By the time Don’t Mess With Doctor Dream arrived in early 1985, Thompson Twins had already become pop royalty. Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway were riding a remarkable streak of global hits, their sleek blend of synth-pop, funk and radio-friendly hooks turning them into one of Britain’s biggest musical exports. MTV couldn’t get enough of them, arenas were filling up on both sides of the Atlantic, and the trio had become synonymous with the polished confidence of mid-‘80s pop. Against that backdrop, Don’t Mess With Doctor Dream stood apart—a darker, more socially conscious record that proved Thompson Twins were capable of delivering a message without losing the irresistible pop instincts that had made them one of the defining bands of the decade.
Set the flux capacitor to July 2026 and you will catch Pete Ellison redhanded remixing the socks of it, in his ongoing 80’s remix series, perfectly consistent with the other remixes in the series, yet, I can’t help feeling that Ellison is getting a tighter grip on the productions. This is bloody marvelous!
