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Live

There's only one full length official live release, and one "official" bootleg, which was known as 'Twins Peak'. I have a few mp3 concerts that may be created into further live CDs, but I'll wait to see if I can aquire better sourced copies that haven't been compressed already. There are also numerous compilation tapes dating from the early '80s before the 'Twins condensed their lineup.

Live at the 101 [1983]

Live at the 101

A various artists compilation tape

Side One

  1. Thompson Twins - Physics & Chemistry
  2. Thompson Twins - Slave Trade
  3. Philip Jap - Hermaphrodite
  4. Philip Jap - The Ambassadors
  5. Huang Chung - Taken Everything
  6. Huang Chung - Don't Believe A Word

Side Two

  1. The Fixx - Acrobat
  2. The Fixx - Eye For Design
  3. Jane Kennaway - Catch Cool
  4. Jane Kennaway - Scratching At The Surface
  5. End Games - Works
  6. End Games - Visions Of

Also known as 'Live Letters/Warts'n'All/Bandits at 10 O'clock'. There exist a handful of such compilations, showcasing the early lineup of the band. The TT Discography page will give you more information on them. This tape was kindly sent to me by a fellow Clash fan John Stokes, and he also included a superb CD-R transfer of it. Credit to John for this achievement; these versions are now digitally preserved for posterity. The versions of the songs are excellent and superior to the album versions.

All songs on this collection are performed with energy and skill. If it wasn't for occasional crowd noise, you'd think they were studio recordings; such is the tightness of the playing. Also worthy of note are the Philip Jap tracks. I'd never heard of him previously, but my ignorance was cured by Malcolm Daley who introduced me to his self-titled debut album. If you enjoy the early lineup of the 'Twins you'll find much to enjoy in Philip Jap's music.

Here's To Future Days Live [1986]

Here's To Future Days Live

7 track live album

  1. Don't Mess With Doctor Dream
  2. Lay Your Hands On Me
  3. Doctor! Doctor!
  4. You Killed The Clown
  5. Love On Your Side
  6. The Gap
  7. Hold Me Now

This was given away free as compensation to ticket holders of the cancelled shows of a 1985 tour. Live the Thompson Twins were impressive, and (due to the presence of many support musicians) managed to keep together the full sound and visual onslaught with which they were associated.

Sight And Sound (Live show) [19-02-1983]

Sight And Sound
  1. Intro
  2. Kamikaze
  3. Love Lies Bleeding
  4. We Are Detective
  5. Lies
  6. If You Were Here
  7. All Fall Out
  8. In The Name Of Love
  9. Watching
  10. Love On Your Side

Fellow music trader and collector Crispin Coulson kindly sent this to me. A great live performance from the Quick Step era.

Update: It turns out that this gig is in fact an alternate version of the Twins Peak bootleg, with one track missing. Crispin Coulson sheds some light on this:

...The recording I sent you was not a copy of an existing bootleg or an audience recording. It was an orginal in that it was a straightforward recording off air as it was broadcast. The lack of quality can be blamed on the standard of FM broadcasts in the early '80s and the BASF cassette tape it was recorded on. I'm sure you will agree that BASF cassettes are notorious for their muddy sound and oxide depositing. So it was a miracle that my recording ever saw the light of day.
...(That) there is a track missing is possibly because the concert was edited to fit the broadcast time alloted for Sight and Sound. The recording is as it was broadcast. I can only assume that the compilers of the Twin Peaks Bootleg had access to the original unedited BBC concert tapes which would also account for the improved quality.