I was 7 when this album was released and my brother bought it immediately and played it a lot. As a result, it has become so much a part of me, the very fabric of who I am, that it is very hard to listen to it with a critical ear. Instead, it transcends criticism and simply is. Sure, that's a very personal perpsective and I doubt anyone else will read this comment and be all "Oh, yeah, I see that now! I will adopt that approach to it !" but there you go. That's the shape this album has in my head. I've always loved the climax of this track and how it so abruptly cuts off. Listening to it with headphones and no other distractions, that moment of silence is an awesome feeling (what is that, anyway? There is no sound yet my brain is still telling me I'm having an auditory experience right at that moment).
Very Jazzy indeed! In fact I recently noticed that my CD copy, of this album, sports the logo of the, "Verve" Jazz label. This is probably my favourite track. Mark's voice sounds slightly older and huskier than before, giving his vocals just a slight hint of Peter Gabriel. I was disappointed that Paul Webb was not involved with this album, but great drumming from Lee Harris!
I'm glad you did this track. I love the Jazz throughout this song and it shows the versatility of the band...an acoustic Bass and organ.....Love their Jazz tunes!!! Thanks for reacting to it!!! Good reaction!!!!
I’m glad you got to hear that cut off of the track into After The Flood. Because you’re doing this one track at a time I was worried you’d miss it. Such a masterpiece drummer: Lee Harris
I like that one anagram of 'Ascension day' is 'Noise as candy' because this track starts off steady then hits you with a cacophony of every instrument on hand to then simmer down adding Hollis's vocals to the mix, i like bands that are not afraid to try something different. This track and the whole album sounds just as good now as when i played it on day of release, if not better.
Awesome track off a superb album, please play After the Flood next. A suggestion for a listen would be Elbow heavily influenced by Talk Talk. Try either Powder Blue off Asleep in the Back, Fugitive Motel off a Cast of Thousands, or Grounds for Divorce and Mirrorball of The Seldom Seen Kid. Love your show BTW.
I bought this album the day it came out and have listened to it 100s of times since. This is probably the track that has grown on me the most - love it.
The intro caught me too. I am also liking the paucity of sound. The empty spaces. The crescendo to the next song's quiet at the end works - excepting I was wishing the quiet to happen a couple measures sooner. Only a couple measures. The crescendo subtracts from the strength of the empty spaces. (only my opinion after a first listen)
I don't usually like Talk Talk all that much, but that was good! Reminded me just a bit of some passages from Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom. Speaking of which, are you ever going to get back to the second half of that masterpiece? (If you just found Rock Bottom too strange for your taste, but you're still curious about Wyatt, you might try Ruth is Stranger Than Richard. Yes, despite the title, it's not as strange as Rock Bottom, and almost as good - or some might say better, depending on taste, especially if they lean towards jazz.)
And great song analysis and lyric interpretation, Justin! Also in relation to 'After The Flood'! I'm very much looking forward to your video about that song! 😊👍
If you look into the post-rock genre, you'll find many who were influenced by TT. Heres a good recent discovery: osoleone.bandcamp.com/album/gallery-love-4
JP, you might enjoy Elbow, who are big fans of Talk Talk, but add a fairly big sample of Peter Gabriel to their mix - they covered PG's Mercy Street, in return PG covered their Mirrorball . You can hear the influence of Laughing Stock on some Radiohead tracks - thinking of one in particular on Amnesiac which sounds like it was written in Ascension Day's mold.
The slightly off-key guitar throws some nice filth into the sound. Distortion is all good and well, but rubbing notes are sometimes better. (I agree entirely that the space they leave gives the song some dimensions and light-shining-through that it would otherwise have lacked, had it been tidily packed up tight.) I enjoyed that a lot. (So maybe for me to like a Talk Talk song I need not to have heard it far too many times - often with life in danger from killer bouncers unable to understand one's expressive turns and so on.) Due to a certain obsession, it reminds me of the lovely wonky-tonk piano cover *mr Brown* did of *Big Ship* when he had someone's wonky piano available for this. ua-cam.com/video/MjV0J0C-gsQ/v-deo.html
@@jaybird4093 Fair enough. (You should probably avoid the wonky piano, too, then. Unless they have different effects on you - always possible when it comes to how things feel.) :D
The day I first heard it, it must have been soon after its release (1991?), and back then I thought it was from the '70s! Also a great example of how to use odd time as foundation rather than novelty.
