Thunder Up

Thunder Up is the fifth and final studio album by English post-punk band the Sound, released in 1987 on Belgian record label Play It Again Sam.

Thunder Up
Studio album by
The Sound
ReleasedDecember 1987
Recorded1987
StudioElephant Studio in London, England
Genre
Length40:14
LabelPlay It Again Sam
Producer
  • The Sound
  • Nick Robbins
The Sound chronology
Heads and Hearts
(1985)		 Thunder Up
(1987)		 Propaganda
(1999)
Singles from Thunder Up
  1. "Hand of Love"
    Released: 1987
  2. "Iron Years"
    Released: 1987

Two singles were released from the album: "Hand of Love" and "Iron Years". The album and its subsequent tour precipitated the band's breakup in early 1988. Like the Sound's previous records, the album was not commercially successful, but the band largely considered it to be their best work.

History

By 1987, the Sound were solid veterans in the music industry; they had, for instance, already passed through two record labels (Korova and Statik), released four studio albums (1980's Jeopardy, 1981's From the Lions Mouth [sic], 1982's All Fall Down and 1985's Heads and Hearts), one EP (1984's Shock of Daylight) and one live album (1985's In the Hothouse).

Background

Thunder Up was recorded at Elephant Studio in London.[1]

Adam Brent Houghtaling, author of This Will End in Tears, wrote that with Thunder Up, "the aggression evident on [the Sound's] earlier releases had largely calmed into a more polished guitar pop".[2]

Release

Thunder Up was released in 1987 by Play It Again Sam. The album and its subsequent tour precipitated the band's breakup in early 1988.[3]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The Big Takeoverfavourable[5]
Melody Makerfavourable[6]
Trouser Pressfavourable[7]

The album was well received immediately on release by The Big Takeover, who acknowledged it as a "stunning, moving juggernaut".[8] Critical appraisal from the mainstream press the work has largely been absent, although it was championed by Melody Maker upon release: "The Sound, by refining their despair, simply amplify their magnificence and magnify the intensity of expression".[6]

Thunder Up was a favourite among Sound members. Drummer Michael Dudley named it as one of his favourite Sound albums (along with Propaganda),[9] while Graham Bailey called it the band's "crowning glory".[3] In a 1988 interview, frontman Adrian Borland said, "Ultimately I find Thunder Up the very best album, because it sounds like the band 'live' in the studio and, in a way, it actually was".[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Adrian Borland, except as noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Acceleration Group" 3:32
2."Hand of Love" 3:18
3."Barria Alta"Borland, Colvin "Max" Mayers, Graham Bailey, Michael Dudley4:47
4."Kinetic" 5:15
5."Iron Years"Borland, Bailey4:11
6."Prove Me Wrong" 2:28
7."Shot Up and Shut Down" 4:19
8."Web of Wicked Ways" 2:56
9."I Give You Pain" 5:05
10."You've Got a Way" 5:29

Note: In some editions, "You've Got a Way" is separated into two tracks, parts "I" and "II", to distinguish the initial piano piece. This brings the total number of tracks on some editions to 11.

References
  1. Thunder Up (Media notes). The Sound. Belgium: Play It Again Sam. 1987. Retrieved 24 June 2013.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. Houghtaling, Adam Brent (2012). This Will End in Tears. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0062098962. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  3. Reeves, Paul Sutton (March 2002). "[The Sound biography]". Record Collector. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  4. "Thunder Up – The Sound : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. AllRovi. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  5. "[Thunder Up review]". The Big Takeover. 23 December 1987. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  6. Mercer, Mick. "[Thunder Up review]". Melody Maker. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  7. Lamey, Charles P.; Rabid, Jack; Ferguson, Scott. "TrouserPress.com :: Sound". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  8. "The Sound – Thunder Up /Hand of Love/ Iron Years (Play It Again Sam BEL, Nettwerk CAN)". The Big Takeover. 23 December 1987. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  9. Clarkson, John. "[Michael Dudley interview]". pennyblackmusic.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  10. "[Adrian Borland interview]". Limit. 1998. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
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