Spirit of Eden is the fourth album by the English band Talk Talk, released in 1988. Critical reception on release was mixed, and it was not a commercial success; still, its reputation has improved over the years, and it is now seen by some critics as influential to post-rock, a music genre that developed in Britain and North America in the 1990s. Numerous publications have retrospectively named it one of the best albums of the 1980s. The songs were written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene, and performed by numerous musicians using a diverse combination of instruments. The album developed from a lengthy recording process at Wessex Studios, London during 1987 and 1988: often working in darkness, the band recorded many hours of improvised performances, edited them down heavily, then arranged the remaining pieces into an album using digital equipment. The end product includes elements of rock, jazz, classical, and ambient music. The album, the fourth by the band, was released on the Parlophone record label, an imprint of EMI. In 2008, Alan McGee of the Guardian 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." Critics often view Spirit of Eden as a departure from Talk Talk's previous albums. Compared to their 1986 hit The Colour of Spring, it was commercially unsuccessful. While upon release it received mostly mixed to negative reviews, it has been acknowledged as being an influence in the musical development of a number of later alternative rock musicians and subgenres. Not only that, the album is also now regarded by many publications as one of the best albums of the 1980s. Spirit of Eden is the fourth album by the English band Talk Talk, released in 1988. Critical reception on release was mixed, and it was not a commercial success; still, its reputation has improved over the years, and it is now seen by some critics as influential to post-rock, a music genre that developed in Britain and North America in the 1990s. Numerous publications have retrospectively named it one of the best albums of the 1980s. The songs were written by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene, and performed by numerous musicians using a diverse combination of instruments. The album developed from a lengthy recording process at Wessex Studios, London during 1987 and 1988: often working in darkness, the band recorded many hours of improvised performances, edited them down heavily, then arranged the remaining pieces into an album using digital equipment. The end product includes elements of rock, jazz, classical, and ambient music. The album, the fourth by the band, was released on the Parlophone record label, an imprint of EMI. In 2008, Alan McGee of the Guardian 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." Critics often view Spirit of Eden as a departure from Talk Talk's previous albums. Compared to their 1986 hit The Colour of Spring, it was commercially unsuccessful. While upon release it received mostly mixed to negative reviews, it has been acknowledged as being an influence in the musical development of a number of later alternative rock musicians and subgenres. Not only that, the album is also now regarded by many publications as one of the best albums of the 1980s. false 2022-10-22 13:08:05 2001 2001-01-01 2001-01-01 40 Ambient Pop Art Rock Chamber Pop Experimental Rock Jazz New Wave Post-Punk Post-Rock 115733 2138347 ecd88e62-59fc-3d99-8947-d0e2b6cc3b4a a74f43e4-50c4-4b19-a2ce-c05ce9bccb03 fd29e2cd-9bd7-32c6-adf9-ce80ab1cadfc /media/data/media5/Music/Talk Talk/Spirit of Eden/folder.jpg Talk Talk Talk Talk 1 1 08:01 1 2 07:39 1 3 06:45 1 4 05:07 1 5 05:56 1 6 06:20 Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). Initially a synth-pop group, Talk Talk's first two albums, The Party's Over (1982) and It's My Life (1984), reached top 40 in the UK and produced the international hit singles "Talk Talk", "Today", "It's My Life", and "Such a Shame". They achieved widespread critical success in Europe and the UK with the album The Colour of Spring (1986) along with its singles "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World". 1988's Spirit of Eden moved the group towards a more experimental sound informed by jazz and free improvisation, pioneering what became known as post-rock; it was critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful. Friction with the band's label, EMI, resulted in legal action and countersuing. Webb departed, and the band switched to Polydor for their final studio album, 1991's Laughing Stock, but split soon afterwards. Singer Mark Hollis released one solo album in 1998 before retiring from the music industry; he died in 2019. The band's founding bass player and drummer, Paul Webb and Lee Harris, played in several bands together; long-term collaborator Tim Friese-Greene continued in the business as a musician and producer. Nettwerk America