Thunderclap Newman
Encyclopedia
Thunderclap Newman were a British one-hit wonder
band
that Pete Townshend
of The Who
and Kit Lambert
had formed circa December 1968 - January 1969 in a bid to showcase the talents of John "Speedy" Keen, Andy "Thunderclap" Newman and Jimmy McCulloch
.
Their single
, "Something in the Air
", a 1969 UK Number One hit
, remains in demand for television commercials, film soundtracks, and compilations
. The band released a critically acclaimed rock album, Hollywood Dream, and three other singles (which appeared on the album): "Accidents", "The Reason", and "Wild Country."
From 1969 until 1971, the nucleus of the band consisted of songwriter John "Speedy" Keen (vocals, drums, guitar); Andy "Thunderclap" Newman (piano); and Jimmy McCulloch (guitar). Pete Townshend (alias Bijou Drains) of The Who played bass on their album and singles, all of which he had recorded and produced in IBC Studio and his Twickenham home studio. The band augmented its personnel during its tours: in 1969, by James "Jim" Pitman-Avery (bass) and Jack McCulloch (drums); and in 1971, by Ronnie Peel (bass) and Roger Felice (drums). The band folded in April 1971 and was resurrected by Andy Newman and his colleagues circa 2007.
, The Who
's guitarist
, created the band to showcase songs written by the former Who chauffeur
, drummer
/singer
/guitarist
John "Speedy" Keen (miscredited as "Keene" on the single's label). Keen wrote the opening track on The Who Sell Out
album
, "Armenia City in the Sky". Townshend produced
the single, played its bass guitar
under the pseudonym
Bijou Drains, and hired for it GPO
engineer
and Dixieland
jazz
pianist
Andy "Thunderclap" Newman (born Andrew Laurence Newman, 21 November 1942, Hounslow
, Middlesex
) and the fifteen year old Glaswegian guitarist Jimmy McCulloch
.
Keen, Newman, and McCulloch met each other for the first time, in December 1968 or January 1969, when they got together in Townshend's home studio to record "Something In The Air". Before then, Townshend had planned to work on projects for each of the musicians, but Kit Lambert prevailed upon Townshend, who was working on what became the rock-opera Tommy, to save time by coalescing the three musicians into the collective project that became Thunderclap Newman.
"Something In The Air", which Keen wrote for the film, The Magic Christian
, was number one in the UK Singles Chart
for three weeks, holding off Elvis Presley
and the Beatles' "Ballad of John and Yoko" in the process. Originally titled "Revolution", but later renamed because the Beatles
had released a song of that name
in 1968 (the B-side of "Hey Jude
"), "Something in the Air" captured post-flower power
rebellion, marrying McCulloch's majestic electric rhythm and lead guitars; Keen's powerful drumming and falsetto
, Newman's legendary frostbite-in-boxing-gloves piano
solo and Townshend's (uncredited) electric bass
. By December 1969, the single was awarded a gold disc for world sales of more than a million.
"Something In The Air" appeared on the soundtracks of the films The Magic Christian
(1969) and The Strawberry Statement
(1970); the last having helped the single reach Number 25 in the United States. The song also appeared in the deluxe edition of the Easy Rider
CD
. In the UK and US, a follow-up single, "Accidents", came out only in May 1970, and charted at No. 44 for only a week, but not charting at all in the U.S. An album, Hollywood Dream
, again produced by Townshend and released the previous year, peaked in Billboard 200
chart
at No. 163. "Something in the Air" was also a memorable musical moment from the film Almost Famous
(2000) and is featured on the soundtrack. "Something in the Air" also was used in a 2008 television episode of "My Name Is Earl
."
Critic Nathan Morley
described 'Accidents' as the bands masterpiece: “One would have to listen to Wagner in a funeral parlour for something even more morbid than Thunderclap Newman’s ‘Accidents’ which chronicles the deaths of various hapless children who all meet a very nasty end – Poor Mary falls in a river whilst waiting for the Queen to sail by and little Johnny is killed by a speeding car. That said - the song, orchestration and performance are simply brilliant. It is captivating and without doubt their best recording.”
Thunderclap Newman had not planned to undertake live performances
, but the band relented when, to their collective surprise, "Something In The Air" became a chart success. The trio, augmented by Jim Pitman-Avery (bass
) and McCulloch's elder brother Jack (drums
), undertook a 26-date tour of England and Scotland in support of Deep Purple from July 1969 to August 1969. Thunderclap Newman's live setlist then typically included the following songs: "Lady Madonna", by the Beatles; a twelve bar jam; "Wilhelmina"; Water music, by Andy Newman; and "Something In The Air". On 8 August, Pitman-Avery and Jack McCulloch announced their intention to quit the band. Within weeks, they had formed the country-rock band Wild Country with Terry Keyworth (guitar) and Stuart Whitcombe (keyboards). That year, the band appeared in television programmes in Britain (How Late It Is, Top of the Pops) and Germany (Beat-Club).
In October 1970, Thunderclap Newman released its critically acclaimed album, Hollywood Dream. That year, they released three singles: "Accidents/I See It All"; "The Reason/Stormy Petrel"; and "Wild Country/Hollywood Dream". On 7 November, they appeared on Ev (a.k.a., The Kenny Everett Show). In early 1971, the founding trio reformed with Australian musicians Roger Felice (drums
) and Ronnie Peel (bass
).
On 6 March 1971, the New Musical Express reported the band's personnel change: “Thunderclap Newman has finally settled down into a five-piece group, with two new members being brought in—although on certain dates, the outfit may be augmented by a brass section. Permanent line-up now comprises Newman (piano), Speedy Keen (rhythm guitar and vocals), Jimmy McCulloch (lead guitar), Ronnie Peel (bass) and Roger Felice (drums). Dates include University of Sussex (tomorrow, Saturday), Sheffield University (March 12) and Nelson Imperial (14). A Scottish tour is being set for the end of April”.
With its new line-up, from January 1971 to April 1971 Thunderclap Newman supported Deep Purple during a 19-date tour of England and Scotland. Their live setlist then typically included the following: "Look Around", "The Reason", and "Wild Country", plus cover songs written by other artists. Sometime during those months, the band supported Leon Russell during a tour of Holland and they had supported Deep Purple during a tour of Scandinavia. They played the club circuit and had avoided playing in ballrooms. That year, Thunderclap Newman made a cameo appearance in the British movie, Not Tonight, Darling!
Thunderclap Newman broke up circa 10 April 1971—days before they were scheduled to start a tour of Scotland and weeks before they were scheduled to be part of a package tour with Marsha Hunt and others during The Who's 12-week tour of the U.S.
The members of the band had little in common with each other. In a 1972 NME
interview, Newman said that he got on with Keen's music but not with Keen personally, while the exact opposite was true with regard to McCulloch.
In 2008, Jack McCulloch and Andy Newman appeared on an episode of the British television programme Those Were The Days to comment upon the night of the first Moon Landing
, when Thunderclap Newman had performed an almost-nightlong concert.
, and Paul McCartney
's Wings
and at the age of 26 he died of heart failure caused by a heroin overdose
on 27 September 1979.
In 1973, Keen released a solo album for Track
, entitled Previous Convictions, which featured Roger Felice and Jimmy McCulloch on some tracks. He began recording a double album as a follow-up. Frustrated by his lack of progress at Track, he took the demos to Island Records
, which pared it down to the single album Y'know Wot I Mean? and released it in 1975. Its single, "Someone to Love", received plenty of airplay but failed to sell.
Discouraged, Keen ceased recording after one more single in 1976. He tried the record producer
's seat, working with punk
band Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers on their debut album L.A.M.F.
in 1977, and also produced Motörhead's first album before leaving the music industry. He appears on several tracks on the Best of Motorhead double CD All the Aces
, as part of a live set originally performed under the name The Muggers. The set includes five songs written and sung by Keen, only one of which had appeared on his solo albums.
Keen suffered from arthritis
for several years, and was recording his third solo album; however he unexpectedly died at the age of 56 on 12 March 2002.
In 1971, Andy Newman recorded a solo album, Rainbow, and he played assorted instruments
on Roger Ruskin Spear
's first album.
