Thunder Up
title: "Thunder Up" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1987-albums", "the-sound-(band)-albums", "alternative-rock-albums-by-english-artists"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_Up" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Thunder Up |
| type | studio |
| artist | the Sound |
| cover | Thunder Up cover.jpg |
| released | December 1987 |
| recorded | 1987 |
| studio | Elephant Studio, Wapping, London |
| genre | Post-punk |
| length | 40:14 |
| label | Play It Again Sam |
| producer | {{flatlist |
| prev_title | Heads and Hearts |
| prev_year | 1985 |
| next_title | Propaganda |
| next_year | 1999 |
| misc | {{Singles |
| name | Thunder Up |
| type | studio |
| single1 | Hand of Love |
| single1date | 1987 |
| single2 | Iron Years |
| single2date | 1987 |
| :: |
| name = Thunder Up | type = studio | artist = the Sound | cover = Thunder Up cover.jpg | alt = | released = December 1987 | recorded = 1987 | venue = | studio = Elephant Studio, Wapping, London | genre = Post-punk | length = 40:14 | label = Play It Again Sam | producer = {{flatlist|
- The Sound
- Nick Robbins | prev_title = Heads and Hearts | prev_year = 1985 | next_title = Propaganda | next_year = 1999 | misc = {{Singles | name = Thunder Up | type = studio | single1 = Hand of Love | single1date = 1987 | single2 = Iron Years | single2date = 1987
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.
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.
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".
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.
Reception
| rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = The Big Takeover | rev2score = favourable | rev4 = Trouser Press | rev4score = favourable
The album was well received immediately on release by The Big Takeover, who acknowledged it as a "stunning, moving juggernaut". 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".
Thunder Up was a favourite among Sound members. Drummer Michael Dudley named it as one of his favourite Sound albums (along with Propaganda), while Graham Bailey called it the band's "crowning glory". 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".
Track listing
| all_writing = Adrian Borland, except as noted | title1 = Acceleration Group | length1 = 3:32 | title2 = Hand of Love | length2 = 3:18 | title3 = Barria Alta | writer3 = Borland, Colvin "Max" Mayers, Graham Bailey, Michael Dudley | length3 = 4:47 | title4 = Kinetic | length4 = 5:15 | title5 = Iron Years | writer5 = Borland, Bailey | length5 = 4:11 | title6 = Prove Me Wrong | length6 = 2:28 | title7 = Shot Up and Shut Down | length7 = 4:19 | title8 = Web of Wicked Ways | length8 = 2:56 | title9 = I Give You Pain | length9 = 5:05 | title10 = You've Got a Way | length10 = 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
References
- (1987). "Thunder Up". [[PIAS Recordings.
- Houghtaling, Adam Brent. (2012). "This Will End in Tears". HarperCollins.
- Reeves, Paul Sutton. (March 2002). "[The Sound biography]". [[Record Collector]].
- "''Thunder Up'' The Sound".
- (23 December 1987). "[''Thunder Up'' review]". [[The Big Takeover]].
- "TrouserPress.com :: Sound".
- (23 December 1987). "The Sound – ''Thunder Up'' /Hand of Love/ Iron Years (Play It Again Sam BEL, Nettwerk CAN)". [[The Big Takeover]].
- Mercer, Mick. "[''Thunder Up'' review]". [[Melody Maker]].
- Clarkson, John. "[Michael Dudley interview]". pennyblackmusic.com.
- (1998). "[Adrian Borland interview]". Limit.
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