Stripped down in 1982 from just seven members to three, Thompson Twins headed to Egypt before making their way to the Bahamas to record tracks for what would become Quick Steps & Side Kick (released as Side Kicks in the USA). When later asked about the reduction in members, lead singer, Tom Bailey would comment:
"When we reformed the band, we were making a statement. We weren't going to be a rock 'n' roll band, we weren't going to have a guitar. We were going to move on. You know, Lou Reed said whenever he played live he ended up going back to heroin music. There are old associations, associations we don't want because they don't reflect the way we feel today. ... Right now, technology is what's important, and that's what our music tries to reflect."
Though personally, I liked the full band sound from prior Twins albums, there's no denying that this change was both advantageous and lucrative. Singles, Lies, and Love On Your Side would both chart in the UK, and upon release of the album, were followed by additional successful hits, We Are Detectives, and Watching. These hits would also pave the way for steady rotation on MTV, garnering even more exposure to the band.
Around this time, designer Andy Airfix would also create their iconic logo. Consisting of a simple outline of their heads with iconic hairstyles, it's easily one of the most recognizable to pop music fans and was even voted fourth best out of thirteen logos by Classic Pop Magazine in 2022.
With the release of their album in February 1983, it's interesting to note that Twins would continue to release singles that year, dropping Hold Me Now towards the end of the year. Though it wouldn't be released on an album until 1984's Into The Gap, the song would fly up the charts to number four in the UK, and three on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining their biggest American Hit.
But there we go again. Getting all ahead of ourselves. Let's reverse back to Quick Step & Side Kick, or Side Kicks for the Americans. It's worth noting that depending on where you live, dictated not only the album title, but also the track order, and potentially remixes that were also included. Additionally, the album was re-released in 2008 as a double CD set that contained several B-sides, remixes, and single versions.
As for the album itself, it's definitely more pop oriented than previous albums. Gone are the layers of instrumentation that made for a full sounding band. In its place are drums, bass, and a synthesizer. I mean, it does the job, but man, what a loss to the sound they had established.
Mind you, I'm not going to call this a bad album. Far from it. I can't even fault it for the sound shift. Like I said above, it's what kicked them into high gear, and made them internationally successful. Great stuff came from the change, but one still can't help but sit back and say, "Yeah, but what if...?"
Things kick off with the hit, Love On Your Side, and is followed by Lies. This sets a very high expectation of perfection from things to come. Unfortunately, things do take a dip for me, and don't come back around until Tears, only to then immediately dip out again.
At the end of the day, I'm not going to say this was a bad album. It was relatively okay to listen to, but where it lacks is what I've said before. The loss of a full band for a trio reflects heavily on it. The songs just feel like they could have been better. Many times, while playing through it I imagined how much more depth tracks would have if certain sections featured a horn or guitar to really emphasize the instrumental sections.
Regardless, Thompson Twins were certified successes at this point, and things were only poised to get bigger and better, for a little while anyway. We'll pick up tomorrow with 1984's Into The Gap, their career opus.
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