Thompson Twins - Set (35th anniversary)

This month marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of Set, the second studio album from the English pop group Thompson Twins.

For my full album review, click here.

Thompson Twins - A Product Of... (Participation)

This month marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of A Product Of...(Participation), the debut album from the Thompson Twins. Initially the group consisted of six members: Tom Bailey (bass, lead vocals, keyboards, percussion), Chris Bell (drums, backing vocals, percussion), Peter Dodd (guitar, backing vocals, percussion, saxophone), Joe Leeway (congas, backing vocals, percussion), John Roog (guitar, backing vocals, percussion) and Jane Shorter (saxophone, percussion). Bailey and Leeway would remain with the group as the decade continued.

Thompson Twins - Here's To Future Days (30th anniversary)

Today (September 17th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of Here's To Future Days, the sxith studio album from the Thompson Twins. It spent a total of thirty-five weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 20.

For my full review, click here.

For even more from the Thompson Twins, click here.

Ghostbusters (soundtrack) (30th anniversary)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Saturday.

In June of 1984, a comedy film about a group of parapsychologists-turned-ghost-hunters hit the big screen. Ghostbusters became a huge box office success and a part of pop culture history.

The film's soundtrack (which spent thirty-four weeks on the US Billboard Album chart and peaked at number 6) sported a big line-up that included Ray Parker Jr., the Bus Boys, Laura Branigan, the Thompson Twins, Air Supply and more.

Click here for my full review.

Thompson Twins - Into the Gap (30th anniversary)

After much success with their previous release Quick Step and Side Kick (click here for that review), the Thompson Twins moved on to their fourth studio album Into the Gap on February 13th of 1984. The album
had multi-platinum sales, reaching number 1 in the UK and number 10 on the US Billboard Album charts.

Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of this favorite record of mine. For my complete review of this album, click here.

Thompson Twins - Side Kicks (30th anniversary)

Today (February 18th) marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Side Kicks, the second US release by the Thompson Twins. Over in the UK, it was released a month prior under the title of Quick Step and Side Kick.

This is another of my favorite albums from the early 80's. Click here for the complete review of this album.

Thompson Twins - In the Name of Love

This month marks the 30th anniversary of the release of In the Name of Love, the first album from the Thompson Twins released in the United States.

This record is a compilation of tracks from the group’s first two albums. Two tracks come from 1981’s A Product Of… (Participation) and eight come from 1982‘s Set. Chart-wise, it went to number 148 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

Thompson Twins - Set

In February of 1982, the English pop group Thompson Twins released their second studio album Set on their own imprint label T Records. It charted in the UK, climbing to the number 48 position on the album charts. At this time, the band consisted of seven members (the known trio of Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway who would continue with the group name after this album, and Chris Bell, Peter Dood, John Roog and Matthew Seligman).

Happy Birthday, Tom Bailey

Happy fifty-eighth birthday today (January 18) to British musician and composer Tom Bailey.

Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, started out as a music teacher. In 1977, he formed the Thompson Twins which eventually settled in as a trio with Bailey (on vocals, guitar, bass and keyboards), his then girlfriend Alannah Currie (on percussion, saxophone and vocals) and Joe Leeway (percussion and vocals). Bailey and Currie eventually married.

Thompson Twins - Here's to Future Days

Happy birthday this week (November 15) to London born Joe Leeway, multi-instrumentalist member of the Thompson Twins.

Building upon the success of the previous two albums Quick Step and Side Kick and Into the Gap (reviewed here and here respectively), the Thompson Twins continued their run with the 1985 release Here's to Future Days. Released on September 17th of 1980, the album reached number 5 on the UK charts and number 20 on the US Billboard Album chart (with a thirty-five week run total). It was also a Platinum seller in Canada. The incomparable Nile Rodgers co-produced this one with Tom Bailey.

Thompson Twins - Into the Gap

After much success with their previous release Quick Step and Side Kick (click here for that review), the Thompson Twins moved on to their fourth studio album Into the Gap on February 13th of 1984. The album
had multi-platinum sales, reaching number 1 in the UK and number 10 on the US Billboard Album charts.

Ghostbusters (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In June of 1984, a comedy film about a group of parapsychologists-turned-ghost-hunters hit the big screen. Written by and starring Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and featuring Billy Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and Rick Moranis, Ghostbusters became a huge box office success and a part of pop culture history. The film's special effects, quotable lines and iconic logo (seen above on the album cover) created the foundation of a franchise that would continue on for decades in the form of sequels, an animated TV series, toys, video games, comic books and more. I remember seeing it in the theatres on first run. I was back in my western New York hometown on summer break between my freshman and sophomore years of college, working by day in the freezers of the local ice cream manufacturing plant so that I could earn enough money to buy the Chevette off of my parents (my first car).

Thompson Twins - Side Kicks

On January of 1983, the Thompson Twins released their third album Quick Step and Side Kick in the UK. Here in the US, the album came out on February 18th of that year under the simplified title of Side Kicks (their second release here). It went to number 2 on the UK charts and number 34 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

The US track listing is a bit different than the UK order; I'm going to review the tracks on the album in the order I know them (apologies to all my International readers).