Customer Reviews

Close To The Bone

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you are a TT fan like I am, you probably compare everything to "Into the Gap". I do agree that it was an excellent album although I think Queer was even better. However, even though this album is totally different than everything they've done, don't make the big mistake of dismissing it! First of all, as an artist myself, I am still trying to make drums sound this good. They rock on this album! Never before could you hear Tom Bailey's voice so harsh and letting go. Joe Leeway had just left the twins and you can feel the anger and dissapointment. A must-have for any TT fan.

I find it hard to believe that no-one has bothered to write a review of this album. The previous TT album "Here's To Future Days" was the last album Joe Leeway would appear on, and this album now defined Tom Bailey & Alannah Currie as "The Thompson Twins"

Tom and Alannah released this modest and mostly likeable album, produced by Rupert Hine in 1986. I'm not sure how I missed it, but I remember living in Los Angeles in early 1987, and heard a tune on the radio that sounded like a Sting-penned song, sung by Corey Hart. [How I confused Tom's distinctive voice with Corey Hart remains a mystery to this day].

I was later to learn it was the Thompson Twins and a cut from their new album, which I immediately picked up. Alannah wrote the lyrics and Tom wrote the music. While this album was somewhat derivative of their own work, it did seem to lack something - my own humble opinion being - the songs on this album were very formulaic. This also was the case on their debut album for Warner Brothers "Big Trash", although that approach seemed to work better on Big Trash than this album.

I really like this album, but truthfully, something's missing, although I am hard pressed to say exactly what that is. As with all TT albums, the production is flawless, synth sounds and instrumentation are all first rate. The best tunes are "Follow Your Heart", "Twentieth Century", "Long Goodbye" [which is the song I first heard, and probably the best tune on the album] and "Savage Moon".

After this album, TT released "Greatest Mixes - The Best Of The Thompson Twins" and that concluded their alliance with Arista Records. The Twins immediately signed with Warner Brothers and released two albums for them: "Big Trash" and "Queer" - both are highly recommended.

If you are a fan of the Thompson Twins, this belongs in your collection - if you are only a casual fan of the Twins and only desire their hits, this may not be for you.

This is not the typical Thompson Twins Album. The music is different. The lyrics are different. The singing? The same. As someone in the music buisness, I find it quite entertaining, even if its not their usual stuff.

1987 and Thompson Twins released their first studio album in two years titled Close To The Bone. There was a lot of change within the group which this particular album proved. Firstly, Joe Leeway had left the band, leaving the Thompson Twins now a true duo. Secondly, a matter of personal events caused the duo's musical direction to change even further and thirdly the duo now sounded a lot more mature. Even Tom Bailey's vocals had a noticeable difference.

The album opens with Follow Your Heart which like the majority of songs - focuses on the lyrics more so than the usual commercial melody. The lyrics to this track are so inspiring that immediately the album begins on a strong note. The lyrics simply send the message of following your own heart and not anyone else. Tom Bailey's vocals are excellent throughout - singing with both passion and expression. An uplifting chorus is present here with a huge anthemic atmosphere. "You say you've been making plans, oh your life's not your own, it's out of your hands" and "How will you be the one if you dance to the beat of another man's drum?" are only two examples of the brilliant lyrics.

Following on comes Bush Baby which features some interesting and unusual instrumentation. Tom Bailey's vocals remain slick and casual throughout - a sure highlight of this track. Again the lyrics are the main feature although this particular set of lyric isn't as strong as the album's opener. This is where the unique instrumentation works to make a satisfying track. "Bush baby with her animal smell, she can take me to heaven or the edge of hell."

The album's lead single Get That Love is probably the most commercial piece on the album, featuring melodic acoustic guitar, dominant vocals, uplifting chorus and a lyrical message that many can relate to, based on taking chances when love comes along. The real influence here is the jangle pop feel of the track whilst maintaining the unmistakeable production sound of the 1980s. "If you're picking and choosing, yeah, playing it cool. Well you wind up loosing - I'm no fool" and "You know you can build any fortress, any that you choose. Then later discover the prisoner - the prisoner is you" are only two examples of the inspiring message imbedded in the great track.

Twentieth Century features some more interesting and commercial instrumentation whilst containing some interesting lyrics. There's another fun chorus in this track, featuring some great synthesizer in the background. Tom Bailey's vocals work well throughout whilst the entire song flows along nicely to satisfy the listener. "Well I was born ten years after the atom bomb. Yeah, things were getting strange way before I came along."

