Favorite NWOBHM Songs

80s Metal Lady wrote:

I only consider Paul Di'Anno era Maiden NWOBHM. I'm not sure what the common take on this is.

That pretty much what the common take it, despite Bruce Dickinson being a member of Samson, also considered part of the NWOBHM movement.

TheGreatDuck wrote:

Dark Horseman wrote:

Priest.

They aren't NWOBHM.

Someone had to say it.

I actually came across someone online before who says he considers British Steel a part of the NWOBHM, but not their earlier or later stuff. Weird.

It reminds me of a friend who is a rap fan (mainly 1990s rap, but he likes at least some rap of all eras) that considers the first Wu-Tang Clan album (Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers) to be the last "old school rap" album (it was released in 1993), but considers other rap from that era, even some that came slightly earlier, to be the "beginning of the new school rap".

TheGreatDuck wrote:

Pyromania's kinda on the borderline - it's both the first album of their hair metal era, and the last album of their NWOBHM era, even though I don't think Rock of Ages would qualify as metal, but there's some metallic songs on the album, like Stagefright or Billy's Got a Gun, but they also sound kinda poppier due to the production.
And while someone who considers Helloween NWOBHM is clearly not very knowledgeable in metal, I'd still agree with him that DL were a hair band for like a decade or so.

On Encyclopedia Metallum: The Metal Archives, Def Leppard's entry stated for many years that they are only listed on Metal Archives because of the debut being NWOBHM. However, earlier this year, their entry was revised, and said they are on the site for the first three albums being NWOBHM.

But yeah, Pyromania was the "gap bridging" between the NWOBHM-era of Def Leppard and the pop stars Def Leppard. The sound was much more polished and pristine, whereas the first two albums had a much rawer, grittier production (but it fit with the music better than the more polished sound would). It does have some of the energy and attitude that their first two albums had, at least in some songs, but also, the elements that would be on their later albums like Hysteria really show up here, and not just in the production.

Even when one looks at Def Leppard's live setlists circa Pyromania and after Pyromania, it shows how they abandoned their past. Even when Pyromania was released, they played about half of the songs off of High 'N' Dry, and a few songs off of On Through the Night as well. By the time Hysteria was released, they played absolutely nothing off of On Through the Night, and only one song off of High 'N' Dry (and it was the ballad, Bringin' on the Heartbreak). It's not like most bands that move away from their original sound that still play their earliest material live. It was like in the case of Def Leppard, their older material never even existed.

Def Leppard have even have been asked why On Through the Night and High 'N' Dry are ignored in their setlists, and they have given cop-out answers.

[quote="chewie"]

BearOnUnicycle wrote:

When I was collecting both genres, I noticed that there is bit a crossover between Neoprog and NWOBHM.

Some of the early neo-prog bands did have a heavier edge to them, which while not necessarily "metal" did mean that they weren't completely out of place alongside the NWOBHM bands, and I'm sure they attracted plenty of fans of way.





Don't know if these are the best examples, but they're the only two I could think of off-hand.

Saxon..princess in the night
Def leppard...wasted
saxon...denim and leather
demon..the unexpected guest

One of my favorite NWOBHM songs is: Shadows of Insanity by Tokyo Blade.

But I have recently discovered "Tysondog". Never heard of them. never heard anyone mention them--just sort of stumbled across them. They are easily my favorite NWBHM band. I have no idea how I have totally missed out on them for the last 30-something years of my life.

Anyone else familiar with them?

Captured City - Praying Mantis
S.S. Giro - Fist
I'm No Fool - Gaskin
One Of These Days - Trespass
Lady Of Mars - Dark Star
Fight Back - Ethel The Frog
High Upon High - White Spirit
Back Street Woman - Jaguar
Blitzkrieg - Blitzkrieg
Helpless - Diamond Head
Angel Witch - Angel Witch
Riding With The Angels - Samson
Chevy - Chevy
Nutz - Bootliggerz
Telephone Man - Eazy Money

This comp album was basically my introduction to the "lesser known" NWOBHM bands.



Every track on here is killer. I lifted a cassette copy from Tower Records many moons ago and eventually upgraded to the 2 cd set with extra tracks. I would recommend this set to anyone that wants an introduction to the NWOBHM. Over the years, I've tracked down quite a few bands off of this and have yet to be disappointed. It's far from the be-all-end-all collection, but it's a great place to start.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

This comp album was basically my introduction to the "lesser known" NWOBHM bands.



