Talk Talk Talk

One of those albums people are thinking about when they say music sounds all the same

pretty positive I'm gonna come out on the other end of this thing actually having less appreciation for new wave

Christ, another album from 1981 that has a similar name and album art to everything else from 1981 here. Is it going to be post punk/new wave garbage? Course it is. UK? Yeah, probably. Yep, English new wave punk garbage. Singer rips off Johnny rotten. Boring. 2/5.

This was very samey... but just fun and vibrant enough to earn it a fourth star. It's the type of 80's that I can't help but smile at.

For some reason, I get The Psychedelic Furs and Violent Femmes mixed up all the time. I think it’s something about their names. Talk Talk Talk occupies a space between New Wave and Post-Punk; it always seems to be oscillating between a somewhat respectable Pop sound, and a rawer heavy Rock one. It makes for compelling listening. And when it settles down to the Bowie-Esque She Is Mine at the end, it unravels into a beautifully melancholy portrayal of the absurdity of life and all it’s small characters, coincidences and events which throws the whole album into a greater perspective. This is the sound of Punk growing up, losing some of the Nihilism and embracing Absurdism, and I’m all for it

I don't care how much punk you make me listen to, I'm never gonna like it

I’ve become kind of allergic to the phrase “New Wave” as this project has gone on, given the number of English synth bands from the 80’s I’ve endured. I’d heard of this band, but never listened. All of this made for a very pleasant surprise. This album is super interesting and has all kinds of weird, rough edges and an artsy sensibility. It reminded me of Roxy Music a little.

One of the albums (just like Talk Talk's Laughing Stock) that for some reason you could practically buy for free in every record store in the nineties in the Netherlands. And so I did at the time. One of my favourite albums from the 80s and not sure which of the first four Psychedelic Furs albums is the best one. Talk Talk Talk contains the original Pretty in Pink - I prefer their 86 Americanish movie version, but this version fits the rest of the album much better.

Talk Talk Talk Dumb Waiters is great and of course Pretty in Pink is a classic, a new wave pop banger. I Want To Sleep With You is good too, if only for its directness, I like Mr Jones and also the subtle, nuanced Into You Like A Train. And All of This is Nothing’s acoustic intro is a nice misdirect before the band come back in. You can hear the punk and specifically Lydon influence in the nasal, confrontational vocal delivery. It’s not the strongest voice, but it is effective, even if its charm does diminish somewhat over the course of the album. I also like the new wave sound, you can hear further Lydon influence in the PiL sound with the occasional drone, synth, scratchy guitar and overall atmospherics, although with more straightforward melodies and hooks. Not totally convinced by the amount of sax, but it does give a slight variation to their sound. It’s an enjoyable album, a nice early 80s snapshot with one bona fide pop classic in Pretty in Pink. Not sure how often I’ll come back to it, but Pretty in Pink, as well as Dumb Waiters and Into You Like a Train ensure it's a solid 3. 🩷🩷🩷 Playlist submission: Pretty in Pink

Loud band with sardonic (and borderline misogynistic) frontman. Pretty is Pink was a great single, but his voice palls over the length of an album, and it all starts to sound pretty much the same. I like the breakdown at 1:33 of It Goes On. That's a pretty muscular rhythm section. I could live without all the saxophones.

4.0 That was some really, really good early nu-wave/punk-infused stuff. I immediately recognised that voice from "Love my Way" which I loved as a kid playing vice city. Shame that wasn't on this album, but still, this is really, really solid stuff. Can't believe I've never really heard of them until now. More to explore.

Post-punk meets new wave and pop and Richard Butler’s very distinctive voice. An early ‘80s classic.

Good

Very cool album. Another band I had heard of but never listened to an album (of course, I knew Pretty in Pink. Turned out I had also heard Dumb Waiters - I recognized it as soon as it started). Every song rocks and always has a cool twist to the sound. Really love the guitar sounds on this album, and I like Richard Butler's punk style singing over the more post-punk/new wave sound of the album. Occasional moments reminded me of Bowie (particularly when the sax plays), but they have a very unique sound. Definitely a new fan. Favorite tracks: All of This and Nothing (my favorite track on the album - love the cool instrumental section at the end, but the whole thing is awesome), Dumb Waiters, Pretty in Pink (classic - one thing I really like about the songs on this album is that there are always unexpected stylings/notes in the songs. This is an 80s classic, but has some unusual notes in it, particularly in the outro section. Very cool), No Tears, Into You Like a Train, It Goes On. Really, every track - these were just the ones I liked the most.

This is a really, really good pop, post punk, new wave, call it whatever you like, this is a good album. The nerds in here will tell you otherwise, fuck you nerds but this is such a well crafted, interesting album that somehow tip toes pop and punk do elegantly. 5 stars nerds

Tension in the interaction between Furs' name, sound, style, and instrumentation generates plenty of satisfying spikes. The quality of songs, at first blush, is equally uneven. The pop backing is sturdy enough to hold the album up, turning into the foreground. Personally, the only thing inspiring a return is something like a string, when it appears.

