When Yaz announced their break up in '82, no one knew what to expect of Alison Moyet on her own but no one expected the high gloss sheen of her 1984 solo debut, "Alf", either. While it became a much loved, and played, album that seemed to be in the collection of everyone I knew, there was also a hint of disappointment that came with it. When the follow up album came with even more gloss, everyone got the clue that her label was determined to make her a pop star in any way possible. The four year absence of new product led many to believe that she, or the label, had given up or that she simply shattered into a million brittle over produced pieces. A new decade and a new single, cheekily titled "It Won't Be Long", and we finally received the record that sounded like something we'd have expected. The parent album, "Hoodoo", only made the wait more worthwhile. A Grammy nod and one more album, heavily manipulated by the label (again), and Alison finally made it clear that she had no interest in making records only to be a pop star and waited out the next eight years of litigation it took be a true solo singer.
When Thompson Twins shook off a couple of members and, after the accidental success of "In The Name of Love", realized they just might have a pop career on their hands, they set about making their third album. Tighter, shinier, bigger and better, they threw out a preview of their future, "Lies", in October of '82. Aided by a sublimely silly video for MTV and constant club play, it reached number one on the club charts and left me anxious for the release of what would become one of my favorite albums of the decade. It also started my undying crush on front man Tom Bailey, he of the pleading eyes, pouting sneer, and flirty fringe. I never missed a Thompson Twins record but I never loved one of them as much as "Quick Step And Side Kick".
Happy birthday to Alison Moyet and Tom Bailey.
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