SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – YESTERDAY’S FAVOURITE (A TRIBUTE TO TALK TALK)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
YESTERDAY’S FAVOURITE (A TRIBUTE TO TALK TALK)
COITUS INTERRUPTUS PRODUCTIONS

There are some artists in rock history that seem almost sacred and as such other bands have been reluctant to cover their songs. Bands like Joy Division, Japan, and The Blue Nile seem to have a ‘hands off’ policy with other bands. There have been covers but not to the same extent as other artists. Talk Talk is also one of those groups held in high esteem. No Doubt had a huge hit with their cover of “It’s My Life”, but really over the years Talk Talk has been held in such high regard that although they have been a huge influence on bands, their songs have been left to them. This album, produced by Coitus Interruptus Productions and Yvette Winkler, goes a long way to change that with 16 very different artists and interpretations of classic Talk Talk songs.

Talk Talk was a fascinating band. They started as part of the synthpop era but in a couple of albums moved away and started creating their own sound and genre. In this way they were the 1980s Beatles. Look how far Talk Talk progressed from their debut album to The Colour Of Spring in four short years. Much like The Beatles moved from Please Please Me to Rubber Soul (although The Beatles did it in two years). So, recording a Talk Talk tribute album means covering styles from very different eras of their music. Formed by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), Paul Webb (bass), and Simon Brenner (keyboards), over time it really became Hollis’s band. His vision of what a band could accomplish never wavered, and as such he created some amazing albums, and one stunning solo album.

Some of the choices are obvious and are some of the more well known Talk Talk songs, such as “Such A Shame” (done here by Codename Loa + Devoted Sinners in a very straight and energetic cover) and “Talk Talk” (interpreted here by NØIR vs Silver Walks who turn the song into a much more Dark Wave) and “Life Is What You Make It” (covered here by Krate and Yvette Winkler, making the song sound much less hopeful than the original).

Black Swan Lane take on “Desire” from Talk Talk’s classic Spirit Of Eden and really tap into the beauty of the song. G.W.Childs IV cover of “Happiness Is Easy” is brilliant, complete with old dial-up sounds buried in the mix. They have taken the song, which in Talk Talk’s hands was very melancholy, and made it quite creepy and ominous. IDLEYES take on “Hate” (from Talk Talk’s The Party’s Over album) is exciting and downright fist pumping. They take the song into a very energetic place.

While not all the covers work as well as others, what is clear is that these artists are doing these covers with a great deal of love and admiration for the band. There are a number of deep dives into Talk Talk’s albums, and this is not merely a cover of their greatest hits compilations. This is a loving tribute. It is interesting that Talk Talk’s masterpiece Laughing Stock is left alone, which just may be for the best, but as it is, this is a loving tribute to a brilliant band that should have given us much more music. The cover art is a wonderful tribute to Talk Talk’s latter-day albums. In total, a very solid and well-meant tribute album.

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