Spoons - Talkback

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Talk Back	04:37
	2	Camera Shy	04:07
	3	My Favourite Page	04:01
	4	Don't Shoot the Messenger	03:19
	5	Time Stands Still	05:00

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Old Emotions	03:42
	2	Stop	03:16
	3	Out of My Hands	03:19
	4	Quiet World	04:37
	5	The Rhythm	04:06

Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

The Spoons emerged from Burlington, Ontario at the dawn of the 1980s—an era of youthful experimentation and rapidly changing pop ideals. Founded by guitarist-vocalist Gordon Deppe and bassist-vocalist Sandy Horne, the band took shape around a shared fascination with the new sounds arriving from Britain: sleek synthesizers, angular guitars, and a sense that pop could be both intelligent and emotional. Joined by drummer Derrick Ross and keyboard prodigy Rob Preuss, the group began crafting a sound that blended the mechanical pulse of new wave with the warmth of melodic songwriting, a combination that would soon make the Spoons one of Canada’s defining pop voices of the decade.

Their first album, Stick Figure Neighbourhood, was recorded in 1981 at Grant Avenue Studios in Hamilton with a then-unknown engineer named Daniel Lanois. Its off-kilter art-pop sensibility earned them glowing press and strong college-radio support, marking the arrival of a band unafraid to be both cerebral and catchy. But it was the follow-up single “Nova Heart,” produced by Roxy Music’s John Punter, that transformed them from a promising indie act into national figures. Propelled by Deppe’s yearning vocals, Preuss’s shimmering synths, and Horne’s fluid basslines, the song became an instant new wave anthem and anchored their breakthrough album Arias & Symphonies (1982), recorded at George Martin’s Air Studios in London. Its futuristic sheen and cinematic romanticism captured a generation, earning the record a place among Chart magazine’s “20 Most Influential Canadian Albums of the 1980s” and later inclusion in Bob Mersereau’s Top 100 Canadian Singles of All Time.

As the hits grew, so did the stages. The Spoons found themselves opening for The Police, Culture Club, and Simple Minds, and when MuchMusic launched in 1984, their videos became instant staples of the new channel’s rotation. Their sharp visual style and polished musicianship made them emblematic of a generation discovering music through television. With their next album, Talkback (1983), the Spoons entered the orbit of super-producer Nile Rodgers, whose work with Chic, David Bowie, and Madonna had already defined global pop. Under his direction the band delivered some of their most enduring singles—“Romantic Traffic,” “Old Emotions,” and “Tell No Lies”—songs that captured both sophistication and innocence. The video for “Romantic Traffic,” filmed in Toronto’s subway system, remains one of the most iconic images in Canadian pop history.

By the mid-1980s the Spoons had signed to Anthem Records, home of Rush, and were managed by Ray Danniels. With keyboardist Scott MacDonald and drummer Steve Kendry added to the lineup, the band released Bridges Over Borders (1985) and Vertigo Tango (1988), albums that expanded their sonic palette into a more mature pop-rock direction. Tracks such as “Bridges Over Borders,” “Be Alone Tonight,” and “When Time Turns Around” kept them on radio and touring through the decade’s end. Yet as the 1990s approached and the grunge movement swept through North America, the new wave aesthetic the Spoons had helped pioneer suddenly seemed out of step with the times. The group quietly receded, leaving behind a catalogue that had already become part of the country’s musical DNA.

When nostalgia for the 1980s began to resurface in the mid-1990s, the Spoons’ music returned with it. MCA/Universal issued Collectible Spoons in 1994, and to everyone’s surprise, the accompanying tour became one of the band’s most successful. A new generation discovered “Nova Heart” and “Romantic Traffic” through radio’s all-80s formats and the revival of classic videos on MuchMoreMusic, confirming that the band’s sleek futurism had aged gracefully. Through the 2000s, Gordon Deppe and Sandy Horne continued to perform together and eventually decided to record new material, resulting in Static in Transmission (2010), their first new studio album in more than two decades. Produced with Jeff Carter, it re-imagined the classic Spoons chemistry in contemporary terms, highlighted by the singles “You Light Up” and “Escape with You.” Critics noted that the music sounded startlingly current; the Toronto Star placed it on its Anti-Hit List the week of release.

The group’s momentum carried into a new decade. Reissues of Arias & Symphonies, Stick Figure Neighbourhood, and Talkback introduced deluxe editions with extensive liner notes, demos, and live tracks, leading to reunion shows with the original lineup and renewed acclaim. In 2013 the Spoons received the Music Express “Back in the Spotlight” award, and in 2019 they issued New Day New World, their boldest studio project since the 1980s. Again produced by Jeff Carter, the album bridged past and present, balancing the band’s trademark shimmering synth textures with a modern pop sensibility. Its singles—“For the First & Last Time,” “All the Wrong Things (In the Right Places),” “Landing Lights,” and the title track—were accompanied by striking videos directed by Peter Sacco that earned international awards and festival recognition. The following year, they compiled Repeatable: 1980–2020, a comprehensive two-disc retrospective spanning forty years of recordings, from the early Ready Records days to their recent work. In 2021, they released Echoes, an inspired tribute in which artists from around the world reinterpreted their songs, with proceeds supporting the Unison Fund to aid Canadian musicians and technicians affected by the pandemic.

More than four decades after their formation, the Spoons continue to embody the best of Canadian pop modernism: melodic ambition, sonic innovation, and emotional honesty. Their music—once futuristic, now timeless—bridges eras and audiences, reminding listeners that even the sleekest electronic pulse can carry a deeply human heart.
-Robert Williston

Gordon Deppe: vocals, guitar, lyrics
Sandy Horne: bass, vocals
Rob Preuss: keyboards, piano
Derrick Ross: drums

Produced by Nile Rodgers
Engineered by Jason Corsaro
Recorded at Sounds Interchange, Toronto
Mixed at Power Station, New York City, USA
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk, New York City, NY, USA
Additional mastering by Europadisk, New York City, NY, USA
Pressed by Quality Records Ltd.

Design concept by Dale Heslip, P.L. Noble, and Spoons
Design by Dale Heslip
Photography by P.L. Noble

Manufactured by Ready Records
℗ Ultra Planet Music Incorporated
© Ultra Planet Music Incorporated / Ready Records
Published by Neutron Songs

Released with a large folded limited edition poster with lyrics on reverse

Gordon Deppe: vocals, guitar
Sandy Horne: vocals, bass
Rob Preuss: electronic keyboards, piano
Derrick Ross: drums

Produced by Nile Rodgers
Engineered by Jason Corsaro
Studio assistants: Vic Pyle, Zvonka Vuglac, Josh Abbey, Bruce Lampcov, Malcolm Pollack, Barry Bongiovi
Recorded at Sounds Interchange, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mixed at Power Station, New York City, NY, USA
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk, New York City, NY, USA
Additional mastering by Europadisk, New York City, NY, USA
Pressed by Quality Records Ltd., Canada

Cover concept by P.L. Noble, Dale Heslip, and Spoons
Design by Dale Heslip
Photography by P.L. Noble
Hair and makeup by Reg Quindinho and Joe Day (special effects Mea) at Hairforce
Clothing by Industrial Jungle and Martha Harron
Crew: Scott Pollard, Tom Alison, Dino Gazzola, Drew Detlor
Video by Robert Quartly for Champagne Pictures

Special thanks to Carl Finkle, Pat Prevost, Andy Crosbie, Angus MacKay, Dale Heslip, Jordan Harris, Helen Metella, Lyndon Fournier, Margaret Winter, Coralie Hummel, Tony Palermo, Rob Quartly, Peter Noble / Transatlantic Illustrated, Paul Daley at Sound Path Studios, Lakeshore Music, Steve’s Music, The Drum Shoppe, The Music Shoppe, The Copy Shop, The Beast, Bob Garcia, Ed Smeall at The Agency, Rob Light and Steve Jensen at ICM, Anna Bourque, Tom Alison, Jason, and Nile.

All lyrics by Gordon Deppe
Published by Neutron Songs (CAPAC)
℗ 1983 Ultra Planet Music Inc. / Ready Records
© 1983 Neutron Songs (CAPAC)

All tracks 100% Canadian Content (MAPL).
Released with a large folded limited-edition poster with lyrics on reverse.

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