Back Street Symphony
Backstreet Symphony is the debut album from English hard rock band Thunder, released on 5 March 1990 by EMI in the UK. It was recorded in 1989 at Great Linford Manor Studios in Milton Keynes, produced by Andy Taylor, formerly guitarist with Duran Duran and The Power Station, and mixed by Mike Fraser at AIR Studios in London. Guitarist Luke Morley wrote most of the songs, with Taylor co-writing two and one cover completing the set.
It was a strong start. The record reached number 21 on the UK Albums Chart and went gold, and all five singles made the UK top 40, with "Love Walked In" the biggest at number 21. The band toured Europe supporting Heart, Love/Hate and ZZ Top, and played North American dates too. A US re-release followed in 1991, reaching number 114 on the Billboard 200.
Back Street Symphony on Riffology
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Back Street Symphony: tracklist, credits and charts
11 tracks · 56:34Tracklist
- 1She’s So FineLuke Morley and Andy Taylor5:31
- 2Dirty LoveLuke Morley5:21
- 3Don’t Wait for MeLuke Morley5:32
- 4Higher GroundLuke Morley5:06
- 5Until My Dying DayLuke Morley and Andy Taylor6:33
- 6Back Street SymphonyLuke Morley4:31
- 7Love Walked InLuke Morley6:25
- 8An Englishman on HolidayLuke Morley4:28
- 9Girl’s Going Out of Her HeadLuke Morley4:18
- 10Gimme Some Lovin’Davis, Winwood, Winwood3:52
- 11Distant ThunderLuke Morley4:57
- Produced by
- Andy Taylor
- Recorded at
- Great Linford Manor Studios, (Milton Keynes, England), Linford Manor
- Recorded
- August–September 1989
- Mixed by
- Mike Fraser
- Engineered by
- Mike Fraser
- Label
- EMI
- Length
- 56:34
Line-up
- Gary 'Harry' James · drums (drum set)
- Mark Luckhurst · bass guitar
- Ben Matthews · guitar, organ
- Luke Morley · guitar
- Danny Bowes · lead vocals
- Andy Taylor · 12 string guitar · guest
Singles
- “She's So Fine”
- “Dirty Love”
- “Backstreet Symphony”
- “Gimme Some Lovin'”
- “Love Walked In”
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1990–1991 | 21 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1990–1991 | 114 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2023 | 4 |
| UK Independent Albums · 2023 | 12 |
| Scottish Albums · 2023 | 14 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom · 1991 | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 5 March
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 1990 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 5 March 1990 | |
| Wikidata | 5 March 1990 | |
| UK / Europe release | 1990 | earliest UK or European date |
7 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | GB | EMI | 0077779361427 | original |
| 1990 | XE | EMI | 0077779361427 | original |
| 1991 | US | Geffen | 720642438428 | other |
| 21 June 1991 | JP | EMI | 4988006660007 | other |
| 2009 | XE | — | 5099996480328 | remaster |
| 28 April 2023 | GB | BMG | 4050538822939 | deluxe |
| — | — | — | other |
Cover art sources
fanarttv · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| fanarttv ✓ | 1000×1000 | upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50) |
| coverartarchive | 655×650 | upscaled |