Talk Talk – Live At Montreaux, 1986

Talk Talk – Live At Montreaux, 1986
Talk Talk live at Montreaux

While its presence on the YouTubes is a little dubious – it was commercially released on DVD in 2008 – the world is a better place for the ability to watch Talk Talk perform in stunning quality at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in July 11th 1986, circa The Colour Of Spring, and part of their final tour before becoming a studio-only entity for their last two records.

Like many, I mostly knew the band from their ’80s hits but also had their 1998 post-rock blueprint Spirit Of Eden in my collection since the early ’00s because it was spoken of in hushed, reverent tones by artists I liked. I didn’t really get it at the time – or more accurately, didn’t give it the patience it deserved – but after Mark Hollis’ untimely passing in 2019 I went down a Talk Talk rabbit hole and simultaneously educated myself in their earlier, pop records and the later avant-garde ones. And while I will go so far as to say “I get it” now, I’ll also be uncovering new things with each listen for a long time.

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By Jock Sturges
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