Simon Edwards, Ernest Mothle - acoustic bass

Mark Feltham - harmonica, producer

Roger Smith, Paul Kegg - cello

Martin Ditcham - percussion

Levine Andrade, Stephen Tees, George Robertson, Gavyn Wright, Jack Glickman, Wilf Gibson, Garfield Jackson - viola

Tim Friese-Greene - organ, piano, harmonium

Lee Harris - drums

All Music Guide: link

Laughing Stock was Talk Talk's fifth and final album, released in 1991. It was the only album the band released on the jazz-based Verve Records, after acrimoniously leaving EMI Records. The cover art is by James Marsh, responsible for most of Talk Talk's artwork. (Though similar to the cover of the band's previous album, the birds on Laughing Stock's spherical-shaped tree form the shapes of the Earth's continents.) Like its predecessor, Spirit of Eden, the album featured improvised instrumentation from a large ensemble of musicians. (For example, it featured no less than seven violists.) Its backstory has attained near-mythical status among underground music pontificators. Tape Op magazine ran an extensive article detailing the harrowing recording sessions, marked by Mark Hollis's perfectionist tendencies, and his use of candles and incense to set the mood. Paul Webb had left the band prior to recording.

Reviews of the album were generally good; many tended to emphasise the fact that it spanned several genres, with some noting a stylistic kinship with Miles Davis' contemplative In a Silent Way album. Like Spirit of Eden, the lyrical themes are often religious. The album is widely considered a key influence, and along with predecessor one of the first records that could be described into the post-rock genre. Laughing Stock has consistently risen in critical opinion ever since post-rock became a dominant form of avant-garde during the 90s. Laughing Stock was rated the eleventh-best album of the 1990s by Pitchfork Media.

Mark Hollis - vocals, guitar, piano, organ

Henry Lowther - trumpet, flugel horn

Dave White - contra bass, clarinet