 
Item #0005 -- In The Name Of Love / Set Who: Pre-fame Thompson Twins What: Debut American LP, released under the title In The Name Of Love (Arista 8-8244, March, 1982) and in Europe as Set (Hansa LA-470, March, 1982), their second in the UK; both with different track listings. Produced by the late Steve Lillywhite (XTC, La’s, Big Country, U2, Pogues, Simple Minds). Another example that “Dance Rock” actually did exist at one point. Where: Although vinyl copies are widely available in the used racks, the European version, Set, is a bit harder to find. Both are worth seeking out since the track listings are different and each contains two songs the other doesn’t carry. The U.S. version, In The Name Of Love, was issued on CD in October 1989 and is now out of print, thereby making it harder to find than the import LP…nevermind. Why must these things have to be so complicated? Why: Before becoming worldwide hit makers (at least for a short while), The Thompson Twins started life as a struggling, politically motivated rock band before changing musical paths. In The Name Of Love finds the group moving in a new direction and isolating their early fans as they slowly turned their backs on politics, picked up a few synthesizers and looked more towards mass appeal. As it turned out, the title track ended up being a #1 dance hit in the U.S. If you’re familiar with their mid-80’s hits “Lies” (#30, March, 1983); “Love On Your Side” (#45 June, 1983); “Hold Me Now” (#3 May, 1984) “Doctor Doctor” (#11 July, 1984), this record may have you scratching your head as the seven member strong Thompson Twins pounds out music that is more rock-centric and maybe a little experimental. That’s right kid, seven instead of the customary three. It’s drummer Chris Bell and bassist Matthew Seligman (the latter formerly of the Soft Boys) who steal the show on this record as they put a boot under the music making almost every damn track amazingly irresistible. While Seligman switches between a minimalist approach and afro-beat experiments, Bell runs around him with a tight, no nonsense anchoring force. Check out the breakdown during “Another Fantasy”: a percussion maelstrom (where every member seems to have their own bells to hit) with Seligman coaxing ‘urps’ from his instrument and a funny dab of synth right before the lean back into the song’s original structure. “Good Gosh” is chaotic with a steel drums verse, car horns,
breaking glass and Joe Leeway’s manic vocals…it’s
the closest thing that this band gets to a party song. “The Rowe”
seems easy enough, starting out mantra-like with a bevy of foreign instruments
thrown in until it eventually erupts in the choruses with eerie vocals,
angular guitar swipes and a wash of cymbals. Keep an ear out for Seligman’s
genius, rolling change-up near the end of the song, just before the
washout finale; Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood had to have been listening
to this guy since there appears to be a heavy influence. The tribal
burst of energy that is “Fool’s Gold”, just might
be the snappiest tune about environmental protection…and perhaps
their last stab at politics. It’s “Living In Europe”,
however, that gets the illustrious title of Best Track here: paranoid
Cold War-era lyrics with a fierce beat that ends with an urgent chanting
chorus and a frantic timbale ending. It should be pointed out that five
of the seven members are listed as “percussionists” which
may answer why this record is so drum heavy. If anything, In The Name of Love remains a mere blip on the 80’s Rock radar. To these ears, the record has aged better than much of the work of the Thompson Twins peers. Four of the members were jettison only a month after the album’s release. The remaining three, Bailey, Leeway, and Alannah Currie found themselves releasing fashionable singles, jumping from playing clubs to arenas and –as the high water mark of their popularity-- playing Live Aid in the summer of July of 1985, a world away form the rhythm drenched sounds of this record.
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