Ian Thornley is talented Dude Folks! Before he released this album full of Killer Hooks N Riffs Ian led the fantastic Boston Based Band Big Wreck for a couple of spins(albums) in the late 90s before they imploded.
Ian didn’t rest on his laurels though! No sir! He kept going. Assembled a kick ass band and like Big Wreck basically wrote all the tunes and boy did he ever deliver!
This album features guitars lots of guitars! No, let’s make that Loud Guitars mixed splendidly with a ton of acoustic guitars added to fill gaps. Wowzers I would have to admit that out of all of Thornley’s releases this is by far the best one. Now that he has resurrected Big Wreck and such he is still writing and putting out stuff which is pretty good but man this 2004 release is a Grand Slammer!
Game OF Thornley’s:
Ian Thornley/Lead Vocals and Lead Guitars
Travis Stanley/Guitars
Ken Tizzard/Bass
Sekou Lumumba/Drums
The Tracks….
| 1. | “Falling to Pieces” | Brown, Thornley | 3:21 |
| 2. | “Come Again” | Brown, Marshall, Thornley | 3:48 |
| 3. | “So Far So Good“ | Brown, Thornley, Vallance | 3:21 |
| 4. | “The Going Rate (My Fix)” | Brown, Thornley | 3:46 |
| 5. | “Keep a Good Man Down” | Brown, Thornley | 3:40 |
| 6. | “Easy Comes” | Thornley | 3:33 |
| 7. | “Beautiful” | Thornley, Vallance | 4:26 |
| 8. | “Bright Side” | Thornley | 3:16 |
| 9. | “Clever” | Brown, Thornley | 3:16 |
| 10. | “Found Another Way” | Brown, Thornley | 3:08 |
| 11. | “All Comes Out in the Wash” | Thornley | 3:42 |
| 12. | “The Lies That I Believe” |
Ian let go of the reigns somewhat and did some collaboration with Gavin Brown (who produced this album) and Bryan Adams sidekick Jim Vallance who wrote a couple of tracks one of which I will get to shortly.
Ian tosses down the heavy guitar riffage on this album! Guitars sound like a mashup of Soundgarden like Sludge Rock mixed with a dose of what Ian was doing in Big Wreck. Make no mistake folks Ian has a sound of his own on guitar! Ian though can sing with the best of them as to my ears he has a tinge of Chris Cornell in his vocal delivery!
These songs make no mistake about it are serious rock tracks but Thornley spices em up with some acoustic guitar but also keeps it in check as the Marshall’s are always cranked up to 10 on this album.
Sure Ian does all things Hard Rock on this album as opener Falling To Pieces sets the pace with a real super duper cool chorus meshed with some muscle upped guitar riff rock!
Come Again is another rock track but the lyrics tell the tale of isolation as young kid but as fame hits he’s still isolated as an Rock N Roll cliche now looking for revenge! Crank the vid below……
One interesting track is Beautiful. As I mentioned earlier Thornley co wrote it with Vallance and it’s basically your rock n roll power slow mo like tune but Ian grunges out the guitars in the chorus while his smooth as silk vocal delivery is the money shot! I usually don’t want to know about these kind of tunes but Beautiful stretches the boundaries both in lyrics and the sonics of song structure! Vallance give him props here as he didn’t go the formualtic Adams route in rock yet choose a different path! Song is posted at the top of the page and yup thats the cover of this album as well!
Clever I would have to say is my Choice track for this album. It has a real neat stomp about it and like many a track Ian delivers it in spades during the chorus. ‘I Said Hey No Way!” Belts Ian during the chorus and lookie Kids! I posted the vid with lyrics so you all can sing song with Ian!
Check this one out folks!
deKe's Vinyl Reviews & More... 
I saw him on this tour – like he did with Big Wreck, he puts on a good show!
Always liked the Thornley guitar tones, really nice sounds that he gets out of his axes & amps!
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Agreed! Thornley is a guitar perfectionist. I mean the dude turned down a chance to sing with Slash as he wanted to play guitar and Slash just wanted a straight ahead rock frontman(singing no playing) Thornley declined or what i had read….
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I hadn’t heard that – he would have sounded good with Slash!
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Crazy you can get a Gig like that offered to you and than you walk away from it as you want to play guitar and sing and they just want u to sing….plus a decent payday as well!
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I think it was with Velvet Revolver after Scott Weiland left. The manager wanted him to try some songs without the but he didn’t feel comfortable without his axe.
Too bad. I think the manager dude should have gave it a shot. Maybe Velevet Revolver would have made it.
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I bought this, and sold it again. Not that it is bad, just wasn’t in my wheelhouse.
This is the album with no guitar solos right?
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Yeah pretty much no solo’s….The guitars are huge on this album as these songs tend to be songs…no solos allowed!
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Yeah I remember that the guitars were just huge. Thornley is one talented guy! Still the only album I own is the first Big Wreck!
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Yeah thats a great album…
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It really is. I bought the second one but it didn’t survive one of my purges.
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First of his stuff I’ve heard! My mate liked Big Wreck and he kept telling me to check them out, but I never did. Cheers for the reminder! I quite like this… imagine if Big Wreck is similar I’d dig it.
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This is a little more post Grungey esp how the guitars are mixed. Check out the vids I posted. They give yeah an idea of where he was headed with sound….My fav album of his actually..well the debut Big Wreck was rock solid as well!
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I had a nephew that ran a bar and said Thornley as a grade a asshole. I like his music though.
he kind of lost me with his John Cougar/John Mellancamp, Gowan, larry Laurence Gowan, Thornley/Ian Thornley/Ian Fletcher thornley name bullshit though
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Whoah! Hey I’m not looking for trouble around these parts! I still laugh at Mikey and Jon getting blasted by an x member of Frehleys Comet….hahaha…man oh man….but yeah Ian should just go with one thing. i seen the Fletcher deal on iTunes but i dunno…stick with the Wreck!
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Ok pardner.
If’n they give you any grief we’ll just mosie on up to the bar and have a saspirilla, Dagnabit.
As for the name thing. Whatever floats your boat guys. I still call John Cougar, “Cougar”.
That was before it became a name for old ladies that like young dudes.
As for Ian Fletcher Thornley, I think he does that when he is solo so people don’t think he has the Thornley band in tow. I almost went and saw him solo but it wasn’t a must see show.
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Yeah it does get silly why not just Ian Thornley? c’mon Ian clear this up for me and Bop!
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Tonight only.
Lawrence (don’t call me Larry) Gowan followed by Ian Fletcher Thornley and your headliner John Cougar Mellancamp.
The guy that makes the posters can charge by the word and be rich.
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Ha…with opening act Mr Robto!
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Come Again……
That’s what she said.
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We Got A WINNER!
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I have great respect for his playing, I need to hear this. Thanks for the heads-up, Deke!
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