Great Soundtracks of 1981: Heavy Metal

If I have to think back in time and pick out one major turning point in what made me the metalhead I am today, it would have to be this film and its superb soundtrack. Back then, I only thought of heavy metal music as a concept and it wouldn't be until I left the marines two years later that I would actually call myself a metalhead but after seeing the film and listening to all the great music on the soundtrack, it was safe to say that I was well on the road to becoming one.
Even though as a film, "Heavy Metal" was dismissed by some critics, even science fiction ones, I thoroughly enjoyed it. When you're twenty years old and your mind is under the influence of certain substances, seeing a space ship open its cargo door and then an astronaut comes out of it in a 1953 chevy corvette parachuting to Earth is mind blowing. For those who haven't seen the film, the mentioned scene happens to be at the beginning. The astronaut drives home and is met by his daughter. He then gives her this gift which is a large green globe. The globe melts the father and then tells the daughter its going to kill her after it shows her six stories about how it is the sum of all evil. It is these individual stories that make the film. My personal favourite is story two, "Den" about a nerdy teen who gets transported to a fantasy world where is is this muscular hero who gets all the girls. For months, I went around repeating Den's  lines from where he first discovers he's in a new body. "No hair, mmm big." Then the nerdy voice (done by the late John Candy) says, "There is no way I'm walking around this place with my dork hanging out." And then later in that story, after he sleeps with the evil queen, "Eighteen years of nothing and then twice in one day." Sorry, small things amuse small minds. While those lines amused me, the one that became the standard for me and my buddies was from story five when the two stoned aliens badly dock their space ship. Voiced by the late Harold Ramis: "One thing I know how to do man is drive when I'm stoned."
[caption id="attachment_2321" align="aligncenter" width="272"] Chevy Corvette parachutes to Earth[/caption]
You find out at the end that the entire film is tied to the very last story, "Taarna." Taarna is the last descendant of a warrior race known as the Taarakians, who after extracting vengeance on the barbarians who destroyed a peaceful city, sacrifices herself so the green globe can't take over the world. Her blood is in the young girl who becomes the new Taarakian defender. Yes, I thought the ending was a little naff but after watching the other six stories, I didn't really care. Besides, it was this last story that has instilled my fondness for ladies wielding swords. That might be too much information.
[caption id="attachment_2322" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Taarna with her sword[/caption]
Enough about the film, lets move to this fantastic soundtrack. I don't use the term "fantastic" loosely here because I really believe it about this soundtrack. It's a who's who of great rock and metal artists from the period. Two bands, Grand Funk Railroad and Blue Oyster Cult were listed in my honourable mentions category in great heavy metal influences. Then there's a song by Nazereth, whose album "Hair of the Dog" could have been used as a blue print for the creation of metal. Note: the Nazereth song on this soundtrack wasn't from that album but it's a good one nonetheless. Up an coming Sammy Hagar demonstrates why he would rise to glory in his own right with the song he plays here. There are also two great songs from Cheap Trick and my favourite Devo song and the soundtrack's more tender moments give us "Open Arms" by Journey and ones from Stevie Nicks and Donald Fagen. And of course we can't forget the contribution from one of the metal's founding fathers, Black Sabbath. What better song for this soundtrack than "The Mob Rules." However, the one song that gained the most notoriety was the second title track, (there are two on this one) by former Eagles guitarist Don Felder. If the soundtrack and film set me on the road to being a metalhead, it was this particular song that was the engine driving it.
[caption id="attachment_1950" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Black Sabbath[/caption][caption id="attachment_1443" align="aligncenter" width="248"] Blue Oyster Cult[/caption]

Track Listing:

1. Sammy Hagar- Heavy Metal

2. Riggs- Heartbeat

3. Devo- Working in a Coal Mine

4. Blue Oyster Cult- Veteran of 1000 Psychic Wars

5. Cheap Trick- Reach Out

6. Don Felder- Heavy Metal

7. Donald Fagan- True Companion

8. Nazereth- Crazy (A Suitable Case for Treatment)

9. Riggs- Radar Rider

10 Journey- Open Arms

11. Grand Funk Railroad- Queen Bee

12. Cheap Trick- I Must Be Dreamin'

13. Black Sabbath- The Mob Rules

14. Don Felder- All of You

15. Trust- Prefabricated

16. Stevie Nicks- Blue Lamp

[caption id="attachment_947" align="aligncenter" width="222"] Journey[/caption][caption id="attachment_963" align="aligncenter" width="220"] Cheap Trick[/caption]

One useless piece of information: When I visited Journey' "Escape" album, I mentioned that "Open Arms" was Mrs 80sMetalman's and mine first dance song at our wedding. Actually it was the CD from this very soundtrack that was used for it. See, that's how good this soundtrack was. Not much more I can say about it as the songs speak for themselves.

