GRAEME THOMSON: In Another World: The Four Seasons Of Talk Talk

The Rock 'n' Roll Book Club welcomes back author Graeme Thomson with the definitive biography of Talk Talk, one of the most critically acclaimed and enigmatic groups of all time.

When Mark Hollis died suddenly in 2019 aged 64, he left behind a slim but perfectly formed collection of Talk Talk albums, one solo album and an ever-burgeoning mystique which only continues to grow with each passing year.

Thomson’s book is an elegant, erudite and insightful study of a unique and exceptional group. In Another World explores the full creative lifespan of Talk Talk and Mark Hollis while focusing on four remarkable records: The Colour of Spring, Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock, alongside Hollis’s eponymous solo album, released in 1998. A quartet of timeless, uncategorisable masterpieces. Separately, each one is a towering achievement in its own right. Taken together, they become a self-contained universe sculpted in sound.

In Another World mixes close critical analysis of the music, its recurring themes, prevailing moods, unique qualities and ever-growing influence, with informed artist biography, personal reflection, and a vivid reconstruction of the painstaking working methodologies from which these albums emerged.

The book draws on scores of in-depth interviews with original band members and many of the core group of musicians, producers and engineers who helped create the music, as well as record label executives, friends and admiring fellow artists.

Lyrical and impressionistic, engaging and revelatory, the result is a deep and informed immersion in a singular musical world which has fascinated listeners for more than three decades.

Our event centres around a very high quality playback of Laughing Stock together with an in conversation, audience Q&A and book signing.

Graeme will be in conversation with James Cook, the author of In Her Room: How music helped me connect with my autistic daughter, 2020.

Graeme Thomson is the author of several acclaimed books on music, including Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush; Themes for Great Cities: A New History of Simple Minds; and Behind the Locked Door, the definitive biography of George Harrison. His book Small Hours: The Long Night of John Martyn was a book of the year in the Sunday Times, FT, Telegraph, Mojo and Uncut. Graeme lives in Edinburgh and writes on music, literature and popular culture for a number of publications.

A fascinating and stirring tribute to one of the most inscrutable bands of the ’80s’ Classic Pop

‘Thomson vividly fills the gaps with his forensic detail, deep listening and jigsaw anecdotes piecing together a picture of an inscrutable artist 4/5’ Mojo

‘With a thoroughness which would do Hollis proud, Thomson paints a passionate, informed picture. (An) excellent musical investigation 4/5’ Record Collector