When it comes to rock bands, Thunder are a British institution. Their classic rock sound has long conveyed a timeless style, and in the live setting, Danny Bowes, Luke Morley and company are second to none. What’s even more amazing is that Thunder’s greatness was evident from the very beginning. Whereas some bands work hard to hone their sound and have to learn to win over a crowd, Thunder displayed a natural ability the moment they arrived. Part of that was obviously due to Danny and Luke warming up with their former act Terraplane, but Thunder’s live presence was much greater than their predecessor. Almost perfect proof of this can be heard during their very first Donington Monsters of Rock appearance. It’s a difficult task – sometimes even thankless – being the first band on at a festival, in front of a demanding audience, but on Saturday 18th August 1990, Thunder played a blinding forty minute set that proved they were more than “just another band”. They gained an army of fans that day, and it’s a festival show that still got talked about many years after the event.
It is fair to say that Thunder had a Midas touch between 1990-1995. Across three studio albums – before Luke Morley drifted into “grumpy old man” territory with his songwriting – the band had a sound that owed a lot to the past, but their songs were often stellar. That really ensured their love of Free, Bad Company and other timeless rock fare held up well in the then present. So well, in fact – and so loyal were the fans – that they managed to ride out the grunge wave and survive when many fell.
The Cherry Red Records box set ‘The Complete EMI Recordings 1989-1995’ brings together a wealth of material from the band’s golden period: three albums, a plethora of b-sides and other assorted cuts, and even two live shows – including that legendary set from Donington ’90.With seven discs, where do you begin with an extensive set packed with career highlights? In this case, it’s best to start at the beginning.
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1990’s ‘Backstreet Symphony’ is a strong debut with several unmissable songs, and is a great snapshot of a band ready to take everyone by storm. From the opening rhythms of the title cut, the band shows a real intent. Luke Morley’s guitar work constantly straddles the sharp and melodic; Mark Luckhurst’s bass grumbles with a muscular sound that’s often missing from albums recorded in the late 80s/early 90s, and drummer Gary ‘Harry’ James immediately sounds like a powerhouse behind the kit – hard edged, but never completely dominant; stylish, but not flashy. This signature track captures a classic hard rock with their best foot forward, but it’s with Danny’s 70s infused vocal style that Thunder really catch the ear. Sounding like Paul Rodgers with more grit, he’s the perfect fit for a number that straddles a laddish 70s rock sound and classic late 80s AOR. This tune – and the bulk of the album – delivers a classic rock sound that really works, and ‘She’s So Fine’ actually improves on that by cranking the attitude and the guitar, making Morley sound like he’s helming the greatest bar band ever. Naturally, the punchy production (courtesy of Andy Taylor, who would soon work his magic with The Almighty) elevates everything – particularly highlighting a loud snare drum – and a fiery lead guitar immediately shows Thunder to be in a different league.
With decades of distance, ‘Dirty Love’ suffers a little from a slightly misogynistic lyric and a cheesy quality, but between the stomping rhythm and chiming guitar, it captures a great sound once again. Danny takes the mid tempo and wraps his voice around every chord with ease, and even at this early stage, its clear that the easy “na na na” hook will become an audience favourite. Despite any potential flaws, this remains as catchy as hell, and the same can be said for the album’s power ballad ‘Love Walked In’. A regular on the Radio 1 Rock Show at the time, this song was made for radio with its huge chorus, harmony vocals and melodic guitar lines. There are moments when the track’s quieter moods appear to hark back to classic 80s rock balladry in the vein of Gary Moore’s ‘Empty Rooms’, but the Andy Taylor production brings a huge punch to the chorus, and an on form Bowes helps the arrangement to sit very comfortably among the album’s rockier offerings.
