Debt Consolidation | Bankruptcy | Store Cards for the best credit | Debt Consolidation | Free Advertising
Joining in the Blast From The Past! (SMOGGY!) [Archive] - GuitarBlast Forums

PDA

View Full Version : Joining in the Blast From The Past! (SMOGGY!)


wahwah
05-17-2008, 10:19 AM
This is the B-side of the first single we did and is called 'Sucker For Your Love'.

The A side was called 'No Point Runnin'...make sure you leave the 'g' off! It was the first time I'd been in a studio and I think I would have been about 19...you gotta remember this stuff is PRE Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax etc The studio was called Guardian and was in a place called Pityme in County Durham. The engineering sounds a bit lame after all these years but we gave it some intent when recorded it. :)

The biggest shock was actually meeting a ghost and this is ABSOLUTELY true. I swear it happened!

Ghosts?

This is a true story but I have no idea what happened…my first time in a studio was recording three tracks at Guardian Studios in County Durham. The house was actually built in an old miners cottage and we Terry, the owner gave us stories of 'ghostly happenings'. All I knew was that it was very cold in the drum/vocal booth and it had a very eerie feeling. This could have been down to the fact that the band was winding each other up all the time. We were staying at the studio and every night as we were going to bed, someone would start with 'did you hear that?' or whatever. We were there three days and we recorded 'No point Runnin', Sucker For Your Love' and 'Ridin' Higher'. These tracks would eventually be released as singles and also on Guardian's Roxcalibur album (they should never have been released-they should have been locked up for life!).
Anyway, eventually we forgot about the 'ghost' thing and buckled down to trying to get the best recording we could. On the final day, we were mixing the tracks in the control room. All the band was sitting on a sofa, intently listening to the mix to make sure everything was there. Our Road Manager, Barry Clapp, was sat opposite, and him and me were looking at each other intently and making notes about the mix. I was also sat a few feet away from the band (I like my own space when I'm concentrating!) All of a sudden, my hair was pulled violently (I had very long hair) and, I mean, violently. The rest of the band was too wrapped up to notice (they were also sitting on the same side as me which would have made it difficult) but Barry did. His eyes nearly popped out of his head and he looked very frightened. I knew instantly that it wasn't anybody in the room as it had been more than a friendly tug and there was absolutely no sign of a reaction or giggling or anything. The rest of the guys were in another world listening to that track. Barry made a quick gesture as if to say, 'don't say anything-keep on with the mix'. We didn't mention it to the other guys once the track finished or until we'd left and were on our way back to Cleveland. That confirmed for me that it wasn't a prank-there was no catch-line. We told them afterwards but nobody believed us. Barry said he was watching my face for reaction to the recording and that my hair just went up in the air and was pulled hard enough to make my head go wildly to the left. This guy was an ex-marine who had seen a lot of things but this was a new one for him.
We headed back and went straight to Radio Tees where we were going to do an interview on a local Rock Show that was waiting to hear this newly recorded stuff. I was being asked by the presenter, Brian Anderson,what my thoughts were when my mouth decided to stop working! My mouth started to go to one side and I gave a little shriek, as I didn't know what was wrong. My speech became a bit strange and I tried my best to carry on. I went to the Doctor a few days later and he told me I had 'bell's palsy' which had almost certainly come as a result of a shock to my system. I was off work for 3 weeks as I couldn't close or open my eye and, as a welder, I would have got a 'flash', which is pretty painful. I still have no idea what happened but I'm certain something wasn't very impressed with our demo! Like I said at the beginning, true…but who's going to believe you?

Captain Spasm
05-17-2008, 11:04 AM
This is the B-side of the first single we did and is called 'Sucker For Your Love'.

The A side was called 'No Point Runnin'...make sure you leave the 'g' off! It was the first time I'd been in a studio and I think I would have been about 19...you gotta remember this stuff is PRE Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax etc The studio was called Guardian and was in a place called Pityme in County Durham. The engineering sounds a bit lame after all these years but we gave it some intent when recorded it. :)


Don't even need to play this mate (tho' I will anyway) .... still got it on the original 7" vinyl!!

Did I ever tell ya that me very first band COVERED " No Point Runnin' "?!! ... and I got to do your signature "Wato bend" and single-note octave hammer-on :tard:

Unraveled
05-17-2008, 11:06 AM
(they should never have been released-they should have been locked up for life!).
Wrong! I love this BR era.

SteveG
05-17-2008, 03:26 PM
Sounded fine to me, great blast from the past!

HereticX
05-17-2008, 04:48 PM
Jeez, how many folks are in this forum that have contributed actively to NWOBHM?

Keep the blasts from the past coming guys, loving (and downloading to my ipod :D) every second of those.

wahwah
05-18-2008, 03:58 AM
Jeez, how many folks are in this forum that have contributed actively to NWOBHM?

Keep the blasts from the past coming guys, loving (and downloading to my ipod :D) every second of those.

A fair few of us from the North East were tumbled along into the NWOBHM scene whether we wanted it or not. The wave was very small and very short and after it another very small wave came along with Marillion, Twelfth Night and IQ on board. Pallas managed to swim ashore and then the short lived Prog scene was closed as well.

