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 be released in the UK, vocalist/guitarist Tom Bailey suddenly fell ill. He was diagnised with nervous exhaustion and 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 recordings featured a more 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 material by playing a rock oriented version of The Beatles' track "Revolution". The band were also joined onstage for this number by Rodgers himself, Madonna, 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 U.S. pressing of the album contained a new, Rodgers-produced version of the track "Roll Over", which was omitted altogether in all other parts of the world.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway, except where noted.

LP: Arista 207164

All songs written and composed by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, Joe Leeway, except where noted. 

All songs written and composed by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, Joe Leeway. 

Some UK copies came with a "free 5-track album of re-mixes" (this disc having cat. no. FRE TT 1). The remixes were also included as bonus tracks on the cassette version of the album.

All songs written and composed by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, Joe Leeway. 

All songs written and composed by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, Joe Leeway. 

New Expanded Edition

On August 4, 2008, Here's to Future Days was digitally remastered and reissued as a 2-disc set by Edsel Records[1]. The reissue includes the five bonus remixes that originally appeared on the cassette version of the album in 1985, and also features most of the major 12" versions and B-sides, some of which appear on CD for the very first time.

Disc 1

1. "Don't Mess with Doctor Dream" - 4.25
2. "Lay Your Hands on Me" - 4.21
3. "Future Days" - 3.00
4. "You Killed the Clown" - 4.52
5. "Revolution" - 4.05
6. "King for a Day" - 5.18
7. "Love Is the Law" - 4.43
8. "Emperor's Clothes (Part 1)" - 4.45
9. "Tokyo" - 3.38
10. "Breakaway"- 3.33
11. "Roll Over" - 4.58 - Bonus Track (Album version that only appeared on North American copies of the original album in 1985)
12. "Shoot Out" - 6.22 (Remix of "Don't Mess With Doctor Dream" that appeared previously on the UK 12" single known as the "[(U4A)+(U3A)=REMIX]", catalogue number TWINS229)
13. "Alice" - 4.59 (Instrumental version of "Lay Your Hands On Me")
14. "Heavens Above!" - 3.19 (Instrumental remix of "Future Days")
15. "The Kiss" - 5.42 (Remix of "Tokyo")
16. "Desert Dancers" - 7.07 (Remix of "Breakaway")

Disc 2

1. "Lay Your Hands on Me (Original UK 12" Version)" - 6.05
2. "The Lewis Carol (Adventures in Wonderland)" - 4.14 (Original B-Side of the "Lay Your Hands On Me" UK 7" and 12" singles)
3. "Lay Your Hands on Me (US Re-Mix)" - 5.55
4. "Lay Your Hands on Me (Extended Version)" - 6.00 (12" version of the album version)
5. "Roll Over (Again)" - 6.50 (Previously unreleased 12" mix of "Roll Over")
6. "Fools in Paradise (Extended Mix)" - 5.25 (Previously unreleased B-Side of the "Roll Over" 12" single)
7. "Don't Mess with Doctor Dream (Smackattack!)" - 6.10 (Original 12" version)
8. "Very Big Business" - 5.06 (B-Side of "Don't Mess With Doctor Dream" 12" single)
9. "King for a Day (Extended Mix)" - 8.02 (Original 12" version)
10. "Rollunder" - 6.50 (B-Side of the "King For A Day" 12" single)
11. "King for a Day (U.S. Re-Mix)" - 7.20 (Original second 12" version)
12. "The Fourth Sunday" - 4.18 (B-Side of the "Revolution" 7" and 12" singles)
13. "Revolution (Extended Mix)" - 5.58 (Original UK 12" single)