Here's to Future Days

Here's to Future Days
Studio album by
Thompson Twins
Released20 September 1985 (1985-09-20)
Recorded1984–1985
Studio
  • Marcadet (Paris)
  • Guillaume Tell (Suresnes, France)
  • Skyline (New York City)
Genre
Length42:52
LabelArista
Producer
Thompson Twins chronology
Into the Gap
(1984) 		Here's to Future Days
(1985) 		Close to the Bone
(1987)
Singles from Here's to Future Days
  1. "Lay Your Hands on Me"
    Released: 26 November 1984
  2. "Don't Mess with Doctor Dream"
    Released: 19 August 1985
  3. "King for a Day"
    Released: 11 October 1985
  4. "Revolution"
    Released: 29 November 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
Record Collector[3]
Rolling StoneFavourable[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Smash Hits5/10[6]

Here's to Future Days is the fifth studio album by the British pop group Thompson Twins, released on 20 September 1985 by Arista Records.[7] It was the third and final release for the band as a trio, which was their most successful and recognisable line-up. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 20 on the US Billboard 200.

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' song "Revolution". The band were also joined onstage for this number by Nile Rodgers (who co-produced the album), Madonna, and guitarist Steve Stevens, perhaps best known for his work with Billy Idol.

Although the album was a chart success in the UK and the US, it was considerably less successful than their previous studio album Into the Gap (1984). 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 No. 6 in the United States, while the next UK single "Don't Mess with Doctor Dream" reached No. 15. "King for a Day" followed in both markets, peaking at No. 8 in the US and becoming their third and final Top 10 hit there, but only reaching No. 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 and Canadian 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 and Canadian cassette and CD versions of the album contain both "Roll Over" and "Breakaway".

  1. ^ Here's to Future Days at AllMusic
  2. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. ^ Peel, Ian (October 2008). "Thompson Twins - Here's To Future Days". Record Collector.
  4. ^ Coleman, Mark (7 November 1985). "Thompson Twins: Here's to Future Days". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 12 May 2006. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  5. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992). "Thompson Twins". The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. ISBN 0-679-73729-4. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  6. ^ Cranna, Ian (11 September 1985). "Album Reviews". Smash Hits. Vol. 7, no. 18. p. 77.
  7. ^ Smith, Robin (14 September 1985). "News". Record Mirror. p. 6.