Thunder in the East is the fifth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness, and the first released by a major American label after the contract signed with Atco Records, then a subsidiary of Atlantic Records. Aside from being the band's first all-English release, it is the first Loudness album produced by Max Norman, best known for his previous work with Ozzy Osbourne, who also produced Lightning Strikes in 1986 and Soldier of Fortune in 1989. Thunder in the East features the single "Crazy Nights", the band's biggest hit in America, and the power ballad "Never Change Your Mind".[1] This album marked the first time[citation needed] a Japanese band entered the US Top 100 chart, where it remained for 23 weeks, peaking at No. 74.[3]
| Thunder in the East | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 January 1985 | |||
| Recorded | September–October 1984 | |||
| Studio | Sound City Studios, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 41:35 | |||
| Label | Nippon Columbia (Japan) ATCO (US) Music for Nations / Roadrunner (Europe) | |||
| Producer | Max Norman, Paul Cooper | |||
| Loudness chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Thunder in the East | ||||
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| Japanese edition cover | ||||
 | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[2] |
The album cover introduced the band's signature logo, which would be used in majority of their discography. The Rising Sun background would also be used in the band's albums Breaking the Taboo and The Sun Will Rise Again. The 2005 remastered version includes the bonus tracks "Gotta Fight" and "Odin", which were originally released as singles for the 1985 anime film Odin: Photon Sailer Starlight.
The chant of "M-Z-A!" featured in the single "Crazy Nights" came about when producer Norman asked lead vocalist Niihara to come up with something to sing over the main riff between the chorus and next verse. "M-Z-A!" means nothing, and it was intended to be replaced with another line in post-production. When Niihara could not come up with anything to replace it, the "M-Z-A!" chant survived.
In 2017, the album was re-released on limited edition red vinyl.[4]
Track listing edit
All lyrics by Minoru Niihara and all music by Akira Takasaki, except "Heavy Chains" lyrics and music by Masayoshi Yamashita.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crazy Nights" | 4:04[5] |
| 2. | "Like Hell" | 3:44 |
| 3. | "Heavy Chains" | 4:18 |
| 4. | "Get Away" | 3:53 |
| 5. | "We Could Be Together" | 4:35 |
| Total length: | 20:34 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Run for Your Life" | 3:59 |
| 2. | "Clockwork Toy" | 3:55 |
| 3. | "No Way Out" | 4:01 |
| 4. | "The Lines Are Down" | 4:57 |
| 5. | "Never Change Your Mind" | 4:09 |
| Total length: | 21:01 | |
2005 remastered CD edition bonus tracks edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Gotta Fight" | 3:46 |
| 2. | "Odin" | 5:16 |
Personnel edit
- Band members
- Minoru Niihara – vocals
- Akira Takasaki – guitars
- Masayoshi Yamashita – bass
- Munetaka Higuchi – drums
- Production
- Max Norman – producer
- Bill Freesh – engineer
- Ray Leonard – assistant engineer
- Bernie Grundman – mastering
- Paul Cooper – executive producer
- George Azuma – supervisor
- Hiroyuki Munekiyo, Mikio Shimizu – coordinators
References edit
- ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Loudness Thunder in the East review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 202. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- ^ "Thunder in the East - Loudness". Billboard. 1998. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
- ^ "Loudness - Thunder In The East (Rocktober 2017 Limited Edition Red LP)". Recordstoreday.com. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Loudness - Thunder in the East". Encyclopaedia Metallum. Retrieved 28 March 2010.