Thompson Twins | 80s Pop History - in 6 Minutes | Episode 1
Вставка
- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Thompson Twins - One of the really top acts of the 80s. To this day, one of my favorite groups, and their music continue to inspire me. I love their music!
This is the first of hopefully many 6 minute videos where I focus on artists I like.
Find Thompson Twins here: open.spotify.c...
Support this channel on Patreon:
/ espenkraft
Find my music here:
iTunes Apple music: apple.co/35ZTdfR
Spotify: spoti.fi/38aoWMB
Bandcamp: espenkraft.ban...
Google Play: bit.ly/2NrgXD9
Find my patches and sample packs through these links:
thepatchbay.co...
sound7.co.uk/p...
Please join me on social media:
/ espenkraftmusic
/ espenkraft
/ espenkraft
I use DistroKid for all my releases onto streaming services.
Try out Distrokid yourself and get a 7% discount off your first year by using this link:
distrokid.com/v...
Growing up I listened to so much synth-pop and it's only natural that my own music takes inspiration from many of the acts I loved back then. I still love them and listen to them!
Howard Jones, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Erasure, Thompson Twins, Tears for Fears, The Human League, Propaganda. FGTH, Ultravox, OMD, Eurythmics, Duran Duran, Giorgio Moroder, Jean Michel Jarre, Jan Hammer, Alphaville, A-ha as well as loads of artists doing what is now called Italo Disco. And many more great acts like Nik Kershaw, Spandau Ballet, Wham, Dire Straits ++
Tom and Alannah did a project in the 90s called Babble. The Album Either released in 1996 remains one of my fav albums of all time.
With babble the style of music changed...
I believe Tom still releases albums under the Babble name, or at least did in to the 2000s.
Both "The Stone" and "Ether" are great. The song Sun is a favorite.
I thought that Babble's Ether was aurally overbearing, especially the second half. Like the mental space of a morning (physical) sickness.
I was obsessed with the Thompson Twins. When I was 14 years old I would ride my bike around the desert where I lived listening to Into the Gap on my Walkman on auto-repeat! We didn't have cable at my house, so I would watch MTV at my friend's house and wait for their videos. Good times!
Cool story! Me and my friends rode our bikes and listened to them as well. :D
Nice! You should definately continue with this series. Looking forward to learn more about 80s synthpop!
Thanks! I have some plans for the next episodes. ;-)
I agree. More like this please.
I was a MASSIVE Thompson Twins fan - biggest fan ever - in the mid 80s. Into The Gap was the soundtrack of at least a year of my life, and the pinnacle of my teen years was seeing OMD and Thompson Twins in 1986 on the Future Days tour. I had all their albums except for Set, which I didn't learn about until a decade later.
We have a lot in common my friend! :D
@@EspenKraft Scary, huh? Brothers from another country!
It is kind of scary :P
HI Neil, I would have loved to see the future days tour! Please can you tell me how they came on stage. Did Tom appear from the top of the stairs? Ive see the revolution video. I went to the into the gap show and that was awesome.
@@WALES1154 It has been about 35 years, but I'll try - I do recall the "Daaaayyy!" phrase repeated over and over with a droning synth. Everything lit up from the back, smoke everywhere, great way to build suspense! Beyond that I don't remember much other than Allanah Currie making a funny face at me. ;-)
I read somewhere the bass lines were all programmed on a Roland TB 303. The Quick step & sidekick cassette album I rented from our local Library had bonus tracks and remixes. I loved that album. Great memories, tape to tape copying was the norm back then. I used to rent records too and record them too. My favourite place was the Library when I was a skint teenager. Made some cracking mix tapes, sadly all gone years ago.
Oberheim OB-Xa.
Oh boy, the days of borrowing tapes from the library, in that rotating display cabinet. Good days.
A highly underappreciated group from the 80's, I second your comments on Tom's bass work, it's one of their most outstanding trademarks. My favorites from them are Don't Mess With Doctor Dream and Hold Me Now (I prefer the 12-inch version).