It may be premature to say this after just two tracks, but so far this album has grabbed me in a way that none of the previous Talk Talk I've heard on the channel has.
Talk Talk just gets better with each sequential album. If I had to rank their five albums it’d literally be their catalogue in reverse. But I still love the early Poppy stuff
Ayo justin got a recommendation, this japanese band called fishmans, Most of their tunes are reggae / dub / funk rock, but around 1996-98 they were doing some insanely psychedelic, floaty dream pop, The lead singer, shinji sato, passed away just as they were progressing into their more psychedelic sound, their last track recorded "Yumareki in the air" is 13 mins long and is one of his best vocal performances, the lyrics (when translated) are extremely heartfelt and emotional too. The untimely death of sato has leaves a strangely melancholic vibe to music that is supposed to be fun and relaxing. Also alongside yumareki id recommend one of their hit tracks "baby blue", can just feel the hot sun of a warm summers day just by hearing that bassline, very upbeat happy song. They remained a very obscure band, not even that famous in japan at the time let alone outside of japan, its only in recent years music nerds uncovered fishmans. Also they're amazing live, some of their live albums have songs better than the studio ones. Yknow its a good band when they outperform their studio stuff on the stage. Shinji sato is up there with peter hammill in terms of greatest vocalists of all time ngl
Great song. Puzzle lyrics. I thought it to be about a child of 2 years old with a pious mother. They get separated. Ascension day and hell. Double deal: destined for heaven or hell. Child has inherited sin. Love should make the difference instead of luck indeed
Whisper,whisper, he will rise. Talk, Talk, he shall rise to the sky's.. Shout, shout, he has risen. To all good men, lift your eye's, Ascension Day, the path to Heaven, he has given.(meh)? Did not want you to stop, next time let it play! Peace & Love.
Detuned guitar chords are angry and interesting. I do think he should have stayed away from off single notes… annoying a bit. Overall, another interesting thing I didn’t hate.
I’m surprised that nobody took the time to tune the guitar properly. It’s hard for me to get past it. In fact, the pitch is off with respect to the harmonica, too. Kind of painful.
@@jamesadkisson7510 can’t find anything definitive but I did see an interview where Hollis said he used a cheap Vox guitar on this album. A cheap instrument would have intonation problems so that makes sense. Only certain notes on the recording are out of tune and likely one string.
@@jaybird4093 I actually knew a band or two that during recording would pull out some instrument, like a recorder or toy keyboard and when it was pointed out that the intonation was off Talk Talk and Bark Psychosis were held as examples of recordings where that didn’t matter. I think Hollis and company just didn’t care that it was a bit off, went with the feeling that all sounds work together. But that attitude became an aesthetic that I encountered a few times.
@@jaybird4093 I hear ya, but sometimes feelings aren’t necessarily translated with a perfectly tuned instrument. My Dad passed last week and the chord slashes were perfect for my state of mind right now. Another day, probably would bother me.
I’m adding a new a term to my list of words that annoy me in the comments… masterpiece. I’ve read that a couple times with respect to this album and I’m not getting it. Another misused word, like genius, and soon to be added, legend.
To think the drummer gave up his self-fulfillment just to hold you by the hand and watch your every step through the whole piece, and you still failed...
I was 7 when this album was released and my brother bought it immediately and played it a lot. As a result, it has become so much a part of me, the very fabric of who I am, that it is very hard to listen to it with a critical ear. Instead, it transcends criticism and simply is.
Sure, that's a very personal perpsective and I doubt anyone else will read this comment and be all "Oh, yeah, I see that now! I will adopt that approach to it !" but there you go. That's the shape this album has in my head.
I've always loved the climax of this track and how it so abruptly cuts off. Listening to it with headphones and no other distractions, that moment of silence is an awesome feeling (what is that, anyway? There is no sound yet my brain is still telling me I'm having an auditory experience right at that moment).
Very Jazzy indeed! In fact I recently noticed that my CD copy, of this album, sports the logo of the, "Verve" Jazz label. This is probably my favourite track. Mark's voice sounds slightly older and huskier than before, giving his vocals just a slight hint of Peter Gabriel. I was disappointed that Paul Webb was not involved with this album, but great drumming from Lee Harris!