Next post: Thin Lizzy- Renegade

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Soundtracks of 1981: American Pop

Whilst I was on leave after my first deployment overseas, the animated film "American Pop" was at the cinemas. The fact that they used the spot where Jimi Hendrix plays "Purple Haze" was enough to make me want to go see it. The movie itself was all right but what was even better was the soundtrack. It had some of the great artists from the 60s and 70s on it and those songs together make this soundtrack very cool to listen to.

[caption id="attachment_113" align="aligncenter" width="226"] Jimi Hendrix[/caption]

It has been many years since I have seen this film or listened to the soundtrack but for those who may not be familiar with it, I'll go through a very quick synopsis of the movie. "American Pop" is about 4 generations of musicians. It begins in the early 20th Century and focuses on the character Zamwe who is a child star. However, is throat is injured while singing for the troops on World War One so he never gets to be a star. He also falls foul of the mafia. The story then goes to his son Benny who is an accomplished pianist in a jazz band. He is on the road to fame when World War Two breaks out. Unfortunately, he is shot in the back while playing a piano in a bombed out bar in France. However, Benny's seed is passed on through Tony. Now in the 60s, Tony's mother has remarried and has more kids making him an outcast. He goes on the road taking odd jobs where he meets a rock band and becomes their song writer. However, he gets involved with the female lead singer and also gets hooked on drugs ending his brief brush with success. Several years later, Tony is a down and out and his companion is a young street kid named Pete. Tony disappears after giving Pete a load of drugs telling him not to sell it all in one place. Several years more and Pete is a big time drug dealer and is selling to rock stars. One day, he asks the band he is selling to to hear one of his songs. The band refuse at first but relent when Pete threatens to withdraw his business. Pete plays his song and the result is he becomes a big rock star, the end.

[caption id="attachment_2316" align="aligncenter" width="208"] Tony and Pete[/caption]

At the time, this film was slated by a lot of people. The problem was that some people tried to take the film too literally. For instance, the girl singer comes across like Grace Slick, (the rest of the band does resemble Jefferson Airplane a little) but turns into Janis Joplin. Okay, those two 60s rock queens may have been fused together to create the character but I say good on them. The other one was at the end. It turns out that Pete's song is none other than "Night Moves" by and I know I've said it before, the unsung hero of 70s rock, Bob Seger. The Pete character was never meant to be Bob, they just use his song. Besides, I did a little research and didn't find any evidence that Bob Seger was a drug dealer. If I were to go back to that time, I would tell those people to lighten up because if you don't try to look at things that aren't really there, the film is quite enjoyable. Of course it is the soundtrack that really makes this movie.

[caption id="attachment_2317" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Do they resemble Jefferson Airplane to you?[/caption]

Official Track Listing:

1. Pat Benatar- Hell is for Children

2. Big Brother and the Holding Company- Summertime

3. The Mamas and the Papas- California Dreamin'

4. Peter, Paul and Mary- This Train

5. Jefferson Airplane- Somebody to Love

6. Jimi Hendrix- Purple Haze

7. The Dave Brubeck Quartet- Take Five

8. Sam Cooke- You Send Me

9. Fabian- Turn Me Loose

10. The Doors- People are Strange

Songs in the film not on the Soundtrack

Bob Seger- Night Moves

Lynyrd Skynyrd- Freebird

[caption id="attachment_940" align="aligncenter" width="251"] Bob Seger[/caption]

Just from looking at this list of songs, it is obvious that I do not need to go into more detail about them. A great array of songs from several decades brought together to make one hell of a soundtrack and you can't debate that whatever you think of the film.