Ender
05-18-2008, 11:15 AM
sounds excellent Chris, nice wah tone in the solo, do you remember what you were played through back then?

Stereophony
05-18-2008, 01:58 PM
Lovin the Smoggy blast from the past theme going at the minute!! Killer track, the solo ripped Chris. Thats one spooky story too! Im downloading all these to get my 80's rock fix on tap. Cheers guys!:woot:

wahwah
05-18-2008, 04:34 PM
Thanks guys. Eric, I gad a Park stack...made by Marshall but a bit cheaper. I then had a Vox distortion and a crybaby wah. Pretty old school! :boobies:

Lippy
05-19-2008, 08:45 AM
Nice one Chris.I actually bought the best of black rose cd last year and it has this on it.I gotta admit ,I much prefer the older stuff than the stuff that was done during the Gary Todd era.The older music was proper metal:rock:Not the lamer ,keyboard stuff later on.

Unraveled
05-19-2008, 09:27 AM
I much prefer the older stuff than the stuff that wasdone during the Gary Todd era.The older music was proper metal:rock:Not the lamer ,keyboard stuff later on.
Yep you're right Dave, Chris left and they lost their way big style.
Hey Dave maybe if we'd played Bardz the Janie demo Todd would never've got the gig.

wahwah
05-19-2008, 10:49 AM
Thanks Dave...not sure Garry was to blame for the way the songwriting went as thats always been Steve's bag BUT it did get softer but I think the problem was they were trying to write for the times rather than themselves and just like bands like Motley Crue trying to 'grunge' it up a bit in '92, people could see right thru it. It's only when you get older you learn to write for you and be damned what others think. :thumb:

Captain Spasm
05-19-2008, 10:49 AM
:lol:

ahh .... if only

I remember GT asked ME to audition one time, near the end .... then when I was ready to try out some of the songs with him ... he said "nah ... the boys think you haven't got the commitment" :tard:

Lippy
05-19-2008, 11:01 AM
Yep you're right Dave, Chris left and they lost their way big style.
Hey Dave maybe if we'd played Bardz the Janie demo Todd would never've got the gig.

:lol: :lol: Too bloody right mate!!

Lippy
05-19-2008, 11:06 AM
:lol:

ahh .... if only

I remember GT asked ME to audition one time, near the end .... then when I was ready to try out some of the songs with him ... he said "nah ... the boys think you haven't got the commitment" :tard:

:maddance: Typical Gary Todd,hadn't got a clue.never will:lol: THe only reason I stayed in a band with him for so long was because he had his dad's luton van, oh..and for Pete and Owen.:)

sky1962
05-19-2008, 01:58 PM
Nice post Chris, I remember this song very well, and although its a gem I perfer the A side No point Runnin', There's no doubt Black Rose at the time were a class act full of energy and talent, which still can be heard in Sucker for your love.*****:yourock: BR

Dutch
05-19-2008, 03:00 PM
great stuff chris , all i heared from black rose is great :woot:

thanks for sharing this one with us:bowdown:

SG Std
05-21-2008, 11:09 AM
This is a rocker, bro!!!!! Love hearin' all this old stuff from you guys over there!!!!:woot:

wahwah
05-21-2008, 03:00 PM
Cheers Sky. You were around right back to the Overload days right? God, I miss the buzz that was getting ready for a gig like the Teessider. Age eh? :maddance:

Cheers Dutch. Played in Holland at The Dynamo in Eindhoven...what a night that was!

Thanks SG...I appreciate you taking a listen. There must be a lot of history from all the older guys (and young ones) on this site. :)

Unraveled
05-21-2008, 11:39 PM
Gonna add this to the thread cos it needs to be heard. Anyway it's from the same session.

Reverand Gill
05-22-2008, 02:19 AM
G Turd the ultimate clubland musaician (oops me finger slipped)

Reverand Gill
05-22-2008, 02:23 AM
Hey there was a lot going on in the smoggies back then i think we should all raise a glass to friends still here and those departed and say out loud WE ROCKED........

Captain Spasm
05-22-2008, 12:03 PM
Cheers Sky. You were around right back to the Overload days right? God, I miss the buzz that was getting ready for a gig like the Teessider. Age eh? :maddance:


I remember seeing Overload in "The Teessider" AND at Billingham 6th Form!!

Never got to play The Teessider meself tho' ... wuz demolished before I was in a 'proper' gigging band :(

Captain Spasm
05-22-2008, 12:05 PM
Hey there was a lot going on in the smoggies back then i think we should all raise a glass to friends still here and those departed and say out loud WE ROCKED........


Err-rr ... ok then .... "WE ROCKED!" .... errrr .... which ones of us rocked then? :lol:

Unraveled
05-22-2008, 12:46 PM
Oh and then there's this little gem with the rabid solo, Mick Thompson (The bass master) and the little fella hammering the kit to bits.
They may not have intended it to be, but this is punk metal in my book!

Lippy
05-22-2008, 02:12 PM
Sorry Chris I had to do it....the a side from Chris's original post -no point runnin':bowdown:Mighty!!!