I'm glad you did this track. I love the Jazz throughout this song and it shows the versatility of the band...an acoustic Bass and organ.....Love their Jazz tunes!!! Thanks for reacting to it!!! Good reaction!!!!
I’m glad you got to hear that cut off of the track into After The Flood. Because you’re doing this one track at a time I was worried you’d miss it. Such a masterpiece drummer: Lee Harris
My Big Sister had the hots for him back in the day 😁
This one was awesome! I still have you to thank for turning me on to Talk Talk!!😘
Glad you've enjoyed em!
Glorious 7/8 track, glorious prelude for the emotionally devastating 'After the Flood'.
The next song is my favourite Talk Talk song After the Flood just hits me different. That song is a Place in my heart
I love 'After The Flood', too! Definitely in my Top 5 Talk Talk songs! 😊 And also, this album is among my Top 5 TT albums! 😁
I like that one anagram of 'Ascension day' is 'Noise as candy' because this track starts off steady then hits you with a cacophony of every instrument on hand to then simmer down adding Hollis's vocals to the mix, i like bands that are not afraid to try something different. This track and the whole album sounds just as good now as when i played it on day of release, if not better.
Hollis hits the chords and hits them hard
One of my favourites from that album 😊 It's in 7/4. Or 7/8, depending on how fast you want to count 😄
Awesome track off a superb album, please play After the Flood next.
A suggestion for a listen would be Elbow heavily influenced by Talk Talk. Try either Powder Blue off Asleep in the Back, Fugitive Motel off a Cast of Thousands, or Grounds for Divorce and Mirrorball of The Seldom Seen Kid.
Love your show BTW.
I bought this album the day it came out and have listened to it 100s of times since. This is probably the track that has grown on me the most - love it.
The intro caught me too. I am also liking the paucity of sound. The empty spaces. The crescendo to the next song's quiet at the end works - excepting I was wishing the quiet to happen a couple measures sooner. Only a couple measures. The crescendo subtracts from the strength of the empty spaces. (only my opinion after a first listen)
I don't usually like Talk Talk all that much, but that was good! Reminded me just a bit of some passages from Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom. Speaking of which, are you ever going to get back to the second half of that masterpiece? (If you just found Rock Bottom too strange for your taste, but you're still curious about Wyatt, you might try Ruth is Stranger Than Richard. Yes, despite the title, it's not as strange as Rock Bottom, and almost as good - or some might say better, depending on taste, especially if they lean towards jazz.)
And great song analysis and lyric interpretation, Justin! Also in relation to 'After The Flood'! I'm very much looking forward to your video about that song! 😊👍
Ty MB!
If there's any music any where near this quality these days , I'd like to hear it..or maybe showing my age. Love this band. Thanks JP. 😍
If you look into the post-rock genre, you'll find many who were influenced by TT. Heres a good recent discovery: osoleone.bandcamp.com/album/gallery-love-4
JP, you might enjoy Elbow, who are big fans of Talk Talk, but add a fairly big sample of Peter Gabriel to their mix - they covered PG's Mercy Street, in return PG covered their Mirrorball . You can hear the influence of Laughing Stock on some Radiohead tracks - thinking of one in particular on Amnesiac which sounds like it was written in Ascension Day's mold.
Maybe not bother with their debut, but what about having a listen to Mark's solo album that followed Laughing Stock?
The slightly off-key guitar throws some nice filth into the sound. Distortion is all good and well, but rubbing notes are sometimes better. (I agree entirely that the space they leave gives the song some dimensions and light-shining-through that it would otherwise have lacked, had it been tidily packed up tight.) I enjoyed that a lot. (So maybe for me to like a Talk Talk song I need not to have heard it far too many times - often with life in danger from killer bouncers unable to understand one's expressive turns and so on.)
Due to a certain obsession, it reminds me of the lovely wonky-tonk piano cover *mr Brown* did of *Big Ship* when he had someone's wonky piano available for this. ua-cam.com/video/MjV0J0C-gsQ/v-deo.html
The out of tune guitar hurts my ears! ✌️
@@jaybird4093 Fair enough. (You should probably avoid the wonky piano, too, then. Unless they have different effects on you - always possible when it comes to how things feel.) :D
The day I first heard it, it must have been soon after its release (1991?), and back then I thought it was from the '70s! Also a great example of how to use odd time as foundation rather than novelty.
