In Rock (1970)

I disappear for over three years and come back with a no-brainer, but at some point I would have to address this landmark in early metal music, so I may as well get back in the groove with an easy one. Hmmm...talk about deja vu, it's almost like I copied and pasted the first sentence of my last review. Anyway, the three dark titans of early 70s hard rock and heavy metal were Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple. Unlike the other two groups, DP did not roar out of the gates with their debut album (In Rock is their 4th release, not counting the live orchestra album), but there was a noticeable evolution over their two or so years of playing together and releasing records, so that by the time Purple had finished opening for Cream on the latter's farewell tour, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice got together and discussed the direction they wanted to take the band. The three, particularly Blackmore, wanted to explore the riffs and bombastic energy of heavy rock.

Original singer Rod Evans had his heart set on girls and California, so it wasn't hard to get rid of him (he wound up in Captain Beyond with former Iron Butterfly members), so they brought in Ian Gillan to handle vocals and Roger Glover to man the bass, both formerly of Episode Six, which Wikipedia humorously describes thusly: "The band did not have commercial success in the U.K, releasing nine singles that all failed to chart, but they did find minor success in Beirut at the time" First Beirut, then the world. Original bassist Nic Simper eventually found out he was not in the band when he discovered Purple was recording without him. Oops. The surviving members did not think Evans and Simper could handle the new hard and heavy direction of the band, although Simper went on to play with Warhouse and Evans fronted the aforementioned Captain Beyond, both early 70s hard rock bands. No one's perfect, right?

In Rock landed on shelves on June 3, 1970 - 45 years ago as of the date of this blog post - and featured 7 tracks of protometal with Lord's organ as flamboyant and heavy as Blackmore's guitar licks, both backed backed by a tight rhythm section and featuring the soaring, boozy vocals of Gillan. "Flight of the Rat" and "Bloodsucker" are prime examples of the band's new direction, showcasing musical skill, loud rock and raw power. The stand out track, however, has to be Hard Lovin' Man. Keyboards never really grabbed a foothold in heavy metal, but this tune shows that keyboards can certainly have a place alongside the pounding and crushing of the standard rock weapons.

Black Sabbath (1970)

I disappear for over three months and come back with a no brainer, but at some point I would have to address this landmark in early metal music, so I may as well get back in the groove with an easy one. Most people call this the first heavy metal album, and while I think that is a bit simplistic, the fact is, the album is full of crushing riffs fairly unique for its era. Even to this day, Tony Iommi remains one of my favorite guitarists in terms of great riffs (I saw Heaven & Hell perform on every tour and own their album on both CD and vinyl), but it's important not to neglect the impact and skill of bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward, each providing oomph to Sabbath's raw early sound. Vocalist Ozzy Osbourne is also fairly unrefined on this release, and I'm actually not in love with his voice on this first record.

There are a ton of hits on this album (three of the 8 tracks appeared on the compilation "We Sold Our Soul For Rock N Roll"), and I'll feature one of my favorite songs at the end of this post, but some of the lesser known tunes are a little more bluesy, reflective of their blues-based origins, of course. "Wicked World" best reflects these "other" songs, still heavy, but more in the Led Zep vein. "Evil Woman" is another track reminiscent of that period of time. The guitar distortion is clearly present, but there's a funky backdrop and a melodic chorus that could easily fit in with a more straight forward rock band of the late 60s.

Anyway, I don't think I need to spend much time with this record. It was a monumentally important album that many later bands were influenced by, from 80s doom bands to 90s grunge acts. I don't think Sabbath was the first to do heavy music or satanic lyrics, as many of the albums I will (or have) highlight(ed) will show, but Sabbath deserves its place in the pantheon of metal greats, and this album will be remembered for generations as a great start to a storied career.

Gift (1972)

From the hard driving opening track "Drugs," with searing licks and a thunderous rhythm section to the final song, "Bad Vibrations," featuring a deliciously evil riffs complemented by an accompaniment of bells, Gift's 1972 debut is not only one of my favorite heavy records from the formative days of metal, but easily a hidden treasure of the music world.

Hailing from Germany, the band started out as Phallus Dei before changing to the name Gift. Featuring Helmut Treichel on vocals, Rainer Baur on guitars, Uwe Patzke on bass, and Hermann Lange on drums, the band recorded this beast of an album in Munich. Given the year, this is really an uncompromising heavy metal album.

The songs are intense, well written, and catchy. The chorus guitar work of "Time Machine" always puts me in mind of the money riff from Megadeth's "Peace Sells (But Who's Buying?)." "Game of Skill" gets the blood pumping with an infectious groove and a sinister sound. I'd be remiss not to comment on the album cover, which has a killer logo dripping over a skull illusion. At risk of gushing like a school girl, Gift could stand with the elite of 70s metal. I give it my highest possible recommendation.

Fresh Cream (1966)

In my opinion, Cream does not get nearly the recognition it deserves for its contribution to the development of heavy rock. Combining blues and psychedelia into a crushing blend of powerful rock, Cream set the stage for the birth of heavy metal.

The trio of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker was much anticipated, as all three were known as virtuosos of their respective instruments. They threw everyone a curveball with the release of a pop ditty single, "Wrapping Paper," but the arrival of their debut, "Fresh Cream," gave people what they were expecting, which was a powerful British interpretation of the blues.

Queerly, the UK release featured a song called ""Spoonful," a reinterpretation of a blues number first recorded by Howlin' Wolf (written by Willie Dixon, who also had a few of his tunes appear on Zeppelin's first record). "Spoonful" is notable for Bruce's harmonica and Clapton's lead guitar work, but most impressive of all is Baker's frantic playing, cymbals crashing over relentless drumming. Just look at Baker's performance during a live performance, a version you may have caught a glimpse of during Samm Dunn's "Metal Evolution" documentary on VH1. Live, Cream was not only apt to improvisation, but Clapton also ripped out some heavier riffs.

"Spoonful" was omitted from the US release, instead being replaced by "I Feel Free," a tighter, shorter song that was perhaps deemed better for the American attention span at the time. The song is more psychedelic in nature than the bluesy "Spoonful," but still retains Clapton's sharp guitar work over rhythmic piano.

The album is very heavily blues oriented, and your mileage may vary with that, but tunes like "Sweet Wine" and "N.S.U." showcase the heavy rock Cream would showcase in greater numbers in their subsequent albums. No discussion of the origins of heavy metal is complete without adding Cream to the mix.

Led Zeppelin (1969)

I'm cheating a bit here and discussing a well known album from one of the biggest rock bands of the 1970s, a group with songs that remain a staple of classic rock and FM radio (they even had their own satellite radio station on XM and Sirius from 2007-2008). However, despite being one of the mammoth hard rock groups in history, it is still important to discuss their first few albums in the develop of heavy rock and metal.

The members of Led Zeppelin came together when guitarist Jimmy Page sought to fulfill the touring obligations of the Yardbirds (performing as the New Yardbirds), as the previous incarnation had called it quits earlier. Following the tour, the group recorded a record, and, as Led Zeppelin, released their self-titled debut. From the devastating chords of the opening track, Good Times Bad Times, it was clear that something special was in the works.

Although the album had a number of blues songs as would be expected given Page's background, the protometal songs definitely stand out. The furious riffs of "Communication Breakdown" were famously compared with Black Sabbath's Paranoid over the ensuing decades, and the bombastic singing of Robert Plant clearly foreshadowed future acts like Van Halen and Aerosmith. The frenetic rhythm work of drummer John Bonham and John Paul Jones was certainly influential as well, and the debut shows a hardness to their work.

