Diamond Head (band)
Encyclopedia
Diamond Head are an English
heavy metal
band formed in 1976
in Stourbridge
, England
. The band is recognised as one of the leading members of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
and is acknowledged by later bands like Metallica
and Megadeth
as an important early influence.
and Duncan Scott with Tatler playing on a Cheap Fuzz guitar and Scott on biscuit tins. The name "Diamond Head" came from a Phil Manzanera
album, that Tatler had a poster of in his room. Sean Harris later joined the band after they learned about his vocal abilities while on a school trip, singing Gene Vincent
's 1956 hit "Be-Bop-A-Lula
", and auditioned him in Tatler's bedroom. Bassist Colin Kimberley, a friend of Tatler's from primary school joined the band some months later (and was in fact Diamond Head's fourth bassist). The band started to play local gigs in the Black Country
area, with their first gig at High Park School in Stourbridge
on 10 February 1976 but things did not go too smoothly at that gig, with feedback problems marring the concert.
In their early days the band played few cover songs and concentrated on their own material. Exceptions were Black Sabbath
's "Paranoid
" in 1978 and Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight" and Montrose's "Rock The Nation" in 1991. In one interview Brian Tatler stated that they wrote some 100 songs before their first studio recorded release, and only one song (It's Electric) from their 1978 set was recorded for their debut.
The band recorded and released self-financed demo tapes in 1979
. Recorded within six hours on a four-track, their unique sound and quality of writing gained enough attention for the band to tour as support to AC/DC
and Iron Maiden
. Although several record companies expressed interests in signing the band, no contracts were forthcoming. The band was at the time mainly managed by Sean Harris' mother (Linda Harris),who reportedly turned down an offer from the influential Q Prime Management,. Thus while other 'New Wave of British Heavy Metal' bands were signed to major labels and headlining their own tours Diamond Head remained independent. The management decided that they would release their material through their own label; 'Happy Face Records'.
The first release was the 1980
single "Shoot Out The Lights" (B-side Helpless), having already had a previous single "Sweet and Innocent" (B-side "Streets of Gold") released by Media Records in the same year.
In the same year the band also recorded their debut album on Happy Face. Most commonly known as Lightning to the Nations
, (although it has officially untitled), the collection was recorded in seven days at The Old Smythy Studio in Worcester
, a venue which the band described later as 'dead'. The album was packaged in a plain sleeve with no title or track listings, simply bearing a signature of one of the band members. The reason for this was that the band's co-manager, Reg Fellows owned a cardboard factory and could produce blank sleeves at a suitably low cost. Only 1000 copies were originally pressed and made available at concerts or via mail-order for £3.50. The only mail-order advertisement appeared in Sounds and ran for four weeks. The band did not pay for the advertisement and ended up being sued. The idea for recording this album came from Fellows and Linda Harris as an attempt to record tracks to entice attention from a record company, which would take care of the recording costs.
This album has become one of the most sought after items among record collectors. Another 1000 copies were pressed along with the track listings at a later date. Unfortunately, the original stereo master tapes were lost after they were sent to the German
record company, Woolfe Records, and never returned. However, Woolfe Records released a version of the album, and later re-released via Sanctuary Records
in 2001.
in 1981
, and rush released the Four Cuts EP
, which contained early era songs such as Call Me and Dead Reckoning. Their new status afforded them a slot on the Reading festival bill in 1982, albeit as late and unadvertised replacements for Manowar. Their stunning set was recorded by the BBC
and later released in 1992 through Raw Fruit Records as the Friday Rock Show Sessions
.
The first MCA album, Borrowed Time featured a lavish Rodney Matthews
-illustrated gatefold sleeve based on the album's Elric theme and was the most expensive sleeve commissioned by MCA at the time. The investment paid off as it was enthusiastically received and climbed to #24 in the UK album charts, enabling the band to perform a full scale UK tour at large venues such as London
's Hammersmith Odeon
.
To support the album Diamond Head's third single "In the Heat of the Night", backed with live versions of Play it Loud and Sweet and Innocent recorded at the Zig-Zag club, and an interview with DJ Tommy Vance
(although the latter was not available on the 12").
Diamond Head tried a more experimental sounding follow-up to Borrowed Time, tentatively titled Making Music which later became Canterbury
in 1983. The success of this album was stalled as the first 20,000 copies suffered vinyl pressing problems, causing the LP to jump.
Many fans disliked the progressive direction, expecting a reprise of Borrowed Time. The album did not feature Duncan Scott and Colin Kimberly, who were removed after pressure from MCA. Tatler explained that Kimberly found the band too much hard work and Scott did not seem to be pulling his weight in the band. Mervyn Goldsworthy, formerly of Samson
, and Robbie France
, later a founding member of Skunk Anansie
, came in on bass and drums respectively. Also introduced to the band was keyboard player Josh Phillips-Gorse (ex Procol Harum
). Live footage of this line up's live show at the University of Leicester
on 12 February 1984 was officially released on VHS via the Diamond Head fan club.
Diamond Head opened the 1983 Monsters of Rock
festival at Donington, and supported Black Sabbath on their 'Born Again' European tour. After getting dropped by MCA in January 1984 Diamond Head started work on their fourth studio album, entitled Flight East. Although never released, five tracks (Be Good, A New Messiah, Someone Waiting, Today and Back In The Powerage) emerged on bootleg and shows the band totally changing direction with the dropping of all the characteristic signature guitar solos and heavy dynamic riffs. The change in the band's musical direction was with the duo becoming bored of just playing Heavy Metal and felt that it was time to change. Another change the band made at the time was Brian switching from his Flying V to a Gibson Les Paul
, saying that "I think the Les Paul's better, the V's more of a metal guitar. At one stage it was just me and Schenker
with them, now the guy in Saxon
's got one and all the European metal bands like Accept
have them." Harris' lyrics had also taken a religious route, as with one of the new songs A New Messiah. (The bootleg also contains two early demos of Shoot Out The Lights and Streets of Gold and well as three tracks from the Dirty Box Band, an attempt by manager Fellows to exploit unused material).