At the rockier end of the scale, ‘Distant Thunder’ shares some hefty drumming from James, over which Morley shares a succession of full shred leads, and Bowes appears to take the more forceful elements of the number very naturally. Sounding more like a gritty rocker than the direct descendent of Paul Rodgers, this captures more of a live feel, and definitely gives the album one of its strongest tunes. It doesn’t get talked about as often as “the classics”, but it’s easily on a par with the debut’s best known cuts. At the other end of the scale, ‘Until My Dying Day’ features some great acoustic moments, and finds Morley dropping in some bluesy slide work. As you might expect, the quieter stance allows Bowes more room for a soul drenched vocal, and Thunder sound like the ultimate 70s throwback here. However, there’s time enough for a little aggression too, and taking a similar approach to the choruses on ‘Love Walked In’, James punches through with a huge drum sound, whilst Morley drops into a few Zeppelin-esque riffs which really show off a different side to the Thunder sound – something they’d experiment with a little more later on. Although the singles, understandably, took the weight of the praise for this album following its original release, years later, it’s this number which shows off the band’s full range of talents the most effectively – and because it already sounded a decade and a half out of time in 1990, it’s aged brilliantly.
‘Backstreet Symphony’ isn’t by any means a perfect debut. It didn’t really need a run through of the Spencer Davis Group’s ‘Gimme Some Lovin’; as well delivered as it is, it’s something that was always better suited to the live shows, and the tongue in cheek ‘Englishman On Holiday’ somewhat derails the album’s feel good qualities with its tales of football hooligans abroad. Neither of these spoil the record, but they certainly play more like b-sides, which is somewhat ironic since one of the era’s actual b-sides, ‘No Way Out of The Wilderness’ is arguably superior. The AOR strains of that track – found on disc two of this box set – brings out some great stabbing keys, and there’s a flow to the chorus that’s a touch more melody driven, but without taking anything away from Thunder’s swagger and grit, which is given some extra punch due to a lot of cowbell from James. As you might expect, Bowes is able to take the melody in his stride and in great voice throughout; he really shines on a soaring chorus melody. In this instance, though, his performance is almost outdone by the twin guitars chugging through a semi-bluesy groove. Had this taken pride of place on the main album, it might’ve become a fan favourite.
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With such a strong debut album behind them, Thunder’s 1992 release ‘Laughing On Judgement Day’ could have easily been weaker, or at least been perceived that way. However, despite a slightly slicker production sound, it’s almost as strong as ‘Backstreet Symphony’, and in the case of the album’s slower tempo numbers – most notably ‘Low Life In High Places’ and ‘Like A Satellite’ – it could be argued that Danny is in better voice. In retrospect, the album’s biggest flaw is being a victim of the CD age: sixty nine minutes and fourteen songs is approximately twenty minutes and four songs too long. However, for the keen fan – and even the more casual listener – there are a lot of treats within.
The title track jumps out half a mile with its huge drum sound and stop/start riff, as Thunder offer a rather bright sounding take on 70s rock. Often coming across like a Bad Company homage dressed with a 90s style production sound, it definitely sets the tone for the album, and with Bowes hitting full vocal flow mid way, there’s a sense that the band have taken their previous musical model and tweaked it slightly, making it brighter, but without losing any of the crunch. Equally great, ‘Feeding The Flame’ has an even more oomph. James plays tribal sounding drums in contrast to a flowing vocal throughout the first verse, which has the effect of making a guitar driven hook sound even bigger, before the chorus and middle eight teases with something even tougher. There are moments here that play like classic Thunder colliding with a couple of AC/DC riffs, and the lead guitar work is particularly abrasive. Even at full tilt, Thunder always make time for a great melody, of course, and in this case, there are a couple of interludes where a clean toned guitar teases with more of an optimistic melody. Every element here is brilliant, but bassist Mark “Snake” Luckhurst plays up an absolute storm via a variety of busy notes from the outset, effectively stealing this tune from the more forthright players. This would be his second – and last – Thunder album, and in many ways, this track is his finest contribution to the band’s catalogue.
The funk inflected ‘Moment of Truth’ makes great use of a dual guitar set up with Morley dropping dirty riffs against clean chopping sounds supplied by Ben Matthews. It doesn’t sound completely natural as a Thunder vehicle – and they’d actually approach funky elements with far more confidence a year or two down the line – but the chorus redresses the balance by sounding like a ‘Backstreet Symphony’ overspill but with much better bass work. The bluesier ‘Does It Feel Like Love’ gives Morley a little more of a presence; firstly via a busy, finger picked riff, and then throughout a chunkier chorus groove that sounds like a collision between a mid 70s Zeppelin jam and peak Bad Company. A definite stand out from Thunder’s early years, there’s still a joy in hearing this tune build to a climax where a lead guitar cuts against a rising groove, before pleasing the more melodically inclined listener with an extended coda where an immaculately executed solo flows against a Zeppelin-esque riff. Looking back, in many ways, this is exactly how the Jimmy Page/Paul Rodgers collaboration The Firm should’ve sounded, and may well have sounded had Page been in better shape at that time.
