Those simple notes in the verses!! Delicious. (It just shows the beauty of this age, not to knock the busy guitar blues gods of the 70s, but here, with just four notes, you can lift us off the earth)
This is, (without a doubt, not "no doubt") my favorite 80s song ever....thanks for doing it justice. I also love the bass line in this song, and love playing it on bass. It's anything but a conventional bass line.
One must appreciate not only the work of experimenting with sound that the original artists did, but the work that this guy put into breaking all apart for you. Chapeau to you sir!
I don't know what you guys are talking about not being able to adjust the range of the bender on a Juno-106. You absolutely can. The slider furthest to the left that says "DCO" on the bender panel adjusts the max amount of the bend in either direction.
Talk Talk was definitely deeper than their few pop song hits suggested. The Spirit of Eden is quite a listen. And these videos are great. I hadn't really thought about it before.. but the changing technology was a major driving force in musical directions back then. As more tools became available, musicians used them. That explains why late 70s, early 80s, and later 80s music can sound so different.
70's/80's Instruments were pure gold. To think you could just walk Into any music stores back then and you were staring at a fortune and the best synths/samplers/drum machine etc Instruments that would ever be made.
Even if that is/was a limit, I would approach it by starting the bend up a step and let it down to the final pitch. At least you’ll always end in tune. And starting the note, you have a little time to adjust. Funny I was just working on learning the guitar for this song an hour ago. I also have to do the solo so I’m triggering an oboe with a lot of space around it. Tried getting that little out of tune vibrato that comes in but I gave up for now. Otherwise sounds tight.
"Like putting a fly on a string and racing him across the street" This description for sensitivity made me bust up! Great presentation on a great song THANK YOU!!
Talk Talk was great. Also love their artier records Laughing Stock and Spirit Of Eden. Some of the members of the band created a cool side project called .O.rang. check it out.
Chris Soares agreed! Along with the Blue Nile and Depeche Mode, my very favourite bands. Their live performance at Montreaux Jazz Festival, from when they played live (sadly they felt they couldn't recreate the two masterpieces you mention above on the stage) is brilliant. Also check out Mark Hollis' eponymous solo album (no synthesis tho!) and bass player Rustin Man's album with Beth Gibbons.
I used to hate a lot of these types of tunes when they first were around as they weren't my thing but they played constantly everywhere as pop tunes. Now I love them as they remind me of that era and I love how you take them apart and explain how they were created. Great series. Keep it up!!
Again it proves how the 80s is timeless an untouchable. the synthesizers were major and created atmosphere the added Reverb and Delay effects were out of this world that stands the test of time sorry to the current generation but you guys missed out big time.
I adore the unique musical arrangement of the song.. it just tickles a certaun part of ny soul, I guess and" Lifes what you make it" is another fine song. Such a sound they had. Mark Hollis ❤❤❤
"...like putting a fly on a string and racing it across the street... you have to calculate where the fly is going to go?" That may be the best thing I have heard on RUclips! Thank you William Kirk!
Hahah that pitch bend. The pad during the breakdown - the one that answers the bend - is literally the best pad wafting dreamy pad I’ve ever heard in any tune ever.
William Kurk, I'm not a keys player, but I've always loved synth and organ sounds. Talk Talk was/is a huge band for me. Love your series, and your presentation style; but thanks so much for this particular vid. I wish you and the powers that be at Reverb would keep it up!
Man, I'm not a musician, I'm a writer. But I'm really into your channel. I love 80s music and you are covering like all of the songs I love! Please keep up your great work!
Note that in Talk Talk's live performances of this song, a number of keyboards/ synths were used - Yamaha electric piano, Roland Jupiter 8, Roland JX-3P, Yamaha DX7 and another synth/ keyboard I couldn't recognise. Search RUclips for "TALK TALK - Its My Life Live 1984" and you'll see all these keyboards being used. Also note that the Jupiter 8 could layer patches, so the brass patch and the soft pad sound could be coming from a JP8 from a just a single (dual layered) patch. Good job on getting those sounds from the Juno 106 BTW!
