We’re looking at Brute Force, a compilation album released at the height of NWOBHM frenzy, when record companies were falling over themselves to cater to the whims of 14 year old pubescent boys, obsessed with the thought of something electric strapped round their necks and slung low down between their legs.
After a surprisingly metal free Part 3, things come to a close today, with the final three tracks which are actually, honest guv, metal! There’s a shocker.
First up, is a controversial record from the not very good Xero. Controversial, because upon its release as a single, the Evil EMI came along with writs, galoshes and rubber truncheons to force it from the market. Why? Not on grounds of taste, but because prior to Bruce Bruce joining Samson, he had recorded one of the tracks that appeared on the B-side of this single from NWOBHM no-marks, Xero. But once unveiled as the shiny frontman of Iron Maiden, the Man didn’t want the kids to hear him squealing like a pig stuck on a pike. Or something.
Who knows who Cryer were? Not me. I know they released one single and that one of the members was called Graham Careless! Which is two more things than anyone needs to know about them. I’ve heard worse than ‘Day To Day’, but you can hear why they went nowhere. And as for releasing a single called ‘The Single’, well, only Girl can get away with that.
Things come to a shuddering halt with the boogiefied May West, a band so obscure, even I know nothing about them. I do remember Paul Suter praising them in Sounds, but that’s no guarantee of anything.
We’re looking at Brute Force, a compilation album released at the height of NWOBHM frenzy, when record companies were falling over themselves to cater to the whims of 14 year old pubescent boys, obsessed with the thought of something electric strapped round their necks and slung low down between their legs.
Last time around, things had started to dip ominously with the pretty rubbish Prowler and the not at all metal Colin Towns, only being salvaged by a pretty decent tune from Sledgehammer.
However, as we abandon Side 1 and head for Side 2 (ask your gramps, kiddies), things start to pick up a bit. Of course I say that, but I’m kind of lying. Well, totally lying. Because the first tune is from another metal beast. Erstwhile Gillan drummer, Mick Underwood. You read that right. A track from the drummer in Gillan. To be fair, I did like Quatermass and even Strapps, but did the world really need a solo single from Mick? I suspect not, as you listen to the A-side, just below. And, yes, it really was released as a single.
Luckily for us, things then get back on track with the arrival of White Spirit. Sadly now just a footnote in metal history thanks to them harbouring Janick Gers pre Gillan / Iron Maiden, they were actually a bit good. Had a major label come along at the right time, who knows, it might have been them. Unfortunately, post Neat Records, it was MCA who picked them up. You know, the band who killed Diamond Head.
And this is how Gillan got to nick him.
I saw them at the Embra Odeon gig. I was a bit out of it, so don’t have much recall, but former GHMI stars, Chevy, may also have been on the bill.
And now for a band who had more chances than is fair. And blew them all. Mainly because they weren’t so hot. However, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath was their bezzy friend, which explains the number of chances they had. Yup, it’s Brummie losers, Quartz. They’d been on the go for about a thousand years pre NWOBHM, but the chancers decided to have another go. Gits. Their first single had come up back in 1977, but this was the level they were best suited for.
I’ve still not quite forgiven Iommi for wasting £2.99 on their self titled debut. They even blagged a support on a Rush tour, you know. Tony, if you’re reading. A refund would be nice.
Their keyboard player, Geoff Nicholls, ended up hidden behind a curtain for most of Black Sabbaths eighties and nineties tours. I’d have been ashamed to be seen in public after this as well.
We’re looking at Brute Force, a compilation album released at the height of NWOBHM frenzy, when record companies were falling over themselves to cater to the whims of 14 year old pubescent boys, obsessed with the thought of something electric strapped round their necks and slung low down between their legs.
And it was an album that promised much, as Part 1 revealed tracks by Diamond Head, Fist and Raven – NWOBHM worthy metal icons. But then things started to go peculiar as this Part 2 will show.
First up were the not at all legendary Prowler, a band built around the talents of the Philpott brothers. As befits anything built around anyone called Philpott, this was not a memorable thing. If memory serves, they managed a couple of singles before returning to the hardware counter at Wickes.
Then it was time for some Sledgehammer. Which was much more like it. It’s hard to believe now, but they were championed by one Garry Bushell in Sounds, not something that seems like a good thing now, but they were nearly a very good band indeed. Sadly, the majors passed them by, and by the time they got round to releasing a couple of indie albums, their chance had passed them by. They were also on “Metal For Muthas”, you know. “I met a real coollady, late last night. She blew my mind and that’s not all”. Legend-ary.
Now it’s time for that legendary metal beast that is Colin Towns. Eh? Yup, the Gillan keyboard player best known for not being a metal beast. It’s not that he wasn’t talented. After all, he wrote the best tunes for Gillan in their early days. But brute force? I think not. He ended up writing the music for legendary metal televisual shows “Dalziel and Pascoe” and “Cadfael”. And that is a fact.
Brute Force isn’t just a tune by the late, great Rory Gallagher. Nope, it’s also a state of mind. At least it was back at the arse end of the seventies / early eighties, when I was accumulating my musical juju.
Back in them days, it was a constant struggle for oneupmanship amongst the ranks of the motley crue of rattletag rockers I surrounded myself with. We were young and poor, but that didn’t mean we felt any sympathy for the bloke with the wrong number of rows on his studded wristband. No, mockery was where it was at.
