Here's to Future Days

Here's to Future Days is the fifth album by the British pop group Thompson Twins. It was released in September 1985 and it reached no.5 in the UK, and no.20 in the US.

Following on from the band's highly successful fourth album, Into the Gap, the writing and recording of Here's to Future Days began in late 1984. The band recorded the single "Lay Your Hands On Me" with Alex Sadkin acting as producer. Sadkin had produced the last two Thompson Twins albums, which were the band's biggest commercial successes to date, and the new single climbed to #13 on the UK charts.

With the album nearing completion, and the next single "Roll Over" just about to ship to record stores in the UK, Bailey suddenly fell ill. Nervous exhaustion was the diagnosis, and he was ordered to rest by doctors. The incident prompted the band to recall all copies of "Roll Over", despite the fact that some of them had already been shipped to retail outlets. Holding off on the album's release led the band to reconsider the entire project, and they began work on it again following Bailey's recovery. This time they enlisted Nile Rodgers to take over production, scrapping most of the material they had previously recorded with Sadkin. The direction of the new material featured a flashier, guitar-oriented side to it.

Before the album's release, the Thompson Twins performed at Live Aid in July 1985, where they revealed their new direction by playing a rock oriented version of The Beatles' track "Revolution". The band were also joined onstage for this number by Rodgers himself, Madonna (entertainer), and guitarist Steve Stevens.

Although the album was a chart success in the UK and the US, it was considerably less successful than their previous album Into the Gap. Subsequent singles from the album also met with mixed results. The new Nile Rodgers-produced version of "Lay Your Hands On Me" (now with a more distinct gospel sound) reached #6 in the United States, while the next UK single "Don't Mess With Doctor Dream" only reached #15. "King For A Day" which made #8 in the US, peaked at #22 in the UK. The aforementioned "Revolution" was also released as a single in the UK, but failed to make the top 40, signifying an end to the Thompson Twins' commercial viability there.

The United States pressing of the album actually does contain a new, Rodgers-produced version of the track "Roll Over", which was omitted altogether in all other parts of the world.