Who would have thought that a scene as parochial and localised as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal would have gone on to change the face of heavy music? Yet it did, and against the odds went on to influence various strands of extreme metal from speed and thrash to death and black. Instrumental in coalescing the scene, Neat Records brought a host of bands to national (and global) prominence, predominantly via lovely slabs of 7” vinyl. Now collected as All Systems Go: The Neat Singles Volume 1, this compendium, encompassing five glorious years, perfectly illustrates why the NWOBHM was, and still is, so highly regarded.

The impact that punk had on NWOBHM is highly contested. Despite Iron Maiden’s eponymous debut album dripping with attitude and aggression, bassist Steve Harris denies any punk influence, while Saxon’s first album sounds like classic UFO, but vocalist Biff Byford does acknowledge a punk inspiration. Go figure! However, one undeniable similarity between punk and metal was the 7” single as the chosen format (at least initially), and that’s where All Systems Go steps in. While some of these bands went on to have lengthy careers others, just like many punk bands, released just a solitary single, but thankfully, Neat Records was there to document the scene.

The great thing about this set is that there’s been no whitewashing of history. Based out of Impulse Studios in Tyne and Wear, Neat Records wasn’t always always a metal label, and it took a few false starts before they found their feet. Those two missteps aren’t included here, but they are documented in the booklet. However, the Neat story really came to life with their third release; the Tygers Of Pan Tang’s ‘Don’t Touch Me There’ in 1979. There’s a definitely a punk edge here in the band’s raw and confrontational sound, yet you can’t categorise it as anything but heavy metal, and it’s easy to hear why the band became firm favourites on the biker scene. In opposition, it seemed that the only driving force behind punk was to destroy the past, but for the bands spread over these four discs, the past was sacrosanct, to speak ill of any of your musical forbears would risk ostracism (at the very least). Therefore, there’s a strong progressive bent to many of these tracks; White Spirit’s ‘Back To The Grind’ comes saturated in Yes styled keys and harmonies, while the riff that powers Blitzkrieg’s eponymous track totally rips of Focus’ ‘Hocus Pocus’, but it is more in homage than nefarious copycatting, yet it perfectly highlights the scene’s musical lineage with roots that dig deep.

In those pre-internet days where ideas (and demo tapes!) travelled a lot slower, it’s hardly surprising that the majority of Neat’s roster came from the North East (Tygers, Raven, Venom), but what is notable is that none of them inhabited the same sonic space, in fact there’s no two songs that sound similar, and from the apocalyptic punch of Venom’s ‘Blood Lust’ to the sweetly melodic ‘Still In Love With You’ by Valhalla, this collection takes in the whole spectrum of heaviness. Most metalheads will have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the bands contained herein, yet it’s still guaranteed to throw up a few surprises. I’d never heard a good cover of ‘Born To Be Wild’…until I heard Accept’s Udo Dirkschneider’s union with Raven on a very excitable version, and one that pushes all the needles in the red (and if you want to know from where The Darkness’ Justin Hawkins borrowed his chops then look no further than Raven’s John Gallagher).

Running chronologically, this set not only tells the story of Neat Records, but the wider metal scene in general, and is a worthy addition to any collection.

• All Systems Go: The Neat Singles Volume 1 is released via Cherry Red Records/HNE Recordings on 29th March 2024.

Track List:

Disc One:

1. Don’t Touch Me There – Tygers Of Pan Tang

2. Burning Up – Tygers Of Pan Tang

3. Bad Times – Tygers Of Pan Tang

4. Name, Rank And Serial Number – Fist

5. You’ll Never Get Me Up In One Of Those – Fist

6. Back To The Grind – White Spirit

7. Cheetah – White Spirit

8. Don’t Need Your Money – Raven

9. Wiped Out – Raven

10. Black Ice – Aragorn

11. Noonday

12. In League With Satan – Venom

13. Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil) – Venom

14. Always Ready For Love – Bitches Sin

15. Sign Of The Times – Bitches Sin

16. Buried Alive – Blitzkrieg

17. Blitzkrieg – Blitzkrieg

18. Hard Ride – Raven

19. Crazy World – Raven

20. Lonewolf – Raw Deal

21. Take The Sky – Raw Deal

Disc Two:

1. Blood Lust – Venom

2. In Nomine Satanas – Venom

3. Rock Out – Steel

4. All Sysytems Go – Steel

5. Crash, Bang, Wallop – Raven

6. Rock Hard – Raven

7. Run Them Down – Raven

8. Firepower – Raven

9. Axe Crazy – Jaguar

10. War Machine – Jaguar

11. Roll The Dice – Heavy Pettin’

12. Love Times Love – Heavy Pettin’

13. Hot Lady – Dedringer

14. Hot Licks And Rock And Roll – Dedringer

15. Take It Or Leave It – Crucifixion

16. On The Run – Crucifixion

17. When It Comes Down To Love – Warrior

18. Stab In The Back – Warrior

19. Kansas City – Warrior

20. The Wanderer – Fist

21. Too Hot – Fist

Disc Three:

1. Coming Home – Valhalla

2. Trouble With You (Ain’t Looking For Trouble) – Valhalla

3. Miracle Man -Sabre

4. On The Loose – Sabre

5. Ridin’ High – Persian Risk

6. Hurt You – Persian Risk

7. Could Have Done Better – Alien

8. Hot ‘N’ Heavy Express – Avenger

9. Knocked Out – Black Rose

10. All Systems Go – Hellanbach

11. 44- Hellanbach

12. Bridges – Jess Cox

13. Check It Out – Jess Cox

14. Die Hard – Venom

15. Acid Queen – Venom

16. Bursting Out – Venom

17. Break The Chain – Venom

18. The Ballad Of Marshall Stack – Raven

Disc Four:

1. We Have Arrived – Saracen

2. A Face In The Crowd – Saracen

3. Too Wild To Tame – Avenger

4. On The Rocks – Avenger

5. Wild On The Run – Tobruk

6. The Show Must Go On – Tobruk

7. Eat The Rich – Tysondog

8. Dead Meat – Tysondog

9. Something Special – Emerson

10. Stars In Hollywood – Emerson

11. One In A Million – Jess Cox

12. Bad Time Girl – Jess Cox

13. Still In Love With You – Valhalla

14. Jack – Valhalla

15. Moon Rising – Crucifixion

16. Green Eyes – Crucifixion

17. Jailbait – Crucifixion

18. Warhead – Venom

19. Lady Lust – Venom

20. Seven Gates Of Hell – Venom