Thriller (Eddie and the Hot Rods album)
| Thriller | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 9, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios, London; mixed at Roundhouse Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Pub rock, punk rock | |||
| Length | 43:25 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Peter Ker | |||
| Eddie and the Hot Rods chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Thriller | ||||
| ||||
Thriller is the third studio album by pub rock band Eddie and the Hot Rods, reaching No. 50 on the UK Albums Chart.[1][2] Released in 1979, it was produced by Peter Ker.[3] Shortly after the release of Thriller, the band was sacked by their record company and forced to join EMI Records. The album was reissued in 2002 with two bonus tracks: "Horror Through Straightness" and "Highlands 1 Hopefuls 2". These songs had been the B-sides to the singles released on the LP.
The album featured two singles: "Media Messiahs" and "The Power and the Glory", neither of which charted on the UK Singles Chart.
Linda McCartney provided backing vocals on "The Power and the Glory".[4] Reception of the album was muted.[5]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [3] |
Trouser Press wrote that "the album reeks with bitterness; although competent, it has neither the freshness of Life on the Line nor anything substantial to replace it."[7] In 2002, Goldmine noted that "it's the sound of a group realizing that history had left them behind and even their old fans had drifted away."[8]
Track listing[edit]
- "The Power and the Glory" (Graeme Douglas) – 4:16
- "Echoes" (Paul Gray, Steve Nicol) – 2:54
- "Media Messiahs" (Graeme Douglas) – 2:54
- "Circles" (Dave Higgs) – 2:55
- "He Does It with Mirrors" (Dave Higgs, Graeme Douglas) – 4:12
- "Strangers" (Graeme Douglas) – 2:46
- "Out to Lunch" (Dave Higgs) – 4:48
- "Breathless" (Graeme Douglas, Paul Gray) – 3:33
- "Take It or Leave It" (Barrie Masters, Graeme Douglas) – 4:12
- "Living Dangerously" (Dave Higgs) – 3:36
- "Horror Through Straightness" (Dave Higgs, Steve Nicol, Paul Gray) – 4:25
- "Highlands 1 Hopefuls 2" (Dave Higgs, Barrie Masters) – 3:00
Personnel[edit]
- Eddie and the Hot Rods
- Barrie Masters – vocals
- Graeme Douglas – guitar, backing vocals
- Dave Higgs – guitar, backing vocals
- Paul Gray – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Steve Nicol – drums, backing vocals
with:
- Jools Holland – piano
- Lee Brilleaux – harmonica
- Linda McCartney – backing vocals on "The Power and the Glory"
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 50 |
References[edit]
- ^ Sweeting, Adam (9 October 2019). "Barrie Masters obituary". The Guardian. Music.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Results Matching: Thriller". Official Charts. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 229.
- ^ Harry Castleman, Walter J. Podrazik -The end of the Beatles? 1985 p 294 "However, for the 1979 Thriller album by Eddie and the Hot Rods (recorded at Abbey Road studios), only Linda made the album credits as a backing vocalist. Though the liner notes did not offer a track-by-track listing of personnel, she most likely appeared on the Power And The Glory cut, also issued as a single...."
- ^ Peter Buckley The Rough Guide to Rock 2003 "Eddie and the Hot Rods .... THRILLER (1979) was a disappointment, and when Douglas left, the writing was on the wall."
- ^ Thriller at AllMusic
- ^ "Eddie and the Hot Rods". Trouser Press. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ Greene, Jo-Ann (28 June 2002). "A Broad Abroad: Punk's 25th Anniversary Brings Out the Imports". Goldmine. Vol. 28, no. 13. p. 19.