Various Artists – All Systems Go: The Neat Singles Volume 1 (4CD Set)

Who would have thought that a scene as parochial and localised as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal would have gone on to change the face of heavy music? Yet it did, and against the odds went on to influence various strands of extreme metal from speed and thrash to death and black. Instrumental in coalescing the scene, Neat Records brought a host of bands to national (and global) prominence, predominantly via lovely slabs of 7” vinyl. Now collected as All Systems Go: The Neat Singles Volume 1, this compendium, encompassing five glorious years, perfectly illustrates why the NWOBHM was, and still is, so highly regarded.

The impact that punk had on NWOBHM is highly contested. Despite Iron Maiden’s eponymous debut album dripping with attitude and aggression, bassist Steve Harris denies any punk influence, while Saxon’s first album sounds like classic UFO, but vocalist Biff Byford does acknowledge a punk inspiration. Go figure! However, one undeniable similarity between punk and metal was the 7” single as the chosen format (at least initially), and that’s where All Systems Go steps in. While some of these bands went on to have lengthy careers others, just like many punk bands, released just a solitary single, but thankfully, Neat Records was there to document the scene.

The great thing about this set is that there’s been no whitewashing of history. Based out of Impulse Studios in Tyne and Wear, Neat Records wasn’t always always a metal label, and it took a few false starts before they found their feet. Those two missteps aren’t included here, but they are documented in the booklet. However, the Neat story really came to life with their third release; the Tygers Of Pan Tang’s ‘Don’t Touch Me There’ in 1979. There’s a definitely a punk edge here in the band’s raw and confrontational sound, yet you can’t categorise it as anything but heavy metal, and it’s easy to hear why the band became firm favourites on the biker scene. In opposition, it seemed that the only driving force behind punk was to destroy the past, but for the bands spread over these four discs, the past was sacrosanct, to speak ill of any of your musical forbears would risk ostracism (at the very least). Therefore, there’s a strong progressive bent to many of these tracks; White Spirit’s ‘Back To The Grind’ comes saturated in Yes styled keys and harmonies, while the riff that powers Blitzkrieg’s eponymous track totally rips of Focus’ ‘Hocus Pocus’, but it is more in homage than nefarious copycatting, yet it perfectly highlights the scene’s musical lineage with roots that dig deep.

In those pre-internet days where ideas (and demo tapes!) travelled a lot slower, it’s hardly surprising that the majority of Neat’s roster came from the North East (Tygers, Raven, Venom), but what is notable is that none of them inhabited the same sonic space, in fact there’s no two songs that sound similar, and from the apocalyptic punch of Venom’s ‘Blood Lust’ to the sweetly melodic ‘Still In Love With You’ by Valhalla, this collection takes in the whole spectrum of heaviness. Most metalheads will have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the bands contained herein, yet it’s still guaranteed to throw up a few surprises. I’d never heard a good cover of ‘Born To Be Wild’…until I heard Accept’s Udo Dirkschneider’s union with Raven on a very excitable version, and one that pushes all the needles in the red (and if you want to know from where The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins borrowed his chops then look no further than Raven’s John Gallagher).

Running chronologically, this set not only tells the story of Neat Records, but the wider metal scene in general, and is a worthy addition to any collection.

    All Systems Go: The Neat Singles Volume 1 is released via Cherry Red Records/HNE Recordings on 29th March 2024.

Track List:
CD 1:

01. Don’t Touch Me There – TYGERS OF PAN TANG
02. Burning Up – TYGERS OF PAN TANG
03. Bad Times – TYGERS OF PAN TANG
04. Name, Rank And Serial Number – FIST
05. You’ll Never Get Me Up In One Of Those – FIST
06. Back To The Grind – WHITE SPIRIT
07. Cheetah – WHITE SPIRIT
08. Don’t Need Your Money – RAVEN
09. Wiped Out – RAVEN
08. Black Ice – ARAGORN
09. Noonday - ARAGORN
10. In League With Satan – VENOM
11. Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil) – VENOM
12. Always Ready For Love – BITCHES SIN
13. Sign Of The Times – BITCHES SIN
14. Buried Alive – BLITZKRIEG
14. Blitzkrieg – BLITZKRIEG
15. Hard Ride – RAVEN
16. Crazy World – RAVEN
17. Lonewolf – RAW DEAL
18. Take The Sky – RAW DEAL

CD 2:

01. Blood Lust – VENOM
02. In Nomine Satanas – VENOM
03. Rock Out – STEEL
03. All Systems Go – STEEL
04. Crash, Bang, Wallop – RAVEN
05. Rock Hard – RAVEN
06. Run Them Down – RAVEN
07. Firepower – RAVEN
08. Axe Crazy – JAGUAR
09. War Machine – JAGUAR
10. Roll The Dice – HEAVY PETTIN’
11. Love Times Love – HEAVY PETTIN’
12. Hot Lady – DEDRINGER
13. Hot Licks And Rock And Roll – DEDRINGER
14.Take It Or Leave It – CRUCIFIXION
18. On The Run – CRUCIFIXION
19. When It Comes Down To Love – WARRIOR
20. Stab In The Back – WARRIOR
21. Kansas City – WARRIOR
22. The Wanderer – FIST
23. Too Hot – FIST

CD 3:

01. Coming Home – VALHALLA
02. Trouble With You (Ain’t Looking For Trouble) – VALHALLA
03. Miracle Man -SABRE
04. On The Loose – SABRE
05. Ridin’ High – PERSIAN RISK
06. Hurt You – PERSIAN RISK
07. Could Have Done Better – ALIEN
08. Hot ‘N’ Heavy Express – AVENGER
09. Knocked Out – BLACK ROSE
10. All Systems Go – HELLANBACH
11. 44 - HELLANBACH
12. Bridges – JESS COX
13. Check It Out – JESS COX
14. Die Hard – VENOM
15. Acid Queen – VENOM
16. Bursting Out – VENOM
17. Break The Chain – VENOM
18. The Ballad Of Marshall Stack – RAVEN

CD 4:

01. We Have Arrived – SARACEN
02. A Face In The Crowd – SARACEN
03. Too Wild To Tame – AVENGER
04. On The Rocks – AVENGER
05. Wild On The Run – TOBRUK
06. The Show Must Go On – TOBRUK
07. Eat The Rich – TYSONDOG
08. Dead Meat – TYSONDOG
09. Something Special – EMERSON
10. Stars In Hollywood – EMERSON
11. One In A Million – JESS COX
12. Bad Time Girl – JESS COX
13. Still In Love With You – VALHALLA
14. Jack – VALHALLA
15. Moon Rising – CRUCIFIXION
16. Green Eyes – CRUCIFIXION
17. Jailbait – CRUCIFIXION
18. Warhead – VENOM
19. Lady Lust – VENOM
20. Seven Gates Of Hell – VENOM

Roman P-V - 2024-03-15 11:26:03