''London 1986'' is a live album by the English group

Talk Talk Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drummer), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles "Talk Talk (Talk Talk s ...

, released in Europe by Pond Life Records on compact disc in 1999. It was recorded at the

Hammersmith Odeon The Hammersmith Apollo, currently called the Eventim Apollo for sponsorship reasons, and formerly known as the Hammersmith Odeon, is a live entertainment performance venue, originally built as a cinema called the Gaumont Palace. Located in Ha ...

in London on 8 May 1986 near the end of their European tour to promote their 1986 studio album ''

The Colour of Spring ''The Colour of Spring'' is the third studio album by English band Talk Talk, released on 17 February 1986. Written by Mark Hollis and producer Tim Friese-Greene, the album combines elements of jazz and art pop in an effort by Hollis to embrac ...

''. This show was the band's last in the UK, and the tour would be the band's final live performances, although they went on to release two more studio albums in 1988 and 1991. Promotional copies released in 1998 were titled '' Hammersmith''. The album was met with moderately positive reviews upon its release. It is notable for capturing the band's transition period, when their sound was moving away from their earlier pop phase, from which the performances are mostly drawn, into their later experimental music. The album is included in

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

' 2013 list of its writers' "40 Favourite Live Albums".

Cover art

The cover artwork, by longtime collaborating artist James Marsh, was originally meant for a video documenting the same tour, and stills from the concert film, directed by Noel Oliver, are included in the album's liner notes. The international release was abandoned, however, and the video package only appeared in Italy. In 1990, one clip from the film, of the band performing "Give It Up", was included in the video album that accompanied the greatest-hits compilation '' Natural History: The Very Best of Talk Talk'', and this was rereleased on DVD in 2007. The Hammersmith film has never been rereleased in its entirety. In 2008, the DVD ''

Live at Montreux 1986 ''Live at Montreux 1986'' is a concert video release by the English band Talk Talk of a concert at 1986 Montreux Jazz Festival. The show was part of a tour that started in April 1986 to promote the band's recent album ''The Colour of Spring'', ...

'' was released, consisting of the complete Montreux show from the same tour.

Track listing

Personnel

;Talk Talk *

Mark Hollis Mark David Hollis (4 January 1955 – February 2019) was an English musician and singer-songwriter. He achieved commercial success and critical acclaim in the 1980s and 1990s as the co-founder, lead singer and principal songwriter of the band ...

– lead vocals *

Paul Webb Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

– bass, backing vocals * Lee Harris – drums ;Additional personnel * David Rhodes – guitar, backing vocals * Danny Cummings – percussion * Phil Reis – percussion * Ian Curnow – keyboards * Rupert Black – piano * Mark Feltham – harmonica ;Production * Chris Beale – live sound *

Tim Friese-Greene Timothy Alan Friese-Greene is an English musician and producer. He worked with the band Talk Talk from 1983 to their breakup in 1991. He currently releases solo albums under the name "Heligoland". He is the grandson of filmmaker Claude Friese-Gre ...

, Mick McKenna – original recorded sound * Bill Leabody – production manager * Barry Mead – tour manager * Adrian Wiseman, Glenn Saggers, Hoagie Davies – crew * Keith Aspden – management *

Phill Brown Phill Brown (born 1950) is an audio engineer who has worked with a number of well-known musicians, including: Traffic, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Cat Stevens, Bob Marley and Talk Talk. He is also the younger brother of Terry Brown. Career Brown ...

– mixing *

Denis Blackham Denis Blackham (born in 1952) is an English music mastering engineer. He began his audio mastering work in 1969 at IBC Studios in London, and later worked for Polygram, RCA, The Master Room, Nimbus Records, Tape One and George Peckham, Porky's ...

at Country Masters – mastering * James Marsh – front cover illustration * Noel Oliver – film stills * Cally at Antar – graphic design

References

{{Authority control 1999 live albums Talk Talk albums Albums recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo