Syndicateofsurf wrote:

I have a Creem Magazine dated I think around summer 1977 with the cover story "Is Heavy Metal Dead?" Who's on the cover? Queen. Ted Nugent. Aerosmith. And others which may or may not include Blue Oyster Cult and BTO.

Thanks much for the reference, Da Vinci! I was beginning to think I was all alone in my recollection of the use of the HM term in reference to bands that came up in the early '70's. I remember that issue of Creem as it echoed my concerns at the time. My favorite "Heavy Metal" artists were starting to put out terrible albums at the end of the '70's (Black Sabbath unfortunately among them with a real stinker called "Never Say Die" - only a couple of good numbers on that one). And this brings me full circle to the story I posted in the "Why Do We Play Surf" discussion. -Marty

"Hello Girls!"

Last edited: Feb 15, 2015 16:38:38

crumble wrote:

Well there was a band called the Heavy Metal Kids, a Alex Harvey wannabes band from 1972 who played glam rock boogie. But why they'd call they selves The Heavy Metal Kids if the Heavy Metal genre was already established In 1970 I don't really know.

I don't know anything about the band, but I'm wondering if their name has to do not with heavy metal music, but rather with the work of William S. Burroughs, whose 1962 novel The Soft Machine includes the character "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid." (Incidentally, there was a psychedelic band in the late 60s who borrowed their name, The Soft Machine_, from Burroughs.)

Everybody up!
https://www.facebook.com/TheHydronauts
https://thehydronauts.bandcamp.com/album/interstellar-clambake

Last edited: Feb 16, 2015 09:06:13

LordWellfleet wrote:

crumble wrote:

Well there was a band called the Heavy Metal Kids, a Alex Harvey wannabes band from 1972 who played glam rock boogie. But why they'd call they selves The Heavy Metal Kids if the Heavy Metal genre was already established In 1970 I don't really know.

I noticed last night Heavy Metal Kids is also mentioned under Kraftwerk and Todd Rundgren, I really don't know what that is all about. To be honest I don't much about HM other than I live through the period on this side of the water as a keen muso.

I don't know anything about the band, but I'm wondering if their name has to do not with heavy metal music, but rather with the work of William S. Burroughs, whose 1962 novel The Soft Machine includes the character "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid." (Incidentally, there was a psychedelic band in the late 60s who borrowed their name, The Soft Machine_, from Burroughs.)

Last edited: Feb 16, 2015 09:17:57

While there were many "heavy" bands of that era. Sabbath deserves to be credited with being the originator of metal.
None of the other bands had the dark subject matter in their lyrics and they were the first ones to use significant downtuning.
No one has mentioned the "Heavy metal thunder" line of Born to be Wild yet!

My question is how does "Dark subject matter" constitute the birth of heavy metal? Downtuning was a major step for heavy metal, absolutely. (pun intended )
Lyrics are inconsequental as heavy metal is about the overall sound...ie: loud distorted guitars, heavy drumming and a bassline that carrys the groove. Is Alice Cooper heavy metal? Look at his early lyrics starting with his second album in 1970.
yes , no, maybe so????? Not stirring th pot here just thought I would throw this out for future ponderance.

I am not obsolete, I am RETRO....

Malc, I really don't understand why you're so vested in this discussion - you don't like metal, you don't like Sabbath - why do you care? I don't get it.

There is a great 11-part (ahem...) series about metal from a few years ago called "Metal Evolution", extremely well done. The host Sam Dunn deals with all the questions that have come up in this discussion. Yes, Alice Cooper played an important role in the evolution of what we have come to know as heavy metal, but the band itself really wasn't a metal band. These things are a matter of evolution, as the title implies, and so you're aiming at a moving target. I think Judas Priest is the first bigger band to embrace the heavy metal label, but most metal musicians, not just music historians or journalists, still point to Sabbath as giving birth to metal, despite the band itself being uneasy with or even outright rejecting that label for themselves. Sam Dunn, the host and one of the writers of Metal Evolution, deals with that, as well as the huge influence on what came to be known as metal by Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple in particular, in episode 3 which can be seen here (at least in the US): http://www.vh1.com/video/metal-evolution/full-episodes/early-metal-uk/1676778/playlist.jhtml

I really didn't think I was saying anything that controversial in my original post and the original title, but now it's opened up this big can of worms, which is something that's been discussed ad nauseum by real metal fans and historians in many other forums, and there's a LOT on the internet about this very debate. We will not settle that issue here, but hey, if you're so inclined, by all means go ahead and keep talking about it - cause God forbid we should instead talk about surf music, right??

Ivan
Lords of Atlantis on Facebook
The Madeira Official Website
The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

About those Hollywood Disneyland sunglasses you bought. It's about time you took them off.

Now cut that out!

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

I'll discuss some bubblegum. I need that book!

http://www.satanspilgrims.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Satans-Pilgrims/8210228553
https://satanspilgrims.bandcamp.com/
http://www.surfyindustries.com