The following track titled Long Goodbye is said to have been written about Alannah Currie's mother who had at the time just passed away. The track is the most out of place on the album but it's quality is high regardless. A slow and melodic melody is present here whilst Tom Bailey's vocals maintain emotion throughout. The message of the lyrics remain in a negative tone throughout which only adds to the emotional level this track prepare to enter. "I have seen my future die, my whole past as well" and "I screamed with the wind, I howled at the rain, I even prayed but nothing I do and nothing I say will bring you back again" show only two examples.

Still Waters returns to the album's usual musical style with a great rhythmic melody, making this track one of the most up-tempo pieces on the album. Tom Bailey's vocals are extremely dominant on this track in which he gives it his all - sounding very different to anything done by the group before. There's a great built up chorus and some female backing vocals as a bonus. The lyrical message is fairly open for all to understand in this track with lines such as "Still waters run deep, you better look before you leap" and "And if you play with fire, you've gotta to be able to take the heat."

The next track titled Savage Moon features more interesting instrumentation and a grand melody. The bridge of this track is spectacular whilst the chorus follows on nicely. Tom Bailey gives another good performance whilst the lyrics are again mature and well laid out. "I try to fight them but I just can't win. I'm always on the outside, always trying to get in" and "If I could believe in fairytales, a life of happy endings that would never ever fail" are two great lines within this track.

Next is Gold Fever which more interesting instrumentation and an unusual introduction featuring percussion and background chanting. Like Still Waters, Tom Bailey pulls off a great vocal unlike anything expected. The chorus features some great backing vocals which work wonderfully well. The lyrics contain a relevant message to the world status of greed for money. Lines such as "You tried to change the world but the world changed you" and "You've gotten older but you didn't get wise and now you can't see further than those dollar signs" show the meaning well whilst lines like "So you think you got the Midas touch but let me tell you mister you ain't worth that much" and "Bad money breeds bad men, now it bothers me to think I used to call you a friend" really hit the nail on the head.

Dancing In Your Shoes features an interesting melody and some more great vocals. The lyrical theme is again relevant to many people which contains the message of seeing into the world of a less fortune person that yourself. "Your life is a circus and your mind is just a mess" and "Who knows what I'd do if I was dancing in your shoes" show this message well enough.

The album closes on a high note with Perfect Day which explains the effects and devastation of war on people who aren't actually directly fighting themselves. There's a great melody and more well performed vocals. The chorus is not only inspiring but memorable at the same time. "The general's on the radio to say the war is won but for the thousand people left behind the battle's just begun" and "A young man finds a broken toy he made for his small son. It's the only thing remaining of the life he knew and loved" are only two lines that have a powerful effect on the listener. The chorus itself simply asks "Why are so many people crying on this perfect day?"

In conclusion, Close To The Bone remains one of my favourite albums from the group for numerous reasons. Percussion was always a strong part of the Thompson Twins music and this album has plenty of rich and interesting percussion to offer. Tom Bailey's vocals are sharper than ever and listening back to earlier material makes it hard to believe this is the same vocalist. Together, the duo created a powerful lyrical journey throughout the entire set of tracks. At the time, the duo stated they wanted to see how quickly they could make an entire album which proves the talent of the pair.

However, aside from Get That Love, the album doesn't reply on the usual commercial melodies and energy that the group had always previously offered which may be the exact reason this album wasn't much of a success. The duo had grown up both musically and lyrically which fans probably didn't expect at the time. The album was a hit in Norway and Sweden however only peaked at #76 in America and #90 in the UK. This was the first time the group didn't get a widely successful album since their rise to fame. Get That Love was a fair hit in America, peaking at #31 whilst peaking at #66 in the UK. Long Goodbye was the only other single from the album which peaked at #89 in the UK.

I very much recommend this album for anybody who loves 80s pop with some serious lyrical meaning to it. This was the duo's attempt of changing their usual commercial sound and adding a great level of maturity to their work. They succeeded in doing so and this album remains a worthwhile listen.

"Close to the Bone", the first CD the Thompson Twins recorded as a duo (after the loss of long-time member Joe Leeway), shows a musical maturity... but a slight loss of heart. Whether it was the loss of Joe or the circumstances surrounding the Twins at the time -- you can tell that the shine, fun, and heart was mostly lacking with this CD.