It may be premature to say this after just two tracks, but so far this album has grabbed me in a way that none of the previous Talk Talk I've heard on the channel has.
May I ask, which bit has it grabbed you by?
I think probably the jazz element, which I don't recall hearing with them before.
On rereading your comment I, realise I missed your joke and gave a serious answer!
@@sphericalharmony1603 - He was yanking your chain! 😄
Talk Talk just gets better with each sequential album. If I had to rank their five albums it’d literally be their catalogue in reverse. But I still love the early Poppy stuff
Ayo justin got a recommendation, this japanese band called fishmans, Most of their tunes are reggae / dub / funk rock, but around 1996-98 they were doing some insanely psychedelic, floaty dream pop, The lead singer, shinji sato, passed away just as they were progressing into their more psychedelic sound, their last track recorded "Yumareki in the air" is 13 mins long and is one of his best vocal performances, the lyrics (when translated) are extremely heartfelt and emotional too. The untimely death of sato has leaves a strangely melancholic vibe to music that is supposed to be fun and relaxing. Also alongside yumareki id recommend one of their hit tracks "baby blue", can just feel the hot sun of a warm summers day just by hearing that bassline, very upbeat happy song. They remained a very obscure band, not even that famous in japan at the time let alone outside of japan, its only in recent years music nerds uncovered fishmans. Also they're amazing live, some of their live albums have songs better than the studio ones. Yknow its a good band when they outperform their studio stuff on the stage.
Shinji sato is up there with peter hammill in terms of greatest vocalists of all time ngl
Great song. Puzzle lyrics. I thought it to be about a child of 2 years old with a pious mother. They get separated. Ascension day and hell. Double deal: destined for heaven or hell. Child has inherited sin. Love should make the difference instead of luck indeed
I like that interpretation!
Whisper,whisper, he will rise. Talk, Talk, he shall rise to the sky's.. Shout, shout, he has risen. To all good men, lift your eye's, Ascension Day, the path to Heaven, he has given.(meh)? Did not want you to stop, next time let it play! Peace & Love.
Hollis exposes a dogmatic Protestant view for its heartlessness
Great piece
Nice!
Vocal sounds like Paul Weller on this one.
🙏👌
Detuned guitar chords are angry and interesting.
I do think he should have stayed away from off single notes… annoying a bit. Overall, another interesting thing I didn’t hate.
I’m surprised that nobody took the time to tune the guitar properly. It’s hard for me to get past it. In fact, the pitch is off with respect to the harmonica, too. Kind of painful.
I don’t think that was accidental or overlooked.
@@jamesadkisson7510 can’t find anything definitive but I did see an interview where Hollis said he used a cheap Vox guitar on this album. A cheap instrument would have intonation problems so that makes sense. Only certain notes on the recording are out of tune and likely one string.
@@jaybird4093 I actually knew a band or two that during recording would pull out some instrument, like a recorder or toy keyboard and when it was pointed out that the intonation was off Talk Talk and Bark Psychosis were held as examples of recordings where that didn’t matter. I think Hollis and company just didn’t care that it was a bit off, went with the feeling that all sounds work together. But that attitude became an aesthetic that I encountered a few times.
@@jamesadkisson7510👍 Thanks for the insight
@@jaybird4093
I hear ya, but sometimes feelings aren’t necessarily translated with a perfectly tuned instrument. My Dad passed last week and the chord slashes were perfect for my state of mind right now. Another day, probably would bother me.
Mostly empty nothing. This phase of Talk Talk is ideal for anyone who loves jagged cacophony yet can't stand their heart rate being above 15bpm.
I’m adding a new a term to my list of words that annoy me in the comments… masterpiece. I’ve read that a couple times with respect to this album and I’m not getting it. Another misused word, like genius, and soon to be added, legend.
@@jaybird4093 well said! This, a masterpiece?! Gimme a break...
@@jaybird4093
How very iconic of you.
@@-davidolivares I reckon that comment is very underrated.
To think the drummer gave up his self-fulfillment just to hold you by the hand and watch your every step through the whole piece, and you still failed...