A Product of … is the first album by the English pop group Thompson Twins

Thompson Twins

The Thompson Twins were a British pop group that were formed in April 1977 and disbanded in May 1993. They achieved considerable popularity in the mid 1980s, scoring a string of hits in the United Kingdom, the United States and around the globe. The band was named after the two bumbling detectives...

. It was released in June 1981 on the T Records

Tee Records

T Records was the record label imprint used solely by the Thompson Twins in the UK for their first 2 albums and corresponding singles.The band had previously released two 7" singles independently: "Squares And Triangles" and "She's In Love With Mystery" . However, they are reissued on this label...

 imprint, a label created by the band and distributed through the Fame/EMI label. At the time of its release, the band were a six-piece group that did not include Alannah Currie

Alannah Currie

Alannah Currie is a musician and artist, best known as a former member of the UK pop group, Thompson Twins.-Career:...

 (although she is thanked in the credits for "playing and singing" on the record). In comparison to the glamour of their later years, the group had a somewhat 'scruffy' image during this period, because they were very poor and living in squats in London.

The self-produced album had a post-punk

Post-punk

Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...

 sound that was heavily influenced by African rhythms and chants. The band had already built a strong reputation for themselves due to their live shows, where often members of the audience were encouraged to join the band onstage and pound along with them on makeshift percussion such as hubcaps and pieces of metal.

All of the songs on the album were written by the band themselves, except for two ethnic traditionals, both arranged by Tom Bailey.

In September 2008, the band's first two albums, A Product of … (Participation) and Set, were released as a double CD. This version included their earliest singles, non-album tracks, and extended remixes.

Original Album

1. "When I See You"
2. "Politics"
3. "Slave Trade"
4. "Could Be Her...Could Be You"
5. "Make Believe"
6. "Don't Go Away"
7. "The Price"
8. "Oumma Aularesso (Animal Laugh)"
9. "Anything Is Good Enough"
10. "A Product Of…"
11. "Perfect Game"
12. "Vendredi Saint"

2008 Re-Issue Bonus Tracks

1. "Squares and Triangles"
2. "Could Be Her...Could Be You" (original version)
3. "Weather Station" (written and recorded by Bailey for the independent film The Onlooker)
4. "Modern Plumbing" (written by Bailey; recorded by the Blankets, a separate group that included him)
5. "She's in Love With Mystery"
6. "Fast Food"
7. "Food Style"
8. "Oumma Aularesso (Animal Laugh)" (original remixed extended version)
9. "A Dub Product"
10. "Make Believe (Let's Pretend)" (extended version)
11. "Lama Sabach Tani"

Personnel

• Tom Bailey – vocals, bass, keyboards, percussion, reeds
• Chris Bell – drums, percussion, vocals
• Peter Dodd – guitar, percussion, vocals, saxophone
• Joe Leeway
  Joe Leeway
  Joseph Martin Leeway is the former multi-instrumentalist, and stylings guru, for the 1980s band, the Thompson Twins. Leeway joined the Thompson Twins in 1980 after being one of their roadies.-Career:...
  
   – congas, percussion, vocals
• John Roog – guitar, percussion, vocals
• Jane Shorter – saxophone, percussion