Jaguar (band)
Encyclopedia
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.
, the latter of which earned them a deal with Heavy Metal Records, and in 1981 they released the single
, "Back Street Woman", which sold over 4,000 copies.
On 22 March, and 22 December 1980, Jaguar recorded six tracks that were released on a demo cassette in early 1981. The songs were "Stormchild" (Cox); "Ain't No Fantasy" (Pepperd); "War Machine" (Pepperd); "Battlecry" (Cox/Pepperd); "Feel The Heat" (Pepperd); and "Piledriver" (Cox/Pepperd).
In 1982, after an appearance at a Dutch
rock
festival
, they secured a recording contract
with Neat Records
, and the subsequent single, "Axe Crazy", sold well. After intensive touring, Jaguar's debut album
, Power Games, was released in early 1983. Their follow up album, This Time, was released in 1984 and was a marked change of direction. However, this musical change of direction saw sales and interest evaporate, and by the end of the year the band folded.
A revival of interest in the NWOBHM in Europe and Japan, and a successful re-release of their first album in those regions, prompted a reformation in 1999, with a modified line-up of Pepperd, Jeff Cox, Nathan Cox on drums and vocalist Jamie Manton. The album Wake Me followed in 2000, before Jeff Cox was then replaced by Darren Furze. The next album, Run Ragged, appeared in 2003. In 2007, the band released two live album
s. The first release was a recording
from a show the band performed in Holland in 1982, which originally saw only a limited release. The second was the first of three planned releases covering early, unreleased recordings. Entitled Archive Alive Vol.1, it covered the period of the band's successful period, the birth of the band and their rise to NWOBHM prominence. Sleeve notes were written by the band's guitarist, Garry Pepperd, and the album cover included rare photographs.
Jaguar intend to release their latest album shortly. This will be the first new material since 2003's Run Ragged.
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 Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, 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...
, 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
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...
movement.
Career
The original December 1979 line-up consisted of Garry Pepperd (guitar), Jeff Cox (bass, vocals) and Chris Lovell (drums). In the following April, Rob Reiss (singer) was added. They built a local reputation and recorded two demosDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, the latter of which earned them a deal with Heavy Metal Records, and in 1981 they released the single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Back Street Woman", which sold over 4,000 copies.
On 22 March, and 22 December 1980, Jaguar recorded six tracks that were released on a demo cassette in early 1981. The songs were "Stormchild" (Cox); "Ain't No Fantasy" (Pepperd); "War Machine" (Pepperd); "Battlecry" (Cox/Pepperd); "Feel The Heat" (Pepperd); and "Piledriver" (Cox/Pepperd).
In 1982, after an appearance at a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
, they secured a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Neat Records
Neat Records
Neat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
, and the subsequent single, "Axe Crazy", sold well. After intensive touring, Jaguar's debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Power Games, was released in early 1983. Their follow up album, This Time, was released in 1984 and was a marked change of direction. However, this musical change of direction saw sales and interest evaporate, and by the end of the year the band folded.
A revival of interest in the NWOBHM in Europe and Japan, and a successful re-release of their first album in those regions, prompted a reformation in 1999, with a modified line-up of Pepperd, Jeff Cox, Nathan Cox on drums and vocalist Jamie Manton. The album Wake Me followed in 2000, before Jeff Cox was then replaced by Darren Furze. The next album, Run Ragged, appeared in 2003. In 2007, the band released two live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s. The first release was a recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
from a show the band performed in Holland in 1982, which originally saw only a limited release. The second was the first of three planned releases covering early, unreleased recordings. Entitled Archive Alive Vol.1, it covered the period of the band's successful period, the birth of the band and their rise to NWOBHM prominence. Sleeve notes were written by the band's guitarist, Garry Pepperd, and the album cover included rare photographs.
Jaguar intend to release their latest album shortly. This will be the first new material since 2003's Run Ragged.
Albums
- Power Games (1983) Neat RecordsNeat RecordsNeat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
- This Time (1984) Roadrunner
- Wake Me (2000) Neat Metal
- The Anthology (2001) Sanctuary
- Run Ragged (2003) Angel Air
- Holland '82 (2007) Majestic Rock
- Archive Alive Vol. 1 (2007) Majestic Rock
- This Time Remaster (2009) Metal Mind
Present band members
- Jamie Manton - Vocals
- Garry Pepperd - Guitar
- Simon Patel - Bass
- Will Sealey - Drums