Talk Talk (The Music Machine song)
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"Talk Talk" is the debut
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
of American
garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
band
The Music Machine The Music Machine was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. Fronted by chief songwriter and lead vocalist Sean Bonniwell, the band cultivated a characteristically dark and rebellious image reflected in an untamed mus ...
. It was released in November 1966, and produced the band's only Top 20 hit on the ''
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
''. The song was included on their debut album, ''
(Turn On) The Music Machine ''(Turn On) The Music Machine'' is the debut album by the American garage rock band the Music Machine, and was released on Original Sound Records on December 31, 1966. It arrived just months after the group's hit single, "Talk Talk", propelled t ...
''.


Background

The Music Machine was practicing the song before any interest from record producers.
Sean Bonniwell Thomas Harvey "Sean" Bonniwell (August 16, 1940 – December 20, 2011) was an American singer-songwriter/guitarist, who was known as the creative force behind the 1960s garage rock band, The Music Machine. Bonniwell was quoted in Richie Unterb ...
strived to perfect the sound he had been experimenting with in preparation for a record deal. The band regularly played at an
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
bowling alley in Los Angeles. Bonniwell was originally involved in the
folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
scene, but he wanted to create a harder sound or as he stated "something completely unique". To create his designed sound, Bonniwell had the band tune their instruments from the typical E to Eb, creating a heavy effect (a technique later used by such Heavy Metal bands as Metallica). Bassist,
Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...
, utilized a
fuzz box Distortion and overdrive are forms of audio signal processing used to alter the sound of amplified electric musical instruments, usually by increasing their gain, producing a "fuzzy", "growling", or "gritty" tone. Distortion is most commonly ...
to produce the song's signature bassline, which was backed by Mark Landon's wiry guitar playing. This new way of playing caught the attention of record producer Brian Ross, who brought them into studios to record a single. Recording in RCA Recording Studios took only three hours at the expense of US$150. The song took two takes and the planned A-side, "Come on In", in only one. "Come on In" was later replaced by "Talk Talk" when record producers deemed it suitable for an A-side release. The "Talk Talk" track clocked at one minute and 56 seconds, yet still compiled four distinctive rhythm changes. Engineer, Paul Buff, innovated the recording by using a ten-track recording machine when most recording artists only had a four-track. Keyboardist,
Doug Rhodes Doug Rhodes, (born May 28, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, who performed with 1960s rock bands the Music Machine and the Millennium. Growing up in Garden Grove, California, Rhodes began his music career as a jazz saxophonist at the ...
, played the
farfisa organ Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professiona ...
, which had its sound sliced and separated numerous times. The Music Machine was soon signed to the
Original Sound Original Sound is a Los Angeles, California-based record label. It was founded in the early 1950s by KTNQ, KPOP deejay Art Laboe. It began as a small label that specialized in compiling and re-releasing "oldies" R&B and rock 'n' roll songs. Histor ...
label to release the single. "Talk Talk" became a hit upon its release when it eventually charted at number 15 on the national charts, remaining on the charts for 12 weeks, and also reached top ten in several L.A. charts. A.M. Radio constantly played the song due to its short track length, giving it added exposure. While touring, the song became a favorite among the band's fans, so the composition was regularly extended. The track was subsequently released on December 31, 1966 as the opening to the group's debut album, ''(Turn On) The Music Machine''.


Releases

"Talk Talk" has been circulated through several albums, compilations, and reissues since its initial release.


Singles/EPs

* "Talk Talk" b/w "Come on In" –
Original Sound Original Sound is a Los Angeles, California-based record label. It was founded in the early 1950s by KTNQ, KPOP deejay Art Laboe. It began as a small label that specialized in compiling and re-releasing "oldies" R&B and rock 'n' roll songs. Histor ...
, 1966 * "Talk Talk" / "
The People In Me "The People in Me" is a song by the American garage rock band, The Music Machine, written by Sean Bonniwell, and was first released as a track on their debut album '' (Turn On) The Music Machine'' in December 1966 on Original Sound Records. B ...
" / "Come on In" / "Wrong" EP – Disques Voque, 1966 * "Come on In" b/w "Talk Talk" – Alvorada International, 1967 * "Talk Talk" b/w "Hot Smoke and Sassafras" – Original Sound, 1985


