Thompson Twins “Into the Gap” 1984. I’ve rarely gotten rid of records throughout the years but for some reason I must have purged a small portion of my collection, probably sometime during the 90′s, and have slowly began to recoup those losses. Thompson Twins’ Into the Gap was one of those records. I bought it originally back in ‘84 as its British new wave synth pop sound appealed exactly to my tastes back then (and still does today).

Into the Gap was the fourth LP by Thompson Twins and was their most successful, hitting #10 in the US and #3 in the US. The first single released, “Hold Me Now” (released in late ‘83), was my favorite and it charted at #3 in the US and #4 in the UK. It was the height of the MTV era and its video got super-heavy rotation. I also really liked the second single, “Doctor! Doctor!” (#11 US, #3 UK). I’m not sure I remember hearing their third single “You Take Me Up” (#44 US, #2 UK – same goes for the fourth, “Sister of Mercy” which I think was only released in the UK, hitting #11 there) but this is one of my favorite songs from the album. The last release from Into the Gap was “The Gap” which Thompson Twins did not release in the UK but it did hit #69 in the US even without a video to accompany it.

Into the Gap had uneven reception among music critics at its release. Smash Hits wrote that it had “several songs with empty words and plodding tunes sung in a whiney voice and slung together with fake sentiment. The success of the terrible Twins represents the usual triumph of naked ambition over talent” and NME called it “1984’s most instantly kitsch mass program of monosodium glutamation of the brain.” However, through the lens of history critics have softened considerably, viewing Into the Gap as a great snapshot example of popular culture and musical trends of its time. Allmusic says Into the Gap “remains a classic as far as ‘80s new wave pop is concerned. Nearly every song on this set differed from the others, with each track taking the listener on a different musical journey…Thompson Twins were quiet visionaries, blending intelligent lyrics, Eastern sensibilities, and new wave pop to create a wholly unique and unforgettable listening experience and an album that ranks as one of the ’80s’ most unique.”