Bit of a weird creepy vibe.

“A swing and a miss. And the Furs go down swinging in the bottom of the ninth.” When Pretty in Pink is the best track of the album it’s safe to say that this isn’t good music.

Outstanding album. I've listened to most of their catalog. It's always a nice nostalgia trip. Every track works incredibly well. The fact that all the songs groove with the same style and energy really makes this a perfect album for me.

Quintessential 80s. The Butler brothers, the saxophone, and the rest of the band create so much space to breath in the songs.

If you don’t like this then you don’t get what post punk is really about! I loved this 5/5

Absolutely love this album front to back..

I really love this record. My older brother’s best friend gave me a dubbed tape of it when it came out and it blew my 8th grade mind. The slightly discordant sound and Butler’s droney vocals but still kind of dancey style was new and unique and I still love it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this classic album.

Really great album.

Not sure how these guys have passed me by, but this is spot-on, defining both 80s new wave pop and indie rock in one fell swoop.

Didn’t listen to them way back when and kind of feel like I might have missed out

I’ve heard this before, but giving it three good listens in a row revealed a masterpiece to me. An incredible album.

"Post punk," "new wave," whatever genre you want to fit the Furs into, the music defies. Strange, hypnotic, droning, aggressive, grating, melancholic,... better to attach adjectives than categories. A work of art.

I completely forgot about "All of This and Nothing" and will be playing it on repeat. God, I love this album. So underrated.

What a killer album! How had I never listened to this before!? Such an interesting saxophone hook to open an album… got me from the first note.

Excellent! One of my all-time favorites bands from the 80s!

I liked this one quite a lot. It's infectiously catchy, with an energy that kept me invested throughout. There's some elements of post-punk and pop thrown into it, but its rock DNA shines through. There is some excellent sax-playing in there too. (RIP Mars Williams) I can totally see how this might not be a popular one outside of the UK though; there's no hiding the accent, and to an American it probably produces the same kind of feeling I get from hearing American country singers with a real Southern twang to their accent. Regardless, this was a really good album, and I bet it was somewhat of an inspiration for British indie and britpop acts that came later. Favourite: Dumb Waiters

The Psychedelic Furs as a band are a class act. I've seen them a few times live with the first show being the most memorable. It was an intimate setting & got to shake Richard Butler's hand as he was performing & caught his brother, Tim's, guitar pick. Of all the stories I hear of 80s bands still touring, I hear nothing but praises for this band & Richard specifically - he truly appreciates his fans. Pretty In Pink is an 80s staple & the movie is my second favorite all-time film. The rest of the album is classic Furs with Richard's raspy vocals, Mars William's sax, and a nice balance between post punk & new wave. RIP to Mars Williams who recently lost his battle to cancer. If you liked this album, take a listen at the rest of their work. It's great stuff. 4.5 stars.

For the second time in just a few days, we have an album that I thought I'd be luke-warm on, at best, based on scant familiarity with the artist but on listening, I find myself really enjoying the sound and thinking, I would definitely listen to this again. I didn't think this kind of 80s alternative was my thing but who knows what my thing is anymore. I liked this a lot!

Interesting that I’ve likely never heard any of these songs before, although I am very familiar with the 1986 re-recording of Pretty In Pink from the movie. This version was a bit different. That made this album a completely new listen. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting - there was a lot more going on than the 80s hits I am familiar with would have implied. Really interesting and good, and one of those albums I think I like a lot more now than if I’d heard it back in the day.

The album that made me fall in love with the Furs. A sound out of time, yet timeless. A fantastic album.

10/10 I’ve heard a fair bit from The Psychedelic Furs before, and I’ve absolutely loved all of it I’m surprised I haven’t just gone through their entire discography yet

Talk Talk Talk is where The Psychedelic Furs really hit their stride—still raw and edgy like their debut, but with more colour, mood, and a clearer sense of direction. There’s a great mix of sneering post-punk and glam-tinged melodies, with Richard Butler’s raspy, cigarette-soaked voice tying it all together. Tracks like Pretty in Pink (before its cinematic fame), Into You Like a Train, and All of This and Nothing stand out as perfect examples of that early ‘80s art-rock cool, combining energy and atmosphere with just the right amount of attitude. What makes this album work so well is its balance—jangly guitars, saxophone swells, and tight production make it more dynamic than the debut, but it still keeps that scrappy edge. It’s not as slick as what the band would do later, and that’s part of the charm. Talk Talk Talk isn’t trying to please anyone—it’s stylish, cynical, and oddly romantic in its own ragged way. A high point in their catalogue, and one of the stronger post-punk records of its time. 4/5.

