John Entwistle - Thunderfingers: The Best of John Entwistle

As a solo artist separate from the Who, John Entwistle has never been more than a cult figure. His solo music rocks harder than Pete Townshend's, and, at least initially, what he lacked as a singer he more than makes up for in the sheer weirdness of his lyrics. This 18-song collection may make a few converts, showcasing the best songs from five albums cut between 1971 through 1981. The five songs off Smash Your Head Against the Wall are the best tracks here, while a surprising amount of the rest is Entwistle's retro-inspired parodies of vintage rock & roll, most notably "Roller Skate Kate" (a dark-humored parody of numerous late-'50s/early-'60s teen death songs) and "Mad Dog" (paying tribute to "My Boyfriend's Back"). "Drowning" has a few obvious remarks about songwriting, and "Fallen Angel" could easily be a statement by Entwistle about his own status as a rock star. "Too Late the Hero" makes a sufficiently somber coda, with some very dense electronic orchestrations and catchy choruses highlighting an eerie, bittersweet song about life's disappointments. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alan Ross Guitar, Vocals (Background), Percussion Bill Inglot Remastering Billy Nicholls Vocals (Background) Brian Humphreys Engineer Bryan Williams Trombone Chris Charlesworth Liner Notes Dan Hersch Remastering Dave Caswell Trumpet Dick Parry Sax (Baritone) Doreen Chanter Vocals (Background) Eddie Jobson Keyboards Gary Stewart Compilation Gordon Barton Drums Graham Deakin Percussion, Drums Howie Casey Sax (Tenor) Irene Chanter Vocals (Background) Jerry Shirley Drums Jim Hill Assistant Engineer Jim Ryan Guitar Jimmy McCulloch Guitar Joe Vitale Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Flute Joe Walsh Keyboards, Guitar John Alcock Engineer, Producer John Entwistle Liner Notes, Trumpet, Keyboards, Bass, Producer, Trombone, 8-String Bass, Flugelhorn, Synthesizer, Vocals, Piano John Mumford Trombone Juanita "Honey" Franklin Vocals (Background) LadybiRdS Group, Vocals (Background) Mike Wedgwood Arranger, String Arrangements Mike Weighell Mixing, Engineer Nashville Katz Group, Strings Neil Hornby Assistant Engineer Neil Sheppard Keyboards Patrick Milligan Project Assistant Peter Frampton Guitar Rachel Gutek Design, Art Direction Ray Hendriksen Engineer Richard Dodd Engineer Ross Halfin Photography Roy Baker Engineer Steve Woolard Project Assistant Tony Ashton Keyboards Walter Samuel Engineer Waring Abbott Photography