When I listen to the ending hard guitar solo at the end of "Thunder", it reminds me of goth/ dark wave songs. Particularly, it reminds me of Merciful Nun's "Karma Inn" - which is classified as alternative.

You can hear the "Karma Inn" song for free on Youtube.

It wouldn't surprise me if Prince was going for a dark rock sound as he created his rock opera album soon after - the Love Symbol album.

[Edited 11/18/17 4:15am]

[Edited 11/19/17 23:37pm]

How you get goth from "Thunder" is a mystery. It's thin, tinny, dry, and is in desperate need of an EQ adjust. To me, it sticks out like a sore thumb at the beginning of the record. Most of the other songs are band songs, yet "Thunder" is clearly Prince as a one-man band. It was better live. But goth? No.

TrivialPursuit said:

How you get goth from "Thunder" is a mystery. It's thin, tinny, dry, and is in desperate need of an EQ adjust. To me, it sticks out like a sore thumb at the beginning of the record. Most of the other songs are band songs, yet "Thunder" is clearly Prince as a one-man band. It was better live. But goth? No.

Completely disagree, the live version was horrible to my ears, and the unique futuristic sound and feathery yet booming tone of the studio track was very cool to me when I first listened all those years ago (I had started to tire of the Linn sound which was carried over onto the previous Graffiti Bridge).

But those truly conventional live band mixed song arrangements on Diamonds and Pearls slightly bore me (Strollin, Willing and Able, to some degree even the title track)! I was never looking for a conventional arrangement when I listened to Prince (unless the melody was Beatle strong). It is kind of like a good artist painter jumping from personal abstraction and going back to painting a lifelike landscape portrait (in my opinion).

ufoclub said:

TrivialPursuit said:

How you get goth from "Thunder" is a mystery. It's thin, tinny, dry, and is in desperate need of an EQ adjust. To me, it sticks out like a sore thumb at the beginning of the record. Most of the other songs are band songs, yet "Thunder" is clearly Prince as a one-man band. It was better live. But goth? No.

Completely disagree, the live version was horrible to my ears, and the unique futuristic sound and feathery yet booming tone of the studio track was very cool to me when I first listened all those years ago (I had started to tire of the Linn sound which was carried over onto the previous Graffiti Bridge).

But those truly conventional live band mixed song arrangements on Diamonds and Pearls slightly bore me (Strollin, Willing and Able, to some degree even the title track)! I was never looking for a conventional arrangement when I listened to Prince (unless the melody was Beatle strong). It is kind of like a good artist painter jumping from personal abstraction and going back to painting a lifelike landscape portrait (in my opinion).

same for me. thunder was my favorite track on that album, right after 'gett off'

it sort of still is. it's the one song that always made me curious to what might have
been if prince didn't form the new power generation and continued on as a solo act
for one more album.

ufoclub said:

TrivialPursuit said:

How you get goth from "Thunder" is a mystery. It's thin, tinny, dry, and is in desperate need of an EQ adjust. To me, it sticks out like a sore thumb at the beginning of the record. Most of the other songs are band songs, yet "Thunder" is clearly Prince as a one-man band. It was better live. But goth? No.

Completely disagree, the live version was horrible to my ears, and the unique futuristic sound and feathery yet booming tone of the studio track was very cool to me when I first listened all those years ago (I had started to tire of the Linn sound which was carried over onto the previous Graffiti Bridge).

Well let me clarify: It's not more amazing live for me. It's a bit more desirable. But, there is some keyboard sound or something in there that just pierces the ears in a bad way.

I would agree about some of the band sounds on D&P. "Strollin'" could be a bit less hazy. The video version of "Willing & Able" is miles above the album version.

I don't mind Prince jumping through hoops with different things on an album (Controversy and SOTT being a great examples). "Thunder" sounds like a cheap demo recorded with a Kawaii keyboard bought at Sears. Not a great opener, for me. And I never felt any sort of boom on it other than the literal thunder sound effect.

well we know it was added after...the original configuration we've heard

'Thunder' was always my favourite on that album (one of my all-time favourites, actually )- still is - wish he'd played it live beyond the early 90s.

