Giving The Game Away - Thunder

...you won’t see it through/You’re giving the game away/Promise everything beneath the sun/Your only game is what you’re working on/How much longer can you carry on/Giving the game away”

“You’ll Still Need a Friend”

Another slower number. There do appear to be a lot more of these than on previous Thunder albums, which isn’t always a bad thing, but for a band known for their faster paced numbers, does represent a major ...
...as all the reasons she’s giving for ending it isn’t the truth, but seems true to her, and there’s nothing you can do about it. If you’ve ever been dumped, it’s the kind of song that you want to have on as it sums up the way you feel, but don’t want to have around in case it makes you break down.

Unusually for a Thunder ballad, the intro features the electric guitars, but this soon ends and the first verse is just Danny and a piano, ... more

This album shows the great strides that Thunder made during the first ten years of their career. There is a much greater maturity in both the music and the lyrics here, as compared to previous albums. The backing vocals have greatly improved from 1995’s “Behind Closed Doors” and the sound is a lot smoother than on 1993’s “Laughing on Judgement Day”. However, maturity in music, as in life, comes with a price. With a couple of exceptions, a lot of the fun seems to have gone from Thunder’s music. There are still some great tracks, and there is still a little humour present, but this is a release that should have allowed Thunder to progress properly into the ranks of the top selling rock groups, and gained them a wider audience.

Sadly, this was not to be. This album, meant to celebrate their tenth anniversary as a band and to lead onto a brighter future was to prove their last studio release for some time, as they announced they were splitting. I don’t think that it was ever intended that way, but this party became a wake. I guess the feeling is a little like that scene in “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, where the bloke has a heart attack. What should have been a celebration is marred by a sad event. Fortunately, they are now together, and a new album will be out in March.

I have the “Tenth Anniversary Edition” of this album. I don’t know if there was a release that wasn’t celebrating this event or, if there was, how it differs from this one. The cover, unlike some of their previous ones, is simplicity itself. A shot over a river at dusk, blurred, out of focus. Kind of laid back, which sums this album up rather nicely. The CD booklet is also quite different to previous albums, and has the feeling of an ending and a fresh beginning. Gone are the song lyrics which have graced all the previous albums, missing are the lists of thanks and “who did what’s”. As I say, maybe there is a different version there, maybe the cassette is different, but this is all I have.

With this outlet for Thunder’s humour gone, what we have is a ten year retrospective of the band’s career, running from 02/01/89 when Terraplane split up and a couple of the guys decided to form Thunder, through to 15/03/99 when this album was originally released. There are a few words from rock journalists who championed the band, Neil Jeffries’ piece in particular raising a number of smiles, and providing some information I didn’t know, and pictures from promotional shots, of record covers and from magazines, gig tickets and posters. The best of these has to be the shots of some of the band in their younger days (I think it’s Ben in the cub scout uniform!), the band with Melinda Messenger, who looks a little nervous and the votes from a best new band poll, which put them ahead of the Black Crowes. Most confusing has to be the poster from a gig in Nagoya in 1992, which is largely in Japanese, and the record cover for a (I think it’s) Dutch release of “Het Stilzwegen Doorbroken”, which I have NO idea what song that is! If anyone can translate, I’d be grateful!

The humour appears most readily in the notes that accompany the retrospective, although you do need to go looking for them. Comments that almost seem to have been thrown in amongst the music news such as “03/06/89. Crystal Palace promoted to division one. Harry is pleased” and “23/07/97. Danny’s knee operation. Much hobbling and cursing arises” don’t really tell you anything about what’s on the CD, but are great for summing up the band. Information like finding out that only 35 people attended their first gig in Southend in July 1989 and that “The Thrill of it All” would have been released in late 1996 instead of 1997 if Ben hadn’t had tendonitis and been barred from playing his guitar are things you never knew before, but somehow add so much to the love of the band. There were hard times, but they kept going, and they kept getting stronger.

As entertaining as the booklet is, it’s the music that people loved Thunder for, and there’s plenty of that. There’s nothing as wild and raucous as “Dirty Love”, nothing as laugh out loud funny as “Stand Up”, but there’s also nothing as contrary to the usual Thunder sound as “Moth to the Flame”, or as poorly executed as “River of Pain”. What you find yourself with is a great example of how to write and play eleven rock songs.

