Talk Talk - Laughing Stock

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Right. I want this album. And it's been deleted, or something. It was remastered and rereleased in 2000, but is now unavailable as far as I can tell. I ordered it at the local Virgin and they came up with nothing, and I've had it ordered at Amazon for months and they've finally emailed me to tell me they can't get it. So I've ordered it off them again 'cos it's still on Special Order status and I figure if they badger the rec. comp. enough they might repress/reprint/whatever the album. This weekend I'm actually going to set up the dial-up PC at home and download the fucker, even though it'll take forever, cos I've got to the point now where I just want to hear the music without waiting to get hold of the official release.

BUT ANYWAY. I still really, really, really want a proper copy of this album. Amazon sellers have one bloke selling a cassette copy, which is no use to me, and ebay have one copy on LP for sale, which I shall make a bid for in a moment, but really, I'm after the remastered CD, 'cos I'm a snob. Google searching has come up with precious little aside from the possibility of ordering the original 1991 CD release of it from amazon.com, which I may well do, but there has got to be a UK remaster CD of it for sale somewhere, and I need to find it.

Please help me!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 10:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick, I agree you've got to hear the album, but why don't you just get the original CD version? It'll sound great cos it's a great record. I'm sure the remastering won't make that much difference.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 6 February 2003 10:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Aye, it's the buying it from America thing that's putting me off. Would it be worth getting hold of Missing Pieces to tide me over?

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 10:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I've ordered the 1991 Verve release from amazon.com. Let's wait and see.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 10:50 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm sure you won't regret it. I recently ordered some stuff from amazon.com and it took less than 2 weeks to get here. If it's in stock you shouldn't have to wait too long.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 6 February 2003 10:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Good good. Cheers James!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 10:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick, have no fear, I'm sorting out a CD-R of it for you this weekend along with "Independency". Hope you can wait that long.

― Rob M (Rob M), Thursday, 6 February 2003 11:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Rob M, you are a beautiful man.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 11:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Sorry for not replying to your mail the other day, I've been away from the net.

― Rob M (Rob M), Thursday, 6 February 2003 11:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Nick - try Netsounds.com for stuff like this. Can't imagine why you want Laughing Stock though - it's cack.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 6 February 2003 13:41 (twenty-two years ago)

ehehehehehe, Dr C you're a champ! I want LS cos I love both SoE and Mark Hollis' solo album, and, at a guess, LS should be somewhere between the two and thus grebt.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

LS should be somewhere between the two and thus grebt.

Bingo

― Andy K (Andy K), Thursday, 6 February 2003 13:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Confirmation!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 13:59 (twenty-two years ago)

LS should be somewhere between the two and thus grebt.

If anything, it's better.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Bingo again

― Andy K (Andy K), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Can't imagine why you want Laughing Stock though - it's cack.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

You suck. Laughing Stock rocks. "New Grass" is the absolute forkin' bomb.

― Evan (Evan), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:02 (twenty-two years ago)

James and Andy, stop it, that's teasing, that is.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Interestingly enough, I was in Burger King getting a Triple Bacon Cheeseburger for lunch (I know, I know, I know, but it was £1.99! COME ON!), and Life's What You Make It was playing. Which was odd. And then that Lene Marlin song that sounds like she's got a tracheotomy and can't breathe proper.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Was it Talk Talk or a muzac-ed version of it?

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Bingo three million times about the album's worth, I http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/n4.html">think.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Proper Talk Talk.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Shame. I always like hearing bizarre muzac choices.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Aye, I'd have been up for a bit of The Best Pre-Post-Rock Pan Pipes Album In The World...EVAH Vol.5.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:28 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm sure someone's beat me to the punch here, but while LAUGHING STOCK is indeed fucking genius (and it is!), their finest hour remains THE SPIRIT OF EDEN.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 6 February 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

But LS *is* musak! Sort of over-educated, mid-life crisis musak. Musak that wears a grey cardigan with a hole in each sleeve. A wet-weekend of an album. Christ, it's dull. A shame - all TT up to and incl. The Colour Of Spring was splendid.

― Dr. C (Dr. C), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Musak that wears a grey cardigan with a hole in each sleeve.

I just hear transcendence being aimed for -- not necessarily achieved, but what a way to go...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm with Eno on muzak though, but I would be. Sometimes you just wanna hear music without listening. Not that I consider SoE muzak, or MH either.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 6 February 2003 15:25 (twenty-two years ago)

The original CD release sounded fine, incidentally. And I'm with Alex on SoE. IML is brilliant, too, in my book. Not sure what other band has produced two masterpieces that dissimilar...

― ara, Thursday, 6 February 2003 17:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Spirit Of Eden > Laughing Stock

http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/n3ng/ned/n3.html">http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/n3.htmld/n3.html">http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/n3.htmld/n3.html">http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/n3.html">Don't go trusting Ned too much.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Thursday, 6 February 2003 17:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh dear, that's unfortunate. http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~tewing/ned/n3.html is the link in question.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Thursday, 6 February 2003 17:24 (twenty-two years ago)

But that's a wholly accurate ranking! ;-)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 6 February 2003 17:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Rob M, what's this "Independency"? A Talk Talk track?

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Thursday, 6 February 2003 18:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Independency = Bark Psychosis singles collection. Bluddy marvellous it is too.

― RickyT (RickyT), Thursday, 6 February 2003 19:02 (twenty-two years ago)

what the hell is mark hollis up to, by the way? it must be 3 or 4 years now since his solo record, which means we're in line for a new one - well, sometime between now and the end of the bush presidency (note: that's not necessarily an optimistic timeline, the way things are going).

are there any rumbles of new material?

