Spirit Of Talk Talk

TALK TALK RARITIES

There are various places to track down Talk Talk products on the Internet, and various stores have items ranging from It's My Mix to Another Word, from Spirit Of Eden promos to coverart, at excellent prices. Below are links to stores on the Internet, together with a few comments on the material available to purchase there.

Hard To Find Records

Compared to their catalogue for other artists, the Talk Talk section is very small at Hard To Find Records, but they do have a couple of 1990 EMI re-releases, including Life's What You Make It, which they describe as a "Balearic classic". The most interesting item, however, is a "pop megamix" cd from 1996, featuring (in order), Life's What You Make It by Talk Talk, Queen's We Will Rock, and Pray by MC Hammer - a rather curious combination that will cost you Ł15.

David Cutter Gallery

The gallery has a wide selection of images by James Marsh available to purchase, including many printed reproductions of Talk Talk album art. Currently available are the images from The Party's Over, Colour of Spring, Dum Dum Girl, Spirit of Eden, Laughing Stock, After the Flood, Give it Up, Living In Another world, Living In Another world 1991, It's my Life, Asides Besides, I Don't Believe In You, and Life's What you Make It. The following will also be available in the near future: My Foolish Friend, Today, London 86, Very Best Of Talk Talk, and Such a Shame.

The Herb Garden

Test pressings, rarities, and a plethora of standard releases, the Herb Garden's collection of Talk Talk memorabilia is arguably the most impressive on the web. Virtually all the material there is only available on vinyl but their catalogue includes test pressings and promos for Such A Shame, 7" and 12" versions of My Foolish Friend, the hard to find 7" release of I Believe In You, plus the even rarer It's My Mix. Some items are quite expensive, and the latter remix compilation is available for Ł25. The store also has a variety of editions (including both original and re-releases) for Living In Another World and Life's What You Make It, and these are priced between Ł6-Ł12.

Left Legged Pineapple

This is probably the best place to try for the rarest Talk Talk releases. Even if you're after items not in their catalogue, they can usually track most things. They have a number of promo releases with hand-written labels, and also a Ł50 Laughing Stock set. This does not include the After The Flood releases, but contains the album, promo poster, and Laughing Stock branded eraser, ruler and pencil; all available in a wooden box.

Boxman

If you want to purchase Talk Talk albums on cd at very cheap prices, then this is the store for you. Albums are available from as little as Ł5, ranging from The Party's Over to the more expensive compilations such as Asides Besides and London 86. Even with the last couple of releases, however, you'll pay a lot less at Boxman than in many high street stores. They also frequently run promotional offers, such as buy 2 cd albums and get another free, or a more recent offer was no postage charge to all customers.

Energy Music

Compared to some artist catalogues at Energy Records (over 600 Pet Shop Boys releases!) , Talk Talk's merchandise is limited in quantity. Energy Music's current stock includes the original versions of some of the better known singles, as well as The Party's Over on vinyl and a cassette release of Spirit Of Eden.

Yalplay

No rare items, but all Talk Talk's albums are here, including the new release of Laughing Stock. If you've been looking for Asides Besides or London 86, you can find them all available her too. With the exception of these last two releases, all other albums can be bought for as little as Ł8.37 and postage.

Vinyl Tap

If you've got a turntable and want to get some Talk Talk vinyls playing on there, then the Vinyl Tap is where you should be heading. Rivalling The Herb Garden for its quantity of material, currently in stock are It's My Mix with giant poster for Ł40, My Foolish Friend 7", numerous versions of Life's What You Make It and Living In Another World, the very rare I Believe In You in 2 formats, plus the German release, "Another Word", complete with a unique sleeve (Ł25)! Although the very rare items are quite expensive, there are several bargains to be found here too.

Eil / Espirit

1 copy of Another Word in 12" left (but for how long?!!) for a bargain price of Ł14.99. Other interesting items include a promo sampler from the US for Spirit Of Eden. Most of the EMI single re-releases are here, as well as older material such as a Talk Talk picture disc from the 1982 re-release of the single, with Mirror Man as the b-side. Although not as much stock as Vinyl Tap or The Herb Garden, the catalogue here is still quite large, and with very good pricing.

Other recommended sites include Juno Records, and More Music.

Please remember, web site pricings do not include postage. This generally costs approx Ł1.50 for first item, reduced for subsequent items. UK postage items should be insured if worth over Ł25. Postage to Europe and elsewhere will cost slightly more.

Internet Security

There has been much media coverage about the security risks of shopping online, with concern expressed about giving credit card information online. The best advice is to use only those sites with a secure server. Some websites such as "The Herb Garden" insist on ordering via snail mail, whilst many other stores give you the option of ordering online, then phoning in your card details. Provided you use a secure server, however, the risks in shopping online are fairly minimal. Secure server software encrypts information, ensuring that Internet transactions stay private and protected from others. Internet magazine commented on credit card fraud in 1997:

"It's one of the great urban myths of Internet usage that ordering goods on the Net involves surrendering the details of your credit card to a bevy of online bandits, waiting to order a one-way ticket to Rio with your Barclaycard. The reality is that ordering cinema tickets over the phone is far more likely to put your funds in peril."

Please note, however, that the webmasters of Spirit Of Talk Talk cannot be held responsible for any problems associated with purchases made from any of the stores listed below. Personally, I have shopped at Energy Music, Boxman, Left Legged Pineapple, Yalplay, Eil/Espirit, and The Herb Garden and all have offered a fast, reliable and overall excellent service.