Next post: The Soundtrack to Heavy Metal

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Great Rock One Hit Wonders of 1981

Originally, this post was going to be a promotion for an unsigned band whose demo has happened to come into my possession. When I told the band I was going to write about them, they were going to send me a picture of themselves but since that hasn't happened yet, I'm afraid it will have to wait till next time. So instead I will post about the one hit wonders that graced us in 1981.

[caption id="attachment_2303" align="aligncenter" width="284"] Joe Dolce[/caption]

NO this isn't a wind up! I am including "Shaddap You Face" by Joe Dolce among the one hit wonders. Yes, the song was a total wind up but Mr Dolce was probably laughing all the way to the bank. Besides, I have a more mercenary reason for putting it here. See, my ex wife was a big fan of Ultravox back in the 80s and in 1981, their hit "Vienna" was destined for the number in the UK charts. However, this strange song by Joe came along and usurped the top spot. My ex has never forgiven him for that and although we're on amicable terms now,  the thought does bring a sinister smile to my face.

This might seem a wind up too but if you were around in 1981, you will remember Pac Man. This was the game to play at video arcades and it caught on so much that a group named Buckner and Garcia made a song about it. "Pac Man Fever" was very cheesy to say the least, the lyrics prove that. So, why am I including it here? The answer is that, "Pac Man Fever" gets my vote for being the worst song with a cool guitar solo. That's the only reason why I liked it. After all, I never played Pac Man that much; instead I was getting my initials down on the top ten lists on Bezerk.

[caption id="attachment_2031" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bezerk[/caption][caption id="attachment_2307" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Climax Blues Band[/caption]

My British readers are now jumping up and down in sheer anger for calling the Climax Blues Band one hit wonders. I know they had much more success in the UK and were still going strong ten years after their only US hit "I Love You" was in the charts. Back in 1991-2, I used to work at a factory down the road from the famous Royal Standard pub in Walthamstow, London and I would see the band posted on the board outside for a Saturday night gig on several occasions. But, "I Love You" was the only song I would remember them for, especially as it's one I can associate with yet another dancer at The Driftwood. I can never remember her name though.

[caption id="attachment_2308" align="aligncenter" width="275"] Quarterflash[/caption]

Now it's the turn of American readers to blow a gasket, especially those in the Northwest but I have always considered Quarterflash to be one hit wonders. After a little research, I saw that they had some other hits but that was in early 1982 and I was on my second tour overseas. Other songs didn't make it across the Atlantic and like the Rolling Stones' "Waiting on a Friend," Quarterflash's greatest hit, "Harden My Heart" was also blasting out of juke boxes in cafes in Toulon, France. This is the best of the songs I have mentioned so far, it is a true rock song. Back then, some were calling lead singer Rindy Ross, the next Pat Benatar. I wouldn't go that far but Ross did have an excellent voice.

[caption id="attachment_2309" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Kim Carnes[/caption]

Always sounding like she had a frog in her throat, Kim Carnes dominated the US and other countries' singles charts with her most famous hit, "Bette Davis Eyes." Like Quarterflash and the Climax Blues Band, there is much scope for debate as whether or not she should be a one hit wonder. She has many song writing credits to her name including songs for David Cassidy, Kenny Rogers and Barbra Streisand, I know not real rockers. That's why I was glad that this song tended to be slightly more rock.
We can sum up that the songs from one hit wonders in 1981 went from the ridiculous to the serious. Two of the ones mentioned here evoke the John McEnroe, "You can't be serious" approach but the the ones that were are definitely good songs in their own right.

Next post: Hopefully- Great Soundtrack of 1981

To buy Rock And Roll Children, go to www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html

Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London

Bloodstock 2018: The Sunday

Final full day at Bloodstock and I was prepared for a long one. Five of the final six bands on the Ronnie James Dio Stage were on my 'must see' list. That gave me some time to not have to wolf down breakfast and chill before I headed to the arena for a final day of metal. However, that was cut short when Teal suggested I make it six of the last seven bands when he recommended I see Amaranthe. Oh well, one more band wouldn't hurt so I went with him and Joe to the arena.
That six of seven could have become seven of eight, at least I wished so because when I got to the Dio Stage, the band Evergrey was finishing up. This was yet another band whom I only caught the last few minutes of and wished I had seen more of them. Maybe it's mellowing with age but I'm getting more into prog-metal bands and these guys from Sweden are definitely worth checking out. Shame I can't say more.