Replace the fairlight with the Jupiter 8 and you have your ah sound, but it’s more like a low screech sound almost scratching. Ian Curnow uses a variance of the same patch for the entire album as well in Such a Shame to get those guitar sounding leads. It’s a pulse wave, octave stacked, with a little bit of chorus and some white noise.
Absolutly loved this one. Talk talk was had a unique sound, topped with Mark's vocals ...simply timeless !!! I have a funny feeling the original bendy sound and the chiffy sounding synth was a jupiter 8 thou i may be wrong.
Thanks for the Juno and Fairlight refs, I used synth brass and pads on my CasioCT-X5000, and the Vogel CMI Fairlight app on my iPad, with your suggested choir voicing, to nearly the same effect. The combination of the 2 synths is prototypical mid-80’s, IMHO.
Talk Talk are one of the best bands of all times,the incredible ignorance of people make them known the mediocre depeche mode more than them. Hat off to you for exposing their great music on your channel. It would be great to hear more songs like such a shame I believe and many others ...they are genius!
For me the two note in the verse before the pitch bend. Tells part of the story. Back in 1984 a U.K. train would make that two tone horn on an approach as a warning coming through a station at speed . There are bird noises sound effects in between the verses. Which suggests a trips on a train to see someone and it not working out.
Not a very good app, though. It doesn't simulate any of the really awkward behaviour of the Fairlight IIx that gave it it's really deep crunch. Look at the Samplight by Aly Jay. It should be out soon and it even models all the voltage controlled amps.
I was so hoping you'd cover this so consider this a dream fulfilled. Still waiting on Human League, but it's okay. I'm patient :D Also, shoutout to Will with them thick rim glasses making them look better than I ever could.
I don’t even play keyboards and this is awesome thanks man I just can’t say it enough I really appreciate seeing this. Played a little bass guitar in high school and lead singer. You make me want to take a piano and start laying down some tracks with my keyboards. I just got about 30 years of catching up to do. 😎
I like your style. I like the fact that you consider the various keyboards that “could have” done the heavy lifting. Talk Talk’s main guy did a lot of ambient material, so that would lead me to believe that each sound was intentional (and not the work of a producer). Anyway...like your style, like the Ben Orr glasses, keep it fresh on the retro.
![Talk Talk - It's My Life [naked]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Mzl1qDsJUWM/mqdefault.jpg)
Those simple notes in the verses!! Delicious. (It just shows the beauty of this age, not to knock the busy guitar blues gods of the 70s, but here, with just four notes, you can lift us off the earth)
This is, (without a doubt, not "no doubt") my favorite 80s song ever....thanks for doing it justice. I also love the bass line in this song, and love playing it on bass. It's anything but a conventional bass line.
I love this series so much please never stop making it!
Awesome sounds!
Narrator: “They stopped making it.”
I don't know if I like these sounds so much because they represent my youth but I never stopped listening to them all these years
I smiled all the way through this. It makes you realise how talented these musicians really are!!
"...1984...let just say, life was great !" Nothing more to say !
RIP Mark Hollis.
This is a great video explanation of the synth sounds, fair play to you.
No one can cover this song. Mark Hollis's voice is too Awesome!
You mean Bryan Ferry's voice is too Awesome!
@@subs4794 Yep, Bryan was something else, but Mark was in another planet mate.
Talk Talk was so underrated. Life's What You Make It was another amazing track from them.
One must appreciate not only the work of experimenting with sound that the original artists did, but the work that this guy put into breaking all apart for you. Chapeau to you sir!
3:48 The joystick on the juno only bends the pitch according to the position of your head. It's like playing a theremin but with your face!
CJ it was their first foray into the advanced tech that would later become the renowned “d-beam”
I don't know what you guys are talking about not being able to adjust the range of the bender on a Juno-106. You absolutely can. The slider furthest to the left that says "DCO" on the bender panel adjusts the max amount of the bend in either direction.
