Dave's top 50 best NWoBHM songs... AND NUMBER ONE IS....

Since Schbopo has his top 100 hard rock thread, I thought it would be a cool idea to sum up my NWoBHM favorites. With every write up I'll include a youtube link to said song (if possible of course).

50. Shy - Tonight
"Once Bitten, Twice Shy" LP, "Metal Warriors" compilation LP

I'll start off with one of my more melodic NWoBHM favorites. Shy were more of an AOR/melodic rock band than a full blown heavy metal band, but that's A-okay with me. It actually kinda reminds me of Def Leppard, with its melodic vocals and simple chords. Unforunately the sound on the LP version of this song is kinda crappy. The version on the Metal Warriors compilation LP sounds a lot better if you ask me. Nevertheless, Tonight is a fantastic song by an almost forgotten band.

Was this the Shy with tne current TNT vocalist, Tony Mills?

Yup.

49. Hollow Ground - Fight with the Devil
"Roksnax" compilation LP

Up next is Hollow Ground's most well known song, the NWoBHM classic Fight with the Devil. The reminds me most of Sad Wings-era Judas Priest, with some killer chugging powerchords and solos to die for. The vocalist is killer as well. He kind of sounds like a combination between Paul Di'Anno and Ian Gillan (does that make sense? Hahaha). Hollow Ground was one of many bands that did not get round to releasing a full length LP. When they were together they released an EP, a demo, and a compilation LP with Samurai and Saracen (who will be featured later on in the list). They're together again, but have yet to record an LP. Nevertheless, Fight with the Devil is a classic NWoBHM scorcher that every heavy metal fan should have heard at least once.

Wow, you know some obscure songs. I haven't heard of those bands in years.
I totally agree with your assessment of Shy, DL owes a lot to their sound.

Most of my list is obscure stuff, although the usual suspects will show up sooner or later.

48. Jaguar - Back Street Woman
"Back Street Woman" 7" single

Ah yes, the great Jaguar, another great, semi-obscure NWoBHM band. These guys were more of a proto-thrash band, kinda in the vein of Motörhead. Although I have to admit the vocals are pretty weak on this song, and it's very basic musically, it's still a scorcher of a track. The drums and guitars actually remind me of Exciter, while the vocals are very typical of the NWoBHM. Seeing as this was released in 1981, this was pretty damn heavy and quite fast for its time. It's too bad the stuff they did after their debut LP Power Games (released in 1983) ranged from mediocre to downright awful, but oh well. Jaguar's early stuff is prime NWoBHM, and is recommended listening for everyone into Motörhead and Venom.

That Hollow Ground track was cool.

I better see some DIAMOND HEAD in the top 10.

Come somebody fill me in on what the heck "NWoBHM" stands for?

Something something......Big Hair Metal?

New Wave of British Heavy Metal

T-Roy wrote:

Come somebody fill me in on what the heck "NWoBHM" stands for?

Something something......Big Hair Metal?

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.

*EDIT* Dammit, Spec was too fast for me.

The term was coined by Geoff Barton of the British music mag "Sounds" to describe the bumper crop of new heavy metal bands that popped up in England circa 1979-80 (i.e. Saxon, Diamond Head, Raven, Venom, yadda yadda yadda).

Fat Freddy wrote:

T-Roy wrote:

Come somebody fill me in on what the heck "NWoBHM" stands for?

Something something......Big Hair Metal?

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.

*EDIT* Dammit, Spec was too fast for me.

The term was coined by Geoff Barton of the British music mag "Sounds" to describe the bumper crop of new heavy metal bands that popped up in England circa 1979-80 (i.e. Saxon, Diamond Head, Raven, Venom, yadda yadda yadda).

THANK YOU!!! I've been ashamed to ask for a long time but I figured...what the hell, go ahead and fire away now!

Temple of Blood wrote:

I better see some DIAMOND HEAD in the top 10.

Can't promise a top ten spot for 'em, but they'll definitely be in the
list. Same goes for Saxon and Raven. Most of the top ten will be pretty
obscure stuff, but trust me when I say it'll be awesome.


47. Black Axe - Red Lights
"Highway Rider" 7" single

At number 47 we have Black Axe, another classic NWoBHM band that never got the recognition they deserved. "Highway Rider" is the sole recording by these Carlisle based heavy rockers (although they did release an LP under the name Wolf in 1984), and does it ROCK! Surprisingly, the B-side, Red Lights, is even better than the title track (which is also a great song, but Red Lights is better). I'd say their sound is somewhere inbetween Deep Purple and Motörhead.
The song kicks off with a really heavy riff, and then turns into an uptempo rocker that reminds me of Highway Star. The singer may not have Gillan's voice, but damn, this guy can sing! The chorus is extremely basic (Red Liiiiiiights! Red Liiiiiiiiights!), but it's damn catchy nonetheless. A great song that will always be one of my favorite NWoBHM tunes. But we've still got 46 toetapping heavy rockers to go!

