Search - Psychedelic Furs :: Talk Talk Talk

The Furs' Best Effort and One of the Best of the 80's

C. C. Thomas | Empire, CO | 02/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Time seems to have vindicated the Psychedelic Furs. I have been listening to them a lot lately; in fact, of the bands I have been listening to of late they spend the most time on my CD changer and in the car. I always loved the band but I am even more impressed with them now, some 15-20 years after their heyday. Even though the Furs did achieve a certain amount of commercial success during their time they still seem to be an underrated band, not fully appreciated for their sound, which on this album is fully realized. Like the best bands, they were also ahead of their time. The Furs' sound is both at once nostalgic and current and most of their songs are holding up well, proving to be enduring. On this album all the songs hold up exceedingly well - there's not a bad one in the bunch. This is the best album of the early Furs' lineup, when they had the saxophones up front as an integral part of their sound. Even today no band sounds like the Furs (check out the beginning of "All of This and Nothing" which starts off with a 12-string guitar and saxophone, and why this song wasn't included on the 2-disc retrospective "Should God Forget" I'll never know). But the best adjective to describe this album is relentless. Is this punk or is this pop played with punk intensity? Probably the latter though by the time you're listening to "Into You Like a Train" it hardly matters. Where their first album was dark and moody, "Talk Talk Talk" bristles with intense energy. But throughout this album they display a pop sensibility that most punk bands didn't have and hinted at things to come on later albums. Check out "Pretty In Pink" for example and the inexplicably pretty "She Is Mine" that closed the original album. "Talk Talk Talk" is beautiful chaos - to borrow the title of their latest effort. It is great rock and roll that is always on the edge of being out-of-control but maintains its tightness and energy without ever crossing over into sloppiness. It is chaotic and frenetic music in the best sense of the word; it is music that makes you feel alive because it has life to it. For all their success, the more commercial U2 never recorded anything near as vital and intense as "Talk Talk Talk", even "War".At the center of all of this is Richard Butler's distinctive voice almost clawing its way out of the dense mix and swirl of sound to be heard. It's great heady stuff and if you're a fan of the 80's this album is an essential one to have. Along with the Pretenders' first two albums, the Furs defined the sound of post-punk in the early 80's before they became progressively slicker on their next three albums. Their final two albums - "Book of Days", where they returned to a basic stripped-down sound reminiscent of their earlier efforts, and "World Outside" are also excellent and their best albums after this one. The Furs should rightfully be regarded as one of the 80's most important and influential bands. "Talk Talk Talk" was THE sound of 1981 and it still roars and sounds every bit as good 22 years later."

Listen Listen Listen!

Kelly L. Norman | Plymouth, MI United States | 09/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This music blew me away when it came out. At eighteen, I really thought I'd heard it all. I'd gone through my rebellious phase and snuck out to see Rocky Horror a gazillion times, I'd become a loyal listener to both of the cool weekly punk shows: Mike Halloran's "Radios in Motion" on the Wayne State U. public radio station and "W-4 Play" on Detroit's WWWW (which, unbeknownst to the DJ's, was soon to be sold and turned overnight into a country station). Mike's show was especially great for catching the new and imported acts. But the P-furs didn't sound like anything else, despite the Steve Lilywhite production. Metallic, yet melodic. That gravelly voice of Richard Butler set against a velvet saxaphone. Can such pretty pop come out of such hard-edged punk?



This particular disc, thanks to its role in introucing us to the "Pretty in Pink" single, was accompanied by a pair of pink panties, initially. Or, it may be that Mike and other DJ's just got one as a promotional gag (artists had to get creative after payola was outlawed, after all, although what Mike Halloran would do with a pair of pink panties, I will not speculate here).



I especially love the version of Pretty in Pink on this disk. It is quite different than that on the soundtrack of the film, Pretty in Pink, which was made some seven or eight years after this recording and has nothing to do with it. The song has a different meaning entirely, empathizing with a girl--perhaps a prostitute-- who keeps hoping the men whom she lets use her will turn out to love her, when obviously that's not likely. And it was re-recorded for the film in a much more "refined" way, even as a "solo" for Richard Butler. A lot of the edge is taken out, some of the saxaphone solo isn't there, and it loses some of the darkness of the earlier version.



"It Goes On," "Dumb Waiters", and "Into You Like a Train" have riffs boppy enough to dance to. "I Just Want To Sleep With You" pretty much says it just like it is. My very favorite, bringing together a wistful melody with a dreamlike lyric is "All of This and Nothing". Girl leaves boy, and girl leaves behind stuff, but nothing makes sense to him.



P. Furs told the world in name, style and lyric that rebellion and fashion could co-habitate freely. Yes, we knew that already from the Stones and David Bowie, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded by the pros."

Pretty In Pink, But Lovely In Any Color

randymix | Albuquerque, New Mexico United States | 07/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After pantherboy's fine review, there's not a whole lot left to say. Only that this release stands as the high-water mark from a band that is arguably the best (to my ears, anyway) of the New Wave. Insightful songwriting, edgy playing, Butler's acerbic singing, Steve Lillywhite's in-your-face production which, thankfully, left The Furs' rough edges intact--what more can one ask? Among what I consider life's many treats was to have been in my early-twenties when the New Wave was in full flower. And this unforgettable album, 'painted' like an abstract painting-- angular, with bold colors and shapes--is one of its finest moments. To anyone young-enough not to remember the Furs, I congratulate you on your curiosity and urge you to purchase this album today (if not sooner). P.S. Now that we have the remastered "Should God Forget", where are the remastered editions of the single releases?"