Thunder — The Magnificent Seventh (BMG)
On a recent edition of his popular Sunday morning radio show, Danny Bowes revealed he had serious reservations when songwriter Luke Morley unveiled what the guitarist hoped would become the first single on Thunder’s seventh album. The track was a rough version of I Love You More Than Rock N Roll. And while Bowes liked the groove he wasn’t sold on the lyrics — describing the chorus as brave, bordering on the foolhardy. But Danny should have known better. Morley is right, more often than not, and the cheeky title, allied to an addictive riff, made for a modern-day (at the time) Thunder classic that’s still a staple of the band’s live set today. Oh, and don’t forget, I Love You More Than Rock N Roll features the best cowbell cameo of the noughties. Thunder’s first Top 30 single in eight years proved to be the perfect teaser for this 2005 return to form. But it was far from the only banger on an album that sought to span genres and laugh in the face of blues rock convention. The funny, funky Monkey See, Monkey Do is so deeply rooted in biting criticism of the record industry that Bowes and Morley might as well have resigned from public life on the spot. But they’d been there, done that and still made seven records. And an on-the-button deep dive into greed, chasing trends and playing it safe serves as the very antithesis of Thunder’s longevity. Morley is magnificent throughout as he experiments with his strings like never before. But the talented Londoner reaches his dizzying peak on The Pride with its two-paced, rip-roaring solo. Ballads I’m Dreaming Again and Together Or Apart are no Love Walked In but then what is?Nevertheless, Bowes comfortably manages to elevate both into the upper echelons of the Thunder canon — the latter’s a typical slow burner that explodes with emotion when the time is right. Kicking off the latest batch of the band’s reissues, this is Thunder like you’ve never listened to them before: The Magnificent Seventh didn’t get a vinyl release back in the day and here it benefits from a long overdue move to transparent orange and opaque blue discs. Just beautiful. Live tracks from the band’s 2005 set at Shepherd’s Bush Empire capture the mood of the era and the true essence of a band in its element.
Thunder – Robert Johnson’s Tombstone (BMG)
More Thunder released on vinyl for the first time but, for genuine completists, the true treat lies buried away on side D. Having previously favoured draining the well for live rarities to supplement a sumptuous reissue series, this double disc version of Robert Johnson’s Tombstone features a brace of — wait for it — album session tracks. And there’s much to be gleaned from Don’t Worry About Forever and I’m In Heaven. For most bands both tunes would be good enough to make the cut first time around. Secondly, the bonus material reinforces the belief that Luke Morley never writes a bad song. And then there’s Danny Bowes. On the upbeat, driving I’m In Heaven he delivers one of the performances of his life. Who knows why this punchy track was only deemed suitable for the expanded Japanese edition of Thunder’s eighth album? But at least that wrong has finally been righted. Interestingly, prior to its original release, Bowes described Robert Johnson’s Tombstone as ‘a natural continuation of [The Magnificent Seventh]’. In truth, it doesn’t quite match its predecessor’s liberating sense of freedom and ambition. Sonically, it’s a definite diversion. But the storytelling — intermittently based around Johnson’s colourful life — is compelling. It’s a rootsier, bluesier Thunder record that benefits from a meatier Morley production job. And the authentic title track sets a suitably reverential tone with Bowes respectfully introducing the rock and roll story of a bluesman mixed up with poison, liquor and prostitution. The Devil Made Me Do It was the perfect pick as a single choice and yet a terrific track only just sneaked inside the UK Top 40 at a time when rock singles were about as popular as Rishi Sunak. But then Thunder weren’t necessarily in the business of bothering the charts 16 years after bursting onto the scene with bullish debut Backstreet Symphony. And Robert Johnson’s Tombstone is a record for the purist as Bowes and Morley power their way through a creatively rich body of work that never attempts to make a play for commercial success. Who knows… A Million Faces might have kickstarted the band’s chart career. And in the hands of James Blunt, for instance, the outstanding song here just might have had a shot at going all the way. But 18 years down the line Robert Johnson’s Tombstone is still a record best enjoyed in its entirety, in one sitting. Better still on translucent pink and cherry red vinyl.
Thunder — Bang! (BMG)
Bringing BMG’s Thunder vinyl reissue series to a conclusion (for now), the band’s last album before 2015’s ‘comeback’, Wonder Days, represents another marked shift in emphasis. Poppier than its predecessor and lacking the diversity so prevalent on The Magnificent Seventh, it’s a strangely safe affair. Perhaps the band was due a break. Maybe Morley’s creative well was finally running dry. But for a while it looked like this strangely patchy record might be the last time we’d hear from Thunder. And that would have been a crying shame. Just a couple of months after Bang!’s November 2008 release date Thunder announced they were calling it a day. The album hit 62 in the UK charts but there was no lead single to push it any higher. And even the eight-day tour in support of its release failed to spark much momentum. But don’t despair. This is Thunder and there’s still plenty of Bang! for your buck on this double disc expanded edition. Promotional track On The Radio’s another catchy, feisty, anti-industry party starter with Bowes taking fresh aim at music industry baddies. Monkey See, Monkey Do’s companion piece? Could well be. “Twenty years I’ve made a living at this/No thanks to you and the TV too/Fuck you,” thunders the band’s furious frontman. Bowes didn’t sound like a singer with another five studio albums in his locker… at least not then. But he did sound like a man on a mission. Even if that mission was career suicide! There’s a meandering Motorcycle Emptiness vibe underpinning Watching Over You — one of the highlights here. The band’s former producer Andy Taylor pops up with a co-write on track seven and there’s a definite throwback feel to a fine song paced by vintage Morley. Ultimately it’s a toss-up between Watching Over You and the bluesy, rootsy Stormwater for standout track. And the latter hints at where Morley was headed with Pete Shoulder-fronted rockers The Union. Shoulder, by the way, puts the banjo into Bang!. So what about the bonus tracks? On The Radio gets its second airing — this time culled from Thunder’s 2008 live set at Nottingham’s Rock City — and yet again Bowes gives it both barrels. A cover of Tom Jones’ Delilah from the same venue, albeit the previous year, offers the band’s irrepressible singer a perfect opportunity to push his vocal range. Studio tracks See My Baby Walking and I Believe (originally available on the Japanese version of Bang!) close out a key chapter in Thunder’s colourful history.Who knew this was only the end of the beginning?
All Reviews by Simon Rushworth