Spirit of Eden

Spirit of Eden is the fourth studio album by English band Talk Talk, released by Parlophone Records on 12 September 1988. It was compiled from a lengthy recording process at London's Wessex Studios between 1987 and 1988, with songs written by singer Mark Hollis and producer Tim Friese-Greene. Often working in darkness, the band recorded many hours of improvised performances that drew on elements of jazz, ambient, classical music, blues, and dub. These long-form recordings were then heavily edited and re-arranged into an album in mostly digital format. The results were a radical departure from Talk Talk's earlier synth-pop recordings, and would later be credited with pioneering the post-rock genre. In 2013, NME ranked Spirit of Eden at number 95 in its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". At the same time, minimalist songs like "April 5th," "Chameleon Day," and the B-side "It's Getting Late in the Evening" pointed towards the band's next direction.

Music

Recording

Following the commercial success of The Colour of Spring, EMI gave Talk Talk an open budget for the recording of their next album, Spirit of Eden. Talk Talk were given complete control over the recording process; their manager and EMI executives were barred from studio sessions.

The sessions took place in a blacked-out studio, with an oil projector and strobe lighting. Engineer Phill Brown said that the album, along with its successor, was "recorded by chance, accident, and hours of trying every possible overdub idea." According to Brown, "twelve hours a day in the dark listening to the same six songs for eight months became pretty intense. There was very little communication with musicians who came in to play. They were led to a studio in darkness and a track would be played down the headphones." Although the album is noted for its tranquil soundscapes, Graham Sutton of Bark Psychosis notes "Noise is important. I could never understand people I knew who liked Talk Talk and saw it as something 'nice to chill out to' when I loved the overwhelming intensity and the dynamics."

Mark Hollis' lyrics reflect his religious and spiritual outlook. Though he acknowledges that his lyrics are religious, he says they are not based on a specific creed, preferring to think of them as "humanitarian." "I Believe in You" has been described as an "anti-heroin song."

Despite their reservations towards Spirit of Eden, EMI chose to exercise their option to extend the recording contract. The band, however, wanted out of the contract. "I knew by that time that EMI was not the company this band should be with," manager Keith Aspden told Mojo. "I was fearful that the money wouldn't be there to record another album."

The case centred on whether EMI had notified the band in time about the contract extension. As part of the agreement, EMI had to send a written notice within three months after the completion of Spirit of Eden. The band said that EMI had sent the notice too late, arguing that the three-month period began once recording had finished; EMI argued that the three-month period did not begin until they were satisfied with the recording, on the basis that the definition of an "album" in the contract provided that the album had to be "commercially satisfactory". The band disputed this, particularly on the basis that there were no changes made to the album in the space between its recording and eventual release. Justice Andrew Morritt ruled in favour of EMI, but his decision was overturned in the Court of Appeal. Evaluating some masterpieces of the eighties in a 2004 article for The Guardian, John Robinson calls Spirit of Eden, like David Sylvian's Brilliant Trees, "triumphant, [but] completely unmarketable."

Although the band did not originally plan to release a single, EMI issued a radio edit of "I Believe in You" in September 1988 (the previously unreleased "John Cope" was included as the B-side). The single failed to breach the UK singles chart Top 75. Around August, Tim Pope directed a music video for "I Believe in You", featuring Hollis sitting with his guitar, singing the lyrics. "That was a massive mistake," said Hollis. "I thought just by sitting there and listening and really thinking about what it was about, I could get that in my eyes. But you cannot do it. It just feels stupid." The band would never tour again.

Spirit of Eden was released worldwide in 1988. It did not enjoy nearly as much commercial success as The Colour of Spring. The album spent five weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 19. The album cover depicts a tree festooned with seashells, snails, birds, and insects. It was illustrated by James Marsh, who did Talk Talk's artwork throughout their recording career. The booklet provides reproductions of Hollis' handwritten lyrics. The album was digitally remastered by Phill Brown and Denis Blackham in 1997.

Critical reception

Spirit of Eden has been both acclaimed and panned by numerous music critics. Among contemporary reviews of Spirit of Eden, Record Mirrors Betty Page commented that Talk Talk had become "a law unto themselves, unconstrained by narrow ideas of 'what will sell'",

Spirit of Eden has received more unanimous acclaim in the decades following its release. AllMusic reviewer Jason Ankeny considered the album, in its eschewing of "electronics for live, organic sounds" and of "structure in favor of mood and atmosphere", an "unprecedented breakthrough". Doves, Elbow have praised Spirit of Eden or have cited it as an influence.

In 2008 Alan McGee wrote: "Spirit of Eden has not dated; it's remarkable how contemporary it sounds, anticipating post-rock, The Verve and Radiohead. It's the sound of an artist being given the keys to the kingdom and returning with art."

Mark Lager, writing about the album on its 30th anniversary in September 2018 for PopMatters, similarly stated that Spirit of Eden "influenced and inspired the three most experimental and innovative albums of the 1990s: Lazer Guided Melodies (Spiritualized), A Storm in Heaven (The Verve), and Hex (Bark Psychosis). All three albums followed its patterns of dynamic intensity, free jazz improvisations, and spaces of silence."

Spirit of Eden was voted number 419 in the 2000 edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums. In 2006, Q placed Spirit of Eden at number 31 in its list of the "40 Best Albums of the '80s" and in 2013, NME ranked the record at number 95 in its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Track listing

Notes:

Original CD pressings combine "The Rainbow", "Eden" and "Desire" into one track running 23:11.
Later CD pressings separate tracks differently than the LP, resulting in "The Rainbow" lasting 8:02 and "Eden" lasting 7:39.

Personnel

Talk Talk

Mark Hollis – vocals, electric guitar, organ, melodica, piano, and Variophon (uncredited)
Lee Harris – drums
Paul Webb – electric bass guitar

Additional personnel

Tim Friese-Greene – harmonium, piano, organ, guitar
Martin Ditcham – percussion
Robbie McIntosh – dobro, twelve-string guitar
Mark Feltham – harmonica
Simon Edwards – Mexican bass
Danny Thompson – double bass
Henry Lowther – trumpet
Nigel Kennedy – violin
Hugh Davies – shozygs
Andrew Stowell – bassoon
Michael Jeans – oboe
Andrew Marriner – clarinet
Christopher Hooker – cor anglais
Choir of Chelmsford Cathedral
Phill Brown – engineering, bowed guitar
Tim Friese-Greene – production
James Marsh – cover art

Charts

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!Chart (1988)

!Peak<br/>position

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!Chart (2019–2025)

!Peak<br/>position

! scope="row"| Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)

|align="center"| 18

Certifications

References