After little interest from any record label to pick up the project, Tatler and Harris decided to retire the band and split up for the first time in 1985.
The band also released a new 12" only single which contained Wild on the Streets and I Can't Help Myself, and was only available at concerts and specialised music stores. Sean Harris also worked on a song with Dave Mustaine
for Megadeth
called "Crown Of Worms" and both released as a B-side to Megadeth's 1994 single Train of Consequences
and on the re-mastered version of Countdown to Extinction
.
In 1993 the band released Death and Progress
featuring guest contributions by Tony Iommi
of Black Sabbath
and Dave Mustaine. The band's reunion was short lived as they were on the verge of splitting up as soon as the record was released.
Diamond Head opened for Metallica
and Megadeth at the National Bowl
in Milton Keynes
on 5 June 1993. Sean Harris came out dressed as the Grim Reaper which Brian Tatler remarked (in the British
rock magazine Classic Rock) was Harris' way of saying that the NWOBHM was over. Their performance was subdued, reportedly due to Tatler suffering from shingles at the time and the lack of rehearsal time prior to the gig.
The previous autumn Diamond Head guested on stage with Metallica at Birmingham
's NEC
to jointly perform the Diamond Head classics Helpless and Am I Evil?
. Footage of this show was released via the Metallica fan club on a video
entitled Metallican.
In 1994 the band split again and did not reform until 2000.
, which ended in the release of the First Cuts Acoustic EP.
The band started touring again doing full electric shows with Moohan and Wilcox back in the band. This tour also saw Diamond Head play their first US show. The band went back into the studio to record a new album entitled Host, however the band ended in disagreement and turmoil as Harris wished the album to be put out under a new name as a fresh start.
After years of Tatler and the band tolerating Harris' creative desires Diamond Head and Sean Harris finally went their separate ways. Although Harris issued a press release on Blabbermouth.net that said that as far as he was concerned he had as much right over the Diamond Head name as anyone else, and that as far he was concerned he was still in the band.
when Diamond Head drummer Karl Wilcox heard him sing. After introductions Tart agreed to join the band.
The band's next album, All Will Be Revealed
(the title apparently referring to Sean Harris), was released in 2005 and was very different from their early material. To promote this album they toured with Megadeth
. Brian Tatler commented that this was one of the best experiences of his life and regained his enjoyment playing live with the band again.
Diamond Head headlined a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the NWOBHM at the London Astoria
, supported by Witchfynde
, Bronz
, Praying Mantis
and Jaguar
. This concert was later released as a live CD entitled It's Electric and also the band's first DVD, To the Devil His Due in 2006. The band's rhythm guitarist Adrian Mills left the band and was replaced with Andy 'Abbz' Abberley, previously in traditional heavy metal band Requiem
with drummer Karl Wilcox.
The band released their sixth studio album, What's In Your Head
, through Cargo records with Dave 'Shirt' Nicholls, who has produced albums with bands such as Slipknot
and The Wildhearts
. The Japanese version included extra track This is War.
On 15 October 2007 Metal Mind Productions
released Borrowed Time and Canterbury on CD format, the first time that these albums have been released on CD outside of Japan
. The CDs were released with bonus tracks, and limited to 2000 copies. However, Geffen Records
have now placed the re-released albums under general release.
The band are currently working on a new album.
The band have been toured extensively over the last few years through the UK, Europe and Japan. In 2007 the band supported Thin Lizzy
in the UK.
In 2010 Diamond Head were special guests to Europe on their nine date UK tour.
In November 2009 Brian Tatler published his autobiography 'Am I Evil?' with forewords by Lars Ulrich and Dave Mustaine. A hardback book that documents the story of Diamond Head, featuring many rare and unseen photographs. All 500 copies have now sold out.
Diamond Head celebrated the 30th Anniversary of their first album 'Lightning To The Nations 'with a European tour beginning 7 November 2010, with all seven songs will be performed back to back for the first time at selected venues.
Diamond Head have been invited to open for the 'Big 4' at this years Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth, England on 8 July and Sonisphere in France on 9 July 2011. They also performed for the first time at the Heavy T.O. festival in Toronto on 23 July and Heavy MTL festival, Montreal, Canada, 24th July 2011.
On 15th August 2011 Diamond Head embarked on their first ever U.S. tour, kicking off at El Corazon in Seattle and finishing up on 1st September at BB King's in New York City, 17 shows in all.
, Deep Purple
, Led Zeppelin
, UFO
, Black Sabbath
and Judas Priest
. Brian Tatler relating that some of the first albums he bought were Led Zeppelin
's second album
and Deep Purple
's Machine Head
, and said that although most of his guitar work was inspired by Ritchie Blackmore
it was punk rock
that showed him that anyone could form a band. Colin Kimberley commented Diamond Head got their complex sound from listening to bands like Black Sabbath
and Rush
and realising that a song with a single riff throughout was not interesting enough.
In a recent interview Tatler stated that he now tries not to be influenced by modern bands and keep his sound, although he imagines that "little bits creep into the writing process."
" and that they did not attain a record deal soon enough are two main reasons. Once they did sign to a major label, MCA
proved to be the wrong label, forcing the band to sound more commercial. The fact that while the likes of Iron Maiden
were managed by established music management, Diamond Head were guided by Reg Fellows, a cardboard factory owner from the Midlands
and Harris' mother as managers.
