Quick Step & Side Kick

Untitled

Quick Step and Side Kick is the third album by the British synthpop group Thompson Twins. It was released in February 1983, and was their first album to be released as a trio (the band consisted of up to seven members during previous releases). The album reached no. 2 on the UK Albums Chart and was later certified Platinum by the BPI.

In the USA and Canada, the album was titled simply as Side Kicks, and was only the second Thompson Twins album to be released there.

The album was the first collaboration between the band and producer Alex Sadkin and was recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. The singer Grace Jones (who had worked with Sadkin on three of her albums by that time) made a guest appearance on the track "Watching", though her vocals were not included on the track when it was remixed and released as a single in mid-1983.

The album has several different versions according to different territories, containing different tracks and different track order. The UK and US cassette versions of the album also contained a whole side of remixes of various album tracks.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Smash Hits
Allmusic
The Rolling Stone Album Guide (1992 Edition)

Reviewing the album in Record, Crispin Sartwell commented that the album successfully demonstrates funk that can appeal to black listeners on the songs "Love On Your Side", "Tears", "Love Lies Bleeding", and most especially "Lies", but that the songs on side two veer more towards the pretentious music of their first two albums. He nonetheless concluded the album to be one of the best examples of British funk to date.

Track listing

Canada release

Side 1

1. Love On Your Side
2. Tears
3. Lies
4. We Are Detective
5. Love Lies Bleeding

Side 2

1. Watching
2. If You Were Here
3. Kamikaze
4. Judy Do
5. All Fall Out

UK release

1. "Love On Your Side" - 4:25 UK / 3:33 U.S.
2. "Lies" - 3:12
3. "If You Were Here" - 2:55
4. "Judy Do" - 3:47
5. "Tears" - 5:02
6. "Watching" - 3:58
7. "We Are Detective" - 3:05
8. "Kamikaze" - 3:55
9. "Love Lies Bleeding" - 2:49
10. "All Fall Out" - 5:26

Cassette remixes:

1. "Love Lies Fierce" - 6:45 (Dub remix of "Love Lies Bleeding").
2. "Long Beach Culture" - 6:48 (Extended version of "Beach Culture")
3. "No Talkin'" - 5:51 (Dub remix of "Lies")
4. "Rap Boy Rap" - 7:22 (Original 12" version of "Love On Your Side")
5. "Frozen In Time" - 6:28 (Dub remix of "Kamikaze")
6. "Fallen Out" - 3:30 (Dub remix of "All Fall Out")

2008 expanded edition

In March 2008, Quick Step and Side Kick was reissued as a 2-disc set by Edsel Records and included the bonus remixes that appeared on the original 1983 cassette version of the album. The second disc included most major 12" versions and B-sides, some of which appeared on CD for the first time.

Disc 1

1. "Love on Your Side" - 3:33
2. "Lies" - 3:13
3. "If You Were Here" - 2:56
4. "Judy Do" - 3:48
5. "Tears" - 5:02
6. "Watching" - 3:58
7. "We Are Detective" - 3:06
8. "Kamikaze" - 3:55
9. "Love Lies Bleeding" - 2:50
10. "All Fall Out" - 5:28
11. "Love Lies Fierce" - 6:45
12. "Long Beach Culture" - 6:48
13. "No Talkin'" - 6:18
14. "Rap Boy Rap" - 7:22
15. "Frozen In Time" - 6:28
16. "Fallen Out" - 3:30

Disc 2

1. "Lies (Single Remix)" - 3:15
2. "Love on Your Back" - 4:06 (Original B-Side of the "Love On Your Side" 7" Single)
3. "Lucky Day" - 3:52 (Original B-Side of the "We Are Detective" 7" Single)
4. "Dancersaurus" - 4:40 (Original B-Side of the "Watching" 7" Single)
5. "Lies (Bigger And Better)" - 6:35 (Original 12" remix of "Lies")
6. "Beach Culture" - 3:55 (Original B-Side of the "Lies" 7" Single)
7. "Love On Your Side (No Talkin')" - 5:48 (B-Side of the original "Love On Your Side" 12" Single)
8. "We Are Detective (More Clues)" - 6:00 (Original 12" remix of "We Are Detective")
9. "Lucky Day (Space Mix)" - 6:58 (B-Side of the "We Are Detective" 12" Single)
10. "Watching (You Watching Me)" - 5:48 (Original 12" remix of "Watching")
11. "Dancersaurus (Even Large Reptiles Have Emotional Problems)" - 5:50 (B-Side of the "Watching" 12" Single)

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1982	"Lies"	UK Singles Chart	67
		US Billboard 100	30
		US Dance	1
1983	"Love On Your Side"	UK Singles Chart	9
		US Billboard 100	45
		US Dance	6
	"We Are Detective"	UK Singles Chart	7
	"Watching"	UK Singles Chart	33

Songs used in other media

• "If You Were Here" was used as the ending theme for the film Sixteen Candles. It was later featured in the Bob's Burgers episode "Sheesh! Cab, Bob?". It also featured in "Hell Week", episode 2 of Scream Queens. As well as in the film Not Another Teen Movie.
• "Love On Your Side" was featured on the in-game radio station "Wave 103" in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
• "Lies" was featured in the Regular Show first season episode "Grilled Cheese Deluxe."
• "Kamikaze" was used in Cipher the Video, an anime adaption of the manga Cipher by Minako Narita.

Personnel

• Tom Bailey - vocals, synthesizer, drum programming
• Alannah Currie - xylophone, percussion, vocals
• Joe Leeway - congas, synthesizer, vocals
• Boris Williams - cymbals on "If You Were Here" & "Tears"
• Grace Jones - background vocals on "Watching"
• Monte Brown - guitar on "Watching"

Engineer - Phil Thornalley