Search - Thompson Twins :: Product of/Set

The first two LP's on CD for the First Time! With Lots of E

Alan Taylor | Chicago, IL United States | 11/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, from an audiophile's point of view, this release will not blow your socks off. It isn't remastered and restored, though I find it to be beyond acceptable, especially given the rarity of these recordings and the inclusion of tracks that haven't seen the light of day since they were first released on LP in 1981 and 1982 - including b-sides and alternate mixes. This features the band before they hit is big and has quite a different musical direction than the sound that broke them an international stars as a three piece band just a few years later. Definitely recommended for the completist, but it's likely not a necessary purchase for the casual "greatest hits" Thompson Twins fan."

From Hope To Heartbreak

LJ Scott | Colorado Springs, CO USA | 03/15/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"After only having these two albums as my own needle-drop digital (from the original albums) for many years, I was elated to find that CDs of them were finally coming out. I got them, but found that something was off and compared them to my versions only to discover that mine sounded much better. What went wrong with Edsel's remastering process I don't know.



At least these CDs have a number of remixes and singles not previously released on CD, and those I'll have to be happy with. As for a definitive digital remastering of the albums, we'll have to wait until some future date..."

Better than nothing, but not great

J. Abare | 06/25/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If I could separately review each of these 2 albums, then I would give 5 stars to "A Product of" which sounds great, having been sourced from the original master tapes. On the other hand, most of the 11 bonus tracks were sourced from old vinyl and generally sound like what you would expect - Snap, Crackle, Pop.



The second album, "Set" is plagued with problems. It has been entirely sourced from vinyl, as apparently the master tapes are missing, the songs have been heavily compressed, and oddly, "Good Gosh" is a couple db quieter than the rest of the songs. This is just sad. The only good thing about this second CD is that it includes a rare version of the b-side "In the beginning" which sounds great. In fact, I can't hear any vinyl surface noise, so it too probably came from master tapes. I'm not sure if this version has been previously released or not. The version I am familiar with is largely devoid of drums, while this version has drums throughout.



Even if you are not the most discerning listener, if you listen to these recordings with good quality headphones, you will hear how bad most of these vinyl transfers sound. I myself can't stand the sound of old vinyl. If you are really a fan of "Set", I recommend picking up a copy of the album "In the Name of Love" which has 8 out of the 11 songs from Set (Although a couple are remixes)."