Well, I had this cassette tape as a teenager and was a fan back in the day. I tried to listen to this objectively now and had two thoughts. 1. Richard Butler sounds like he just smoked 5 packs of Marlboro Red but his garbled voice works ok for the music and 2. what year did saxophones appear in every single album, and what year did that stop? Then the chorus to All of This and Nothing came on and nostalgia kicked into high gear. I listened to this album twice to make sure that I still like it.

i ended up enjoying this WAY more than i thought i would… i was never bored and i enjoyed the sound to the point i think i may even revisit a couple of these songs later. 4 stars because the vocal style really did not work for me at all and i thought i would get used to it but never did. but eventually i was able to tune that out and just enjoy the guitars quite delightfully

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, I’d never heard of these guys before today. Seriously, I know my musical knowledge was quite narrow, but I’m growing surprised by the number of acts considered essential that I’ve just never heard of. New Wave was also a sound that never inspired me to go back and explore it. I’m fine with what I experienced in the 80s, and leaving it at that. This album was more enjoyable than I expected though, it snuck in just enough guitar work to keep it palatable to me. 3/5

Cheerfully impure post-punk, the best songs - PiP, “Mr Jones” - are power pop bangers. There’s psychedelic whoosh and jangle here, motorik and dirge, it’s a pick ‘n’ mix record though every finger will grope for the one they named the film after.

Like The Cars, The Psychedelic Furs are best appreciated on a Greatest Hits. Unlike The Cars, TPF have but a single gear and that tempo gets samey fast. Can't shake how similar the big hit is to "Born To Run" thanks to a reviewer here. "Dumb Waiters" and "No Tears" are good though.

A fairly standard early 80s post punk album that's elevated by the horns and noisier elements. The angular synth that opens the album is one example of the sounds that give this a bit more edge than you'd expect if you'd just heard "Pretty in Pink" (which is still quite good!). The highlights are "Into You Like a Train" and "All of This and Nothing," with the former being one of the catchiest songs and the latter the lushest and most expensive. I don't love the vocals though, as they don't really fit the music. They feel too harsh, which is weird since I like the harsher musical elements. It doesn't help that the lyrics aren't very good either, with a lot of moments when they should rhyme but don't. I don't mind that if it's done for a reason, but the ones on "I Wanna Sleep With You" just make the lyrics sound lazy.

10/1001 I went into this album completely blind, which is what l wish I could with every album on the list. I never heard of The Psychedelic Furs nor do I recognize any of their music (listened to a few other popular songs outside the album). This album comes charging out of the gate with 3 great songs and I was amped. I figured this was going to be an epic ride of an album. That wasn't the case. The rest of the album is solid, I didn't hate any tracks, it just becomes a bit tiresome. TPF clearly have been strongly influenced by David Bowie, where at times it seems like they even said to one another, "More Bowie like!" It all comes together very well in the end though. Glad I listened, and will be adding a few of these tracks into some playlists. It definitely opened a door for me to explore more of the 80s most punk rock (a blind spot in my music knowledge). I wish there were half stars, this album is better than a 3 but not quite a 4.

I've heard of this artist never really listened to much of them. I know I have heard a track or two from them. Very interested to check this out. Very cool music. Not what I expected. Not sure if I have heard any of their stuff. Definitely can hear a lot of influences from this band in today's music.

first listen kinda meh

At many points I was like oh this was inspo for Green Day. And at other points I was like these guys definitely really liked Bowie. Those are all my thoughts

I give Deadheads shit because, for a lot of them, “all roads lead to the Grateful Dead”, so I realize what I’m about to type might put me in a similar category, but… Musically and melodically, this reminds me of Guided By Voices, particularly in their latter-day configuration. It’s probably the shared Bowie influence, but Bob Pollard does love his post-punk, so I think the comparison tracks. Anyway, Talk Talk Talk is a solid post-punk record and a lot better than I was expecting, given how maudlin some of the other British post-punk records on the list have been.

So a big of The Psychedelic Furs, and was really looking forward to diving into this album… Always thought they were more of a mid-80’s band, but was really surprised to find their debut album came out in 1980 – so kudos for being one of the bands that defined the sound of the 80’s… Of note – I got the Furs album 2 days after having to listen to a band called “The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators” – who apparently was the first artist to add the term “psychedelic’ to music – so there’s that, and not much else with that band… By the way, their album “The 13th Floor Elevators” is dreadful as hell, and totally sucks ass - if you haven’t gotten to that one yet… Anyways – liked the rock-based foundation of The Furs take on alternative 80’s pop, and have always been a fan of Richard Butler’s unique vocal style… Also enjoyed the guitar work on the album, as well as how they strategically worked the sax into their songs – as it really added a unique twist… Seems like they are one of those bands that always had 3-4 excellent songs on each album – which really helped to sustain momentum in the music industry over time, and “Talk, Talk, Talk” is no exception… Those 3-4 for me on this album would be – “Pretty In Pink” – 5-stars out of 7… Staple on the soundtrack to the 80’s… “Mr. Jones” – 4-stars out of 7… Nice straight-forward rock track… “Dumb Waiters” – 5-stars out of 7… Really unique sound to this one… “All Of This & Nothing” – 4-stars out of 7… Nice closer to the album, with great instrumental sections… There really isn’t a bad track on “Talk, Talk, Talk”, though there do seem to be bits and pieces of the more popular tracks, embedded into some of the lesser tracks (i.e. “No Tears” & “She Is Mine” sound a bit like “Pretty In Pink” at times…). Got to see the band at an 80’s festival a few years back, and they were awesome live – and you would be shocked at just how deep their catalog is when you listen to them… Highly recommend… This album definitely represents a band on the rise, and a clear step forward in the evolution as compared to their debut album… Not fully developed by any means, but you can see exactly where they are going… Would probably give this a 3.25 if I could, but definitely can’t get this to a 4, so a really good 3 in my book…