.
Horses for courses, I suppose!

No, he wasn't going for a Goth sound. I've listened to Thunder dozens of times, and I've never felt that it had a Goth vibe to it.

.

"Thunder" is very much an early 90s period peice, and has the house-music/dance-music vibe that was so prevalent at the time. Instrumental breaks/sections are pretty common in early 90s songs, for example "Vogue" (Madonna), "Gonna Make You Sweat" (C + C Music Factory), "The Power" (Snap), "Motownphilly" (Boyz II Men), "All the Man that I Need" (Whitney Houston), "Hat 2 Da Back" (TLC), "Unbelieveable" (EMF), and "Black or White" (MJ). Starting around 4:20, I interpret the instrumental section of "Thunder," as a jam session and/or a demonstration of prowess on synthesizers and electric guitar, especially electric guitar.

.

"Thunder" is the first song on Diamonds and Pearls. Gett Off was the first single. Prince is making a very clear statement with these songs: I'm still here, I'm still relevant, I can still make hits.

.

As a side note, since I don't have a physical copy of D&P, I checked Prince Vault. Prince Vault says that Prince performed all vocals and instruments on "Thunder." Even though he has this new band, the NPG, and most of the songs on D&P are collaborative, "Thunder" and "Insatiable" are two songs on D&P that are all Prince.

dance4me3121 said:

I love this dong and I always have.

What can I say about Thunder? It's a damn good album opener, and best of all, Tony M. isn't on it. Prince - all vocals and instruments!

TheVaultKeeper said:

best of all, Tony M. isn't on it. Prince - all vocals and instruments!

.

OOooohh!! Must listen right now!

I always found Thunder to be a bit... tacky? Same as Gold, tailor-made sing-along anthems that are overly-commercial sounding, no frills-spared, completely OTT, throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the mix. Even when I was 12, I could hear that Thunder was tacky.

TrivialPursuit said:

TheVaultKeeper said:

What can I say about Thunder? It's a damn good album opener, and best of all, Tony M. isn't on it. Prince - all vocals and instruments!

I'll give ya that one!

"Goth" in the same sense as some of the Batman era tracks - yes.

"Goth" in the same sense as the "real goth music" from the same time period - not, really.

TrivialPursuit said:

How you get goth from "Thunder" is a mystery.

I can't hear the thinnest similarity with that Karma song either

206Michelle said:

No, he wasn't going for a Goth sound. I've listened to Thunder dozens of times, and I've never felt that it had a Goth vibe to it.

.

"Thunder" is very much an early 90s period peice, and has the house-music/dance-music vibe that was so prevalent at the time. Instrumental breaks/sections are pretty common in early 90s songs, for example "Vogue" (Madonna), "Gonna Make You Sweat" (C + C Music Factory), "The Power" (Snap), "Motownphilly" (Boyz II Men), "All the Man that I Need" (Whitney Houston), "Hat 2 Da Back" (TLC), "Unbelieveable" (EMF), and "Black or White" (MJ). Starting around 4:20, I interpret the instrumental section of "Thunder," as a jam session and/or a demonstration of prowess on synthesizers and electric guitar, especially electric guitar.

.

"Thunder" is the first song on Diamonds and Pearls. Gett Off was the first single. Prince is making a very clear statement with these songs: I'm still here, I'm still relevant, I can still make hits.

.

As a side note, since I don't have a physical copy of D&P, I checked Prince Vault. Prince Vault says that Prince performed all vocals and instruments on "Thunder." Even though he has this new band, the NPG, and most of the songs on D&P are collaborative, "Thunder" and "Insatiable" are two songs on D&P that are all Prince.

Agree, and I would add 3am Eternal by KLF to this list.