Looking forward to more 6-minute videos, maybe something about Tears For Fears, Talk Talk, OMD, Human League, Ultravox, Howard Jones or any other artist from that period that was quite great, but always comes short when people talk about the 80s today. Thank you.
Good suggestions. I have my mental map on where I should go, but can't do these very often. ;-)
The '80s wouldn't have been the same without The Thompson Twins. So many great hits, so many great albums, especially Into the Gap. But some of the non-hits from their earlier albums were also fantastic. Judy Do comes to mind. Oh, and I can't forget Passion Planet, which was released as a B-side single to You Take Me Up. I actually have the 45 of that.
I agree, so many great tracks and B-sides as well. I too have a lot of TT on vinyl.
Loved If You Were Here featured at the end of the classic Hughes film, Sixteen Candles. Favorite was Hold Me Now.
I saw Berlin, Thompson Twins, The Fixx, and The Police at The Hollywood Park racetrack in 1983. It was an amazing concert.
So did I. Great Show. Saw them also at Knotts Berry Farm and met Tom Bailey before the show just shooting the shit. Great guy and so friendly.
In 1992, Thompson Twins duo (by now husband and wife living in New Zealand) became known as BABBLE. In 1993/1994, BABBLE released its first album ‘The Stone’, That album is their best work from Thomson Twins. You have to listen to that album from start to finish, because every track flows from one to another with narrative. The textures of the synths layers, sounds, rhythm, and programming are sublime. Please listen to that album. I INCIST !!!
Big fan of those two Babble albums.
Into the Gap is a great album. I still have a copy on cassette.
Cool.
Hold me now is one of my absolute fave 80s songs.
I can highly recommend Tom´s comeback pop album after 30 years of abscense. Sience Fiction from 2018.
It's not bad.
Nice Series. TT was the band I listen these days most. There is so much to explore, so tiny little percussion sounds you hear after a while, even sounds from pets. There is a goat screaming in a song (Long Beach Culture Instrumental at 4:40) my wife and I are laughing while listening in car. But most I like the base, that seems sooo good. I really enjoy the music and thanks Espen for that nice Series. Would love to see that from TDolby or Propaganda :-)
Hi there are a lot of sounds in Love On Your Back too. Its fun trying to figure out what they are.
Thanks! Propaganda is most definitely a string contender for an episode. ;-)
You’re right about the synth bass. It doesn’t get much better than Love On Your Side. That was the first track I ever heard of theirs. Was on a “hits” cassette my Mum let me buy in 1984 ish? Was only 10 years old but it changed my life.
Cheers! :D
The very first 12" Single that I ever bought was Thompson Twins "Lies" at Sound Warehouse in Dallas in 1982! I was 27 then!!! 😱
Also add the 1989 album "BIG Trash". Vastly underrated IMO, loved Sugar Daddy!
Hold Me Now even features backing vocals from Jon Anderson, the lead singer of Yes!
I didn’t know that… What time in the song?
We saw Tom Bailey perform in London a week ago, and it was great - all the old songs. So glad I was finally able to hear the music live.
If you keep making this series I'll be watching every single one of them 😊
Excellent. I'll do some more, but I can only do these on the off-beat. UA-cam does its best to take videos like this down.
Love Thompson Twins and I really dig Bailey & Currie's project Babble's debut CD "Ether"
Always loved the 12“ version of Hold me now. Very well produced me thinks. 🙏🏻😀
They had stellar sound on their records. I have a lot of 12" myself. Love it. :D
Excellent video Espen! I also still listen to Into the Gap. There is a beautiful song on there called Storm On the Sea. Proof that great songwriting trumps big samplers and lots of computers.
Thanks! Yes, I love that song too. :)
One of my favourite groups. Career cut tragically short. Thanks Espen!
Cheers Zoe! :)
They didn't die Zoe, they just split up.
Great job! The only milestone that I would add is the use of their track "If You Were Here" in the movie Sixteen Candles. 😁🎂
Thanks! Fair comment. I could have included a lot, but the goal was to keep it well within the 6 minute mark. ;-)
@@EspenKraft No worries! Everyone has their favorites, and there's lots to choose from. 🙂👍
The first song i heard of them back in the days was "don't mess with doctor dream"... 🔥🔥🔥
The 2 doctor songs are my favs. A couple of great tracks in their catalog, the rest are ok, imho.
Great band. Always liked their music. Still listen today with a nostalgic tear in my eye...
Great band! Although not a fan of their ballads, Quick Step and Side Kick is one of my all time favorite albums. Tom Bailey's singing voice is definitely the one I've always most wished I had... and those bass lines...! As others have mentioned, I also have 2 Babble albums. This is going to be a fun series! :)
Cheers! :D
I saw the Thompson Twins in Manchester on The Gap Tour and the show was amazing. Still the best concert I have been to and i[ve been to lots over the years. Did you ever get to see them in concert?
Must have been awesome! No, I almost never did go to live shows. In fact, I don't like live concerts very much. ;-)
Into the gap is one of my all time favourite albums. ☕️
Dont blame you! :D
Saw them as support for Mr Bowie, with Icehouse, at Murrayfield.......it was an afternoon gig, and rained from the get go, to almost the end.There is something about a gig in sheeting rain, with steam coming off the crowd.
Brilliant! A quality edition to your already fantastic channel. Cheers Espen👍
Thanks Greg! :D
Roger Odonnell and Boris Williams’s from The Cure were touring members of the Thompson Twins before their Cure days. Roger still owns a T8 synth from his TT days.
Cheers! :D
Thanks Espen a truly Great band. Loved listening to their music while I grew up also.
Cheers!
Thank you for making this . They were my fav group in the 80 s. Yes, hold me now was my fav track too.
Cheers!
They were great live 👏
Wow. Finally someone who lived it and appreciates they're legacy. Well broken down. Great video and greetings from the UK 🇬🇧. Give the guys they're flowers.
Cheers!
For this 52 year old guy, still love and listen to the Thompson Twins
Saw Tom live back in 2014 and he was great.
Sweet!
I second all and everyone of your words...
And before knowing about Tom's OB-Xa famous upright bass patch, I ever was pretty sure the basslines on their songs were made with a synth or a sampler, being the Prophet V the main suspect of the crime...
'Into the Gap' is a big big massive album... each and every track is a #1 in my heart, and a perfect combination of smart lyrics, catchy melody and perfect production...
Love the rollercoasters that Tom created with the bridges, like on 'No Rest for the Wicked'... his landmark of songwriting...
Cheers and keep enjoying TT...!!
I became a Mac user in 2003, when my PC died while playing The Thompson Twins Platinum & Gold Collection. That was the last cd I ever put into a computer that wasn't a Mac.
They are iconic!
I was madly into them back in the day 👏🏾 We are Detectives over and over 😂
One of my favs back in the day =)
Was it an OBX he played when he got that iconic bass sound? Didn´t know that. Thought is was some electric bass / synthbass overdub. However, the song Watching from Quick Step & Side Kick is a track where you really hear that sound. Very cool stuff.
It was the OB-Xa, not the X, there's a difference there. He "found" that sound late in the process with that album and went back and redid all the bass lines with that OB-Xa sound. ;-)
@@EspenKraft Yes i know theres a difference. I was just expressing myself kinda carelessly. Ok but then all singles must have been recorded already on the album since "Lies" came out early on already in 1982 with that sound on it.
"Into The Gap" Such a strong album of tracks......
It's interesting how everyone gravitates towards 'In to the gap', I've always preferred 'Quick Step & Side Kick' which not only contains 'We Are Detective' probably one of the more well know singles here in the UK, but also some amazing album tracks like 'Judy Do' and 'If You Were Here'. If you have never listened to this album, go and check it out.
It's my favorite because it was the first album and songs I'd heard from TT back then. The nostalgia factor kicks in. Only after that did I go back to their earlier work, and bought that. I have a lot of TT vinyl. Its only "Into the Gap" that takes me back in the time machine. All the other tracks and albums are like fine wine to me, excellent and joyous, however not capable of fueling the DeLorean. ;-)
@@EspenKraft Completely understand and I guess its the same for me with 'Quick Step & Side Kick'. Its weird how long a year seems when you are young and whilst the follow up was just a year or so later, it seemed much, much longer than that. Still have memories of the 'We Are Detective' video which was played a lot on TV here. I started college around that time and one of the guys in our class, has a similar look to Tom Bailey, not that he was in any way trying to copy him.
Awesome video and TT is one of my 80s all time favorite band. Quick Step Side Step is still my favorite album on nearly all tracks: If you were here, We are detective, Judy do, Watching... . Into the Gap is also great album but sounds a bit mainstream for my taste and my favorite top tracks are No peace for the wicked, Storm on the sea, The gap. Their live concert in Liverpool 1983 is great video must watch with those Sequential Pro One bass lines...
Cheers!
In particular, Storm on the Sea is a masterpiece and defines the best qualities of the band. Just as good as Save a Prayer, but sadly never got much recognition.
Hold Me Now and Lay Your Hands On Me still my favorites ❤️ thank you Espen for bringing new appreciation to a classic act!
Cheers!
Espen beautifully put together I love the Thompson Twins and share the passion I play them most days
Cheers!
THANK YOU ESPEN!!!! THAT BROUGHT BACK WONDERFUL MEMORIES!!!! AS ALWAYS TAKE CARE AND BE SAFE!
Many thanks Rick, you too! :D
Some of the Babble stuff was pretty good too.
Thompson Twins, to me, were always a band often considered synth pop, yet there was a lot more than just synths in their sound, especially the plethora of musical percussion instruments like xylophones and marimbas. One of my favorite albums from my youth was Thompson Twins 'Sidekicks' which i believe was ONLY released on cassette tape. It was a double-play cassette that featured all of 'Quickstep and Sidekicks' plus an entire remix/alternate version of the album. It was done very interestingly and blurred the lines between tracks, bringing in elements of more than 1 track or collaging them, which made it difficult to know exactly which track was the base.
Sadly, i don't think this was ever released in any format other than tape, and I listened to my copy so much the pitch started dropping from being stretched. 😅 My copy hardly ever left my car. They should rerelease this for a Record Day event. I bet it would sell.
Thanks for the video Espen. I hadn't seen this type of video from you, I'll have to search and see if you ever made one of these for OMD, who were one of my absolute favorites. Actually, i should say ARE, since many of their recent releases are still fantastic.
I had planned to do more of these, but I can't monetize these videos due to too much original music playing and as such I can't justify spending more time making these.
im very happy to see you do a video about thompson twins. How about some more videos about the gear they use?
I have lots of gear videos on my channel. ;-)
Thompson twin were one of the bands that the dance clubs played very heavily. My kids live the music
Thank you Espen; I enjoyed that episode. Their first two/three Lps are so creative. Man, that Thomas Dolby was busy; involved with so many talented musicians before he broke solo. How about a 6 minute episode on just the first Tears for Fears Lp, The Hurting ? ✌
Tears for Fears would definitely be a contender for a future episode. Cheers :D
I can definitely hear their influence in your music. Love it. Cheers...
Cheers! :D
Awesome vid, I first heard of them when I seen the movie the wedding singer
Cheers! :D
Nice series and good idea! Next episode: The Human League 😀
Thanks! The Human League is definitely a band that could come on here. ;-)
Excellent video. I grew up in the 80s and didn't really love the production of that era, but the Thompson Twins are a worthy exception. They just found that sweet spot of being catchy while having a unique blend that made them stand out from the crowd. Solid lead vocals, strong harmonies, sensible use of synth and excellent rhythm which blends together to make a balance.
Spent hours listening to quick step and side kick and into the gap. Just loved hold me now and love on your side. Love on your side was an integral part of every disco when i was at school!!!!
