Let There Be Love

The bubblegum smack of synth that introduces “Genius Of Love” holds a special place in the hearts of Tom Tom Club fans. Bold and assertive, the instrumentals scorn the group’s debut selftitled record, trailing the typewriter clicks and subsequent ring of new waves beckoning to early hip hop trends asserted on “Wordy Rappinghood”. Now, 45 years after their debut, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth’s Tom Tom Club project is gearing up for the release of the 3 decade boxing of "Let There Be Love" via Rhino Records, a 7 LP and 6 CD collection arriving July 24th, 2026.

The new set pulls from Tom Tom Club records such as "Tom Tom Club" (1981), "Close To The Bone" (1983), "Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom" (1988), "Dark Sneak Love Action" (1991), "The Good, The Bad, & The Funky (2000), plus "Downtown Rockers" (2012). As a compilation, it provides a path for listeners to experience a near complete oeuvre that links 80's new wave tendencies to the inception of hip hop’s dynamic flow.

Frantz, Weymouth, and Talking Heads started recording 1978’s "More Songs About Buildings And Food" and 1980’s "Remain In Light" at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, a place Tom Tom Club returned to during the David Byrne cited project’s ensuing hiatus a year later. It was there that Frantz and Weymouth began playing with Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Uzziah 'Sticky' Thompson, and Tyrone Downie as the Compass Point All Stars, while also tapping Adrian Belew and vocalists Lani, Laura, and Loric Weymouth.

The pair titled their project after the dancehall where they held their 1st rehearsal. They went on to release their debut album in 1981, which featured “Genius Of Love” and launched a highly sampled piece of pop history, borrowed by the likes of Tupac Shakur, Mariah Carey, Grandmaster Flash and more. During the ensuing years, the duo maintained their experimental inclinations while working with guests such as Lou Reed, Bernie Worrell, and others.

Tom Tom Club made a name for themselves by crafting dancefloor ready anthems that prompted beads of sweat to form on listeners’ foreheads, bodies in constant motion, reacting to the music. The impending box set offers listeners hours of entertainment, anchored by a pregnant discography that would leave anyone booming and zooming.