The Colour of Spring
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Colour of Spring is the third studio album by English post-rock band Talk Talk, released in 1986.
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Composition
Musically, The Colour of Spring was a major step away from the synthesised pop of early Talk Talk, with a greater focus on guitars, pianos, and organs on such songs as "Life's What You Make It", "Living in Another World" and "Give It Up". It had a sound described by the band as much more organic than their earlier records, with the improvisation that was to dominate on their later works already apparent in the recording process.
Cover
The album cover was designed by James Marsh, who also designed the band's other album covers.
Reception
The Colour of Spring became the band's highest selling non-compilation studio album, reaching the Top 20 in numerous countries (topping the Dutch charts), including the UK, where it reached No. 8 and stayed in the UK charts for 21 weeks. It did not quite match the sales of its predecessor in the United States but was nonetheless their last album to enter the Billboard 200, reaching number 58.
With its international hit "Life's What You Make It", Talk Talk expanded their fan base, and it earned the band the third of their three American hits, along with 1984's "It's My Life" and "Such a Shame".
Personnel
Credits per album notes.
- Talk Talk
- Mark Hollis – lead vocals, piano (except on tracks 1, 2, and 8), organ (track 4), Variophon (tracks 4 and 7), Mellotron (track 6), melodica (track 8), electric guitar (track 8)
- Lee Harris – drums
- Paul Webb – bass guitar (tracks 2, 5, 6, and 8), backing vocals (tracks 3 and 5)
- Additional personnel
- Tim Friese-Greene – producer, piano (tracks 1, 2, and 8), organ (tracks 3, 6 and 8), Mellotron (track 3), Variophon (tracks 4 and 7), Kurzweil Synthesizer (track 1)
- Ian Curnow – synthesizers (tracks 2 and 6)
- Martin Ditcham – percussion (except on track 2)
- Mark Feltham – harmonica (track 5)
- Alan Gorrie – electric bass (track 1)
- Robbie McIntosh – guitar (tracks 1, 2, 5 and 8), Dobro (tracks 4 and 6)
- Morris Pert – percussion (tracks 1, 2, 5, and 8)
- Phil Reis – percussion (track 1)
- David Rhodes – guitar (tracks 3, 5, and 6)
- David Roach – soprano saxophone (tracks 2, 4, and 5)
- Gaynor Sadler – harp (track 2)
- Danny Thompson – acoustic bass (track 1)
- Ambrosian Singers – choir (track 8)
- Steve Winwood – organ (tracks 1, 2, and 5)
- Dennis Weinrich – engineer
- Dietmar Schillinger – engineer
- Paul Schroeder – engineer
- Pete Wooliscroft – engineer
- James Marsh – cover art
Charts
