“What made this bridge crossing even more memorable was when the driver of the limousine (courtesy of EMI records) asked us if we had visited New York before. Mark Hollis told him we hadn’t; the driver glanced into his rear view mirror at us and with a broad grin said, ‘It’s Like a Jungle sometimes’. Lee Harris and myself instinctively started punching the air and like two over excited rappers shouted back at him ‘It makes me wonder how I keep from going under’. “ – RustinMan, November 2019
You might think that the most synth-y, most time-locked music Talk Talk recorded is to be found on The Party’s Over, but you would be wrong. It’s not there. No, the most 1980’s-sounding thing they committed to tape (that we know of) is the demo track (rather confusingly) titled Caroline.
It bleeps and blinks and plinkity plonks for nearly six minutes, Mark Hollis intoning proto-lyrics that would eventually morph into Living in Another World, over the top of the minimal synth backing. I say intoning because the delivery is intense but not as melodic as you’d expect, he’s just about shouting in places. Those very particular synths and drum sounds put me in mind of the electro groove of The Message by Grandmaster Flash, released just a year previous to the recording of this demo. We know (from the above RustinMan post) that the Talk Talk rhythm section were big Flash fans, so was the Caroline demo inspired by New York hip-hop and is Mark Hollis rapping? Hah, of course not, but it is amusing to consider.
‘Caroline’ was released into the wild via YouTube upload in 2020. I remember what it felt like, hearing it for the first time at the end of that unusual year. I was listening through headphones, walking to work, and it literally stopped me in my tracks. I may have made a noise. Something like wow or omg. Or wtf. I didn’t believe I was listening to Talk Talk, and then the vocals kicked in and there was no doubt who it was. Five and three quarter minutes later it was my new favourite song. I think I even made a ‘best of the year’ list just so I could put ‘Caroline’ at number one. It was like some sort of Christmas Miracle. What will the 2025 Christmas Miracle be?
Caroline (demo 1983)https://youtu.be/snhNcd1GTfU?si=Ybrzoe8u4UV5J0ZL
The Message https://youtu.be/gYMkEMCHtJ4?si=mAe4SPa8tOJ39UnV