Going up to 11
There were only three kids in my school Sixth Form who were into Metal and dressed like the above picture. You didn't have to wear a uniform by that age so they'd come in denim jackets with "Zojo" embroidered on the back, I don't think you were allowed to have your hair longer than shoulder length so they were limited in that area. There may have been other, younger headbangers at school hiding beneath their uniforms with "Deep Purple 4 Ever" scrawled on their sports bags but I never knew them. To us, Heavy Metal was something liked by either your out-of-date older brother or kids unlucky enough to live in backward towns north of London where they still wore flares and smoked Woodbines. Motorhead and Thin Lizzy were about the only socially acceptable metal/hard rock acts (early, Bon Scott-era AC/DC were good fun too), but to declare a love for Saxon or Judas Priest and dress like that was like announcing you had no interest in ever having sex with a girl.
But there were times when a bit of big, dumb riffage with loud guitars did sound really good, like this headbanger which hit the charts in 1977. This should clear the Bay City Rollers out of your head.
Download: Black Betty - Ram Jam (mp3)
7 Comments:
Thanks for this, I’ve been after a copy for ages. I don’t particularly like it but it brings back memories. In my college days we used to “sing” the words to this in the style of Peter Sellers doing A Hard Day’s Night”. Try it, it works.
That's a very "student" thing to do, isn't it?
I had a mate who would sing Joe Dolce's "Shaddap You Face" in the style of Bryan Ferry. It was very funny, at the time.
..and now we have bluesgrass bands doing AC/DC and French lounge bands doing the Dead Kennedys. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.
DC, Motorhead and Lizzy the only socially acceptable hard rockers? Is that why I liked them so much? ;)
Think yourself lucky you weren't growing up in North Shropshire circa '77. Ram Jam was as punk as it ever got at the White Horse disco.
At the time (age 11) I always found it funky but creepy.
The Urgency in his voice, the lyrics 'The damn thing gone blind'.
When the Metal heads in our school made a concession to Punk it was never, the Pistols, The Damned - but ALWAYS The Clash
I think it's an old Leadbelly song.
Top song, youth club disco favourite. I lived in Tangmere, West Sussex, and this and the Boomtown Rats were the closest we got to rebellion.
Post a Comment
<< Home