QUARTZ - Wildfire - Look Hear 1979

Quartz from Birmingham live on BBC tv Midlands Look Hear program in 1979
Line-up:
Mike Taylor (vocals)
Mike Hopkins (guitar)
Geoff Nicholls (guitar / keyboards)
Derek Arnold (bass)
Malcolm Cope (drums)
Track:
Wildfire

[@whytegroovin]

they were the perfect bridge between seventies hard rock and nwobhm !!!

[@portcullis5622]

At one of the first gigs I ever attended, I saw Quartz open for Rush at a packed Queen's Hall, Leeds in 1980. When I say packed, it was dangerously so. You could barely move.

[@cfbastiat]

Stand Up and Fight is a must-have album. It gets better with each listen.

[@lins265]

Fuckin' awesome. Don't matter how they look like, they were and still great. Hail to Quartz!

[@mickybiggs7256]

I knew Mick... he sang with my band many times, lovely funny guy xx

[@Firecrest76]

Saw Quartz live back in the day at legendary rock venue Bogarts and Digbeth Civic Hall in Birmingham, UK. Great band live and loved the single Nantucket Sleighride.

[@charllesxavier2897]

Classic heavy metal!! New wave of british heavy metal rules.! 🤟🤟

[@hugobear1]

No surprise as Iommi produced Quartz' first LP and they supported Sabbs on the Sabotage tour. Why is SABOTAGE never mentioned when people talk about Sabbath?? It's the heaviest LP ever made with the all-time greatest riffs. God, this stuff stops daily life slipping into the abyss. btw, also check out another band Iommi produced called Necromandus in 1971! rock on.

[@TristisMiserabilis]

Thank you Hugo, I did not know that, and I will!

[@paulede2230]

looking forward to seeing Quartz again later this year at Nuneaton, still sound as good as back then

[@MaidenMessiah]

Quartz had some awesome songs. Street Fighting Lady, Around and Around, Mainline Riders. Thanks for posting these. It's taken me ages to find Quartz on youtube. I once met the base player ordering a chinese takeaway! Great band from the past!

[@paulede2230]

Still going now. Saw them before lockdown.

[@robertclarke8456]

IT'S great when one of your old school pals fronts s great group me and Taffy played football and cricket in the same school teams from age 9years till leaving school aged 15 Taffy then joined my brothers group The Valentines playing locally around Bromsgrove Worc's. Glad he went on to better things 👍👍👍

[@chrishopkins77]

The riff in the verse starts out like the riff on Megalomania from Sabatoge (the one where Ozzy's singing "feel it slipping away...."

[@signsmusic1]

... while Geoff Nicholls (RIP) would soon join Black Sabbath...

[@robbyt3653]

Dude, I was thinking the same fucking thing! That part is very similar.

[@bluesoddity2094]

Judas Priest has like 14 songs that have that same riff😅

[@BRUMMIETIM]

Wildfire was released as single on Reddigton Rare Records an indepedant record label in Birmingham. alternative version of song appeared on acclaimed Stand Up & Fight album on MCA Records. Mick, Dek and Mal still producing stuff today. Geoff is still in contact and has recently been writing stuff on Tony Martin CD SCREAM. Taffy is takng it easy in Weymouth these days.

[@nikolaosmosxakis3395]

very good.............................................................................................

[@BillBailey0]

Lead guitarist used to work in Reddingtons Rair Records, nice to find this. "The theme music used throughout the series run was the closing bars of "Nantucket Sleighride", originally written and recorded by the progressive rock group Mountain"

[@rodrigozzy]

Geoff Nichols playing guitar! Awesome! Love that guy!

[@shoot_the_glass5654]

He did some keyboard work for sabbath in the eighties aswell

[@dave4]

I went out for steak and chips last night and ended up drinking with Derek the Bass Player in my local pub. Nice bloke.

[@markstoneman1585]

Saw quartz support Saxon, wheels of steel tour 1980 Birmingham odeon ✌

[@JerryMetal1979]

great year my year

[@GuitarFF]

Wow! This is from one of my all time favorite albums - always loved Quartz!

[@beowulf207]

Saw these live in the late 70's/early 80's...top band!!

[@paulede2230]

Saw them before lockdown. They do more in Europe than back home. They still have a big following over there

[@nightcomers66]

R.I.P. Mike Taylor

[@e30316]

These guys are excellent - many thanks for posting. I've got to track down their back catalogue now - my credit card company will love me....

[@alan1kenny]

these were a great band in their day !

[@bmmaaate]

I randomly bought this on 7" today as I wanted to hear Nantucket Sleighride and had never heard of this band. They are really good. I was not expecting the Chav/Glam look though! Adidas glitter rules!

[@IgorsDeepPurpleUniverse]

R.I.P Geoff Nicholls

[@JamesDurbinOfficial]

Vicious!!

[@thepetesuprize3126]

beautiful sabbath tone

[@Iratimalatesta]

WILDFIREEEE SMOKIN GRASS!!

[@HazeDisallo]

their debut album's "Quartz", is a Tony Iommi production. I Love Quartz!

[@nomisj1]

One of my favourites

[@KokoRicky]

As much as I love the later, more extreme metal (speed, thrash, black, death, etc.). there is a very special place in my heart for the NWOBHM. I really love the galloping, steady tempos, the hard rock roots, the ridiculous fashion, the carefree attitude. I wish I could have been around in the late 70s when the second wave began.

[@baldvale5418]

It was awsome : )

[@graffititigger]

This rendition rules! Much better than the album version. At the 3:17 point, the hair on my neck stands up. It is so intensely awesome!

[@Aladinsane77]

Awesome stuff

[@mykroz]

Nice Adidas suit

[@MrStarlight1980]

Also the two guitarists playing john birch SGs...birch built Sgs for iommi too!

[@nonrevnosnibormetalbeerrev6251]

Awesome tune

[@archiecrawley8797]

that green adidas jogging is really over the top !!!

[@gleivesvianabarroso8120]

Rock cru sem muita tecnologia muito bom épocas de ouro nao voltara mais so em videos como esse raros

[@sittingduhk]

this is awesome,

[@xnoelle25]

They look cool

[@BillBailey0]

Lead guitarist used to work in Reddingtons Rair Records, nice to find this.

[@atomicpunk7109]

True rockers.

[@souljacker3]

like the tracksuit

[@zosorunes91]

@chrishopkins77 some black sabbath influence for sure

[@D0NL18K0]

r.i.p mike taylor

[@crusingandbrusingtv3824]

Hail Quartz" \m/

[@hugobear1]

the b-side is the definitive version...the LP version is horribly neutered...STILL have it on my jukebox after all these years.

[@superfluppe]

There are a few songs by Quartz that I really like. The problem is that they were not very cohesive both in terms of songwriting and looks. Some bands don't have that chemistry or vision to make it . Tony Iommi gave them the equipment and the sound (he produced their first record) and they got to support Black Sabbath on many occasions, but that wouldn't take them too far ...

[@haskpts]

1979 .... Heavy track.

[@tet1963]

Image problem, it was 79' guys, dinner jackets and trackies were out, leather and jeans in, they supported Sabbath hence the very Sabbathy riffs.

[@dyr234]

too bad their wasn't a studio version of this song but this video and performance still makes it good enough

[@DoctorWho1983]

There was, off "Stand up and Fight" album

[@purplegrant]

@einaroneeye from 79/80 to around 2004. Longest time served in Sabbath after Tony Iommi.

[@hugobear1]

awesome...happy memories...Geoff Nicholls went on to Sabbath and still plays with them...their version of NANTUCKET SLEIGHRIDE was used for Weekend World, not Mountain's... great band - stuck between the 2 stools of trad metal and trendy NWOBHM

[@mark-wh2qc]

First album produced By Tony Iommi, Might explain the Sabbath Sound..

[@BenRangel]

mark wood Cool fact! Maybe that's why I love it so much. I think it sounds amazing and the sound on the record makes it feel a lot heavier than it could have been with another producer.

[@dyr234]

no way! was it really produced by tony?

[@shoot_the_glass5654]

I've got the hard copy of the first album, Tony is in the credits

[@RavishWarriors310]

SMOKIN GRASS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@lrn_news9171]

This is better than the studio version

[@graffititigger]

This version is better than the studio. The vocals are more intense.

