The Party's Over

The debut was produced and engineered by Colin Thurston, who also mixed three of its tracks, with Mike Robinson credited for mixing as well. The band was Hollis on vocals, Harris on drums, Webb on bass and Simon Brenner on keyboards, and James Marsh painted the cover. The music of It's So Serious, Today, The Party's Over and Hate is credited to all four members, with lyrics by Hollis. Hollis alone is credited for Have You Heard the News?, Mirror Man and Candy, and Webb alone for Another Word. The opening Talk Talk is credited to Mark and Ed Hollis. The original US vinyl swaps the positions of Today and Hate.

Today was a UK top-twenty single, and a re-recorded Talk Talk reached twenty-three in Britain and number one in South Africa in 1983. In the United States the album reached 132 on the Billboard 200. In New Zealand it peaked at eight.

Reception

Neil Tennant, reviewing for Smash Hits, wrote "One sad mood permeates the whole LP." The Trouser Press Guide to New Wave Records called it "slick and professional but lifeless" and noted the shared double name and producer with Duran Duran. Alexis Petridis, looking back in the Guardian in 2019, called the debut "glossy and derivative, nothing to frighten the horses," though he wrote that the title track's lyrics suggested "a certain jarring intensity."