Just as a final interesting aside, whenever I put this album into my PCs CD drive, it tells me I’m playing Steve Earle’s “Transcendental Blues”, an album I’d never previously heard of. If anyone has a copy, let me know if it’s any good.

“Just Another Suicide (You Wanna Know)”

This was the first single from the album and is the closest song within to the traditional Thunder sound, that up-tempo pop-rock style that they do so well. It’s a tirade against tabloid journalists, who the band have not had the best relationship with since being branded “cockneys” early in their career. (They’re from South London, not the East End, if you were wondering why that upset them!) It’s about those kind of people who dig up the muck looking to fins something sensational to write about and print, rather than worrying too much about sensitivity and who they’re going to hurt.

Danny’s voice is on top form here, high but not strained. The song starts with a brief acoustic intro, before the drums and the electric guitars come in. It’s happy sounding tune, even though the subject matter is really a tirade. The really noticeable thing here is the backing vocals, which really let the band down badly on “Behind Closed Doors.” Somewhere between 1995 and 1999, someone has taught the rest of the band to sing a little. They’ll never be as good as Danny but then, very few rock vocalists can get even close to Danny’s voice, much less guitarists!

“(You wanna know) Who’s been living in the fast lane/(You wanna know) Underneath it you’re all the same/(You wanna know) Hurting people it’s a full-time campaign/’Cause it’s the only way you know.”

“All I Ever Wanted”

A ballad on one of Thunder’s favourite aspects of a relationship, namely, “Whoops, I think I might have blown it”. It’s that point in a relationship just after it’s ended after you’ve done something a little bit silly which has caused your partner to walk away, but have realised that it wasn’t as good an idea as it seemed at the time, as you’ve found that the old adage of “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone” still holds true.

It’s largely acoustically led to start with, although there is a piano that takes over during the second verse. The electric guitars are present in the background, somehow managing not to overshadow the acoustic or the piano. The vocals on the chorus are Danny in tandem with some of the rest of the band, and one of the band (I think it may be Luke) adds bits in during the final verse, but again, these sounds as if they should be there, fitting in fairly well with Danny’s vocals, rather than sounding so far away from the tune he’s singing that they stick out.

“Today was just the same, wondering when the feeling might pass/I rearranged the room but it didn’t help me shake off the past, oh no/I can still see your face, frozen in time and in space/And I don’t know if I can take any more”

“Giving the Game Away”

The title track is about failing to keep a secret, and being hated for it. It’s about those times when you’ve trusted someone with your deepest thoughts, only to discover them spread all over town shortly afterwards. It’s about confronting that person about what they’ve done, telling them how two-faced they think you are. I think, judging from some of the lines, it’s mostly aimed at the press, but it could well apply all over.

Musically this is unique in Thunder’s recordings because there are points, mostly during the verses and the bridge, where Danny’s voice is distorted. It’s clearly intentional, as Danny’s voice could never sound like that naturally. This is a slower, mid-tempo number starting with keyboards and electric guitar. The keyboard sounds in the background throughout the song have a touch of “I am the Walrus” about them, but the electric guitar when it really gets going dispels any thoughts of that.

“Work your magic on another fool/I can’t believe they believed in you/’Cause in the end you won’t see it through/You’re giving the game away/Promise everything beneath the sun/Your only game is what you’re working on/How much longer can you carry on/Giving the game away”

“You’ll Still Need a Friend”

Another slower number. There do appear to be a lot more of these than on previous Thunder albums, which isn’t always a bad thing, but for a band known for their faster paced numbers, does represent a major change, and not always for the better.

As you would expect from Thunder, it’s about the break up of a relationship. She has figured that it isn’t working, and is preparing to walk away. He realises that it’s the best thing for them both, but wants her to know that she will always have his support, and that they can stay friends. Just in case things don’t work out and she needs a shoulder to cry on. There’s no way of knowing whether she agrees with this assessment, and what happens next. Looking back over Thunder’s previous songs, and how they often seem to interlink in themes, I suspect we might have found out on the next album.

This starts with the guitar and bass, and some nice bell sounds from the drum, before the first verse is reduced to Danny’s voice and an acoustic guitar, with a little bit from the keyboards for augmentation. The feel of the song is that there is something held back, although they do cut loose a little towards the end, before it’s reined back in for the finale. With this band, especially with the ballads, you know there’s a lot in reserve that you aren’t being allowed to see.