[@corm1000]

also check out buffalo from down under they had a song called shlock that was as heavy as master of the universe and predated it by two years,

[@BRUMMIETIM]

Hugobear1 tend to agree with your comment although did you know that there is a 3rd version with geoff Nicholls on vocals that appears on Quartz Anthology double CD release in 2004 I think?

[@markrago5338]

Sounds like Megalomania off Black Sabbath Sabotage. Time keep slipping away, slipping into tomorrow.

[@tonygooda5641]

good old taffy on vocal's

[@SAHBfan]

I saw these guys at the Polytechnic Of Wales in 1979. I'm from the Midlands, but didn't get to see my local Hard Rock bands, Quartz, Jameson Raid, Split Beaver etc. until I went to college and they were good enough to follow me :-) A lot of these lesser known bands were really great, solid hard rock acts live that would blow a lot of the ponces who made the big time off the stage (you know who I mean ;-) Alas, by this time image and looks had too much to do with it when signing bands...

[@BenRangel]

Got any more old Quartz live videos? Would love to hear Stand Up and Figh, Stocking Up the Fires of Hello or Rock 'n' Roll Child but haven't been able to find em

[@NeilThompson30]

They were both managed by Don Arden for a while!

[@kentshowstopper]

saw them in 1980 at hammersmith supporting gillan, thank god that by then the singer had switched his dodgy track suit for a ozzy style fringed suede number. who was his stylist, jimmy saville??

[@TompComp]

Is this early inspiration for Justin Broadrick of Birmingham?

[@HevyImpaler]

I can't imagine 'em playing live Satan's Serenade with that attire ... specially Mike ''Joggin' '' Taylor, hehehe. Although this is indeed a burning track.

[@ozzy2k11]

these guys remind me of sabbath

[@evelskunny]

totaly not what i expected them to look like,a lil image make over would of helped,

[@antimente]

smokin grass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@edwardcastillo9750]

Did you notice same quitars as Iommi

[@mccartney2]

I used to own the independent release of this song...out on single in er 79 I think... the b side was a version of Nantucket Sleighride... it was a far superior version of "Wild Fire" .better production..more powerful than the later album version..with better vocals... the dinger sounding like Noddy Holder..I remember being very dissapointed with the album version.. it sucked !!

[@einaroneeye]

Didn't Geoff Nichols go on to spend some time on keys for Sabbath in the 80s?

[@lordstray]

How great was the 70/80 bands... where I can get the lyrics?

[@marceloacosta1742]

Es como jetro Tull pero mas diabólico y pesado👹

[@RueMorgueDweller]

Excellent song. Goofy outfits.

[@kostasxrysogelos]

Sounds a lot (and I mean A LOT) like "Megalomania".

[@MaidenMessiah]

I think if the front man had shaved his beard off, dyed his hair black, put some gel in it and put some leather clothing on Quartz may have been as successful as Iron Maiden. Sorry but it's sad they didn't fulfil their potential.

[@gardipa5653]

Sounds like Noddy

[@tet1963]

tOTAL IMAGE PROBLEM, OK SONG

[@lordharry423]

Great song he looks like a prancing kermit the frog

[@tet1963]

The image was crap then, hilariously naff, one of them has a smoking jacket on and the singer looks like he's out for a jog!!

[@billgeezeriommi]

The main riff sounds like Megalomania by Black Sabbath, at least they rip off a good band

[@D0NL18K0]

BillGeezerIommi mike taylor (singer) actually grew up with ozzy osbourne in brum

[@eldonb402]

The most over used riff in metal.

[@richardhewlett5603]

Over used like your mum.

[@eldonb402]

Richard Hewlett Wow, did you write that all by yourself? Good job!

[@richardhewlett5603]

Eldon B Don't cry.

[@lonegroover]

Saw this band supporting Rush in the '70s. Pretty awful Sabbath clones.

[@heresyify]

lonegroover, get over yourself tool, they are Quartz being Quartz. Everyone gets influence from somewhere.

[@ReidlyB1]

Yeah -- what a rip-off!

[@Olderthantimeitself]

Ah Bandylegs. Got to tour with Sabbath, became Quartz and churned out 3rd division music. This is crap.

[@libertadradio3036]

terrible..