"I had to pay the doorman just to let me use the door. I had to use a muscleman to pick me off the floor" I was pretty excited to listen to a Psychedelic Furs album, as I really love the song "Love my Way," and my dad (having been a teenager in the 80s) told me that The Psychedelic Furs were one of the bigger bands, influence-wise, in his high-school, along with the Cure, the Smiths, and others. Upon listening to the album, I was pretty disappointed with what the furs had to offer. There were some songs with fairly good musical ideas behind them, such as: T1- "Dumb Waiters," and T2- "Pretty in Pink" (playlist track). But, much more frequently I found the songs to have very surface-level lyrics that were borderline embarrassing to be listening to, with uninteresting vocals over mediocre music, even if the music is in the genre that I prefer over most others. Due mostly to the genre, the band's influence, and those first 2 tracks, the album will not get a 2/5, but rather a... 3/5

(2/5) This list has conditioned me to absolutely despise this style and time period of music. This album just reinforces that. New Wave is way too overrepresented and it has just worn me out with it's sameness. The Furs don't deviate from the 'New Wave' formula and are just another drop of water in this ocean. I guess, "Pretty in Pink" was alright but everything else sounded exactly the same. There's even a sort of pattern to many of the singers in this style and The Furs' singer has it copied perfectly. Just forgettable junk. Pass. Essential? Lol. Nope. Thank God for the small mercies -- this is The Furs' only album on this list. Hallelujah!

Very average, very generic 80s new wave indie landfill. Why is there so much boring 80s new wave on this list? None of it is as special as people remember it being. Anyway, back to this version of the exact same thing... Either it's a victim of everyone piggybacking off of it's style, making it seem boring in retrospect, or it was simply never interesting to begin with. Who can say? Not I. Jangly... by-numbers... average... there's just nothing special about this at all, the same thing they do is done better by so many others. It's perfectly servicable but nothing stands out. The guy's voice is annoying too, he sounds like he's doing an impression of somebody he doesn't like. None of the identical songs interested me. This album could not exist and the world would be unchanged. You put a blank CD in the stereo and this plays. If anything, albums like this on this list have given me a new appreciation and understanding of rap and hip hop. It had to emerge, because by this point, as evidenced by this album and genre, white kids had run out of ideas.

One of many of these isn’t it.

Another day, another band with the same sound: whiny punk British dude. How can there be so many on this list? How?

Punk

This album is very much punk having an exotential crisis in the face of New Wave. And David Bowie.

