Into the Gap
Into the Gap | ||||
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Studio album by Thompson Twins | ||||
Released | 17 February 1984 | |||
Recorded | 1983–1984 | |||
Studio | Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:33 | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Producer | ||||
Thompson Twins chronology | ||||
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Singles from Into the Gap | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992 Edition) | [2] |
Robert Christgau | B-[3] |
Smash Hits | [4] |
Music Express | (positive)[5] |
Musician | (positive)[6] |
Into the Gap is the fourth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins. The album was originally released on 17 February 1984[7] on Arista Records (worldwide). The album was recorded during 1983 at Compass Point Studios, in Nassau, Bahamas, and was again produced by Alex Sadkin who had produced the band's previous album.
Despite a mixed response from critics, Into The Gap became the band's most commercially successful album, peaking at number one on the UK Albums Chart (for 3 weeks), and number ten on the US Billboard 200. "Hold Me Now", "Doctor! Doctor!", "You Take Me Up", and "Sister of Mercy" were all released as singles in the UK with corresponding music videos. Three of the four singles that were released in the UK made the Top 5 and the fourth just missed the Top 10. "The Gap" was also released as a single in some other countries, but no video was made for it. According to the RIAA, the record sold over one million copies in the US, and in the UK, the album sold over 600,000 copies, and was certified 2× platinum. It became one of the year's biggest sellers, selling five million copies worldwide. The band embarked on a world tour in support of the album.
In March 2008, Into the Gap was reissued as an expanded 2-disc set by Edsel Records. It included the bonus cassette remixes that originally appeared on the original cassette version of the album in 1984, and also features a second disc which includes most major 12" single versions and B-sides, some of which appear on CD for the first time.
Critical reception
Writing in Smash Hits magazine, Dave Rimmer gave the album 2.5 out of 10, commenting that it contained "several songs with empty words and plodding tunes sung in a whiney voice and slung together with fake sentiment. The success of the terrible Twins represents the usual triumph of naked ambition over talent."[4] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau admired the track "Hold Me Now", and gave the album a B-, but commented that "Nothing else here approaches its heart-tugging mastery, but the album remains lightly creditable through the title-cut chinoiserie which opens side two. After that, as Alannah Currie herself puts it, who can stop the rain?".[3] Keith Sharp of Music Express wrote "Into The Gap could be perceived as a distinctive milestone on how far new music has come in the past few years. It's enough to make you forget that the old dinosaur bands ever existed."[8] And J. D. Considine of Musician wrote "At times, the gimmicks can be as slight as a synthesizer setting, but they invariable make the album seem dazzling even when it isn't."[9] However, the NME called them, "1984's most instantly kitsch mass program of monosodium glutamation of the brain".
A more recent review from Jose F. Promis of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars and wrote that "Nearly every song on this set differed from the others, with each track taking the listener on a different musical journey." adding that "[the] Thompson Twins were quiet visionaries, blending intelligent lyrics, Eastern sensibilities, and new wave pop to create a wholly unique and unforgettable listening experience and an album that ranks as one of the '80s' most unique."[10]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, and Joe Leeway.
- Side one
- "Doctor! Doctor!" - 4:39
- "You Take Me Up" - 4:26
- "Day After Day" - 3:49
- "Sister of Mercy" - 5:09
- "No Peace for the Wicked" - 4:09
- Side two
- "The Gap" - 4:44
- "Hold Me Now" - 4:46
- "Storm on the Sea" - 5:32
- "Who Can Stop the Rain" - 5:46
Some pressings of the album (usually U.S.) have a different order and a shorter version of the final track | |
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The UK cassette version of Into the Gap contained an additional side of remixes and B-sides, most of which were previously unreleased | |
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2008 expanded edition | |
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Personnel
- Thompson Twins
- Tom Bailey – vocals; guitars, contrabass; piano, synthesizer; harmonica; drum programming
- Joe Leeway – Prophet-5 synthesizer; percussion; backing vocals
- Alannah Currie – drums; percussion, marimba, xylophone; backing vocals
- Production team
- Alex Sadkin – engineer, producer
- Tom Bailey – producer
- Chris Dickey – assistant engineer
- Frank Gibson – assistant engineer
- Steve Dewey – assistant engineer
- Phil Thornalley – recorder; mixer
- Ted Jensen – mastering
Charts
Peak positions
- Original release
Chart | Peak Position |
Total weeks |
---|---|---|
Dutch Albums Chart[11] | 23 | 8 |
German Albums Chart[12] | 6 | 24 |
New Zealand Albums Chart[13] | 1 | 31 |
Norwegian Albums Chart[11] | 16 | 1 |
Swedish Albums Chart[11] | 14 | 6 |
Swiss Albums Chart[11] | 7 | 13 |
UK Albums Chart[14] | 1 | 51 |
US Billboard Chart[15] | 10 | 53 |
Sales and certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
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Canada (Music Canada)[16] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[18] | Platinum | 1,000,000Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character "?". |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ The Rolling stone album guide: completely new reviews : every essential ... - Anthony DeCurtis, James Henke, Holly George-Warren - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
- 1 2 Christgau, Robert. "Thompson Twins - Into the Gap". Robert Christgau. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- 1 2 Rimmer, Dave (16 February 1984). "Album Reviews (Thompson Twins - "Into The Gap")". Smash Hits. EMAP. 6 (4): 29.
- ↑ Keith Sharp, Music Express (April, 1984)
- ↑ J. D. Considine, Musician (May 1984)
- ↑ "Record News". NME. IPC Media: 29. 21 January 1984.
- ↑ Keith Sharp, Music Express (April, 1984)
- ↑ J.D. Considine, Musician (May 1984)
- ↑ Allmusic review
- 1 2 3 4 ""Hitparade – Into the Gap – Thompson Twins"". Hitparade. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ↑ "Musicload Album Charts". Musicload.de. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ Steffen Hung. "Thompson Twins – Into the Gap". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ↑ "Chart Stats - The Thompson Twins". Chart Stats. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ↑ "Thompson Twins Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Thompson Twins – Into the Gap". Music Canada. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Thompson Twins – Into the Gap". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 May 2015. Enter Into the Gap in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ "American album certifications – Thompson Twins – Into the Gap". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 17 May 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
External links
- Into the Gap at Discogs (list of releases)
Preceded by Sparkle in the Rain by Simple Minds |
UK number-one album 25 February 1984 – 16 March 1984 |
Succeeded by Human's Lib by Howard Jones |