A Product Of … (Participation) is the 1981 studio album
by the Thompson Twins. It was released on the T Records imprint, a label
created by the band and distributed through Fame/EMI. At the time of its
release, the band was a six-piece group that (thankfully) did not include
Alannah Currie (although she is thanked in the credits for "playing and
singing" ??? on the record). In comparison to the chart status of their
later years, the group had a more street image during this period, because they
were communing in London squats. The self-produced album has a post-punk sound and
feel to it that was heavily influenced by African rhythms and chants. The band
had already built a strong reputation for themselves through their live shows,
where often members of the audience were encouraged to join the band onstage
and pound along with them on makeshift percussion such as hubcaps and pieces of
metal (I think I threw up a little there). All of the songs on the album were
written by the band, except for two traditional scores, both re-arranged by Tom
Bailey. [Wikipedia anyone?]
Ripped from the 2008 re-release of the band’s first two
albums including their earliest singles, non-album tracks, and extended remixes
to good feeling MP3 @ 320kbps
The Thompson Twins; A Product Of…
1. When
I See You
2. Politics
3. Slave
Trade
4. Could
Be Her/Could Be You
5. Make
Believe (Let’s Pretend)
6. Don’t
Go Away
7. The
Price
8. Oumma
Aularesso (Animal Laugh)
9. Anything
Is Good Enough
10. A
Product Of…
11. Perfect
Game
12. Venderdi
Saint
13. Squares
And Triangles
14. Could
Be Her/Could Be You (Original Version)
15. Weather
Station [Tom Bailey]
16. Modern
Plumbing [The Blankets]
17. She’s
In Love With Mystery
18. Fast
Food
19. Food
Style
20. Oumma
Aularesso (Animal Laugh) [Re-Mixed Version]
21. A
Dub Product
22. Make
Believe (Let’s Pretend) [Ext. Version]
23. Lama
Sabach Tani
I have a difficult time ascertaining if you are recommending this album or not.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel their debut (and - to a lesser extent - the follow up "Set") is a vastly underrated collection of post-punk-meets-world-music gems which manages to match the material (similar in tone) put out by Talking Heads around the same time.
Sure, they became pop-chart whores and a virtual punchline a few years later, but they really did once possess a unique and fascinating sound.
I’ll agree that A Product Of is a great crossover of world music and the London post-punk scene, but at the time of its release A Product Of did nothing for me. Great albums sometimes take the listener on a journey where they learn to love the music. Didn’t happen for me personally. The second album Set works for me. To post one album of a double set wouldn’t have let the listeners enjoy the music that the a Thompson Twins offered before they became shit.
DeleteI don't think I have ever heard this album... a track or two on radio from time to time, but not the whole thing. Many thanks for the push!
ReplyDeleteBrian
do check out the other two "Twins" posts
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