I first met R. in 1981. We both attended the same school in a shithole of a dump in a rather provincial part of Switzerland (now you might say, with the banning of minarets in Switzerland, the whole country seems to be rather provincial and even though I’m not a big fan of religious buildings and could imagine to live in a society without temples of any sort, I still could understand why you’d say so). I got a lot of shit for my long hair, for not playing soccer like the other guys, for not dressing like they did and for my loud mouth. So did R. I had seen him before, with a jacket full of Iron Maiden, Sex Pistols and Motörhead patches. He was a bit older, had to repeat some classes. One day I visited him at home where he showed me his impressive record collection. His father was born and raised in London, that’s why they tripped to the UK on a regular basis and that was something you could tell by the records he had. So many of them I had never seen before and one that was brand new was the first LP by LEGEND. I immediately fell in love with the minimalistic cover, though when he put the album on, I was a bit disappointed, if I remember correctly, cause it sounded rather slow and melodic. From this day on, I occasionally hung out with R., but not so often, as he didn’t like my other buddies (some of whom very quite aggressive and gave me and people like me shit constantly). R. was a rather tiny fellow, always hectic and nervous and I guess it didn’t take his father, who was a brick layer, much force to beat him to death about a year later.
I had totally forgotten about LEGEND (and R.) until I recently downloaded “Death in the Nursery”, the band’s second LP.The first album is very good and I like it a great deal, but this one here is just incredible. While you’ll still hear the 70s here and there, this album has developed a totally unique sound, combining various stylistic peculiarities to a highly original brand of what sounds almost painfully close to what I think 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 you’re immediately drawn into a one of a kind atmosphere. Dramatic, earnest, gloomy, heavy and just very, very passionate. These guys mean business! “Warrior” starts of pretty Iron Maiden-like (yes, we’re in the 80s now!) and takes the paranoid visions one step further, “Apartment Blocks of Fear”, Mike Lezala sings, “blot out the evening, as if to hide to tear.” Awesome! “Time Bomb” and “Lazy Woman” manage to keep up the quality level at ease and “Why don’t you kill me” lifts the bar even higher. I mean – how can this be?! What a song! Then I flip the record over and, my gawd, “Anthrax Attack” with its incredible vocals lines nails me down every time I hear it. Same with “The Prisoner”, a rather balladesque but equally beautiful and strong number. The title track starts off really fast, but as soon as the bridge and chorus comes in, you know that this song is of the same epic proportions, with a larger than life chorus and a very nice twist in the middle. The ending “Prologue” opens with one hell of an acoustic bit, before closing the album in utmost grace.
If the NWOBHM had a company secret, this is it. Heavy but fragile, aggressive yet sensible. Music for outsiders.
Delete your old files and grab my fresh rip. It sounds very different (a lot better) from the other vinyl rips floating around. Download LEGEND’s «Death in the Nursery» here. Hope you enjoy, WTT.
16 Comments
mate this is just amazing! I seriously wonder how you manage to pull out killer after killer.
a friend of mine once met the ex drummer or bassist on one of the channel islands. 
totally love this lp and couldn’t agree more with all you said.
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Legend has become my favorite NWOBHM band. During the eighties, I liked them, but not as much as many of their contemporaries. I think I had to grow up to fully appreciate their brilliance. The album they recorded after reforming is also really good, and supposedly there’s another one on the way, although their website hasn’t been updated in forever.
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I certainly do enjoy it…this is incredible! Very rarely, I hear something and I know, beyond the simple enjoyment of hearing something new for the first time or of hearing something generally cool, that it will almost certainly be cemented as a favorite of mine, and this is totally one of those times! The band is tight, every instrument sounds great, and the writing is excellent.
I can see the Sledgehammer comparison, not because of a similarity in the sound, but because of a similar approach to style, taking from a variety of sources and weaving them together. And just like that Sledgehammer LP, every song here has a strong, self-contained identity. The twists and turns of “Choices,” the opening solo and guitar flourishes of “Lazy Woman,” the introspection of “Why Don’t You Kill me,” the gloom of “The Prisoner”…The intriguing cover art totally draws me in, too. The total package is masterful…this really has everything.
Can’t thank you enough, Erich!
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Erich! Please, stop! You’re killing me…
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Makes me very happy to see I was right, WTT: I KNEW you were gonna very much like LEGEND. It IS one helluva record, innit, Chano?
Gerard: LEGEND came from the isle of Jersey, I think.
John: I think it was you who set the wheels of memory in motion, actually. Thanks much!! Found both LEGEND Lps at the record fair last week and didn’t hesitate one second, although they were pricey. I know there’s also a EP, but I never heard of a reunion album.
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Sure, Erich. Sure…
Revenge Of The Whores: that’s my white whale.
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Come on Chano, give it a try. I was listening to Negazione before I threw this one on, and I think I may even see some similarities
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I don’t have words. I love you man.
How can it be possibil that such a record is not repressed????????
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WTT: actually this is not bad. Quite original, too.
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and he does it again! erich i am forever greatful. this is amazing. thank you so much for this!
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There was a double CD reissue on Monster Records with all the material recorded by the original band, but it went out of print. Rockadrome, the successor to Monster, is finally repressing that comp and it’s conveniently out tomorrow.
I tried to mention this earlier but either I made a mistake or it was mistaken for spam.
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Erich, check out their website.
http://www.sinaptik.com/legend/
The reunion album, “Still Screaming”, seems to be still pretty easy to find. I have the double cd reissue as well. Definitely an essential purchase.
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And the great posts just keep on coming…..
Just f….ing awesome record…..
It’s an amazing post!!!!!!!!
Just cant wait to go home and listen to this rip of yours Erich……
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Downloaded this two days ago. Thought it was not good. But out of a sudden the song “death in the nursery” was in my head and I couldn’t get it out. Downloaded again and now I think this is some of the most beautiful music I ever heard. Thank you!
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Pretty damn good stuff although I like the Handsome Beasts better. In some ways we may think alike Erich, especially when it comes to attaching memories/emotions to music. More than a physical piece of history or something to debate the merits of…
“R. was a rather tiny fellow, always hectic and nervous and I guess it didn’t take his father, who was a brick layer, much force to beat him to death about a year later.”
…or not, I’m not a mind reader.
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HOLY SHIT! THANKS ERICH! Rediscovered this gem! Had to buy it again right away!
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