Talk Talk's "Taphead" 6:07-6:10

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Has anyone an idea which instruments are producing that high-pitch fluttering sound when Mark Hollis sings "dust to dust"? They sound very much like woodwinds or more precisely flutes but on the album cover there is no mention of woodwinds. After that small interlude which marks a break and irritates me (it's almost like a wake-up call) every time I listen to the song it goes slowly back to silence. It can't be the violas, can it? I'd guess if it was them they must have done something to them in order to make that shrill sound.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:15 (nineteen years ago)

Um, are your timings right?

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:28 (nineteen years ago)

the timings are from real player. maybe it is more 6:08 to 6:11. it says the song is 7:39 long.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:44 (nineteen years ago)

Hmmm. I shall listen again, but I just ran it through my headphones and didn't notice a high-pitched fluttering sound.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:46 (nineteen years ago)

Clarinet.

― Matt Slack ((1903-70)), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:51 (nineteen years ago)

Right.

There's the perpetual organ sound, very soft, and the gentle acoustic guitar, and Hollis sings, VERY gently, "for what it's worth" at 6:02-6:05 and then (I think) "I'll be..." or something (this is VERY faint) at 6:10-6:12. Then at about 6:20 he sings something which might be "I saw this song..." over just fading organ, and then at 6:32 or so another organ comes, and then another, and then it fades to total silence by 6:54, and ends just after 7.

Haha, Matt, I love you, but there ain't no clarinet.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:52 (nineteen years ago)

it's a cuple of seconds later, the sound alex described definitely backs Hollis singing "dust to dust to dust..."

there is a clarinet listed in the credits as well as a contra bass (i assume contra bass clarinet) so it's probably them.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:52 (nineteen years ago)

However where I was taking from there was no "dust to dust" so I'm going back to find that now.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:53 (nineteen years ago)

Electric guitar, not acoustic.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:53 (nineteen years ago)

Sounds like a piccolo or soprano clarinet to me. At 6.07

― Matt Slack ((1903-70)), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:54 (nineteen years ago)

"Dust to dust" is timed more like 5:33 on mine, and is backed by clarinet. So Matt is right, and I apologise.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:54 (nineteen years ago)

I'm playing the Pondlife 1999 reissue here. I seem to remember selling my 1991 Verve copy because of disc-spin-noise issues...

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:55 (nineteen years ago)

There are two distinct CD issues in existence. The original UK version crossfades "After The Flood" into "Taphead", while the US version does not, and contains a brief, untitled instrumental fragment—originally found at the beginning of side 2 of the LP/cassette version—preceding "Taphead".

― Matt Slack ((1903-70)), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:55 (nineteen years ago)

i can only assume you're listening to a different track, nick.

xpost

"dust to dust" plays at 6:08 on mine.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:55 (nineteen years ago)

The mastering must be different as far as timings go, some silence before the song must have been rendered as negative seconds.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:56 (nineteen years ago)

Taphead and After The Flood run into each other on my CD. Most peculiar.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:56 (nineteen years ago)

Which just goes to show, kids, LISTEN TO ALBUMS THE ROCKIST WAY.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 22:58 (nineteen years ago)

v prominent clarinet

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:00 (nineteen years ago)

but it can't be the contra bass clarinet. that has a much deeper sound. i think you can hear it at 3:45 and 3:52 and long and sustained from 4:50 to 5:10. but maybe they mean contra bass and clarinet in the credits! in that case i'd like to know which instrument is making that deep sound.

i have the impression you don't have the version from "laughing stock", nick, as mine is definitely 7:39 long and i just converted it from cd to mp3.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:03 (nineteen years ago)

I'm playing it straight off the CD, and here is proof!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/njsouthall/Headphones%20and%20hi-fi/Photo524.jpg

My girlfriend has one of my old copies at her house, I'll check it and compare over the weekend. I think I've had three different pressings of it - initial UK, US, and UK reprint.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:06 (nineteen years ago)

"Dust to dust" is 5:30-5.34 on my Pond Life pressing too.

That tree is the same shape as yer head in that picture.

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:09 (nineteen years ago)

i guess i have the us version as i bought the cd only a couple of years ago. taphead and new grass don't fade into another as far as i can tell.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:10 (nineteen years ago)

Have we ever done a James Marsh C/D?
http://www.jamesmarsh.com/index1.html

― NickB (NickB), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:11 (nineteen years ago)

idea for next halloween.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:11 (nineteen years ago)

I've been questing for headphones that would make me look like Talk Talk album covers for a long time, and now I can die content.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:11 (nineteen years ago)

James Marsh is fucking awesome. I still wanna by that dodgy cash-in EMI comp from about three years ago just cos it had another of his paintings on the cover, with birds that have oboes for beaks and such.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:12 (nineteen years ago)

I was listening to the CD, and mine is the US version.

― Matt Slack ((1903-70)), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:12 (nineteen years ago)

i don't think it's a UK/US thing.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:13 (nineteen years ago)

just mp3s at work, and mine is 7:39 long, and the sound comes in at 6:08 or thereabouts for me. so what is missing from the other pressing?

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:14 (nineteen years ago)

Keep up, Matt.

I think it is, jed - I remmeber there being a difference.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:14 (nineteen years ago)

mine's a UK pressing.

― jed_ (jed), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:16 (nineteen years ago)

is it a reissue thing? did the reissue clip over a minute from the beginning of this track?

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:17 (nineteen years ago)

Curiouser and curiouser, said Nick. And went to bed.

― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Thursday, 25 January 2007 23:22 (nineteen years ago)

far more interesting is the background noise between 3:32 and about 4:00 of the same song. some AWESOME, creepy woodwind stuff going on there.

― to scour or to pop? (Haberdager), Friday, 26 January 2007 01:30 (eighteen years ago)

This is possibly my favorite Talk Talk song. Just had to say that.

― Turangalila (Salvador), Friday, 26 January 2007 01:37 (eighteen years ago)

Boy do I regret selling my Laughing Stock LP.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 26 January 2007 03:06 (eighteen years ago)

you did what

― to scour or to pop? (Haberdager), Friday, 26 January 2007 03:09 (eighteen years ago)

Mr. Snrub does more in one line than 90% of ILX could do in a Raggett-year.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 26 January 2007 05:03 (eighteen years ago)

i don't think it's a UK/US thing.

apparently it is according to wikipedia:

the author also mentions dave white on contra bass AND clarinet. but still i have the feeling there are at least two different clarinets used here. probably a piccolo clarinet (6:08) and a contra bass clarinet (4:50-5:10).

the other question which arises after the wikipedia article: where exactly is that instrumental bit which has been inserted into "taphead"? it can't be in the beginning, the guitar solo is seamless. hollis vocals start after about 55 seconds. but it must be before the "dust to dust..." line.

― alex in mainhattan (alex63), Saturday, 27 January 2007 15:15 (eighteen years ago)

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