[caption id="attachment_4799" align="aligncenter" width="265"] Evergrey on stage[/caption]

So far at Bloodstock, Teal had been two for two when recommending bands I should see, Kamelot on Friday and Alestorm on Saturday. No surprises that on Sunday, he was three for three when I saw the second consecutive Swedish band, Amaranthe, although they did have some technical difficulties before they came out on stage. Not to worry, while those difficulties were being sorted, bassist Johan Andreassen entertained the crowd with a bit of improv. I can't remember anything he said, damn my Swiss cheese memory, but he had me and the rest of the crowd rolling on the ground in laughter. When the rest of the band emerged, the most obvious sight was that they had three singers. Two males, one described as clean vocals, that was Nils Molin and the unclean male vocals of Henrik Eglund Wilhemsson along with the vocals of Elize Ryd. The best thing is that this combination totally worked. Each singer would come in with their style of vocals at the appropriate part in the song and take it in an unexpected direction. Of course, the other reason it worked was the musical efforts of guitar, bass and drums. The end result was forty minutes of good power metal and another band not known to me who impressed me a hell of a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDVycjDLx4Y

[caption id="attachment_4801" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Johan Andreassen doing his improv[/caption][caption id="attachment_4802" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Elize and Henrik on the vocals[/caption][caption id="attachment_4803" align="aligncenter" width="339"] Amaranthe won me over[/caption]

Having seen Fozzy twice before I had already regarded Chris Jerico as a good metal singer. Third time is the charm and if I had any doubt in my mind about him, those doubts were obliterated on this particular Sunday. He even came out on stage in a really cool looking long coat. His vocals, if anything, were even better and he still knows how to work a crowd. His band was as good as ever, especially when they played my all time favourite Fozzy song, "Drinkin' With Jesus." Really love that song and I have made a promise to myself to listen to more Fozzy.

[caption id="attachment_4798" align="aligncenter" width="268"] Chris in his coat[/caption][caption id="attachment_4805" align="aligncenter" width="365"] A shot of the entire band[/caption][caption id="attachment_4806" align="aligncenter" width="244"] I thought I'd get the guitar and bass in.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4808" align="aligncenter" width="239"] Chris engaging the crowd[/caption][caption id="attachment_4809" align="aligncenter" width="242"] Got more good shots of Fozzy[/caption][caption id="attachment_4810" align="aligncenter" width="240"] I thought he was going to attempt a flying drop kick here.[/caption]

Since I didn't want to go back to the campsite but my 57 year old frame didn't want to stand, I went over to the Sophie Lancaster Stage to have a little sit down at the back. Shortly after, the next band started to get ready to go on stage but they too had some technical difficulties. This time, the bass player didn't do improv. Instead, she treated the crowd to a brilliant bass solo, she could play! The band took the stage and played some really cool thrash/death metal. I learned they were from Nepal and it's great to see such a good band coming out from that part of the world. I hope more people will check them out. Unfortunately, someone from either Wordpress or Youtube is being a prick and not letting me paste any of their songs here.

[caption id="attachment_4811" align="aligncenter" width="268"] Bass player shredding away[/caption][caption id="attachment_4812" align="aligncenter" width="267"] Underside finally emerge[/caption][caption id="attachment_4813" align="aligncenter" width="343"] Underside show that you can rock in Nepal.[/caption]

The universal big question asked by many of the 18,000 who attended Bloodstock in 2018 was whether Mr Big was the type of band to play at this Festival. For me, that question was answered in the affirmative on the very first song, it being my vote for their hidden gem, "Daddy, Lover, Brother and Little Boy." I have always loved that song and that set the stage for the rest of their set. Sure, they played most of their classics, "Green Tinted Sixties Mind" was the fourth song and not long after, "To Be With You" which Eric Martin brought out an acoustic guitar to play along to. He did the same with the cover of the Cat Stevens classic, "Wild World." On top of that, Paul Gilbert totally impressed me with his guitar work on the songs and when he was left to play a solo. Eric also explained to the crowd that they had been on a European tour and Bloodstock was their last stop. Their final songs were more metal leaning, one of the being "Take Cover." However, when they left the stage, they proved to everyone that Mr Big belonged at Bloodstock! Even if they didn't play my other favourite Mr Big song, "The Whole World's Gonna Know."

