White Spirit

01.06.2012

New Wave of British Heavy Metal will never be a closed book. So many bands emerged in the late 70s and early 80s, that not a single encyclopedia devoted to the NWOBHM phenomenon can be considered full or complete. Our webzine has already covered such bands as Raven, Dealer, and Tank, and now it’s time to bring back the memories of White Spirit, yet another jewel of that era.
The band emerged in the mid-70s and became a career springboard for such musicians as Janick Gers (Iron Maiden guitarist), Mick Tucker (Tank bassist) and Brian Howe (former singer of Ted Nugent and Bad Company). After White Spirit broke up, these people enjoyed much bigger success than with their alma mater, but that’s not the reason to forget White Spirit, as their music was interesting and valuable on its own. Bruce Ruff, the singer in the band’s classic line-up, shared with us some of his memories of White Spirit in their prime.

It’s common knowledge that White Spirit were formed by Graeme Crallan (drummer). How did you get in touch with him? Did you sing in any other bands before you joined White Spirit? What singers were your main influences at that time?

My early influences were Robert Plant and Ian Gillan. I was a member of three bands before I saw an advert for a singer wanted for a rock band in Hartlepool, a town not far from me. I applied and got the job pretty much straight away.

What can you say about the rock- and metal-scene in Hartlepool at that time? It seems like you were only one NWOBHM band from that area.

As I am not from Hartlepool but Middlesbrough, I’m afraid I cannot say accurately what the band situation was like there at the time, but I do remember that the bands that played along with us at some self-promoted gigs at the town hall seemed to be into progressive rock and the music they produced was very interesting. I remember around 4 or 5 bands that drew attention.

The first single “Back To The Grind / Cheetah” came out in 1980 via Neat Records. Why
did you pick up these particular tracks?

If I remember correctly the decision was the choice of the rest of the band. As I lived in another town so could not be there for every decision, I left it to them to decide various things for the band and then they asked me if it was OK, of course. I was happy with that way of working. I do not know who specifically chose them, but I do know that they were the perfect choice. I was very much into Judas Priest at the time I wrote “Cheetah”, and so the influence of their “Killing Machine” album may show in the style of singing and the lyrics.

Later on, in 1990, the song “Cheetah” was picked up by Lars Ulrich and Geoff Barton for the compilation “New Wave of British Heavy Metal '79 Revisited”. What do you think about it? Are you proud because of that?

Yes of course I am, especially as it meant that Lars was aware of White Spirit, and that “Cheetah” is my favourite song of all the White Spirit songs. It is about my experience with a girl from Middlesbrough that cheated on me in my youth.

There is almost no information about the band’s live shows and touring. What are your best memories from the road? Can you describe typical live show of White Spirit? Did the band attract many fans? Did you tour extensively in the late 70s – early 80s?

It was so long ago it is becoming hard to remember. I only remember the shows themselves and the sense of elation on entertaining the audience and in return their showing of appreciation of what we were doing. We fed off the audience’s reaction which instilled us to do a good show every night. A typical live show would start with a good hard fast powerful song, then we chose songs that would gradually ease with intensity that made way for the finer music like “Fool for the Gods”, then slowly use the songs to built up to a climax at the end of the set. We did this when we were doing covers and later with our own material. I think it makes for a good show with a beginning, a middle and an end. There was other moment. We toured with our own bus, and a van for the gear. Early tours were 2 or 3 weeks at a time around the clubs. I was the cook on the bus so got let off early from dragging the gear out in the early years, so I could prepare the soup for the rest of the lads. One time the lads had been out shopping and came home with a box of cream cakes they said they’d bought for me, so I ate them, then they told me they found them behind a wall! Another time while on tour with Gillan we stopped at a fish and chip shop where I bought them all. They drove off without me and only realized I was missing when they were miles away. I had to get a few trains to make the gig in time.
The band attracted a lot of fans while doing the covers, which grew when we were doing our own material. We were quite well known around the north east of the UK but nobody knew us outside that area. We were known for presenting an exciting live show because we invested in the equipment, the lights and the sound. I think we were the first local band to use smoke flashes, mist, and a spotlight from the back of the venue. I also think we had one of the biggest PA systems at the time, and our own roadies. All this gave us the confidence to do a good live show. I have some recordings from those days but they could never capture, and the album does not capture, the excitement that came of that stage.

