Before Thunder, there was Terraplane.  Thunder, the British hard-rock act that notched a No.2 record on the UK charts in 1992 with Laughing On Judgment Day had previously existed as Terraplane.  Under that incarnation, the band released two albums in the 1980s.  Cherry Red imprint HNE Recordings recently released an expanded edition of Terraplane’s debut effort, Black and White.

Hailing from South London, Terraplane’s membership was initially made up of Danny Bowes (vocals), Luke Morley (guitars), Gary James (drums) and Nick Linden (bass and piano).   The group formed out of Bowes and Morley’s college band Nuthin’ Fancy and recorded a single for independent label City Records.  In addition, they performed at many venues around London including numerous gigs at the Marquee Club which helped to garner the attention of Epic Records.  Terraplane signed with Epic in February of 1984 and began work on their debut.

Finding a producer proved to be difficult but one was eventually decided upon: Liam Henshall, who had previously worked with the band King.  Several guests were brought in for the album, including Jools Holland on “I’m The One” and Ruby Turner on “Couldn’t Handle the Tears.”  Henshall would take the band to 10 different studios during the recording process and the production time for the album began to grow.  During that period, they became a support act for Meat Loaf’s tour in 1985 and brought in an additional member: guitarist Rudi Riviere who contributed to “Talking to Myself” on the record.

The album was finally finished and ready for release but Terraplane and Epic could not agree on a title.  The band members wanted to name the album Talking to God Down the Great White Telephone, but Epic found the title too obscure and called the album Black and White.  This disagreement between band and label would prove to be an omen of things to come.

When Black and White was released in 1985, it only hit No. 74 on the U.K. charts.  The singles which followed did not fare well, either.  In Malcolm Dome’s new liner notes for this edition, Morley, Bowes and Henshall are interviewed.  They candidly recount the tensions between the band and Epic, who wanted Terraplane to go in a more pop direction.  A second album, Moving Target, was released in 1987, but fared even more poorly on the charts than its predecessor.  After that, Terraplane was over.  Bowes, Morley and James regrouped and reformed with two new members as Thunder, signing to EMI in 1989.  Their first album under the new name, Backstreet Symphony, was released in 1990, hitting #21 in the U.K. and #114 in the U.S.

What will you find on the new Terraplane reissue?  Hit the jump for more!

HNE’s expanded Black and White adds seven bonus tracks including several songs from 12” singles, the original City Records single and a previously unreleased demo of “Get Your Face Out of My Dream.”  The bonus tracks here duplicate the ones from the Sanctuary Records 2005 compilation We Survive: The Anthology (which paired Black and White with Moving Target), replacing a mix of “I Survive” with the “Get Your Face” demo.   In addition to the liner notes, the fourteen-page booklet reprints several reviews and contemporary articles about the band.  The CD has been remastered by Andy Pearce.  If you’re a fan of Thunder and have yet to discover their roots, this CD might prove a fine introduction to the band’s previous incarnation.

Terraplane, Black and White (Epic LP EPC 26439, 1985 – reissued HNE Recordings CD HNECD042, 2014) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

1. Don’t Walk Away
2. When You’re Hot
3. I Can’t Live Without Your Love
4. Talking to Myself
5. You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore
6. I Survive
7. Right Between the Eyes
8. Black and White
9. I’m the One
10. Get Your Face Out of My Dream
11. Couldn’t Handle the Tears
12. Beginning of the End (Epic Single A 4936, 1984)
13. Let the Wheels Go Round (Epic 12” TX 4936, 1984)
14. Get Your Face Out of My Dream (Demo Version) (Previously Unreleased)
15. All Night and Day (Live) (Epic Single A 6110, 1985)
16. Tough Kind of Life (Epic Single A 6352, 1985)
17. I Survive (City Single NIK 8, 1983)
18. Gimme the Money (City Single NIK 8, 1983)