Despite being loaded with great rock tracks, it’s with the ballads that ‘Judgement Day’ truly excels. The acoustic ‘A Better Man’, in particular, showcases a very sophisticated sound when Bowes adds a heartfelt vocal on a number that centres around acoustic guitar and harmonica. In another lifetime, this could’ve been a Faces tune, or looking ahead, the heart of the Silveroller sound, whilst ‘Low Life In High Places’ employs an even more aching vocal melody against acoustic strums and subtly applied electric notes. The archetypal rock ballad in Thunder’s hands, even when the rock moments crash in at around the two minute mark, Bowes manages to retain his soul drenched tones, despite Luke cranking the mood with a few hard chopping riffs and the rest of the band launching into something that makes the chunkier bits of ‘Love Walked In’ feel a little non-commital.
Falling between the balladry of ‘A Better Man’ and the rockier sounds of this album, ‘Like A Satellite’ plays as if all of Thunder’s strongest elements have come together in a near perfect four minutes. The guitars waver between soft, hard and genuinely dirty throughout, eventually culminating in a perfectly played twin lead break; the rhythm section plays hard without ever crowding anything, and Bowes – although seemingly on autopilot at first – manages to explore his full vocal range. You’ll find this on any number of “greatest hits” packages, but it has never sounded better than in its rightful place near the end of this album.
In fourteen songs, this album only offers one relative dud: ‘Flawed To Perfection’ plays too much like a party rock anthem with its buoyant riffs and lyrics that objectify women who may or may not have been surgically modified for the pleasure of others. Lyrically, it’s all a bit naff, but it’s still hard to find fault in the band’s playing. The way Ben drops a round of bar-room piano between busy lead breaks plays like the ultimate Faces tribute, and Bowes’s abilities in the vocal department are second to none. Even when chewing through six rounds of misogynistic clichés, he sounds like the ultimate showman. ‘Flawed’ isn’t really helped by similar subject matter being covered on the feel-good ‘Everybody Wants Her’, a massive tune where the cheesy elements are well balanced by a groove laden guitar riff, a world of bright horns and an obviously radio friendly tone. Looking back, some of the lyrics are of their time, but its easy to hear why this would have hit the airwaves at a time when commercial radio was often rock music averse.
‘Laughing On Judgement Day’ would become Thunder’s biggest commercial success, peaking at number 2 on the UK album chart, and also spawn the band’s biggest hit single, ‘A Better Man’, which entered the chart number 18 in February ’93. The fact that this was the third track pulled from the album as a single – and the big fans would’ve already owned the album for six months at this point – is testament enough to how radio friendly Thunder were considered to be. They were clearly attracting a more casual ear, and deservedly so. Although ‘Laughing On Judgement Day’ would spawn a fourth single in ‘Like A Satellite’ in the summer of ’93, by that point, the ‘Laughing On Judgement Day’ promo cycle was at pretty much its end. It had been a successful year since the release of the album – coinciding with another storming set at Donington in August ’92, alongside Iron Maiden – but the bigger fans were already hoping for new material.
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It would take another eighteen months for Thunder to return with their third album ‘Behind Closed Doors’, by which time, they’d already weathered the storm of grunge and changing fashion. That didn’t stop them changing a little themselves, however – it’s only healthy to grow and change, unless you happen to be AC/DC – and the best tracks showcased a harder sounding, sometimes funkier band.