[caption id="attachment_4814" align="aligncenter" width="258"] Welcome Mr Big[/caption][caption id="attachment_4815" align="aligncenter" width="255"] Paul plays a solo[/caption][caption id="attachment_4816" align="aligncenter" width="247"] Paul continues to wail[/caption][caption id="attachment_4817" align="aligncenter" width="246"] Here's a shot of Billy Sheehan[/caption][caption id="attachment_4818" align="aligncenter" width="254"] Eric on the acoustic guitar[/caption][caption id="attachment_4819" align="aligncenter" width="253"] Billy and Paul jamming together. Mr Big were certainly the most photogenic band at Bloodstock.[/caption]

Some might think this might be going from one extreme to the other. Going from the melodic metal sounds of Mr Big to the death metal of Devil Driver. That didn't bother me nor the many others who came to see them. It was metal mayhem to say the least. I can't really say much about their time on stage. I went close to the front with Teal and Joe and therefore, spent the entire time on the edges of mosh pits and passing crowd surfers to the front. That kind of ruins your concentration a bit. What I did hear from Devil Driver, I totally liked and still had a fantastic time during their set.

[caption id="attachment_4821" align="aligncenter" width="246"] Devil Driver[/caption][caption id="attachment_4822" align="aligncenter" width="335"] The mayhem spoiled this shot a little.[/caption][caption id="attachment_4823" align="aligncenter" width="245"] The best shot of them[/caption][caption id="attachment_4824" align="aligncenter" width="258"] I don't remember anything about them but I got a shot of Servers on the New Blood Stage[/caption]

At Bloodstock 2016, I took HMO's advice and went to see a band he recommended on his blog called Ackercoke. So, when he posted about At the Gates a few months ago, I knew I had to see them. He's now two for two in my book because At the Gates were brilliant. Three Swedish bands took the Dio Stage on this day and all three impressed me. For me, they were a natural progression after the more progressive sound of Evergrey to the sometimes more harder one of Amaranthe to At The Gates's death metal although, they did go melodic at times. I always have liked that style so these guys fit in well. During their set, I met a man from New York who had come to Bloodstock just to see them. Apparently, they hardly ever go to the States. The band needs to rectify that! All I can say when they left was "Thank you HMO for showing me another great band."

[caption id="attachment_4825" align="aligncenter" width="365"] At The Gates[/caption][caption id="attachment_4827" align="aligncenter" width="254"] Singer Thomas Lindberg engaging the crowd[/caption][caption id="attachment_4828" align="aligncenter" width="239"] Thomas turned his back on me here.[/caption]

Headlining the Sunday was the Finnish band Nightwish. I had heard many great things about this band and I further liked what I had heard from them so I was expecting good things. I wasn't disappointed. A huge clock at the back of the stage counted down the final minute to their appearance and they came out just as it hit zero. From then on it was pure magic, whether it was the vocals of Floor Jansen, the guitar work of Emppu Vuorinen or the keyboards of Tuomas Holopainen. What impressed me even more was Troy Donockley who played guitar, Bouzouki and an assortment of woodwind instruments and all very well. I now have a full appreciation of what is called Gothic metal. The hour and a half went by too fast and the show ended with a spoken word bit but I can't say who was speaking or what was said but it added greatly to the atmosphere of the show. The band did come back and I was hoping for one more song but they just took more bows. Can't complain though.

[caption id="attachment_4829" align="aligncenter" width="241"] The clock counts down[/caption][caption id="attachment_4830" align="aligncenter" width="237"] Good shot of Tuomas Holopainen on keys[/caption][caption id="attachment_4831" align="aligncenter" width="243"] I tried to get the band but a bunch of lights got in the way[/caption][caption id="attachment_4832" align="aligncenter" width="241"] Flash![/caption][caption id="attachment_4833" align="aligncenter" width="240"] The last shot before they left the stage.[/caption]

Tired and hungry, I went back to the tent to feed, drink my last beer and get some sleep. Next morning would be time to tear down, pack up and go. However, I left completely fulfilled having seen some great bands not only this day but the entire weekend. However, Scandinavia did win the Sunday.

Next post: Bloodstock, My final thoughts.

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rock-Roll-Children-Michael-Lefevre/dp/1609763556/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1535059396&sr=8-8&keywords=michael+d+lefevre