There are also many other smaller contributions to the decline of Diamond Head. One of these being that the band seemed to shy away from playing shows in London
, where the main hub of activity was. Diamond Head did not play their first headline gig in the capital until April 1980 at the Marquee
.
Then later they had problems with a viable comeback, with problems associated with the National Bowl
gig with Metallica
and the lack of desire from Sean Harris to carry on performing heavy metal
.
. Metallica openly acknowledge them as an important early influence and have covered Diamond Head songs at gigs such as "Sucking My Love", "Am I Evil" and "The Prince" . The earliest known recordings of these songs are a rehearsal demo recorded at then-bassist Ron McGovney
's house in March 1982. The Metal Up Your Ass live demo, recorded in November of that year, featured a live rendition of "Am I Evil." "The Prince" was also played, but the tape ran out too soon to catch it. The song would see another demo release as part of the Horsemen Of The Apocalypse demo in 1983. "Sucking My Love" exists on various bootlegs
that have been circulating since 1982 along with a recording on the early demo No Life Til Leather.
The first official release of "Am I Evil" came in 1983 as part of the Creeping Death
EP
, paired with another NWOBHM classic "Blitzkrieg," by the band of the same name. The two songs were also included in the first pressing of the Kill 'Em All
LP
when it was re-released by Elektra Records
.
"Helpless" would see a release with Garage Days Re-Revisited in 1987 and "The Prince" was included as a B-side to the "One
" single.
The official recordings of "Helpless," "Am I Evil," and "The Prince" would also be featured on Metallica
's 2-CD Garage Inc.
compilation, a collection of numerous cover songs that the band had played over the years. The first CD in the set was newly recorded covers, one of which was Diamond Head's "It's Electric."
Metallica performed "Am I Evil" along with the other bands in the Big 4 (Megadeth
, Anthrax
and Slayer
) at the 2011 Sonisphere festival, and with Diamond Head themselves at the Sonisphere festival in Knebworth on the 8th July 2011. Lars Ulrich said that there was "a pretty good chance that none of us would be here" without Brian Tatler before playing the song. Brian performed "Helpless" with Metallica and Anthrax at the Sonisphere festival in Amneville
on the 9th July 2011.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band formed in 1976
1976 in music
-January–February:*January 5 – Former Beatles road manager Mal Evans is shot dead by Los Angeles police after refusing to drop what police only later determine is an air rifle....
in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The band is recognised as one of the leading members of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
and is acknowledged by later bands like Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
as an important early influence.
Early history
Formed by school friends in 1976 Brian TatlerBrian Tatler
Brian Tatler is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and co-founder of the Stourbridge based heavy metal band, Diamond Head.-Formation:...
and Duncan Scott with Tatler playing on a Cheap Fuzz guitar and Scott on biscuit tins. The name "Diamond Head" came from a Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera is a musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. In 2006 Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On An Island and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America...
album, that Tatler had a poster of in his room. Sean Harris later joined the band after they learned about his vocal abilities while on a school trip, singing Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...
's 1956 hit "Be-Bop-A-Lula
Be-Bop-A-Lula
"Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.-Origins of the song:The writing of the song is credited to Gene Vincent and his manager, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis. There is evidence that the song was started in 1955, when Vincent was recuperating from...
", and auditioned him in Tatler's bedroom. Bassist Colin Kimberley, a friend of Tatler's from primary school joined the band some months later (and was in fact Diamond Head's fourth bassist). The band started to play local gigs in the Black Country
Black Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
area, with their first gig at High Park School in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
on 10 February 1976 but things did not go too smoothly at that gig, with feedback problems marring the concert.
In their early days the band played few cover songs and concentrated on their own material. Exceptions were Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
's "Paranoid
Paranoid (song)
"Paranoid" is a song by the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, featured on their second album Paranoid . It is the first single from the album, while the B-side is the song "The Wizard". It reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" in 1978 and Joni Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight" and Montrose's "Rock The Nation" in 1991. In one interview Brian Tatler stated that they wrote some 100 songs before their first studio recorded release, and only one song (It's Electric) from their 1978 set was recorded for their debut.
The band recorded and released self-financed demo tapes in 1979
1979 in music
See also:Record labels established in 1979* 1979 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1979.-January–February:*January 1...
. Recorded within six hours on a four-track, their unique sound and quality of writing gained enough attention for the band to tour as support to AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
and Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
. Although several record companies expressed interests in signing the band, no contracts were forthcoming. The band was at the time mainly managed by Sean Harris' mother (Linda Harris),who reportedly turned down an offer from the influential Q Prime Management,. Thus while other 'New Wave of British Heavy Metal' bands were signed to major labels and headlining their own tours Diamond Head remained independent. The management decided that they would release their material through their own label; 'Happy Face Records'.
The first release was the 1980
1980 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1980.-January–March:*January 1**Cliff Richard is appointed an MBE by Elizabeth II.**The Zorros audition drummer Greg Pedley....
single "Shoot Out The Lights" (B-side Helpless), having already had a previous single "Sweet and Innocent" (B-side "Streets of Gold") released by Media Records in the same year.
In the same year the band also recorded their debut album on Happy Face. Most commonly known as Lightning to the Nations
Lightning to the Nations
Lightning to the Nations is the debut album by heavy metal band Diamond Head. The album was recorded in 1979 and released in 1980 through their own label Happy Face Records, due to lack of interest from major labels and the band feeling that they needed to get the ball rolling as other bands from...
