Chart entered : 28 June 1980
Chart peak : 52
Number of hits : 11
American metal gets another look in here although this lot never achieved the star status in the UK that they enjoyed in their homeland.
The band's story begins with a pair of brothers , Alex ( born 1953 ) and Edward ( born 1955 ) Van Halen . Both were born in Holland and moved with their family to Pasadena in 1962. Eddie started playing the guitar and Alex the drums. In 1972 they started a band called Genesis and invited rich boy neighbour David Lee Roth ( born 1954 ) to join them as singer because he had a PA system. In 1974 they decided to replace their original bassist with Michael Anthony ( born 1954 ) , a college friend of Eddie's who played in a band called Snake.
The band changed their name to Mammoth on learning of the existence of the UK Genesis and then Van Halen. With rigorous self-promotion they built up a large following on the LA club scene. In 1976 Gene Simmons checked them out on a friend's recommendation and produced a demo tape for them but backed off when Kiss's management rubbished it. The following year though they impressed a couple of A & R men from Warner Brothers and got themselves a recording contract.
Their first single in January 1978 was a cover of "You Really Got Me" showcasing Eddie's flashy guitar playing - his speciality was tapping the strings at the top of the neck - and David's rather hollow, hoarse Ozzy vocals . It's alright I suppose but doesn't really bring anything new to the song and the band themselves would have preferred to release one of their own songs. It got to number 36 in the US ; we had the good sense to ignore it.
The eponymous debut LP came out next which had metal fans slavering over Eddie's technique on tracks like the instrumental "Eruption " and got to number 19 in the US. If you strip that away though the underlying songs are pretty undistinguished hard rock with only "Jamie's Crying" lodging itself in the memory banks.
That includes "Running With The Devil" itself which is the opening track and their second single in May 1978 . I don't know why Warner Brothers thought it worth giving it a second run out after two intervening singles had flopped here in 1979. Beyond the Sturm und Drang opening, Ian Gillan-esque screams and Eddie's two brief solos, it's a fairly average song with a very pedestrian bassline. Plodding with the devil would be more accurate. The lyric is redeemed by a hint of awareness that fast living may not be ultimately rewarding but that's hardly a stunning revelation. This is mutton dressed as lamb.
I've said it before on here, but you highlight my main issue with this kind of racket, and that's the absence of any groove at the expense of guitar wankery. You may as well listen to the Ramones - at least the song tends to be over quicker!
ReplyDelete