Join Pete Pardo & Steven Reid for a ranking the albums of veteran UK hard rock act Thunder. #thunder 💰Donate via Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/pete... 👕Order your SoT merch: www.t8cloth.co... 🖥 Visit our website: www.seaoftranq...
One of the best hard rock bands around for so many years. 1. Laughing on judgement day 2. Backstreet symphony 3. Behind closed doors 4. The magnificent seventh 5. Shooting at the sun
So glad Steve is eventually turning Pete into a Thunder fan. I've been trying for years. Ive been a fan since seeing them live in 1990. Here's my ranking: 1. Wonder Days - not only their best release since the band reformed but their best album period. Also one of the heaviest. Masterpiece 2. The Magnificent Seventh - A true monster of an album crammed with great song after great song. A true hidden gem 3. Back Street Symphony - Their classic debut. Enough said 4. All the Right Moves - The band proving that they are better now than ever. Guaranteed top ten 10 album of this year. 5. Robert Johnson's Tombstone - Another hidden gem packed with great hooks and melodies. 6. Rip it Up - The band took a few musical risks with this release and for the most part they paid off. 7. Behind Closed Doors - An album that packs a punch with some of the bands heaviest numbers. 8. Laughing on Judgement Day - Although a dissapointing follow up to their classic debut the album still holds some of the bands finest moments 9. Thrill of it All - Half great and half dissapointing 10. Shooting at the Sun - A stunning opening track but it is mainly down hill from that point on. A real mixed bag. 11. Bang! - Apart from 3 or 4 good songs the band sound tired and devoid of ideas. 12. Giving the Game Away - By far their weakest release. Hardly a memorable moment on the whole album. Great show guys. Keep up the fantastic work. 👍
Great episode and good to see Steven back again. Always enjoying hear his anecdotes. A joy to see you two together. Good chemistry. And off course, Thunder is amazing.
Really love this band. My Top 5 1 Laughing on Judgement day 2 Backstreet Symphony 3 Wonder days 4 All the right noses 5 Behind closed doors I can also see the Magnum /Thunder connection not only because of Mr. James.
@@pabloimireia Undoubtedly their best album since their comeback. No disrespect to All the right noises and Rip it up. This could easily be a good place to start if someone hasn't ever listened to them. Top notch
First time posting on here as wanted to endorse Mr Reid’s reference to The Union. Top, top band featuring the hugely underrated Peter Shoulder. A three album catalogue which is well worthy of investigation. Shoulder now fronts Silverthorne, which is a band he’s put together along with Brian Tichy who once hit the tubs for Whitesnake. Their Tear The Sky Wise Open EP is pretty darned decent!
Hey Pete, when Thunder first released Back Street Symphony here in the States it was on Capital records. Then they dropped them soon after and Geffen picked them up and re-released the album with different artwork.
Thanks to Steven Reid I am reacquainting myself with Thunder. I remember their debut back in the day and I had it on cassette. Bought the first two albums and the latest on CD now. Very underrated band.
Saw them live a day or two after Robert Palmer died. They played 'Addicted to Love'. It was phenomenal. Agree that Bowes is massively underrated. What a voice.
Great to have Steven back in an episode and have been looking forward to this since the likelihood of a Steven review show was mentioned in an earlier show. Excellent discussion, Steven, and now begins the listening by the bookend approach you recommended and Pete has tried. Listening to the Backstreet Symphony album at the moment. Starts off great and really like how She's So Fine ends in its last minute or so. Looking forward to listening to those first two CDs before approaching the middle of the catalogue. Great co-captaining, Pete as i appreciated your remarks on the early album you had bought along with the most recent release.
What a great show about a fantastic band who are in my top 5 live bands of all time. I really hope that this will give the deserved exposure to more music fans especially those in N. America. Great job both of you.
Your shows with Steven and Martin are my favourites. Chris Alo is great for comic relief, and Dan Brown is your resident film intellectual. It's a great team! I can't thank Steven enough for turning me on to Magenta, to Steven Wilson's new album, and some of the other bands he's mentioned. Awesome stuff!
It's great to see Steven on again. I need to hear more from Thunder one of these days. Backstreet Symphony was great, the new one didn't grab me as much. Thanks for the ranking Steven, I now have road map to hear more Thunder.
Amazing show, Pete!! Thanks a lot for bringing Steve and let him rank the albums. It's evident that he's a true fan of the band and knows everything about them. Thunder is one of the most underrated bands in Rock history and this show will hopefully help many people to get to know them better. This is my top 10. 1. Laughing on Judgement Day 2. Wonder Days 3. Behind Close Doors 4. Backstreet Symphony 5. All the Right Noises 6. Rip it up. 7. Shooting at the Sun 8. The Magnificent Seventh 9. The Thrill of it all 10. Bang!
