Laughing stick
| Laughing stick | ||||
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| Talk Talk studio album | ||||
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Publication |
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admission |
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| Label (s) |
Verve Records Polydor Records |
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
6th |
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running time |
43:34 |
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| occupation |
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Tim Friese-Greene |
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Studio (s) |
Wessex Sound Studios, London |
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Laughing Stock is Talk Talk's fifth and final studio album. It was released in 1991 and was the only album by the band that was released on the jazz-loving Verve Records labelafter the bandleft EMI in the dispute.
Like the previous album Spirit of Eden (1988), it is considered one of the pioneering albums of post-rock .
Style and history
The album often includes improvised music by a large ensemble of musicians with a large set of instruments. There were seven violinists , for example . The genesis of the album is described as an odyssey , just comparable to the recordings for Loveless from My Bloody Valentine . The specialist magazine Tape Op on music production reported in a long article about the gnawing and long album recordings, which were driven by Mark Hollis ' perfectionism and his urge to create the right mood while recording with candles and incense sticks .
The actual bassist Paul Webb had left the band before the album was recorded.
reception
| source | rating |
|---|---|
| Allmusic |
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| New Musical Express |
 
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| Pitchfork Media |
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Reviews of the album were generally positive. Many emphasized that the album served different genres. So the music was compared with the stylistic achievements of Miles Davis . As with Spirit of Eden , the subjects in the lyrics are often religious. The album, along with the previous album, is considered to be one of the first albums to serve a genre that became known as post rock in the 1990s .
According to Pitchfork Media, Laughing Stock is the eleventh best album of the 90s: “An album that creates its own environment and becomes more than the sum of its sounds. The word 'enchanting' just hits the mark. "
The album reached # 37 on the list of 100 records of the century , curated by Viva Zwei and spex .
At allmusic , the critic Jason Ankeny writes due to his album rating of 5 out of 5 stars:
"A work of amazing complexity and poignant beauty, Laughing Stock remains an undervalued masterpiece and its echoes can be heard today through much of the finest experimental music influenced by the album."
Artwork
The album cover is from James Marsh, who was responsible for most of the Talk Talks artwork. It is similar to the cover of its predecessor, but the birds on the circular tree of the cover are shaped according to the five continents of the world.
Track list
All songs are by Mark Hollis and Tim Friese-Greene.
- Myrrhman - 5:33
- Ascension Day - 6:00
- After The Flood - 9:39
- Taphead - 7:39
- New Grass - 9:40
- Runeii - 4:58
Before Taphead there is a short, untitled and instrumental fragment at the beginning of the 2nd page on the LP / MC version. This fragment can also be found on the US version of the CD, but not on the UK version of the CD.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Review by Jason Ankeny on allmusic.com (accessed February 26, 2019)
- ↑ Review by Neil Thomson on nme.com (accessed February 26, 2019)
- ↑ Review by Jess Harvell on pitchfork.com (accessed February 26, 2019)
- ↑ Top 100 Albums of the 1990s; 20-11 . Pitchfork Media . Retrieved January 8, 2011.
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↑ English original:
A work of staggering complexity and immense beauty, Laughing Stock remains an under-recognized masterpiece, and its echoes can be heard throughout much of the finest experimental music issued in its wake.
- ^ Laughing Stock: Talk Talk - Review
Web links
- Reviews of Laughing Stock on the baby blue pages
- Laughing Stock at Allmusic (English)