Same thing I was thinking, that little DCO slider by the pitch bender.
And otherwise use a mechanical stop.
In this case wouldn't glide be your friend??
Clicked on this so hard. LOVE Talk Talk
Arion Xenos I have their extended edition on vinyl and I love it
Don't you forget, it may be your life, but life's what you make it! See what I did there? I was big in 1984 too. It's all on VHS.
Talk Talk was definitely deeper than their few pop song hits suggested. The Spirit of Eden is quite a listen. And these videos are great. I hadn't really thought about it before.. but the changing technology was a major driving force in musical directions back then. As more tools became available, musicians used them. That explains why late 70s, early 80s, and later 80s music can sound so different.
Laughing Stock is one of the great albums of modern music, even better than Spirit of Eden.
70's/80's Instruments were pure gold. To think you could just walk Into any music stores back then and you were staring at a fortune and the best synths/samplers/drum machine etc Instruments that would ever be made.
5:55 You can absolutely adjust the pitch bend amount. The DCO slider above the bender lets you set the amount.
That is what I was thinking!!!
Doesn't the original song have some filter closing on that pitch bend part?
I’m a bit concerned that this was missed... am I in a Mandela Effect branch universe where you can’t?
Even if that is/was a limit, I would approach it by starting the bend up a step and let it down to the final pitch. At least you’ll always end in tune. And starting the note, you have a little time to adjust. Funny I was just working on learning the guitar for this song an hour ago. I also have to do the solo so I’m triggering an oboe with a lot of space around it. Tried getting that little out of tune vibrato that comes in but I gave up for now. Otherwise sounds tight.
Isn't that for setting the modulation amount of the lfo on the dco with the mod bend
Floppydisk There are VCO and DCF sensitivity settings next to each other.
Keep the breakdowns coming ! Can you do the Synth cover of Billy Idol “ eyes without a face”
Jarrod Charlifue up!
NathaN RG ?
Jarrod Charlifue I support your request.
OBXa and P5
Yes!!!
"Like putting a fly on a string and racing him across the street" This description for sensitivity made me bust up! Great presentation on a great song THANK YOU!!
Yes, brilliant!!!😄
Rest in peace MARK HOLLIS WE LOVE YOU
Talk Talk was great. Also love their artier records Laughing Stock and Spirit Of Eden. Some of the members of the band created a cool side project called .O.rang. check it out.
Chris Soares agreed! Along with the Blue Nile and Depeche Mode, my very favourite bands. Their live performance at Montreaux Jazz Festival, from when they played live (sadly they felt they couldn't recreate the two masterpieces you mention above on the stage) is brilliant. Also check out Mark Hollis' eponymous solo album (no synthesis tho!) and bass player Rustin Man's album with Beth Gibbons.
Picked up Mark Hollis' album for 50p in a charity shopBest 50p I've ever spent!
Talk Talk was one of the few bands that quit before selling out
I just did. I liked a lot. Thks.
Mark Hollis was beyond his time, such a amazing talent
Those popups showing the location of the sliders for each patch is a brilliant idea.
Thanks for producing this series William and Reverb. Top notch content.
I used to hate a lot of these types of tunes when they first were around as they weren't my thing but they played constantly everywhere as pop tunes. Now I love them as they remind me of that era and I love how you take them apart and explain how they were created. Great series. Keep it up!!
Unified under one sun - great job!!! Such a great electric bass line by Paul Webb as well.
This song inspired me to buy a bass. The pre-chorus and chorus are sooooo fun to play!
I love this guy - educational and funny!
He needs to be given his own cable channel.
Again it proves how the 80s is timeless an untouchable. the synthesizers were major and created atmosphere the added Reverb and Delay effects were out of this world that stands the test of time sorry to the current generation but you guys missed out big time.
Great job! William. One of my top 10 of the 80s pool of so many, you did it justice and care. Bless you.
I love this series, please keep the episodes coming!
