Nutcase

i thought these albums by the nutz would never see the light of day on cd so when these came out back in 07 i was thrilled to say the least, sadly the nutz did not leave a big impact on the uk hard rock scene but they where regulars in the mid to late 70s opening for bands like thin lizzy ,nazareth and ufo in the uk, the vocals are very raw and the band heavy and tight, they sure where a very overlooked band like the quartz where back in the 70s, these cds are loaded with bonus tracks for your pleasure and they come in nice digi packs, well worth the money, brings back great memories as well from my early rockin years..................

i love the 4 albums the nutz did back in the 70s, its sad how forgotten they are and how they just came and went with a lot of other hard rock bands in the mid to late 70s, this is a fantastic album and one of there best, if you liked quartz, ufo,budgie, slade or nazareth then this cd totally belongs in your collection..................

This is early hard rock at its best. Excellent hooks and a sound on several tunes that is reminiscent of early Deep Purple. Some great vocal harmonies and a hard edge that you have to hear on real speakers with the sound turned up to really appreciate. If you like '70s rock, but this now.

I've been looking for this title for years. Very happy to finally find it.

fast... as advertised

Starting out from the streets of Liverpool (the birth place of some of England's finest bands, most notably of course "The Beatles") talented guitarist/songwriter Mick Devonport sought out the best musicians from the city to form a scouse super group to conquer the world, following in the footsteps of previous Liverpool bands.First recruit was powerhouse drummer John Mylett. John had his own tight distinctive style of drumming, powering the band along with flexibility using every single space of skin on his mass array of drums whilst adding thunder to the proceedings with his bass drum footwork. The Mylett drum solo mid-set was always a wonder to behold. There weren't many bass players who would not be swamped playing alongside this God of Thunder, but one was found in Mr. Keith Mullholand, who always played his bass as if he was a lead guitarist. He used to wear Doc-Marten boots on stage, as he stomped around so hard on the stage often breaking the wooden planking as his feet added another dimension to the rhythm section. Of course there, leading this trio was the mercurial Mick Devonport, a Jeff Beck admirer, who had practiced so long and hard that he was a match for his mentor, certainly more consistent, with great songwriting skills. A flamboyant showman with a wonderful sense of humour. But a front man still had to be found. Whilst the three of them were sitting in the local pub watching the telly, the Cadbury's crunchy bar advert came on with a raunchy soundtrack and a terrific vocal over dub. "If only we could find him", they thought. A quick phone call later and they found out that the young lad was a local Liverpool boy playing in the Cavern the very next day in his own band. That night lead singer David Lloyd was persuaded to break up his band and front this new quartet, aptly christened "Nutz".A residency was set up at the Cavern for the night time, and during the day they recorded their debut album. It was released in 1974 and, quite frankly, did not live up to expectations. Apart from two songs "Joke" and "Round & Round" it was not truly representative of their stage show. A re-think was in order. Back to the studios, and this time they put the edge into the songs. Right from the opening guitar break of 1975's "Nutz Too" opener "Natured Intended" you know how hard rock is supposed to be played. Seven hard rockin Mick Devonport rockers including the head bangin "Sinner". A cover of Pete Pizer's "Changes Coming" and three David Lloyd Ballads, including the beautiful "The Love That You Lost", with John "Rabbit" Bundrick (later of Free & The Who) on piano. "Nutz Too" got to the outer regions of the British Charts. Then a couple of bad decisions put a spanner in the works. A tour of America was a disaster as the albums weren't even out in the States due to complications with unions over printing rights. This tour losing them impetuous in the U.K., and sinking the band heavily into debt. But record company A & M Records stepped in and put them onto the Black Sabbath European tour of 1976, which gave the band excellent exposure, but was not a happy tour as by now Black Sabbath had turned into warring factions and were about too implode. Again salvation seemed to be on hand as Nutz were added to the mid-afternoon time slot on Saturday's Reading Festival, at the time the major rock event of the year. They went on for their forty five minutes set at the peak of their powers. When they came off, the crowd of 95,000 were baying for more. However, the contract said forty five minutes, no more, or they would be fined. Management for A & M records were there and told the boys not to go for an encore. In those circumstances who do you listen too? A suit from the record company or 95,000 screaming fans? They went back on playing 2 encores before the plug was pulled on them.A & M Records were furious. From that moment on tensions between record company and the band where at breaking point. The band went back into the studio to record a new album, recruiting Kenny Newton on keyboards to fill out the sound. "Hard Nutz" was released in 1977 with very little publicity and the band were sent out on the road with Welsh trio "Budgie", label mates on A & M, but combining Budgies decline, Nutz blowing the headlines off stage every night, and the advent of the dreaded Punk Rock, it stood no chance. In 1978 A & M completed their recording contract with Nutz by releasing "Nutz Live Cutz", an amazing album of pure raw hard rock `n' roll including a great version of the Nutz anthem "Wall Banger" clocking in at 12 minutes, plus tracks spanning all three albums. But with no publicity, A & M holding a contract that would run another 2 years, no financial support to tour, the album, which should have been huge, flopped. The moral of the story: don't upset the suits. So Nutz had to sit out their contract, but this was not the end......

Though the Japanese release in 1991 offered a most impressive sound, this Rock Candy 2018 CD release catapulted the sound to the next level. That's not to say (for Nutz fans) the Japanese release is not worth having as its still very clean with its own distinctive mastering. However, there are noticeable differences on dynamics, punch and separation without an over zealous remastering. Overall the acoustic tracks sound the best. The track "Just For The Crack" previously only available as a B Side, is a knockout hard rocker with a catchy riff. In addition, the live tracks are from August 19, 1974. Prior to purchasing this CD, I was wondering if they were the same recordings as on the ultra rare BBC Transcription promo LP with Nutz (live on the BBC) on one side and the group Jack the Lad on the other side. Fortunately it is not the same show as that LP was recorded on October 21, 1974. The live tracks presented here have limited information and the sound overall is reasonably good and balanced. Nutz fans will be pleased with this reissue and its worth the price for the bonus tracks alone.

I found out about this album when a progressive rock station in Minneapolis MN started playing a bunch of these tracks on a fairly regular basis. The album was actually available in Mpls record stores at the time and I had no trouble finding a copy of this first lp.I loved it then and I still think it's one of the better discs of the period. Really tight, smart guitar work, and heavy use of excellent three part harmonies throughout. Lots of variety in the approach to songs, and not really a bum song on the entire record (it's hard to separate favorites, although all side one was my fave). The band takes a 'Foghat' twin-guitar format and make it MUCH tighter, better played, better sung, and better written. By far the best album by this band. (Nutz Too was a disappointment and I stopped following the band).

I saw this band back .......ooh, now that would give my age away :) Anyway I loved them then and I still listen to them today. I have a worn and stretched tape of the original release and was delighted to see the re-issue with added live tracks.To me, the album is a classic example of bands that were influenced by the likes of Purple, et al., bringing their influences into the then 'New Wave of British Heavy Metal'. In many respects, there are echoes of Tygers of Pan Tang, Saxon, etc., with the additional sound of the ubiquitous Jon Lord-esque Hammond organ.If you like Purple, Rainbow, etc., and want to hear what some NWOBHM bands were doing with that sound, then give this a go.

On studio album No. 3, we find the original foursome plus a full time keyboards player and the recording venue now Sarm East in London under the production eye of Gary Lyons.I know the first two albums from when they were originally released but only got to hear Hard Nutz for the first time this year, largely because so many other people, presumably of a similar age to me, seem to rave about it. So my approach to it at this remove is different from those who know it of old.I like the Hammond organ here and there but overall Hard Nutz sounds like it's charged with a lot more energy than musical inspiration, as if the instructions from the control room were to hit everything harder, sing everything louder, make as much of a noise as possible and hopefully not too many people will notice that whilst you made one really great, fresh and innovative album back in 1974, that was a one-off, sadly never to be repeated.Heresy to some but that's how I feel about Hard Nutz. Funnily enough, Sister Hazel's excellent Fortress album from 2000, to which I'm listening as I write, puts me in mind of what a really good third Nutz album might have been like. Ho, hum.

This is fantastic album from a band who were sadly overlooked at the time. With the exception of the bonus extra track, all tracks are gems of the Classic 70s rock genre. A typical five man outfit with great guitar work and keyboard palying, a solid bass and drums combo and an excellent singer at his best on the Dylan penned song One More Cup of Coffee which is a much better version that the original.This album stands the test of time and is really well produced with some haunting keyboard work and a range of nice guitar solos epitomising the best of the sounds of the seventies.

Have been waiting for years for this album to be released on CD. The sound quality is really good considering how old it is.I still have the original LP, but having a remastered version is even better.

this is the first of the rock candy Nutz Remasters and theyve done a grand job with its bonus track and remastered sound this shows just how good a band Nutz were and how they should have been much bigger really