Thunderthighs
Encyclopedia
Thunderthighs were a high-profile UK
backing vocal
group
, who quickly became artists in their own right.
, consisting of Karen Friedman, Dari Lalou and Casey Synge, provided the backing vocals to Lou Reed
's hit
single
, "Walk on the Wild Side" (from his 1972 Transformer
album). It was around this vocal arrangement
that singer-songwriter
Lynsey De Paul
wrote their first single, "Central Park Arrest", which reached number 30 in the UK Singles Chart
in 1974. Further singles followed like "Dracula's Daughter" (1974) (produced
by Steve Rowland
) and "Stand Up and Cheer". An album
was recorded
, but was shelved as further hits were not forthcoming.
They were, however, in demand and provided backing vocals for Mott the Hoople
on the single version of their hit, "Roll Away the Stone
" (although De Paul delivered the spoken
bridge
on the later The Hoople
album version). Thunderthighs had already appeared on Mott the Hoople's earlier 1973 album, Mott
, on the track "Hymn for the Dudes".
In addition, Thunderthighs worked with the following:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
backing vocal
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
group
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...
, who quickly became artists in their own right.
Career
The female trioTrio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
, consisting of Karen Friedman, Dari Lalou and Casey Synge, provided the backing vocals to Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
's 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...
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...
, "Walk on the Wild Side" (from his 1972 Transformer
Transformer (album)
Transformer is the second studio album by American rock musician Lou Reed, released in November 1972.-Background:Unlike its predecessor, Lou Reed, eight songs of which were written during his Velvet Underground days, Transformer contains mainly new material...
album). It was around this vocal arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
that singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Lynsey De Paul
Lynsey De Paul
Lynsey de Paul is an English singer-songwriter. Allmusic journalist, Craig Harris stated, "one of the first successful female singer-songwriters in England, de Paul has had an illustrious career".-Early life:De Paul was born to Meta and Herbert Rubin, a property developer...
wrote their first single, "Central Park Arrest", which reached number 30 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 ...
in 1974. Further singles followed like "Dracula's Daughter" (1974) (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...
by Steve Rowland
Steve Rowland
Steve Rowland may refer to:*Steve Rowland *Steve Rowland *Steve Rowland , Welsh soccer player*XIII...
) and "Stand Up and Cheer". An 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...
was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
, but was shelved as further hits were not forthcoming.
They were, however, in demand and provided backing vocals for Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
on the single version of their hit, "Roll Away the Stone
Roll Away the Stone
"Roll Away the Stone" is a single released by Mott the Hoople. The song was recorded before Mick Ralphs left the band. In this version, Ralphs plays lead guitar and one of the Thunderthighs handles the bridge voice...
" (although De Paul delivered the spoken
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
on the later The Hoople
The Hoople
The Hoople is a 1974 album by British band Mott the Hoople. Its highest chart rating in the US was #28. A remastered and expanded version was released by Sony BMG on the Columbia Legacy label in Europe in 2006...
album version). Thunderthighs had already appeared on Mott the Hoople's earlier 1973 album, Mott
Mott (album)
Mott is a 1973 album by British band Mott the Hoople. "All the Way from Memphis", an edited version of which was released as a single, received considerable airplay on U.S. radio and captured the band many overseas fans, as well as reaching the UK Top 10....
, on the track "Hymn for the Dudes".
In addition, Thunderthighs worked with the following:
- Jonathan Kelly (Wait 'Til They Change The Backdrop) (1973)
- GoGo (band)Go was a supergroup conceived in 1976 by Stomu Yamashta , which also included Steve Winwood , Al Di Meola , Klaus Schulze and Michael Shrieve ....
(GoGo (Go album)Go is the first album by Stomu Yamashta's fusion supergroup Go.- Personnel :*Stomu Yamashta - percussion and keyboards*Steve Winwood - vocals and keyboards *Klaus Schulze - synthesizers*Michele' D'Adamo - guitar*Al Di Meola - lead guitar...
) (1976) - Shusha (Before the Deluge) (1975)
- John VerityJohn VerityJohn Verity was an English guitarist with the band Argent from 1973 to 1976.When Argent split up, he formed Phoenix with Bob Henrit and Jim Rodford. The band recorded three albums with CBS Records and toured Europe before disbanding. Rodford joined the Kinks, Verity and Henrit joined Charlie, to...
(John Verity Band) (1974) - AlquinAlquinAlquin was a Dutch progressive rock band which released four studio albums in the 1970s. The band split in 1977. They made a comeback in 2003 and in September 2005 they released a new album.-Studio albums:* 1972 - Marks - 12"LP - POLYDOR - 2925 012...
(Nobody Can Wait Forever) (1975) - Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
(Complete London Sessions, Volume 1 - compilationCompilation albumA 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 Crazy World of Arthur BrownArthur Brown (musician)Arthur Brown is an English rock and roll musician best known for his flamboyant, theatrical style and significant influence on Alice Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, George Clinton, Kiss, King Diamond, and Bruce Dickinson, among others, and for his number one hit in the UK Singles Chart and...
(Lost Ears) (1976) - Adrian Wagner (Instincts) (1977)
- Elephant's MemoryElephant's MemoryElephant's Memory was a New York band, most notable for backing John Lennon and Yoko Ono during 1972 on a pair of albums, and a handful of TV and live appearances, including the John Lennon "One To One Concert", with two performances the 30th of August 1972 to benefit the Willowbrook School for...
(Angels Forever) (1974)
Singles
- "Central Park Arrest" (June 1974) - PhilipsPhilips RecordsPhilips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
6006 386 - UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe 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 ...
- Number 30 - "Dracula's Daughter" (November 1974) - PhilipsPhilips RecordsPhilips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
6006 413 - "Stand Up and Cheer" (1975) -EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...