❤️ Love love love some Talk Talk! Spirit of Eden will CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Kurt Richter and laughing stock too
Thank you so much my 80’s techno brother. One of my favorite single songs of the 80’s so beautiful and haunting.
Love this! Thank you for spotlighting this amazing song & GROUP!
RIP Mr Hollis, you live on thru all that love you.
I adore the unique musical arrangement of the song.. it just tickles a certaun part of ny soul, I guess and" Lifes what you make it" is another fine song. Such a sound they had. Mark Hollis ❤❤❤
"...like putting a fly on a string and racing it across the street... you have to calculate where the fly is going to go?" That may be the best thing I have heard on RUclips!
Thank you William Kirk!
Hahah that pitch bend. The pad during the breakdown - the one that answers the bend - is literally the best pad wafting dreamy pad I’ve ever heard in any tune ever.
These Synth Sounds vids are my new favourite thing on RUclips. Absolutely awesome.
You are so cool man showing how the 80's they play with synthesizers! A was a new waver in the 80's and I still hearing all the new wave and pop!
Thank You! One of my all time favourite songs
They rarely ever get the sound spot on in these videos but I still love them. Why?
Also I wanna be best friends with this dude.
Awesome series Kirk! Demystify the 80's for us.
Excellent Excellent Presentation idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My all time favourite band, here in my native uk,did realise how great they were, RIP mark
William Kurk, I'm not a keys player, but I've always loved synth and organ sounds. Talk Talk was/is a huge band for me. Love your series, and your presentation style; but thanks so much for this particular vid. I wish you and the powers that be at Reverb would keep it up!
The band uses an actual bass guitar?
One of my favourites basslines it gives shape to the song
Yea, real guitar. Amazing line
They had a great rhythm section.
Paul Webb aka Rustin Man. Check out the live Montreaux set on RUclips and be enthralled.
Scott Barnett i'll check it out thanks
SYNTH SOUNDS yes dude you are killin it
Totally into the 80s vibe with that Members Only jacket👍
One of my ALL TIME favorites from one of my all time favorite bands! Too cool my dear. Have me smilin! 😊😊😊😇😇😇❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍
Love these reproductions, super awesome! And this song is so iconic, thank you for covering it!
I watch your videos two and three times that’s how good you are man thanks for doing these I appreciate it
Man, I'm not a musician, I'm a writer. But I'm really into your channel. I love 80s music and you are covering like all of the songs I love! Please keep up your great work!
It’s really nice to see how a song comes together
This made me get my bass out and learn the bass part too. Thanks for the great series!!
Love this, thanks! One of my favorite bass workout sessions. Top pop classic. They don`t make them like that anymore.
I love these videos. This one just made my night. Thank you
One of the greatest songs of my high school era!!! You are an amazing keyboardist! Great work! Love the breakdowns of sound!🎹🎹🎹
The last few lines gave me chills. SYNTHS FOREVER!
Amazing! Love this song so much. A kid from the 80,s
Yes man. My favourite band of all time. Nice one.
This guy should win an award....he's good at this!
Thank you so much,the Juno 106 was my first synth love.
Note that in Talk Talk's live performances of this song, a number of keyboards/ synths were used - Yamaha electric piano, Roland Jupiter 8, Roland JX-3P, Yamaha DX7 and another synth/ keyboard I couldn't recognise. Search RUclips for "TALK TALK - Its My Life Live 1984" and you'll see all these keyboards being used. Also note that the Jupiter 8 could layer patches, so the brass patch and the soft pad sound could be coming from a JP8 from a just a single (dual layered) patch. Good job on getting those sounds from the Juno 106 BTW!
this show is really fun to watch ! keep em coming ! it would be nice synth sounds of "Sweet Dreams" - Eurythmics
They did better songs like Here Comes the Rain Again.
Running Up That Hill
And such a shame
EXCELLENT - THANK'S SO MUCH - RIP MARK ❤️
I love your synth series, man. Keep up the good work and we'll keep watching (and learning)!
