#ustop40

[demonofthelight]

A duet from two legends

[the80stumble4uthompsontwins-blog]

Joe Leeway is the co-founder of NLP TransWorld, a cutting edge NLP accelerated training company. His mastery of hypnotic language patterns has made Ericksonian Hypnosis more accessible to students at HMI. Name: Joe Leeway, Hypnotherapy Specialties: Neuro Linguistic Programming, Time Line Therapy.

Today, Joe Leeway, one-time drummer for the Twins, is an expert in  Hypnotherapy. 

[the80stumble4uthompsontwins-blog]

Fashion Sense

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The 80s are definitely remembered for the unique approach to fashion and style. And the Thompson Twins were no exception to taking risks with their clothes and hair. 

According to  From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century By David Mansour , Andrews McMeel Publishing, Jun 1, 2011 - Reference - 560 pages, the band had a bizarre fashion sense. From the shaved eyebrows to the mixture of different cultures within their outfits, the band brought a fresh perspective to what was considered normal.

[the80stumble4uthompsontwins-blog]

(via The weirdest vinyl records | Music | The Guardian)

The Thompson Twins’ (named after the blundering detectives Thompson and Thompson in Hergé’s The Adventures of Tintin) 1984 single You Take Me Up/Passion Planet is from the pop duo’s UK No 1 album, Into the Gap. Only 5,000 copies of this three-record pressing, released on Arista Records, were produced – each one containing both tracks, and silhouettes of their preposterous hair

Photograph: guardian.co.uk/music

I actually have a copy similar to this stored away somewhere. Will need to dig it out, as I am fairly certain it’s a different shape, but the same picture on the disc. 

[the80stumble4uthompsontwins-blog]

Quick Step and Side Kick

The second album released by the Thompson Twins in the United States, Australia and Canada was titled Side Kicks and had a completely different track listing than the U.K. version, wish was their 3rd release in their home country.

In 2008, a CD version was released that includes all the tracks that appeared on various versions of the album around the world. You can find the entire track listing at Discogs.

[the80stumble4uthompsontwins-blog]

(via Thompson Twins – Salvador Dali's Car Lyrics | Genius Lyrics)

I had a dream, a dream that would make you scream I was climbing inside a brilliant mind I was gathering flowers from the bottom of the ocean And laughing to myself in real slow motion Lying in the gutter Shooting up the stars I'm driving in Salvador Dali's car (He's driving in Salvador Dali's car) Yeah I'm driving but I just can't get that far I was dancing with the daughter of Harry Dean Wearin' a pair of boots that didn't belong to me And there were half a dozen cowgirls doing much the same And for one sweet moment I forgot my own name Lying in the gutter Shooting up the stars I'm driving in Salvador Dali's car (He's driving in Salvador Dali's car) Yeah I'm driving but I just can't get that far I wanna feel it I wanna feel it Yeah Yeah Yeah Let's go I was drawing up plans to save the world From all the evil hearts and all those skinny girls Then I realised I was wasting all my time 'Cause it was just another movie playing in my mind Lying in the gutter Shooting up the stars I'm driving in Salvador Dali's car (He's driving in Salvador Dali's car) I'm driving but I just can't get that far (He's driving in Salvador Dali's car) Yeah I'm driving but I just can't get that far So let's go C'mon c'mon c'mon let's go Let's go

[the80stumble4uthompsontwins-blog]

A Weird Name Doesn't Worry the Thompson Twins, a Trio with a Wrap on Rock Stardom

The Thompson Twins—all three of them—still flinch when recalling the Moment of the Missing Cheese. The British band had been…

From the People magazine archive, Alannah reveals in 1984, that in hindsight, they should have changed the band name. She would have prefered a ‘harder; moniker, like Joy Division adopted.

I, for one, am glad they didn’t. The band name suits their eclectic style.

[the80stumble4uthompsontwins-blog]

What is Synth Pop?

Source: iTunes

While the Twins started out with a distinctive new wave/pop-oriented, with their biggest singles bearing a strong pop vibe, their sound matured and evolved into a stronger synth-pop vibe. This is especially apparent on the Big Trash and Queer albums. So what exactly is synth pop?

According to AllMusic:

Synth Pop was one of the most distinctive subgenres of new wave. In the early '80s, a number of bands -- primarily British and heavily influenced by Roxy Music and David Bowie -- adapted the electronic innovations of bands like Kraftwerk for pop songs. Initially, in the hands of artists like Gary Numan, the Human League, and Depeche Mode, the sound was eerie, sterile, and vaguely menacing, since the electronics droned on relentlessly without any change in inflections. However, these first stabs at synth pop were transformed into danceable, synthesized pop by Duran Duran, who made the synthesized hooks warmer and catchier by grafting them onto a dance beat. Soon, a flood of bands followed Duran Duran's lead and although some of the groups weren't as infectious as that band, they nevertheless relied on the conventions of three-minute pop. Duran Duran became stars, while most other synth-pop groups were lucky to have more than one hit. There were some exceptions -- the Human League and Eurythmics had several hits, as did Howard Jones -- but the field was mainly occupied by one-hit wonders like A Flock of Seagulls. By 1984, synth pop had begun to die out, but the music had helped establish the synthesizer as a primary instrument in mainstream pop music during its time in the spotlight.