Killer Hard Rock band. My Ranking: 1- Backstreet Symphony 2- Laughing On Judgement Day 3- Wonder Days 4- Rip It Up 5- Robert Johnson's Tombstone 6- Behind Closed Doors 7- Shooting At The Sun 8- The Magnificent Seventh! 9- The Thrill Of It All 10- Bang 11- All The Right Noises 12- Giving The Game Away
That cover Pete has was the cover they did for the US release of Backstreet Symphony. The copy I bought when it came out here in the states back in 1990 was that blue one.
Hi PETE... FIRST COMMENT EVER - ANYWHERE... been lurking in the background watching your channel for best part of the last year; absolutely FANTASTIC ! Hi STEVEN... Great ranking; you just made me realise I'm missing a couple of the early albums- need to do TEN next ! I FOUND A BLUE INSERT IN MY COLLECTION - yours if you want it !
@@TranquilityFireReid I bought a couple of copies of a cheap Heart concert show a few years ago - one of them has blue insert; not important to me - your need seems greater for 'repairs' ! I'm a fellow Scot - based in Dubai; will bring back/forward next time I come back to UK; likely to be sometime over Summer (we can catch up later about where to send)
I worked at a printing company back then and we printed for most of the major record companies. I was asked to meet a guy in the factory as he wanted to proof read the LOJD CD print ( I was very excited that we were printing Thunder of course)...didn't think anything about it really but the guy I met was storm thorgerson...and criminally at the time I did'nt realise who he actually was.
A shout out to my hometown radio station KITN of Worthington, Minnesota which still occasionally plays "Dirty Love" and "Love Walked In" from Backstreet Symphony.
Got ALL their albums - sometimes replaced for the remastered 2 disc reissues, and not a fail amongst them even when they try "other" styles. A LOT of live albums too - especially the Christmas shows they frequently issue, with some GREAT covers of classics. Well worth checking out. I recall first coming across them when I was growing up in Zimbabwe, and I've followed them ever since - living in New Zealand for the past 17 years.
I agree Steve, Laughing is my fav Thunder album. And congrat to 0-0 against England on Euro 2021. And please ranking the FM / uk/ albums. The FM my fav melodic band of all time.
@@TranquilityFireReid Steve overland is a great singer a ranking for them would be appreciated, that era of Brit rock bands and albums is underrated and overlooked. Dare, FM, Jagged Edge, It bites (with Mr Dunnery), Shy and of course Tigertailz
@@karlrodgers9757 Quite agree with all your suggestions. Add Little Angels and Wayward sons in the pack, and Ricky Warwick solo albums would also be great
Fantastic band. I saw them on a bill at "The Astoria" London with FM and Dare and they blew the other bands away. I did recognise some members from Terraplane, at the time. I think they were a last minute addition to the bill, just before BSS was released, I thought they were still Terraplane, I didn't know they renamed themselves Thunder. Got all there albums, Great band. Loved Terraplane, Black/white was the first, they had a 2nd produced by Mike Rutherford, I believe.
I saw Thunder on the "toilet tour" (Jagged Edge Fuel for Your Soul was also a lost classic) and, like Steven, have followed them ever since and have just got tickets for the Xmas show in December. Pete's description was pretty much spot on. Talking of under-rated UK vocalists Steve Overland FM deserve more attention (perhaps a little bit light for SOT?), here's hoping Steven is a fan and could do a similar show of their catalogue?
@@TranquilityFireReid Well worth a thought, super catalogue to highlight and a band many may not be aware of on SOT. Perhaps that's an idea for a show/shows, highlight an artist who people may not be aware of, hidden gems. Really appreciate the shows that direct me to different artists
@@dargbarnett They definitely are worth a show. I'll suggest it to Peter and maybe he can add it to his (extra lone! lol!!) list. The hidden gems idea is good but difficult, one person's favourite band is the next's hidden gem, so knowing who falls into what category isn't always obviously.
@@TranquilityFireReid Fair point, and I think the channel does a great job indirectly highlighting different acts. I'll keep a lookout for a show on FM which will lead to the question of which is top album?
I've Been a fan Of Thunder Since Day One Brilliant Band I'm with Steve not a bad album at all in the catalogue .Pete I hope you listen to more of this great band
I strongly recommend the new / latest album by Thunder I which currently is my favourite album of 2021 . The opening track has got quite possibly the best EVER opening track on a rock album .
Steven, your enthusiasm is infectious. I'll give Thunder a proper shot. It's funny the emphasis you put on the songs. You can't fault the singing and playing, it's the songs that haven't grabbed me yet.
Thank you for this rankingshow. I really love this band they are so underrated and unknown, finally they are getting som love. Steven pulled this off really good, love that Scottish accent.
Can't believe how many people rank it so low but laughing on judgment day is there best one for sure. That's the one you should listen to. If I can get ahold of another copy I'm going to send it to you. Barry who sent you the charlie cd's.
Thunder is one of the best british live bands of all time. They did nearly every year an xmas show where they play their material and incredible cover versions. The Ticket holders of this concert became a CD from the Concert. They made a second cd version to buy für everyone from their website. I have already flown from Germany to England 3 times to take part in these shows. It was always an experience and great fun. It is a fuckin' great rock band.
Their record company did try to push that second album here in Canada. I was working for a local entertainment paper, Pulse Niagara, as their music reviewer, and they sent me not only the CD and all the promotional materials, but also a VHS tape of the video for "Low Life In High Places," which I'm pretty sure I still have in a box down in my basement. Here in Canada, that seems to be the song they were pushing as the single, and I loved it. Like you say, it had the lyrical content with a social/political theme to it, and it's just a great song. Once those guitars come in about halfway through, with that fantastic riff, and the singer's vocals really take off - that's definitely a winner! I always saw Thunder as a slightly heavier version of Bad Company, with a vocalist that was just as good. That is the way I see them.
Nice review Pete was good co-pilot Steven great job flying the plane I'm going to check these guys out I wasn't really too familiar I'd heard the name drop through the past but I never really investigated.
I have the same cover as Pete from 1991 as a single cd, and the back has the same foto but with a songlist for a single disc. Mine is a Canadien pressing that I bought back in the day in Sweden. Its EMI / Capitol
Excellent to have Steven back! I actually had the Terraplane album on cassette which I threw out only recently. Thunder are a consistently good band and worth doing show on their catalogue. I was watching highlights of Download over the years recently and saw two British bands that topped the bill there which I have yet to see on this channel, Biffy Clyro and Muse. These bands are absolute killer live, I would even say Muse are the best band I’ve seen live in over 40 years of gigging. Steven would be the ideal person to rank their albums.
"Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Rock Jedi" (aka Steven Reid!) Great delve into one of the UKs great rock acts. As usual, the love of the music shines through and no doubt many viewers will track down some prime Thunder to put sounds to the thoughts/reviews here. Testify!
the japanese double of the first album most of the live stuff was the stuff they had released on the 12" and 10" single like a lot of the live at donington set at the time b-sides ect yet i believe that the first disc is a remix of it that america got at the time, sorry if anybody in the comment has already said as much
My top 10 which is a belated addition to what others have already shared. 10. Giving The Game Away 9. Behind Closed Doors 8. The Magnificent Seventh! 7. Robert Johnson's Tombstone 6. The Thrill Of It All 5. Rip It Up 4. Wonder Days 3. All The Right Noises 2. Backstreet Symphony 1. Laughing On Judgement Day
Stumbled upon this channel today, after searching for all things Thunder after attending their show at Wembley Arena a couple of weeks back. I hasten to add I subscribed and will backtrack to see what I can find. As I'm roughly a year late 😂 I am going to include the newest double album in my rankings..... 13 Giving The Game Away 12 The Thrill Of It All 11 Shooting At The Sun 10 Bang 9. The Magnificent Seventh 8 Robert Johnson Tombstone 7 Laughing On Judgement Day 6 Rip It Up 5 Behind Closed Doors 4 Wonder Days 3 All The Right Noises 2 Backstreet Symphony 1 Dopamine Controversial for some that Dopamine is at the top, but this album is the most diverse in the bands catalogue,and keeping with the most recent releases the songwriting has been of the scale, which reflects my rankings.
Only have Backstreet Symphony! Love, Love, Love that CD. They did get air play a lot on Wisconsin FM stations back in the day! Damn-it Pete, now I have to look for that Japanese version!
Been a THUNDER fan since Backstreet Symphony, but lost track of them and had no idea they've had so many albums! I bought WONDER DAYS a few years ago and definitely need to buy many more albums!
Very good band! Saw them supporting Heart on their `Brigade` tour and still a big fan of the `Backstreet Symphony`. Met Ben Matthews in the pub after a Mostly Autumn gig promoting their `Storms Over Still Water` album which Ben produced. Nice guy. He also guested at that MA gig.
Thunder is a band that has a great catalog - and I followed very closely for the first 5 albums - but yeah after Giving the Game away....I just lost track.of them for some reason. LOJD was a soundtrack to my life in 92/93. I better get back and check the newer stuff asap.
Honestly Pete check this band out further they are amazing I know you've recently picked up the recent album and their debut not huge in states at all but wow what a classic band The union likes side project also very very good
What an amazing show. All these incredible bands that did not break in America. Thunder, Magnum, Status Quo and Slade. For some reason I can't get into Slade, I have tried but it just did not happen. I have given up on that. The other 3 bands I love and adore. Some other British bands that come to mind with a similar situation areThe Cult. Sonic Temple did really well in the US but lot of people forgot the band by the time Ceremony came out. Electric did well to a certain degree. All killer albums. Great band. Jagged Edge. "Fuel For Your Soul" is a fantastic album. FM. Why they were not huuuuuge in America? Sometimes I still wonder about that. "Indiscreet" and"Tough It Out" AOR / melodic hard rock masterpieces. Steve Overland must be one of the best singers. Just an incredible voice. I go back with these 2 albums so FM is very close to my heart. Strangeways, Virginia Wolf, Airrace, Shy!!! Lot's of great bands. Thank you, how much I have enjoyed this show.
I watched this video bit by bit over a period of two months but glad I was finally able to finish it because Steve displays some real insight into the music of Thunder, even for someone like myself, being a fan for almost 30 years. I agree regarding Steve's choice for the top spot. Thunder are a great and underappreciated band and both their first three studio albums and the latest three are top notch.
I was a big fan of the first three albums but went off them after that. I think I will investigate some of their other releases now. I remember when I first heard “Love Walked In” and being so surprised it was never a hit in the USA! Steven I must agree on Danny Bowes stage moves - always looks kind of awkward!! 👍🏼😀
Late to the party but great one at that. About the only thing that bothered me with Thunder is as Steve said, there's a real depth and maturity to plenty of what they do (did), so was a shame back in their day they were too often depicted in UK magazines with half naked women, the stupid party vibe nonsense. Sure they dabbled with that on occasion and it was in vogue with the scene at that time, but it took away from what they were really capable of IMO. Anyway, great episode Steve... 1. Laughing On Judgement Day 2. Back Street Symphony 3. Behind Closed Doors 4. Rip It Up 5. Wonder Days
Great band whose career was hampered by the advent of Grunge. Saw them live, twice. Luke Morley writes great tunes, he is also an excellent producer. He also had an excellent band in The Union with singer & writing partner Peter Shoulder, shame we only got three albums, wonderful singer, you should check out Peters previous band Winterville. Luke has been lucky with singers as Danny Bowes of Thunder has maintained his powerful voice all these years, they released a new album this year. Harry on drums, Ben on guitar & keyboards & Chris on bass. They are great characters, very funny guys, very self deprecating. Danny has a great show on Planet Rock every week. They could have been a huge band had they not launched in 1990, a few years earlier & they would have been massive but Thunder fans like myself know they are a classy outfit whom you should listen to if you like rock. Good to see them in Petes spotlight.
Haven't yet obtained the new album, so can't include it in my rankings, I will be getting a copy in the not too distant future, but my personal rankings in order of how I like them. 1 Back Street Symphony 2 Laughing on Judgement Day 3 Wonder Days 4 Shooting At The Sun 5 Bang 6 Behind Closed Doors 7 Rip It Up 8 Robert Johnson's Tombstone 9 The Magnificent Seventh 10 The Thrill Of It All 11 Giving The Game Away.
Pete, please do a show with Steven on the Glaswegian Blues Rock band King King and Nimmo Brothers, not well known in North America but they are giants in the UK and Europe.
I have a RU-vid file of great singers ...The last two I added was Cheap trick live in Daytona singing The Flame which is an incredible performance.....and Thunder at Monsters of Rock doing Don't Wait for Me ....an absolutely amazing singing performance from one of the great , underated rock singers...Apart from the stand out track of Love Walks in I too was ignorant of Thunder until very recently.... fantastic band..
The factors that went into whether or not a British band did well in the States and vice versa are diverse and numerous but in the case of Status Quo I think they were unlucky that Foghat were so big in America at the same time. It would be like 'We already have a British good time boogie band, we don't need another'. Because the reverse was true, Foghat were almost like a cult band in the UK while Quo were massive. Thunder were just a few years too late, very much like Cry Of Love in the States.
I don't think Thunder were a few years too late, they released their first album at the right time, just when The Black Crowes were getting huge with their 70s inspired Hard Rock. They sold very well in the UK & opened up for Iron Maiden on the European leg of their Fear of The Dark tour. Thunder's US tour got cancelled & after that they decided to focus on the European market rather than spending a lot of time & money trying to break into the US market.
Thank you Pete. Exactly what I suggested, putting anotheer guy front and centre. What the channel needs. Now put up. someone that loves a band you hate.
Steven, Steven, Steven... how do you review "Robert Johnson's Tombstone" and not mention "Andy Warhol Said"?!? Danny Bowes' final "Yeahhhhh!" into Morley's guitar explosion is incredible.
Kyle, Kyle, Kyle... what can I say? I've let Peter down, I've let you down, I've let all the people watching this down and most of all I've let myself down. How right you are sir. All I can add is "Yeahhhhh!" lol!!
I would love to know if Steven is familiar with Dutch band Picture. I just discovered that band earlier this year and I really liked them. They’ve been around since 1980.