221. Talk Talk Talk - The Psychedelic Furs (1981) 10.1.26 Variety: 5 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 5 Uniqueness: 4 Emotionality: 4 = 4.6 rounded up to a 5 "Tell her that I'm not in here, tell her I'm a freak/ Tell her that I fall about every time i speak" The Psychedelic Furs are a weird band in that I really like them quite a lot, but I can't say if I have a preference among their first four ( and best albums by me memory). I listened to them all very close together long after having grown up hearing "Pretty In Pink" not infrequently on the radio, and soon had cobbled together a playlist of stuff from those first four. With a quick glance at the track lists, Mirror Moves has the most recognizable song names, bit who knows. This is the only entry from the group on the list, so maybe if I have time I'll make a day of those first four albums. Otherwise, the big singles pop up pretty frequently on the satellite radio station I listen to most, and they remain stapes of my 5-star playlist to this day. Richard Butler I've namechecked in these reviews more than a few times before( usually alongside Peter Murphy of Bauhaus), every time I think in reference to the massive influence David Bowie had over a certain segment of early 80s New Wave front-men, and I would argue he's one of the more successful knock-offs, if you want to call him that. Where some were much more influenced by Bowie's glam phase, I think Butler falls more in the Thin White Duke aesthetic. But not without putting his own stamp on the persona. THE TRACKS Side 1 "Dumb Waiters" - Dense and full of texture, and catchy as hell, and it's not even one of their biggest songs. Well, maybe a minor hit I guess. Just not one I ever heard in the U.S. until I sought the album out. Butler's voice is pretty distinctive, and I can see it immediately turning off a lot of people, but the whole package is on display here in my opinion, everything great about the band, from the guitar forward presentation that still finds room for some electronic accents, to the hazy atmospheric reverb, to the saxophones. It's all there on this first track. Not the deepest of cuts, but a great example of the high level of quality we'll be seeing. "Pretty in Pink" - At this point I think I must have heard the album version of this one just as much as the re-recorded single used in the movie of the same name. That one is more polished, and a lot peppier, and I think a bit more influenced by Bowie's "Heroes" in how bombastic and celebratory it gets. This one is just as good in my mind though, and feels more lowkey and sly, and world weary in the delivery, which I love. It is pretty funny that it became a sort of romantic ballad after being used as such in the movie when the lyrics seem pretty acidly cynical about the subject. The lyrics are just ambiguous enough though, that maybe Caroline does get the last laugh? The saxophone on the re-recorded version helps with this mood I think. I guess this would be similar to the "Born in the U.S.A." effect where people are happy to ignore the lyrics and messaging when the song is such a clear bop. "I Wanna Sleep with You" - We get a bit of a rockabilly beat to start this one off, with some heavy atmospheric noise layered over top. Major Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) vibes off of this one, and it's swingy and disorientingly catchy in the same way a lot of the stuff form that album is. It's also full of a panicked and sweaty momentum that I can see not meshing well with someone looking for a more laid back, bubblegummy bit of pop. There's some shared DNA with some chugging Pixies tracks like "Cactus" here as well. "No Tears" - A pounding beat opens this one off, and we get more of a traditional bit of jangle pop than transforms in the refrain into something more driving and much heavier. This dynamic really puts me in mind of early R.E.M. The saxophone throws this comparison out the window, but structure wise and tonally, I think it still stands. Especially so on the rhythms. Butler has a lighter touch here with his vocals, which also adds to the more airy and power poppish feel. "Mr. Jones" - The Cars immediately came to mind with this opening, which has a driving beat, with a loose and echoey big ROCK guitar tone, and compares favorably as well to some of the faster stuff from Dr. Feelgood. This was a ton of fun, and holds up incredibly well, especially in comparison with some of those early 2000s garage rock revival bands, who in my opinion were drawing JUST as heavily from post-punk and new wave bands as they were from any real 60s garage acts. I could very easily imagine the Hives, for example, covering this one. Side 2 "Into You Like a Train" - Driving, and full of a determined energy, with some drumming that is reminiscent of Budgie from the Banshees, who I think came out of the same local scene. I'm noticing how a lot of these stand the test of time in regards to instrumentation, and though I really like a lot of the more bleepy bloopy stuff, it's refreshing to be reminded that the new wave wasn't JUST the electronic stuff. "It Goes On" - More early 80s Bowie sounds, which I might have to knock them for when it comes to originality, but then I'd have to apply that to a LOT of bands form the era. This one has scratchy, warbly guitar work that prefigures some late decade U2, and some chord changes and rhythms ( especially in the instrumental break) that remind me of Pixies, and would not surprise me one bit if Frank Black was a huge fan of theirs. "So Run Down" - A much more ramshackle beat, and some very PiL-era John Lydon-esque vocals as opposed to Bowie. Speaking of which, the vocal melody here is pretty cool, and there's an overall, well... psychedelic feel to things. Though it never rounds the bend completely into that, and stays just on this side of the jangle pop equation. More of that falling down the stair, Budgie style beats though, and tastefully applied sax for flavor. "All of This and Nothing" - This one starts off all airy, but full of an eerie menace that puts me in mind of some solo Peter Murphy work. Where Murphy's stuff is harsh and twisty, this is twinkly and spacey. Compare to Murphy's "Cuts You Up" for example. Butler's vocals on the chorus soar upwards a bit more than on most of the tracks hear, but the song stays down in tone though and instrumentally does a great job of gelling wit the bitterness and confusion of the lyrics. "She Is Mine" - All round more poppy and with a gentle touch that reminds me a lot of "Dreams" by Fleetwoood Mac with its locked-in, steady hypnotic drum beat and the airy guitars layered over top. HIGHLIGHTS - "Dumb Waiters" - "Pretty in Pink" - "I Wanna Sleep with You" - "No Tears" - "Mr. Jones" - "Into You Like a Train" - "It Goes On" - "So Run Down" - "All of This and Nothing" - "She Is Mine" MIDLIGHTS - LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS This one held up incredibly well for me, and was a welcome reminder at how great the band's deep cuts are. I mentioned that I was reminded briefly of the Cars on one track, and would say another point of comparison would be that both bands operate at a level where there's very little fat. They're stuff is pretty varied within the guitar-centric mode they've decided to play around in, and it's chock full of melodic hooks, interesting textures, and some cool atmosphere. There's not much about this I can find fault with, aside from the fact that there weren't any more GIANT hits on it. I may or may not come back with an edit to verify, but I'm guessing all four of those first albums I'll likely feel similarly about. This one usually pops up at the top of fan made lists, so maybe it's a bit more consistent, but we'll have to see about that. I'm definitely looking forward to listening to the rest of their discography, and maybe this time I'll get into the later ones. There was a release form 2020 that I heard a couple of good tracks from, so there's hope. My biggest knock on the album in general would be that as much as I personally love it, I think it's a prime example of a very high quality journeyman band at their best. They don't quite have the flair or the highs of a band like the Cure, but they stay well clear of some of the more abrasive and niche bands from the period playing in the same field. I keep coming back to them, but I would maybe say the same thing about the Cars on the U.S. side. Rarely ever a wrong step, with a string of great albums that are probably have the effect on a lot of people of "Oh yeah, those guys are great. I always forget about them." So for anyone who wasn't sold on the band by this, I would still highly recommend their greatest hits compilations. Some very fine stuff on there. One album from them seems appropriate though, and this is as fine a representation as any I guess. *EDIT: Going back to re-listen I think i might give the edge to this one actually, as it's ever so slightly more consistent than the others, which I'd rank as below: 1. The Psychedelic Furs (1980) - 4.6 Stars - The most raw, and atmospheric one of the bunch, and definitely the heaviest, and most punk adjacent, with just as many krautrock and Velvet Underground influences as Bowie ones. It's a toss up between this one and Talk, Talk, Talk as far as my overall favorite, but I might just give this one the slight edge 2. Talk Talk Talk (1981) - 4.6 stars - see above 3. Mirror Moves (1984) - 4.4 Stars - less atmospheric than Talk, Talk, Talk, but much more danceable, and with more stereotypical 80s electronic tropes creeping in 4. Forever Now (1982) - 4.4 stars - less variety, but full of more energy, and more rock-facing than Talk, Talk, Talk, and a more playful vibe Possible turn-Offs might include: - Butler's voice is not for everyone - even the big hit on this is probably not the version that you love - the fact that early 80s Bowie looms large over this, so if not a fan - beware You Might enjoy this if you: - dig atmospheric, yet catchy material - are already familiar with their hits and are curious - like your 80s British post-punk more on the approachable, radio-friendly side PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - I'm good. FURTHER LISTENING Precursors: - Revolver by the Beatles - The Doors by The Doors - Roxy Music by Roxy Music - All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople - Transformer by Lou Reed - The Idiot by Iggy Pop - Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) by David Bowie Contemporaries: - Kilimanjaro by The Teardrop Explodes - Pop by Tones on Tail - Soul Mining by The The - Deep by Peter Murphy - Underwater Moonlight by the Soft Boys - After the Snow by Modern English - Express by Love and Rockets Descendants: - Surfer Rosa by Pixies - Hot Fuss by the Killers - Antics by Interpol - In Dream by Editors - Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone by The Walkmen

