NWOBHM

[Old Man Riva]

3 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

 

Didn't Black Sabbath write a couple of song about how Arden screwed them?, on Sabotage:

Tony Iommi's book didn't go into the screwing so much as he did the drug supply. Apparently Arden kept the drugs flowing & the band was in a mist.

 

Even though I’m not really a Sabbath fan I have to say I love that album!! 

[Old Man Riva]

4 minutes ago, 4000 said:

That’s an interesting take, and there is probably more than a bit of truth in it. I was the opposite to you I guess; in the same way as I supported City as a kid when they were blue collar and hated United because they were a “bunch of flash poseurs”, I loved bands like Purple and Sabbath and didn’t really ‘get’ Bowie, Roxy etc. NWOBHM definitely was metal with a more punk, ‘street’ mindset. 

I remember first seeing UFO on TOTPs doing Doctor Doctor and thinking it was great, but apart from that & Lights Out, nothing really grabbed me too much and I never got into them. I got the chance to see DC with Bon on the last tour they did and turned it down (I think I was skint), saying I’d catch them next time. Of course there wasn’t one. ☹️

Being a Coventry City fan I definitely had to suffer the ‘punk’ rather than ‘glam’ football route - it was probably actually akin ‘bad pub rock’!

Even though I didn’t dig the music I really liked the ‘indie’ approach of a lot of the NWOBHM bands. I had mates who were into punk music and were inspired to pick up an instrument because of it, and feel that must have been the same with young kids being inspired by the NWOBHM bands’ approach.

It was also rare to see heavy bands on TOTP until Iron Maiden, Saxon etc. came along...

[Billy Apple]

22 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

I think a lot of the NWOBHM audience found the likes of UFO a bit 'flash', and 'rock star-ish'

Well, I think of myself as the target audience in 1980 and I didn't find UFO 'flash'. I thought they were down and dirty. Flash and rock-star-ish (for me) were the likes of Def Leppard who could burn as far as I was concerned. I always thought UFO an honest blues-hard-rock act with a wizard young guitarist and a bass player who was a bit of a character

23 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

whereas the bands that formed much of the NWOBHM scene were the opposite of that. I often think it was the heavy rock version of the punk model/ethos - DIY, unfussy, not flash, lacking pretention, where bands took control and issued the records themselves.

Absolutely how I felt about Iron Maiden until Di'Anno got the boot and the bell-end Dickinson got the gig. At that point it went from street reality to dungeons and dragons poppycock. Maybe it's something not discussed yet, but NWOBHM says Heavy Metal, but the bands I liked were what I remember being called Heavy Rock... Jeans not spandex. When the likes of Metallica came along I couldn't stand them because there was no groove, no blues... just earnest grimacing.

[Killed_by_Death]

 

Metallica was just a polished further progression of Purple, Motörhead, Venom.

They should have been dropped from 'The Big Four' of thrash when they sold out.

Exodus & Testament (from the bay area) were heavier hitters, but just didn't make it to Big Four status.

 

[Billy Apple]

1 minute ago, Killed_by_Death said:

Exodus

I really liked Exodus... they seemed to have a sense of humour

[Killed_by_Death]

 

One of the Most Brutal mosh-pits I was ever in, Slayer being the other.

I saw Exodus at the Vic Theatre in Chicago & 7 people were CARRIED out after 3 songs:

Bonded by Blood 

Low Rider (cover)

Toxic Waltz (when it really went OFF)

 

[Old Man Riva]

13 minutes ago, Billy Apple said:

Well, I think of myself as the target audience in 1980 and I didn't find UFO 'flash'. I thought they were down and dirty. Flash and rock-star-ish (for me) were the likes of Def Leppard who could burn as far as I was concerned. I always thought UFO an honest blues-hard-rock act with a wizard young guitarist and a bass player who was a bit of a character

Absolutely how I felt about Iron Maiden until Di'Anno got the boot and the bell-end Dickinson got the gig. At that point it went from street reality to dungeons and dragons poppycock. Maybe it's something not discussed yet, but NWOBHM says Heavy Metal, but the bands I liked were what I remember being called Heavy Rock... Jeans not spandex. When the likes of Metallica came along I couldn't stand them because there was no groove, no blues... just earnest grimacing.

I’m with you on UFO, but from experience knew hard rock fans who were suspicious of them - “poseurs” etc.

