A Product of... Participation

A Product of... (sometimes known as A Product of... Participation) is the first studio album by the English pop group, the Thompson Twins. It was released in June 1981 on the T Records 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 later member Alannah Currie (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 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... and Set, were released as a double CD. This version included their earliest singles, non-album tracks, and extended remixes.