CoronaVinyl Day 147 (Alliterative Name): Side Kicks by Thompson Twins

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I meant to post this on Friday, but things got away from me, so I postponed today's CoronaVinyl category -- alliterative name -- until today.  Over the years, there have been many a band or artist whose name has been alliterative, including Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, Foo Fighters, Tina Turner, Sister Sledge, Staple Singers, Herbie Hancock, and Stephen Stills, to name a few.  My choice for today is '80s British new wave act Thompson Twins, and their fourth studio album, 1983's Side Kicks -- which was released as Quick Step & Side Kick in the UK with a different track order.

The group was not comprised of anyone whose last name was Thompson, nor were there any twins in the band.  Rather, their "classic" lineup was a trio consisting of Tom Bailey on vocals and synthesizers, Alannah Currie on xylophone, percussion, and backing vocals, and Joe Leeway on congas, more synthesizers, and backing vocals.  They were named after two dimwitted detectives from the Tintin comic series.

Probably best know for their hit "Hold Me Know" -- which was released on their next album -- they were far from a one-hit wonder, collecting seven Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1982 and 1989, including three Top 10s.  In their native UK, they had ten Top 40 hits, including five Top 10s.

Side Kicks was the album that broke the band in both the U.S. and UK, hitting #2 on the UK album charts and #34 on the Billboard album charts.  In the U.S., it produced their first Top 40 hit, "Lies" (#30) (which also hit #1 on the Billboard Dance singles chart), as well as a near miss, "Love On Your Side," which reached #45 on the Billboard Hot 100.  In the UK, the album produced three Top 40 hits, including two that went Top 10:  "Love On Your Side" (#9), "We Are Detective" (#7), and "Watching" (#33).

Oddly, Spotify didn't have the album, but a YouTube playlist is embedded below.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "Lies"

This is a fun little new wave song, with an infectious bass line.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "If You Were Here"
I thought I recognized this song, and it turns out it's the song used at the end of the classic '80s teen comedy Sixteen Candles.  That's enough for me to make it my favorite on Side 2.