Here’s to Future Days by Thompson Twins

Here's to Future Days is the fifth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins. It was the third and final release for the band as a trio, which was their most successful and recognisable line-up. Released in September 1985, it reached no.5 in the UK, and no.20 in the US. Following on from the band's highly successful fourth album, Into the Gap, the writing and recording of Here's to Future Days began in late 1984. The band recorded the single "Lay Your Hands on Me" with Alex Sadkin acting as producer. Sadkin had produced the last two Thompson Twins albums, which were the band's biggest commercial successes to date, and the new single climbed to #13 on the UK charts. However, the band then decided to part company with Sadkin and opted to produce the new album by themselves in Paris, France. In March 1985, with the album nearing completion and the next single "Roll Over" just about to be released in the UK, vocalist/guitarist Tom Bailey suddenly fell ill. After collapsing in his hotel room, he was diagnosed with nervous exhaustion and ordered to rest by doctors. The incident prompted the band to recall all copies of "Roll Over", despite the fact that some of them had already been shipped to retail outlets. Holding off on the album's release led the band to reconsider the entire project, and they began work on it again following Bailey's recovery. This time they enlisted Nile Rodgers to take over production and rework the material they had already recorded. The direction of the new recordings featured a more guitar-oriented side to it. Before the album's release, the Thompson Twins performed at Live Aid in July 1985, where they revealed their new material by playing a rock oriented version of The Beatles' track "Revolution". The band were also joined onstage for this number by Rodgers himself, Madonna, and guitarist Steve Stevens. Although the album was a chart success in the UK and the US, it was considerably less successful than their previous album Into the Gap. Subsequent singles from the album also met with mixed results. The new Nile Rodgers-produced version of "Lay Your Hands on Me" (now with a more distinct gospel sound) reached #6 in the United States, while the next UK single "Don't Mess With Doctor Dream" reached #15. "King for a Day" followed in both markets, peaking at #8 in the US and becoming their third and final Top 10 hit there, but only reaching #22 in the UK. The aforementioned "Revolution" was also released as a single in the UK, but failed to make the top 40, signifying an end to the Thompson Twins' commercial viability there. The US pressing of the vinyl album does not include the track "Breakaway" but contained a new, Nile Rodgers-produced version of the track "Roll Over", though the song was omitted altogether in all other countries. The US cassette and CD versions of the album contain both "Roll Over" and "Breakaway".