This is the follow-up to Ye Olde Metal: 1968 To 1972. Like the first one, it’s also limited to 1,000 copies, signed by me, and it’s numbered. I know I’m dealing with a small group of readers, so in the spirit of collectibility... 1,000 and then that’s it.

Improvements this time:

  1. It’s longer by about 9,000 words (same page count and point size, but I tightened the inter-line spacing).
  2. no cover curl – the first one had a problem with that. Long story – now there’s a new laminating machine at the print shop.
  3. some photos, almost all of them previously unpublished.
  4. 18 albums dealt with versus 14 in Ye Olde Metal: 1968 To 1972.

The hype from the back cover:

Detailed examination of early hard rock albums, many lost to the sands of time, some merely in need of a celebratory re-visit. Primarily through the use of new, exhaustive interviews with the band members who were there – the focus being on one classic album - Martin meticulously pieces together the complete story of each album, lending his respected critical eye to the record, massaging in bucket loads of trivia previously unpublished. The end result is a collection of essays that are variously surprising, funny, revealing, and scholarly. Above all, it is the author’s hope that the enclosed “love letters to ancient metal” enrich the serious musicologist’s enjoyment of each record so reverently examined.

The chapters this time:

  • Status Quo – Pildedriver (Francis – one of the best interviewees I’ve had)
  • Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies (chats with Alice, Dennis, Neil plus some supporting research)
  • New York Dolls – New York Dolls (Syl says some great stuff here)
  • Uriah Heep – Sweet Freedom (Mick and Ken – some good stuff on both David and Gary, R.I.P.)
  • Nazareth – Loud ‘N’ Proud (Manny Charlton and lots from Dan too)
  • Montrose – Montrose (killer quotes from Sammy and Ronnie)
  • Bachman Turner Overdrive – II (Randy’s got the best song stories)
  • Deep Purple – Burn (mostly Glenn Hughes, some additional)
  • Robin Trower – Bridge Of Sighs (Robin himself, plus some Geoff Emerick)
  • Buffalo – Only Want You For Your Body (John Baxter and Dave Tice… hilarious ‘Skirtlifter’ story)
  • Bachman Turner Overdrive – Not Fragile (very cool stuff from Randy)
  • Alice Cooper – Welcome To My Nightmare (loads of Dick Wagner and Alice)
  • Nazareth – Hair Of The Dog (again, mostly guitarist Manny Charlton, plus Dan – gold 8-Track!)
  • The Dictators – Go Girl Crazy! (mostly Andy Shernoff and Scott “Top Ten” Kempner)
  • ZZ Top – Fandango (Dusty Hill – excellent interview and song stories)
  • Budgie – Bandolier (Burke Shelley – many surprises in this one)
  • Foghat – Fool For The City (Roger Earl plus material from my ’95 chat with Lonesome Dave, R.I.P.)
  • Deep Purple – Come Taste The Band (Glenn provides the details; some Ian Paice as well)

The next one in the series will cover either a) 1976, b) 1977, or c) 1976 To 1977, and I’m working on the essays already. Then, 1978 to 1979, or one per year, again, depending. But yeah, the idea is that this is a pretty strange, obscure thing to try, and the hope is that people will “collect ‘em all,” the whole thing making a l’il heavy metal encyclopedia set as they show up, a series, a cool bunch of collectible books. Fact is, I’m getting killer stories from all these guys. All manner of unearthed little trivia nuggets is coming to light, and it’s all getting stuffed into these essays that are, like I say, the story of one album. The book is full trade size 6” x “9 format, 230 pages.

This book is now completely sold out!