Fabulous Find: Talk Talk 45

Hey all, I hope you are all safe while we are dealing all the craziness around us! It’s time for another musical Fabulous Find! So this week I’ve pulled out another great 45 rpm record, it’s entitled; Talk Talk by The Music Machine.

The Music Machine was an American band formed in Los Angeles, CA in 1966. Fronted by chief songwriter and lead vocalist, Sean Bonniwell, the band cultivated a dark and rebellious image. Although they managed to attain national chart success only briefly with two singles, or 45s, the Music Machine is today considered by many critics to be one of the ground breaking acts of the 1960s. Their style is now recognized as a pioneering force in proto-punk.

In 1965, the band came together as a folk rock trio known as the Raggamuffins, before expanding to the quintet that was later rechristened the Music Machine. The group was known for their style of dress, clothing themselves in all-black attire. In 1966, the Music Machine was signed to the Original Sound label, and released its first single Talk Talk in the latter half of the year, with it reaching the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100.

The nucleus of the band was formed when Bonniwell (lead vocals & rhythm guitar) joined together with Keith Olsen (bass guitar) and Ron Edgar (drums). As the group transformed from the Ragamuffins into the Music Machine the band added; Mark Landon (lead guitar) and Doug Rhodes (organ). Both were previously session musicians for the band; the Association.

Talk Talk was released on September 10, 1966, on Original Sound, and rose to number 15 on the Billboard charts. The song’s relatively short time-length—a mere one minute and 56 seconds—made Talk Talk a favorable staple on Top 40 radio, as well as, on the new underground FM stations. The Music Machine’s hit was arguably the most radical single to appear on mainstream broadcasting in 1966, the phenomenon described by music historian Richie Unterberger as a “rally cry to social alienation with a mixture of sarcasm, rebellion, self-pity, and paranoia”.

So enough of the history, let’s hear this great 45: