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02-22 New Tygers Of Pan Tang Song, E
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Hailing from the tiny town of Whitley Bay in far northeastern England, the Tygers of Pan Tang (whose name originated fromthe MichaelMoorcock novel Stormbringer) formed when aspiring vocalist Jess Cox met guitarist Robb Weir at the local pub inNovember 1978. Weir, alongwith bassist Rocky Laws and drummer Brian Dick, had recently formed a band that combined thelessons of early-'70s heavy metal legendssuch as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple with the do-it-yourself ethos of punk -- anemerging style eventually dubbed the new wave of Britishheavy metal. After much rehearsing and gigging in the surroun ...read more
Hailing from the tiny town of Whitley Bay in far northeastern England, the Tygers of Pan Tang (whose name originated fromthe MichaelMoorcock novel Stormbringer) formed when aspiring vocalist Jess Cox met guitarist Robb Weir at the local pub inNovember 1978. Weir, alongwith bassist Rocky Laws and drummer Brian Dick, had recently formed a band that combined thelessons of early-'70s heavy metal legendssuch as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple with the do-it-yourself ethos of punk -- anemerging style eventually dubbed the new wave of Britishheavy metal. After much rehearsing and gigging in the surroundingarea, the foursome recorded a number of demos at Impulse Studios,whose owners (Neat Records) released their first single"Don't Touch Me There" in September 1979. Relentless touring across Britain followedas the band supported such childhoodheroes as the Scorpions and Budgie, as well as NWOBHM peers like Iron Maiden and Saxon. They alsosigned a deal with MCAand entered London's Morgan Studios in June to record their proper debut, Wildcat, which went straight into theBritishcharts at number 18 upon its released in July 1980.
Looking to beef up their sound, the band added virtuoso guitarist John Sykes just in time for their biggest gig ever at 1980sReading Festival.Despite this promising start, however, Cox decided to quit the group at year's end, citing the ever-popular"musical differences" and going onto form the short-lived Lionheart with the recently ousted Iron Maiden guitarist DennisStratton. Ex-Persian Risk vocalist Jon Deverill wasdrafted to replace him, and the revitalized Tygers of Pan Tang set to workon their new record. Widely considered their best effort, Spellboundhit the streets in April 1981 and was followed by anotherbout of touring, which kept the band nipping at the heels of NWOBHM powerhouseslike Iron Maiden, Saxon, and Def Leppard.Things began to unravel when MCA forced the band to write and record a follow-up in only threeweeks, though, resulting inthe uneven Crazy Nights (released in November 1981). European dates in support of Ian Gillan followed, butguitarist Sykesquit abruptly to join Thin Lizzy upon their return to England (he later achieved even greater success with Whitesnake andBlueMurder). The band soldiered on with new six-stringer Fred Purser, whose more commercial leanings were heard on 1982'sdisappointingeffort, The Cage. Everyone seemed to be giving up on the Tygers, including their management, which droppedthe band just prior to a sold-outtour of Japan. After a brief attempt at self-management, the group decided to call it quitslater that year, and a 1983 greatest-hits set seemedto close the book on the Tygers of Pan Tang. Surprisingly, Deverill andDick would resurrect a glammed-up version of the band in 1985 withbassist Dave Donaldson and guitarists Steve Lamb andNeil Shepherd. They released two albums: 1985's The Wreck-Age and 1987's Burning inthe Shade (featuring Shepherd'sreplacement Steve Thompson on guitar), both of which went absolutely nowhere and prompted another,apparently final split.1986 also saw the release of the original band's 1980 Impulse Studio demos by Neat Records, under the title First Kill.
During the late '90s, a revised version of the group was assembled to play the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. Theperformance waslater released in 2001 as Live at Wacken, while a reissued version of Live at Nottingham Rock City arrivedthat same year. Prompted by theircontinued popularity in metal circles, the Tygers officially reunited (albeit with a rotatinglineup, as members continued to exit the lineup) fora series of new albums, including Mystical, Noises from the Cathouse, and2008's Animal Instinct. « hide |
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