Every track on here is killer. I lifted a cassette copy from Tower Records many moons ago and eventually upgraded to the 2 cd set with extra tracks. I would recommend this set to anyone that wants an introduction to the NWOBHM. Over the years, I've tracked down quite a few bands off of this and have yet to be disappointed. It's far from the be-all-end-all collection, but it's a great place to start.

I got that one later on. I have these comps as well:






Good singles on all of them!

I remember Tower Records (and books). Used to go a lot during my college days and check out the listening stations. Bought a few CDs right after listening to them. That was a great feature of those stores because you could hear entire CDs and not just clips of songs (I think other stores offered that, too). I guess with Spotify, YouTube, Grooveshark, etc., we don't need them anymore.

I see Metal For Muthas and Lords of NWOBHM are on Spotify. Quite a few songs on each I don't believe I've heard before, so I will check them out along with the songs you guys have listed.

chewie wrote:

Captured City - Praying Mantis

One Of These Days - Trespass
Lady Of Mars - Dark Star

Those songs would've been 26 and 28 on my list respectively if I kept going. Great stuff!

allthingsmetal wrote:

But I have recently discovered "Tysondog". Never heard of them. never heard anyone mention them--just sort of stumbled across them. They are easily my favorite NWBHM band. I have no idea how I have totally missed out on them for the last 30-something years of my life.

Anyone else familiar with them?

I've heard one of their albums, if I recall correctly. I think Spotify radio introduced them to me.

I'm Brit/Irish and this was my second generation music, after Sabbs and Zepp et al, and got to see a lot of it. These are my fav NWOBHM albums.

High & Dry - Lepps (long before they sucked ass)

The Eagle Has landed - Saxon

Crazy Nights - Tygers Of Pan Tang

And all Diano (MAIDEN)

Tygers of Pan Tang's 1981 fretburner "Gangland". That and the rest of the Spellbound album is the definition of NWOBHM. I couldn't pick anything more obscure - I'm not hipster enough.

Andy wrote:

I'm not hipster enough.

You keep throwing the term "hipster" around here, but I don't think we actually have any on this board. At least nobody that would admit it.

chewie wrote:

Captured City - Praying Mantis

Now that's what I'm talkin bouuuuuuutt aw yeaaahh

I was under the impression that most NWOBHM was obscure unless you were in Britan during the late 70's and early 80's.

Saxon is always considered NWOBHM and they're not obscure. Most lists I look up list Priest and Maiden so I go with that. Sure Priest were around already but they still fit the sound to my untrained ear.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Saxon is always considered NWOBHM and they're not obscure. Most lists I look up list Priest and Maiden so I go with that. Sure Priest were around already but they still fit the sound to my untrained ear.

Categorizing is sometimes tough and I know I'm guilty of putting too much importance on it sometimes. I read somewhere that Judas Priest is First Wave Of British Heavy Metal as opposed to New. Made sense to me but, if they can be considered new, plug "Heading Out To The Highway" in my top 5.

Categorizing got to ridiculous levels with the internet, I try to ignore them as much as possible.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Saxon is always considered NWOBHM and they're not obscure. Most lists I look up list Priest and Maiden so I go with that. Sure Priest were around already but they still fit the sound to my untrained ear.

Priest were a part of the FIRST wave of British Heavy Metal that included bands like Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Judas Priest, Budgie, UFO, Motorhead, etc. Of course their sound fits in with the NWOBHM, they are one of the biggest inspirations on those new bands at the time.

One of my favorites and a song I consider a bit of a theme song for myself.....

Witchfinder General - Music

I don't mind these lists and even being wrong. I concede JP is first wave. :lol!:I find I go back and check out bands I haven't thought about in a long time and hear some stuff I skipped in the past.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Saxon is always considered NWOBHM and they're not obscure. Most lists I look up list Priest and Maiden so I go with that. Sure Priest were around already but they still fit the sound to my untrained ear.

It's not really a sound, it's more of a scene.

TheGreatDuck wrote:

It's not really a sound, it's more of a scene.

Exactly!