12×12 Original Remixes

Like most compilations for the band, 12 X 12 Original Remixes' concentration on Talk Talk's new romantic baby steps belie where their career truly went. Almost. Existing with an unassuming collector sparkle, the long parade of 12" mix after 12" mix might frustrate fans seeking out the most obscure material, yet -- as in the more subtle, wider scan of the pallid "It's My Life" -- its overall effect is of conveniently demonstrating the band's later, more obtuse strengths. The simple, extra-long introductions and postscripts repeatedly let the songwriting breathe, and because of this, some longtime fans might even prefer these 12" versions to any other kind. The compilation's Achilles' heel, however, might be how it barely touches the surface of the band's later, more experimental material. 1986's "Life's What You Make It" and "Happiness Is Easy" is about as far as it goes before it pulls a U-turn in the face of the brave Spirit of Eden or Laughing Stock side of the band. Which is somewhat ironic considering how much the later material implicitly invites a startling reworking somewhere down the line. Overall, while 12 X 12 Original Remixes is much better than a jaded, label-hating fan might have guessed, it sadly -- and probably most dangerously -- seldom reminds a passerby that Talk Talk could ever have had an intuitive impact on bands like Sigur Rós or albums like Kid A almost a decade after the group's demise. With this at stake, this addendum seems to leave the story quite unfinished.