Wednesday, 29 May 2013

1983 in rock: US Festival

The second US Festival, held in San Bernadino, California in May 1983 is remembered today as the event which brought Metal music to wider public attention. The event was held over the weekend of Memorial Day, 28th/29th/30th May 1983 with each day being given over to a themed genre of music. (A fourth day, held a week later, was devoted to country music)

The first day was designated New Wave day, with British acts such as A Flock of Seagulls, The (English) Beat, and The Clash featured, while the Monday was 'Rock Day', with mainstream rock artists including Stevie Nicks, Joe Walsh and David Bowie appearing. However, the 'Metal Day', held on the Sunday, has gone down in hard rock folklore. With a stellar bill including Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne and headliners Van Halen, the attendance for that single day was a reported 375,000. Crüe vocalist Vince Neil described that day as "the day that new wave died and rock and roll took over" in the band's autobiography 'The Dirt'.

Mötley and Quiet Riot went on to have enormous success that year, the former with their second album 'Shout At The Devil' while Quiet Riot, fronted by the ever-controversial Kevin DuBrow, hit the big time with their album 'Metal Health', featuring a cover of 'Cum On Feel The Noize', which became a smash hit for the band, ten years after Slade had huge success with the same song in their native UK. Meanwhile, the veteran German rockers the Scorpions would enjoy several years of US success off the back of this appearance, as would British Metal stalwarts Judas Priest, while Van Halen were to go on to have a huge hit album with '1984', released at the end of 1983.

Despite the huge attendances, at least half of which were attributed to Metal Day alone, the event, plus the earlier 1982 festival, cost main backer Steve Wozniak (then of Apple Computers)  a reported $20 million. This was put down to the fees commanded by the acts who performed; Van Halen were rumoured to have been paid up to $1.5 million to perform and David Bowie also commanded a $1 million appearance fee.


Here are some clips from the Metal Day of US Festival:

Van Halen 'Running With The Devil':

Mötley Crüe 'Knock Em Dead, Kid':


Ozzy Osbourne 'Mr Crowley':


Judas Priest 'Living After Midnight':
 



Scorpions 'No-One Like You':



Saturday, 25 May 2013

1983 in film: Return of the Jedi

The third and final film in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy, 'Return of the Jedi', was released to an expectant public in May 1983. Following on from the events of 'The Empire Strikes Back', the story concludes with Luke Skywalker completing his Jedi training and facing off in a final battle against Darth Vader, who by now has been revealed to be Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father.

Production for the movie was shrouded in secrecy, with the producers using the working title 'Blue Harvest' during shooting. This was an effort to avoid a media circus, and also to put a stop to service providers hiking their prices once they found they would be providing services for a 'Star Wars' movie. (That happened to creator George Lucas during production of 'The Empire Strikes Back')

At the time of its release it was (naturally) a huge hit, and was critically lauded as well as commercially successful. However, more recent opinion has shifted to proclaim the previous film 'The Empire Strikes Back' as the best of the three original films, and fans of the 'Star Wars' franchise are less than enthusiastic about the Ewoks, introduced in this movie. The film was also notable for finally introducing us to the villain Jabba The Hutt, only referred to in passing in the 1977 film 'Star Wars', before Jabba was killed off by the captive Princess Leia.

The film, like the others in the series, was remastered in the 1990s and with new digital effects added. This was controversial to many fans, however Lucas persisted and went on to 'refine' the films further for subsequent DVD releases. The most contentious change of all came in the 2004 edition, when in the final scene, Luke is greeted by 'force ghosts' Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, the latter was changed to show actor Hayden Christensen as Anakin, rather than Sebastian Shaw, who played the unmasked Darth Vader/Anakin in the film. Even the selection of veteran actor Shaw was not without controversy, as actor David Prowse (who played Vader in all three films, with voice dubbed over by James Earl Jones) had pushed to be seen as Anakin. However by the time of this film, he had fallen out of favour with Lucas, and his wishes were not to be granted.

Nowadays the film is known as 'Episode VI, Return of the Jedi' and despite the changes, is still a popular film today. Lucas had resisted for many years calls to release the films in their original form on DVD, but finally relented in 2005 when the DVDs of the remastered/reworked films came with a bonus disc, featuring the original film. Although a concession to fans, it still did not satisfy many who felt that they had made a half-hearted effort, as the picture quality on the bonus disc was markedly inferior to that of the reworked versions.

