Musicians Danny Bowes, Harry James, and Luke Morley worked together in the 80s-era [tab]blues outfit Terraplane. After experiencing what Morley has called "a 'eureka' moment", the guys devised a high-energy British rock project directly inspired by the likes of Bad Company, Deep Purple, and Led Zeppelin. The aptly named Thunder spent a year or so in constant touring and gradually built a positive reputation that helped its debut album, named Backstreet Symphony, reach a wide audience. Released 4 April 1990 by EMI / Geffen, it became an international success. The album didn't just get RIAA certified as 'Gold' but earned them a spot on BBC's 'Top of the Pops', playing their hard-edged version of "Gimme Some Lovin'" to a global audience. A well-received performance at Castle Donington's 'Monsters of Rock' event before gigantic crowds brought it home to the guys how far they'd broken through.
After touring with female-fronted rockers Heart and other artists with the same style, the guys prepared the second album, which they ominously titled Laughing on Judgement Day. Despite their deliberately 'retro' sound quite unlike the alternative and post-punk trends of the time (or, in fact, precisely because of their sticking to their guns), their sophomore album achieved even more success. Released on 24 August 1992, it proved an even bigger hit in the U.K. than their debut, reaching the number two slot on the nation's top albums chart. Its singles include "Everybody Wants Her" and "Low Life in High Places", the titles alone showing Thunder's interest in classic rock n' roll hedonism.
Bassist "Snake" Luckhurst left the band citing 'personal differences', a move that wasn't just Thunder's first line-up change but a sign of future turmoil to come. He got replaced by Swedish musician Mikael Höglund, and the band went on to record their third album, 1995's Behind Closed Doors, before facing a dilemma with their label. Finding that "most of the people who'd been there at the beginning of our tenure had moved on", as Morley put it, as well as that talk of a contract extension had terms that they simply couldn't accept, Thunder jumped from EMI.
Despite being championed by U.S. contemporaries such as Aerosmith and Guns n' Roses, the guys still faced a tough time making a lasting impact 'across the pond'. Though focused on pumping out more and more material, Morley later remarked that the mid-90s found Thunder "suffering from 'hamster in the wheel' syndrome". Mikael Höglund was unavailable for recording the band's fourth album, called The Thrill of it All, and so the 1996 release had bass duty left with Morley. For the subsequent tour, the band recruited bassist Chris Childs, who stayed with the band to record their fifth album. Although Giving the Game Away, released in 1999, earned a positive fan response, it had become totally clear how Thunder had disconnected from a record industry whose connected network of radio stations, TV networks, and music magazines dismissed the guys' sort of melodic hard rock as either endangered or extinct.
In Autumn of that year, the group announced an upcoming split, and their final tour concluded in May 2000. Still, Thunder's interest in new technology and the continuing camaraderie felt among the band's members meant that they didn't drop off the radar. After being given a slot in the 2002 'Monsters of Rock' shows, Thunder decided to return in 2003 with a new album, titled Shooting at the Sun, which the guys released on their own record label. Fully embracing the internet's ability to unite hard rock fans across the globe, 2005 resulted in the band's seventh album, aptly titled The Magnificent Seventh! by the guys. It earned praise from many critics, with musicOMH writer Neil Daniels remarking that the "terrific return to form" seemed like "a hard-hitting giant but with fists of steel and cast iron balls".
Feeling vindicated, the group's album managed to produce a return to the top 40 singles charts and spawned a bunch of live performances. After two well-received tours in 2006, with many gigs completely selling out, and two gleeful experiences in Japan, the band captured that live feel in the DVD Thunder Go Mad in Japan. The release included a documentary piece following the band's situation setting everything up and trying to sort out all of the traveling. That year additionally saw the guys releasing their eight studio album, titled Robert Johnson's Tombstone, which featured nods to the musicians' early history before Thunder's very formation. Receiving acclaim from critics and fans alike, some even claimed that the album was Thunder's best studio release yet. A U.K. tour took place at the end of November 2006, with the band extending things into shows in Europe as well.
The 2000s represented not only a period of frequent touring but also increasing musical activities by the guys outside of the band. Thunder's career renaissance continued with a 2008 studio album, which the guys simply titled Bang!, and the group's appearance with Def Leppard and Whitesnake at multiple gigs that same year. The group had found itself coming up to its twenty-year anniversary. Although not experiencing the same kind of personal conflicts or debates about musical direction that many of their contemporaries had, Thunder still appeared to have reached a kind of inflection point. In early 2009, the guys announced plans to split for the second time. Final tours and festival appearances occurred throughout the rest of the year. A well-received compilation album, called simply The Very Best of Thunder, came out as well that year.
Luke Morley stressed "only a fool would say never" when it came to talk of getting back together at some point. Still, he'd gotten focused on other endeavors and particularly dedicated himself to working on The Union, an outfit formed with musician Peter Shoulder (formerly of Winterville). Featuring a blues and soul drenched sound, that band has achieved significant critical acclaim. Other ex-Thunder members perused similar projects. Drummer Gary "Harry" James, for example, played with progressive rockers Magnum (including on their popular 2011 release The Visitation).
Thunder briefly reunited for the 'High Voltage Festival', held in Victoria Park, in 2011. Though expressing their reluctance to formally get back together, the guys agreed to future shows together, including a December performance at Nottingham's 'Rock City' venue. They intermittently took to the stage as the 2010s went on yet remained committed to their alternate projects.