“Compromise solution, still could save the day/But when I move toward the middle, you just turn away/I understand your reasons, but that don’t stop the pain/The path was there before me, and from it you won’t stray”

“Rolling the Dice”

Oh, the return of Thunder’s fun side! It’s about the trials and tribulations of being a rock star. You wonder if they’re talking about themselves and, given the way they’ve taken themselves less than seriously over the years, you have to suspect they are. A band that can laugh at themselves is quite a rare thing, so this is enjoyable. It’s about love-hating being in the industry, not really liking the attention, but at the same time loving the life far too much to stop.

Simple beginning, a little keyboards, some light guitar, some maracas, and then it lights up about thirty seconds in. The electric guitars come in, with a dirty, blues feel, and a bit of piano in parts, vaguely reminiscent of The Quireboys at their best back in 1990. It’s a quicker, rockier number than the previous three, and comes as a welcome change.

“I sometimes wish I’d never learned to play the guitar/Until I turn around and see the size of my car/’Cause if the truth be known I’m not a hit with the girls/And it’s murder living up to all the stories they’ve heard”

“Numb”

Back to the ballads. I love this track, as the chorus is, in my opinion (and this is, after all, my opinion!) one of the finest lyrics that Thunder have ever written. It’s about the feeling you get when you’re being dumped, at that very point in the conversation when what’s happening has just sunk in, but you’re still having trouble believing it’s true. Nothing seems real, and everything that’s happening to you, and around you, seems to be happening to someone else. You can’t figure out where it went wrong, as all the reasons she’s giving for ending it isn’t the truth, but seems true to her, and there’s nothing you can do about it. If you’ve ever been dumped, it’s the kind of song that you want to have on as it sums up the way you feel, but don’t want to have around in case it makes you break down.

Unusually for a Thunder ballad, the intro features the electric guitars, but this soon ends and the first verse is just Danny and a piano, with a quiet cymbal here and there. Later on the guitars come back in, somewhat reminiscent of the power ballads Thunder did so well before, but without going so far. Yes, there’s a guitar solo, but it’s not as intricate as with previous power ballads, and it’s not as long. The song itself is about a minute shorter than their classic “Love Walked In”, and most of that difference has been removed from a guitar solo, and the song fades out largely on the piano, rather than on an over-the-top guitar solo. I think that it’s this, combined with the lyrics that really make you believe in Thunder’s newfound maturity.

“And everything that you said, every bitter regret/Every poisoned arrow is flying over my head/’Cause something’s going on in my head but I’m not there, like I’m drifting away/Something’s going on in my heart, but I don’t care/I can’t face it again, I’m numb with the pain I feel”

“Play That Funky Music”

So, you’re thinking, “that has to be a cover of the “Wild Cherry” song, and it’ll be dreadful as it’s being done by a rock band”. Well, you’re wrong. Well, half wrong. Yes, it’s the cover of the Wild Cherry number one (1976, for you youngsters out there!), but it’s actually pretty good. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating, that Danny’s voice has a kind of bluesy, funky twang to it that really comes out when you surround it with a heavy bass line. He’s perfect singing this song, and the band’s backing vocals work really well. The guitar solo is overlaid with the funky bass line that characterises this song, as are Danny’s vocals, although not enough to be intrusive.

The lead singer from Wild Cherry says that this song started at a rock gig, when one of his audience told him to play something funky. Apparently, when he told his band about this, the drummer said, “you gotta play that funky music, white boy”, and the song was born. The song is about changing the kind of music you play and getting a little funkier. The band did, the song does, and Thunder do it well!

“When there was dancing and singing, and moving to the grooving/And just when it hit me/Somebody turned around and shouted/Play that funky music, white boy/Play that funky music right/Play that funky music white boy/Lay down and boogie and play that funky music ‘til you die”

“’Til it Shines”

Another song with a wry sense of humour running through it. It’s about having low self-esteem and being down on your luck. It covers cosmetic surgery, envy, the lottery, lucky charms. In essence, it’s about wanting more than you have. There’s an old saying that goes “Not he who has nothing, but he who wants more, is the poor man” (I used to know the Latin version, too, but I can’t remember it now), and it’s pretty much covering the second part of that phrase.

It’s a slower number again, with an acoustic start. Although there are some drums, and some electric guitar work, it’s another fairly restrained song. The tempo picks up a little about half way through, and there’s more guitar work, but it’s still holding back.

