Thunder in the East (album)

Thunder in the East is the fifth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness, and the first released by a major American label after the contract signed with Atco Records, then a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. Aside from being the band's first all-English release, it is the first Loudness album produced by Max Norman, best known for his previous work with Ozzy Osbourne, who also produced Lightning Strikes in 1986 and Soldier of Fortune in 1989. Thunder in the East features the single "Crazy Nights", the band's biggest hit in America, and the power ballad "Never Change Your Mind".[1] This album marked the first time a Japanese band entered the US Top 100 chart, where it remained for 23 weeks, peaking at No. 74.[3]

Thunder in the East
Studio album by
Loudness
Released21 January 1985 (Japan)
9 June 1985 (US)
9 September 1985 (Europe)
RecordedSeptember–October 1984
StudioSound City Studios, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenreHeavy metal
Length41:35
LabelNippon Columbia (Japan)
ATCO (US)
Music for Nations / Roadrunner (Europe)
ProducerMax Norman, Paul Cooper
Loudness chronology
Odin EP
(1985)		 Thunder in the East
(1985)		 Lightning Strikes
(1986)
Singles from Thunder in the East
  1. "Crazy Nights" / "Like Hell"
    Released: 1 December 1984 (Japan)
    1 November 1985 (US)
Japanese edition cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[2]

The album cover introduced the band's signature logo, which would be used in majority of their discography. The Rising Sun background would also be used in the band's albums Breaking the Taboo and The Sun Will Rise Again. The 2005 remastered version includes the bonus tracks "Gotta Fight" and "Odin", which were originally released as singles for the 1985 anime film Odin: Photon Sailer Starlight.

The chant of "M-Z-A!" featured in the single "Crazy Nights" came about when producer Norman asked lead vocalist Niihara to come up with something to sing over the main riff between the chorus and next verse. "M-Z-A!" means nothing, and it was intended to be replaced with another line in post-production. When Niihara could not come up with anything to replace it, the "M-Z-A!" chant survived.

In 2017, the album was re-released on limited edition red vinyl.[4]

Track listing

All lyrics by Minoru Niihara and all music by Akira Takasaki, except "Heavy Chains" lyrics and music by Masayoshi Yamashita.

Side one
  1. "Crazy Nights" - 4:04[5]
  2. "Like Hell" - 3:44
  3. "Heavy Chains" - 4:18
  4. "Get Away" - 3:53
  5. "We Could Be Together" - 4:35
Side two
  1. "Run for Your Life" - 3:59
  2. "Clockwork Toy" - 3:55
  3. "No Way Out" - 4:01
  4. "The Lines Are Down" - 4:57
  5. "Never Change Your Mind" - 4:09
2005 remastered CD edition bonus tracks
  1. "Gotta Fight" - 3:46
  2. "Odin" - 5:16

Personnel
Band members
Production
  • Max Norman - producer
  • Bill Freesh - engineer
  • Ray Leonard - assistant engineer
  • Bernie Grundman - mastering
  • Paul Cooper - executive producer
  • George Azuma - supervisor
  • Hiroyuki Munekiyo, Mikio Shimizu - coordinators

References
  1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Loudness Thunder in the East review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  2. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 202. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  3. "Thunder in the East - Loudness". Billboard. 1998. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
  4. "Loudness - Thunder In The East (Rocktober 2017 Limited Edition Red LP)". Recordstoreday.com. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  5. "Loudness - Thunder in the East". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
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