Tim Friese-Greene

Renowned for his unerring sense of atmosphere and nuance, Tim Friese-Greene was among the most innovative -- albeit underrecognized -- producers of his era. He first surfaced during the late 1970s, engineering records from acts including the Rumour and Hawkwind before going on to produce material for the Records and Thomas Dolby. Beginning with their 1984 LP It's My Life, Friese-Greene became an unofficial member of the group Talk Talk, not only producing their albums but also playing keyboards and writing songs with frontman Mark Hollis; over the course of successive Talk Talk records, Friese-Greene's input grew, and on later efforts like 1988's Spirit of Eden and 1991's Laughing Stock, the music took on distinctive, almost jazz-like textures heralding new artistic directions later followed by the so-called post-rock movement. As Talk Talk dissolved, Friese-Greene moved his focus to the band Catherine Wheel, producing their 1992 debut Ferment as well as its 1993 follow-up, Chrome. His solo debut, the EP Heligoland, appeared in 1998. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi