by Mott the Dog
So, “Nutz Live Cutz”, their last album with A &
M records, languishing in the bargain bins of record shops, and A & M
holding a further 2 years recording contract over the band, the future was
not exactly rosy. Keyboard player Kenny Newton left to form “Nightwing”,
who carried on with their own brand of Bombastic rock until 1984.
The
only way that the remaining nucleus of the band could stay together and
see out their two years of contract was to sing for their supper at the
Ship Hotel in the Jersey Isles. So for two summer seasons these scouse
boys entertained the holidaymakers on those sunny tax free isles.
But then fate took another turn. Geoff Appleby,
well-known record producer and long time admirer of the band, hearing of
their plight and seeing a change in the music scene with punk bands being
replaced by a return to the harder more refined days of yore (bands like
Iron Maiden and Samson were making waves in London), invited the band up
to London for a showcase gig at the Greyhound in Croydon.
The band hit the stage at 8.30 p.m. to a packed hall
and were still playing when the house lights came up, having been called
back to encore so many times that the crowd had 2 versions of “Wall
Banger”, 2 versions of “Sinner”, and a new song called “Bootliggers”.
Britain’s number one heavy metal D.J. Neal Kay was in
the crowd. He was putting together an album of tracks from all of
London’s up and coming new bands. The album was actually complete, but
Kay held release of the album and asked Nutz to quickly record their new
track “Bootligger”, and then added it on to his new album. Titled
“The New Wave Of Heavy Metal”, the album was a smash hit and opened a
whole new genre of hard rock.
The newly formed Carrera Records were the lucky label
to get their signatures, to have a second stab at that elusive stardom.
Carrera promised the world to the boys. New clothes were bought and a new
image designed (lots of leather and bright colours) with more emphasis on
David Lloyd as the front man with his mane of red hair and movie star
looks. Studio time was booked and the band given as much time as they
needed to put down an album.
At this point a name change was thought to be a good
idea (whether it was or not, who knows?). So after the years of
frustration behind them, the title of “Rage” was decided to be very
apt, and suitable for the times.
Carrera Records were not a big company and I believe
they did their best publicity wise for the first album “Out Of
Control”. It was also given a five star rating by the new tome of Heavy
Metal “Kerrang”. “Out Of Control” is a perfect hard rock party
album with every song being pressed along at full speed with a constant
beat running through the proceedings.
The guitar solo on the opening track leaves you in no
doubt that Mick Devonport had lost none of his fingers during his sojourn
in the Jersey Isles.
The single from the album “She’s On Fire” went
straight to number one on the Bandwagon Heavy Metal chart, with David
Lloyd’s vocals putting him at the top of the pile. A showcase gig was
set up at the world famous Marquee Club in London and immediately sold
out, so another, second date was arranged. In the audience were members of
“Iron Maiden”, “Def Leppard”, and “Judas Priest”, all coming
to see how this hard rockin heavy metal is done by the big boys. Needless
to say the concert was a huge success with perhaps “Thank That Women”
from the “Out Of Control” album being the high point.
A tour of Britain’s smaller halls was lined up and
the band gigged everywhere that people wanted to see them, adding Barry
Myers on rhythm guitar to fill out the live sound. Barry was also great at
rabble rousing the crowd as John and Mick showed off at the front.
Rage were on a roll, so it was back in the studio to
record the album that was perhaps the pinnacle of their career, “Nice
‘n’ Dirty”, with probably the most politically incorrect album cover
of all time. As usual the boys wouldn’t back off by changing the cover,
therefore most major record chains refused to stock the album. So whilst
you could go to the concerts and hear all the great new songs such as
“American Radio Station”, “Wasted Years” and new live set open
“Silver And Gold”, it was almost impossible to actually buy the album.
In hindsight, Carrera Records should have put their foot down and changed
the cover, but that would have broken their ideal of allowing artists
their freedom. “And anyway, lots of girls like touching other girls”.
Then, once again, the world caved in on the boys. First
they went out on nationwide tour with Uriah Heep on their Conquest tour,
by which time all of the members of Uriah Heep hated each other and the
tour had to be terminated mid tour due to the impossibility of getting the
headliners on stage all at the same time. Dreadful revues didn’t help
either. A Sounds Magazine headline read “The Agony & The Ecstasy”
with a picture of Uriah Heep’s lead guitarist under agony, and Mick
Devonport under Ecstasy. The review went on to say the tour roles should
be reversed and Rage should headline. This did not exactly help band
relations on the tour bus.
With the tour finished and Carrera Records in financial
trouble, Rage were bundled back into the studio for another album,
something with a cover that they could sell. But after the experiences of
the previous few months the boys weren’t ready and, quite honestly, the
resulting album “Run For The Hills” is patchy at best. Carrera Records
then collapsed in a financial heap. This really was the end for “Nutz /
Rage”. Younger bands were coming through. No matter how talented they
were, their day was over.
What is a travesty is that none of this marvellous
music is presently available to the public. There must be a market for
this music. Mick, David, Keith, Kenny and Barry, wherever you are, thanks
for the memories.
John Mylett was tragically killed in a motorcar
accident in Greece two weeks after “Rage” were put to rest. John was
so convinced that one day his band would make it, he had previously turned
down the drum seat in Iron Maiden.
Albums
The New Wave Of Heavy Metal 1 Track “Bootliggers”
Out Of Control
Nice ‘n’ Dirty
Run For The Hills
2 Singles not on Albums
“Bootliggers 81”
“So You Want To Be A Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”, recorded under the
name of “Spitfire” as they were convinced that certain elements of the
press had it in for them. They tried to have a hit under the name of
Spitfire ... Silly Fokkers.
Much
of the book relates to a Khmer archaeological temple complex at Banteay
Chhmar in Cambodia, which has apparently been systematically plundered of
its artefacts, despite the fact that a garrison of somewhere between
50-100 Cambodian soldiers is positioned there to stop this. Further
reading brings out the fact that military trucks were used to haul the
booty away! One does not need to be a rocket scientist to work out what is
happening at the Cambodian end!
I
first saw The Silence of the Lambs in Bangkok many years ago and even
though it was in Thai with no subtitles it made a strong impression on me.
I can’t really say the same for Hannibal, which I felt was a little
‘OTT’; this new movie on the other hand is great and much more in the
vein of the Silence of the Lambs even though there is no Clarice. There
are still some great scenes with Dr. Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) being
confronted in his cell by detective Will Graham (Edward Norton).
Mott’s CD review: