''Set'' is the second studio album by the English pop band

Thompson Twins Thompson Twins were an English Pop music, pop band, formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a New wave music, new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the early and mid-1980s, scori ...

. Released in February 1982, it was the second album they recorded for their own

T Records T Records was the record label imprint used solely by the Thompson Twins in the UK for their first 2 albums and corresponding singles. The band had previously released two 7" singles independently: "Squares And Triangles" (RANK1) and "She' ...

imprint, which was released by

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

/Hansa. Compared to their first album, '' A Product Of...'', ''Set'' featured a more polished sound, thanks to producer

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite (born 15 March 1955) is an English record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts The Alarm ...

. With their ever-shifting line-up, the Thompson Twins had now swelled to seven members, adding

Matthew Seligman Matthew Seligman (14 July 1955 – 17 April 2020) was an English bassist, best known for his association with the new wave music scene of the 1980s. Seligman was a member of the Soft Boys and the Thompson Twins, and was a sideman for Thomas ...

on bass guitar to free up Tom Bailey for full frontman duties and keyboards. Former sax player Jane Shorter was replaced by

Alannah Currie Alannah Joy Currie (born 20 September 1957) 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. Career Born in New Zealand and trained as a journalist, 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 Joseph Martin Leeway (born 15 November 1955) is a British musician and songwriter, who is best known as being a member of the pop music, pop band Thompson Twins, joining the band in 1981 after being one of their Road crew, roadies. Leeway was b ...

, who is also credited as writer or co-writer for five tracks. While not an official member of the band,

Thomas Dolby Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher. Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me ...

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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' 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.

Legacy

Retrospectively, ''Set'' is regarded as the final of two

experimental pop Experimental pop is pop music that cannot be categorized within traditional musical boundaries or which attempts to push elements of existing popular forms into new areas. It may incorporate experimental music, experimental techniques such as m ...

records that the Thompson Twins recorded before moving towards a more mainstream sound. Ira Robbins of ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' writes that, despite the addition of former Soft Boys bassist Matthew Seligman to the lineup, ''Set'' is to its predecessor ''A Product Of... (Participation)'' (1981). He praises it as an album of "totally listenable

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

that doesn't beg suspension of critical faculties", highlighting songs such as "In the Name of Love" and "Bouncing".

Track listing

Original Album

All songs written by Tom Bailey except where noted. #" In the Name of Love" #"Living in Europe" #"Bouncing" – (Bailey, Joe Leeway) #"Tok Tok" – (Bailey, Leeway, Julian S. Subero) #"Good Gosh" – (Leeway) #"The Rowe" #" Runaway" #"Another Fantasy" #"Fool's Gold" #"Crazy Dog" – (Leeway, Pete Dodd) #"Blind" – (Bailey, Leeway)

2008 Reissue bonus tracks

#"In the Name of Love" (12" Dance Extension) #"In the Beginning" #"Coastline" #"Open Your Eye" #"Runaway" (extended remix) #"Bouncing" (extended remix) #"In the Name of Love" (Big Value Version/New Super Synthesized Version) #"Living in Europe" (Live at the

Hammersmith Palais The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, in its last years simply named Hammersmith Palais, was a dance hall and entertainment venue in Hammersmith, London, England that operated from 1919 until 2007. It was the first ''palais de danse'' to be built ...

, April 1982)

Personnel

Thompson Twins * Tom Bailey – vocals, pianos, synthesizers, percussion * Peter Dodd – synthesizers, guitars, percussion * John Roog – guitars *

– bass * Chris Bell – drums *

– percussion, saxophone *

–

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

s, percussion, vocals Additional musicians *

– additional synthesizers (6, 7, 9)

Production

* Steve Lillywhite – producer *

Phil Thornalley Phillip Carden Thornalley (born 5 January 1960) is an English songwriter, musician, and producer who has worked in the music industry since 1978. He produced the album ''Pornography'' by The Cure and was later their bass player. He began releas ...

– engineer * John Rule – assistant engineer * Thomi Wroblewski – sleeve design, photography

References

{{Authority control 1982 albums Thompson Twins albums Albums produced by Steve Lillywhite Hansa Records albums Post-punk albums by English artists Experimental pop albums Alternative rock albums by English artists Dance music albums by English artists