The song was released in 1989 and it had already made a massive impression on the popular music culture by the time Prince started recording Thunder. Both songs hold an apocalyptic/epic dimension and have a similar intro, with (as wikipedia puts it) 'atmospheric chanting and a cathedral-like resonance', all of it combined with a very similar instrumentation and beat.

I wouldn't say Thunder is 'goth' per se, but like 3am eternal there is are distinct elements of mysticism and mystery to the song, backed up by the lyrics referencing to a higher force and the knowledge of it, all of which could be perceived as mysterious and 'goth' by some.

TrivialPursuit said:

Interesting point

I always saw ´Thunder´ as a ´When Doves Cry´ cousin. No bass, only voice and drums and some guitar/keys solos.

RJOrion said:

TrivialPursuit said:

LMAO!!!

GustavoRibas said:

Interesting point

I always saw ´Thunder´ as a ´When Doves Cry´ cousin. No bass, only voice and drums and some guitar/keys solos.

To some extent I fell the same, but only because of the musical tricks, particularly the missing bass.

The difference is that in WDC the missing bass is part of the magic of the track; unfortunately instead in "Thunder" the missing bass brings down the artistic potential of the track.

BoraBora said:

GustavoRibas said:

Interesting point

I always saw ´Thunder´ as a ´When Doves Cry´ cousin. No bass, only voice and drums and some guitar/keys solos.

To some extent I fell the same, but only because of the musical tricks, particularly the missing bass.

The difference is that in WDC the missing bass is part of the magic of the track; unfortunately instead in "Thunder" the missing bass brings down the artistic potential of the track.

Oh... there's more similarities than that! It's kind of like a remake of that song idea, one note repeating verse sections, the eastern motif, you can alternate verses if you sing it as if it could have been medley combined likew in the Purple Medley where he would combine two songs like Peach and Cream or Irresistible Bitch and Sexy MF

As a friend said to me, it's Prince doing Backstreet Boys before Backstreet Boys.

leecaldon said:

As a friend said to me, it's Prince doing Backstreet Boys before Backstreet Boys.

Oh, now you've gone too far...

The songwriter / producer behind the 90s hits of Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys used production tricks borrowed from late-80s / early-90s hard rock and heavy metal. The aggressive synth parts are the only thing that could possibly provide that association.

its about as goth as the prince film entitled "Goth"...the empty room/zannalee/18 and over film

novabrkr said:

leecaldon said:

As a friend said to me, it's Prince doing Backstreet Boys before Backstreet Boys.

Oh, now you've gone too far...

The songwriter / producer behind the 90s hits of Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys used production tricks borrowed from late-80s / early-90s hard rock and heavy metal. The aggressive synth parts are the only thing that could possibly provide that association.

Max Martin? He's on record as being a massive Prince fan. Maybe it's just a coincidence but i can't listen to Thunder followed up by Backstreets Back or Larger than Life and not see a direct line from one to the other. If it is a coincidence then it's still worth marvelling at how they came to such a similar sound the best part of a decade apart.

[Edited 11/21/17 8:36am]

leecaldon said:

As a friend said to me, it's Prince doing Backstreet Boys before Backstreet Boys.

their cds, like KISS (with no-make-up) cds, include ipecac

I love D&P, and "Thunder" is one of my favorite songs from D&P. However, with the lyrics making the song a pop-Christian-Rock-Gospel song, I don't think Prince would have been going for goth. Yet, the lyrics about love/Jesus being everywhere and capable of impacting anyone anywhere could imply a type of mysticism which is enhanced by the cymbals, giving the song an Eastern feel, and the screaming guitars. But, adding "Precious Lord," a traditional Gospel/Spiritual, heightens the song as mostly a pop-Christian-Rock-Gospel song. Yet, most religious imagery can be used to convey mysticism, in general, but I'm not sure if mysticism (lyrical or musical) can be automatically connected to goth.

leecaldon said: