array of bills, from new wavers Wild Giraffes to the hardcore Idiot Humans. Releasing two 45s on St. Valentine Records in 1985 (Swanson was integral to the formation of the co-op label), the band attracted the NY-based indie Homestead Records which released Cracked Marbles, a six-song EP the following year. Breaking up soon after the record's release, Swanson went on to play in Death of Samantha, New Salem Witch Hunters, Supie-T's Getdown Airwaves and Cobra Verde, as well as his own Rainy Day Saints, which released two 45s in the early '90s on St. Valentine. McCafferty went on play in Beatnik Termites.