Arguably the greatest band that I never saw live, Talk Talk's London 1986 live album is a taster of what I missed. I taped the BBC Live In Concert show off the radio when it was originally broadcast and I finally got an extract of the previous night's show when it was eventually released on CD in 1999. I'd also seen the Live At Montreux concert on TV and I snapped up the 2008 DVD version. All are arguably definitive documents of Talk Talk's final live performances, but Plaza Mayor, Salamanca, Spain on 13 September 1986 is another gig that I wish I'd made it to. Unfortunately, as a 15 year old, I'd only just started going to gigs in my hometown and The Colour Of Spring tour didn't get anywhere near Bristol, but Jeez, wouldn't it have been something...?
1) Talk Talk
2) Dum Dum Girl
3) Call In The Night Boy
4) Tomorrow Started
5) My Foolish Friend
6) Life's What You Make It
7) Mirror Man / Does Caroline Know?
8) It's You
9) Chameleon Day
10) Living In Another World
11) Give It Up
12) It's My Life
13) Such A Shame (encore)
14) Renée (encore)
* The concert ends at 1:24:58 - the remaining half an hour is an edit/medley of songs from earlier in the show.
It is a great comfort to me that I was able to, living in NYC, lucky enough to see Talk Talk times in the 80s. The debut album tour - 2 shows at The Ritz, and twice at Pier 84 to promote It's My Life and Colour Of Spring, I think both times opening for The Psychedelic Furs . Talk Talk is a band I have absolutely nothing bad to say about. there isn't a single track they ever released that I don't still cherish.
ReplyDeleteThe Colour Of Spring has a special place because it marked my final years at secondary (high) school and my first serious relationship (which, as a teen, was of course as emotionally charged as it was relatively short). My girlfriend and I were obsessed with Talk Talk: the music, the cover art by James Marsh, and trying to decipher Mark Hollis' lyrics. I had liked Talk Talk before, but this took it to another place. The Live In Concert broadcast on BBC Radio 1 was incredible, the version of Such A Shame especially. When Spirit Of Eden came out, I was single and having a tough time at college and the album had an immediate and lasting effect on me. I knew then that there was no hope of hearing these songs live. Much as I love The Psychedelic Furs, that must have been a heck of an opening act to follow, twice! Thanks for sharing, Echorich.
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