, (although it has officially untitled), the collection was recorded in seven days at The Old Smythy Studio in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
, a venue which the band described later as 'dead'. The album was packaged in a plain sleeve with no title or track listings, simply bearing a signature of one of the band members. The reason for this was that the band's co-manager, Reg Fellows owned a cardboard factory and could produce blank sleeves at a suitably low cost. Only 1000 copies were originally pressed and made available at concerts or via mail-order for £3.50. The only mail-order advertisement appeared in Sounds and ran for four weeks. The band did not pay for the advertisement and ended up being sued. The idea for recording this album came from Fellows and Linda Harris as an attempt to record tracks to entice attention from a record company, which would take care of the recording costs.
This album has become one of the most sought after items among record collectors. Another 1000 copies were pressed along with the track listings at a later date. Unfortunately, the original stereo master tapes were lost after they were sent to the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
record company, Woolfe Records, and never returned. However, Woolfe Records released a version of the album, and later re-released via Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
in 2001.
Living on...Borrowed Time
The success of the album led to a record deal with MCA RecordsMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
in 1981
1981 in music
See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
, and rush released the Four Cuts EP
Four Cuts EP
Four Cuts EP is an EP by heavy metal band Diamond Head and was released in 1982. It was a double A-side with Call me and Trick or Treat, and was released by MCA. The EP also contained Dead Reckoning and a re-recorded version of Shoot Out the Lights as the two B-sides...
, which contained early era songs such as Call Me and Dead Reckoning. Their new status afforded them a slot on the Reading festival bill in 1982, albeit as late and unadvertised replacements for Manowar. Their stunning set was recorded by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and later released in 1992 through Raw Fruit Records as the Friday Rock Show Sessions
The Friday Rock Show Sessions / Live at Reading
The Friday Night Rock Show Sessions / Live at Reading is a live album by the heavy metal band Diamond Head, and was released in 1992, as part of an official series of similar, radio-archive releases by several bands...
.
The first MCA album, Borrowed Time featured a lavish Rodney Matthews
Rodney Matthews
Rodney Matthews is a fantasy artist and illustrator.In 1978, he published Yendor: The Journey of a Junior Adventurer, a hard-back picture book featuring his distinctive paintings of "The Wild Country", a fantasy world seen through the eyes of young Yendor, named after his son...
-illustrated gatefold sleeve based on the album's Elric theme and was the most expensive sleeve commissioned by MCA at the time. The investment paid off as it was enthusiastically received and climbed to #24 in the UK album charts, enabling the band to perform a full scale UK tour at large venues such as London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Hammersmith Odeon
Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
.
To support the album Diamond Head's third single "In the Heat of the Night", backed with live versions of Play it Loud and Sweet and Innocent recorded at the Zig-Zag club, and an interview with DJ Tommy Vance
Tommy Vance
Tommy Vance was a British pop radio broadcaster, born in Eynsham, Oxfordshire. He was one of the few music broadcasters in the United Kingdom to champion hard rock and heavy metal in the early 1980s, providing the only national radio forum for both bands and fans...
(although the latter was not available on the 12").
Diamond Head tried a more experimental sounding follow-up to Borrowed Time, tentatively titled Making Music which later became Canterbury
Canterbury (album)
Canterbury is the third album by Diamond Head. The album was recorded and released in 1983, reaching Number 32 on the UK Album Chart.-Canterbury:...
in 1983. The success of this album was stalled as the first 20,000 copies suffered vinyl pressing problems, causing the LP to jump.
Many fans disliked the progressive direction, expecting a reprise of Borrowed Time. The album did not feature Duncan Scott and Colin Kimberly, who were removed after pressure from MCA. Tatler explained that Kimberly found the band too much hard work and Scott did not seem to be pulling his weight in the band. Mervyn Goldsworthy, formerly of Samson
Samson (band)
Samson was a British hard rock band formed in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Paul Samson. They are best known for their first three albums with future Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson, then known as "Bruce Bruce", and drummer Thunderstick , who wore a leather mask and performed on stage in a...
, and Robbie France
Robbie France
Robbie France is an English drummer, producer, arranger, journalist, music educator, and broadcaster.-Early life and career: Australia:...
, later a founding member of Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie is an English rock band whose members include Skin , Cass , Ace and Mark Richardson .Skunk Anansie formed in March 1994, disbanded in 2001 and reformed in 2009...
, came in on bass and drums respectively. Also introduced to the band was keyboard player Josh Phillips-Gorse (ex Procol Harum
Procol Harum
Procol Harum are a British rock band, formed in 1967, which contributed to the development of progressive rock, and by extension, symphonic rock. Their best-known recording is their 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale"...
). Live footage of this line up's live show at the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
on 12 February 1984 was officially released on VHS via the Diamond Head fan club.
Diamond Head opened the 1983 Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock
Monsters of Rock was an annual music festival held in England, then moved in other locations like The Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile.The Last show was in 2008....
festival at Donington, and supported Black Sabbath on their 'Born Again' European tour. After getting dropped by MCA in January 1984 Diamond Head started work on their fourth studio album, entitled Flight East. Although never released, five tracks (Be Good, A New Messiah, Someone Waiting, Today and Back In The Powerage) emerged on bootleg and shows the band totally changing direction with the dropping of all the characteristic signature guitar solos and heavy dynamic riffs. The change in the band's musical direction was with the duo becoming bored of just playing Heavy Metal and felt that it was time to change. Another change the band made at the time was Brian switching from his Flying V to a Gibson Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
, saying that "I think the Les Paul's better, the V's more of a metal guitar. At one stage it was just me and Schenker
Michael Schenker
Michael Schenker is a German rock guitarist, best known for his tenure in UFO, in addition to his solo band. He first rose to fame as a founding member of the Scorpions, then achieved fame in the mid 1970s as the lead guitar player for UFO. Since leaving UFO in 1978, he has been leading the...
with them, now the guy in Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
's got one and all the European metal bands like Accept
Accept
Accept is a German heavy metal band from the town of Solingen, originally assembled by former vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes. Their beginnings can be traced back to the late 1960s...
have them." Harris' lyrics had also taken a religious route, as with one of the new songs A New Messiah. (The bootleg also contains two early demos of Shoot Out The Lights and Streets of Gold and well as three tracks from the Dirty Box Band, an attempt by manager Fellows to exploit unused material).
