Chrome Molly are an English
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
band from
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
. They formed in 1982, releasing four albums before splitting up in 1991.
They re-formed in 2009.
History
The band formed in 1982, and after an early demo settled on a line-up of singer Steve Hawkins, guitarist John Antcliffe, bass guitarist Nic Wastell and drummer Chris Green.
[Larkin, Colin (1999) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Heavy Rock'', Virgin Books, , p. 97][Strong, Martin C. (2001) ''The Great Metal Discography'', MOJO Books, , p. 115] Mark Godfrey (Drums) replaced Chris Green after the release of the "You Said" EP (Bullet Becords, BOLT 10) in 1984 and prior to the recording of the band's debut album, ''You Can't Have It All...or Can You?'', which was released in 1985.
After the second album ''Stick It Out'' (1987), Antcliffe was replaced by Tim Read, and the band signed to
I.R.S. Records, their first single release for the label being the cover "Shooting Me Down" which was written by
Jim Lea and
Noddy Holder
Neville John "Noddy" Holder (born 15 June 1946) is an English musician. He was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the English band Slade, one of the UK's most successful acts of the 1970s. Known for his unique and powerful voice, Holder co ...
of
Slade
Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...
and produced by Lea; The single received heavy airplay from
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
but suffered from a dispute between I.R.S. and distributors
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
.
IRS released the third album ''Angst'' in April 1988, which included a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
Squeeze's "
Take Me I'm Yours
"Take Me I'm Yours" is the debut single (music), single by English New wave music, new wave band Squeeze (band), Squeeze. It established the band's trademark vocal style, with Chris Difford singing an octave lower than Glenn Tilbrook.
Backgrou ...
".
They toured as support act with
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
on his Raise Your Fist And Yell tour in 1988, with guitarist Andrew Barrott added to the line-up.
They moved on to the
Music for Nations
Music For Nations (MFN) is a British independent record label focusing mainly on rock and metal. It was a subsidiary of the larger label distributor Zomba Records, which was a division of BMG and later Sony Music Entertainment.
Launched in 1 ...
label for fourth album ''Slaphead'' (1990).
The band split up in 1991, although they played together as
Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
tribute band
A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style of an artist, such as Elvi ...
Von Halen a few times.
The band reformed in 2009 with members of the early line-up Hawkins, Antcliffe and Wastell joined by Greg Ellis, and announced a new album, ''Gunpowder Diplomacy''.
[Rockers return]
", ''Leicester Mercury
The ''Leicester Mercury'' is a British regional newspaper for the city of Leicester and the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The paper began in the 19th century as the ''Leicester Daily Mercury'' and later changed to its pre ...
'', 19 July 2010, retrieved 2012-05-02[Chrome Molly Return]
", ''Classic Rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
'', 24 June 2010, retrieved 2012-05-02
The band's first two albums were reissued by
Cherry Red sublabel Lemon Recordings in 2010.
The band returned to the studio with Toby Jepson from
Little Angels
Little Angels were an English hard rock band predominantly active between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. The band reformed on 8 June 2012 to play the Download Festival.
History 1984–1994: Early history and UK popularity
Little Angels formed i ...
in the producers chair, the album ''Gunpowder Diplomacy'' was released in 2013 by earMUSIC.
Johnny Antcliffe left the band in December 2014 to be replaced in 2015 by John Foottit, the band return to the studio in August 2015 to record their sixth studio album with Toby Jepson again in the production role.
[The return of Chrome Molly: 'We’re having the best fun. It’s like the best hobby in the world’]
", ''Leicester Mercury
The ''Leicester Mercury'' is a British regional newspaper for the city of Leicester and the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The paper began in the 19th century as the ''Leicester Daily Mercury'' and later changed to its pre ...
'', 19 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015
The band's 6th studio album ''Hoodoo Voodoo'' was released in January 2017 on Edel records.
In September former member Andy Barrott returned to the line up replacing Sam Flint. Andy was a member in the 1980s. Andy was formerly a member of Geddes Axe, Baby Tuckoo and The Dukes of Bordello.
Discography
Albums
*''You Can't Have It All...or Can You?'' (1985), Powerstation
*''Stick It Out'' (1987), Powerstation
*''Angst'' (1988), IRS
*''Slaphead'' (1990), Music for Nations
*''Gunpowder Diplomacy'' (2013) Edel
*''Hoodoo Voodoo'' (2017), Edel
;Compilations:
*''You Can't Have It All...or Can You?/Stick It Out'' (2010), Lemon
Singles
*"You Said" (1984), Bullet
*"Take It or Leave It" (1985), Powerstation
*"I Want to Find Out" (1986), Powerstation
*"Take Me I'm Yours" (1988), IRS
*"Thanx for the Angst" (1988), IRS
*"Shooting Me Down" (1988), IRS
See also
*
List of new wave of British heavy metal bands
The late 1970s–early 1980s period in the United Kingdom introduced a movement of young musicians, generally identified as the new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM). The movement spawned more than a thousand hard rock and ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chrome Molly
English hard rock musical groups
Musical groups from Leicester
Musical groups established in 1984
I.R.S. Records artists
New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical groups