Artist: Thunder
Label: Metal Heaven
Release: 2009
Runtime: 73:48
Rating: 4.5/5
Why Thunder decided to call it quits for a second time will always baffle me. I could have understood it from The Rolling Stones. Maybe they simply felt they couldn’t be bothered anymore. That the creative drive was gone, that everything had already been played out for them. And in fact, of the four albums they put out as a comeback act between 2002 and 2008, the one radiating the weakest energy was the last, “Bang!”. And you could already smell retirement around the corner after it. “EP Sessions 2007-2008” proves that Thunder didn’t suffer from a lack of interest in the band during the final stretch of their run. A band that can boast huge popularity and commercial success, having burst onto the scene with their first two albums in the early nineties, both of which went gold, released three EPs in 2007 and 2008 totaling 18 tracks. They put them out partly because fans demanded something to tide them over until new studio albums arrived. So it wasn’t a lack of attention that made the band decide to hang it up.
The material from the EPs came together in the period after the excellent album “Robert Johnson’s Thumbstone” (2006). Thunder put out three EPs, each with six tracks, as the titles already tell you: “Six Of One” (2007), “Half A Dozen Of The Other” (2008) and “The Joy Of Six” (2008). Sadly, because of the band’s weak distribution muscle, only a handful of fans got their hands on those EPs, apart from those living in the British Isles and the north of Europe. So Metal Heaven Records made a really great move by gathering all the material on one disc and releasing it again.
Among the material already released on studio albums, you’ll find What A Beautiful Day and Dirty Dream from “Robert Johnson’s Thumbston”, except that on this compilation both tracks appear in live versions. The rest, like the excellent punchy ballad I Believe and the track Bette Davis Meltdown, which definitely stands out among the other hard-rocking romps on the album with its venomous flirtatiousness, proves that even in the mature phase of their career Thunder never let up when it came to stringing together compactly seductive riffs, the kind that keep the band’s whole body of work standing at attention without ever flagging. Survivor, Chain Reaction, Yesterday’s News and the live version of Last Man Standing also show just how strong, convincing and tightly honed a unit Thunder were (and are). The hard rock we associate with the name Thunder would never have left such a mark, though, if there hadn’t been a fantastic singer like Danny Bowes on vocals. If nothing else gets you, Like A Satellite will definitely win you over with the intimate feelings Danny lays out during his intense delivery of this ballad.
Thuder have always been a hard rock band that liked to dig into the roots of the blues. You can feel it across their entire catalog. A track like See My Baby Walking is an acoustic excursion, flirting with the Mississippi Delta, which adds an extra and very bold bit of variety to this set of 16 tracks.
“EP Sessions 2007-2008” came along at just the right time, since it kind of rinses out the bitter aftertaste left by the band’s last studio album, “Bang!”, with its patchwork feel and lack of freshness and inspiration. That’s welcome for the sheer fact of being square with the fans, saying goodbye to them with a convincing piece of work. The set on this compilation is even so strong that it could have been released as a new (another) studio album. On the other hand, you get a wistful feeling, knowing the Thunder story is over. What’s better? A bad album and the band still going, or a great album and then the band retires. Tough question that demands a tough decision. Still, I hope Thunder come back!
Lineup
Danny Bowes – vocals
Luke Morley – guitar
Ben Matthews – guitar, keyboards
Chris Childs – bass
Harry James – drums
Tracklist
1. Survivor
2. Yesterday’s News
3. Chain Reaction
4. Midlife Crisis
5. Dirty Dream (live)
6. What A Beautiful Day (live)
7. Make My Day
8. Bette Davis Meltdown
9. I Believe
10. Last Man Standing (live)
11. Like A Satellite (live)
12. See My Baby Walking
13. So Sad Today
14. Only You Can Make Me Cry
15. Yesterday’s New (naked version)
16. I Believe (missionary position version)
