Friday, August 13, 2010

Cover Stars

There is a great Flickr set of old (and I mean old) Kerrang! covers which you can find over here. What I find interesting when I'm browsing through them are not the ones featuring Heavy Metal Royalty like AC/DC or Iron Maiden, but the ones that have you squinting your eyes, leaning forward and going "who's that? Aldo .... Nova ....who?"


I sort of remember Aldo Nova. I remember Kerrang! in 1982 pushing him as the next big thing from the US. Until they realised that Motley Crue were the sort of big things the States were going to produce, upon which Aldo Nova already seemed dated. Which is kind of impressive when you think about it.

Other curious cover stars included Baron Rojo, who made it onto the cover of No. 27 in October 21 - November 3, 1982. A fact that makes you suspect that the release schedule was a bit light on big names in October 21 - November 3, 1982. British headbangers in 1982 just weren't ready for a Spanish Heavy Metal band (though they were probably more receptive to the centrefold of Lee Aaron showing off her knockers while dressed in hooker chic). You'll notice that both of these issues had free flex discs; they weren't stupid.


Or maybe they were, because just two issues later they put Budgie on their cover. Budgie! In 1982!


I always thought Budgie were silly. Think I'm being unfair? OK, have a look at this and then this and come back. There, I'm glad we've got that settled. Budgie were on their last legs in 1982, but, to be fair that's not unusual when you look at the acts that made the cover in Kerrang!'s first year. In 1982, bands like Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy and Rainbow were breathing their last. While even newer bands like Saxon, Motorhead, Iron Maiden and AC/DC had made their best albums (though some of those went on to be successful all the same). Kerrang!'s first year was remarkably backwards-looking. It's interesting that the magazine has survived so long.

19 comments:

  1. That's a great link to the covers, I've boasted the fact that I still hold the first 30 odd copies of the magazine languishing in the loft here. Interestingly I draw your attention to the Kerrang cover with Pat Benetar (No.8) in this issue you will find my Tony Iommi is God letter is published.

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  2. I bought a bunch of Kerrang! issues from 1982 on eBay a few years back, but unfortunately the Pat Benetar issue isn't among them. The letters page in the early issues was always one of the highlights. I remember serious debates about whether Michael Schenker was a better guitarist than Ritchie Blackmore as well as those curious Band A-Zs that were popular for a bit, some of which were done in rhyme if I remember well. I guess that Kerrang! suddenly provided an outlet for people who hadn't really felt served by the music weeklies of the time and the create urge took control of them.
    I am deadly jealous of you having that letter published. You probably look back at it and cringe, but I think it's a great thing to put on your Metal CV.

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  3. I bought Kerrang! for the first time in years the other week (mainly for a report on the European Sonisphere dates with the 'big four' thrash acts), and it's rubbish. Well, it always was a bit rubbish but the people making it knew it was a bit rubbish. But then, it's not really aimed at 39 year-olds, is it?
    Woner how many people wanked over that Lee Aaron centre spread..?
    When I was a regular reader they were always trying to push a Danish act called Disneyland After Dark (who later had to change their name to D*A*D after Walt and Co. leaned on them), they never did anything. In fact, they were alt. rock six months before Nirvana and Faith No More stole their thunder.

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  4. I had a letter published once too. It was about a gig I'd been to at Nottingham Rock City. It was such a great gig I remember getting the letter printed but not who the band were.

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  5. Oh, and check this out, greatest riff ever, and I don't like Budgie much either:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54H3EUAzpVg

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  6. Geoff Barton from Sounds started Kerrang and filled his boots with the NWOBHM. Within a few short months, however, it soon became a parody of itself. The fact that it's still going is nothing short of staggering. And yes, I too have Issue No.1.

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  7. BA,
    I bought it from 82 - 84, which probably marks the time of my real interest in Metal. I didn't really like Thrash, and I certainly didn't like Hair Metal, even though my friends at school did. At the ripe old age of 15, I was like a Grandad, hoping things would go back to how they were when Girlschool could get in the charts.
    And everybody knows that Symptom of the Universe has the best riff ever. Don't push it, sunshine.

    John,
    I'm aware that my fondness for these Kerrangs is coloured by nostalgia - they were the first music magazines I ever bought. The early ones read a bit like fanzines written by fans who had some access to their heroes. In reality, I think the initial success was due to it providing a forum for metal fans - you took what you could get in the days before the internet.

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  8. Kerrang! steered off course quite badly in the nineties - most probably to keep up sales and widen appeal - I mean as much as Radiohead and other of that genre are talented but they are hardly offspring from NWOBHM which was the magazine's real catalyst. Another low point was the publishing Ozzy's Hawaii wedding photos...mind you I suppose this was an precursor to him upgrading to Hello magazine some decades later...

    By the way, I cannot argue with your assertion that Sympton of the Universe is the greatest riff ever...

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  9. Of course, if you paid attention to Gods Hat My Ipod, you would know that Aldo Nova was the Dr Evil of Wimphem - http://godshatmyipod.wordpress.com/2008/09/27/the-dr-evil-of-wimphem-aldo-nova/

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  10. I remember that post. Why didn't I remember that post? Maybe it came in the middle of one of your Loverboy or Southern Rock specials and I just blotted it out of my memory. That "Fantasy" is rubbish, by the way.

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  11. There is much worse to come, let me tell you. We could be about to witness the return of SpiderFest!!

    Oh, yes. [has a lie down to let blood pressure lower] [then has fried egg and lorne sausage doubler to get it back up to proper Scotch levels]

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  12. Kerrang was amazing when it came out, I think I got it from issue two and bought every one for a couple of years, then just bought the ones with bands I was really interested in. I probably read Jimmy's letter but I cant remember it and I didn't know him then. Come on LostJ get it out and type it up for us, I'm sure it's not that embarrasing ;-)

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  13. PS Baron Rojo are rather good, Jimmy got me a BR CD a few years back and it's 'proper' 'eavy metal!!!

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  14. DF, that'a great idea, I think Jimmy should definitely post that old Kerrang! letter on his blog. the campaign starts here!

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  15. Right Jimmy! The gauntlet is down...have you got the guts to share your teenage(?) angst? I would love to read it. If I can remember from your letters way back when, you were always a bit of a wordsmith!!!

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  16. I'll have to get up to the loft first...

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  17. Gert up in that bloomin loft then you lollygagger!!!

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  18. OK OK, I will try and sort something out on my next days off...but let me remind you that my loft is something akin to those only seen in 70s horror movies...you'll never know what I may find

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