“’Cause sometimes on a bad day, I’ve got no self-esteem/Especially when I see those shiny colour magazines/Lord, oh I can see the picture now, of the transformation they could do for me/If I was dumb enough I’d pick up that phone and get in line/And they can stretch my sallow skin until it shines.”

“Time to get Tough”

These two songs seem to segue together. The last notes of the previous song are only just fading away when this one kicks in. It could well be that this song is the reverse side to the last one. In “’Til in Shines” you’re feeling sorry for yourself, and nothing’s going your way. In this song, very little is going your way, but you decide you’re not going to stand for it any more, and you’re going to take steps to ensure that things go your way. Some of the tactics you use may be underhanded, but that’s the way the game needs to be played, and you’ve been beaten down too long to worry about how you get up now.

It’s another fast tempo song, with an intro that belies what’s to follow. It’s a fairly gentle intro, a bluesy, mid-tempo guitar, and Danny’s voice adds to this for the first verse. However, in the pause in the middle of the verse, and into the chorus, it all opens up, and you get a loud rock song. The music follows beautifully the points where things aren’t going well for you (the quieter verses) and the choruses are louder, when you’ve decided to make a stand. Another sign of Thunder’s growing musical maturity, as they haven’t previously given the impression that they’ve thought of backing up two different parts of a song with differing musical styles.

“The girl you want is flirting with the competition/Then she tells you that she’s in love/So you decide to tell her he’s the other way/To give your chances just a little shove – shove!/It’s time to get tough”

“It’s Another Day”

Another slower number, although at mid-tempo rather than being a ballad, and another beautifully written song. The verses are nothing that special, but the bridge and the chorus are very well written. It’s another song about being down on your luck, but the exhortation here is to pick yourself up, put it all behind you, and look to a brighter future, as nothing’s quite as bad as it seems. As far as the story goes, this song could fit in quite nicely between “’Til it Shines” and “Time to get Tough”, although the latter suggests what might happen if the advice in this song might have been taken a step too far.

An acoustic guitar and drum intro, and some slightly distorted vocals, which I don’t think are Danny, on this occasion. The electric guitar comes in before the vocals, although the verses are largely covered by the acoustic guitar, with the electric coming in during the bridge and chorus, and the band taking on backing vocals duties in the chorus.

“Another day of freedom, another day alive/Another little battle you’ve survived/’Cause any way you cut it, there’s still a lot to love in this world/’Cause we all go through it/And when it all calms down, it’s another day/There ain’t nothing to it/You’re gonna find your way.”

“It Could Be Tonight”

What does that title mean to you? Not so much the lottery numbers that might come up, but being out with someone who you’ve been seeing for a little while as a friend, but you’re thinking about taking that final step and asking them out. The signals are there, you just need to act upon them. Will tonight be the night you make the move. The songs is about planning to ask them out, but wanting to see how this one last night goes before taking the plunge.

It starts with a slower tempo, the whole band involved musically, and with a “na, na, na” vocal, which stops suddenly and becomes an acoustic guitar and vocals number, before the drums come in at the end of the verse. The guitar again gets involved, but largely stays in the background until a little later on. Towards the end, this becomes more to the forefront, and the song ends the way it began.

“If the stars all align, at the right place in time/It could be tonight/I’ve been waiting so long, and if I don’t get it wrong/It could be tonight”

“The Hidden Bit on the End”

There’s about ninety seconds of the band saying thanks to people who have followed them for the last ten years, and hoping that they can go on for ten more. It’s a little sad to listen to, knowing what happened after this was released. They have a bit of a laugh, and muck about a little, in the Thunder style. They’re having fun doing it, which makes what followed seem that bit more tragic.

Unlike some of Thunder’s previous releases, this isn’t really the kind of record you want to put on at a party and jump about to. It’s a lot more restrained than that, but is a great album to listen to, perhaps as background music, and I think it would be quite relaxing in the car. I’ll let you know for sure when I have a car with a CD player!

However, the real beauty of this record is that you don’t have to be a Thunder fan to appreciate it. It’s a “calmer” album than many of their others, and would appeal to a much wider range of people. It’s not fully representative of their style, so is maybe not the best album to buy if you’re listening to Thunder for the first time.

For the Thunder fan, this is essential. It’s a very good album, and the comparison and the difference you’ll find between this and 1990’s debut “Backstreet Symphony” is one not to be missed. The two are quite different in style and content, and this is far more mature lyrically, but Danny’s voice hasn’t changed much in ten years, and that was always the most distinctive feature of the band’s sound. 

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