Amazing record!

His voice is like a cat's tongue. Bristly. While it's a relatively small part of the whole, it has an impact. It catches you and keeps your attention.

I’ve always loved this side of the ’80s—I was growing up (as a teenager) and starting to get seriously into music! In other words, I was developing my own tastes; I’d exchange opinions with my friends, and we’d lend each other cassettes and records (back in the good old days of sharing in person, without streams or the cloud or any of that crap! Who even knows what a cassette is these days, or what it was like to record songs from the radio on our cassette decks?). It’s so great to relive those times—it’s so great to remember so many good things. A 5, of course :-)

Pretty in pink is such a great song, and this album should not be slept on. They maintain their sound throughout the album but the guitar fills and tempo with incredible lyrics make it refreshing every track. So good

On Talk Talk Talk, The Psychedelic Furs' classic second, storytelling leads the way while noise is a vital tho subtle component. That adds up to damn good interpretation of post-punk, pop sensibilities & all. What sets it apart from other albums of that era is its gorgeousness & the profundities of its insights, lyrically, instrumentally, inventively: 'Here's another nine o'clock / & here's another day / Wonder how the weather is / & what the people say'; 'Talk about yourself again / Talk about the rain again'; 'She's making me a plastic wig / She's making me again.' Never maudlin, only appropriately & meaningfully sentimental, these blokes offer faith in the process that is life & its ordinariness. Painful even, but pain never gets the final word. Wisely.

Man, it's kind of blowing me away how much I like this album. I'd only heard "Midnight to Midnight" before and, well, I was underwhelmed. Kind of just wrote off the whole band and never thought anything of it. This is album is phenomenal. Just consistently listenable post-punk new wave kind of stuff. I realize I've heard "Pretty in Pink" before, never put together it was Psychedelic Furs... again though the whole album rules.

I normally don't like a ton of 80s British style punk, but I loved this album. I have never listened to them before, but this album will make me try some of their other albums.

A perfect new wave album . I have this on vinyl already. Pretty in pink is a stone cold classic . No week tracks but some favourites including Dumb Waiters, into you like a train and no tears

Why’d I think the psychedelic furs were a 2000s indie band. Interesting as a new wave album because the vocals and that strained off putting synth really do highlight the punk roots. I really like how scuzzy this album is. It’s new wave but not the clean shiny new wave but a grimy uncomfortable kind. I guess maybe that’s why I thought they were later? I can imagine them being discussed as an influence in a lot of indie sleaze.

