Thunderclap Newman

Thunderclap Newman is a British rock group from London, active from 1969 to 1970, known for blending folk rock, piano rock, pop rock, psychedelic pop, psychedelic rock and rock. The group is formed around songwriter and drummer John “Speedy” Keen, pianist Andy “Thunderclap” Newman, and guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, with Jim Avery on bass among the listed members.

Formation and line-up

The band is put together by Pete Townshend of The Who and his manager and producer Kit Lambert, who use the project to present the work of Speedy Keen, Andy Newman and Jimmy McCulloch. Keen, Newman and McCulloch meet at Townshend’s home studio in late 1968 or early 1969 to record the first single. Townshend produces the recordings and plays bass under the alias Bijou Drains. Andy Newman’s full name is Andrew Laurence Newman.

During the band’s early live period, the line-up is expanded by Jim Pitman-Avery on bass and Jack McCulloch on drums. Later, the group also includes Ronnie Peel on bass and Roger Felice on drums. Thunderclap Newman’s personnel changes and short working life are central to its history, with the core trio remaining the best-known formation.

Recording career

The group’s best-known release is “Something in the Air”, a UK number one single in 1969. The song stays at number one for three weeks and is awarded a gold disc for worldwide sales of more than a million. It is written by Speedy Keen for the film The Magic Christian and originally carries the title “Revolution” before being renamed. The recording features McCulloch’s guitars, Keen’s drumming and falsetto, Newman’s piano solo and Townshend’s uncredited bass.

“Something in the Air” appears on the soundtracks of The Magic Christian and The Strawberry Statement, and later also appears in Kingpin, Almost Famous and a television episode of My Name Is Earl. The single continues to be used in film, television and compilations.

The band’s album Hollywood Dream is released in 1970 and is described as critically acclaimed. It is produced by Townshend and reaches number 163 on the Billboard 200. The group also releases “Accidents”, “The Reason” and “Wild Country”, all of which appear on the album in some form. “Accidents” is issued in the UK and US and reaches number 44 in the UK. The critic Nathan Morley later describes it as the band’s masterpiece.

Live work and appearances

Thunderclap Newman does not originally plan to perform live, but tours after “Something in the Air” becomes a hit. In 1969, the band plays a 26-date tour of England and Scotland supporting Deep Purple. The live set typically includes “Lady Madonna”, a twelve-bar jam, “Wilhelmina”, “Water music” and “Something in the Air”. That year the group also appears on British television programmes including How Late It Is and Top of the Pops, as well as Germany’s Beat-Club.

In early 1971, the founding trio reforms with Ronnie Peel and Roger Felice. The band then supports Deep Purple on a 19-date tour of England and Scotland, and also supports Leon Russell in the Netherlands and Deep Purple in Scandinavia. The live set at this point includes “Look Around”, “The Reason” and “Wild Country”, along with cover versions. Thunderclap Newman also appears in the British film Not Tonight, Darling! and on The Kenny Everett Show.

Split and later activity

The group breaks up in April 1971. After the split, Jimmy McCulloch works with a number of other acts, including John Mayall, Stone the Crows and Wings. He dies in 1979. Speedy Keen releases solo material, including the album Previous Convictions in 1973 and Y’know Wot I Mean? in 1975, and later works as a producer, including on Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers’ L.A.M.F. and Motörhead’s first album. Andy Newman records the solo album Rainbow in 1971 and plays assorted instruments on Roger Ruskin Spear’s first album.

Thunderclap Newman is later revived by Andy Newman and collaborators around 2007. In 2010, Newman performs under the Thunderclap Newman name with a new line-up including Tony Stubbings, Nick Johnson, Mark Brzezicki and Josh Townshend, and the group releases Beyond Hollywood. The group supports Big Country on a UK tour in 2011.