Talk Talk ‘Spirit of Eden’ Rehearsal Tape

Here’s a surprise nugget from the archives found on SoundCloud of all places… Talk Talk’s Spirit of Eden is easily one of our all time favorites and we’d assumed there were no live recordings from that period available as the group never toured the album. In fact, the one live recording that does exist is an underwhelming lip-synced performance of “I Believe in You” on Dutch TV show “Countdown” that would be one of the band’s last television appearances.

This cassette recording comes directly from producer Tim Friese-Greene and was captured during a late-stage rehearsal session shortly before the band headed into the studio. The description comes with listening instructions from Tim: “It’s best to take the 8 minutes out and listen to the end, preferably in headphones, and in a quiet space.”

It’s an intimate and beautiful performance. Essential listening for any Talk Talk fan. Mark Hollis forever.

Revisit our writeup on Spirit of Eden here: https://insheepsclothinghifi.com/album/talk-talk-spirit-of-eden/