WYNDHAM WALLACE
For most musicians, the first taste of success can be intoxicating – a heady incentive to pursue its commercial rewards with even more conviction. Talk Talk, though, reacted differently when compared to most classic pop bands in the affluent 80s and, indeed, the majority before and since. As the band’s 10-year career advanced from their formation in 1981, they first slid gently, then swerved with increasing determination, towards the left-field. Leaving behind the radio-friendly pop of their early work in favour of an experimental, progressively more abstract sound, they alienated fans, baffled critics and, finally, ran out of steam.