Again, purely to my ears at least, the early Iron Maiden stuff I heard was bordering on punk in its sound. Running Free had brilliant energy, and hearing it on Radio 1 at the time it really came across brilliantly. I remember reading about their approach in Sounds and it really did feel like the punk ethos, insomuch as their approach felt truly independent and driven by the same approach as a lot of the punk bands - a bunch of mates getting together and having a go at forming a band. The same with Def Leppard and their Bludgeon Riffola EP.

As a movement I wasn’t a fan of (much of) the music but loved the fact it was happening... 

Edited February 14, 2021 by Old Man Riva

[4000]

It’s funny, not only do I still think of Metallica as a new band, I still think of Iron Maiden as a new band!

Still remember Running Free on TOTPs first time; really exciting. I bought Wasted by Def Leppard but kind of lost interest in them after that; I never liked Joe Elliott’s voice for a start. 

UFO, I think early on I read an article about Phil Mogg where he came across like a complete knob, so I think that also put me off. 

Its funny, at the time I didn’t really get punk either (I was probably a bit too young and found it all a bit scary), but so many bands from that era have been such an influence on my writing. I think as a quiet, introspective lower-middle-class young teen I didn’t really get what everyone was so angry about.  😂

Edited February 14, 2021 by 4000

[TrevorR]

Was never much of a NWOBHM fan though I had a couple of Saxon cassettes as a kid. The one band I really did like were Praying Mantis - probably because of the Lizzy-esque twin lead sound. Still pull out their debut album Time Tells No Lies for a listen these days.

...suitably metal Rodney Matthew’s cover too!

Do Heavy Pettin’ qualify as NWOBHM? Or are they more “hair metal”. Joint worst set I’ve ever seen (they were supporting Magnum who were great). Tied with Gary Moore’s favourite support act - Aussie blueser Dave Hole.

 

 

 

[Billy Apple]

17 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

I’m with you on the UFO, but from experience knew hard rock fans who were suspicious of them - “poseurs” etc.

The make or break for bands for me could come down to something as as trivial as a haircut and I rest my case with the Di'Anno/DIckinson wars. I suppose if you have something as unreconstructed as Uriah Heep and (pre Ace of Spades) Motorhead, anything else could come across as posturing fop-dandies

I do remember being fiercely possessive of the bands I liked and pretty ruthless about the ones I didn't. So I can see how your cohort may see UFO as poseurs... which is a word I used to hear a lot then, but not much now. I recall it being a massive insult to a fan of whoever the poseurs were.. and the fans themselves. I remember committing the cardinal sin of having both a UFO and Stranglers pin badge on my school blazer and being called a poser by an older punk called Gums who was the bassist in our local punk band The Gimmicks... his real name was Julian Trought and I just said to him 'is your name Trout?' *Swish!* But, such were the battles in the Punk & Rock Wars.

Edited February 14, 2021 by Billy Apple

[Killed_by_Death]

 

I made enemies with a couple of Punk/Alt fans in my class back then. One of them works near me now in in the local McDonald's, & we are acquainted, but

the other guy works as a tennis instructor at the YMCA & won't speak to me at reunions or accept my friend request on FB, LOL!

The stupid things we used to argue about:

 

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by Killed_by_Death
fixed image url

[Old Man Riva]

3 minutes ago, Billy Apple said:

The make or break for bands for me could come down to something as as trivial as a haircut and I rest my case with in the Di'Anno/DIckinson wars. I suppose if you have something as unreconstructed as Uriah Heep and (pre Ace of Spades) Motorhead, anything else could come across as posturing fop-dandies

I do remember being fiercely possessive of the bands I liked and pretty ruthless about the ones I didn't. So I can see how your cohort may see UFO as poseurs... which is a word I used to hear a lot then, but not much now. I recall it being a massive insult to a fan of whoever the poseurs were.. and the fans themselves. I remember committing the cardinal sin of having both a UFO and Stranglers pin badge on my school blazer and being called a poser by an older punk called Gums who was the bassist in our local punk band The Gimmicks... his real name was Julian Trought and I just said to him 'is your name Trout?' *Swish!* But, such were the battles in the Punk & Rock Wars.

A big draw with UFO for me was how cool (I thought) Pete Way was. A definite posturing fop-dandy!!

You’re right, being labelled a ‘poser’ was a bit of a thing back then, a proper put down - don’t ask me how I know!

Anyway... Billy Apple one, Julian Trought (“it’s pronounced ‘True-ert’”) nil!! 

[Killed_by_Death]

 

hmm, I wonder if FastWAY would be considered NWOBHM, Pete Way & Fast Eddie

 

[dave_bass5]

Are Thunder part of all this? I’m not sure when they first started, i didnt get in to them until quite late. 

