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Into the Gap

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Untitled
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992 Edition)[2]
Robert ChristgauB-[3]
Smash Hits2.5/10[4]
Music Express(positive)[5]
Musician(positive)[6]

Into the Gap is the fourth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins. The album was originally released on 17 February 1984[7] on Arista (worldwide). The songs were largely recorded during 1983 to 1984 in sessions that took place at Compass Point Studios, in Nassau, Bahamas, once again assisted by Bob Marley's former record producer Alex Sadkin.

On release, the album was received favourably by the majority of music critics, although opinions have become more negative in subsequent decades. Thompson Twins' most commercially successful studio album, it went on to peak at number one on the UK Albums Chart (for 3 weeks), and number ten on the US Billboard 200. "Hold Me Now", "Doctor! Doctor!", "You Take Me Up", "Sister of Mercy", "The Gap", were all released as singles (the last two varying by territory), with corresponding music videos. Three of four singles that were released in the UK made the Top 5 and the fourth just missed the Top 10. According to the RIAA, the record sold over one million copies in the US, and in the UK, the album sold over 600,000 copies, and was certified 2× platinum. It became one of the year's biggest sellers, selling five million copies worldwide. The band embarked on a world tour in support of the album.

In March 2008, Into the Gap was reissued as an expanded 2-disc set by Edsel Records. It included the bonus cassette remixes that originally appeared on the original cassette version of the album in 1984, and also features a second disc which includes most major 12" single versions and B-sides, some of which appear on CD for the first time.

Release

"Hold Me Now", was released in late 1983. The song was an international chart success, peaking at No. 4 in their native UK [8] where it became the band's biggest seller earning a gold disc,[9] and reached No. 3 in the US in the spring of 1984 becoming their biggest American hit.[10] Further hit singles from the album followed with "Doctor! Doctor!" (UK No. 3)[11] and "You Take Me Up" (UK No. 2, their highest UK singles chart placing[12] and which earned a silver disc).[13] Other singles included a new version of the album track "Sister of Mercy" (UK No. 11), and "The Gap" (though this was not released in the UK).

Critical reception

In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau admired the track "Hold Me Now", and gave the album an B-, but commented that "Nothing else here approaches its heart-tugging mastery, but the album remains lightly creditable through the title-cut chinoiserie which opens side two. After that, as Alannah Currie herself puts it, who can stop the rain?".[3] Keith Sharp of Music Express wrote "Into The Gap could be perceived as a distinctive milestone on how far new music has come in the past few years. It's enough to make you forget that the old dinosaur bands ever existed."[14] And J. D. Considine of Musician wrote "At times, the gimmicks can be as slight as a synthesizer setting, but they invariable make the album seem dazzling even when it isn't."[15] However, the NME called them, "1984's most instantly kitsch mass program of monosodium glutamation of the brain".

Contemporary reviews have similarly praised the album. Jose F. Promis of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars and wrote that "Nearly every song on this set differed from the others, with each track taking the listener on a different musical journey." adding that "[the] 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."[16]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie, and Joe Leeway.

Side one
  1. "Doctor! Doctor!" - 4:39
  2. "You Take Me Up" - 4:26
  3. "Day After Day" - 3:49
  4. "Sister of Mercy" - 5:09
  5. "No Peace for the Wicked" - 4:09
Side two
  2. "The Gap" - 4:44
  3. "Hold Me Now" - 4:46
  4. "Storm on the Sea" - 5:32
  5. "Who Can Stop the Rain" - 5:46

Personnel

Thompson Twins
Production team

Charts

Peak positions

Original release
Chart Peak
Position 		Total
weeks
Dutch Albums Chart[17] 23 8
German Albums Chart[18] 6 24
New Zealand Albums Chart[19] 1 31
Norwegian Albums Chart[17] 16 1
Swedish Albums Chart[17] 14 6
Swiss Albums Chart[17] 7 13
UK Albums Chart[20] 1 51
US Billboard Chart[21] 10 53

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[22] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[24] Platinum 1,000,000 

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ The Rolling stone album guide: completely new reviews : every essential ... - Anthony DeCurtis, James Henke, Holly George-Warren - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Thompson Twins - Into the Gap". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Rimmer, Dave (16 February 1984). "Album Reviews (Thompson Twins - "Into The Gap")". Smash Hits. 6 (4). EMAP: 29.
  5. ^ Keith Sharp, Music Express (April, 1984)
  6. ^ J. D. Considine, Musician (May 1984)
  7. ^ "Record News". NME. IPC Media: 29. 21 January 1984.
  8. ^ "Hold Me Now – Thompson Twins". British Chart Singles. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  9. ^ [1][dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Thompson Twins | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Doctor Doctor – Thompson Twins". British Chart Singles. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference British Hit Singles & Albums was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ BPI database
  14. ^ Keith Sharp, Music Express (April, 1984)
  15. ^ J.D. Considine, Musician (May 1984)
  16. ^ Allmusic review
  17. ^ a b c d ""Hitparade – Into the Gap – Thompson Twins"". Hitparade. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  18. ^ "Musicload Album Charts". Musicload.de. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  19. ^ Steffen Hung. "Thompson Twins – Into the Gap". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
  20. ^ "Chart Stats - The Thompson Twins". Chart Stats. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  21. ^ "Thompson Twins Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  22. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Thompson Twins – Into the Gap". Music Canada. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  23. ^ id MUST BE PROVIDED for UK CERTIFICATION.
  24. ^ "American album certifications – Thompson Twins – Into the Gap". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
Preceded by UK number-one album
25 February 1984 – 16 March 1984 		Succeeded by
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