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Set | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 26 February 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1981–82 | |||
Genre | New wave, alternative rock, post-punk | |||
Label | T Records | |||
Producer | Steve Lillywhite | |||
Thompson Twins chronology | ||||
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Set is the second studio album by English pop band Thompson Twins. Released in February 1982, it was the second album they recorded for their own T Records imprint, which was released by Arista Records/Hansa.
Compared to their first album, A Product Of... , Set featured a more polished sound, thanks to producer Steve Lillywhite. With their ever-shifting line-up, the Thompson Twins had now swelled to seven members, adding Matthew Seligman on bass guitar to free up Tom Bailey for full frontman duties and keyboards. Former sax player Jane Shorter was replaced by Alannah Currie, who was Bailey's girlfriend at the time (they later married and remained together until 2004). Three songs on the album do not feature Bailey on lead vocals, but are sung by Joe Leeway, who is also credited as writer or co-writer for five tracks. While not an official member of the band, Thomas Dolby was also on hand to play additional keyboards on three tracks.
While the album was given praise by critics, the band found themselves on the verge of yet another personnel change. The track "In the Name of Love" was written by Bailey simply as album filler, but was ultimately chosen as the lead single from the album. While failing to make the UK singles chart, the single was released in the United States as a club single and went to number one on Billboard magazine's dance chart, holding that position for five weeks (from 22 May – 19 June 1982).
The success of the track opened many doors for the band, who suddenly had the potential to be more than just an underground sensation. Together with the band's manager, John Hade, Bailey then reinvented the band as a trio, keeping Currie and Leeway while firing the others.
In the UK, a limited number of copies of the album were released with a free single which featured the tracks "Squares and Triangles", "Weather Station", and "Modern Plumbing".
Set was also released in the United States on the Arista label as In the Name of Love , which saw three of the album's tracks replaced by two songs from the band's first album, A Product of....
In September 2008, A Product of... and Set were re-released as a double-CD set. Each disc included early singles, non-album tracks, and extended remixes.
All songs written by Tom Bailey except where noted.
Thompson Twins
Additional musicians
Thompson Twins were a British pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the early and mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States, and around the world. In 1993, they changed their name to Babble, to reflect their change in music from pop to dub-influenced chill-out. They continued as Babble until 1996, at which point the group permanently broke up.
Joseph Martin Leeway is a British musician and songwriter, who is best known as being a member of the pop band Thompson Twins, joining the band in 1981 after being one of their roadies.
Alannah Joy Currie is a New Zealand artist based in London. She is a musician and activist, best known as a former member of the pop band Thompson Twins.
T Records was the record label imprint used solely by the Thompson Twins in the UK for their first 2 albums and corresponding singles.
A Product of... is the first studio album by the English pop group the Thompson Twins. It was released in June 1981 on the T Records imprint, a label created by the band and distributed through the Fame/EMI label. At the time of its release, the band were a six-piece group that did not include later member Alannah Currie. In comparison to the glamour of their later years, the group had a somewhat scruffy image during this period, because they were very poor and living in squats in London.
Into the Gap is the fourth studio album by British pop group Thompson Twins, released on 17 February 1984 by Arista Records. The album was recorded during 1983 at Compass Point Studios, in Nassau, Bahamas, and was produced by Alex Sadkin who had produced the band's previous studio album, Quick Step & Side Kick (1983).
Here's to Future Days is the fifth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins, released on 20 September 1985 by Arista Records. It was the third and final release for the band as a trio, which was their most successful and recognisable line-up. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 20 on the US Billboard 200.
Close to the Bone is the sixth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins, released on 6 April 1987 by Arista Records. Only the duo of Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie remained; this was the first album the group made without Joe Leeway. It was produced by Bailey and Rupert Hine.
Big Trash is the seventh studio album by the British pop group the Thompson Twins, released in 1989 by Warner Brothers/Red Eye. It was produced by Tom Bailey and Alannah Currie, with two tracks produced by Steve Lillywhite.
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by British pop band Thompson Twins, released in 1996 on the Arista Records label.
"Doctor! Doctor!" is a song performed by the British new wave band Thompson Twins. It is the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Into the Gap (1984). It was written by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, and prominently features a keyboard solo. Following the successful chart performances of the Into the Gap single "Hold Me Now", "Doctor! Doctor!" was released in the UK on 27 January 1984 as the album's second single.
"In the Name of Love" is a 1982 single written and performed by British pop band Thompson Twins, at the time a septet. It was the first of twelve entries on the Billboard dance chart for the group.
"Lay Your Hands on Me" is a song by the British band Thompson Twins, written by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, and Joe Leeway. Released as a single in the UK in 1984, a different version of the song appeared on their 1985 album Here's to Future Days.
"King For A Day" is a 1985 song by the British band the Thompson Twins. It was released as the third single from the band's fifth album Here's To Future Days.
"Don't Mess With Doctor Dream" is a 1985 song by the British band Thompson Twins. It was released as a single from their album Here's to Future Days, and peaked at No. 15 in the UK, spending six weeks on the chart. Written by bandmembers Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, it is an anti-drug song warning of the dangers of drug addiction. It was the first Thompson Twins single to be co-produced by Nile Rodgers. A promotional music video was made for the single which was directed by Godley & Creme along with Meiert Avis.
Roll Over is a 1985 song by the Thompson Twins. It was intended for release as a single from the band's album Here's To Future Days, but was recalled and withdrawn from shelves the same day of release with the remaining copies destroyed. Some copies made it onto the market before being recalled. After a bout with nervous exhaustion which left him with no reflexes, lead vocalist Tom Bailey took it as a bad omen and decided against the release of the song. Subsequently, it was only released on the North American versions of the album. The versions found on the single are different mixes than the final album version which was co-produced by Nile Rodgers.
"The Gap" is a song by the British pop group Thompson Twins. It was the title track from the group's 1984 album Into the Gap, and was also released as a single in certain countries though not in the group's native UK. The single peaked at #69 in the U.S., spending six weeks on the US Billboard 100. It also charted in Germany where it peaked at #62. There was no promotional music video for this single.
"Sister Of Mercy" is a song by the British pop group Thompson Twins. It was originally included on the group's 1984 album Into The Gap, though a remixed version was released as the fourth single from the album in the summer of 1984. The single peaked at #11 in the UK, spending ten weeks on the UK singles chart.
"You Take Me Up" is a song by British pop group Thompson Twins, released as the third single from their fourth studio album, Into the Gap (1984), on 19 March 1984. It was written by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway and prominently features the harmonica and a melodica solo. In addition to the regular 7-inch and multiple 12-inch releases, Arista Records also released four different shaped picture discs for the single, three of which were part of a jigsaw.
"Runaway" is a song by British pop band Thompson Twins, released in 1982 as the second and final single from their second studio album Set. The song was written by Tom Bailey and produced by Steve Lillywhite.