take this for what it's worth...

Back in 1981 and 1982, before the Thompson Twins were three, they released two albums (or three, depending on how you count them) that didn't get nearly as much attention here in the states as their later stuff did. Their second album, Set or In the Name of Love as it was known in the states is where I'm culling from today. The band, at this point, was made up of 7 members, it's the only releases that was, and included guest musician Thomas Dolby. In my opinion, it's one of their strongest releases, about the only one I can listen to without it sounding overly 80's. The reasons lie mainly in the complexity of the songs and their tempo - there are a lot more layers of percussion and sound. The results are an album that's less anchored in "pop" and more leaning towards mood.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are still very strong pop elements in this album. It just so happens that there is more experimentation than usual, and a lot more leanings towards reggae.

Here are two tracks from Set, released in 1982.

Thompson Twins - Tok Tok/Good Gosh REMOVED
Thompson Twins - Crazy Dog REMOVED

The above image is taken from this very thorough discography site. Unfortunately, their first couple of albums are no longer available on CD, although they are available used at the usual places.