Luckily, there are definitely some choice cuts to keep any Twins' fan happy. Tom Bailey's vocals show great maturity on the guitar driven "Follow Your Heart" and the exuberant bounciness of "Twentieth Century". Alannah Currie's lyrics have also matured, especially the farewell to her recently deceased Mother on "Long Goodbye" and the devastating results of war on "Perfect Day". Toss in the light fluffiness of "Get That Love" and the frog (yes, ribbit ribbit) layered keyboard action of "Bush Baby", and I bet you'll walk away satisfied.

Though "Close to the Bone" is not the best of their repertoire, it is still a decent listening experience for anyone that enjoys the highly-capable offerings of the Thompson Twins.

Hate to say it, but if your looking to expand your TT collection after discovering the pleasure of The Gap or Sidekicks or perhaps Babble, make sure this is the LAST recording you seek as it will give lease satisfaction. I really think is for die hard fans/completists only. As someone below mentioned, this record really killed their career.

Length:: 0:51 Mins

This was, of course, the turning point in the career of the Thompson Twins. No longer were they a threesome, with Joe Leeway departing the band in a surprising decision that came at the conclusion of their successful world tour for the previous album, "Here's To Future Days". The Thompson Twins were finally a true duo, and their first appearance as such was on the soundtrack to the film "Nothing In Common". "Close to the Bone" represented their first full-length album without Joe, and it was jarring for a number of reasons.

First off, the sound here is much different than the previous offerings from the Twins. "Close to the Bone" uses a lot more guitar sounds, especially acoustic sounds. The production on the album is technically large and amazing.

The problem comes at the level of songwriting. There is a certain pall that hangs over the entire thing, possibly due to a series of personal crises that had befallen Tom and Alannah (Joe departing, Alannah suffering a miscarriage, the passing of her mother). There are subtle ways that the sound mix suggests something winsome going on, as on the album's only hit single, "Get That Love". There's a jangling acoustic guitar down front, but also a vague, ghostly synth drone in the background like a lingering sadness. "Long Goodbye" goes for the jugular and deals with outright anguish. It was also on "Close to the Bone" that the lyrics began to take on a lazy reliance on cliche phrases, like "still waters run deep/you better look before you leap". The intentional use of these kinds of standard lines may have been intentionally ironic, but the effect is just boring.

There are some jewels here, though. The album opener, "Follow Your Heart", finds the perfect balance between their newer, more mature approach to pop music (read: adult contemporary) and the impeccable production that they always strove for. "Bush Baby" is a great part of the Thompsons canon, with some great, weird guitar work. Although in keeping with the album's utterly depressing theme (with lyrics that suggest the devastation of war), "Perfect Day" has a certain something that takes it above the rest of the filler tracks (like "Savage Moon" and "Dancing In Your Shoes").

This lyrical malady stuck with the band for the rest of their careers as Thompson Twins, carrying through their following album "Big Trash". However, while "Big Trash" wound up being at least more adventurous, "Close to the Bone" has little to revisit after all these years.

WELL, EVERYONE SEEMS TO THINK THIS IS THE TT WORST ALBUM. I DISAGREE. ACTUALLY, THIS ALBUM ALONG WITH SIDEKICKS IS MY FAVORITE."FOLLOW YOUR HEART" AND "THE LONG GOODBYE" ARE MY TWO FAVE TT SONGS EVER. "THE LONG GOODBYE" HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART. AND ON THIS ALBUM, I THINK TOM BAILY'S VOCALS ARE STRONGER THAN ON ANY OTHER ALBUM. THE CHORUS TO DANCING IN YOUR SHOES IS PROOF OF THAT. SOME OTHER HIGHLIGHTS HERE ARE "SAVAGE MOON"-(...if i could beleive in fairytales, a life of happy endings that would never ever fail...), "GET THAT LOVE"- THE ONLY TOP 40 HIT FROM THIS ALBUM. AND THE ROCKIN' "STILL WATERS"
THIS IS THE HARDEST TT ALBUM TO FIND, SO IF YOU CAN FIND IT, GET IT.

I really like the Thompson Twins, but I have to say that this was one of the worst albums of all time. This release was in fact so bad that the duo was never able to recover and eventually vanished. The only saving graces were Bush Baby and Get That Love.Their later releases, Big Trash, Queer and The Stone (released under the name of Babble) were MUCH, MUCH better, but by then it was really too late for Tom and Allanah. Unfortunately, that's the way pop music works.