Behind Closed Doors (Thunder album)

After recording some initial demos of new material in London,[1] Thunder began pre-production on their third studio album on 6 May 1994 at Stanbridge Studios in Haywards Heath, West Sussex.[2] Mike Fraser, who had previously mixed the band's debut album Backstreet Symphony in 1990, returned as the main producer for Behind Closed Doors alongside the band's lead guitarist and primary songwriter Luke Morley (Fraser also engineered and mixed the record).[3] On 23 May, the band flew out to Atlanta, Georgia to begin recording of the new album at Southern Tracks.[2] Speaking about the decision to record the album in the United States, Morley explained that it was "a last-ditch attempt to motivate Geffen", the band's American record label, who he claimed had failed to support previous release Laughing on Judgement Day. However, the band's A&R representative John Kalodner later left Geffen for Sony Music Entertainment, and the album was ultimately not released in the US.[3]

Most of the recording for Behind Closed Doors was completed at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, although additional recording continued at Rumbo Recorders in Los Angeles, California throughout June and July.[2] Bassist Mikael "Micke" Höglund, who had joined the band the previous year, recalls that "The drums and bass were supposed to be recorded at Southern Track Studios in Atlanta, but our guitar tech was a big dope smoker and completely useless. When I asked him to set up my bass to make it as easy to play as possible ... he loosened the bolts that hold the neck to the body so that the strings and the fretboard were closer together", which resulted in his instrument being out of tune for the sessions.[3] Guitarist and keyboardist Ben Matthews praised Höglund's contributions to the album, suggesting that "His love of Geezer Butler and all things Black Sabbath was reflected in his playing and his songwriting contributions to Behind Closed Doors, giving it a darker and heavier feel."[4]

Recording of Behind Closed Doors was completed with additional sessions at Jacobs Studios in Farnham, Surrey, Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Record Plant in Los Angeles.[1] The album was later mixed by Fraser at the Record Plant in July 1994, and mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound in New York City, New York.[1][2] Recording of Behind Closed Doors was completed by 12 August 1994, according to the album's liner notes.[1]

"Stand Up" was released as the first single from Behind Closed Doors on 28 December 1994, accompanied by a music video filmed during a show at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London three weeks earlier.[2] The single debuted at number 23 on the UK Singles Chart and number 2 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart, behind Van Halen's "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)".[5][6] "River of Pain" was issued as the album's second single on 13 February 1995, debuting at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart and number 5 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart,[5][7] and "Castles in the Sand" was released as the third and final single from the record on 24 April 1995, reaching number 30 on the UK Singles Chart and number 2 on the UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart.[5][8]

Behind Closed Doors was released on 23 January 1995 in Europe by EMI Records,[2] and two days later in Japan by Toshiba EMI.[9] Prior to the album's release, Thunder completed the short Stand Up and Be Counted Tour, which visited a number of UK cities in December 1994.[10] The opening European leg of the Behind Closed Doors Tour began on 5 April 1995 in Hamburg, Germany and wrapped up on 12 May at London's Hammersmith Apollo.[10] The band supported Bon Jovi alongside acts including Van Halen and Slash's Snakepit in June and July, and later toured Japan in late-August.[10]

Upon its release, Behind Closed Doors debuted at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart, its peak position,[5] and topped the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart.[11] It remained in the UK top 40 for three weeks and the top 100 for a total of six weeks, and later returned to the chart for two weeks in May.[5] The album also reached the top 20 of the Scottish Albums Chart, peaking at number 18.[12] Outside of the UK, Behind Closed Doors reached number 56 on the German Albums Chart,[13] number 22 on the Swedish Albums Chart,[14] and number 44 on the Swiss Albums Chart.[15]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[16]
Record Collector	[17]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Eduardo Rivadavia praised Behind Closed Doors for featuring "accessible, yet commendably earthy melodic rock nuggets", as well as crediting the band for experimenting with different styles by noting that "Thunder also embraced slightly darker vibes with memorable results ... got the funk out successfully ... and noticeably toned down over all pomp rock thresholds".[16] Rivadavia also credited the band for "sticking to their guns" despite hard rock and heavy metal music becoming markedly less successful with the continued increase in popularity of genres such as grunge and alternative rock.[16] In a review of the remastered edition of the album for Record Collector, William Pinfold also noted that Behind Closed Doors was released in "an awkward time for the band and traditional hard rock in general", but nonetheless praised the record as "an impressively confident and mature recording".[17] Pinfold suggested that Behind Closed Doors is "a touch less essential" than Thunder's first two albums, but also highlighted the bonus disc for making the album "an essential purchase for many fans".[17]

• McIver, Joel (October 2016), Giving the Game Away: The Thunder Story, London, England: Omnibus Press (published 11 November 2016), ISBN 978-1785581373

• Behind Closed Doors at Discogs (list of releases)