US and Canadian Heavy Metal 7"-scene
is still one of the least explored niches in the domain of Old Metal Vinyl Collecting, at least in relation to its size and popularity. Hence forum member and long-time fan & collector of rare American 7"s, Kristian "Khnud" Knutsson has taken on this impossible feat of documentation, making this the 3rd and - surely in the long run - largest Singles-Special of The Corroseum to date...
A note on rarity Most of the releases reviewed herein are to be considered rare, usually released in either 500 or 1000 copies by small independent labels, or by the bands themselves. The rating is therefore an attempt at approximating how often an item shows up for sale.
= Rather common, a copy can most likely be found without too much effort
= Uncommon, still turns up a few times per year
= Rare, you'll most likely have to search a bit before you find one
= Very rare, expect to have to search several years before one turns up
= More or less impossible to find. The number of known copies can be counted with the fingers of one hand
Also, please note that rarity scores might change over time. A good example would be the Hazardous Waste 45, which was once believed to have been released in only 200 copies and was at that point a very expensive and desired item. Many years later another 300 copies were discovered in a warehouse and the item is, at the time this is written, reasonably easy to find at an affordable price.
A note on ratingReviews are subjective. What I think is great, someone else might think is crap. And the other way around. I strongly suggest using the reviews as a general guide and not as a definitive quality indicator.
= Bad. You probably don't need this unless you're a manic completist (like yours truly)
= Ok, but nothing spectacular
= Good, definitely worth checking out
= Great, buy or die!
= You need this more than oxygen...
Finally, I'd like to thank John Haupt, without him this project would never have been possible.
Jagged Edge - Hand Of The Master / Makin’ Sin
(Hot Metal, 1983)Another one of those entry level items, which is reasonably easy to find as well as containing accessible, above average classic heavy metal. With a vocalist sounding like Bobby Liebling, combined with a heavily distorted metal sound, it’s hard not to mention PENTAGRAM when talking about these guys. Even though both singles by these guys came out well before the eponymous 'gram full length. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
John Crispino & C.A.T. - Start Livin' Our Lives / Do I Fit Into Your Plans?
(Pure Desire, 198?)Mr. Crispino and what I can only assume is his backing band play pretty straight forward hard rock, but they can still be heavy as a load of bricks at times. Similarities to TED NUGENT sure come to mind. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Joshua Hayes - Cardiac Arrest / Feel The Love
(Entrepeneurs, 1980)If you're attempting to cause a cardiac arrest through music, you'll need to do better than this. While we're treated to some nice guitar work on the a-side, the laid back and low key b-side is more likely to induce sleep than get your heart racing. Get this patient some energetic music! Stat! Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Judge - RARZ / Aramis (The Lover)
(Jury Records, 1979)If you're into epic hard rock or heavy metal, you've probably heard of LEGEND from Connecticut. Their "From The Fjords" album is somewhat of a collector's holy grail. The story with this single is that the original bassist took two songs from a demo the band had made before "Fjords" came out, released them as his own, and got himself promptly kicked out of the band in the process. "RARZ" is a shorter version than the one appearing on "Fjords" (which was kind of the most non-epic song on the album anyway). But "Aramis" is full of the quirks that made "Fjords" so great - complex song structures, bells, gongs and the distinctive voice of guitarist/singer Kevin Nugent. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