Great band, but I think Alannah Currie should have sung more. I can't say if she's actually a good singer but I really like her voice. Her part on Flower Girl still gives me shivers.
On their later incarnation as Babble she sung more, but unfortunately the songs were not TT-quality.
I agree. Babble didn't live up the the early days unfortunately.
I was a huge Thompson Twins fan from the start - don't know how many times I listened to Quickstep & Side Kick and Into the Gap. They lost me when things became more rocky and guitar-oriented. I saw them live in 1986 and that was also disappointing - it became clear that Tom was the driving force behind the band, and Allanah couldn't play her instruments. The earlier albums are unique, quirky, and fun, and I still have great affection for them.
What a great recap of one of my favorite ever bands. Kudos!
Cheers!
I love their music and the sound which came from the studio production. Was always so interesting and a listening challenge trying to figure out what was being used to create the various sounds. The extended version of “Hold Me Now” starts out very mellow and builds and to this day I still think that they used a zipper for that background effect. Take a listen to the extended version and pay attention to the intro and reply back if you also hear what sounds like a slow zipped 😅. Aside from their gorgeous sounding songs, they also had some brilliant videos. “Hold Me Now” is one of all time favorite videos with the colors and the way the screen splits into 3 side by side panels of each member (Thom, Allanah, Joe) and the way Allanah works her percussion instruments. And Thom’s dancing- epic. Also worth mentioning, the video for “We Are Detective” is really clever and in the video for “Lau Your Hands On Me” when Alannah throws the tambourine up in the air! Love it!!
Storm on the sea was a fantastic track, such a great album. Thanks Espen for your great channel!
Cheers! :D
I heard one of their songs today on the radio. Never really knew the story behind the band.
I already LOVE YOU FOR THIS
Great band bio! Loved the T-Twins for years!
Yes they did lose a bit of the magic with Joe's departure and the release
_Close to the Bone_ but I felt they gained a sharper edge with the release
of _Big Trash_ which remains my favorite album.
Great band, into the gap and Quick are great álbuns
I listen this álbuns in Brasil in 80 years and listen today too
And into the gap I have, of course! Found an unsealed UK pressing at a disc shop for a whopping some years ago 5€ BLISS! :D Sisters of Mercy is one of my all time TT favorites! Thank you for a nice summarization of this great and awesome band! Far from a novelty indeed! Heck they all even looked great! :p
Nice find! I had friends that dyed their hair to look like Tom. ;-)
I loved the Thompson Twins lay your hands on me and hold me now could never be played enough.👍👍😎
RIP Matthew Seligman. Bass '81 - '82. Passed 2020.
thank you very much Espen; keep them coming.
Cheers! :D
Loved this group ❤️
Exquisite documentary. Just taking me back. Thanks.
Thanks Fredrik! :D
The Twins were SOOO ahead of their time. Their 3rd album, Quick Step n Side Kick, still holds up today as one of the most funkiest albums ever in my collection, and I often get asked "who's that" when playing at a venue. You should watch Joe Leeway's interview (post Twins) as he describes his time in music. It's on UA-cam, he's a licensed hypnotherapist today in California. Tom Bailey's new album Science Fiction is a HUGE throwback to the pop style we fell in love with when he was with the trio. I had the opportunity to ask him about that signature bass sound. Was it a synth? Was it real?? He responded, "a minimoog." Of course he scooped out the eq to carve out that iconic sound, but he settled for me a huge question I had for decades. It was an honor to meet him!
