Thompson Twins - Best of the Thompson Twins (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Doesn't quite cover it, but has a few gems....

Normand Authier | Toronto, Canada | 04/22/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album, released back in 1988, is labelled as a "Best Of" compilation, but I''ve always felt that it had never done the Thompson Twins any justice. Apart from "In The Name Of Love '88" (Remixed by Shep Pettibone), all the other tracks are original mixes from the time that they were originally released BUT six out of the ten tracks were, rather illogically, SHORTENDED from their original form, and it was done rather badly if you ask me (thanks to an engineer named Tuta Aquino). The only gems that are worth listening to are the (formerly) very rare U.S. remix of "You Take Me Up", remixed by François Kervorkian back in 1984 (who isn't credited in the CD). It origianlly had the subtitle "High Plains Mixer" when it first appeared as a 12" single in a plain white sleeve with the Twins logo and the words "Scrictly Limited Editon" on it. This mix is not so rare now, and it''s brilliant. Eaqually rare is the remixed version of "The Gap", a mix that I had never heard before until I bought the CD back in '88, and it has not been edited either. Lastly, there's a previously unreleased version of "King For A Day" which in this form (and did not include electric guitars as on the version that appears on the "Here's To Future Days" (1985) album), is actually a remix of a track that origianally appeared on the B-Side of a single slated for release in Spring of '85 (called "Roll Over"), and was originally called "Fools In Paradise". Note that the lyrics are slightly different before the chorus is sung. There had been other Thompson Twins compilations released over the years, and all of them seem to include something that had never been heard before, but to this day, none of them had done justice to this band. "Greatest Mixes", however, is still the one that's readilly available."

Shortened remixes don't make this the "greatest mixes"

hippiedj | Palm Desert, CA USA | 05/26/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a letdown. Thank goodness I collected the 12" remixes on vinyl, as this compilation is more of a consumer-friendly release, shortening most of the original extended versions for those that can't handle songs over 7 minutes in length.LIES is over 1 minute shorter, LOVE ON YOUR SIDE is 2 minutes shorter, HOLD ME NOW is 3 minutes shorter, and DOCTOR! DOCTOR! is 2 minutes shorter. Considering this CD is a running total of 62:37, there's still enough room to have given us the original remix lengths.KING FOR A DAY resembles neither of the orignal two 12" releases, so this was a pleasant surprise, and since I never had been able to get my hands on the vinyl 12" of the "High Plains Mixer" version of YOU TAKE ME UP (which this CD's track is apparently), I am at least happy to have another version besides the "Machines Take Me Over/Down Tools" release that I have on 12", which runs over 11 and a half minutes!THE GAP was originally released as a promotional 12" here in the U.S. and thankfully Arista chose to include it here in the entire extended form.Unfortunately, for the purposes of promoting the newer version of IN THE NAME OF LOVE, we are given the '88 remix, and the ruined 1985 version of LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME, instead of one of the two import 12" versions that were released (sans the horrid guitars and booming chorus). I have both of those, and thankfully you can get the first of the two '84 12" versions on another CD called "The Greatest Hits," which is highly recommended for alternate versions of their songs.This CD is worth having for some of the fuller tracks, but to shorten already great remixes is a true crime. Shame on Arista for agreeing to this. Buyer beware, you're not getting the "greatest" with this compilation..."

Mostly brilliant re-mix album

hippiedj | 01/31/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album opens with the dance-floor classic "In the Name of Love," re-mixed from its 1982 form for 1988 audiences, and the rest of the album isn't much of a step down.The re-mixing doesn't do anything to affect the effect of the songs. "The Gap" is a tad too long, and "You Take Me Up" isn't a very good song, but all the others contain bone-crushing hooks and steady dance rhythms. "Hold Me Now" is an effective ballad, and other standout tracks are "Love on Your Side," "Lay Your Hands on Me," and "Get That Love."Worth the money, and simpler than shelling out for the individual albums, the best of which was probably 1984s "Into the Gap.""

One of the biggest disappointments of my youth!

VertigoXpress | USA | 12/27/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'll never forget how excited I was when I learned that Arista was releasing a Thompson Twins remix album that compiled all their best twelve-inch singles. I'd been collecting all the vinyl for years, and now we'd have a bunch of the remixes in high-quality DIGITAL sound! Well, now we know that wasn't exactly the case.

"Greatest Mixes" had me worried from the get-go when I saw the ugly metallic cover the record company slapped on it. I noticed the odd-looking track lengths right away while listening to "In the Name of Love 88". I was already coming to terms with the fact that "ITNOL" had been remixed by none other than Shep Pettibone, of whose work I was not the biggest fan. None of the tracks seemed long enough to be the full versions. My fears were confirmed when I heard the butchered edits of my favorite twelve-inch mixes, courtesy of the late Tuta Aquino, Mr. Pettibone's former engineer. I'm not sure, but Tuta might have fallen asleep on the job with this one. Notice during "Doctor! Doctor!" when that spine-tingling three-chord progression that punctuates the song comes in on the wrong bar, crashing into you like a bike messenger who wasn't looking where he was going. "Love On Your Side" is similarly mauled, and we're left to wonder why. The runtime of the finished product was short enough that they could fit TWO bonus tracks on the CD. So why edit the twelve inch mixes in the first place? The whole purpose of the remixes in the first place is to expand the tracks to allow for extended builds and ebbs, so the intentions of Arista Records in editing these back down here remain a mystery to me.

Fortunately for whiny purists like myself, the CD bonus tracks are the unedited remixes for "The Gap" and "You Take Me Up", plus there's an otherwise unreleased 12" mix of "King For A Day" on here. That fact alone makes "Greatest Mixes" essential for collectors, although I don't know why the compilations and "remastered deluxe editions" of Thompson Twins albums that keep coming out seem to be helmed by people who have no intentions of doing right by the fan base. It's like the Human League's revenge or something."

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