Released toward the end of the group's run on Arista,
Greatest Mixes: The Best of the Thompson Twins really functions more as a retrospective than remix album. Although its ten songs do appear in a slightly tweaked format, adding more reverb and synthesizers to an already synth-soaked song such as "Doctor! Doctor!" doesn't necessarily distort the original product. Therefore, the hits -- "Hold Me Now," "Lay Your Hands on Me," and "King for a Day" -- float by on a familiarly foofy magic carpet, conjuring images of roller skating parties and frilly shirts, while the album tracks and almost-hits are pleasant enough slices of synth pop. Often it seems like the only remixing going on is the "what's this button do?" 1980s stutter vocal, used most famously in
Duran Duran's "Reflex." Since there are at least five other
Thompson Twins anthologies (including another remix album),
Greatest Mixes isn't essential. But it's not bad for the casual fan, either, offering precious little depth and most of the band's hits. Of these, "Lay Your Hands on Me" might stand as most memorable. Sounding like
the Smiths -- if
the Smiths were a
Culture Club cover band -- the track approximates the gospel-flavored mirth of
Madonna's "Like a Prayer" with its undeniable chorus. ~ Johnny Loftus