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.
Giving the Game Away
Thunder Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't misplace your other face, the weather could be changing
(Sit on the bets until the odd's shorten)
('cause you threw out the baby with the bath water now, yeah now)
Man I'm gag, i'ts such a crack, when no one ever listen
Shout it out above the crowd, and dazzle 'em with your vissions
(Always out of the way when the shit starts falling)
'Cause you did everything you had to do
Trod on anyone you needed to
You really did well, didn't you?
But you're giving the game away
Threw a lot of stuff at the wall
It didn't sick there after all
Running out of people you can call
'Cause you're giving the game away
Children free celebraties, they love your sense of humor
You can't see that you're about, as welcome as a tumor
(You came a long way, just riding your ego)
(But every one's seeing the things that we know now) yeah now
Work your magic on another fool
I can't believe they believe in you
'Cause in the end you won't see it thru
You're giving the game away
Promise everything beneath the sun
Your only gig is what you're working on
How much longer can you carry on
giving the game away?
(You came a long way, just riding your ego)
(But every one's seeing the things that we know now) yeah now
'Cause you did everything you had to do
Trod on anyone you needed to
You really did well, didn't you?
But you're giving the game away
Threw a lot of stuff at the wall
It didn't stick there after all
Running out of people you can call
You're giving the game away
Yes, you're giving the game away
Yeah, you're giving the game away
Giving the game away
*****Still not sure on some of these, please edit as you see fit******
The lyrics of Thunder's song "Giving the Game Away" seem to be about a person who is trying hard to impress others and succeed, but in their quest for success, they have become dishonest and two-faced. The first line "Walk on glass and kiss my ass, then tell me that it's raining" implies that this person is trying to deceive others by being nice to them and then telling them lies. The second line "Don't misplace your other face, the weather could be changing" suggests that this person has two faces, one for when things are going well and one for when they are not.
The chorus of the song "Cause you did everything you had to do, Trod on anyone you needed to, You really did well, didn't you? But you're giving the game away" seems to be a comment on this person's actions, indicating that they have managed to achieve what they wanted by stepping on others, but it is becoming evident to others what they have done. The line "Threw a lot of stuff at the wall, It didn't sick there after all" could imply that this person has tried many different strategies to succeed but has been unsuccessful in the end.
The line "Children free celebrities, they love your sense of humor, You can't see that you're about, as welcome as a tumor" seems to be a criticism of this person's behavior by suggesting that they are not as popular as they think. The overall impression of the song is that this person may have been successful at one point, but their actions have caught up with them, and their success is now falling apart.
Line by Line Meaning
Walk on glass and kiss my ass, then tell me that it's raining
Be insincere and deceitful to my face, and expect me to believe you without any proof.
Don't misplace your other face, the weather could be changing
Don't be inconsistent in your character because circumstances may change at any moment.
('cause you threw out the baby with the bath water now, yeah now)
You got rid of something valuable while trying to discard what wasn't, leading to a loss.
Man I'm gag, i'ts such a crack, when no one ever listen
It's frustrating when nobody pays attention to what you're saying no matter how hard you try.
Shout it out above the crowd, and dazzle 'em with your vissions
Try to make yourself heard and impress them with your ideas even when your audience is not listening.
(Always out of the way when the shit starts falling)
You avoid dealing with the consequences when things start to fall apart.
(So, how does it feel with the fingers pointing now?) yeah now
You feel exposed and responsible when people start accusing you of mistakes or wrongdoing.
Threw a lot of stuff at the wall, It didn't sick there after all
Tried different things hoping one would work, but none of them did.
Running out of people you can call, 'Cause you're giving the game away
You're losing the trust of people because you're exposing your true intentions.
Children free celebraties, they love your sense of humor
People who are naive or easily impressed enjoy your jokes and presence.
You can't see that you're about, as welcome as a tumor
You're not aware that people think of you as an annoyance and would rather not have you around.
(But every one's seeing the things that we know now) yeah now
People are now realizing your true colors and are seeing through your facade.
Work your magic on another fool, I can't believe they believe in you
Try to deceive someone else because I can't comprehend how anyone can be fooled by you.
Cause in the end, you won't see it thru, You're giving the game away
You won't be able to follow through because you're not genuine and transparent about what you're doing.
Promise everything beneath the sun, Your only gig is what you're working on
You make hyperbolic and insincere promises, but only focus on your own interests.
How much longer can you carry on giving the game away?
How much longer can you keep fooling people and maintaining this false facade?
(Yes, you're giving the game away; Yeah, you're giving the game away; Giving the game away)
You're revealing your true intentions and exposing your facade, giving up the game.
Contributed by Abigail L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
paula Johnson
great music
Space Cadet
this is great!
YANNICK SAMSON
THUNDER TRES BON GROUPE DE HARD ROCK TOUJOURS EN ACTIVITE EN 2017
Mark Clift
Thanks for the upload. This album is missing on spotify! I didnt even know haha!
Vinyl Rescue
I read a review on All Music and they down played it as more acoustic blah, blah, blah and not as hard edged. So! Still a great album from Thunder.
WhiskeyBrewer
Someone needs to edit Wonderland into its own track. Its the only Thunder song i dont have lol
Andrea Rita Farkas
<3