Rob Halford may have popularized the high and soaring vocal styling that many metal groups adopted over the decades, but he wasn't the first to do so, and Robert Plant's voice may have set the blueprint. Ballsy and earthy at lower registers, Plant could make his voice reach amazing heights, and the interplay with Page's licks and solos was impressive, both on the debut and on future releases.

With songs like "You Shook Me," a cover of a blues song first published by Earl Hooker with vocals by Muddy Waters, Zep's first release is a perfect bridge between the heavy blues of a Cream and the metal attack of a Judas Priest. The sonic salvo of "How Many More Times" was a promise of things to come.

I end this with "Dazed and Confused," which to my ears is a sinister sounding number and a great representation of the album as a whole.

Dead Forever... (1972)

Metalheads may be familiar with an 80s band called Rose Tattoo, a heavy rock bar band with some slick slide guitar (a favorite track of mine is "Branded"). The founding guitarist of that group, Peter Wells, was the bassist in a group called Buffalo. Hailing from Australia, Buffalo signed to Vertigo Record in the early 70s, joining other heavy acts like Uriah Heep, Warhouse and the soon to be legendary Black Sabbath.

Buffalo can best be described as a dark blues band with some slight country western elements, some of which produce songs I don't care much about, but others, like "I'm a Mover," demonstrate that hard edged blues sound with which Buffalo was tinkering. "Bean Stew" starts off with a not so unusual 70s jangle, but then introduces some hard driving guitar licks supported by a driving rhythm section.

Buffalo's debut is notable for some early heavy riffs, and certainly elements like the slide guitar on "Suzy Sunshine" set the album apart, but as a whole, I don't think the record is particularly memorable. This is certainly a solid start, but Dead Forever... is only a sampling of what was to come from Buffalo, with room to improve.

Captain Beyond (1972)

Many of the bands that will grace the electronic pages of this blog are ones that may have explored the origins of heavy metal, but their lack of success or fame aren't surprising given the time period, lack of a major label, and/or insufficient press. However, the fact that Captain Beyond never made it big is baffling. Although lacking the star power of a supergroup like Cream, Captain Beyond nevertheless featured a reasonable collection of early metal talent.

The first record, a self-titled effort released in the summer of 1972, displayed the string slinging of Larry Reinhardt on electric guitar and Lee Dorman on bass, both of whom recorded Iron Butterfly's Metamorphosis album in 1970. Dorman also appeared on 68's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and 69's Ball, in addition to a live album. Skinman Bobby Caldwell toured with Johnny Winter and was featured on the 1971 album Live Johnny Winter And. Fronting the project was none other than Rod Evans, the vocalist for Deep Purple's first incarnation, responsible for singing on Shades of Deep Purple, The Book of Taliesyn, and the eponymous Deep Purple. The pedigree and notability was there.

Even more puzzling, the musicianship and songs were there. This is a good record. Frozen Over is a great example of the group's output, being driven by frenetic drumming, driving bass, and fearless guitars with enough time changes and heavy riffs to satisfy prog and metal fans alike.

There are thirteen tracks in total, but many of them are short and tie together, sort of an album featuring mini-concepts, a la Rush. There are a few standalone tracks, such as Raging River of Fear, notable for solid melody and a ferocious guitar attack. Without reservation, I recommend this album.

Usually I feature a prominent track at the end of my posts, but it appears the entire album is available to listen to on Youtube. Enjoy.

Heavy (1970)

Well before the advent of the world wide web, and even years before the popular distribution of zines and fan newsletters, many bands never expanded beyond their own regions, limited to touring and selling/distributing demos and self-produced records at their shows. Oftentimes, great music was never widely released, and the only way most people knew about it was by word of mouth and the occasional rare find at a garage sale.

Thus is the case with Fresh Blueberry Pancake, a Pittsburgh band formed in 1968 and featuring Tony Impavido on bass and the mic, Geoff Rydell on skins and John Behrens on guitar. They toured the Allegheny area for a few years, penned a few songs, and went to Philadelphia to record a rather lengthy demo. The nine song record, limited to roughly fifty copies, was released in 1970 as "Heavy."