Replace the fairlight with the Jupiter 8 and you have your ah sound, but it’s more like a low screech sound almost scratching. Ian Curnow uses a variance of the same patch for the entire album as well in Such a Shame to get those guitar sounding leads. It’s a pulse wave, octave stacked, with a little bit of chorus and some white noise.
I came for those beautiful sounds in the verses.
Epic dude on the demo - love this guys vibe
Holy crap i love this channel . Will is very cool and i listen to these on headphones.
You're a funny guy. Thanks to the whole team for putting this series together.
CRAZY! I was just listening to the single yesterday for the first time since forever!!
you did a wonderful job on this, y'all!
Superb. Those sounds just transport me away.
Best of the show! Love this segment, human
I also experience the pitch-dip. Well done, sir.
Too much great synths, dream of them all :-))
Absolutly loved this one. Talk talk was had a unique sound, topped with Mark's vocals ...simply timeless !!!
I have a funny feeling the original bendy sound and the chiffy sounding synth was a jupiter 8 thou i may be wrong.
you are correct :) no Fairlight.
I love these synth videos! Keep em coming :)
Thanks for the Juno and Fairlight refs, I used synth brass and pads on my CasioCT-X5000, and the Vogel CMI Fairlight app on my iPad, with your suggested choir voicing, to nearly the same effect. The combination of the 2 synths is prototypical mid-80’s, IMHO.
I’m glad you guys did a Talk Talk video
Bet you were rockin that Member’s Only jacket in 1984. Great video.
Talk Talk are one of the best bands of all times,the incredible ignorance of people make them known the mediocre depeche mode more than them. Hat off to you for exposing their great music on your channel. It would be great to hear more songs like such a shame I believe and many others ...they are genius!
margix: I love them too, but there really is no need to call Depeche Mode mediocre. You probably don't know them very well.
For me the two note in the verse before the pitch bend. Tells part of the story. Back in 1984 a U.K. train would make that two tone horn on an approach as a warning coming through a station at speed . There are bird noises sound effects in between the verses. Which suggests a trips on a train to see someone and it not working out.
You are sensational, enjoy every episode!
I need a thumbs-up multiplier for #synthsounds. Every video is a delight, how do you keep making them so good?!
The power is in Will's graphic tees.
This is a fun series, keep making them!
The $1.2 baziilion dollar Fairlight synthesizer I wanted as a teenager is now an app. Has science gone too far?
Not a very good app, though. It doesn't simulate any of the really awkward behaviour of the Fairlight IIx that gave it it's really deep crunch. Look at the Samplight by Aly Jay. It should be out soon and it even models all the voltage controlled amps.
it hasn't gone too far enough!
My dude here is a fkn legend!
Great song and beautiful sounds
Peace xx ✌️
I was 8 in '84. This series is part nostalgia and part feel good to me.
I enjoy it so much bro. Amazing body move to make that sounds!
Please never stop doing this videos
I like this man's stuff on here... keep it up!
Awesome episode! Gonna go practice my head-bends!
These videos are great. Keep up the good work.
So good to watch, great breakdowns from a great entertainer. You put a big smile on my face! Thank you :o)
The good ole bend and pitch bend. Great video
I was so hoping you'd cover this so consider this a dream fulfilled. Still waiting on Human League, but it's okay. I'm patient :D
Also, shoutout to Will with them thick rim glasses making them look better than I ever could.
I don’t even play keyboards and this is awesome thanks man I just can’t say it enough I really appreciate seeing this. Played a little bass guitar in high school and lead singer. You make me want to take a piano and start laying down some tracks with my keyboards. I just got about 30 years of catching up to do. 😎
I like your style. I like the fact that you consider the various keyboards that “could have” done the heavy lifting. Talk Talk’s main guy did a lot of ambient material, so that would lead me to believe that each sound was intentional (and not the work of a producer).
Anyway...like your style, like the Ben Orr glasses, keep it fresh on the retro.
This guy is pure 80s from head to toe!