Bang! (Thunder album)

Bang!
Studio album by
Thunder
Released3 November 2008 (2008-11-03)
StudioWalton Castle
(Clevedon, Somerset, England)
Genre
Length54:09
LabelSTC
ProducerLuke Morley
Thunder studio album chronology
Robert Johnson's Tombstone
(2006) 		Bang!
(2008) 		Wonder Days
(2015)

Bang! is the ninth studio album by English hard rock band Thunder. Recorded at Walton Castle in Clevedon, North Somerset, it was produced by the band's lead guitarist Luke Morley. The album was released in the UK by STC Recordings on 3 November 2008, and later in Europe by Frontiers Records and in Japan by Victor Entertainment. The album was released alongside the extended play The Joy of Six, containing six previously unreleased tracks.

Bang! debuted at number 62 on the UK Albums Chart and number 2 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart. No singles were released from the album, although "On the Radio" was issued as a promotional release. Following the album's release, Thunder completed a short concert tour in the UK before announcing that they were due to disband for a second time in August 2009, with the final run of shows dubbed "20 Years & Out: The Farewell Tour".

Background

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Prior to working on their ninth album, Thunder recorded and released two extended plays (EPs) of new tracks and live recordings – Six of One... and ...Half a Dozen of the Other – which were released on 8 October 2007 and 7 April 2008, respectively.[1] A third EP, The Joy of Six, was issued on the same day as Bang! and came in a box designed to house both previous EPs.[2] Sessions for Bang! began in February 2008,[1] with the band working at Walton Castle in Clevedon, North Somerset.[3] Ben Matthews recalls that "Recording at the castle was a real experience. Taking our Pro Tools rig and a big box of microphones, we turned one castle turret into a control room and another turret into a recording studio. Linking them with a long cable, I had to climb up and run it along the top of the castle walls."[2] Matthews likened the production process to that of Deep Purple's 1972 album Machine Head, which was recorded at the Grand Hotel in Montreux, Switzerland using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.[4]

Bang! was released in the UK by STC Recordings on 3 November 2008, following a launch party on 27 October at the Hard Rock Cafe in Manchester featuring an acoustic set from the band.[1] The album was later released in Europe by Frontiers Records and in Japan by Victor Entertainment, the latter of which featured two bonus tracks.[5] It debuted at number 62 on the UK Albums Chart,[6] number 2 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart,[7] and number 73 on the Scottish Albums Chart.[8] Outside of the UK, it reached number 99 on the Oricon Albums Chart in Japan.[9] The album's opening track "On the Radio" was released as the only promotional single from the album.[10] Bang! was promoted on a short eight-date tour of the UK from 21 to 30 November 2008,[11] before the band announced in January 2009 that they were due to break up after a farewell tour running until August.[1]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Luke Morley, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."On the Radio"4:15
2."Stormwater"4:56
3."Carol Ann"4:38
4."Retribution"4:26
5."Candy Man"4:00
6."Have Mercy"4:56
7."Watching Over You" (co-written by Andy Taylor and Mike Keen)4:35
8."Miracle Man"4:22
9."Turn Left at California"5:17
10."Love Sucks"4:38
11."One Bullet"3:43
12."Honey"4:23
Total length:54:09
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Chain Reaction"4:50
14."I Believe"5:21
Total length:64:20

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (2008) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[9] 99
Scottish Albums (OCC)[12] 25
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 62
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[14] 2
Chart (2024) Peak
position
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[15] 14

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "History". Thunder. Archived from the original on 20 May 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b McIver 2016, p. 292
  3. ^ McIver 2016, p. 294
  4. ^ Wawzenek, Bryan (25 March 2017). "45 Years Ago: Deep Purple Emerges From the Flames on 'Machine Head'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Diffuser Network. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Bang!". Thunder. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  6. ^ "Thunder Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40: 09 November 2008 - 15 November 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100: 09 November 2008 - 15 November 2008". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  9. ^ a b "サンダーのランキング: アルバム売上ランキング" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  10. ^ "On the Radio". Thunder. Archived from the original on 19 July 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  11. ^ "Bang! Tour". Thunder. Archived from the original on 24 April 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  12. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  13. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2024.

Bibliography

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