I looooove new wave and talk talk talk is required listening. Been very angsty this month and this album was just what I needed

I have never seen the movie Pretty in Pink, so I don't associate the song by the Psychedelic Furs with that movie. This is another band I got into later in my life when I started to listen to more and more post-punk music. I found the UK listing being so different from the US listing to be interesting, as I think starting the album off with Pretty in Pink seems like the best idea. I'm not sure why the UK version did not do that. The influence this album had on modern music can be heard very easily. I hear some Strokes on Mr. Jones and quite a few of these songs just sound familiar to me even though I had never heard them before. I do love the Roxy Music-like sax on the songs though. It's jazz-lounge post-punk music. My favorite tracks are pretty much every song on here.

Люблю, обожаю, обожаю, люблю. Pretty in pink бэнгер на все времена 🌸🌸🌸🌸

A band and a singer with a distinct sound. For an artsy new wave band, they go quite hard. Accessible, but still post-punk. Favorite tracks are 'Dumb Waiter' and ‘Into You Like A Train’ and 'Pretty in Pink'. ‘Pretty in Pink’ reminds me of ‘Sweet Jane’ by the Velvet Undergroud. I really like the guitar riff and the little keyboard flourish after. The horns, the drums, I love this whole album.

(92/100)

I love The Smiths

This is one of those bands I’ve known about for as long as I can remember, but all I ever knew were their hits. About six months ago, I finally listened to this album for the first time and really enjoyed it. I completely forgot about it until recently when I saw it on my list and decided to give it another listen, and I think I enjoy it even more this time around. I have a total weakness for those jangly guitars, and the way they blend the catchiness of new wave with a post-punk foundation really hits the spot. The music has a colorful, raw edge to it, but the production is polished and clean in a way that complements the feel of the music perfectly.

I know a couple of Psychedelic Furs songs, but I’ve never listened to one of their albums before. Honestly, I would have never guessed that they’d have an album on this list. I’ve found that a good number of the new wave albums from the early eighties are a pretty mixed bag for me, so I have no clue whether or not I’m going to enjoy this album. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Talk Talk Talk. Psychedelic Furs had a really unique song on this album, combining new wave and post punk sounds in some really interesting ways. The way the lead and rhythm guitars were layered was very unique, and it created some really great melodies. The keyboard playing was really strong as well, and I enjoyed it when there was some saxophone playing. Richard Butler’s gravelly vocals really helped give this an album enough of a rough edge that it remained rooted in punk quite a bit. The bass lines weren’t always noticeable to me, but when they were, they really stood out, adding a great groove to these songs. As I went through this album, I was really struck by how varied the songs were, but the album still sounded incredibly cohesive. I think Talk Talk Talk has been one of the best new wave albums from the early eighties that I’ve had the chance to review. I have some notes on the individual songs listed below: I was immediately struck by the guitars and keyboards on “Dumb Waiters.” Psychedelic Furs created a really unique sound on this album right away. Richard Butler’s vocals were really unique too. I really enjoyed how the way all the instruments were layered; it created a very unique sound, and there was so much to take in. “Pretty in Pink” was excellent. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard this version of the song, or only the 1986 version from the film, but either way, this song was great. The guitars and vocals were excellent, and the bass line was wonderful. I loved the drums on the chorus, and the keyboard playing was really good too. This is just an awesome new wave song, and it’s a blast to listen to. “No Tears” was really good. This song had some more great guitar playing and a great bass line too. The saxophone solo was awesome, and I really loved the drumming coming out of the bridge. “Into You Like a Train” blended the saxophone, drumming, and guitar so well. The keyboards were great too, as were the vocals. Everything clicked so well on this song, and I was one of my favorites on the album. The rhythms on “It Goes On” were outstanding. The distorted guitar sounded great, and I loved the bag-pipe sounding keyboards combined with the saxophone. I loved the structure of “All of This and Nothing.” I enjoyed how the intro and outro were very different from the main body of the song, and the guitar playing was great. Talk Talk Talk was really excellent to listen to, and I’m surprised by how unique it was. Psychedelic Furs crafted a really fun album here, and I’ll definitely be coming back to this album.

it's amazing and a little bit different but with the main atmosphere. I definitely would like to listen it one more time at the hot summer night or something

Love it

Damn fine listening

This is right up my wheelhouse - early 80's post-punk/new wave with heavy guitar and live drums! Even after 24 years I still love it. Besides "Pretty in Pink", the highlights for me include "All of This and Nothing" - especially the demo version on the 2002 rerelease bonus tray, "Mr. Jones" and "Into You Like a Train" .

Great songs and a great recording. Richard Butler's inimitable vocals are carried along by rock solid drums and bass. There's a lot of great interplay between the two guitars and sax which results in a rich variety of textures. The opening track is perhaps slightly weak, but after that it's all solid stuff, particularly the superb All of This and Nothing.

One of the first records I ever picked up on vinyl, my ear really enjoys Richard Butler's raw, hoarse vocals and the overall kinda ugly, dissonant sound while still being pretty poppy, love this album so much.