After little interest from any record label to pick up the project, Tatler and Harris decided to retire the band and split up for the first time in 1985.
Reunion and the National Bowl incident
Metallica's increasing status and their often mentioned influence of Diamond Head to their sound kept the band's name relatively prominent and helped back-catalogue sales. Inevitably in 1991 Tatler and Harris reformed Diamond Head, with Karl Wilcox on drums and Eddie Moohan on bass, and performed a few low key gigs under the name Dead Reckoning.The band also released a new 12" only single which contained Wild on the Streets and I Can't Help Myself, and was only available at concerts and specialised music stores. Sean Harris also worked on a song with Dave Mustaine
Dave Mustaine
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine is the founder, main songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he...
for Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
called "Crown Of Worms" and both released as a B-side to Megadeth's 1994 single Train of Consequences
Train Of Consequences
"Train of Consequences" was the first single from Megadeth's 1994 album, Youthanasia. The song reached #29 on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and #22 in the UK. Its music video received significant airplay on MTV, debuting during the Halloween special, Night of the Living Megadeth,...
and on the re-mastered version of Countdown to Extinction
Countdown to Extinction
Countdown to Extinction is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Megadeth. It was released on July 14, 1992 through Capitol Records. Countdown to Extinction is Megadeth's best-selling album, eventually achieving double platinum status...
.
In 1993 the band released Death and Progress
Death and Progress
Death and Progress is a recording by Diamond Head and was released in 1993 under Castle Music Ltd.This was Diamond Head's first album since Canterbury, released 10 years earlier. It was mixed by Andrew Scarth, who had previously worked for bands such as Bad Company and Foreigner...
featuring guest contributions by Tony Iommi
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and its sole continual member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in...
of Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Dave Mustaine. The band's reunion was short lived as they were on the verge of splitting up as soon as the record was released.
Diamond Head opened for Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Megadeth at the National Bowl
National Bowl
The National Bowl is an entertainment venue in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was a former clay-pit , filled in and raised to form an amphitheatre using sub-soil excavated by the many new developments in the area and it has a current maximum capacity of 65,000...
in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
on 5 June 1993. Sean Harris came out dressed as the Grim Reaper which Brian Tatler remarked (in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock magazine Classic Rock) was Harris' way of saying that the NWOBHM was over. Their performance was subdued, reportedly due to Tatler suffering from shingles at the time and the lack of rehearsal time prior to the gig.
The previous autumn Diamond Head guested on stage with Metallica at Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
's NEC
National Exhibition Centre
The National Exhibition Centre is an exhibition centre in Birmingham, England. It is near junction 6 of the M42 motorway, and is adjacent to Birmingham International Airport and Birmingham International railway station. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 628 acres making it the...
to jointly perform the Diamond Head classics Helpless and Am I Evil?
Am I Evil?
The song was made most famous by Metallica's cover of the song, found on the 1988 re-release and the Japanese version of its debut album Kill 'Em All , though the cover was originally released as a b-side to the "Creeping Death" single in 1984, and was later released on Garage Inc. in 1998...
. Footage of this show was released via the Metallica fan club on a video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
entitled Metallican.
In 1994 the band split again and did not reform until 2000.
2000s
In 2000 Harris and Tatler reformed with guitarist Floyd Brennan and performed a series of short acoustic gigs, including a support slot with BudgieBudgie (band)
Budgie is a Welsh Hard Rock/Heavy Metal band from Cardiff. They are widely considered as one of the first heavy metal bands and a seminal influence to many acts of that scene, with fast, heavy rock being played as early as 1971. The band has been noted as "among the heaviest metal of its day"...
, which ended in the release of the First Cuts Acoustic EP.
The band started touring again doing full electric shows with Moohan and Wilcox back in the band. This tour also saw Diamond Head play their first US show. The band went back into the studio to record a new album entitled Host, however the band ended in disagreement and turmoil as Harris wished the album to be put out under a new name as a fresh start.
After years of Tatler and the band tolerating Harris' creative desires Diamond Head and Sean Harris finally went their separate ways. Although Harris issued a press release on Blabbermouth.net that said that as far as he was concerned he had as much right over the Diamond Head name as anyone else, and that as far he was concerned he was still in the band.
The Nick Tart era
The rest of the band, determined to continue, soon announced his replacement as Nick Tart. Tart had previously worked with artists such as Robin George and The Outcasts. He was singing with a band from the Black CountryBlack Country
The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
when Diamond Head drummer Karl Wilcox heard him sing. After introductions Tart agreed to join the band.
The band's next album, All Will Be Revealed
All Will Be Revealed
All Will Be Revealed is a 2005 album by the British heavy metal band Diamond Head. This was Diamond Head's first album with new singer Nick Tart and also the only album to feature Arian Mills on guitar, who was replaced by Andy 'Abbz' Abberley during the second leg of this tour - his first show at...
(the title apparently referring to Sean Harris), was released in 2005 and was very different from their early material. To promote this album they toured with Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
. Brian Tatler commented that this was one of the best experiences of his life and regained his enjoyment playing live with the band again.
Diamond Head headlined a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the NWOBHM at the London Astoria
London Astoria
The London Astoria was a music venue, located at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. It had been leased and run by Festival Republic since 2000. It was closed on 15 January 2009 and has since been demolished...
