RIP Mark Hollis?

Multiple sources (post-punk.com, Louder Than War, Hollis' cousin-in-law Anthony Costello) are reporting that Talk Talk's Mark Hollis died today.

This just in: NME has picked up the story, but is saying "reportedly" died.

Here.

Oh so sad. Pitchfork just did a big retrospective on SPIRIT OF EDEN last month. [pitchfork.com]

A pity. "Talk Talk" certainly got more ambitious as they went along. I have his solo album but still need some of the later Talk Talk albums. It's funny how he basically turned into Scott Walker of the 80s and early 90s while Scott has gotten more gregarious in the last 20 years.



Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

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Damn. I know he grew increasingly disgusted with the music business, but I wish he could've kept releasing music on an indie label. I'm listening to IT'S MY LIFE now. This tends to get overlooked in favor of Talk Talk's two post-rock albums, but it's an excellent pop album. With the benefit of hindsight, one can see that it's closer to Roxy Music than Duran Duran, and while it's basically synth-pop, there are touches of acoustic guitar and flute.

PS: Apparently, Hollis composed music for the TV show BOSS after his 1998 solo album, although I only learned about this today.

I was just reading about Mark's disappearance from the music biz, and his lone solo album, just last week.

[www.google.com]

I think it's official now per the NME link in Michael Toland's original post.

Such a shame.

Yeah, his manager confirmed it this morning.

There are some good pieces in the Guardian and, of all places, the AV Club today.

I always liked the radio songs I heard, but I didn't really get into the band until the so-called "post rock" albums. I haven't yet worked my way back to the pop albums, but I mean to.

Quote

I haven't yet worked my way back to the pop albums, but I mean to.

Well, then I suggest you work your way backwards. It will be less jarring.

The Colour of Spring has bits of both approaches, so it's prepped me for the pop stuff.

Funny, Ira seems fairly baffled by the later Talk Talk albums. Me, I groove to 'em like I would to a '70s German thang. Head-noddin', hypnotic, motoric groovin'...check "After the Flood" for the best song Neu! never did.

As I'm reading Ben Wardle's Hollis bio A Perfect Silence, I have indeed, as mentioned in the thread, worked my way back to the pop records. The first one is solid synth-pop, with pretty good songs given now-dated production - I like it, but I don't know if I'd recommend it to Spirit of Eden or Laughing Stock fanatics. But I think Steve E is right about It's My Life - it's a strong pop record. Good songs, with some hints ("Tomorrow Started") of where Hollis would take the band later. I can certainly see how these albums would feel dismissable at the time they came out, or even just a decade later, but in retrospect I think they're better records than what most of their peers were doing at the time.