Dark star "backstreet killer"?

Stender wrote:

Dark star "backstreet killer"?

That one won't be on the list, but another Dark Star song will be (guess which one? ).

46. Def Leppard - Wasted
"On through the Night" LP

Before Def Leppard became one of the world's leading poprock bands with hit LPs like Pyromania and Hysteria, they were a heavy rock band, and a good one at that! Their debut EP and LP are great NWoBHM recordings, and still kick ass some thirty years later. My favorite song from their early days has to be Wasted. Again, this song is pretty basic, but who cares, it rocks! Wasted is a prime example of catchy heavy rock with a ton of hooks, and is by far Def Leppard's best song.

Great song but not their best in my book.

TheNazgul wrote:

Great song but not their best in my book.

I'm not much of a Def Leppard fan anyway, but that song I really dig.

45. Dark Star - Lady of Mars
"Lady of Mars" 7" single, "Dark Star" LP

Up next is another classic NWoBHM tune, Dark Star's Lady of Mars, an extremely infectious uptempo rocker with great guitar harmonies and a whole ton of hooks. Unlike a lot of NWoBHM bands, these guys actually got round to recording two LPs. I have to admit though that I only know the first single and first LP pretty well. Judging by the stuff I've heard Lady of Mars is by far my favorite tune. Their sound kind of reminds me of a mixture between Praying Mantis and Trespass (who both will be featured later on in the list).

44. Fist - Name, Rank & Serial Number
"Name, Rank & Serial Number" 7" single, "Turn the Hell On" LP

Coming in at number 44 there's Fist, a band I never was extremely fond of. Their full lengths are pretty boring imo, as the songwriting is just not up to par, and they've always lacked a singer with a strong voice. However, their debut single, Name, Rank & Serial Number, is a stone cold classic! It's a basic song, but an amazing one nonetheless, with lyrics on something straight out of 1984. Again, they don't have a very strong singer, but he still manages to deliver the goods on this track. Too bad the rest of their discography isn't as strong as this single.

Killer list, Dave the Boss.

Dave the Boss wrote:

Stender wrote:

Dark star "backstreet killer"?

That one won't be on the list, but another Dark Star song will be (guess which one? ).

46. Def Leppard - Wasted
"On through the Night" LP

Before Def Leppard became one of the world's leading poprock bands with hit LPs like Pyromania and Hysteria, they were a heavy rock band, and a good one at that! Their debut EP and LP are great NWoBHM recordings, and still kick ass some thirty years later. My favorite song from their early days has to be Wasted. Again, this song is pretty basic, but who cares, it rocks! Wasted is a prime example of catchy heavy rock with a ton of hooks, and is by far Def Leppard's best song.

Look, the drummer has two hands!

That's cold.

manny wrote:

Killer list, Dave the Boss.

Glad you're enjoying it! The best has yet to come though...

43. Marquis de Sade - Somewhere up in the Mountains
"Somewhere up in the Mountains/Black Angel" 7" single

One of the rarest NWoBHM singles out there, Somewhere up in the Mountains is Marquis de Sade's only recording to be released on vinyl (their only other offering being a demo tape, released in 1981). Their sound is rather different from the vast majority of NWoBHM bands, as their brand of heavy rock had a touch of progressive rock to it. The best way to describe Marquis de Sade's sound would be a more progressive Deep Purple, although without Blackmore's guitar acrobatics and Gillan's commanding vocals (that said, Marquis de Sade's Chris Gordelier is no slouch either!). Although I wouldn't say this is worth the insane amount of money some people pay for it, it's still an amazing song, and recommended listening for everyone that likes NWoBHM.

TheNazgul wrote:

That's cold.

Not as cold as the *other* hand.

Dave the Boss I am enjoying this thread you are introducing to some very obsure bands from this period.

I love stuff like this.

Well, the best is yet to come! I'm still thinking about which songs will end up in the top ten though. There's simply too much brilliant NWoBHM stuff.

42. Girl - My Number
"Sheer Greed" LP

The only thing that Girl are remembered for nowadays is for being Phil Lewis' first band (yes, the Phil Lewis of L.A. Guns fame!). Their sound is definitely a far cry from the raw heavy rock that most NWoBHM bands played, as they were much more of a pop metal band, even before there was such a thing! I have to admit that I'm only familiar with their debut LP Sheer Greed, which is definitely a fine platter of poppy hard rock 'n' roll. I think Def Leppard were influenced by these guys when they went commercial. You can definitely hear where they got the poppy sound from. All in all it's a great song, that with the right promotion could've easily been a radio hit.