Hughes/Thrall

While Pat Thrall had spent the late 1970s and early 1980s making a name for himself by playing with the likes of Automatic Man and Pat Travers, former Deep Purple member Glenn Hughes recorded one solo album after the demise of Purple in 1976 entitled Play Me Out; a record that focused more on his love of soul and funk rather than hard rock. Play Me Out had limited success and Hughes had slipped off the musical map, save for a few guest appearances here and there. Hughes moved to Los Angeles to write with the intention of releasing new material. In 1981, Thrall's playing caught Hughes' eye and the two formed a musical partnership. After a period of jamming and writing they started recording with producer Andy Johns (who had previously worked with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Free and The Rolling Stones). They released their debut album, simply called Hughes/Thrall in August 1982. Released on a short-lived subsidiary of Epic, called Boulevard Records, the album had little marketing behind it and although it received critical acclaim it failed to make a big impression with the music buying public and saw disappointing sales. Hughes blamed some of the obscurity on the fact that both he and Thrall were suffering from drug addictions at the time, and couldn't support the album with a proper tour.[1] The album itself had a definite radio-friendly, album-oriented rock sound. However it also had elements of post-punk and new wave, many musicians and critics have cited the record as highly influential to the direction of rock music in the eighties. Over time it has become something of a cult record. Hughes/Thrall took to the road for a short American tour, playing a handful of gigs in California and Texas supporting Santana. The touring band featured drummer Tommy Aldridge and keyboardist Jesse Harms.