The Thin Red Line is the debut album by Canadian band Glass Tiger.[2] It was released by Manhattan Records in Canada on February 17, 1986 (1986-02-17).
The album is most famous for the single "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)". The song, which featured backup vocals by Bryan Adams, reached #1 on the Canadian charts and #2 in the United States. A follow-up single, "Someday", was also successful, reaching #7 in the United States and #14 in Canada.
Critical reaction
Both Greg Burliuk of the Kingston Whig-Standard and Evelyn Erskine of the Ottawa Citizen compared the album to Duran Duran. Erskine dismissed the album and opined that the band "has yet to find its own musical direction",[3] while Burliuk called the album uneven but praised the singles "Don't Forget Me", "Someday" and "You're What I Look For".[4]
Chart performance
The album was certified quadruple platinum in Canada, and went gold in the United States.[2]
It debuted on the RPM100 album charts in RPM the week of March 1, 1986,[5] and peaked at #3 on the charts in the week of April 26.[6] It remained in the top 100 for 67 weeks overall, concluding its chart run in the week of July 20, 1987.[7] In the magazine's year-end charts, it placed as the 16th top-selling album of 1986,[8] and the 27th top-selling album of 1987.[9] It was named the 14th top-selling album of the year in The Record's year-end chart for 1986.[10]
In the United States, the album peaked at #27 in the Billboard 200 in the week of February 7, 1987.[11]
The band swept the Rock Express magazine reader's poll in 1987, winning Top Canadian Group, Top Canadian Album for The Thin Red Line, and Top Canadian Single for "Don't Forget Me".[16]
Reissue
The album was remastered and reissued as a special anniversary edition double CD on June 19, 2012 by EMI Music Canada. In addition to the remastered album on the first disc, the second disc collects thirteen additional tracks including remixes, demos, single mixes, B-sides and live versions. A booklet with extensive liner notes is also included.
