After being a member of the mega star pop combo, Duran Duran, Mr. Taylor wanted to be taken seriously as a musician in his own right. That’s the problem when you are in a teeny pop band, no one takes you seriously. Duran Duran’s popularity was slipping somewhat at the time, and Andy teamed up with ex-Sex Pistol Steve Jones to record this album. Now if you’re like me, you would be expecting a hard edged rock n roll album, but no. What you get is a very polished American 80’s rock album with tunes and melodies.
I Might Lie is a good rocking opening track, and Don’t Let Me Die Young could have been on any eighties soundtrack album. Life Goes On is a very syrupy cheesy ballad and not my favourite type of track. The last track on Side 1 (and the title track) is Thunder and it’s a sure fire ringer for Billy Idol.
Flipping over to Side 2 with Night Train, and it’s quite a limp track and has a weak chorus and melody line. Filler anyone? A very eighties keyboard driven Trembling is next, and it doesn’t seem to go anywhere – just round and round. Bringin’ Me Down is next and it fairs better as the chorus and melody are a lot stronger. See boys and girls, if you don’t have the skills to do a muso style solo record and you go down the tunes route, then you have to have strong material, or else what is the point? Broken Window again suffers from not being well written, and the last track, French Windows, is a rather pointless instrumental that again goes nowhere. So not a great record I’m afraid.
5/10 from The Grooveman.