The offering was a mixed affair stylistically, but no matter how you look at it, the group had a style built for the 70s. The first song is "Hassles," a heavy bluesy, groovy song that could easily fit in with the best stoner rock. However, over half the album is a mix of jazzy or Grateful Dead style rock. In fact, outside of the aforementioned "Hassles," the hard rock "Stranded," and the devastating "Clown on a Rope," the record does not really live up to its name. Still, for a 1970 release, most of the songs foreshadow the trends further down the road. Arguably, Fresh Blueberry Pancake was ahead of its time, but fame and fortune were not theirs to have, and they disbanded in 1972.

Jeronimo (1971)

The rise and fall of the indigenous tribes of the area now known as the United States has been a major staple of heavy metal and rock music for decades, although the issue has tapered off in recent years. From Iron Maiden to Anthrax to Thin Lizzy, we could make a pretty solid list of songs. Expand that to the wild west and we could have a collection to rival a Time-Life CD set (complete with free gift if you order now).

Well, that theme was on display in the name of the group Jeronimo, a German band formed in 1969. Their debut, 1970's "Cosmic Blues," was a straight forward rock album with a few heavy tracks. However, their sophomore release, the self-titled "Jeronimo" (featuring a photo of Chiricahua Apache hero Geronimo taken in 1887), was a complete heavy metal record.

Featuring the solid riffs and vocals of Michael Koch and backed by the rhythm section of bassist Gunnar Schäfer and drummer Ringo Funk, Jeronimo contained nine tracks of rip roaring early metal. A great example from the album is End of Our Time, which features ferocious guitar work, furious drum work, and a wicked bass line.

Shades has a similar sound to the debut of Lucifer's Friend, again showing that savage rock quality with competent musicianship. The album could be more polished, but the smattering of sloppiness and raw flavor adds more personality to the proceedings.

(Although unreleased on the initial album pressing, I would be remiss not to mention a true heavy metal gem, Save Our Souls)

I like to leave you with one song after every discussion, and for this I offer "Silence of the Night," which features a frenetic bass line that simply destroys the ear drums, and that doesn't even take into account the razor sharp rhythm guitar and crashing symbols.

This album is truly a delight and comes highly recommended for metalheads interested in the old school before the old school.

Kingdom Come (1970)

In an era of simple band names, Sir Lord Baltimore stands out with one of the more memorable monikers. The group also gave us one of the more original albums from that time, a sludgy, heavy rocker that should have propelled the Brooklyn trio into same status as Black Sabbath. Instead, the band released only two records and disappeared.

"Kingdom Come" was their first release, featuring doomy Sabbath-like riffs with the energy of Led Zeppelin. In fact, Mike Saunders wrote in May '71 issue of Creem magazine,

This album is a far cry from the currently prevalent Grand Funk sludge, because Sir Lord Baltimore seems to have down pat most all the best heavy metal tricks in the book. Precisely, they sound like a mix between the uptempo noiseblasts of Led Zeppelin (instrumentally) and singing that’s like an unending Johnny Winter shriek: they have it all down cold, including medium or uptempo blasts a la LZ, a perfect carbon of early cataclysmic MC5 (“Hard Rain Fallin’”), and the one-soft-an-album concept originated by Jimmy Page and his gang.

While the title track is an early doom metal masterpiece, most of the tracks have the punch of songs like "Pumped Up". Deep, distorted guitars are the theme here, with bluesy, earthy vocals that bring to mind Jack Bruce. Apparently, bassist Gary Justin cited Bruce as a major influence of the band, which makes some sense. In the same way Cream took the blues with more speed and deeper riffs a few years prior, Sir Lord Baltimore followed suit, just with thicker fuzz to create a heavier product.

