May 02, 2005

Interview with Harry James of THUNDER

I have always loved a good thunder and lightning storm because they are such a vivid display of the powers in nature, maybe Mother Nature’s rock and roll concert. So when I started listening to Thunder’s new album I was able to feel the energy of the band coming through in every flashing riff and thundering beat …These guys could do a duet with Mother Nature! As I learned more about the band one of the things that struck me the most was how much they love to perform live … They are true musicians and showmen! I have been listening to “The Magnificent Seventh” quite a bit and would suggest checking out the Juke Box if you haven’t heard it … A personal favorite of mine is “I Love You More Than Rock-n’Roll”!

1. While you guys have been around and made yourselves known for some years I would still like to start out by having you introduce yourselves and telling us a bit about the men behind the music.

Harry here - I'll do my best to summarize the multi-faceted personalities in the band!

Danny Bowes - Best singer in the UK for many years and will be for many years to come. Has incredible energy on stage and could have been an aerobics instructor if he wanted to. Has mammoth organizational skills (he knows where I'm going to be before I do!) and is very much "on the case". A straight talking man and will be honest with you and will not pull any punches.

Ben Matthews - Brilliant guitarist and keyboard player. He's very gifted and technically up to speed with what's going on at the moment. He is a well-accomplished studio engineer which is a talent that is useful in any band in this day and age. He loves his hair products and very loud shirts.

Chris Childs - Bass player extraordinaire. Also technically gifted and one of the best bass players I've had the pleasure of working with. Quiet at times, but thoughtful. Has played with many of the best musicians in the country. Glad he's in our band!

Luke Morley - Guitarist, producer, and the brains behind the songs. Luke has a huge talent both as a performer and as a songwriter and is probably the biggest party animal in the band! Intelligent man.

Me - Harry James - What can I say? I'm bald, play a bit of drums and guitar and I love wigs! Also, very good at tap dancing.


2. 'THE MAGNIFICENT SEVENTH' is out and making waves in the UK, Europe and Japan. Would you take a moment to tell us about this album and what you as the artists view as the most exciting
part?

Well I have to say we've all been surprised and pleased with the response on this album. The media and the fans have reacted very favorably and the great thing about most of the songs is that they are fantastic to play live. The album was great fun to make, the artwork
turned out great, and the response from the media and fans has been brilliant. Now we're out there playing it in a live concert situation and some of the shows number amongst the best we've ever done. It's very exciting at the moment!


3. Music is a huge part of my life, I love it for what it brings to me and the imagination and dedication it takes for an artist to release a successful album in today's music market. How was it working on THE MAGNIFICENT SEVENTH, and how do you feel about the final cut?

Me too! TMS was fun to record and was quite painless. I believe these are the best collection of songs we have recorded and therefore the best album we've released for many years.


4. I would like to elaborate some more on the songs on the album; nearly every CD I own I have "favorites" on it … Songs that have special meaning to me. I always wonder which songs on the albums are special to the artists. So, if you would please take a moment and tell us what your favorites are, why they are special to you and maybe some of the story behind the song(s)?


I like them all to be honest for too many different reasons. Some I like just because of the vibe of the song (e.g. You Can't Keep A Good Man Down - And you can't!) and there are a couple of songs where the lyrics are pertinent to my situation in life over the past few months. I'm talking about "I'm Dreaming Again" and "Fade Into The Sun". I'm a
hopeless old romantic so I'll leave it to your imagination to decide what you think has been happening in Harry James' World!


5. When you sit down to write a song either together or individually what sort of process do you follow? Do you start with an acoustic riff, maybe a lyric. What works for you as far as the creative process goes?

For me it starts with the music/riff and melody. The lyrics come later. Luke sometimes has a lyrical idea first. It can be a different writing process from song to song.


6. Many of your releases are recordings of live events; so we know that the live show is and has been one of the best parts of Thunder. What is your favorite part of the live performance and how do you view the live releases?

One of the favorite parts is the feedback from the audience. Whether they're singing their hearts out, jumping up and down, dancing to the music or laughing at me! That happens quite a lot may I add!! Don't know why though (ha ha). We record quite a few of our shows and we get a lot of positive feedback from Thunder fans saying that they would love to own a copy of our live show. We try our best to give them what they want, but there's a limit to the number of live shows that you can release. We try and pick the best ones and release them. We did a one off Christmas show at the end of last year and the people who were there got a live CD as part of their ticket. Now we're doing another one with slightly different songs on it for everyone who wasn't there to buy.


7. The release of 'Flawed To Perfection - The Videos (1990-1995)' is so exciting! I have always loved the videos and hope that some day they return as a common occurrence, but until then would you tell us about this special release?

It is released by EMI at the end of May. Thunder fans have always asked if the videos would be released and we had no control over when or if this would happen. I am pleased to say that it is happening. I supplied some of the cuttings (from my Thunder scrapbook!) for the artwork and I can't wait to have it in my DVD collection. A trip down Memory Lane! I'm really looking forward to it.


8. And perhaps while we are speaking of videos we should ask if there is a video that you have done that you look at as being the best, or a favorite, that you could share the story with us?

My favorite would have to be the first Dirty Love video. Lots of fun to make but not the best video we've made in my humble opinion. The Dirty Love USA version was quite fun to do too, because I had to do a shower scene with a young Pamela Anderson. Shocking stuff!! I think the best was "Low Life". Playing drums on the top of a huge building with a helicopter circling above you! That doesn't happen too often does it!
The sentiment of the song and the images in the video were very strong and topical at the time to me. Still are in fact.


9. While coming up with the questions for this interview I spent quite a bit of time on your site www.thunderonline.com and have to compliment you on a site well done! I found everything I was looking for and more that I wouldn't have expected. Do you think having your site has been beneficial and helps you stay in contact with your fans?

Thanks. Yes it has been incredibly beneficial. Most households have a computer and access to the net these days and it also helps us to monitor any opinions, issues or thoughts that Thunder fans may have. Also keeps them up to speed with forthcoming shows and releases. They can buy CDs DVDs and merchandise too if they wish, so hopefully the site is a very positive experience for all.


10. Artist websites are certainly one huge advantage the Internet has brought in but, I wonder how the artists truly feel about the Internet and the changes it and other technologies have brought to the music industry. What is your take on this?

I believe that the internet has benefited the artist that has the talent and longevity to be successful in the music industry. If you're clever, it can cut out the middle-man or the big record company machine so to speak. We are a classic case! Only the strongest survive!


11. As artists I am sure that you are always looking for what's on the horizon, and, I can assure you that we as fans are always excitedly asking - What's next?! So to make sure and cover all the bases would you tell us what's in the works for the months to come?

There's much touring to be done in the coming months! We are off to Germany and Japan and playing at some festivals during the summer months. Hopefully we'll be touring Europe and the UK towards the end of the year and in between, we'll be planning and writing the next album. Lots to be getting on with! Obviously check out our website for up to date info: http://www.thunderonline.com


12. And finally do you have any words for your fans around the world to close out the interview?

Just like to say to any Thunder fans out there, thanks for your continued support! See you soon!!

Posted by Kathy at May 2, 2005 12:57 PM