― philip sherburne (philip sherburne), Thursday, 6 February 2003 21:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I heard a friend had emailed him within the last year and he was threatening to release something new, but nothing ever came of it. Andy K might know something?

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Thursday, 6 February 2003 21:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Supposedly he'd retired from music. Robert Rich -- a major fan -- once told me about how you could trace his Christian mysticism very clearly through his last few albums in Talk Talk and the solo, and he was probably onto something there.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 6 February 2003 21:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, didn't he become a monk or something?

Sure I mean, "I Believe in You"...

― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Thursday, 6 February 2003 21:50 (twenty-two years ago)

After looking at the Within Without fan site, I can confirm that Mark Hollis has officially retired from music. Shame.

― Evan (Evan), Thursday, 6 February 2003 22:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Nobody's mentioning it much elsewhere, so I'm taking this opportunity to once again mention Talk Talk's Paul Webb's album with Beth Gibbons, "Out of Season", is terrific.

― Sean (Sean), Thursday, 6 February 2003 22:55 (twenty-two years ago)

On a plus note! amazon.com have already dispatched Laughing Stock, so it oguht to be with me inside 10 working days. jesus, that was easy.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 7 February 2003 09:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, so I won't bother posting the copy I did last night then. I'll still send 'Independency' though.

― Rob M (Rob M), Friday, 7 February 2003 10:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Cheers Rob, you're a star. I'll email you my address.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 7 February 2003 10:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Except that I don't actually need to, do I? 'Cos I emailed you from work, and my work address is at the bottom, or should be?

Thanks again. And should you need owt in return, just ask.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 7 February 2003 10:36 (twenty-two years ago)

And now amazon.co.uk tell me they're dispatching the remastered one soon, and the american one is already en route, so I'm gonna have TWO. Beautiful. Anyone fancy the US version for a tenner?

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 19 February 2003 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

The .c.uk one has shipped. I'm gonna have two of the buggers arriving in two days. Madness.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 20 February 2003 11:39 (twenty-two years ago)

three months pass...

did they arrive? what did you think?

― bored & curious, Tuesday, 20 May 2003 02:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I just downloaded some MP3s of a band called Laughing Stock and they actually sound like the album except with Bono singing (!!!)

― hamish (hamish), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 04:53 (twenty-two years ago)

They did indeed both arrive! I kept the American one (clearer artwork - the UK re-release was definitely a copy rather than a reprint of the original plate; plus the UK one wasn't remastered despite whar Amazon claimed; not that it matters anyway because it sounds great). Yes, I like it very much; not quite as much as SoE, but more than MH. When the opening chord of New Grass kicks in it's like being bathed in heaven's light, it's extraordinary. I've still got the UK one in my drawer (they sound the same apart from the segue from one track into another after, I think, the third song; this bit is only slightly different; in the US one there is a definite faded-out and gap of a second or two - the UK one has them overlayed slightly).

Amazon are STILL trying to get hold of Independancy for me! Five months after I ordered it!

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 07:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Independancy is OOP. Try www.gemm.com or www.musicstack.com which is where I eventually located my copy.

Laughing Stock was never remastered because only the EMI records underwent the remastering; I haven't heard any of these (well, except for It's My Life because I never bothered to buy the first issue of the CD); were they much improved over the original releases (mainly only care about SoE and CoS)?

Missing Pieces was really disappointing, I was hoping for more finished work or at least pieces that sounded radically different than the final versions.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Mark himself has contributed here

― barefootin', Tuesday, 20 May 2003 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Mark himself has contributed here

Where/when?

― Phil (phil), Tuesday, 20 May 2003 21:20 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

i just got it from the us of a. the 1991 original cd. it has been spinning on my player for the last four hours. it's one of those holy albums. the kind of stuff which can rekindle the interest and love for music which is buried in the heart of a fortysomething like me.

a question concerning the second song, ascension day. is it normal that it is cut off at the end at 5'59'' in the middle of the action? to me it feels like making love to a woman and being ejected from her by some supernatural force a second before the climax. like being catapulted from heaven back to the earth. quite a shock.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 22:08 (nineteen years ago)

That's normal.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 22:11 (nineteen years ago)

That's one of the best moments in the history of recorded music. Even better when playing it on an LP.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 22 March 2006 23:07 (nineteen years ago)

eight years pass...

Is there any noticeable difference between CD versions of Sprit of Eden?

― djh, Friday, 30 January 2015 19:29 (ten years ago)

I remember the remastered version being a better listen when it was issued by a slight margin, but that was a while back.

― Nekomizu don't work (MaresNest), Friday, 30 January 2015 19:45 (ten years ago)

I want to pick up a vinyl copy of Spirit myself but I'm not sure if I should avoid any particular pressings.

― Evan, Friday, 30 January 2015 19:47 (ten years ago)

Vinyl copies had a download link to 24bit Wav files iirc

― Nekomizu don't work (MaresNest), Friday, 30 January 2015 19:57 (ten years ago)

Of potential interest if Laughing Stock and/or Spirit of Eden are significant in your life: http://open.spotify.com/album/1bZJF6RXhSy87wSEAxhiLl

― glenn mcdonald, Friday, 30 January 2015 20:00 (ten years ago)

Talk Talk stuck through Paulstretch, sorry but no.

― Nekomizu don't work (MaresNest), Friday, 30 January 2015 20:03 (ten years ago)

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Talk Talk - Laughing Stock - HELP!