The The

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London, England (1979 – present)

The The is an alternative/new wave band formed in 1979 in London, England. Matt Johnson (vocals, multiple instruments) is the only constant band member. Releases are fairly few and far between but over the years The The has managed to sell several million albums internationally.

Johnson formed the first version of the band in 1979, with synth player Keith Laws. The group, after opening for Scritti Politti, issued its first single “Controversial Subject” on the 4AD label in 1980. One year later, it contributed a track to the Some Bizzare Records compilation album, Some Bizarre Album. In 1981 Johnson released Burning Blue Soul, which, despite the fact that it is technically a Matt Johnson solo album (and was released under his name) is often considered to be the first The The album. The album featured Johnson and various musicians from the British post-punk underground, including various members of Wire.

By 1982, The The had become Johnson’s solo project, with a revolving lineup of musicians. That year, the album The Pornography of Despair was recorded, but not released. In 1983, the band released its first real album Soul Mining, which featured the single “This Is the Day,” recorded with Orange Juice’s Zeke Manyika, pianist Jools Holland and cult legend Thomas Leer. The band’s next album, Infected, was a commentary on the state of modern urban life in Great Britain. The album was released in 1986, with Johnson joined by musicians like Neneh Cherry, Art of Noise’s Anne Dudley, Marillion’s Steve Hogarth, and Swans’ Roli Mosimann, among others. It was accompanied by an album-length video and spawned The The’s first UK hit single, “Heartland”.

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Popular tags: post-punk, alternative, new wave, 80s, indie  See more

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Top Albums

• Soul Mining
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• Dusk
  The The

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• Mind Bomb
  The The

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• London Town 1983-1993
  The The

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Top Tracks

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1		This Is The Day			624
2		Uncertain Smile			294
3		Love Is Stronger Than Death			159
4		Slow Emotion Replay			157
5		The Sinking Feeling			153
6		Dogs Of Lust			139
7		Infected			132
8		Soul Mining			123
8		Giant			123
10		Heartland			121
11		The Beat(en) Generation			120
12		I've Been Waitin' For Tomorrow (All Of My Life)			112
13		The Twilight Hour			102
14		Sweet Bird Of Truth			80
15		Perfect			79

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