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Thunder and Fire

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Thunder and Fire
Studio album by
Jason & the Scorchers
Released1989
GenreRock and roll, roots rock, country rock
LabelA&M[1]
ProducerBarry Beckett
Jason & the Scorchers chronology
Still Standing
(1986) 		Thunder and Fire
(1989) 		Essential Jason and the Scorchers, Volume One: Are You Ready for the Country
(1992)

Thunder and Fire is an album by the American band Jason & the Scorchers, released in 1989.[2][3] The band promoted the album by playing shows with Webb Wilder and Bob Dylan, among others.[4][5] "When the Angels Cry" and "Find You" were released as singles.[6]

The album was a commercial disappointment, failing to chart.[7][8] The band broke up after the album's release, but reformed in the mid-1990s.[9]

Production

[edit]

The album was produced by Barry Beckett.[10][11] The band placed stage lights in the studio, to reproduce the atmosphere of a live show.[12] The Scorchers spent two years making the album, recording it with new members Andy York and Ken Fox; the band had around 45 songs from which to choose.[13][14][8] "My Kingdom for a Car" is a cover of the Phil Ochs song.[3] "Bible and a Gun" was cowritten by Steve Earle.[15] Don Schlitz cowrote "When the Angels Cry".[16]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Chicago Sun-Times[18]
Chicago Tribune[19]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[9]
Houston Chronicle[20]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[5]
Ottawa Citizen[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[21]

Trouser Press wrote that, "rather than successfully integrating the group's stylistic impulses, Thunder and Fire divides them into reheated rockers that short the Scorchers' personality and semi-acoustic country numbers that seem out of place."[15] The Washington Post concluded that it "comes closer to the band's high-voltage live show than any of its first three albums."[4] The Richmond Times-Dispatch labeled that band "honest, unfussy and committed to delivering red hot rock 'n' roll."[22] The Houston Chronicle considered it "a graceful attempt at gaining a wider audience without sacrificing the band's soul."[20]

The Chicago Tribune determined that "Jason is no snarler—his voice is plaintive—and his melodies keep ringing long after the volume subsides."[19] The New York Times concluded that "few bands can deliver clanging, stomping, crunching flat-out rock-and-roll like Jason and the Scorchers."[23] The Chicago Sun-Times opined that Thunder and Fire "lacks the songwriting richness of previous efforts, but it comes close to capturing the concert sizzle of America's most incendiary roots-rock band."[18] The Providence Journal listed the album as one of the ten best of 1989.[24]

AllMusic wrote that "Bible and a Gun" "recalls the best things about the roots-rock movement of the late '80s."[17] The Austin American-Statesman deemed "When the Angels Cry" "the most powerful music of the band's recorded history."[25] The Rolling Stone Album Guide noted that the songs were still about "girls and driving."[21]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."When the Angels Cry" 
2."Now That You're Mine" 
3."You Gotta Way with Me" 
4."My Kingdom for a Car" 
5."Close Up the Road" 
6."Lights Out" 
7."Find You" 
8."Bible and a Gun" 
9."Six Feet Underground" 
10."No Turning Back" 
11."Away from You" 

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Krampert, Peter (March 23, 2016). The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica. Mel Bay Publications.
  2. ^ "Jason & the Scorchers Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ a b "Jason and the Nashville Scorchers". Perfect Sound Forever.
  4. ^ a b "Honky-Tonk If You Love Rock". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. pp. 595–596.
  6. ^ Smith, Andy (October 20, 1989). "Rock 'n' roll, Nashville style". The Providence Journal. p. D9.
  7. ^ Snider, Eric (10 Nov 1989). "Scorchers remain one big-selling album away from catching fire". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 25.
  8. ^ a b DeVault, Russ (November 10, 1989). "Scorchers Absolutely Awed to Be Dylan's Openers". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. G3.
  9. ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 586.
  10. ^ "Records". Part II. Newsday. 24 July 1989. p. 2.
  11. ^ Anderson, Dale (August 25, 1989). "Pop". The Buffalo News. p. G36.
  12. ^ a b Erskine, Evelyn (8 Sep 1989). "Jason and The Scorchers Thunder and Fire". Ottawa Citizen. p. D6.
  13. ^ Miller, Michael (July 21, 1989). "Down-Home American Rock 'n' Roll on Its Way". The State. p. 7D.
  14. ^ Hawkins, Robert J. (August 2, 1989). "Only the name same for Jason, Scorchers". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C9.
  15. ^ a b "Jason and the Nashville Scorchers". Trouser Press. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  16. ^ Kot, Greg (14 Sep 1989). "A controlled fire: Jason and the Scorchers add discipline to their wild act". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 3.
  17. ^ a b "Thunder and Fire". AllMusic.
  18. ^ a b McLeese, Don (August 11, 1989). "Jason and the Scorchers, 'Thunder and Fire'". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 25.
  19. ^ a b Caro, Mark (3 Aug 1989). "Rave recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 13C.
  20. ^ a b Racine, Marty (September 3, 1989). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 8.
  21. ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 362.
  22. ^ McCarty, Patrick (August 29, 1989). "Jason and the Scorchers Have Blistering New Album". Young Virginians. Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 30.
  23. ^ Pareles, Jon (6 Aug 1989). "Recordings: Recent Releases". The New York Times. p. A26.
  24. ^ Smith, Andy (January 4, 1990). "The very best sounds of '89". The Providence Journal. p. E3.
  25. ^ McLeese, Don (16 July 1992). "Musical rebirth works for singers". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 5.
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