It had been three years since The's debut, Soul Mining. Still as a solo act, but working under the name, The The, Matt Johnson would return to the studio to record and release 1986's Infected. It would produce four singles in the UK, Heartland, Infected, Slow Train To Dawn, and Sweet Bird Of Truth.
Being without a band limited Johnson when it came to his ability to tour. As such, when Infected was released, Johnson, and his manager Stevo, were able to convince CBS Records to front £350,000 to produce a music video for each song. With the money, Johnson would have everything edited together as Infected - The Movie, which he then had shown at movie theaters worldwide. Additionally, it was featured on British television, and MTV in the USA. It would eventually be released on VHS, but to date has not been upgraded to DVD.
Playing through the album, I found myself in the same boat as previously with Soul Mining. Wherein each track feels like it needs to be played back-to-back to get the full impact of the album. However, unlike the previous release, I didn't pull any songs out from among them that stuck out. I wanted to, and even considered Angels Of Deception, and Sweet Bird Of Truth, but when I really focused on the lyrics of these songs couldn't get onboard with their themes.
Overall, my listening session was pleasant, and I still think there's something to The The that many people missed out on in the 80's. Really, there's not much more for me to say than that.
Johnson would recruit a full band in 1988, picking from several ex-members of previously established acts, and release 1989's Mind Bomb. That would wrap up The The for the 80's for them, and I suppose also my journey with them. Check back tomorrow for that one. Until then, I suppose this one is short and sweet.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS December 20, 1980 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS December 20, 1986 |
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