Here is a fan-made trailer for the film 'Return of the Jedi':



Friday, 24 May 2013

Margaret Thatcher 'handbagged' by a viewer live on television

In May 1983, when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was in the midst of an election campaign she appeared on the BBC's news and current affairs programme 'Nationwide'. During this special edition of the programme, she would be subjected to questions from selected members of the public.

One such member of the public was housewife and geography schoolteacher Diana Gould. Mrs Gould, of similar age to the Prime Minister, and somebody with a particular interest in the South Atlantic region, challenged Mrs Thatcher over her decision to sink the Argentine cruiser Belgrano during the Falklands conflict of the previous year, with the loss of 323 Argentinian personnel. With a knowledge of the region which the Prime Minister was unprepared for, Mrs Gould insisted that the sinking was unjustified since it was sailing away from the Falklands, and that the decision had to have been taken with knowledge of a peace plan put forward by Peru, which according to Mrs Gould the Prime Minister chose to ignore.

Mrs Thatcher used all of her forceful personality to try to insist that her decision was the correct one, and that the vessel did indeed still pose a threat to British vessels, but Mrs Gould stood firm, and was having none of it. She was particularly angered when told that the full facts would be revealed "in thirty years' time" (Cabinet papers are traditionally released to the public thirty years later). Telling the Prime Minister that was not good enough, she was interrupted to be told that the peace proposals to which she referred did not, in fact reach her until after the Belgrano was sunk. Sadly for Mrs Gould, it was not good enough for her to have to wait three decades; she died in 2011, only a year before she would have been able to see for herself the released Cabinet papers when they finally emerged.

The encounter was seen by millions of British viewers and created a sensation; nobody was accustomed to seeing 'The Iron Lady' rattled in a televised debate. It led to alleged accusations from Denis Thatcher, the Prime Minister's husband, that the BBC were "run by a load of pinkos" (left-wing apologists). The schoolteacher from Gloucestershire was feted by the media for her defiant and insistent stance against the formidable Margaret Thatcher.

Ultimately, the encounter did not damage the Prime Minister or her party. Mrs Thatcher's Conservative party was re-elected in a landslide victory, attributed in part to the Falklands victory of the year before. Mrs Gould went on to publish a book called 'On The Spot: The Sinking Of The Belgrano' (ISBN:  978-0900821714)

*2023 update: Margaret Thatcher herself died in April 2013, remaining a divisive figure even after her passing*

The televised confrontation between Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Diana Gould can be seen here:


On the Spot: The Sinking of the Belgrano

Thursday, 23 May 2013

1983 in rock: Dio release debut album 'Holy Diver'


By 1983, vocalist Ronnie James Dio had become known as the man to revitalise a rock career. He came to prominence in 1975 when he, and other members of his band Elf, backed Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore for an album known as 'Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow'.  This album, recorded secretly while Blackmore was still in Deep Purple, featured a cover of 'Black Sheep Of The Family' by the progressive band Quatermass, a song which Blackmore had long wanted to record but his suggestion was nixed by the other members of Purple. Frustrated by this, and by the band's leaning towards a funkier musical direction, Blackmore handed in his notice once his album was released, going on to form Rainbow and work through a succession of line-ups.

Ronnie James Dio would appear on two more albums, both of which became hard rock classics, before parting ways with Blackmore and going on to replace Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. This move was even more controversial, as the Birmingham outfit had held its line-up together for most of the 1970s and it was a tough ask for their partisan fans to accept anyone but Ozzy at the microphone. The fanbase indeed did polarise into pro-Ozzy and pro-Dio camps, as Ozzy launched his own solo career, but like Blackmore before him, Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi found it very easy to create music alongside Dio. This partnership lasted three years and two albums, before a split in late 1982 over mixing of the band's 'Live Evil' album.

With this track record behind him, fans were very eager to see what Dio would come up with now that he had a free reign. Recruiting his old Rainbow band mate Jimmy Bain, and retaining drummer Vinny Appice from the most recent line-up of Sabbath, the new band initially were going to recruit Jake E. Lee for the guitar role, but that did not last (Lee eventually ended up with Ozzy and achieved great prominence), and so the band looked back across the Atlantic to recruit young Ulsterman Vivian Campbell. With this band in place, and settling on the name 'Dio' for the group (the singer had intended this to be an actual  band, rather than a vanity project) the foursome began work on their debut album.