Albums/compilations

* ''(Turn On) The Music Machine'' – Original Sound, 1966 (1st track) * ''Best of the Music Machine'' – Rhino, 1984 (1st track) * ''Beyond the Garage'' – Sundazed, 1995 (1st track) * ''The Very Best of the Music Machine'' – Collectables, 1999 (1st track) * ''The Ultimate Turn On'' – Big Beat, 2006 (1st track)


Reception

Aside from the initial chart success of the song, "Talk Talk" is still praised as a garage rock classic.
Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...
praised Bonniwell's composition for its experimentation and raw sound. Unterberger described the song as "the most radical single to be heard on Top 40 radio in late 1966. Against a succession of grinding two-note fuzz riffs and key changes that rose and Rose until it hit the ceiling, Bonniwell sprewed and growled a rally cry to social alienation with a mixture of sarcasm, self-pity, and paranoia". David Fricke of
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
was equally satisfied with the band's song. He declared the band "created a breathlessly compact garage rock: hog-snort guitar distortion, machine gun drumming and paranoid growling despair, shaved and hardened by geometric precision. And although he was in his mid-twenties, Bonniwell nailed in his lyrics the hapless rage of white high school males with similar rigor".


Personnel

*
Sean Bonniwell Thomas Harvey "Sean" Bonniwell (August 16, 1940 – December 20, 2011) was an American singer-songwriter/guitarist, who was known as the creative force behind the 1960s garage rock band, The Music Machine. Bonniwell was quoted in Richie Unterb ...
– lead vocals * Mark Landon – lead guitar *
Keith Olsen Keith Alan Olsen (May 12, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American record producer and sound engineer, who worked with Magnum, Rick Springfield, Fleetwood Mac, Ozzy Osbourne, the Grateful Dead, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar, Heart, Santana, Saga, ...
– bass * Ron Edgar – drums *
Doug Rhodes Doug Rhodes, (born May 28, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, who performed with 1960s rock bands the Music Machine and the Millennium. Growing up in Garden Grove, California, Rhodes began his music career as a jazz saxophonist at the ...
– keyboards


Cover versions

*
The Residents The Residents are an American art collective and art rock band best known for their avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, ''Meet the Residents'' (1974), they have released over 60 albums, numerous music vi ...
recorded a parody of the song in 1974, for their ''
The Third Reich 'n Roll ''The Third Reich 'n Roll'' is the second studio album by the American art rock group The Residents, released on Ralph Records in 1976. The album consists of two side-long suites of "'semi-phonetic' interpretations of Top 40 rock and roll from ...
'' album. *
Prong Prong or Prongs may refer to: * Prong, synonym of tine (structural), a branch or spike of various tools and natural objects * Prong (band), an American metal band * Prong (company), an iPhone accessories company in New York City * Prongs, British ...
's 1992 release '' Whose Fist Is This Anyway?'' includes a cover of the song. *
Webb Wilder John Webb McMurry (born May 19, 1954), known as Webb Wilder, is an American country, rock & roll singer, guitarist and actor. Early life McMurry was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He started playing guitar at the age of 12 and was playing ...
released this song on his 1995 album of cover songs ''Town & Country''. *
The Demics The Demics were a Canadian punk rock band that formed in 1977 in London, Ontario. Biography Originally formed in London, Ontario in 1977, the band consisted of vocalist Keith Whittaker, guitarist Rob Brent, bassist Iain Atkinson-Staines and d ...
released a completely punk version of the song on their 1996 album, ''New York City''. * Boss Hog covered the song on the ''Psychopticotic Vol. One'' EP released by Amphetamine Reptile Records in 2016. *
Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
released this song as the opening track on his 1980 album ''
Flush the Fashion ''Flush the Fashion'' is the fifth solo studio album by American singer Alice Cooper, released on April 28, 1980 by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles with producer Roy Thomas Baker, known for his work with Qu ...
''.


See also

*
List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States A one-hit wonder is a musical artist who is successful with one hit song, but without a comparable subsequent hit. The term may also be applied to an artist who is remembered for only one hit despite other successes (such as " Take on Me" by A-ha ...


References


External links

*{{cite web , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZExWt-bj-k , title=Talk Talk , format=Video , publisher=
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
The Music Machine songs 1966 songs 1966 singles Songs written by Sean Bonniwell 1966 debut singles