MARK HOLLIS
TALK TALK singer dies aged 64
On this day in music history: February 27, 1984 - “It’s My Life”, the second album by Talk Talk is released. Produced by Tim Friese-Greene, it is recorded at Wessex Studios in London from Mid - Late 1983. Originally formed in 1981, Talk Talk first consists of Mark Hollis (lead vocals), Lee Harris (drums), Paul Webb (bass) and Simon Brenner (keyboards). Signed to EMI Records in 1981, Talk Talk draw comparisons to label mates Duran Duran, even sharing the same producer Colin Thurston for their first album “The Party’s Over”. Spinning off four singles including “Talk Talk” (#23 UK, #75 US Pop), the band shifts their musical path. Before this occurs, Simon Brenner leaves and is not replaced. Talk Talk hire Tim Friese-Greene, having worked on Thomas Dolby’s debut “The Golden Age Of Wireless”. Not only does Friese-Greene produce the band, he becomes its unofficial fourth member. They are supported in the studio by Robbie McIntosh (guitar), Ian Curnow, Phil Ramocon (keyboards), Morris Pert (percussion), Henry Lowther (trumpet) and Phil Spalding (bass). Also taking an interest in the visual aspect of their music, Talk Talk work with director Tim Pope. Having created memorable music videos for The Cure, Soft Cell and Altered Images, Pope and the band form a lasting creative alliance. The title track “It’s My Life” (#46 UK, #31 US Pop, #1 US Club Play) is released in January of 1984. Looking down upon lip synching in videos, Hollis refuses to do so in the clip for “Life”. The video consists of shots of Hollis wandering around the London Zoo, inter cut with wildlife nature footage. The singer’s anti lip synching stance is further emphasized, when animated black bars and other symbols appear over his mouth in the video. Unhappy at the move, EMI insist that the band make a second clip, which features the original video back projected while they deliberately mime to it poorly and humorously. While it misses the top 40 in the UK, “It’s My Life” is Talk Talk’s breakthrough in North America. The Canadian release contains the extended 12" mix of the title track, rather than the regular 7"/LP mix. It spins off two more singles including “Such A Shame” (#49 UK, #89 US Pop, #12 US Club Play), and “Dum Dum Girl” (Europe, Australia and New Zealand only). The album’s striking cover is painted by artist James Marsh, incorporating images from British Victorian artist John Everett Millais’ work “The Boyhood Of Raleigh”. Regarded as an 80’s classic, “It’s My Life” continues to enjoy popularity, and is later covered by No Doubt in 2003. Originally released on CD in 1985, “Life” is remastered and reissued in 1997. The reissue features the song lyrics in the booklet, handwritten by Mark Hollis. Out of print on vinyl since 1989, it is remastered and reissued as a 180 gram LP by Simply Vinyl in 2000, and again by EMI in 2017. “It’s My Life” peaks at number thirty five on the UK album chart, and number forty two on the Billboard Top 200.[Thanks to Jeff Harris' blog Behind The Grooves]
Mark Hollis's death, after "a short illness from which he never recovered", was confirmed by his former manager on 26 February 2019
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