:lol: :lol:

Mine and Gilly's first EVER recording!!

Way, way, way back in 1983, a young Northeast British rock band thought they were going to be the next Def Leppard. The average age was only 18 ... with about 3-4 years playing experience each.

We had the attitude, we had the energy ... we even had the looks (well ... the singer did anyway!!) ... oh yes ... we were going to be BIG!!

fast-forward to present day and reality.

Gawd, this brings back some memories ... some good, some bad ... some bloody painful ... myriads of lost connections to people who were so important then. Still miss some of 'em.

'Nuff procrastinating ... Here we are ... warts an' all ...

The Rev' takes the frighteningly powerful backing vocals and the rythmn guitars with a full-on, hot, hot sound from a '76 re-issue Ivory Gibson Explorer, MXR Micro amp and Marshall JMP45 50W head & 4x12. My thin, weedy sound came from a crappy Ibanez Flying V, DOD Preamp and Carlsboro 150W 2x12 combo (all the best that I could afford at the time).

The ultimate cringe-making song ... "Baby Wants Fire"!! :notme:

Hell - I've REALLY gone an' done it now!! :p

very impressive john for such an older recording. it mixed really well. does sound like the first def leppard album to me. with the right songs you just might have made it. your lead playing was really good. so...how come it sucks now? kidding:lol:

very impressive john for such an older recording. it mixed really well. does sound like the first def leppard album to me. with the right songs you just might have made it. your lead playing was really good. so...how come it sucks now? kidding:lol:

Thanks Kenny ... yeh .. I wasn't 'bad' for having played only 3 1/2 years, but I didn't have much in the way of restraint back then ... and it was all "go for the burn". Was a bit (read a LOT) of a Michael Schenker freak back then too.

Trouble is .. when I let rip ... even now ... the enthusiasm overtakes the scale knowledge, the fingers can't keep up and a whole pile of steaming crap gets deposited and I have to give myself one of these ... :slap: ... before slowing down and trying again for something a little more realistic and achievable.

This is REALLY good stuff, bro!!! Sounds like it coulda got serious radio airplay back in the day!!! Smokin' guitar work!!!:thumb:

...certainly does bring back memories - that song always sounded most excellent live! I'd recognise Gilly's voice ANYWHERE!

It's no good - if you want real wartz I'll post some old Millennium stuff from the mid eighties, just as soon as I can work out how to do it...

:yourock:

Trouble is .. when I let rip ... even now ... the enthusiasm overtakes the scale knowledge, the fingers can't keep up and a whole pile of steaming crap gets deposited and I have to give myself one of these ... :slap:

HAHAHA!!!!! I FULLY understand this statement!!!! Hell, thats the only way i know how to play lead!!!! LOL!!!. But seriously John...this is BRILLIANT in my book....Has early 80's written all over it!!! As with your other original i've heard, really well put together i think...i would definitely have been one of the owners of your album!!! Love that rythm lick on the intro, and chorusus!!! Drives the tune along great. Gilly....awesome job on the vox mate...great power and control!! The big unison "BABY WANT"S FIRE!!!".....can really hear the attitude in there!!! You all were going for it, and thats the shit!!!! Fantastic writing and production, for having been done so young and all. And it's a tune that gets you honorable mention in the "COWBELL APPRECIATION SOCIETY" LOL!!!!!!! Love to hear more, if ya got 'em!!! Have a special file just waiting for them!!!! ROCK & ROLL!!!!!!!!:rock: :rock: :rock:

HAHAHA!!!!! I FULLY understand this statement!!!! Hell, thats the only way i know how to play lead!!!! LOL!!!. But seriously John...this is BRILLIANT in my book....Has early 80's written all over it!!! As with your other original i've heard, really well put together i think...i would definitely have been one of the owners of your album!!! Love that rythm lick on the intro, and chorusus!!! Drives the tune along great. Gilly....awesome job on the vox mate...great power and control!! The big unison "BABY WANT"S FIRE!!!".....can really hear the attitude in there!!! You all were going for it, and thats the shit!!!! Fantastic writing and production, for having been done so young and all. And it's a tune that gets you honorable mention in the "COWBELL APPRECIATION SOCIETY" LOL!!!!!!! Love to hear more, if ya got 'em!!! Have a special file just waiting for them!!!! ROCK & ROLL!!!!!!!!

Cheers John!!

Yeh - this brings back the memories ok.

Like all the best songs ... this was written in about five minutes ... only trouble was ... I wasn't there to see it!! I left the rehearsal room temporarily to pick up my dad who was returning from his reserve army camp (it was his car I was using to get to the rehearsal, so I didn't have much of an excuse NOT to!!). By the time I got back to the rehearsal one hour later, it was pretty much in the bag and all I had to do was add the high fills and the lead guitar.

This was pretty much Gilly's baby ... so it's only natural that it has his voice stamped all over it. :rock:

Just as an aside ... I still have nightmares about the gigs ... and the drummer (Barry Youll) leaning over and shouting before almost every number after the singer introduced it ... "JOHN!! ... How does THIS one go!!" ... didn't help that his kit was usually miked up :lol:

BTW ... talk about small worlds ... the drummer (Barry), after Arizona split, joined Wahwah's band "Black Rose" - albeit after Chris had left the second time ... and the original Arizona bass player (on this recording) was also Chris' bass player in his PRE-Black Rose band "Overload".

It's more entangled and mind-boggling than the ancient Roman Imperial family sagas!! :headscratch:

I still have nightmares about the gigs ... and the drummer (Barry Youll) leaning over and shouting before almost every number after the singer introduced it ... "JOHN!! ... How does THIS one go!!" ... didn't help that his kit was usually miked up :lol:

HAHAHA!!!! Thats just incredible!!! I say that, 'cause i've been known to do the very same thing!!!! For whatever reason, the name of a tune just doesn't click in my head with what tune it is. But if ya do the "You know. la la la, da da da, yada yada yada!!!!" I go, Oh!! yea!!! I know it!!! LOL!!!!! Everybody always gives me the same look i'm sure you gave Barry, back in the day!!!! LOL!!!:lol: :rock:

...ws the original Overload bass player "Killer" (Paul Kilburn) by any chance - or am I confused? :confused:

...ws the original Overload bass player "Killer" (Paul Kilburn) by any chance - or am I confused? :confused:

Yeah .. that was 'im, Mike!

Spaz this kicks ass...seriously good, rocking tune, man! I like your tunes cuz, as I have told you many times already, you have a knack for that very 80s sound that used to get me pumped up. Anyway...great production on this, sounds like something I would have been listening to on WSOU radio back in the day! :thumb:

Spaz this kicks ass...seriously good, rocking tune, man! I like your tunes cuz, as I have told you many times already, you have a knack for that very 80s sound that used to get me pumped up. Anyway...great production on this, sounds like something I would have been listening to on WSOU radio back in the day! :thumb:


Thanks Pete ... but thank "The Rev" for this choon. Like I said above, I was absent when it was written & there was nothing left for me to contribute to it except to play it!

Compliment appreciated tho'!

BTW .. sounds 80s cos it IS 80s ... this IS the original demo from '83.