Set (Thompson Twins album)

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Set

Studio album by Thompson Twins

Released

1982

Recorded

1982

Genre

Alternative, Post Punk

Thompson Twins chronology

A Product of ... (Participation)
(1981)

Set (1982)

In The Name Of Love
(1982)

Set is the second album recorded by English pop group Thompson Twins. Released in February 1982, it was the second album they recorded for their own "T Records" imprint on the Fame/EMI label.

Compared to the first album, A Product of ... (Participation), Set featured a more polished sound thanks to producer Steve Lillywhite, and it was received positively by the British music press. Keeping true to form with their shifting lineup, Thompson Twins had now swelled to seven members, adding Matthew Seligman on bass guitar to free up Tom Bailey for full frontman duties and keyboards. Former sax player Jane Shorter was replaced by Alannah Currie, who was Bailey's girlfriend at the time (they remained partnered until 2004). Three of the songs featured on Set do not feature Bailey on lead vocals at all, but rather are sung by Joe Leeway. While not an official member of the band, Thomas Dolby was also on hand to lend additional keyboards to three of the tracks.

While the album was given praise in the press, the band found itself on the verge of yet another personnel change. The album track "In the Name of Love" was written by Bailey simply as album filler, but it wound up being such a strong track that it was chosen as the lead-off single from the album. While not a notable presence in the pop charts, the single was released in the United States as a club single, and from there it went straight to number one on Billboard Magazine's dance charts, where it remained unseated for five weeks (from May 22 to June 19, 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, Tom Bailey reinvented the band as a trio, keeping Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway while firing the others.

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 ... (Participation).