If he really said he was using a MiniMoog in those classic 80s albums he was having a laugh at your expense. ;-) That sound is from the Oberheim OB-Xa. ;-)
I was working in the Promotional Records Department @ CBS Records in Cincinnati Ohio, when MTV aired it's first song The Buggles song (Trevor Horn from Yes), Entitled; Video killed the Radio Show! Ironically CBS closed their Cincinnati distribution center in 1982 or 83. I was offered a position of in two nearby cities, Cleveland or Chicago, of which I declined. They actually just started mailing Records to DJ's at the Radio Stations. The Nightclub DJ's were left on their own at that point! Vinyl Records was still King. The Rap Clubs started the "Scratching" and Break Dancing shortly thereafter too! I miss the 80's. I still streamline 80's music. In my opinion it was the most creative time for music. The Thompson Twins left a lasting impression on my tastes in music as did so many of the British Pop Bands like; Simple Minds, The Fix, A Flock of Seagulls, Souixi and the Banshees, Public Image Limited, The English Beat, Modern English, Depeche Mode, The Smiths etc... I went to a lot of great concerts and met a lot of interesting Artists and the Entourage too! I had lots of fun! I miss those days when I was in my 20's! Thanks for posting this!
I'm going to see Tom Bailey in concert on Monday night.
For a second I thought this is about my personal favourite twins- the twins- but these twins are also cool. Thanks for the video
Cheers! :D
Quite a commercial band but what a fantastic sound they had, very well constructed songs. Nothing on this level going on in modern pop. Their synthetic bass lines are fantastic, wasn't it a pro one?
Like I say in the video, Oberheim OB-Xa.
:-) Bought their vinyls back then, starting with Quick step when i was in GB in 1983. They of course had their own sound.
I like this new series! Great idea! Reminds me of the good old days. My favorite 80s artist must be Howard Jones. I especially like the album cover of the 12” album. It also includes “Always asking questions” that I think is very underrated.
I agree with you about HoJo. Was just talking about him in a live stream just the other day. I have the 12" album and I listened to it to death back in the day. ;-)
Super Video, please more of 80s...
Thanks! :D
They were fantastic Indeed 👏👏 💕 Tks dear from a new suscriber ☺️🇦🇷
Cheers!
Bass lines for the "into the gap" album were performed by Thomas Dolby, recorded through a tube bass amp, which was initially used and pioneered by Thomas Dolby for "she blinded me with science"prior to the Thompson Twins. The asked Thomas to help them with their album.
No no no, Dolby did a few tracks on earlier records. Not on "Into the Gap".
Oooh excited for this series! Love all of them but I hope you do my 2 favorites-- OMD and Alphaville.
Cheers! :D
excellent as usual, the more you get older the more you become a young pirate
Cheers!
I saw Berlin open for the Thomson Twins at the Atlanta Fox theater in 1984. Can't find that concert date in any of the archives, but I have life events tied to it (broke up with girlfriend, she bought tickets, we went together, she was trying to patch things up, being the jerk I was at the time, I moved to Fort Lauderdale instead of getting back together). I'm certain of the year though. Hmmmm....
Oh yeah, "our" song was "Hold me now".
Bittersweet memories.
I always thought 'Love On Your Side' has a Jupiter-8 in it, but quite surprised when I learnt they never used one and it was an ob-Xa instead.
Being born in 78 these songs are definitely my earliest memory of music, great memories!
"In The name Of Love" is the first song I heard from them, because it appears on the soundtrack to "Ghostbusters."
True story: I once had a coworker with the last name Thompson. She had 2 kids and they were twins. 🤓
Awesome story! :D
I named my daughter Bailey
Not my taste of 80s synthpop. But Pls. More !!! Because i like to listen to 80s band Histories !!
The intro of doctor doctor !
Absolutly perfekt !!
Video and sound pure 80s
Cheers!
I love their songs so much! Into The Gap is an amazing album aswell. Great video Espen! Is that a Juno 106 I see there? ;)
Thanks! I don't show any synths of mine in this video do I? Maybe the top of a couple to the right? None of those are a Juno-106, even though I do own one.
@@EspenKraft When displaying some of the singles you have of the Thompson Twins I saw a synth or a controller under it.
Ah, of course! Sorry, forgot that already.. haha.. yeah, that's a Juno-106. :D
@@EspenKraft Haha no worries!
So glad I found your channel.
Happy to hear it! Cheers
Great video, love the twins
Cheers!
You need to cover Frazier Chorus……’Sue’ is a Classic, perfect album.
Yeah, was a fan in the early eighties!