Spinning this record (or more accurately, playing the mp3s) shows a band before their time, and it is easy to see how stoner rock bands were heavily influenced by the gunky riffs and goopy guitar licks, plodding keyboards and ponderous rhythm. While they may not have ever been memorable on tour (unable to capitalize on touring with Sabbath and Humble Pie), Justin, John Garner (drums/vocals), and Louis Dambra (guitar) certainly put out a stunning studio product. Like the debut from Lucifer's Friend, this one is highly recommended.

Lucifer's Friend (1970)

The same year as Black Sabbath released their self-titled debut, German band Lucifer's Friend released a similarly titled effort to the masses. Sporting a somewhat disturbing and clever album cover, the record featured the heavy guitar work of Peter Hesslein supported by the rhythm section of Dieter Horns on bass and Joachim Rietenbach on drums interlaced with the keyboard skills of Peter Hecht. Providing vocals was the Briton John Lawton, who had a stint in Uriah Heep in the late 70s. I have heard Lawton described as a cross between Rob Halford and Ronnie James Dio, which I definitely hear.

While many albums of this era are questionable in terms of whether or not they can be termed heavy metal, this is not one of those. The riffs on this album stand shoulder to should with Sabbath's own debut in terms of heaviness. While the keyboards bright a bit of lightness to the darker guitar notes, this is still a straight out heavy rock record. From the brilliant opener Ride in the Sky, which features a blaring French horn used with wicked effectiveness (like an angry elephant), to the driving self-titled finale, "LF" is one of the best heavy records of the early 70s. This rambunctious mix of guitars and keyboards is where I would have liked Iron Butterfly to go after "Ball."

Unfortunately, Lucifer's Friend did not match the intensity of their first album (as an aside, all five members were in a band called Asterix that released an album the same year, but that's a discussion for another day). The follow-up, "Where the Groupies Killed the Blues," is a good album, but not as amazing as the predecessor. The next several albums were more jazzy and softer-edged, and it was not until 1981 that Lucifer's Friend came back with "Mean Machine," a heavy album that was a 'too little, too late' affair. Still, "LF" remains a landmark album in the heavy metal world, and fans of the genre unfamiliar with such tunes as Toxic Shadows should acquaint themselves with all reasonable haste.

Only the Living Can Die

In 1980, the cover of Volume 12, Issue 5 of Creem Magazine featured an imposing photograph of Judas Priest singer Rob Halford. Decked in his trademark look of black leather, chains and studs, the caption cried, "Back From The Dead. HEAVY METAL. Here Come The Goons."

I first saw this cover in the 1990s while a teenager, a metalhead in a time when Heavy Metal had been declared dead, although the independent labels were keeping the genre flourishing underground. I found this issue of Creem fascinating for a number of reasons. Although I would never dress that way, I thought Halford looked really cool. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was at its height in the fall of 1980, but I did not recognize a number of the bands listed on the cover, and (both now and then) I realize a number of them pre-date the launch of the NWOBHM. Finally, and this is most important to the blog, if Heavy Metal had "died" and been resurrected, what exactly died? If there was a New Wave, what was the Old Wave?

While debate may arise over some of these bands, we can list a few metal groups from the early 70s. Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Alice Cooper all got their start around 1969, give or take a year or two. If you dig a little deeper, one can list Thin Lizzy, UFO and Uriah Heep. After that, it begins to get a little sketchy in the public consciousness. Can we list 10, maybe 20 bands? Is that enough for a movement? Does that create a genre? There had to have been something going on, and I wanted to find out who those bands were, the unsung and forgotten.

Thanks to the boom of the world wide web in the late 90s and the creation of websites like YouTube in the middle of the 00s, people like me have been able to learn about the bands before Aerosmith and AC/DC. I was able to hear the bands that influenced groups like Judas Priest, who in turn inspired one of the most popular and enduring genres of modern music. What I'd like to do is discuss that here and catalog the records and songs that emerged from the protoplasm of heavy music.