, supported by Witchfynde
Witchfynde
Witchfynde are a heavy metal band that was one of the forerunners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Witchfynde was formed in Derbyshire, England in 1974 by bass guitarist Richard Blower and vocalist Neil Harvey. Richard Blower discovered Montalo whilst in a band called Atiofel...
, Bronz
Bronz
Bronz are an English rock band, formed in Bath in the mid 1970s. The band played mainly around the UK and at the 'free festivals' of the time. These included at Stonehenge in both 1977 and 1978, following an appearance at Glastonbury in 1976.-Career:...
, Praying Mantis
Praying Mantis (band)
Praying Mantis are an English rock band. Although a part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, they pursued a musical direction more melodic and AOR-sounding than their contemporaries.-Career:...
and Jaguar
Jaguar (band)
Jaguar are an English heavy metal band, formed in Bristol, England, in December 1979. They had moderate success throughout Europe and Asia in the early 1980s, during the heyday of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement.-Career:...
. This concert was later released as a live CD entitled It's Electric and also the band's first DVD, To the Devil His Due in 2006. The band's rhythm guitarist Adrian Mills left the band and was replaced with Andy 'Abbz' Abberley, previously in traditional heavy metal band Requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
with drummer Karl Wilcox.
The band released their sixth studio album, What's In Your Head
What's in Your Head
What's In Your Head? is a 2007 album by the British heavy metal band Diamond Head. This was Diamond Head's second album with new singer Nick Tart and the follow-up to 2005's comeback album All Will Be Revealed...
, through Cargo records with Dave 'Shirt' Nicholls, who has produced albums with bands such as Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
and The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
. The Japanese version included extra track This is War.
On 15 October 2007 Metal Mind Productions
Metal Mind Productions
Metal Mind Productions is a Polish record label founded in 1987. Currently it is one of the lead independent labels in Poland with over 1000 of licences and over 10 million of data mediums sold. The label focuses mainly on rock and heavy metal genres...
released Borrowed Time and Canterbury on CD format, the first time that these albums have been released on CD outside of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The CDs were released with bonus tracks, and limited to 2000 copies. However, Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
have now placed the re-released albums under general release.
The band are currently working on a new album.
The band have been toured extensively over the last few years through the UK, Europe and Japan. In 2007 the band supported Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
in the UK.
In 2010 Diamond Head were special guests to Europe on their nine date UK tour.
In November 2009 Brian Tatler published his autobiography 'Am I Evil?' with forewords by Lars Ulrich and Dave Mustaine. A hardback book that documents the story of Diamond Head, featuring many rare and unseen photographs. All 500 copies have now sold out.
Diamond Head celebrated the 30th Anniversary of their first album 'Lightning To The Nations 'with a European tour beginning 7 November 2010, with all seven songs will be performed back to back for the first time at selected venues.
Diamond Head have been invited to open for the 'Big 4' at this years Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth, England on 8 July and Sonisphere in France on 9 July 2011. They also performed for the first time at the Heavy T.O. festival in Toronto on 23 July and Heavy MTL festival, Montreal, Canada, 24th July 2011.
On 15th August 2011 Diamond Head embarked on their first ever U.S. tour, kicking off at El Corazon in Seattle and finishing up on 1st September at BB King's in New York City, 17 shows in all.
Influences
Diamond Head have cited their early inspirations as classic British rock bands such as FreeFree (band)
Free were an English rock band, formed in London in 1968, best known for their 1970 signature song "All Right Now". They disbanded in 1973 and lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become a frontman of the band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums; lead guitarist Paul Kossoff died from a...
, Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, UFO
UFO (band)
UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
. Brian Tatler relating that some of the first albums he bought were Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's second album
Led Zeppelin II
The finished tracks reflect the raw, evolving sound of the band and their ability as live performers. The album has been noted for featuring a further development of the lyrical themes established by Robert Plant on Led Zeppelin's debut album, creating a work which would become more widely...
and Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
's Machine Head
Machine Head (album)
Machine Head is the sixth studio album released by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded through December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, and released in March 1972....
, and said that although most of his guitar work was inspired by Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
it was punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
that showed him that anyone could form a band. Colin Kimberley commented Diamond Head got their complex sound from listening to bands like Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
and Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
and realising that a song with a single riff throughout was not interesting enough.
In a recent interview Tatler stated that he now tries not to be influenced by modern bands and keep his sound, although he imagines that "little bits creep into the writing process."
Lack of success
Many reasons have been cited why Diamond Head never achieved their full potential. That they changed musical direction with "CanterburyCanterbury (album)
Canterbury is the third album by Diamond Head. The album was recorded and released in 1983, reaching Number 32 on the UK Album Chart.-Canterbury:...
" and that they did not attain a record deal soon enough are two main reasons. Once they did sign to a major label, MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
proved to be the wrong label, forcing the band to sound more commercial. The fact that while the likes of Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
were managed by established music management, Diamond Head were guided by Reg Fellows, a cardboard factory owner from the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
and Harris' mother as managers.
There are also many other smaller contributions to the decline of Diamond Head. One of these being that the band seemed to shy away from playing shows in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where the main hub of activity was. Diamond Head did not play their first headline gig in the capital until April 1980 at the Marquee
Marquee Club
The Marquee was a music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts.It was also the location of the first ever live performance by The Rolling Stones on 12 July 1962....
.
Then later they had problems with a viable comeback, with problems associated with the National Bowl
National Bowl
The National Bowl is an entertainment venue in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The site was a former clay-pit , filled in and raised to form an amphitheatre using sub-soil excavated by the many new developments in the area and it has a current maximum capacity of 65,000...
gig with Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and the lack of desire from Sean Harris to carry on performing heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
.
