The Party's Over is the debut album by Talk Talk. It was released on 12 July 1982 and produced by Colin Thurston, who was a former engineer for David Bowie but was better known for producing Duran Duran's first two albums.
| The Party's Over | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 July 1982[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1981–1982 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:47 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Colin Thurston | |||
| Talk Talk chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Party's Over | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| Q | [5] |
| Mojo (re-issue review) | [6] |
| Smash Hits |    [7] |
| Uncut | [8] |
Release
editThe Party's Over was released on 12 July 1982 by record label EMI.
In the United Kingdom, the album's single "Today" was a top-twenty hit. The remixed version of the single "Talk Talk" reached number 1 in South Africa in 1983 and number 23 in the UK. In the United States the album entered the Billboard Top 200, reaching number 132, while the single "Talk Talk" peaked at number 75.[citation needed]
In New Zealand, the album was a hit, peaking at number 8 due to the success of "Today", which reached number 10 in 1983.[9]
Critical reception
editUpon its release, Smash Hits reviewer Neil Tennant wrote: "One sad mood permeates the whole LP as though they're compensating for the fact that they'd like to say something important but can't think of anything to say. Still, attractive tunes and synthesizer phrases plus sliding bass-playing prosper in the big, careful production. If only they'd cheered up, the part[y] might have been much more enjoyable."[7]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Talk Talk" | Ed Hollis, Mark Hollis | 3:23 |
| 2. | "It's So Serious" | Simon Brenner, Lee Harris, Mark Hollis, Paul Webb[note 1] | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Today" (Track 5 on original US vinyl) | Simon Brenner, Lee Harris, Mark Hollis, Paul Webb[note 1] | 3:30 |
| 4. | "The Party's Over" | Simon Brenner, Lee Harris, Mark Hollis, Paul Webb[note 1] | 6:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Hate" (Track 3 on original US vinyl) | Simon Brenner, Lee Harris, Mark Hollis, Paul Webb[note 1] | 3:58 |
| 6. | "Have You Heard the News?" | Mark Hollis | 5:07 |
| 7. | "Mirror Man" | Mark Hollis | 3:21 |
| 8. | "Another Word" | Paul Webb | 3:14 |
| 9. | "Candy" | Mark Hollis | 4:41 |
| Total length: | 36:47 | ||
Personnel
edit- Talk Talk
- Mark Hollis – lead vocals and backing vocals
- Paul Webb – fretless bass and backing vocals
- Simon Brenner – synthesizers and piano
- Lee Harris – electronic drums and drum machine
Charts
edit| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[10] | 94 |
| UK (Official Charts Company)[11] | 23 |
| Billboard Pop Albums[12] | 132 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[13] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Worldwide | — | 250,000[14] |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d Per the original sleeve notes, which additionally delineate the credit for the song as "Lyrics - Hollis, Music - Brenner/Harris/Hollis/Webb". However, BMI records list all five Talk Talk songs credited to Brenner/Harris/Hollis/Webb (the four on The Party's Over plus the non-album B-side "Call in the Night Boy") as being written by Brenner and Hollis only. See BMI Work numbers 1313128, 1524648, 1155289, 530291, and 170255.
References
edit- ^ "Merchandising" (PDF). Record Business. 5 July 1982. p. 2. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
- ^ Paste Staff (3 June 2024). "The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time". Paste. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
...the New Romantic-aligned synth-pop of their 1982 debut The Party's Over...
- ^ "Top 15 Sophisti-Pop Albums". Classic Pop. 25 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "The Party's Over - Talk Talk - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ "[The Party's Over review]". Q. September 1997.
- ^ Eccleston, Danny (May 2012). "Lost Horizon". Mojo. No. 222. London: Bauer. p. 100. ISSN 1351-0193.
- ^ a b Tennant, Neil. "Albums". Smash Hits 22 July - 4 August 1982. p. 23.
- ^ Stubbs, David (November 1997). "Talk Talk: The Party's Over / It's My Life / The Colour of Spring / Spirit of Eden". Uncut. No. 6. p. 89.
- ^ "Talk Talk - The Party's Over (Album)". charts.nz. Hung Medien / eMedia Jungden. 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 304. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Talk Talk UK chart history". Official Charts. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ^ "Album Search for "the partys over"". AllMusic.
- ^ "British album certifications – Talk Talk – The Party's Over". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
- ^ Deevoy, Adrian (28 August 2013). "Talk Talk: 'You should never listen to music as background music' – a classic interview from the vaults". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2019.