Thompson Twins – Here's to Future Days
The music gear and equipment used by the artists, producers, engineers, and more involved in the making of the 1985 album Here's to Future Days.
Music from Here's to Future Days
Artists on Here's to Future Days
Gear Used On Here's to Future Days
Explore the instruments, equipment, software, and production tools used in the making of Thompson Twins – Here's to Future Days (1985). Click more on each item to see exactly how it was used.
Tom Bailey
Roles:
Keyboards and Synthesizers used by Tom Bailey on Here's to Future Days
Avg price: $5,849.00
"For ages we used the OBXa because I accidentally found this brilliant bass patch on it. We used it on the Sidekicks album and I kept on getting phone calls to come and play bass on other albums."
Tom Bailey refers to the OB-Xa as his workhorse synth. He first acquired it in 1981 during the Set sessions, and used it on the underground Thompson Twins hit "In The Name of Love". Eventually it became a prominent feature of their music when they were at the peak of their popularity, on albums Quick Step & Side Kick, Into The Gap and Here's To Future Days.
According to Keyboard magazine August 1984 issue, 95% of the synthesizer sounds (including bass lines) on Quick Step and Into The Gap were played on an OB-Xa. The other 5% of synths were played on a Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 (by Joe Leeway) and a Pro One (by Tom Bailey). Plus, on Here's To Future Days, basslines were done on the OB-Xa and Nile Rodgers' Casio CZ-5000.
Effects-wise, the Oberheim is connected to an AMS reverb and a Roland Dimension D.
Live, Tom's OB-Xa was played by keyboardist Carrie Both on the Into The Gap tour.
Avg price: $406.01
This article published in Electronics & Music Maker January mentions Tom Bailey using a Casio CZ-5000. According to Micke on Vintage Synth forums, Tom Bailey used Nile Rodgers' Casio CZ-5000 on the Here's To Future Days album for the basslines.
Avg price: $209.50
In this photo of Tom Bailey working at Studio Marcadet in early 1985 during the Here's To Future Days sessions, with a Yamaha DX7 in the background. Photo courtesy of Stephen Dewey.
Upright-Basses used by Tom Bailey on Here's to Future Days
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Avg price: $838.00
Tom Bailey is credited with contrabass in the liner notes for Here's to Future Days.
Alannah Currie
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Drum Sets used by Alannah Currie on Here's to Future Days
Avg price: $790.00
Alannah Currie is credited with xylophone in the liner notes for Here's to Future Days.
Keyboards and Synthesizers used by Joe Leeway on Here's to Future Days
Sequential Circuits Prophet T8
Avg price: $10,000.00
This photo from the writing sessions of Here's To Future Days in Ireland features a Prophet T8 synthesizer visible. Joe Leeway previously had a faulty Prophet-5, which he replaced with the newly-released T8 when it was released in early 1984. He then used it for the Into The Gap tour.