Great album

Talk Talk Talk (not to be confused with Talk Talk by Talk Talk... I know, the 80s were weird) is the album that made everyone take notice of the Psychedelic Furs. It's not the one that made them MTV darlings, that being Forever Now, though it does contain their most enduring song, Pretty in Pink. Alongside Pretty in Pink, there is a host of great tunes on this record, especially Into You Like a Train and Mr. Jones. The latter very much shows their punk roots. And that's because The Furs were punk and they were New Wave and they had a touch of what would become Shoegaze. That's what makes this album so wonderful. That's all there in its raw form, before the slick MTV style took over. Yes, Forever Now is a great album, but it's a different kind of album than Talk Talk Talk. It's more produced with far fewer (intentionally) rough edges. Forever Now is an 80s album. Talk Talk Talk is a Punk and New Wave album. Maybe it's a matter of taste but I think Talk Talk Talk is the better album and this version of Pretty in Pink is vastly superior to the reworked version for the fantastic Brat Pack movie of the same name. Stick with the original song and the original Furs.

Holy fuuu - love this!!

The Psychedelic Furs’ first three albums are top-to-bottom gold. While I slightly favour their debut album, Dumb Waiters is maybe my favourite track by them, so it all evens out in the end. This is a serious jam. Play loud.

Ashamed to say that heading into this i'd only heard Pretty in Pink. What a great album! Really liked pretty much all of it, and much of it I actually loved. 5

Good stuff

Excellent. Must have on vinyl

A classic. Dark and moody, but still catchy. I love Butler's voice, a bit like a smoother Lydon. Some great tunes, and poignant lyrics. What's not to love? Mr Jones is a standout here.

Great album!

classic for a reason.

"Talk Talk Talk" is the second studio album by English rock band the Pyschedelic Furs. New wave and post-punk are the Wiki-listed genres. That's appropriate. The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite and "introduced a brighter, poppies side to the underground rock edge of their debut album." The Furs at that time were six members including Richard Butler (lead vocals), Roger Morris (lead guitar), John Ashton (rhythm guitar), Tim Butler (bass), Duncan Kilburn (saxophone, keyboards) and Vince Ely (drums). The album had solid reviews and, commercially, reached #89 in the US. The album opens with "Pretty in Pink." An edgy, jangly guitar riff, drum beat, swirling synth and forceful vocals. A song that would be smoothed-over for the 80's John Hughes movie of the same name...yeah, since the lyrics describe Butler's observations of a girl with questionable behavior (i.e. she sleeps around). The band kicks it harder in the next song "Mr. Jones." Layered post-punk and even punk guitar riffs, slashes and echoes. A punky sax break in the middle eight. Butler vocals alone create a melodic chorus in "No Tears." Melodic guitars, a bass upfront in the mix and a sultry, sexy sax solo. Butler taking a look at himself and his relationships in this great deep cut. The saxophone takes a front row in their lone single "Dumb Waiters." Underneath guitar feedback. Butler with rapid vocals. He's alone in his room and I'm not sure why. A comment on the times? Drugs? Side two comes out a roaring with "Into You Like a Train." It's fast with Butler repeating the song title. Obviously, he's going to use a different approach in his relationship. The album closes with "All of This and Nothing." A dark post-punk guitar. The song fades in and out throughout. Various noises and a creepy vibe. Butler is very bitter in this break-up song. This album sounded fabulous to me. Maybe, it's been my increased liking of early 80's post-punk music. It's definitely related to the fact that there's an edge to these songs that the Furs would never repeat. They were a six member band and would lose two members after this album. Their albums would become more polished throughout the 80's. The album excels in layered post-punk guitars. The sax has a sleezy and sultry sound matching up perfectly with the guitars. There are a few lighter songs which recall Brian Ferry and Roxy Music. Butler vocals are raspy, exhausted and angry adding to the edge. This is the Furs at their best and this album matches up with the best of that early 80's post-punk/punk era. An album every rock fan should give a listen to. A high recommendation.

Fast

Very good! Energetic and fun.

This was great! Heard of the band, and probably have heard Pretty in Pink, but I really liked most of the songs. I can totally hear their influence on a lot of more current bands that I like. It Goes On is an instant playlist add and a total banger.

Me gusta mucho

All time fave from the beginnin.

Eerste plaat die voorbij gekomen is die ik nog nooit had geluisterd. Met de disclaimer dat het 1-5 sterren systeem erg beperkend voelt en ik moeite heb met een 10/10 by way of 5/5 uit te delen voor iets wat nog geen tijd heeft gehad om te bezinken, is dit meteen een hit. Bewijst maar weer eens dat postpunk een term is waar je echt geen fuck aan hebt. Meer Go-Betweens dan The Fall, wat een goed ding is. Minder b6 voor de 420-serge-it lezer, zo u wilt. Heeft veel elementen die toekomstige genre genoten uit het oog zullen verliezen. Groove, melodie, humor et al. De sax is geen gimmick en de texten zijn doorspekt van het charmante soort adolescente geilheid. Nadat de snappy 41ish minuten (maken jullie aantekeningen War on Drugs?) voorbij waren begonnen we gewoon weer bij het begin, en toen nog een keer.

album is just pretty in pink. Isn't trick?