Coming Up: 'Let There Be Love' Collects Entire Output of Tom Tom Club

Out July 24 from Rhino Records on CD and vinyl:

Details:

Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth tapped into the power of the groove with Tom Tom Club, a project that evolved across three decades and six studio albums. Rhino collects them in the upcoming set Let There Be Love. The albums included are TOM TOM CLUB (1981), CLOSE TO THE BONE (1983), BOOM BOOM CHI BOOM BOOM (1988), DARK SNEAK LOVE ACTION (1991), THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE FUNKY (2000), and DOWNTOWN ROCKERS (2012) — a body of work that bridges the gap between ’80s new wave and the early hip-hop generation.

Frantz and Weymouth first recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas with Talking Heads for 1978’s MORE SONGS ABOUT BUILDINGS AND FOOD and 1980’s REMAIN IN LIGHT. A year later, with the band on hiatus, the pair returned to the island and started playing with the “Compass Point All Stars”—Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Uzziah “Sticky” Thompson, and Tyrone Downie — plus guitar wizard Adrian Belew and vocalists Lani, Laura, and Loric Weymouth.

Taking the name Tom Tom Club from the dancehall where they first rehearsed, the group released its self-titled debut in 1981. The centerpiece, “Genius of Love,” remains one of the most sampled tracks in music history, its elastic bassline anchoring hits from Mariah Carey, Grandmaster Flash, and Tupac Shakur.

Yet, the Tom Tom Club legacy goes deeper than a single hit. Across decades of recording, Frantz and Weymouth maintained a collaborative, experimental approach, welcoming a rotating gallery of guests into the studio. On BOOM BOOM CHI BOOM BOOM, the cover of Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale” features Lou Reed, David Byrne, and Jerry Harrison; later, the duo brought reggae great Toots Hibbert and funk legend Bernie Worrell into the fold for THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE FUNKY. By the time they reached 2012’s DOWNTOWN ROCKERS, the pair had long cemented their reputation as architects of dancefloor rhythms—a sound that remains as infectious and vibrant today as it was at the dawn of the ’80s.

Track list:

Disc: 1

1 Wordy Rappinghood

2 Genius of Love

3 Tom Tom Theme

4 L' Elephant

5 As Above, so Below

6 Lorelei

7 On, On, On, On...

8 Booming and Zooming

Disc: 2

1 Pleasure of Love

2 On the Line Again

3 This Is a Foxy World

4 Bamboo Town

5 The Man with the 4-Way Hips

6 Measure Up

7 Never Took a Penny

8 Atsababy! (Life Is Great)

Disc: 3

1 Call of the Wild

2 Kiss Me When I Get Back

3 Wa Wa Dance

4 I Confess

5 Challenge of the Love Warriors

6 Suboceana

7 Don't Say No

8 Shock the World

9 Little Eva

10 Femme Fatale

Disc: 4

1 Love Wave

2 Sunshine and Ecstasy

3 You Sexy Thing

4 Who Wants an Ugly Girl?

5 Say I Am

6 Irresistible Party Dip

7 Dark Sneak Love Action

8 Innocent Sex Kiss

9 Dogs in the Trash

10 My Mama Told Me

11 As the Disco Ball Turns

12 Daddy Come Home

Disc: 5

1 Time to Bounce

2 Who Feelin' It

3 Happiness Can't Buy Money

4 Holy Water

5 Soul Fire

6 She's Dangerous

7 Love to Love You Baby

8 (C'mon) Surrender

9 Let There Be Love

10 Superdreaming

11 Lesbians By the Lake

Disc: 6

1 Downtown Rockers

2 Won't Give You Up

3 You Make Me Rock and Roll

4 Kissin' Antonio

5 Sweets to the Sweet