Issued in May 1983, 'Holy Diver' became an instant classic. Racing out of the traps with the high-paced 'Stand Up And Shout', and with a selection of strong hard rock songs, it proved once and for all that the man who revitalised at least two careers could do the same for his own. The record was a success on both sides of the Atlantic, and the band secured a slot on the Monsters of Rock festival in the UK that year, the first appearance in the country for Ronnie James Dio and his new band. Expectations were high, but they were somewhat stymied by a poor sound mix which rendered the guitar completely inaudible for the first two numbers. Somehow, the frontman held it together and even with no guitar, he delivered a memorable performance blending tracks from the new album with selected classics from his past. Despite the sound problems, Dio won many fans that day and they went on to do an extensive tour of the UK and Europe to close out 1983.

The Dio band released two more albums before the singer finally made a change to the line-up, axing Campbell from the group in early 1986 and causing a rift which never healed, Campbell went on to Whitesnake and then Def Leppard where he remains to this day. Dio meanwhile, then started to endure the same personnel problems with his own band that dogged his previous acts, and eventually Dio the band became Dio the solo act - something he had intended to avoid. He continued to tour and release albums regularly, even reuniting with Black Sabbath in 1992 for a short period (and again in 2007 under the name Heaven and Hell), before he was suddenly taken ill in 2009. Diagnosed with cancer, he vowed to fight it and return but sadly he lost his battle in May 2010, leaving his many fans distraught.

From the 'Dio Live In Concert' video recorded in Utrecht, Netherlands on the 1983 tour, here is a live rendition of 'Holy Diver':

*2023 Update - old dead video link replaced*

Monday, 20 May 2013

1983 in rock: Iron Maiden achieve 'Piece Of Mind'

Although formed in 1975 by bass player Steve Harris, it took many years and numerous personnel before his band Iron Maiden were able to get a record deal. After two albums with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, the frontman parted company with the band at the end of 1981, in a genuinely mutual decision; i.e. they summoned him to a band meeting in order to tell him his services were no longer required, only to be informed by the singer himself that he was coming over specifically to tell them he was leaving. His replacement was former Samson vocalist Bruce Dickinson; their 1982 album 'The Number Of The Beast' was well-received by their fans who perhaps might have been forgiven for feeling let-down by the departure of the charismatic but unpredictable Di'Anno.

The band had to follow up that album the next year, this would prove or otherwise whether Dickinson was in this for the long haul. With the 'Piece of Mind' album he was able to take part in writing the material, he contributed to four songs on the album, one of which ('Revelations') he wrote alone. Another change in personnel occurred during this period also; drummer Clive Burr (who had been a member of the band since 1979 and had therefore played on all their albums to date) was replaced by Nicko McBrain amid stories of on-the-road partying getting out of hand. From that point the group's line-up remained stable until 1990, when guitarist Adrian Smith announced his departure.

'Piece Of Mind' (as usual, produced by Martin Birch) was recorded between January and March of 1983 at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, and released in May that year. The lead-off single was 'Flight Of Icarus', written by Dickinson and Smith, the lyric was based on the Greek myth of Icarus and Daedalus. Reaching number 14 in the UK charts, it was followed up by 'The Trooper', written by Steve Harris. That song, concerning the ill-fated Charge Of The Light Brigade of 1854 during the Crimean War, would go on to become an enduring live favourite and is still performed at their concerts to this day.

The album was acclaimed by fans and critics, and it went on to reach number 3 in the UK albums chart. The band then embarked on a lengthy tour ('World Piece Tour') beginning in their home country with 23 dates (sadly for this blogger who was then still a teenager with very limited funds, that time around they did not come to Liverpool!) They would remain on the road for the remainder of 1983, taking in numerous European countries as well as playing an extended run in the US and Canada.

An amusing tale concerns the 'backmasking' message heard at the end of the song 'The Trooper'. This message, done by drummer Nicko McBrain in a voice based on that of (former Ugandan leader) Idi Amin, was intended to rebuke and poke fun at their critics (particularly in the US) who mistook them for a 'satanic' band; those who dared risk ruining their record stylus by spinning the LP backwards heard this message:

"What ho said the t'ing with the three 'bonce', do not meddle with things you don't understand..."
That was followed by a belch, before the music recommenced with the track 'Still Life'. 

