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 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 SwansRoli 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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Top Albums

  • Soul Mining
    The The Play
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  • Dusk
    The The Play
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  • Mind Bomb
    The The Play
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  • London Town 1983-1993
    The The Play
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Top Tracks

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624
2
294
3
159
4
157
5
153
6
139
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132
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123
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123
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120
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102
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80
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79
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  • UnfortunatelyGr

    In keeping with the last.fm policy of inexplicably omitting the 'The' from band names, this band really ought to be known as just '...'.

    Wednesday evening
  • ninexhelix

    Saw them in Dallas, TX in 93 or so...incredible show, the performance has stuck with me all these years and set a high bar for standard of excellence in my enjoyment of live music. Johnson is an amazing talent.

    23 days ago
  • HumbertoGillan

    What a Name, LOL!!!

    27 days ago
  • dAniel_brit

    Uncertain Smile ♥

    March 2012
  • DelamanchaBand

    Alright Spotify has an awesome The The collection!

    March 2012
  • polymorphous71

    I would love to hear a Johnson/Thirlwell team-up. [2]

    March 2012
  • Nerchioca

    Una volta scoperti è difficile smettere di ascoltarli, la voce di Matt è quasi ipnotica e parla al cuore.

    March 2012
  • Ludy_ludy

    One of my favourite accidental musical discoveries - I'm a huge Smiths fan, looked through Johnny Marr's other work, and thought "that looks interesting - wonder what it sounds like?" [2]

    February 2012
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12 Aug 2010 | from blog.myspace.com/thethe

Don't forget to join the official THE THE members forum to make your views known. Just click on this link - THE THE's OFFICIAL MEMBERS FORUM

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