The desire to branch out on ‘Doors’ is evident within ‘Moth To A Flame’ which fuses chunky sounding classic rock riffs with smart Eastern countermelodies, placing it somewhere between something from Kingdom Come and Rainbow’s ‘Stargazer’. That’s not quite as much of a departure from the Thunder norm than ‘Too Scared To Live’, though, which owes a debt to Stevie Salas and his Colorcode. Although it would be a little late for Danny and the lads to make the best of the funk rock boom, there’s a pleasing confidence here that allows Bowes to stretch his tones a little more. The female backing vocals – nodding sagely at old Funkadelic records, but not quite getting it right – are pretty cheesy, but never upset what’s otherwise an interesting musical diversion. An album stand out, ‘Fly On The Wall’ pits a few more familiar Thunder-isms against a choppy groove where Stevie Wonder’s ‘Higher Ground’ has clearly had an influence. You might think this would sound a little forced, but a world of superb harmony vocals and deftly applied brass makes the track work brilliantly. And then there’s ‘Future Train’ which manages to transpose Thunder’s ballad oriented mode to something with an Indian flavour, before settling into a rock riff that could’ve nestled among the best bits of ‘Laughing…’ rather naturally. There’s still a little more flair here within the familiar, though, and for those keeping a closer ear, there are a couple of smart guitar harmonics lurking, and some of the finest chorus harmonies ever found on a Thunder record.
Elsewhere, of course, you’ll find some material with the band working some genuinely tried and tested ideas. Brilliant as it is, the harmony driven ‘River of Pain’ sounds like a Paul Rodgers vehicle, and as such finds the key players here playing very safely, sharing melodies that are unmistakably Thunder-esque. If that track feels like (a well played) Thunder by numbers, it has nothing on the rock balladry of ‘Castles In The Sand’ veers dangerously close to being ‘Love Walked In’ in all but name, or the semi acoustic ‘It Happened In This Town’, which certainly came from an idea to chase an easy hit by making something akin to ‘Low Life’. That said, even a safety averse Thunder turn in a corker or two here, as with the swaggering, 70s rocker ‘Stand Up’ placing Morley’s guitar high in the mix, and the self-depreciating ‘Preaching From A Chair’, where Bowes and Morley lament the idea of getting old with some rather fun lyrics – a contrast to some of Morley’s later stabs at a world through genuine middle aged eyes
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Decades on, ‘Behind Closed Doors’ sounds more than ever like an record of two halves. That said, it is another album that has aged well. Even if the best material doesn’t reach the sophistication of ‘Low Life’, or quite capture the radio friendliness of the first two records, it features more than enough strong material, proving that Thunder still had plenty of gusto when ploughing a very unfashionable sound for 1995.
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In addition to three top tier albums, this seven disc set brings together several studio recorded b-sides, which are available here in one place for the first time. Although it could be argued that b-sides are always more of an interest to fans than the casual observer, this collection proves that Thunder’s b-sides offered some real gems; original material and covers that stand up brilliantly against their “A list” stuff.
Picking highlights, ‘The Fire Is Gone’, in particular, is a superb tune with a bluesy swagger that brings out the best in Morley’s dirtier tones, whilst allowing James plenty of room to deliver a Bonham-sized wallop. Not that the Zeppelin-esque influences end up being particularly indebted to Zep themselves. Yes, there’s the hefty drum sound and a groove laden middle eight that’s straight off of ‘Physical Graffiti’, but Bowes lends a melodic charm that steers everything towards lighter 70s fare. It’s a tragedy that this didn’t make the cut for ‘Behind Closed Doors’. It’s infinitely better than the rather safe ‘It Happened In This Town’. Also enjoyable, ‘I Can Still Hear The Music’ shares a lyric that celebrates a love of absorbing favourite songs via the radio, and how, it’s only at an older age, those days can feel truly special. Granted, it doesn’t break any new ground for the band, but with a top notch solo from Luke and a friendly demeanour, it plays solidly enough.
Unveiling Thunder’s fun side, ‘Bigger Than Both of Us’ works some high octane rock, driven by a choppy rhythm that’s unsure whether it wants to be a super-charged AC/DC or a sharp edged funk rock band, and sort of ends up being a weird amalgam of both. It should be a mess – especially since the arrangement appears to value speed over melody – but Bowes attacks the lyric with a sharpness, and the featured guitar solo absolutely shreds. Those factors are enough to make it stand, whilst ‘Dangerous Rhythm’ switches back to a more predictable bluesy swagger where the combo of guitar and organ occasionally hints at a love for ‘Perfect Strangers’ era Deep Purple, even though it becomes unmistakably the work of Thunder once Bowes hits full flow, and ‘She’s My Inspiration’ adds another meaty, swaggering riff to the ever-growing pile of retro rock tunes, with something slightly Zeppelin-esque lurking beneath its surface. Then, of course, there’s the aforementioned ‘No Way Out of The Wilderness’ which, no matter how many times it gets spun, plays like a seasoned rock tune; the guitars tap into the tough sound present throughout ‘Backstreet Symphony’ but an early opportunity to hear Danny tackling more of an AOR tinged vocal shows how fully formed the band’s sound had been, even at their earlier recording sessions.
