B-side "Julia's Song" Format 7", 12" | Released 4 June 1984 | |
Length 4:20 (album mix)3:53 (7" mix)8:50 (extended version) | ||
"Talking Loud and Clear" is a song by British band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark released as the second single from their 1984 album Junk Culture. The single was a European hit, reaching the Top 10 in Ireland and the Netherlands, and narrowly missing the UK Top 10 at number 11. It also charted at number 18 in Germany. The song was edited for its 7" single release.
Contents
A 12" extended version was also issued. The remix is effectively divided into two parts starting with a solely instrumental section followed by a section featuring vocals and instrumentation, the whole piece lasting over eight minutes. The extended version featured on the deluxe remastered release of Junk Culture in 2015 features the second part only. The full extended recording is featured on So80s presents Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark released in 2011.
The 7" version of "Talking Loud and Clear" is featured on all OMD singles and greatest hits compilations.
Reception
Critic Dave Thompson in AllMusic praised the track as a "lovely" single, with "deftly penned" lyrics. As guest singles reviewer in Smash Hits, John Taylor of Duran Duran described the song as "very charming" and a "good record".
B-side
The B-side, "Julia's Song", is a radically different version from the same song recorded for the group's first album Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in 1980. This is a reworked version with newly recorded vocals, a slower tempo and brass added by the Weir Brothers more in line with the style of other tracks on Junk Culture. An extended version was issued for the 12" release and like the extended version of "Talking Loud & Clear" is divided into two parts. The second part features on the bonus disc of the deluxe remastered version of Junk Culture in 2015. The first part was issued as a 10" single for Record Store Day in 2015 under the title "Julia's Song (Dub Version)".
Track listing
- "Talking Loud and Clear" – 3:53
- "Julia's Song" – 4:17
- "Talking Loud and Clear" (extended version) – 8:50
- "Julia's Song" (extended version) – 8:33
Live recordings
A live performance of "Talking Loud & Clear" recorded at Birmingham NEC in December 1993 was issued on the limited edition CD single of "Universal" in 1996. The song was also part of the concert performed with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on 20 June 2009 at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool as documented by the Electricity DVD (2009).