In 2015, however, Thunder announced a full return with an upcoming studio album of new material. A tongue-in-cheek collective statement cited "a rather silly amount of knob-twiddling and string-pulling" as the final inspiration. The release of Wonder Days earned a warm response from critics and fans alike (the fellows at Classic Rock magazine, for example, naming it one of the year's 11 best albums), and multiple gigs got announced to preform the new material. 2017's Rip It Up was also well-received (the record's #3 spot on the U.K. Albums Chart was the highest the band reached for over two decades). This was followed with an acoustic selection, Please Remain Seated, after which the band promised to return to the "full throttle sound of Thunder" for the next studio record.
Delayed due to the pandemic situation, that full throttle new album was released in March 2021, All The Right Noises.
UK rockers Thunder will be releasing a new double album titled Dopamine on April 29, 2022.
Official Website: http://www.thunderonline.com/
2) - Thunder was additionally used by an obscure funk-based Southern rock band from the U.S. Their 1974 self-tiled album picked up some attention but failed to break through commercially. It's hard to find information about the group, but a bit is known given how it served as a stepping stone in the career of popular Texan singer-songwriter and guitarist John Nitzinger. The 1974 album is described on Discogs.com here.
3) - Thunder is the name of a defunct Pagan Black Metal band from Poland, formed in 1994.
4) - Thunder is the name of a German heavy metal band, that released 'All I Want' in 1984.
Black Water
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
where the angry rivers rise
I was found by the preacher's daughter
Whose love I can't deny
I was still so young
when I touched that gun
For the first time and it felt so right
So I packed my bag and I said goodbye
So as I turn out the light
You'd better not close your eyes
I might rip your heart out honey
I might steal your money too
Black water running through my soul
I'll be the ruin of you
I smiled like an angel
I was a streetwise seventeen
She was old enough to know better
When she took her chance on me
One respectable wife
With a taste for the darker side
I might rip your heart out honey
I might steal your money too
Black water running through my soul
I'll be the ruin of you
So as I turn out the light
You'd better not close your eyes
I might rip your heart out honey
I might steal your money too
Black water running through my soul
I might rip your heart out honey
I might steal your money too
Black water running through my soul
I'll be the ruin of you
The song "Black Water" by Thunder is a story about a young man who found love with the preacher's daughter, but his past and inner demons have taken over him. The lyrics paint a picture of a troubled man, who was drawn to dangerous actions from a young age. The line "I was still so young when I touched that gun, for the first time and it felt so right," portrays a person who has been through a lot, far beyond his years. His love for the preacher's daughter is significant and undeniable. Still, he knows that he has crossed the line and must leave her because he does not want to drag her down with him. He warns her with the line "so as I turn out the light, you'd better not close your eyes." He is aware that he might hurt her in various ways.
The chorus "I might rip your heart out, honey, I might steal your money too, black water running through my soul, I'll be the ruin of you" conveys his inner thoughts and the fact that he is not going to change his ways. His soul has become black with his past actions, and he knows that he will ruin any relationship he gets into. The bridge mentions the woman who gave into his charms, but she was an unsuspecting victim. Her husband was respectable, and she had a taste for the darker side, which is what drew her to the young man. The song is an emotional journey filled with dark undertones, but the lyrics manage to capture and convey the message eloquently.
Line by Line Meaning
It was down by the water
I was in a place near a body of water
where the angry rivers rise
This was an intense place where the rivers were likely to flood
I was found by the preacher's daughter
I met the daughter of a preacher in that place
Whose love I can't deny
I fell in love with her
I was still so young
I was very young
when I touched that gun
The first time I picked up a gun, I was young
For the first time and it felt so right
It felt good and natural to hold a gun for the first time
So I packed my bag and I said goodbye
I left after I got involved in something dangerous
'Cause I knew that I'd crossed the line
I realized I had done something wrong
I might rip your heart out honey
I am capable of hurting someone deeply
I might steal your money too
I could also take advantage of someone for personal gain
Black water running through my soul
I feel like there is darkness inside of me
I'll be the ruin of you
I will destroy someone if given the chance
I smiled like an angel
I appeared friendly and innocent
I was a streetwise seventeen
I was a teenager with a lot of street smarts
She was old enough to know better
The woman I got involved with was older and should have known better
When she took her chance on me
Despite my age and inexperience, she decided to pursue a relationship with me
One respectable wife
She was previously married to someone considered respectable
With a taste for the darker side
Despite her respectable image, she had a desire for things that were considered taboo
So as I turn out the light
As I go to bed
You'd better not close your eyes
Don't trust me, even when you're asleep
Black water running through my soul
I still feel the darkness inside me
Contributed by Lucy S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tony Young
The most underrated band in the history of rock and roll history! I am so glad i found them
wolfgang
@TheRockerxx69 👍🏼
TheRockerxx69
been following them since 1989, !!!!
16addam
Amazing voice, amazing band. Will never tire of hearing them.
alex dru
One of the greatest bands in rock history
Todd B
Great band.Love their sound. We need more bands like this on the music scene today. For those who claim rock'n'roll is dead, take a listen.
Jefferson Westphal Martins
I've only found this band recently.
Great, great songs. Catchy chorus, fantastic performances! Thanks for the upload!
Mario Ungewickel
One of the best bands ever! !!!!!🤗
rene albarillo
just found this band. now...their classic "love walked in" and this nice piece...great british band
boudecia22
Well done. Now go hear the rest. They are truly amazing.