In 1980 the band was invited to play at Reading Festival. What are your best memories about that show? Did the fans receive you well? Can you say a few words about the atmosphere at Reading in the early 80’s?

My best memories were seeing a flag in the audience with our name on it, the crowd’s appreciation and the size of the stage. We could not have a sound-check, but it came off pretty well. To stand on a stage knowing that a crowd of 70,000 are all watching you and listening to what you can do is one of the most amazing highs in the world. It was wonderful, but too short – 30 minutes. I think it was a last minute decision to have us on, and we were first up that day.

The album “White Spirit” was released via MCA Records. What can you say about your collaboration with this label? Did the label help you to promote the album?

I’m afraid I do not know about the collaboration as that was left to the manager.

Regarding you music on the album “White Spirit” I must say that the band had a very unique style with some art rock influences and prominent role of the keyboards. What can you say about the creative process in the band? Who was the main songwriter?

Because I lived in another town and could not be there, we decided that the band create the music first, and I add the lyrics and vocal lines to their music, which made me the main song writer in the early days of our own material, but later Greame wrote some wonderful lyrics to some lovely songs, especially “High upon High”. So each song was created by the band as a whole.

By the way, did you have any trouble with press or fans because of this prominent role of the keyboards? That was an era of heavy metal and it seems that metalheads didn’t like keyboards.

I’m afraid all I can remember is a lot of mention of the inclusion of keyboards and we were criticized by those that did not know us, of copying Deep Purple. With a guitarist that is a huge fan of Ritchie Blackmore and keyboards that included a real Hammond Organ, some songs are bound to sound like Purple, but we never created any song with the intention to copy anybody. We did not care how it came out, we just wanted to make music regardless of what people may think of it, and this is why the music is a bit different to the NWOBHM that was going round at the time. We did not actually feel part of that scene at the time, it’s just that we were around at the same time - we just made music freely. If you worry about if it is going to sound good for an audience to hear, you are never going to create something new and original.

The album “White Spirit” were re-released in 2005 as a double-CD with a lot of bonus-tracks. Were you involved in this re-issue? Are you satisfied with it?

I wasn’t involved. As far as I know it was an idea by Janick who had trouble tracking down the master tapes, because he wanted the album to be on CD, and to include the extra recordings that it does – a more definitive history of the band.

Janick is known as a very good songwriter nowadays but was he such productive at that time as he is now?  

As explained earlier, he and the others created the music and I the lyrics. I don’t recall one song for which he wrote the lyrics for. I remember Janick as being a good riff-creator.

Isn’t it offensive for you that most of the fans know White Spirit only as ex-band of Janick Gers from Iron Maiden?

Well no, that’s just logic fact.

In 1981 the band recorded a demo tape. Did you sing on this record? Do you remember where was it recorded? Who was in the line-up at that time?

I’m not sure what demo tape you are referring to, but in the first few months of 1981, just before I left, we recorded some new songs onto a tape live on the Hartlepool town hall’s stage, of which I had no part in writing at all, music or lyrics. If it is that tape you are referring to, then the line-up was the same at that time.

There is information that after the release of the album “White Spirit” Phil Brady was replaced by Ian Shuttleworth. Can you comment on this info?

No, because Phil was still in the band when I left.

Why did you leave the band eventually? In your opinion, why didn’t the band get bigger recognition?

Personal reasons. I don’t really know why not a bigger recognition – maybe something to do with the management side – promotion, publicity etc…

Did you sing in any other band after your departure from White Spirit? Do you still stay in touch with Janick, Phil or Malcolm?

One band from Redcar for a few months to help them out for a singer.

Can you say a few words about your life nowadays? Do you have day job or something?

I am self-employed. For 5 years I sang solo in the pubs and clubs around the north-east of the UK, making  living. I am a professional DJ playing corporate venues across the north east of the UK including Newcastle Football Club, Sunderland Stadium of Light, Middlesbrough Football club.

Konstantin “Hirax” Chilikin
February 5, 2012
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