- Laughing Stock (album)
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Laughing Stock 
Studio album by Talk Talk Released 16 September 1991 Recorded 1990–1991, Wessex Studios, London Genre Art rock, post-rock, experimental rock, jazz Length 43:39 Label Verve, Polydor Producer Tim Friese-Greene Talk Talk chronology Spirit of Eden
(1988)Laughing Stock
(1991)Laughing Stock is the fifth and final studio album by Talk Talk. Released in 1991, it was the only album the band released on the jazz-based Verve Records, after acrimoniously leaving EMI.
Like its predecessor, Spirit of Eden, the album featured improvised instrumentation from a large ensemble of musicians, including as many as seven violists on occasion, and the lyrical themes are often religious. The recording sessions have attained near-mythical status among underground music fans;[citation needed] Tape Op magazine ran an extensive article detailing the demanding recording sessions, marked by Mark Hollis' perfectionist tendencies, and his use of candles and incense to set the mood. Engineer Phill Brown stated that the album, like its predecessor, was "recorded by chance, accident, and hours of trying every possible overdub idea."[1] However, compared to prior Talk Talk albums, he goes on to note that "Laughing Stock is a different beast. I am very proud of the album, it's probably one of my best projects.... but I find it dark and claustrophobic."[2]
Original bass guitarist Paul Webb had left the band prior to recording, reducing Talk Talk to the duo of Lee Harris and Mark Hollis.
Contents
Artwork
The cover art is by James Marsh, responsible for most of Talk Talk's artwork. Though similar to the cover of the band's previous album, the birds on Laughing Stock's spherical tree form the shapes of the Earth's continents.
Critical reception
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
[3]Sputnikmusic [4]Treble (Positive) [5] Pitchfork (10.0/10) [6] 
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.Reviews of the album were generally good; many[who?] tended to emphasize the fact that it spanned several genres, with some noting a stylistic kinship with Miles Davis's In a Silent Way album.
Laughing Stock was rated the eleventh-best album of the 1990s by Pitchfork Media, describing the album as "...a record that makes its own environment and becomes more than the sum of its sounds."[7]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Tim Friese-Greene and Mark Hollis.
No. Title Length 1. "Myrrhman" 5:33 2. "Ascension Day" 6:00 3. "After the Flood" 9:39 4. "Taphead" 7:39 5. "New Grass" 9:40 6. "Runeii" 4:58 There is a brief, untitled instrumental fragment preceding "Taphead" at the beginning of side 2 on the LP/cassette version. This is present on the US CD, but the UK omits it with "After The Flood" crossfading into "Taphead".
2011 Vinyl Reissue
On October 11th, 2011, Ba Da Bing Records released Laughing Stock on vinyl. This marks the first time that the album has been issued on vinyl in the US. [8]
Personnel
Musical
- Lee Harris - drums
- Mark Feltham - harmonica
- Martin Ditcham - percussion
- Mark Hollis - vocals, guitar, piano, organ
- Tim Friese-Greene - organ, piano, harmonium
- Levine Andrade, Stephen Tees, George Robertson, Gavyn Wright, Jack Glickman, Wilf Gibson, Garfield Jackson - viola
- Simon Edwards, Ernest Mothle - acoustic bass
- Roger Smith, Paul Kegg - cello
- Henry Lowther - trumpet, flugelhorn
- Dave White - contra bass clarinet
Technical
- Phill Brown - engineer
- James Marsh - cover illustration
Notes
- ^ http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425/IntWWpb1198.html
- ^ http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425/IntWWpb1198.html
- ^ Laughing Stock (album) at Allmusic
- ^ Sputnikmusic review
- ^ Treble review
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Top 100 Albums of the 1990s; 20-11". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/9/.
- ^ "Mark Hollis and Talk Talk Re-release!". Ba Da Bing Records. http://www.badabingrecords.com/2011/08/mark-hollis-and-talk-talk-rerelease/.
Albums Singles Compilations Video Live at Montreux 1986Related articles Categories:- Talk Talk albums
- 1991 albums
- Post-rock albums
- Polydor Records albums
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