In February 2010, Newman performed as Thunderclap Newman with a new line-up at the Con Club In Lewes
, Sussex
. The line-up consists of Tony Stubbings (bass), Nick Johnson (lead guitar), Mark Brzezicki
(former Big Country
, drums) and Josh Townshend (nephew of Pete Townshend
, on rhythm guitar and vocals). Soon thereafter, the band released a CD entitled Beyond Hollywood. Thunderclap Newman is supporting Big Country on a 2011 tour of the U.K.
, Kingpin
(1996), Almost Famous
(2000), The Dish
(2000), and The Girl Next Door (2004).
"Something In the Air" played at the end of the 26 March 2007 episode of The Riches
on FX. An episode of the television sitcom, My Name is Earl
also featured the song.
The band is mentioned in Thomas Pynchon
's 2009 novel Inherent Vice
(pg. 356).
The band is also featured in an episode of the NBC sitcom Friends
The song "Something in the Air" currently is used for opening and closing for Internet Talkhost Nicole Sandler's show "Radio or Not" found on ustream.
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
that Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and Kit Lambert
Kit Lambert
Christopher "Kit" Sebastian Lambert was a record producer and the manager for The Who.-Early life:Kit Lambert was the son of noted composer, Constant Lambert...
had formed circa December 1968 - January 1969 in a bid to showcase the talents of John "Speedy" Keen, Andy "Thunderclap" Newman and Jimmy McCulloch
Jimmy McCulloch
James 'Jimmy' McCulloch was a Scottish musician and songwriter, born in Dumbarton and raised in Clydebank and Cumbernauld, Scotland, who was best known for playing lead guitar in Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1977...
.
Their single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Something in the Air
Something In The Air (song)
"Something in the Air" is a song recorded by Thunderclap Newman, a band created by Pete Townshend for The Who's former roadie John 'Speedy' Keen who wrote and sang the song, from their only album Hollywood Dream. It was a UK #1 single for three weeks in July 1969...
", a 1969 UK Number One hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
, remains in demand for television commercials, film soundtracks, and compilations
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
. The band released a critically acclaimed rock album, Hollywood Dream, and three other singles (which appeared on the album): "Accidents", "The Reason", and "Wild Country."
From 1969 until 1971, the nucleus of the band consisted of songwriter John "Speedy" Keen (vocals, drums, guitar); Andy "Thunderclap" Newman (piano); and Jimmy McCulloch (guitar). Pete Townshend (alias Bijou Drains) of The Who played bass on their album and singles, all of which he had recorded and produced in IBC Studio and his Twickenham home studio. The band augmented its personnel during its tours: in 1969, by James "Jim" Pitman-Avery (bass) and Jack McCulloch (drums); and in 1971, by Ronnie Peel (bass) and Roger Felice (drums). The band folded in April 1971 and was resurrected by Andy Newman and his colleagues circa 2007.
Career
In 1969, Pete TownshendPete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
's guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, created the band to showcase songs written by the former Who chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
, drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
/singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
/guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
John "Speedy" Keen (miscredited as "Keene" on the single's label). Keen wrote the opening track on The Who Sell Out
The Who Sell Out
-Track listing:All songs written by Pete Townshend except where noted. The between song jingles apparently have no official titles and are not listed anywhere on the original album packaging, though they are listed in the inner booklet of the 1995 remaster.Side one...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, "Armenia City in the Sky". Townshend produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
the single, played its bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Bijou Drains, and hired for it GPO
General Post Office
General Post Office is the name of the British postal system from 1660 until 1969.General Post Office may also refer to:* General Post Office, Perth* General Post Office, Sydney* General Post Office, Melbourne* General Post Office, Brisbane...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Andy "Thunderclap" Newman (born Andrew Laurence Newman, 21 November 1942, Hounslow
Hounslow
Hounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. It is a suburban development situated 10.6 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area.-Etymology:...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
) and the fifteen year old Glaswegian guitarist Jimmy McCulloch
Jimmy McCulloch
James 'Jimmy' McCulloch was a Scottish musician and songwriter, born in Dumbarton and raised in Clydebank and Cumbernauld, Scotland, who was best known for playing lead guitar in Paul McCartney's Wings from 1974 to 1977...