By the end of this tour Dickinson had firmly established himself as Maiden's lead singer; he had now recorded as many albums with them as Di'Anno and had proven himself to be a confident and reliable frontman. They would go from strength to strength from then on in, with their next album 'Powerslave' becoming an even bigger success. They toured that album for a year solid, by which time they were the biggest rock band in the country and arguably one of the biggest in the world.

Iron Maiden were not renowned for their video output; most of their promos at this time consisted of the band performing on a stage with archive film clips intercut. A typical example is their promo for 'The Trooper', which is presented here.

Monday, 13 May 2013

Music of 1983: Mike Oldfield has huge hit with 'Moonlight Shadow'

A decade after multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield broke through with his seminal 'Tubular Bells' album, he had his biggest hit single to date. 'Moonlight Shadow', released in May 1983, was a completely different proposition to his 1970s classic, being a short pop-rock number with vocals provided by Scottish singer Maggie Reilly. (Some credit the song as by Mike Oldfield, featuring Maggie Reilly).

The song was an international hit, reaching number one in several European countries and charting as high as number 4 in the UK singles charts. The song practically revived his career and re-established him in the public consciousness, as it was his first hit for several years. Still his most popular song, 'Moonlight Shadow' has been re-issued several times and a further re-issue of the album it came from ('Crises') is set to feature an unplugged mix of the song.

In the video, Oldfield's touring guitarist Anthony Glynne is shown performing the second part of the guitar solo, however on record Oldfield played both parts. The video for 'Moonlight Shadow' can be seen below:


Tuesday, 7 May 2013

1983 in film: WarGames

With home computers becoming popular in the 1980s, 'hackers' started to become known in the media, portrayed usually as bored teenagers with enough intelligence to use their home computer to 'hack' into a much larger system. With that in mind, it was only a matter of time before the idea of such a teen hacking into the computers of the US defence system was turned into a film.

'WarGames' was one of those films that captured the time perfectly. Described by one newspaper review as 'the film that had to happen', it starred Matthew Broderick as just such a hacker. Unwittingly, he finds his way into a US military supercomputer designed to predict the outcome of a nuclear war (the threat was ever-present in those days) and, believing it to be just a game, asks it to 'play global thermonuclear war'.

Needless to say, the confusion causes a stir and the teen is almost responsible for starting an actual war, however the day is saved by the computer itself, which had assessed all possible outcomes and concluded that 'the only winning move is not to play', before closing the program down and suggesting a game of chess instead.

The movie was a summer success, grossing almost $80 million and ironically, led to a spin-off computer game being released.

Presented is the trailer for the film:




Thursday, 2 May 2013

1983 in television: V


The summer of 1983 saw the television debut of US science-fiction miniseries 'V'. The premise was that an alien race came to Earth in large 'flying saucer' style ships, ostensibly looking for assistance from the human race in aiding their own world and in return offering their own advanced science and technology. Styling themselves as 'visitors', they succeeded in gaining the trust of the world's governments and soon wielded considerable influence themselves. Appearing human, they were distinguished by an eerie 'metallic' resonant voice and needed to wear special lenses in order to protect their eyes, they were actually reptilian and their true purpose was to enslave Earth and strip its resources, including the human race, whom the 'Visitors' wished to harvest as food.

The original miniseries played out over two feature-length episodes, and created a memorable villain in Diana, the Science Officer of the Visitors, played by Jane Badler. Ruthless even to her own species, the outwardly attractive Diana set about destroying anyone in her way, be it human or 'visitor' in order to achieve her goals. Also featured in the miniseries was Robert Englund, who later went on to stardom as Freddy Krueger in the 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' series of films.

The 'V' concept led to a follow-up miniseries, 'V: The Final Battle' featuring almost all of the main cast from the original, and then a full-blown series which ran for 19 episodes.

The concept of the series where a race from afar gains power and influence, then uses it to subjugate the native population struck a chord with viewers, with its similarity to how the Nazis gained power in Thirties Germany. 'V' has since been rebooted by original series creator Kenneth Johnson, and the Diana character was reimagined as Anna, the Visitors' High Commander played by Morena Baccarin.

*2023 update: old video link to trailer replaced*: