Robert Johnson's Tombstone - Thunder

...Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. Robert Johnson supposedly died after being poisoned and there is a legend that says he sold his soul to the devil in return for being able to play the guitar better. Regardless of whether this is true, it is his blues roots that give a clue towards the sound of this album.

His story is told in the opening and title track, “Robert Johnson’s Tombstone”. A gentle opening soon gives way into a stomping ...
...much been a Thunder trademark over the last two decades, although this does perhaps have more of a nod towards blues-rock than the rock-pop sound fans might be used to; maybe edging towards the more blues influenced sound of Luke Morley’s solo album, “El Gringo Retro”.

“Dirty Dream” is perhaps a little closer towards the Thunder sound, being a little more up-tempo and a little more towards the pop-rock side of things. Lyrically, this ... more

In these days of flash in the pan musical acts, it’s refreshing to be able to review a band’s eighth studio album; a band that have been together on and off for nearly two decades. Knowing the fickle nature of music fans, it does give me a little proud moment to be able to say that I’ve been a fan since the debut album, “Backstreet Symphony”, was released in 1989.

Always a pop-rock band with a blues edge, thanks to Luke Morley’s writing, this time the band have named the album after a legendary blues singer, who influenced both the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. Robert Johnson supposedly died after being poisoned and there is a legend that says he sold his soul to the devil in return for being able to play the guitar better. Regardless of whether this is true, it is his blues roots that give a clue towards the sound of this album.

His story is told in the opening and title track, “Robert Johnson’s Tombstone”. A gentle opening soon gives way into a stomping mid-tempo rock track with a blues undertone, which has very much been a Thunder trademark over the last two decades, although this does perhaps have more of a nod towards blues-rock than the rock-pop sound fans might be used to; maybe edging towards the more blues influenced sound of Luke Morley’s solo album, “El Gringo Retro”.

“Dirty Dream” is perhaps a little closer towards the Thunder sound, being a little more up-tempo and a little more towards the pop-rock side of things. Lyrically, this has a nod towards Whitesnake but the song is unmistakably Thunder, especially with Danny’s distinctive vocal over the top. This is one of my favourites from the album and will prove to any Thunder fan that the band hasn’t lost anything over the last twenty years.

Given that Thunder produced one of the greatest rock ballads of all time with 1989’s “Love Walked In”, it’s no surprise that they should keep trying to emulate it. “A Million Faces” is another ballad from the band which, like many of their efforts since, is a decent attempt but pales in comparison with what they can do. It has all the hallmarks of a soft rock ballad, with the harmonies in the chorus, the acoustic start leading into an overblown stadium rock style ending and a big guitar solo, but it’s nothing special in terms of stadium rock ballads.

“Don’t Wanna Talk About Love” starts off sounding like it’s going to be much the same again and it does prove that way. It’s a little more rock influenced than the previous track, with less of the overblown stadium rock touches. Again, it’s a decent enough rock ballad, but nothing more than that.

The album picks up with “The Devil Made Me Do It”, which was the first single from the album. It’s a mid tempo pop-rock track with Thunder’s trademark humour all over it. There’s a bluesy influence to the music that has a hint of Whitesnake, but the song is the closest thing to one of their earlier “Backstreet Symphony” style rock songs than they’ve had in ages, although the band’s harmonies have improved greatly over the years. It’s obvious why this was the first single and it’s my favourite track on the whole album

There’s a much darker influence to “Last Man Standing” than is usual for the band and makes me think of some of their “Behind Closed Doors” era tunes. This is pretty much a straight out rock song, without the usual softer pop-rock edge and it’s one of their more political songs, relating as it does to sending people off to war. Although it’s not a bad song, at nearly seven minutes it is the longest that Thunder have ever done and it does go on a little bit.

“My Darkest Hour” returns to the soft rock ballad that Thunder do so well and has a very stripped down feel, just being a vocal, an acoustic guitar and some strings. I keep expecting the song to break out into a soft rock stadium ballad in the style of their 1990 track “Until My Dying Day”, but it stays the same all the way through which does make it a bit dull after a while and this isn’t one you could play too often.

Over their last couple of albums, Thunder have shown their distaste with the way reality TV is creating “celebrities” out of nothing. “Andy Warhol Said” worries that Warhol’s “Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes” quote has suddenly become true. The song returns to Thunder’s strengths, being a great pop-rock song, stretching Danny’s impressive vocals and with a touch of humour in the lyrics. I love this one as much for the message as the music and it’s another immediate favourite.

They stick with a winning theme for “What a Beautiful Day”, which is another up tempo pop rock track, although not as intentionally fun as “Andy Warhol Said”. It’s still a great foot tapping song, with all the stadium rock rules being followed, with a great driving rock riff that expands into the bridge and chorus, although the chorus isn’t really one you can sing along to. I wouldn’t say this is one of the best tracks on the album, but it’s not far behind the best.

Unusually for Thunder, “It’s All About You” has a piano intro rather than a guitar one. However, the band have put on some great ballads starting this way before and this is up there with them. It’s a great pop ballad with a slight pop-rock edge and has the thoughtful kind of lyrics that were last seen on “Numb” from 1999’s “Giving the Game Away” album.

“Stubborn Kinda Love” is an up tempo finish to the album and proves what has seemed the case for most of the album, that Thunder are on form this time around. It’s a mid-tempo pop-rock track with a slightly darker feel to the music, but with a decent groove to it. As with “What a Beautiful Day”, it’s a decent track, but doesn’t quite live up to the best on the album.

Whilst this isn’t quite Thunder’s best album, it certainly stands up well next to any of their other releases. Whilst a little darker musically than some of their earlier albums, it’s full of the effective ballads and the stadium rock tunes that have helped them keep a strong and dedicated fan base for the best part of two decades. It’s an album any existing Thunder fan should own a copy of.

If you’re not a fan of the band, there is a greatest hits album which may be a better place to begin, although this is an album that will give a pretty indicative idea of their sound. Any fans of soft rock and stadium rock music could well enjoy this.

About the only down side to the album is that Thunder’s music does tend to be quite expensive, as they don’t have a record deal and haven’t done for several years. However, at 11 tracks and 51 minutes long, it’s good value even at the Amazon and Townsend Records price of £11.99, thanks to the high quality of the album. Really cheap copies are hard to come by, with eBay offering copies at £3.20 and the Amazon Marketplace having a best price of £5.99.

They may write songs about tombstones, but Thunder aren’t dead and aren’t ready to be buried yet. Their eighth studio album is nearly as good as anything they’ve produced and is a treat for any pop-rock fan. 

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