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 embrace more organic instrumentation and production values.[7] Unlike previous Talk Talk albums, synthesizers are rarely featured on the album, being replaced by guitar, piano, and organ.[8] The album went on to become Talk Talk's greatest commercial success, spawning the hit singles "
Life's What You Make It" and "
Living in Another World" and reaching the
Top 20 in numerous countries (topping the Dutch charts), including the UK, where it reached No. 8 and stayed in the UK charts for 21 weeks.[9]
Background
The Colour of Spring is commonly viewed as a bridge between Talk Talk's earlier, synthesized pop sound, and their later, more improvisation-based work. Despite the extensive use of synthesizers on the previous two albums, Hollis was vocal in his distaste for them, stating that they were used primarily for economic reasons and that “if they didn’t exist, I’d be delighted.”[10] During the recording of the album, Hollis frequently listened to the music of composers such as
Erik Satie,
Claude Debussy, and
Béla Bartók, with the latter being a particularly significant influence on the album.[11]
Like other Talk Talk albums, outside musicians were heavily utilized. Guests contributing to the album include
Robbie McIntosh adding guitar, and
Steve Winwood, who played organ on the hit "Living in Another World", alongside "Happiness is Easy" and "
I Don't Believe in You".[12]
The Colour of Spring became the band's highest selling non-compilation studio album, reaching the
Top 20 in numerous countries (topping the Dutch charts), including the UK, where it reached No. 8 and stayed in the UK charts for 21 weeks.[9] It did not quite match the sales of its predecessor in the United States but was nonetheless their last album to enter the
Billboard 200, reaching number 58.[18] With the international hit "
Life's What You Make It", Talk Talk expanded their fan base. The song became the band's fourth of four American hits, along with 1982's "
Talk Talk" and 1984's "
It's My Life" and "
Such a Shame".