An exploration of one of the most critically acclaimed and mysterious groups of all time through the lens of their four career defining albums

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 in twenty-three years and an ever burgeoning mystique which only continues to grow with each passing year. Hollis and the band’s reputation is formed on the imperious run of four albums released between 1986 and 1998, yet they remain a carefully shrouded mystery. 

For the first time, Graeme Thomson seeks to unpick this knottiest of musical locks and understand the other world of Talk Talk.

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.