Talk Talk’s ‘Spirit of Eden’ — from flop to cult favorite

Talk Talk recorded nearly a year of improvised studio sessions and then cut and pasted them into six extended tracks for Spirit of Eden, working in dimly lit sessions and assembling takes manually rather than with digital editing.

When the band presented the moody, patient song cycle to its label, executives were aghast; Mark Hollis refused to make changes or to tour behind the record. Released in 1988, Spirit of Eden sold a fraction of its predecessor and was a commercial flop.

Over subsequent decades the album accrued a devoted following and has been cited as an influence on post‑rock, shoegaze and slowcore, with many artists and producers praising its editing-driven approach and dynamic range.

Hollis largely withdrew from public life and died in 2019, and other band members have generally been reticent; the vinyl reissue was overseen by drummer Lee Harris, remastered at half-speed, and contains no previously unreleased material.

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