Ahem...
Anyone: So, Rand... What is your favourite album?
Rand: Why, Talk Talk's 'Laughing Stock', of course.
THE END
It is categorically true. The album, while praised immensely upon release, was not in the least bit popular. It gained momentum over the years and is often cited by bands as a source of great inspiration. ...and with good reason.
'Laughing Stock' is not the album you put on at a party (unless it's a pity party). It is meant to be sat with, contemplated, dissected... It's music to be swallowed and digested by. Challenging and necessary.
Instead of that oversold Enigma album that seems to inexplicably be in every household's record collection, this should take its place.
The world was lucky enough to see Talk Talk's first four albums receive the remastering treatment, but 'Laughing Stock' was left off. Shunned again, in spite of the fact that most fans have lovingly attached themselves to it. This was a sad moment. The production and cleanliness is astonishing. The months of studio time are time well spent, as one can hear from the alternate versions of several tracks on 'Missing Pieces', the album's sister in obscurity.
The first time I heard the album was on CD. Vinyl, however, is how I came to love it. Those who prefer vinyl, do yourself a favour and buy this on record. The listen is transformative.
'Taphead' and 'Runeii' are so sonically spare, that those high end and low end incidentals bring out dimensions that the CD couldn't duplicate. The near mechanical drums of 'New Grass', easily this gent's favourite song in the world, sounds less compressed and open with its changing velocities more apparent. The diabolical squall of 'After the Flood''s minute and a half of feedback seems even more detached and dissonant. It just sounds more like what I suspect the album should be.
In my attempt to remaster (once again, without the source tapes) I decided not to try and make the album louder. The quiet bits and empty spaces are necessary to be heard properly. Instead, what I tried to do was bring out the bits that I enjoyed from the vinyl that didn't sound as apparent on the CD (which lives in my car). I took a high quality vinyl (24 bit) copy and gave it a little tune up to try and mimic the analogue sounds in the digital world for the vinyl mock remaster. For the CD mock remaster, I tried to open up the top and bottom ends a bit and bring in some of frequencies lost in the digital copies while retaining a similar volume to the original. I, perhaps, tried to make it sound more like the vinyl that I prefer to hear on nice headphones in a dark corner at home.
I also tacked on 'Missing Pieces' to the CD remaster, giving the tracks a feel that I would suspect to hear if I also had it on vinyl.
I do hope you enjoy.
CD Version (MP denotes 'Missing Pieces')
01 Myrrhman (CD Remastered)
02 Ascension Day (CD Remastered)
03 After the Flood (CD Remastered)
04 Taphead (CD Remastered)
05 New Grass (CD Remastered)
06 Runeii (CD Remastered)
07 After the Flood MP (CD Remastered)
08 Myrrhman MP (CD Remastered)
09 New Grass MP (CD Remastered)
10 Stump MP (CD Remastered)
11 Ascension Day MP (CD Remastered)
12 5:09 MP (CD Remastered)
13 Piano MP (CD Remastered)
Vinyl Version
01 Myrrhman (Vinyl Remastered)
02 Ascension Day (Vinyl Remastered)
03 After the Flood (Vinyl Remastered)
04 Taphead (Vinyl Remastered)
05 New Grass (Vinyl Remastered)
06 Runeii (Vinyl Remastered)