Influence on Metallica
Diamond Head are probably most famous among heavy metal fans for their influence on MetallicaMetallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
. Metallica openly acknowledge them as an important early influence and have covered Diamond Head songs at gigs such as "Sucking My Love", "Am I Evil" and "The Prince" . The earliest known recordings of these songs are a rehearsal demo recorded at then-bassist Ron McGovney
Ron McGovney
Ron McGovney is a former American musician, best known as the original bassist in the heavy metal band Metallica.-Leather Charm and Metallica:...
's house in March 1982. The Metal Up Your Ass live demo, recorded in November of that year, featured a live rendition of "Am I Evil." "The Prince" was also played, but the tape ran out too soon to catch it. The song would see another demo release as part of the Horsemen Of The Apocalypse demo in 1983. "Sucking My Love" exists on various bootlegs
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
that have been circulating since 1982 along with a recording on the early demo No Life Til Leather.
The first official release of "Am I Evil" came in 1983 as part of the Creeping Death
Creeping Death
-Covers:* New Jersey Hardcore band Shattered Realm includes a cover of "Creeping Death" on the reissue of their 2002 album "Broken Ties Spoken Lies"* Plays Metallica by Four Cellos by Apocalyptica.* During Ozzfest 2002 by Drowning Pool....
EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, paired with another NWOBHM classic "Blitzkrieg," by the band of the same name. The two songs were also included in the first pressing of the Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All
Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on July 25, 1983. Since its release, it has been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA, having sold over 3 million copies in the United States alone.-Music:...
LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
when it was re-released by Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
.
"Helpless" would see a release with Garage Days Re-Revisited in 1987 and "The Prince" was included as a B-side to the "One
One (Metallica song)
"One" is a song by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released as the third and final single from their fourth album ...And Justice for All. "One" was also the band's first Top 40 hit single, reaching number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" single.
The official recordings of "Helpless," "Am I Evil," and "The Prince" would also be featured on Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
's 2-CD Garage Inc.
Garage Inc.
-Disc two:These tracks are a collection of B-sides from artists Metallica were inspired by, throughout the early years of the band.-Personnel:* James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar on "Whiskey In the Jar"...
compilation, a collection of numerous cover songs that the band had played over the years. The first CD in the set was newly recorded covers, one of which was Diamond Head's "It's Electric."
Metallica performed "Am I Evil" along with the other bands in the Big 4 (Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
and Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
) at the 2011 Sonisphere festival, and with Diamond Head themselves at the Sonisphere festival in Knebworth on the 8th July 2011. Lars Ulrich said that there was "a pretty good chance that none of us would be here" without Brian Tatler before playing the song. Brian performed "Helpless" with Metallica and Anthrax at the Sonisphere festival in Amneville
Amnéville
Amnéville is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. The town is an important tourist and thermal center in France.-Main sights:*Traces of Roman road*Remains of a Roman bridge*14th century castle and church*Zoo d'Amnéville...
on the 9th July 2011.
Current members
- Brian TatlerBrian TatlerBrian Tatler is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and co-founder of the Stourbridge based heavy metal band, Diamond Head.-Formation:...
- lead guitar, backing vocals (1976–1985, 1991–1994, 2002–present) - Nick Tart - lead vocals (2004–present)
- Andy "Abbz" Abberley - rhythm guitar (2006–present)
- Eddie Moohan - bass (1991–1994, 2002–present)
- Karl Wilcox - drums (1991–1994, 2002–present)
Former members
- Sean Harris - lead vocals (1976–1985, 1991–1994, 2002–2004)
- Duncan Scott - drums (1976–1983)
- Colin Kimberley - bass (1978–1983)
- Mervyn Goldsworthy - bass (1983)
- Robbie FranceRobbie FranceRobbie France is an English drummer, producer, arranger, journalist, music educator, and broadcaster.-Early life and career: Australia:...
- drums (1983–1984) - Josh Phillips-GorseJosh Phillips (musician)Josh Phillips is a Hammond organ player and record producer. He has worked with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and The Jones Gang....
- keyboards (1983–1984) - Dave Williamson - bass (1984)
- Pete VuckovicPete VuckovicPete Vuckovic is a British/ Serbian singer/songwriter born in 1971 in Devon, England.He was a keen hard rock/ heavy metal fan as a youngster, playing bass in bands with his older brother throughout his teens in his hometown of Tiverton in Devon, his first success came in 1993 after leaving his own...
- bass(1992–1994) - Floyd Brennan - rhythm guitar (2000–2002)
- Adrian MillsAdrian MillsAdrian Mills is a British television presenter. He appeared on That's Life! with Esther Rantzen for seven years until its demise in 1994. Since then he has presented talk show Central Weekend Live, reported for BBC viewer feedback programme Bite Back, appeared as a location reporter on Surprise,...
- rhythm guitar (2005–2006)
Albums
- Lightning to the NationsLightning to the NationsLightning to the Nations is the debut album by heavy metal band Diamond Head. The album was recorded in 1979 and released in 1980 through their own label Happy Face Records, due to lack of interest from major labels and the band feeling that they needed to get the ball rolling as other bands from...
(1980) (also known as The White Album) - Borrowed Time (1982)
- CanterburyCanterbury (album)Canterbury is the third album by Diamond Head. The album was recorded and released in 1983, reaching Number 32 on the UK Album Chart.-Canterbury:...
(1983) - Death and ProgressDeath and ProgressDeath and Progress is a recording by Diamond Head and was released in 1993 under Castle Music Ltd.This was Diamond Head's first album since Canterbury, released 10 years earlier. It was mixed by Andrew Scarth, who had previously worked for bands such as Bad Company and Foreigner...
(1993) - All Will Be RevealedAll Will Be RevealedAll Will Be Revealed is a 2005 album by the British heavy metal band Diamond Head. This was Diamond Head's first album with new singer Nick Tart and also the only album to feature Arian Mills on guitar, who was replaced by Andy 'Abbz' Abberley during the second leg of this tour - his first show at...
(2005) - What's in Your HeadWhat's in Your HeadWhat's In Your Head? is a 2007 album by the British heavy metal band Diamond Head. This was Diamond Head's second album with new singer Nick Tart and the follow-up to 2005's comeback album All Will Be Revealed...
(2007)
Live albums
- The Friday Rock Show Sessions / Live at ReadingThe Friday Rock Show Sessions / Live at ReadingThe Friday Night Rock Show Sessions / Live at Reading is a live album by the heavy metal band Diamond Head, and was released in 1992, as part of an official series of similar, radio-archive releases by several bands...
(1992) - Evil LiveEvil LiveEvil Live is a live album by Diamond Head. This is Diamond Head's fifth recording, and is a double CD. The main album was recorded live at The National Bowl, Milton Keynes UK in 1993, the second CD "Evil Extras" features cover versions and previously unreleased tracks.-Track listing:Disc One "Evil...
(1994) - Live - In the Heat of the NightLive - In the Heat of the NightLive - In The Heat Of The Night is a live album by heavy metal band Diamond Head recorded at the Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall during their 1991 comeback tour...
(2000) - It's Electric (2006)
Singles and EPs
- Shoot Out The LightsShoot Out the Lights (Diamond Head single)"Shoot Out the Lights" is an single by heavy metal band Diamond Head released in 1980 by Happy Face Records, the band's own label. It was a single A-side with "Shoot Out the Lights" and "Helpless" as the B-side, and was only available on 7", without a picture sleeve in order to reduce production...
(1980) - Sweet And Innocent (1980)
- Waited Too Long/Play It LoudWaited Too Long/Play it Loud"Waited Too Long" / "Play It Loud" is a single by heavy metal band Diamond Head and released in 1981 by DHM Records. It was a double A-side with "Waited Too long" and "Play It Loud". Both tracks eventually ended up on the re-released version of Diamond Head's 1980 debut Lightning to the Nations in...
(1981) - Diamond LightsDiamond LightsDiamond Lights is an EP by heavy metal band Diamond Head and was released in 1981. It was a double A-side with Diamond Lights and We Won't Be Back, and was only available on 12". The two A-sides and the B-side I Don't Got eventually ended up on the re-released version of Diamond Head's 1980 debut...
EP (1981) - Call Me (7-inch; 1982)
- Call me
- Dead reckoning
- In The Heat Of The Night (Double 7-inch; 1982)
- Disc 1
- In the heat of the night
- Play it loud (live)
- Disc 2
- Sweet and innocent (live)
- Tommy Vance interview
- Disc 1
- In The Heat Of The Night (12-inch; 1982)
- In the heat of the night
- Play it loud (live)
- Four Cuts EPFour Cuts EPFour Cuts EP is an EP by heavy metal band Diamond Head and was released in 1982. It was a double A-side with Call me and Trick or Treat, and was released by MCA. The EP also contained Dead Reckoning and a re-recorded version of Shoot Out the Lights as the two B-sides...
(1982) - Makin' Music (7-inch; 1983)
- Makin' music
- Andy Peebles interview
- Makin' Music (12-inch; 1983)
- Makin' music (extended)
- Andy Peebles interview
- Out Of Phase (7-inch; 1983)
- Out of phase
- The Kingmaker
- Sucking My Love (12-inch; 1983)
- Sucking my love (live)
- Out of phase
- Wild On The Streets/I Can't Help Myself (7-inch; 1991)
- Wild on the streets
- I can't help myself
- Acoustic: First Cuts EP (CD; 2002)
- Lightning to the nations
- Run
- In the heat of the night
- Ishmael
Compilations or alternative versions
- Am I EvilAm I Evil (album)Am I Evil is an album by the Heavy Metal band Diamond Head and was released in 1987 by FM Revolver Records before being re-released by Heavy Metal Records in 1994....
(1987) - Sweet and Innocent (1988)
- Behold the BeginningBehold the BeginningThis album was released after Diamond Head's not very well received Canterbury album and contains mostly tracks off the band's debut album, Lightning to the Nations, as well as the non-LP single "Waited Too Long" and it's B-side "Play it Loud"...
(1986) - Singles (1992)
- Helpless
- Sweet and innocent
- Streets of gold
- The prince
- Sucking my love
- Waited too long
- Play it loud
- It's electric
- Trick or treat
- Dead reckoning
- Shoot out the lights
- In the heat of the night
- Makin' music (long version)
- Play it loud (live)
- Sucking my love (live)
- To Heaven from HellTo Heaven from HellTo Heaven from Hell is an EP released by the heavy metal band Diamond Head. Although all the songs on this EP were initially released on Borrowed Time, this is a collection of Diamond Head's early demos from before their debut album Lightning to the Nations was released...
(1997) - Lightning to the NationsLightning to the NationsLightning to the Nations is the debut album by heavy metal band Diamond Head. The album was recorded in 1979 and released in 1980 through their own label Happy Face Records, due to lack of interest from major labels and the band feeling that they needed to get the ball rolling as other bands from...
(1997) - The Best of Diamond HeadThe Best of Diamond HeadThe Best of Diamond Head is a compilation album by the heavy metal band Diamond Head and was released by Half Moon records in 1999. This is the band's most comprehensive attempt at a definitive greatest hits. Although the record was released in 1999 it does not contain any material off their 1992...
(1999) - Diamond Nights (2000)
- The Diamond Head Anthology: Am I Evil?The Diamond Head Anthology: Am I Evil?The Diamond Head Anthology: Am I Evil? Is the latest compilation album which Diamond Head have released. This compilation features some of their most famous songs, which have been remastered...
(2004)