.
Keen, Newman, and McCulloch met each other for the first time, in December 1968 or January 1969, when they got together in Townshend's home studio to record "Something In The Air". Before then, Townshend had planned to work on projects for each of the musicians, but Kit Lambert prevailed upon Townshend, who was working on what became the rock-opera Tommy, to save time by coalescing the three musicians into the collective project that became Thunderclap Newman.
"Something In The Air", which Keen wrote for the film, The Magic Christian
The Magic Christian (film)
The Magic Christian is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with noteworthy appearances by John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel of the same...
, was number one in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for three weeks, holding off Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and the Beatles' "Ballad of John and Yoko" in the process. Originally titled "Revolution", but later renamed because the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
had released a song of that name
Revolution (song)
"Revolution" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The Beatles released two distinct arrangements of the song in 1968: a hard rock version as the B-side of the single "Hey Jude", and a slower version titled "Revolution 1" on the eponymous album The Beatles...
in 1968 (the B-side of "Hey Jude
Hey Jude
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song widely accepted as being written to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce—although this explanation is not...
"), "Something in the Air" captured post-flower power
Flower power
Flower power is a slogan used by the American counterculture movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of passive resistance and non-violence ideology. It is rooted in the opposition movement to the Vietnam War. The expression was coined by the American Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in...
rebellion, marrying McCulloch's majestic electric rhythm and lead guitars; Keen's powerful drumming and falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
, Newman's legendary frostbite-in-boxing-gloves piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
solo and Townshend's (uncredited) electric bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. By December 1969, the single was awarded a gold disc for world sales of more than a million.
"Something In The Air" appeared on the soundtracks of the films The Magic Christian
The Magic Christian (film)
The Magic Christian is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with noteworthy appearances by John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel of the same...
(1969) and The Strawberry Statement
The Strawberry Statement (film)
The Strawberry Statement is a 1970 cult film about the counterculture and student revolts of the 1960s, loosely based on the non-fiction book by James Simon Kunen about the Columbia University protests of 1968.-Cast:* Bruce Davison: Simon...
(1970); the last having helped the single reach Number 25 in the United States. The song also appeared in the deluxe edition of the Easy Rider
Easy Rider
Easy Rider is a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom...
CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
. In the UK and US, a follow-up single, "Accidents", came out only in May 1970, and charted at No. 44 for only a week, but not charting at all in the U.S. An album, Hollywood Dream
Hollywood Dream
Hollywood Dream was a 1970 album by Thunderclap Newman, their first and only album release.-Overview:The album was produced by The Who's guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, who was also responsible for the band's initial formation...
, again produced by Townshend and released the previous year, peaked in Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
at No. 163. "Something in the Air" was also a memorable musical moment from the film Almost Famous
Almost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
(2000) and is featured on the soundtrack. "Something in the Air" also was used in a 2008 television episode of "My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
."
Critic Nathan Morley
Nathan Morley
Nathan Morley is a multi award winning television presenter, columnist and journalist based in Finland and Cyprus.He is best known to international audiences for his live radio broadcasts on Talksport, LBC and the BBC to the United Kingdom...
described 'Accidents' as the bands masterpiece: “One would have to listen to Wagner in a funeral parlour for something even more morbid than Thunderclap Newman’s ‘Accidents’ which chronicles the deaths of various hapless children who all meet a very nasty end – Poor Mary falls in a river whilst waiting for the Queen to sail by and little Johnny is killed by a speeding car. That said - the song, orchestration and performance are simply brilliant. It is captivating and without doubt their best recording.”
