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.
Eazy - Music Is The Master / Livin' On The Edge
(Pied Piper Records, 1989)While the vocalist tries his best to hide his inadequacies as a Robert Plant impersonator on the a-side (or perhaps he's aiming for Eric Adams? I can't really tell), the rest of the band try their best to deliver a full on sonic rock and roll assault on the flip. Do the two mix well together? Not really, as it almost feels like it's completely different bands playing on the two sides. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Egypt - Enter Thru The Red Door / Living In A Dream World
(Mere Image Productions, 1983)Great, doomy hard rock with a haunting organ on the a-side. Way too poppy 80’s era RUSH influenced rock on the flip, which unfortunately completely ruins the great mood set by the first song.
(Sleeveless copies = rarity 2) Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
EQ - You're Not Worth It / The Blue Angel
(MCE Records, 1981)What starts off as a decent "Spirit Of Radio" clone quickly degenerates to something that can at best be considered radio friendly hard rock, but unfortunately also contains various very mainstream sounding classic rock moments. Noteworthy for containing both a male and female singer and for being released on a semi collectible label. But that's all folks, the rest just doesn't cut it. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Essie X And The Banned - 2 Bad 2 Be 4 Given
(Nashinal Records, 1985)Yet another one of those "naughty female singer" releases, and a pretty generic glam metal oriented one at that. I'm getting tired of making all these MÖTLEY CRÜE comparisons, but there's just no other band that comes close. So there you go. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Exidus - Reaper / Solution
(Rising Sun Records, 1983)Early MANILLA ROAD space rockery combined with SABBATH-style down tuned guitars. Both songs were supposed to be included on an upcoming LP, of which copies have never surfaced and was most likely never released. Too bad, as this is high quality material, especially the doomy "Reaper". Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Exodus - Passin Thru / Hellp
(private, 198?)Naturally, this isn't the Bay Area band, but rather an obscure British Columbian act playing melodic hard rock with nicely crafted riffs, catchy choruses, harmony vocals and some competent playing all around. And while the "melodic" moniker might scare away some, the flipside, "Hellp", is well worth three minutes of your hard earned listening time. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Ezra - Livin’ / Teasers
(E.A.S. Records, 1977)Well above average hard rock which sounds a bit like a less metallic MISTREATER. "Teasers" is definitely the stand out track, featuring a catchy sing a long chorus just completely made for being sung at campfires, drunken parties and such. Not that incredibly hard to find, but quite sought after, and well worth getting for the b-side alone. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
