One of the undisputable landmarks of the New Wave of Brititsh Heavy Metal: Fast & furious, highly melodic and catchy as fuck – the second 7″ by JAGUAR. “Axe crazy” features speedy double bass action that predates most in the Speed / Thrash Metal genre. Totally like a sped up version of DIAMOND HEAD. Insane, this song, insane. Whenever I played this in the past 26 years that I knew it, it left me speechless. I played this 7″ so often that I totally ruined it. Had to buy me a spare copy recently. The flip, “War MAchine” is just as great, though it’s not as fast. I don’t know, but JAGUAR always created this heavy, thick atmosphere, kinda gloomy, so that every touching of the chords, every break sounds meaningful. You cannot top this, you simple can’t. This is one perfect, flawless, timeless 7″. For the band’s first 7″ and a bit more text, follow this link.
Garry Pepperd, Chris Lovell, Jeff Cox and Paul Merell – thank you forever and ever for this!
I would like to dedicate this especially to my friend Dave. I hope things will get better for you soon.
16 Comments
I’m speechless. Is this really from 82????
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True story: right as pressed enter after typing in “goodbadmusic.com,” but before the page had loaded, the thought of this particular single and your promise to upload it came to me in a sudden flash for some reason…then lo and behold, when the page appeared, it was right here! No joke! It must have been the great power of this 7″, one of my top favorite nwobhm singles ever. What a pleasure!
Both songs are excellent, and I love the singer’s voice. I still maintain that Axe Crazy is the fastest nwobhm song (at least if we go by the drums.)
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Certif1ed Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 15:00
I think Vardis ‘ “IF I Were King” is a very strong (and much earlier) contender for “Fastest NWoBHM” song – it might remind you of some of the stuff on Metallica’s “Kill ‘Em All” album.
Even though Metallica credited Diamond Head as inspiration frequently, I think Vardis were just as strong an influence (if not, then a source of riffs to steal!).
The drums on “Axe Crazy” are basically those from Motorhead’s “Overkill” – but the sound is pure power metal. I think that Persian Risk used the same beat on “50,000 Stallions” (the original version released on the Neat compilation cassette, not the crap one on their album!).
I’d recommend you also check out the two 220 Volt demos that were released in 1982 (before their horribly overproduced but no less impressive debut album). There is some seriously fast music on there.
For more in-depth discussions of NWoBHM come to the only site that takes it seriously (but not too seriously!); http://www.metalmusicarchives.com – and check out some of my reivews of NWoBHM music (the proper obscure stuff, not Iron Maiden!).
Cert
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Admin Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 17:01
So yours is the “only site that takes it seriously”? Haha.
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Nigel Reply:
August 14th, 2010 at 11:51
“or more in-depth discussions of NWoBHM come to the only site that takes it seriously”
As opposed to what, GBM? Hahaha, good joke, Mr. BigHead.
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Certif1ed Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 08:45
I wrote “the only site that takes it seriously (but not too seriously!)” as opposed to “the only site that takes it seriously”.
Cert.
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thank you very much dear friend!!!
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Such a stud man you really followed the first one up nicely. You can’t be coerced but you definately do right by us. Axe crazy is THE song on this one. If I had to put them in order I would put that first, then the 1st 7″ followed by the more mellow dramatic War Machine. Thanx for the education.
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excellent, i have never seen this, thanks!
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Axe Crazy is my fave from Jaguar!!! Got that single to.
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I love you.
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I love Erich too
Best Metal single I have heard ever!!!!
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Great record, Erich!!!!!!!!!! Thanks. How about some serious metal, like White Lion or Whitesnake?? hahahahahaha……….
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Goddamn. I’ve only just found this place, but it looks like I have a lot of old posts to go through.
The only Jaguar track that I had heard before this is “Back Street Woman” from that “NWOBHM ’79 Revisited” comp. Sweet mumbly vocals.
Thanks and great site!
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In my opinion, the speed and double-kick aren’t all that surprising given what Motorhead (or even Venom, or Judas Priest ["Exciter"]) had been doing for several years to that point. The vocals are also pretty “tame” the way most NWOBHM was and in ways later thrash would depart from. Still, it’s a fun tune, just not “insane” in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing!
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It’s just about twice as fast as Priest and ten times as to-the-point than venom, but yeah ……
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oh thank you so much for this. i didn’t like the first 7 at first. then when my computer broke down f9r five long months i got back into it. i love this site man. and i don’t need to tell you how good you’re rips are.
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i like jaguar. especially in smaller doses, which is why i think the 7″ is preferable to the album. and to add flames to the “fast nwobhm” discussion – nothing beats savage for sheer velocity. i mean, it’s metallica in a nutshell. and if you want to look for early fast stuff, look no further than rainbow’s “rising” (namely “a light in the black” – 8 minutes of sheer mayhem), and then of course “kill the king”, first heard on “on stage” and a little later on “long live rock’n'roll”.
interestingly enough, the whole savage catalogue, is just one click away on erich’s site.
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and come to think of it: there are zeppelin live bootlegs from 71/72 when they did “communication breakdown” at breakneck speed, unbeknowingly laying the foundations for speed metal.
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jeff Reply:
October 22nd, 2010 at 19:59
I agree, I was talking with a guitarist in his 60′s and he was relating to me that at the time he first heard the first Zeppelin album he never heard so many notes put into guitar solos. I’m sure Bonham laid some foundation with Immigrant Song and later with Achilles Last Stand.
I might even add that the song War Machine uses some Page style chords for the dramatic sections before cutting into the power metal chords
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this lot are playing their whole 1st LP back to back next friday night in town (bristol) and hopefulyl they are encoring with Axe Crazy. Gonna be a winner.
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