Anvil were an uncompromising band, with a vast discography. If your HM vocabulary is limited to sex, drugs and rock n roll (particularly the ‘sex’ part), then step right up and put your head on the ‘Anvil’.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Anvil
ALBUM: Hard N Heavy
LABEL: Attic
SERIAL: LAT 1100
YEAR: 1981
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Canada
LINEUP: Lips – vocals, guitars * Dave Allison – guitars * Ian Dickson – bass * Robb Reiner – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 School Love * 02 AC DC * 03 At The Apartment * 04 I Want You Both (With Me) * 05 Bedroom Game * 06 Ooh Baby * 07 Paint It Black * 08 Oh Jane * 09 Hot Child * 10 Bondage
WEBLINKS: Wikipedia Page
Background
I suppose looking back in history it’s a wonder how Anvik ever got to being so popular? Particularly the scribes over at Sounds Magazine in the UJ, who bequeathed all sorts of superlatives on the band and dawned all over them.
Anvil’s brand of metal mischievousness leaves very little to be desired, particularly their corn-ball attempts at sexual innuendo which pervaded their music all throughout their career. From Toronto, they started life off as the band Lips, an obvious reference to their fast-talking lead singer Steve Kudrow, a.k.a Lips.
Playing the bars of Ontario, the band soon gathered a large following. During 1980, Lips (the band) released their self financed debut set ‘Hard And Heavy’. Local label Attic took an immediate interest, and negotiated a deal, which saw the material from ‘Hard And Heavy’ re-released, with well known producer Chris Tsangarides behind the desk.
The Songs
As mentioned, the obvious sexual references throughout are slamdunked by the aggressive no-nonsense metal being played.
Tracks like ‘School Love’, Bedroom Game’, Hot Child’ and ‘Bondage’ are enough to get Tipper Gore interested in a law suit that would also make Twisted Sister‘s Dee Snider look like an absolute Choir Boy by comparison.
Still, the songs are pretty catchy, despite the shortcomings, and considering they were Canadians riding the NWOHM, the time was right for them to take advantage of it, even though the scene would dry up for them in a few years.
In Summary
Anvil had all sorts of shenanigans in their camp. Everything from studs and chains, vibrators and dildos – you name it they had it, or did it.
Success followed with the resounding metal anthem album for 1982 ‘Metal On Metal’, though their brand of HM could not be sustained by Attic Records, who dropped them after their 1984 set ‘Forged In Fire’.
Anvil were an uncompromising band, with a vast discography. If your HM vocabulary is limited to sex, drugs and rock n roll (particularly the ‘sex’ part), then step right up and put your head on the ‘Anvil’.
Anvil on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
