Mark Hollis (album)

Mark Hollis
Studio album by
Mark Hollis
Released26 January 1998
Recorded1997
Genre
Length46:56
LabelPolydor
ProducerMark Hollis
Mark Hollis chronology
Laughing Stock
(1991) 		Mark Hollis
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Consequence of SoundA[2]
The Guardian[3]
Mojo[4]
NME8/10[5]
Pitchfork9.0/10[6]
Q[7]
Sputnikmusic5/5[8]
Uncut[9]

Mark Hollis is the only solo album by the former Talk Talk frontman Mark Hollis. It was released on Polydor Records on 26 January 1998, then reissued on Pond Life on 13 March 2000. In 2003, the album was released in LP format on Universal Records.[1]

Its sound is noted for being extremely sparse and minimal; AllMusic called it "quite possibly the most quiet and intimate record ever made".[1] Hollis found inspiration not in the popular music of the day, but rather in 20th-century classical music and jazz from the late fifties and sixties.[10]

The album did not mark a return for Hollis to the music industry or live performance; he stated at the time of the album's release that "There won't be any gig, not even at home in the living room. This material isn't suited to play live."[10]

  1. ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason. "Mark Hollis – Mark Hollis". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  2. ^ Jacob Nierenberg (3 March 2019). "The Self-Titled Debut of Talk Talk's Mark Hollis Serves as His Final Words". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  3. ^ Bennun, David (6 February 1998). "White rooms". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Irvin, Jim (January 2020). "The sound of silence". Mojo. No. 314. p. 100.
  5. ^ Moody, Paul (17 January 1998). "Hi-Elegy". NME.
  6. ^ Harvell, Jess (21 October 2011). "Talk Talk / Mark Hollis: Laughing Stock / Mark Hollis". Pitchfork. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
  7. ^ Thornton, Anthony (February 1998). "Mark Hollis: Mark Hollis". Q. No. 137.
  8. ^ Benjamin Kuettel (staff) (27 February 2019). "Review: Mark Hollis – Mark Hollis". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  9. ^ Stubbs, David (February 1998). "Mark Hollis: Mark Hollis". Uncut. No. 9.
  10. ^ a b "Music Minded interview". Archived from the original on 9 October 2009. Retrieved 24 November 2017.