[Rich]

20 minutes ago, TrevorR said:

Was never much of a NWOBHM fan though I had a couple of Saxon cassettes as a kid. The one band I really did like were Praying Mantis - probably because of the Lizzy-esque twin lead sound. Still pull out their debut album Time Tells No Lies for a listen these days.

 

Blige, I haven't heard Cheated in years. Thanks for that, a proper blast from my past.

[Old Man Riva]

3 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Are Thunder part of all this? I’m not sure when they first started, i didnt get in to them until quite late. 

Came along later, but I saw their (the singer and guitarist) earlier band, Terraplane, in the early 80s at the Lanchester Polytechnic in Cov, and they were superb.

They did the most amazing version of River Deep, Mountain High... 

[Billy Apple]

4 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Are Thunder part of all this? I’m not sure when they first started, i didnt get in to them until quite late. 

Nah. Thunder got going in the late '80's. IMO the NWOBHM was done by '83 at the latest, '82 perhaps?

[Billy Apple]

9 minutes ago, Killed_by_Death said:

 

hmm, I wonder if FastWAY would be considered NWOBHM, Pete Way & Fast Eddie

 

I vote no. Formed in '83 and after the fact. Not the young upstarts who did it for themselves

[dave_bass5]

10 minutes ago, Old Man Riva said:

Came along later, but I saw their (the singer and guitarist) earlier band, Terraplane, in the early 80s at the Lanchester Polytechnic in Cov, and they were superb.

They did the most amazing version of River Deep, Mountain High... 

 

9 minutes ago, Billy Apple said:

Nah. Thunder got going in the late '80's. IMO the NWOBHM was done by '83 at the latest, '82 perhaps?

Ah cool. I thought they were a bit more modern. I  really like the voice and harmonies. Saw them a few years ago supporting Whitesnake. I thought they blew WS off the stage. 

Terraplane rings a bell though,. 

[Billy Apple]

Just now, dave_bass5 said:

Saw them a few years ago supporting Whitesnake. I thought they blew WS off the stage. 

I saw Whitesnake once on the Come 'an Get It tour in '81. Once was enough, I thought they just phoned it in

[Old Man Riva]

3 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

 

Ah cool. I thought they were a bit more modern. I  really like the voice and harmonies. Saw them a few years ago supporting Whitesnake. I thought they blew WS off the stage. 

Terraplane rings a bell though,. 

They had an indie single out (I Survive) in the early 80s - B-side (Gimme the Money) was superb. I think they then signed to a major and it all went a bit stale from there.

Early on though, I thought they sounded great. Especially the singer... 

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Catching up on the thread: I too had the fist ep. I saw them at the marquee, but I think ( but not 100% sure) they supported diamond head there . They were good . The one thing I remember from the front man was that he had a guitar , but hardly played it . 
Motorhead : first time I saw them was at Stafford bingley hall . Awful coach journey, awful facilities ( well lack of) . Mythra were awful from what I can remember. Motorhead got presented gold discs from a queen lookalike at the end . The rain never stopped . 
Saw motorhead at hammy o on the ace of spades tour twice ( 4 nights ) . Had the flu .

Exodus : saw them supporting venom with chariot . Great gig . One of those where it was packed downstairs but empty upstairs I the balcony . Paul bailoff mentioned killing poseurs 😹

I think regarding Saxon , the funniest thing I saw at the Lyceum  :: The eagle backdrop fell ontop of the drummer. And blute the guitarist got it spectacularly wrong when he spinnned the guitar blindfolded and hit himself in the face .

Vardis seemed to support everyone as far as I remember . I think from a London point of view , the biggest gig Angelwitch did was headlining the Lyceum . 

Pete ways book is a must read ..
I'll leave it there for now ..

[Killed_by_Death]

 

Paul Baloff was like Bon Scott, a little nuts, but very entertaining onstage, also died young

R.I.P. Cliff & Paul

 

[Billy Apple]

I vote that the NWOBHM ended in December 1982. Simply because Def Leppard released Pyromania in Jan '83. I'll allow Dickinson in The Number of the Beast in '82, but May '83's Piece of Mind without Burr means it's finished.

It was all stadiums and suchlike from then on.

Edited February 14, 2021 by Billy Apple

[dave_bass5]

1 minute ago, Billy Apple said:

I vote that the NWOBHM ended in December 1982. Simply because Def Leppard released Pyromania in Jan '83. I'll allow Dickinson in The Number of the Beast in '82, but '83's Piece of Mind without Burr means it's finished.

It was all stadiums and suchlike from then on.

So WOBHM then 😎