Comments for Thompson Twins, live at the fort

Who on earth typed up the track listing for this album? Here's the proper running order: Side One: When I See You/Politics/Slave Trade/Could Be Her...Could Be You/Make Believe/Don't Go Away. Side Two: The Price/Oumma Aularesso (Animal Laugh)/Anything Is Good Enough/A Product Of.../Perfect Game/Vendredi Saint. If this album was released today, it would probably have done better commercially than when it was originally released back in 1981. This does not sound like the Thompson Twins that most people were familiar with. They sounded more like a lot of the "alternative" bands of the '90's. For this reason, the 1981 line-up of the Thompson Twins were probably ahead of their time. The album is an example of what they were about back then: They were more or less an experimental band that fooled around with African-influenced rhythms ("Oumma Aularesso", "Vendredi Saint"), and were fiercely determined NOT to sound like a conventional rock band. I listened to this album for the first time in years, and surprisingly, liked a lot of the tracks. "The Prince", the opening track on side two, is one of the best, and I can picture a band like Oasis convering it. "Perfect Game" is another stand-out track, and is one of the songs that sounds a little more textured than the others. The LP does not "flow" from one track to the next, and that's probably it's weak point. Back then, the band was known for their energetic live show than for their recordings, and that was the problem with the old TT's: trying to re-create their "live" energy in the studio rather than making proper recordings. The six-piece band (at the time this album was recorded) had a cult following in London by this time and for this reason they kept touring continuously, until they realized that they had to evolve and break out of their shell to reach a bigger audience. "A Product Of..." is an example of what the early incarnation of the Thompson Twins were like, but to get the FULL feel for them, you apparently had to see them LIVE. If you want to find a copy of the LP, good luck. Hint: Look for it at used record stores, bargain bins...

i have copies of this album that i have done on cd r contact me for a copy

This was the first Thompson Twins album. I`m not sure if it should really be called rock because some of the songs are chant like and also use African styled rhythms. It`s very different from the later albums but I think it`s great I love it. It`s one of my favorites.