There are a few cover tunes here that really add to the fun. A run through of the Stones’ ‘Gimme Shelter’ is respectful, but harder around the edges; a take on ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ models itself around the Joe Cocker arrangement, and in doing so allows Ben to lay down some great keys beneath the soulful lead vocal, and although a live recording of Small Faces’ ‘Lazy Sunday’ occasionally sounds like a hard rock band taking the piss, it’s nice to have a permanent record of something that wasn’t a regular fixture at Thunder gigs back in the 90s. If that piece of silliness pushes your tolerance a little to far, there’s an absolutely stellar version of Python Lee Jackson’s ‘In A Broken Dream’ tucked away on disc seven that ranks among one of Thunder’s finest ever b-sides. The warmth of the verse, in particular, sounds if it were tailor made for Bowes, and given how many of the band’s recordings are dominated by guitar, it’s great to hear Mikael Hogland’s bass really coming through. In contrast to that recording, the same disc also includes a version of the Faces ‘Stay With Me’ that allows the entire band to really cut loose. Whilst it isn’t quite as pitch perfect as the Def Leppard recording (as featured on their 2006 covers extravaganza ‘Yeah!’), Danny clearly feels more than comfortable putting his own stamp on the vocal, and Luke’s buzzsaw guitar really drives an energised recording.
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The studio material within this box is mostly enjoyable, but its within the live setting that the early Thunder really came into their own. The seven song set from Donington 1990 (found on disc three) is absolutely stunning. From the opening ‘She’s So Fine’ where Morley’s guitar latches onto a very live tone and Bowes sings with gusto from the outset, through to a twelve minute jam of the early single ‘Dirty Love’ – complete with mass crowd participation (a bold move for a festival opening act), everything captures a thrilling energy. Of particular note here is the rendition of the original ‘Dirty Love’ b-side ‘Fired Up’ which, taking a slightly rougher stance in comparison to its studio counterpart, shares guitar riffs almost worthy of Rose Tattoo, and ‘Higher Ground’ which shows off the early Thunder in full swagger, riff-wise, but is also a great demonstration of Danny’s vocal skills as he croons with intent against the chunky groove. These forty five minutes are absolute audio gold. The seven songs sourced from the Town & Country Club in London (latterly the Kentish Town Forum) have a slightly muted feel by comparison due to their indoor source, but have every bit as much power. The version of ‘Backstreet Symphony’ is one of the best ever captured on tape, with the rhythm guitar really buzzing and Morley’s lead attacking a speed driven melody at the close, and the semi-acoustic ‘Until My Dying Day’ finds Thunder working the full spectrum of their talents, with Bowes finding a more soulful voice on the quieter moments, and Luckhurst’s bass adding a great, very warm sound. ‘Dirty Love’ isn’t quite as epic as it would become, but there’s still time enough for audience enthusiasm, and the vocals are immense. You’ll find a few better Thunder performances lurking within the hard to find ‘Live At The BBC’ box set – particularly the short acoustic set recorded for the Radio 1 Friday Rock Show, as promotion for ‘Laughing On Judgement Day’ – but, in the main, the live tracks shared here are prime Thunder, and not to be missed.
Overall, this is a superb collection. Although there’s nothing new here for fans who’ve long owned the double CD sets of the first three albums and the ‘Live At Donington’ collection, it’s an absolutely unmissable body of work for anyone else. Bringing together a huge amount of extra material alongside three already great albums, it’s a reminder – if one were ever needed – of how genuinely superb Thunder were in there formative years. If only this box set had included the Donington set from ’92, too – recorded during the EMI tenure, but still in the hands of the BBC – it would have been pretty much perfect.
Buy the box set here.
July/August 2024