Simultaneously, in a pre-internet world, the pages of Sounds and Kerrang! (pre-Kerrap! daze) were full of exotic sounding bands from farflung glamourous locations like Stourbridge and Mansfield. They were all allegedly metal, but who was good and who was bad? And so we would be lured by an advertisement for a compilation album, purporting to contain all these exciting new bands, but without the hassle of sending postal orders off to some nonce in Wolverhampton.
For these records were available in Woolworths at suitably priced RRPs! Oh, yes. A number 9 bus trip to the East End of Princes Street, and the world was mine, all mine!
And so it was that “Brute Force” cane into my life. Now, to be fair, it started off pretty well, so don’t get all excited thinking that this initial sample is a foretaste of what is to come. For the likes of Prowler and May West are just around the corner. However, for a good 15 minutes, this was the greatest record a teenaged Mr H had ever heard.
And so, here we are, at the end of the Lovely Lenka Request Zone, which brought you the all-singing*, all-dancing** Avatar heavies that were Chevy.
Fact – Guitarist Steve Walwyn went on to play with Stevie Marriott, Eddie and the Hotrods, Roger Chapman, the Big Town Playboys and Dr. Feelgood.
Remember the instruction;
Download each track.
Copy the images to the same location.
Burn all the tracks to CD.
Print off a CD case sized copy of the pictures.
Put everything into a CD case.
To celebrate the remarkable GHMI Reunited website putting together the 2 people who attended the Wick show of the Chevy / Limelight tour, GHMI is dedicating this episode to those two legendary bands;
Heavy rock bands Chevy and Limelight take a “double header” tour this month including a special ‘Charles and Di’ night at Bradford Gatsbys. Dark Star will be appearing as special guests on selected nights and the entire schedule runs;
Aberdeen Victoria Hotel July 22
Wick Assembly Rooms 23
Grangemouth Town Hall 24
Retford Porterhouse 25
Chester Northgate Arena 26
Colwyn Bay Dixieland Show Bar 28
Bradford Gatsbys 29
Norwich St. Andrews Hall 30
Chadwell Heath Electric Stadium 31
Leeds Fforde Grene Hotel August 2
Hull Tiffanys 3
Bristol Granary 4
Lincoln Drill Hall 5
Kidderminster Town Hall 6.
Sadly, we’ve yet to find anyone who went to the Wombwell Reform show in Barnsley, but who knows. It may happen yet, here on GHMI Reunited.
As I was feeling left out of this Caithness love-athon, here’s a bonus AC/DC live track. Recorded live at Leith Theatre, Leith Town Hall, Leith on June 12th, 1976. Now, as I was still at primary school, I didn’t quite manage to get in, but I still get a wee thrill every time I walk past Leith Town Hall. Mrs H thinks it’s because we got wed there, so let’s keep it our little secret, eh?
I’ve bravely undertaken the task of preparing a Rock Profile special for Getreadytorock radio on the luscious Pat Benatar.
Scarily, it’s a whole thirty years since her first album came out, which means that it’s 28 years since I developed a ludicrous and still palpating crush on the divine Ms Benatar.
When I realised what anniversary it was, it made me mourn the passing of time, as it’s now five years since I wrote a 25th anniversary retrospective for Record Collector magazine, although it seems like a matter of months. On the plus side, it gave me yet another excuse to leaf through my collection of Pat pictures. Purely for ‘research’ purposes, of course. You can see a portion of my Benatar collection here.
So, I’m going to treat you to a couple of tunes from Ms Benatar, while I go and lie down in a darkened room with only her Hit Videos compilation for company.
MP3 one – Passion – one of the most recent studio recordings from Pat, which was done for an advert for summat or other.
MP3 two – The Effect You Have On Me – from a tribute album to Edith Piaf (why?)
MP3 three – All Fired Up – a live version of one of Pats most rockingest tracks.
Watch some vintage Pat below;
Still awesome in the 21st century
There are a gazillion best of albums, but this is good enough. Buy it here.
Yup, for the next wee while, we’re going to be talking about chicks, man.
Now, we like chicks here at GHMI. They smell good, they’re soft to the touch, and if you’re lucky, they’ll put out. However, one thing they’re not so good at, is the Rawk.
So I’ll be firing up a few examples of girls singing, good and bad, for your perusal, amusal and disposal.
And we’re starting with Cheetah.
An Australian rock band active between 1977 and 1982, the vocal and focal points were sisters Chrissie Hammond and Lyndsay Hammond. They were signed by Vanda & Young, who were trying to parlay their AC/DC success into a broader currency, and ended up on French disco label, Carrere, who also had fellow Oztralians Rose Tattoo, as well as the mighty Saxon.
Naturally, it didn’t work, mainly due to the music not actually being that good. Well, actually, some of the songs are good, but the flat as a pancake production did them no favours. Not that that stopped me buying the “Rock’n'Roll Women” album, and swooning over Lyndsay when they came to Britain on tour. Their album is sadly unavailable on CD, but due to the power of technology, I’ve ripped two hissy vinyl tunes for your pleasure.
The sisters have periodically reformed for Oztralian tours and you can read all abaht them here.
If you’re confused about what this entails, then take a look back at Part 1 for guidance. Otherwise, prepare yourself for the next track listed down below.
Quite simply, the greatest band of the nineties, playing one of the best songs of the nineties, replete with the greatest opening line of all time, oh yeah, baby.
So without further ado, I present the latest part of the 2009 Death Disco! Time to get your lightbulb encrusted suit out of the wardrobe, hire some hoors to shake their bits aboot, drop some acid, and RAWK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Click to download. Or you can play them all as they arrive in the Death Box over on the right hand side of your screen.
And here’s your carefully selected pictogram clue for today.
