Quartz (metal band)
| Quartz | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Birmingham, England |
| Genres | Heavy metal |
| Years active |
1974–1983 1996, 2011–present |
| Associated acts | Black Sabbath |
Quartz are a British heavy metal band.
History
Quartz dates back to as early as 1974 when they were known as Bandy Legs.[1] They signed to Jet Records in 1976 and supported Black Sabbath and AC/DC. The band changed their name to Quartz for their 1977 debut album, Quartz. The album was produced by Tony Iommi and Quartz toured with Black Sabbath to support this release. Queen guitarist Brian May handled guitar on "Circles," which also features Ozzy Osbourne on backing vocals. This track did not appear on the album but appeared as the B-side to the "Stoking the Fires of Hell" single.
Quartz toured during this time, playing the Reading Festival three times (1976, 1977 and 1980) and touring in support of some of the larger hard rock bands of the time (Iron Maiden, Saxon, UFO, Gillan and Rush).[1][2]
Quartz released their second studio album, Stand Up and Fight, in 1980 and their third, Against All Odds, in 1983 before disbanding. In 1979, Geoff Nicholls left to join Black Sabbath. He contributed keyboards and songwriting from 1980s Heaven and Hell to 2004.[1]
In 2004, doom metal band, Orodruin covered "Stand Up and Fight" on their album Claw Tower.
Prior to the founding of Quartz, Hopkins had played in Wages of Sin, a short-lived Birmingham band which toured as a backing band for Cat Stevens in 1970.[3] After that band's dissolution, two of his bandmates, expatriate Canadians Ed and Brian Pilling, returned to Canada and formed the band Fludd; Hopkins briefly joined that band in 1972 as a replacement for founding guitarist Mick Walsh, but left by the end of the year after they were dropped from their original record label.[3]
Quartz reformed in 2011 playing a reunion gig on 16 December 2011 at The Asylum in Birmingham, England. The line up consisted of Geoff Nicholls, Mike Hopkins, Derek Arnold, Malcolm Cope and new vocalist David Garner.[4]
The band's original lead singer, Mike "Taffy" Taylor, died on 27 September 2016.[5][4]
Members
- Mike Taylor - vocals (1974–1982, deceased 2016)
- Geoff Bate - vocals (1983)[6]
- David Garner - vocals (2011–present)
- Mike Hopkins - guitar
- Geoff Nicholls - guitar/keyboards (1974–1979)
- Derek Arnold - bass
- Malcolm Cope - drums
Discography
Studio albums
- Quartz (Jet Records 1977, re-released in 1980 and renamed Deleted)
- Stand Up and Fight (MCA Records, 1980)
- Against All Odds (Heavy Metal Records, 1983)
- Resurrection (Metal Blade Records, 1996)
- Fear No Evil (High Roller Records, 2016)[7]
Singles
- "Street Fighting Lady" / "Mainline Riders" (Jet Records, 1977)
- "Stoking Up the Fires of Hell" / "Circles" (MCA Records, 1980)
- "Satan's Serenade" / "Bloody Fool" / "Roll Over Beethoven" (live) (Logo Records, 1980)
- "Nantucket Sleighride" / "Wildfire" (Reddingtons Rare Records, 1980)
- "Stand Up and Fight" / "Charlie Snow" (MCA Records, 1981)
- "Tell Me Why" / "Streetwalker" (Heavy Metal Records, 1983)
Live and compilation albums
- Live Quartz (Reddingtons Rare Records, 1980) - Recorded at Digbeth Civic Hall, Birmingham, England on 1 December 1979
- Resurrection (Neat Records, 1996)
- Satan's Serenade (Castle Records, 2004)
- Live and Revisited (Self released, 2013)
- Too Hot to Handle (Skol Records, 2015)[8]
See also
References
- 1 2 3
- ↑ "History | Quartz". Quartztheband.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- 1 2 "CANOE - JAM! Music - Pop Encyclopedia - Fludd". Jam.canoe.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- 1 2 "Quartz Confirm Death of Former Singer Mike 'Taffy' Taylor". Ultimateclassicrock.com. 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "Original Quartz Singer Mike 'Taffy' Taylor Dies". Blabbermouth.net. 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ Popoff, Martin (1993). Riff Kills Man! 25 Years of Recorded Hard Rock & Heavy Metal. Power Chord Press. ISBN 0-9697707-0-7.
- ↑ "Quartz | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-09-29.
- ↑ "Quartz (10) - Too Hot To Handle (CD, Album)". Discogs.com. 2015-01-31. Retrieved 2016-09-29.