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DIAMOND HEAD- Shoot out the Lights, b/w Helpless (Happy Face Records, UK, 1980)

Thanks to Facebook, I’ve just given away two albums by swedish retro-poppunkers The Hives for free (to an old L.A. punk, Jay Thurston, who comments every move over at Peter’s KBD blog and who is rarely ever seen here because he is afraid of good music!).

Anyway, I thought I might as well give out some free stuff to you as well, so here it is, the first DIAMOND HEAD 7″. “Shoot out the Lights”, a suicide song, is great, rough, kinda unpolished and its totally inappropriate guitar solo makes it typical good bad music. The flipside has “Helpless”, a song we know from the band’s debut LP. This slower version is jolly good, although not quite where the album version is.
Never issued in a picture sleeve and if you wanna find out a bit more about the band and the follow-up 7″ and other nice things, you might just wanna scroll down a bit. Fun trivia: I traded this one away for a AC/DC “Dog eat Dog” 7″ (yeah, the one with “Carry me Home”) in 1981. Nowadays, you can find this DIAMOND HEAD 7″ for maybe 5$, whereas the AC/DC 7″ goes for about 300$. I was a smart ass kid, yes. Okay, okay, the guy’s a banker (hi Thomas K.) nowadays and probably made a trillion $$$, but still ….. oh, fuck you.

Shoot out the Lights.mp3
Helpless.mp3

9 Comments

  1. What's the Truth?

    Excellent! You’re right, the slower version of Helpless isn’t quite as good. Their best songs always had a certain driving momentum, so they benefit from the speed. That being said, Metallica’s ultra-rough covers of their songs from their “Ron McGovney’s ’82 Garage Demo” seem too fast, like they’ve lost their “rock n roll-ness.”

    [Reply]

    Admin Reply:

    Totally agree! On the “white album” (a.k.a. “Lightning to the Nations”), they’re presented in their perfection.

    [Reply]

    Posted on 13-Mar-10 at 22:10 | Permalink
  2. elliott

    hahaha the hives suck. but this doesn’t! metal rules!

    [Reply]

    thomas Reply:

    I don’t think The Hives are right-wing fagheads (provve me wrong otherwise), so why do they such, because they make music you jus thappen not to be to fond of?

    Usually I never reply to nuisances like that but hey, why not today… I’m in the mood for love – agreat film by the way every sucker should watch.

    [Reply]

    thomas Reply:

    F++ing typos, but you got it anyway, dont you?
    :-)

    [Reply]

    Posted on 13-Mar-10 at 22:20 | Permalink
  3. Steve

    Excellent single! The only improvement would have been if Hendrix had humped the guitar player’s instrument and setting it ablaze while the nazi poofs Hives sang back up with cow bell. ;)

    [Reply]

    Posted on 15-Mar-10 at 20:09 | Permalink
  4. Stormkampf 77

    Kuro cover?

    [Reply]

    Admin Reply:

    What?

    [Reply]

    Posted on 16-Mar-10 at 17:02 | Permalink
  5. Jay Thurston

    Long live Metallica!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    [Reply]

    Posted on 19-Mar-10 at 16:00 | Permalink
  6. Jay Thurston

    Since 99% of “metal” is usually boring and tame shit, I am impressed that I truly like this record. Thanks!!!!

    [Reply]

    Posted on 19-Mar-10 at 16:07 | Permalink
  7. elliott

    i don’t agree with jay about metal but yeah this rocks as i said before.

    [Reply]

    Posted on 20-Mar-10 at 01:18 | Permalink
  8. Jay Thurston

    The Hives rule!!!!!! : )

    [Reply]

    Posted on 20-Mar-10 at 17:14 | Permalink
  9. Chris G

    wait a second!
    hold the phone!
    drop everything!

    KBD isn’t Jay’s blog?!?!

    [Reply]

    Posted on 24-Mar-10 at 05:37 | Permalink

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