Tom Tom Club

Much like Book of Love's debut album was recently reissued while the original pressing was still in print and loaded with 12" mixes not on the reissues, this release of the Tom Tom club's debut does the same thing. In essence, if you want the alternate bonus tracks included here, you need to own both versions of the CD, because the original CD had ALL the 12" mixes from the singles.It seems this release was a marketing scheme to get more money out of hardcore fans because they knew what we really wanted--a FIRST TIME release of the entire Close to the Bone album on CD!!! Instead of paying 15 dollars for that album alone, you're forced to pay 30 bux for that and the first album, which you pretty much already have aside from a couple of different bonus tracks. So yeah, it bites that they scammed us like this, but, hey, we FINALLY get Close to the Bone on CD, and it's done right, with the 12" mixes and b-sides as bonus tracks. Of course, considering Close to the Bone has 16 minutes of free space, the trio of bonus tracks appearing on the debut album for the first time could have just been included on the Close to the Bone CD as more bonus tracks!!!

The sound quality of this cd is good. For the 'Close To The Bone' second cd I find that they put an adequate interest in keeping the bass sound fat and big. And on CDs is becoming rare that they enhance the bass elements of the recording.I really think the sound is together with the groove of this amazing dance record . The depth of the voices doing the vocals (the Weynouth Sisters ) are well reproduced . The drums are well at the center . The electric bass is there all the way. The rhythm guitar and percussion are sharp. Synths are everywhere going from right to left and left to right . Funk leads the way . The packaging could have been handled better .... No lyrics and too many foldings .

love it

I agree wrapping Close to the Bone in this over-priced package was bad idea, and it should have been released separately.After a 25 year wait, I have to say the release of Close to the Bone on CD was a bit of a disappointment. I knew the CD version was going to lack the warmth and depth of the analog recording, but I was not expecting it to this degree. The life has literally been squeezed out of it. What a shame.I suppose I can get used to it, but like bad medicine, it'll go down easier if I hold my nose.

I purchased years ago, the album "Close to the Bone" by Tom Tom Club, thinking it may have Genius of love, but it did not, but fell in love with the album. This is the first time it came out on CD. I already had the album "Tom Tom Club" on CD, but purchased this for Close to the Bone, and am not disappointed. Both are amazing and fantastic albums to own. Huge Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club fan.

excellent CD I already had the CD but the Deluxe edition has music from a tape I used to have.I recorded a rendition of there song Meassure Up years ago,with a female friend of mine.She did the lead vocal and I played all the instruments.I love his band,and have been a big Talking Heads fan for years.I always wanted to Jam or join their band and play guitar.They live in the same state as I do.

This is unfortunately not the comprehensive "Deluxe" package the description (and the price!) would have you believe. Several extended and dub versions of the key singles are missing, and there are a few instances of what sounds to my ears like either vinyl rips or just plain sloppy mastering. While it is terrific to finally have the second Tom Tom Club album "Close to the Bone" on CD, and the packaging itself - the photos, the liner notes, etc. - is top notch, the missing material (especially galling considering the ten-plus minutes available on each of the not-full discs) prevents this from being the definitive collection it could have been.

Its dance, dance, dance.

This deluxe edition finally does justice to this project and every tracks sounds wonderfully clear and brings the spirit of Compass Point studios and the sunshine of the Bahamas into your living room.A 2CD package with a very extensive booklet covering the whole history of the band along with numerous photographs and artworks; the music covers their first two albums as well as dub versions, extra tracks and B sides. It's all got that infectious groove that pervaded everything Island records and Chris Blackwell did in the period - for example, Sly and Robbie were next door with Grace Jones  Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions [2CD ].The music developed out of Talking Heads and the groove-based tracks they started exploring in  Fear of Music  and this album comes after  Remain in Light . Chris and Tina were drummer and bass player and much like Sly and Robbie, anchored the band - but here they introduce Tina's sisters for a unique contrast in the vocals. Rap meets Everly Brothers harmonies - meets funk and reggae dub beats.It's all well-known now and has been sampled and covered by many newer bands and artists - but the unique sound of this collaboration deserves a package like this and it is worthy of a place in most collections. Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions [2CDFear of MusicRemain in Light

2 pieces of context which should be borne in mind if you're reading this review - 1. I came to the Tom Tom Club late and so heard "Close to the Bone" before discovering the first album in the mid-80s, hence CTTB has always been a personal favourite, and 2. Despite all the "Island 50" celebrations, it's hard nowadays to imagine just how cool Island Records were in the late 70s and early 80s - the B52s, Marianne Faithfull's Broken English, Grace Jones in her prime, The Slits, Bob Marley... they could do no wrong. Tom Tom Club's Island recordings fitted into this lineage perfectly.So, the Tom Tom Club album sounds magnificent and as well as the hits sounding superb on this remaster, the less well-known tracks are punchy and bursting with sunshine. L'Elephant and On, On, On... sound excellent. The bonus mixes and "Under The Boardwalk" are a slightly mixed bag; I've always loved the funky feel the band gave to Under The Boardwalk, but less keen on the smoothed-out remixes of Lorelei and On, On etc. The B-side of Wordy Rappinghood also seemed more of a novelty to me then, and still does now. Nevertheless a life-affirming album done justice at last.Close To The Bone on CD is of course a real catch for those that love the album. I got almost scared to play the vinyl album in case I damaged it, but now it's here and sounding wonderful. Aside from the long, dance-y tracks (1 and 5 on the CD), the shorter songs are all consistently punchy and still great fun - despite the reported change of 'vibe' during the recording sessions. "Bamboo Town" is one of *the* coolest reggae tracks, and a must for a long, sultry summer's day. "Never Took A Penny" is chunky and solid, "Measure Up" disguises grown-up lyrics behind the usual saccharine-coated vocals of the Weymouth gals.The bonus tracks here are all good - 12-inch and dub versions of the singles released from CTTB ("dub" here meaning proper dub, not the dull instrumentals that usually got rushed out under that name in the 80s). The Mr Yella version of "Yella" is "Genius of Love" with Robert Palmer shouting and rapping over the top - bear in mind that he was in his experimental "Is It Live?" phase at the time this was recorded, rather than the Mr Smoothie mode that came later.Immense fun and the closest thing to bottled sunshine you'll get from Amazon this - or any - summer.

I liked TomTom Club back in the day and hearing this disc made me realise how good their music was. To me the music does not sound dated.

Couldn’t bring myself to pay £160 for the vinyl version of this but this is a great substitute

Brilliant CD by brilliant band