CHARGING THE BRUSH

We're back!!!
Hopefully without any more connection problems and armed to the teeth with loads of great lost musical nuggets from the glory daze to set your ears and hearts ablaze.
Without further pontificating, let's get back to the music.
Up first, the rare lone album by US band Tailgunner from 1983 on their own Rapid label. Despite the 1983 date, this album is well-loved by 70s hard rock fans. Large quantities were bought by dealers and the album never shows up cheap, but if you’re a fan of noisy, aggressive hard rock, it’s a pretty great album. Think great wasted East Coast private label pressing hard rock with brutal heavy guitar, and the opening and closing songs are killers. I wouldn’t exactly say it sounds like it was recorded before 1983, but it doesn’t have the usual annoying 80s production tendencies. Make sure your neighbours aren't home the first time you play this monster.

TAILGUNNER - Tailgunner (1983) USA

http://rapidshare.com/files/135083389/TAILGUNNER_-_Tailgunner__USA-1983_.rar

Up next, we stay in the US of A for another one-off album, this time by Avalon. Avalon were a traditional Heavy Metal quartet formed in Rochester New York in early 1987. They were to record just this one very rare LP, 1988's "Live Or Die" on GFI Records. Much sought after nowadays as a fine example of privately pressed mid 1980's Metal, it commands high prices on the rare occasions when it appears for sale. None of the band's members appear to have gone on to further recordings.

AVALON - Live Or Die (1988) USA

http://rapidshare.com/files/135089536/AVALON_-_Live_Or_Die__USA-1988_.rar

Next, we head to the Southern hemisphere to fill a request which appeared in the comments section a loooong time ago. Taipan were a great little four piece Heavy Metal band from Melbourne, Australia, named after a highly venomous snake native to Oz. Following a 2 song 1981 demo, they released a terrific little self titled four song EP on the UK based Bullet Records label. With the right backing & more exposure they could've been huge, as the material on offer was of a uniformly high standard. Little was heard from the band for the next few years, the silence finally being broken by the 1985 release of this, their five song "1770" Mini LP on Cleopatra Records. This looked to be their final hurrah however, as the band split up in 1987 after bassist/vocalist Emilio Sarpa left. Recently, the original line-up has gotten back together complete with an additional guitarist known only as "Sam". This line up finally recorded the band's debut album "Stonewitch", which was released in 2007. A shame they never got the breaks back in the day, as their NWOBHM influenced gritty Hard Rock/Metal was obviously played by fans and from the heart. Hopefully the current version of the band can reap the benefits of the years of toil.

TAIPAN - 1770 Mini LP (1985) Australia

http://rapidshare.com/files/136131853/TAIPAN_-_1770_Mini_LP__AUS-1985_.rar

Next up, the 2nd EP from Akron, Ohio's least favourite sons, The Bizarros. This one followed their 1976 "Lady Doubonette" EP, and the split album which they recorded with the RUBBER CITY REBELS, "From Akron". The Bizarros then released this self titled EP on Clone Records in 1978, and appeared on the "Akron" Compilation album released in Europe by Stiff Records in 1979. As well as the three songs from the EP, i've included the "Akron" compilation track as a bonus in the rar. I spoil you people, i really do. The Bizarros' sound has in the past been compared to Television, Sex Pistols, Jefferson Airplane, The Stranglers, Gang Of Four, Dead Boys & The Velvet Underground. This was accurate in some ways & completely misleading in others. The Bizarros sounded predominantly like The Bizarros. I think you'll like the way that sounds.

BIZARROS - Bizarros EP (1978) USA

http://rapidshare.com/files/135072429/BIZARROS_-_Bizarros_EP__USA-1978_.rar

BLACK ANGELS was a six piece Melodic Heavy Metal band formed in Schaffhausen, Switzerland in 1979. Their debut LP, "Hell Machine" was released in 1981 on the Meteor label. The group's second album, 1983's "Kickdown", was produced by Martin Pearson, who had produced fellow countrymen KROKUS, and was released by Bellaphon in Europe and Gull Records in the UK. This self titled 3 song EP was also released by Gull in 1984, with "Blind Like A Fool", as it's lead track. At this point frontman Ron Phillips was replaced with new vocalist Clive Murray, while drummer Tommy Stuart was ousted in favour of Brian Irving. They released another album entitled "Black & White" with this line up in early 1985. A year later, though, The "Broken Spell" album saw a the band, now a four-piece, reunited with both Phillips and Stuart, recorded for new label Gold Records. The band lost their way and their label however, and following a single called "On The Run", on their own Angel label in 1986, they split up.

BLACK ANGELS - Black Angels EP (1984) Switzerland

http://rapidshare.com/files/135074348/BLACK_ANGELS_-_Black_Angels_EP__SWI-1984_.rar

Cult NWOBHM band Energy debuted in 1980 with the "Energised" EP, following it in '81 with the "II" EP, also known as the "Conquer The World" EP. Their next release would be a seven inch single which surfaced in 1982, coupling "Nowhere To Hide" with "Fight For Your Freedom".
A self-titled album was said to be on the way at this time, but it failed to materialize. Following a gap of several years, two further 45's, "Too Good To Lose" in 1985, & 1986's "Radio Radio" were issued. One of the least known of the great "lost" NWOBHM bands, their material is long overdue some critical reevaluation. "Too Good To Lose", is the only NWOBHM item in tonight's menu and it's a scarce one, but i'd recommend the B-Side first & foremost for it's excellent THIN LIZZY styled guitars, the A side is a little lightweight for my tastes, but it's well written & executed if you don't mind a little radio rock. Hope you enjoy it Dan.

ENERGY - Too Good To Lose 7" (1985) UK

http://rapidshare.com/files/135137468/ENERGY_-_Too_Good_To_Lose_7____UK-1985_.rar

The final one tonight is another requested item, that i only just got round to digging up, the 1985 "Before The Rain" 7" by Swedish band Scratch. 10 years ago you might have been able to track down a copy of this 7", but since then a certain collector-mistake seems to have totally eradicated it from the face of the earth. You see, for many years this single was thought to be of British origin, resulting in it being bought up by the maniac NWOBHM-collector fringe. And do you think these greedy bastards now acknowledge their mistake and willingly return this baby to Sweden and its starving collectors? Ha! OK, I can't really blame them. This is great, classic Metal and indeed very British-sounding. Even the semi-ballad A-side is more than merely listenable. The Karlskrona based outfit later changed it's name to KAZANDRA, but i don't know of any further recordings.

SCRATCH - Before The Rain 7" (1985) Sweden

http://rapidshare.com/files/136109196/SCRATCH_-_Before_The_Rain_7____Swe-1985_.rar

Hope you enjoy tonight's oft delayed selection, hopefully we're back to business as usual after all the delays. Please comment on tonight's post, and feel free to make requests, if i've got it, you'll get it. Enjoy!