Thunderclap Newman had not planned to undertake live performances
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
, but the band relented when, to their collective surprise, "Something In The Air" became a chart success. The trio, augmented by Jim Pitman-Avery (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and McCulloch's elder brother Jack (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
), undertook a 26-date tour of England and Scotland in support of Deep Purple from July 1969 to August 1969. Thunderclap Newman's live setlist then typically included the following songs: "Lady Madonna", by the Beatles; a twelve bar jam; "Wilhelmina"; Water music, by Andy Newman; and "Something In The Air". On 8 August, Pitman-Avery and Jack McCulloch announced their intention to quit the band. Within weeks, they had formed the country-rock band Wild Country with Terry Keyworth (guitar) and Stuart Whitcombe (keyboards). That year, the band appeared in television programmes in Britain (How Late It Is, Top of the Pops) and Germany (Beat-Club).
In October 1970, Thunderclap Newman released its critically acclaimed album, Hollywood Dream. That year, they released three singles: "Accidents/I See It All"; "The Reason/Stormy Petrel"; and "Wild Country/Hollywood Dream". On 7 November, they appeared on Ev (a.k.a., The Kenny Everett Show). In early 1971, the founding trio reformed with Australian musicians Roger Felice (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) and Ronnie Peel (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
).
On 6 March 1971, the New Musical Express reported the band's personnel change: “Thunderclap Newman has finally settled down into a five-piece group, with two new members being brought in—although on certain dates, the outfit may be augmented by a brass section. Permanent line-up now comprises Newman (piano), Speedy Keen (rhythm guitar and vocals), Jimmy McCulloch (lead guitar), Ronnie Peel (bass) and Roger Felice (drums). Dates include University of Sussex (tomorrow, Saturday), Sheffield University (March 12) and Nelson Imperial (14). A Scottish tour is being set for the end of April”.
With its new line-up, from January 1971 to April 1971 Thunderclap Newman supported Deep Purple during a 19-date tour of England and Scotland. Their live setlist then typically included the following: "Look Around", "The Reason", and "Wild Country", plus cover songs written by other artists. Sometime during those months, the band supported Leon Russell during a tour of Holland and they had supported Deep Purple during a tour of Scandinavia. They played the club circuit and had avoided playing in ballrooms. That year, Thunderclap Newman made a cameo appearance in the British movie, Not Tonight, Darling!
Thunderclap Newman broke up circa 10 April 1971—days before they were scheduled to start a tour of Scotland and weeks before they were scheduled to be part of a package tour with Marsha Hunt and others during The Who's 12-week tour of the U.S.
The members of the band had little in common with each other. In a 1972 NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
interview, Newman said that he got on with Keen's music but not with Keen personally, while the exact opposite was true with regard to McCulloch.
In 2008, Jack McCulloch and Andy Newman appeared on an episode of the British television programme Those Were The Days to comment upon the night of the first Moon Landing
Moon landing
A moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on 13 September 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned...
, when Thunderclap Newman had performed an almost-nightlong concert.
Separate ways
McCulloch had stints with a dozen or more bands, including John Mayall, Stone the CrowsStone the Crows
Stone the Crows were a blues band formed in Glasgow in late 1969.-History:The band were formed after Maggie Bell was introduced to Les Harvey by his elder brother, Alex Harvey...
, and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
's Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
and at the age of 26 he died of heart failure caused by a heroin overdose
Drug overdose
The term drug overdose describes the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities greater than are recommended or generally practiced...
on 27 September 1979.
In 1973, Keen released a solo album for Track
Track Records
Track Records is an English record label founded in London in 1966 by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then managers of hard rock band The Who. The most successful artists whose work appeared on the Track label were The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Thunderclap...
, entitled Previous Convictions, which featured Roger Felice and Jimmy McCulloch on some tracks. He began recording a double album as a follow-up. Frustrated by his lack of progress at Track, he took the demos to Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
, which pared it down to the single album Y'know Wot I Mean? and released it in 1975. Its single, "Someone to Love", received plenty of airplay but failed to sell.
Discouraged, Keen ceased recording after one more single in 1976. He tried the record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
's seat, working with punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers on their debut album L.A.M.F.
L.A.M.F.
