What the Effing Fuck was Logo records? Seemingly without any clue as to what The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal was about, which was mainly hanging out with fellow unwashed male adolescents with greasy collar length hair,dressed like the Ramones, and head-banging with a cardboard guitar. The music was a bit punkified,making the pistols (Sex) tempo challenge Black Sabbath as the inventors of Doom.
A lickle bird tells me that Logo used to be the Translantic label, home of all those great British Folk Revival records from the turn of the decade. I guess they had to distance themselves from anything hippy,so the Punks and Metalheads wouldn't turn their snotty noses up at the connection. They obviously missed out badly on the Punk years,the proof of which comes from the sad fact that the only New Wave band they could get was the truly awful "Tourists", you know them?....Annie Lennox and that other bloke.
Having done some research,Logo, did however has an impressive array of Novelty hits.One of which I own myself, namely "Toast" by the Streetband.....blue eyed Soul singer Paul Young provides us with the cockney-speak vocalisms....the best thing he ever did.
The boss of Logo would have told the A&R department not to miss out on this new Heavy Metal stuff, or get the elbow. Lets start with a mid-priced Compilation.....Put a motorbike and some headbanging fans on the cover, and we should be sorted?.....No?......yep that's right...NO!
I can't imagine Rob Halford riding onstage astride a green trials bike however,the Priest being an obvious influence for many of those rearranging the Marshall stacks aboard this particular sinking ship.
What those grebo-esque air guitarists are doing in the background I shudder to think, especially out in the countryside?....Maybe its the future site of the Monsters Of Rock festival....i'm thinking Donnington and East Midlands Airport here?...and how are they gonna get home in time for their Tea's.....there's only one Bike!?
Record labels are completely clueless as we all know, and, although the NWOBHM on offer here, is not half bad, but I have doubts this shifted many units in 1980. But, one does have a soft spot for anything as uninformed or oblivious as this.....especially ,the artwork.
If I was,somehow in a Metal Band, I think I'd like it to be called Vardis,who open side B with "If I Were King",the main Riff allegedly stolen by Metallica and 9 inch Nails.....whoever they are? ...the court case is ready to roll.
Tracklist:
A1 Turbo – Running
A2 Buffalo – Battle Torn Heroes
A3 Streetfighter– She's No Angel
A4 Stormtrooper – Grind 'N' Heat
A5 Tarot – Feel The Power
A6 Bastille – Hard Man
A7 Oxym– Hot Rain
A8 Dawnwatcher– Firing On All Eight
B1 Vardis– If I Were King (N.E.W. Take)
B2 Silverwing– Rock & Roll Are Four Letter Words
B3 Rhabstallion– Chain Reaction
B4 Colossus – Holding Back Your Love
B5 Workin' Nights
B6 Warrior – Still On The Outside
B7 Kosh – The Hit
B8 Race Against Time – Bedtime
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