Fuckshitupism deluxe.
SLEDGEHAMMER- Blood on their Hands LP (Illuminated, UK, 1983)
Do you wanna know how much I love you guys (and the gal)? When I was at a record fair recently and saw a sealed Mauseoleum Records version copy of the first LP of the phenomenal SLEDGEHAMMER, I bought it – I bought it although I already had two other versions of it at home, because it was a sealed copy and I thought I could use the virgin vinyl for a clean rip. For you! That’s love. It’s probably more love than I will receive in return, but you know the game: Love never asks for reason & rhyme.
What an album this is. If you wouldn’t have the background information here (1983; UK), what would you make out of these 7 songs? I mean, seriously, what the hell is going on here? Skip song number one and go to “Perfumed Garden” directly. Can you believe this???!! This must be one of the best songs I heard in my lifetime! Or the closing number, “Garbandal” – bloody hell!!! And the production of the album – the dry bass, the powerful yet discrete drums and the guitar with sometimes nearly Bob Mould-ish licks and tricks ….. un-fucking-real!!!!
SLEDGEHAMMER first appeared on my radar upon the release of the essential “Metal for Muthas” LP comp. The song “Sledgehammer” has a bit more of a, hmmm – maybe Motörhead-esque feeling to it and I could be totally wrong, but I think MEDIEVAL’s theme song sounds pretty similiar (though a lot dirtier and rawer). A contemporary review of the first 7″ once called SLEDGEHAMMER the equivalent to the Ramones – but on 10 mph. Quite adequate, methinks. Anyway, SLEDGEHAMMER also had three 7″s (one with a differerent take of the theme song, which is not as good as the aforementioned version). the 2nd 7″, “Living in Dreams”, was another wonderful slab and so was the nifty shaped 7″ picture disc. Since both these singles a-sides have been included on a bonus 12″ here, you will receive them as well. Well, actually, the tracklist says songer number 4 on the bonus EP is “Sledgehammer”, but in fact it’s “Wildfire”, originally performed by QUARTZ. Total smasher!!!!
I will post the first 7″ separatly soon.
What you see pictured above is the first press of the LP and the gatefold first press of the Mausoleum version. There’s a third version around, an alternate cover of the first press. Long time ago, I had the brilliant idea of cutting out the cover and make a poster out of it.
Listen to “Perfumed Garden” here.
Download the complete “Blood on their Hands” LP here.
Download the Bonus 12″ that accompanied the first Mausoleum Records license pressing here.
PS: If you had other rips of this before (there are a couple floating around, I’ve seen), please do me a favor: Before deleting them, compare the sound with my rip. And now please somebody re-release “Blood is on their Hand”.
PSII: I’ve seen a lot (!) of “stolen” rips of mine floating around these days and received a couple of emails complaining about this. There’s nothing that I can do about it. I don’t understand this behaviour, but what can you do. You know my point: This music here does not belong to me, so I cannot really complain about people spreading my labor of love for theirs. If the music geting around helps the bands, then that’s fine.
*ç&*%&! wrote:
the quality of your rip is cd standard. excellent! totally under appreciated band. I suspect not too many people will ever understand this kind of music.
the stolen rips issue is a problem. I think you should take pride in your work. these rips were done by YOU and not the bands. thrashmageddon.com and other filesharers use a lot of your work without giving credit. that totally sucks.
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Posted on 11-Jan-09 at 6:19 am | Permalink
Nigel wrote:
Finally! My first ever show was Motörhead, Sledgehammer, Quartz and Praying Mantis & maybe some more at the Sheffield University (?) ca 1978/79 (I was on dope constantly these days …). As much as I love this lp it’s nothing compared to the live power of Sledgehammer! They were really fast & punky and rumor has it that the Motörhead guys used to jam together with Sledgehammer. Would not be too surprising, would it.
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Posted on 11-Jan-09 at 6:50 am | Permalink
darryl wrote:
i love you – love asks for nothing – love just is – whole complete and perfect, just like your sledgehammer rip – up the hammers! 1983 rocks in 2009!
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Posted on 11-Jan-09 at 9:35 am | Permalink
Frank Mossi wrote:
Great musicians here!! Never heard this band before. I think I will need time to dive into this total but I already know that I will LOVE this.
The sound is really crazy. So full and rich like the first Motörhead LP a bit I find.
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Posted on 11-Jan-09 at 10:24 am | Permalink
Pär wrote:
This rule so much, I love it when you post metal here. The vocals must be some of the best ever from a NWOBHM band. I don´t think that I have heard the bonus 12″ so for that I am much greatful.
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Posted on 11-Jan-09 at 1:33 pm | Permalink
Pär wrote:
“Too bad it went downhill from there.”
You are wrong and you know it!
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Posted on 12-Jan-09 at 12:15 pm | Permalink
Admin wrote:
The only thing I knew was that you’d react on this, haha. Seriously, Pär – “Flick” had a couple of good tracks but sounded already pretty lifeless. “Fly on the Wall” is one of the most boring records I heard in my life.
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Posted on 12-Jan-09 at 1:26 pm | Permalink
Pär wrote:
Flick of the switch is a better album than Back in Black, it does not top For those about to rock though. Fly on the wall need more listening, I re-discovered it some years ago and it rule.
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Posted on 12-Jan-09 at 10:03 pm | Permalink
Ryran wrote:
Thanks for this. I heard “Living in Dreams” recently and loved it.
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Posted on 20-Jan-09 at 7:20 pm | Permalink
Ryan wrote:
This fulfilled my expectations and more. Someone needs to reissue this or something. Incredible stuff.
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Posted on 21-Jan-09 at 1:46 pm | Permalink
Ryan wrote:
Also, is “Wildfire” a Quartz cover or is it actually the Quartz version here? Doesn’t really sound like Sledgehammer. What a strange error if so.
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Posted on 21-Jan-09 at 2:00 pm | Permalink
Admin wrote:
Yes, it sounds very much like a different band, Ryan. I thought so too. I must compare it with the QUARTZ version as soon as I have cleaned up the mess here.
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Posted on 21-Jan-09 at 2:06 pm | Permalink
broken heart wrote:
You’re totally right: your rips sound incredibly clean! and this is one hell of a record! so unique in sound and style, I wish I was born a bit earlier.
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Posted on 22-Jan-09 at 2:48 am | Permalink
Ryan wrote:
Did anyone get to the bottom of the global “Wildfire” crisis?
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Posted on 25-Jan-09 at 5:27 pm | Permalink
Ryan wrote:
Best rip online I’ve heard so far thanks!
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Posted on 29-Jan-09 at 8:04 pm | Permalink
Good bad Music for bad, bad Times! / LEGEND- Death in the Nursery LP (Workshop Records,UK, 1982) wrote:
[...] of as the perfect NWOBHM record (and don’t forget to check out the totally under-represented SLEDGEHAMMER LP too!). The first song, “Choices”, has it all: A funky intro starts off and then [...]
Posted on 07-Dec-09 at 7:02 pm | Permalink
What's the Truth? wrote:
I messed up my files of this one, and so I have to download it again, but on the way I can share something I uncovered after reading your writeup again.
That Ramones comparison came from a Sounds review written by Garry Bushell in ’79. Interestingly, in 1980 he reviews their live performance and compares them to the Damned, also noting the punks pogoing in the front row: http://nwobhm.info/nwobhm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=186&Itemid=42
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Posted on 01-Feb-10 at 11:42 pm | Permalink