L.A.M.F. is the only studio album by the American band, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, which included Jerry Nolan, Walter Lure and Billy Rath. The music is a mixture of punk, R&B and rock and roll. The band played a seminal role in the formation of early punk. Thunders and Nolan were...
in 1977, and also produced Motörhead's first album before leaving the music industry. He appears on several tracks on the Best of Motorhead double CD All the Aces
All The Aces
All The Aces is a compilation album by the heavy metal band Motörhead. It includes 14 of their best songs, 2 enhanced multimedia sections and 8 previously unreleased live songs by The Muggers .-CD 1 - "All The Aces":# "Ace of Spades"# "Killed by Death"# "Motorhead...
, as part of a live set originally performed under the name The Muggers. The set includes five songs written and sung by Keen, only one of which had appeared on his solo albums.
Keen suffered from arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
for several years, and was recording his third solo album; however he unexpectedly died at the age of 56 on 12 March 2002.
In 1971, Andy Newman recorded a solo album, Rainbow, and he played assorted instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
on Roger Ruskin Spear
Roger Ruskin Spear
Roger Ruskin Spear is a multi-instrumentalist who was a founding member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, staying with it until its end.-Career:...
's first album.
In February 2010, Newman performed as Thunderclap Newman with a new line-up at the Con Club In Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. The line-up consists of Tony Stubbings (bass), Nick Johnson (lead guitar), Mark Brzezicki
Mark Brzezicki
Mark Brzezicki is a rock drummer, who is primarily known for his work with Big Country, and was a member of the groups The Cult, Ultravox, and Procol Harum. He has also played with Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Midge Ure, Fish, The Pretenders and many others...
(former Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...
, drums) and Josh Townshend (nephew of Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, on rhythm guitar and vocals). Soon thereafter, the band released a CD entitled Beyond Hollywood. Thunderclap Newman is supporting Big Country on a 2011 tour of the U.K.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1969 | Hollywood Dream Hollywood Dream Hollywood Dream was a 1970 album by Thunderclap Newman, their first and only album release.-Overview:The album was produced by The Who's guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, who was also responsible for the band's initial formation...
|
| 2010 | Beyond Hollywood (studio/live)
Track Records Track Records is an English record label founded in London in 1966 by Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then managers of hard rock band The Who. The most successful artists whose work appeared on the Track label were The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Thunderclap... (TRA 1067) |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1969 | "Something in the Air Something in the Air Something in the Air was an Australian television soap opera transmitted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation between 2000 and 2002. It was one of the first programs in Australia that was filmed in widescreen.-Cast:... " / "Wilhelmina" (11 June) |
1 | Hollywood Dream |
| 1970 | "Accidents" / "I See It All" (27 June) |
46 | |
| "The Reason" / "Stormy Petrel" | - | ||
| "Wild Country" / "Hollywood" | - | ||
Popular culture
"Something in the Air" appeared on the soundtracks of the films The Strawberry StatementThe Strawberry Statement
The Strawberry Statement is a non-fiction book by James Simon Kunen, written when he was 19, which chronicled his experiences at Columbia University from 1966–1968, particularly the April 1968 protests and takeover of the office of the dean of Columbia by student protesters.-Explanation of...
, Kingpin
Kingpin (film)
Kingpin is a 1996 slapstick comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers and starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, and Bill Murray...
(1996), Almost Famous
Almost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
(2000), The Dish
The Dish
The Dish is a 2000 Australian film that tells the story of how the Parkes Observatory was used to relay the live television of man's first steps on the moon, during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969...
(2000), and The Girl Next Door (2004).
"Something In the Air" played at the end of the 26 March 2007 episode of The Riches
The Riches
The Riches is an FX television series, which originally ran from March 15, 2007 to April 29, 2008, and starred Eddie Izzard and Minnie Driver.-History:...
on FX. An episode of the television sitcom, My Name is Earl
My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
also featured the song.
The band is mentioned in Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
's 2009 novel Inherent Vice
Inherent Vice
Inherent Vice is a novel by Thomas Pynchon, originally published in August 2009.-Title:The term "inherent vice" is a legal tenet referring to a "hidden defect of a good or property which of itself is the cause of its deterioration, damage, or wastage...
(pg. 356).
The band is also featured in an episode of the NBC sitcom Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
The song "Something in the Air" currently is used for opening and closing for Internet Talkhost Nicole Sandler's show "Radio or Not" found on ustream.