100 PINTS OF LAGER

Before Spinal Tap there was... BAD NEWS, a joke NWOBHM band from the minds of several of the folks from cult British TV comedy "The Young Ones." That should be enough to send most people scrambling feverishly onto Youtube searching for any scraps of footage they can cram in their eye- and earholes. There were two episodes of BBC series "Comic Strip" devoted to the band, who basically sound like Motorhead with a lobotomy (i.e., I actually kind of like their songs even though they're supposed to suck), one in 1983 and another in 1988. They recorded an album with Brian May and played a bunch of gigs during their lifetime, including a date at Donington from which footage for their second "Comic Strip" appearance was culled.

I don't know if I can say Bad News is funnier than Spinal Tap (though I guess the first Bad News show was broadcast before Tap hit theaters if that counts for anything), but there's really no way out of comparing the two "bands." I will go on record that this is some hilarious stuff that the Archers' Guild nation better get into quick.

PS: Youtube won't let me post the original "Comic Strip" show on here, but it's on the site if you wanna have a laff.

TANKED

Tank was formed in 1980 by bassist/singer Algy Ward who had previously played with both The Saints and The Damned. Clearly inspired by Motörhead, Tank were one of the most promising acts to come out of the NWOBHM scene. Filth Hounds of Hades was their first and best album and was produced by Fast Eddie Clarke (go figure). This album combines all the best parts of Motörhead with more melodic vocals. Be prepared to have your balls shredded off.

Before there was Buns of Steel...

This is what Bruce Dickison (known at the time as Bruce Bruce) was doing before he joined Maiden:



That's their drummer, Thundersticks, lifting amps and fighting security.

And here's part 2:

Better than it looks...

Picked up this gem at Dave's Record Shop today. Don't be fooled by it's boring-ass cover; this album is a nonstop thrashing metal party. Released in 1982 on Neat Records, Wiped Out was Raven's second release. The band (along with labelmates, Venom) helped bridge the gap between the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and thrash before moving to the States to put out some overproduced bullshit on Atlantic records.
Just looking at the track listing, you can tell that Wiped Out is gonna be great. With song titles like "Bring the Hammer Down," "Star War," and "Chainsaw" how can you go wrong? Blasting drums, screaming guitars, and Halford-influenced vocals bring the rock and don't let up until the very end. (Okay, so there's a 30 sec. acoustic guitar interlude, but no wimpy ballads!!!) Highly recommended for any fan of early metal.

CARDBOARD GUITARS

First post! I'm gonna start this shit off right with some NWOBHM. I found this documentary a few weeks back and I've been sharing it with all my friends. There's some excellent live Di'Anno-era Maiden footage in here: