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.
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.
3 года назад
Into the gap is one of my all time favourite albums. ☕️
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.
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.
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.
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 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. ;-)
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?
March 1984, Gaumont, Southampton. First gig I ever went to. The stage was in tiers I seem to remember with a lot of synths and percussion in and around. Although being my first gig, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t sound exactly like the records 😂
What synths were used on "Doctor Doctor" ? A lot of great stuff there. Thompson Twins had some great stuff. I never seemed to develop too much appreciation for Depeche Mode for some reason. Are there any stand out tracks besides "People are people" ?
No mention of Big Trash or Queer, which were fantastic modern TT records of the time and the Babble stuff, nor of International Observer. For shame! ;)
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!
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.
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.
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.
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 !!!
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.
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. ;-)
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 :-)
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.
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.
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.
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?
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! :)
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...
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.
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 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.
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!!
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.
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.
Tom really knew his pop history, just listen to the song 'We are Detectives' from Quick Step... album. Then compare the verses between that and the Abba tune 'Head over Heels' from the Visitors album 1981. Pretty similar right 😀. Wonder if M.r Benny Andersson let that go?
So what synths and drum machines did they use? Oberheim OBXa for bass lines? We see Sequential Circuits Prophet 5's in their videos. Created by a 27 year old engineer in Dave Smith. Dave is about 70 now but is still creating great Dave Smith/Sequential Circuits synths plus the SC Tempest drum machine with Roger Linn. Drum machines? My guess is they used either a Linn Drum or Oberheim DMX.
Like I say in the video, Tom used a Oberheim OB-Xa for a long time, doing all the bass on their songs. Prophet 5 and VS, but drums were always from the Movement Drum Computer.
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 ? ✌
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....
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
I saw the Thompson Twins several times in the early 80's in Santa Cruz, CA, before the massive success of Into the Gap. It was fun partying with them backstage, they had plenty of what you'd expect and were pretty down-to-earth. Tom Bailey was indeed the main composer, and built their songs track by track with synths, drum machines, and tape decks. However, the Thompson Twins were far more than the three front persons. The touring band was anchored by the bass player and drummer, along with three synth/percussion players in the wings. These weren't members of the original Thompson Twins, they were pros hired by Bailey after the band was reformed as a trio. But during the sets, the trio would occasionally duck off-stage, and it was obvious where the Thompson Twins' live sound was coming from. No diss on Bailey and his partners, who were uniquely talented, just a nod to the dedicated crew who made it happen in the background. You can see and hear it for yourself in this live video performance of Kamikaze from Quick Step & Side Kick: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QEpb8cs931E.html Tom starts off with synth effects from a Prophet 5, while Alannah provides periodic xylophone fills and Joe some conga beats, but the layered synth accompaniment is coming from off-stage. It's when the electric bass and drums kick in that the song really takes off. The main synth melody is not played by Alannah - her part is the fill at the end of each phrase. Likewise, Joe's conga is way down in the mix and Tom is focusing solely on his vocal performance. Again, I'm not putting down the trio, they collaborated on the orginial songwriting, but 90% of the instrumentals you hear on this recording are from the Twins' killer touring band.
