Thunder and Lightning is the twelfth and final studio album by Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy, released on 4 March 1983. Guitarist John Sykes was hired to replace Snowy White after 1981's Renegade, and Sykes helped to provide a heavier sound and guitar tone than Thin Lizzy had used on previous albums. However, the bulk of the songwriting (except for "Cold Sweat") was completed before he joined the band. Keyboard player Darren Wharton also offered a stronger musical influence to Thin Lizzy's final studio album, co-writing many of the tracks including "Some Day She Is Going to Hit Back", and the final single "The Sun Goes Down". A farewell tour followed the album's release, followed by the live album Life. The group's co-founder, frontman and bass player Phil Lynott died in 1986.
| Thunder and Lightning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 March 1983[1] | |||
| Recorded | Late 1982 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:36 | |||
| Label | Vertigo Mercury (Canada) Warner Bros. (US) | |||
| Producer | Thin Lizzy and Chris Tsangarides | |||
| Thin Lizzy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[5] |
| Metal Hammer (GER) | 5/7[6] |
AllMusic's Greg Prato proclaimed Thunder and Lightning "a definite improvement" compared to much of their other output in the 1980s, but remarked that the record was not the "best release" by the band.[4]
Track listings
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thunder and Lightning" | Brian Downey, Phil Lynott | 4:56 |
| 2. | "This Is the One" | Lynott, Darren Wharton | 4:04 |
| 3. | "The Sun Goes Down" | Lynott, Wharton | 6:20 |
| 4. | "The Holy War" | Lynott | 5:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Cold Sweat" | Lynott, John Sykes | 3:06 |
| 6. | "Someday She Is Going to Hit Back" | Downey, Lynott, Wharton | 4:05 |
| 7. | "Baby Please Don’t Go" | Lynott | 5:10 |
| 8. | "Bad Habits" | Scott Gorham, Lynott | 4:04 |
| 9. | "Heart Attack" | Gorham, Lynott, Wharton | 3:39 |
The limited edition double LP and cassette version of the album adds four tracks, recorded live in Britain while Snowy White was still a member of the band.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Emerald" | Gorham, Brian Robertson, Downey, Lynott | |
| 6. | "Killer on the Loose" | Lynott | |
| 12. | "The Boys Are Back in Town" | Lynott | |
| 13. | "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)" | Gorham, Lynott |
2013 Deluxe Edition
editIn 2013, a deluxe edition of the album was released. It consisted of two discs: disc one included the original release, and disc two contained live recordings from a 1981 Hammersmith Odeon show and a number of demos.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Angel of Death" | Lynott, Wharton | 7:30 |
| 2. | "Don't Believe a Word" | Lynott | 8:16 |
| 3. | "Emerald" | Gorham, Robertson, Downey, Lynott | 4:17 |
| 4. | "Killer on the Loose" | Lynott | 5:39 |
| 5. | "The Boys Are Back in Town" | Lynott | 5:10 |
| 6. | "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)" | Gorham, Lynott | 4:37 |
| 7. | "The Sun Goes Down" | Lynott, Wharton | 6:07 |
| 8. | "Bad Habits" | Gorham, Lynott | 4:32 |
| 9. | "This Is the One" | Lynott, Wharton | 4:21 |
| 10. | "Thunder and Lightning" | Downey, Lynott | 4:58 |
| 11. | "Cold Sweat" | Lynott, Sykes | 3:10 |
| 12. | "Baby Please Don't Go" | Lynott | 5:38 |
| 13. | "Heart Attack" | Gorham, Lynott, Wharton | 3:41 |
| 14. | "The Holy War" | Lynott | 5:17 |
| 15. | "Someday She Is Going to Hit Back" | Downey, Lynott, Wharton | 4:00 |
- Tracks 1–6 recorded live in 1981 at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, 27 November 1981.
- Tracks 1–2 originally issued as B-sides on the "Cold Sweat" single.
- Tracks 3–6 originally included as bonus tracks on double LP and cassette versions of the album.
- Tracks 7–15 are original album demo versions.
Singles
edit- "Cold Sweat" / "Bad Habits" – 4 February 1983
- A double single pack and 12" were also released, the other tracks being "Angel of Death" (live) / "Don't Believe a Word" (live).
- "Thunder and Lightning" / "Still in Love with You" (live) – April 1983
- A 12" was also released, featuring the same two tracks and a poster.
- "The Sun Goes Down" / "Baby Please Don't Go" – July 1983
- The B-side in the Netherlands was "Bad Habits".
- "The Sun Goes Down (Remix)" / "The Sun Goes Down (Extended)" / "Baby Please Don't Go" – 12" (1983)
Personnel
editThin Lizzy
edit- Phil Lynott – bass guitar, vocals
- Scott Gorham – guitar, backing vocals
- John Sykes – guitar, backing vocals
- Darren Wharton – keyboards, backing vocals
- Brian Downey – drums, percussion
Production
edit- Chris Tsangarides – producer, engineer, mixing
- Andrew Warwick – engineer
- Chris Ludwinski – tape op, assistant engineer
- Ian Cooper – mastering at Townhouse Studios, London
Charts
edit| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7] | 42 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] | 40 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[9] | 29 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[10] | 10 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 12 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 4 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 159 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Silver | 60,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Popoff, Martin (2012). It's Getting Dangerous: Thin Lizzy 81–12. Power Chord Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-9811057-6-5.
- ^ "Thin Lizzy – Looking Back at 1983's Thunder and Lightning, the End of an Era!". ZRockR Magazine. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "Thin Lizzy - Thunder And Lightning Album of the Week Club review". Classic Rock. 4 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ a b Prato, Greg. "Thin Lizzy – Thunder and Lightning review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 355. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ^ Leim, Christof (May 2006). "Thin Lizzy – Thunder and Lightning". Metal Hammer (in German). Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6255a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Thin Lizzy – Thunder and Lightning" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Thin Lizzy – Thunder and Lightning". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Thin Lizzy – Thunder and Lightning". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "Thin Lizzy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "British album certifications – Thin Lizzy – Thunder and Lightning". British Phonographic Industry.
