“Talk Talk” was undoubtedly the most innovative band of the 1980s. After three highly successful pop albums and numerous hits such as “Such a Shame” or “Living in Another World”, the band fronted by the brilliant singer, musician, and composer Mark Hollis drifted off on their last two albums into ever-higher musical spheres and 1992 finally broke up, disappearing into thin air. After a single solo record, in 1998, Mark Hollis also disappeared from the public sphere – and has to this day not yet re-surfaced. A new edition of the first four albums, including the masterpiece “Spirit of Eden”, is bringing the band and their charismatic head back into our collective memory.

“The Dice Man” is a novel by the American author George Cockcroft, published under the pseudonym of Luke Rheinhart. It is about a psychiatrist who begins to make his decisions based on the throw of a dice out of sheer weariness and thus starts a veritable cult, which then shakes the foundations of society. Mark Hollis took the book as an inspiration for the biggest hit of his band: “Such 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

Mark Hollis, too, wanted to become a psychologist originally, but abandoned his studies again in 1975 at the age of 20 and in 1977 went on to form the band “The Reaction” in London. Already at that time, a demo version of the song, which was to provide the name for his later band, was recorded: “Talk Talk Talk Talk” was the title originally. This was to become the name (and eponymous first hit) of the band: “Talk Talk”, which refers to gossip, gibberish and the like.

Compared initially with bands such as “Duran Duran” – not least because of the repetition in the band name, but also because of their shared producer (Colin Thurston) – “Talk Talk” quickly developed a style of their own, characterized essentially by Mark Hollis’ insistent voice. The rather inconspicuous, small singer had a repertoire, which could suddenly change from a quiet, almost trembling voicelet to an explosive “organ”. Similar to the musical rhythm of many of his songs, which often began cautious and reserved, almost repressed, to then let rip all of a sudden.

Through his big brother, DJ and band Manager Ed Hollis, Mark Hollis (left) had met his new fellow musicians: drummer Lee Harris (right) and bassist Paul Webb (mid). While the three of them were still complemented on their debut album “The Party’s Over” by keyboardist Simon Brenner, shortly thereafter, he left the band again because Hollis wanted to employ less synthesizer and not be pegged as “New Wave” or “New romantic”.

A trend that he pursued on each follow-up album, until the synthetic sounds finally disappeared for good from the music of “Talk Talk”. In Tim Friese-Greene, who himself never played live with the band and who did not even act as an official member or appear on promotional photos, in 1983, Mark Hollis found his congenial composition partner and producer.

1984 to 1986 were the most successful years for the band. The second album with the defiant title “It’s my Life” was the biggest commercial success of “Talk Talk” and delivered, with “Dum Dum Girl”, “Such a Shame”, the title song “It’s my life” and “Tomorrow started”, 4 hits right off the bat. This includes the enchantingly beautiful album track “Renée”, highlight of each live concert.

On the fantastic tour with the third album “The Colour of Spring” with, once more, 4 successful single releases (“life’s what you make it”, “Living in Another World”, “Give it up” and “I don’t believe in you”), the band were at the zenith of their career.

But there were already first signs on “The Colour of Spring” which hinted at where the journey was headed: the piece “April 5th” for example, whose line “waiting for the colours of spring” provided the album title – more sound collage than song structure.

There were no dice to make Mark Hollis embark on another way than that desired by the record company EMI. (Or were there?) After the band’s commercial success, he had won himself the right to do just what he wanted. And that is exactly what he did now, retreated to an old church in Suffolk, worked on new songs in there for months, no longer gave anything away – and no longer met that many completion deadlines.

The result was, in 1988, “The Spirit of Eden”, an album critically acclaimed as a masterpiece – and a commercial suicide: six extra-long pieces, which had been mixed from several hours of improvisation to finally form a total work of art which is considered seminal still today, but which was a flop with the general public. Actually, a jazz album, which also violinist Nigel Kennedy and Stockhausen disciple Hugh Davis had significantly contributed to as studio musicians.

All “Talk Talk” covers were illustrated by James Marsh.

“The Spirit of Eden” actually no longer allowed for single releases. When EMI – against Mark Hollis’ wishes – still released “I believe in you”, it constituted the split between band and label.

For Mark Hollis, the way was now free for the Polydor records jazz label “Verve” and the last, now completely spaced-out “Talk Talk” album: in 1992, with “The Laughing Stock”, the intensification, so to speak, of “The Spirit of Eden” was released. That was the end of “Talk Talk”. After bassist Paul Webb had already left the band after “Eden”, now also drummer Lee Harris finally recalled his allegiance to the by now completely spiritualized Mark Hollis. Co-author, producer and keyboardist Tim Friese-Greene gave up as quietly as he had joined the band.

Mark Hollis finally wrote the swan song to his career in 1998 with a by now completely introverted solo album: “Mark Hollis”. Besides him, there was only David Sylvian, the former singer of the band “Japan”, who could afford to do such a thing. Then, the brilliant singer, musician and composer withdrew completely from the public sphere and now lives in London with his wife and two children.

Only a single photo from 2004 bears witness to the fact that Mark Hollis still exists. It shows him and BMI Manager Nick Robinson at the presentation of an award. The American band “No Doubt” had successfully covered the Talk Talk hit “It’s my Life”, and Hollis was honoured as the author of the song.

He resembles a Catholic social worker and looks at the camera as if he could not count to 3. The four first Talk Talk albums, released on EMI, came out – re-mastered – in late March and Mid-April as CD and DVD, respectively; two of them, “Spirit of Eden” and “The Colours of Spring”, also on vinyl. Mark Hollis continues to have disappeared without a trace.