Questions by Michael Bakoulas (2012)
The JAMESON RAID story began way back in the '70s. What memories do you have of the early days, when you were named NOTRE DAME? Did you play cover songs at that time or was it always original tracks you were doing? What bands were you listening to at the time that influenced you?
Haha…..Michael. Notre Dame was even before my time…! About 1975 I think, and I joined at the end of ’76. I can tell you that JR did play some covers because we still did some after I joined. I remember a Budgie song called Breadfan, and a song called Suicide from Thin Lizzy. There were 1 or 2 more but we agreed when I joined that we would only do original material from then on.
Influences are very difficult to define. Black Sabbath, The Who but also the Welsh band Man. Cream maybe, and Manfred Mann’s Earthband….Lizzy, Zeppelin..Oh! Too long a list….I was also influenced by the first people I played music with, particularly a guy called Nail who was into the Blues & Rock & Roll……
Then came the name change – did this also mark a change of musical direction, or did it simply seem like a good idea? Maybe your own arrival was a factor in this decision?
The name had changed just before I joined because Ian and John were not happy with Notre Dame or Spectate 11, another early name. I loved the name Jameson Raid and think it’s a way better name than the others!
At one stage you were managed by JUDAS PRIEST’s ex-manager (at least according to the International Encyclopedia of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal from 1983). For some this may sound like a big deal, for others it may mean nothing. Obviously it didn’t quite work for the RAID, but could you tell us how this affected your career at the time?
Indeed, John Hinch (who was JP’s ex-drummer) became our manager at the very time that John and Ian had decided to leave the band. He persuaded them to stay whilst he tried to get us a deal and some higher profile gigs…which he was very good at. In that way it was a big deal. Unfortunately, Ace and Smith’s attitude had soured and internally the band was not the same. Writing new songs and rehearsing became very difficult and without a Million Dollar Contract the ending was inevitable.
This made Phil Kimberley and myself determined to continue. We replaced our 2 friends with 2 new guys, Mike Darby and Pete Green, and proceeded with a line-up that I call JR2. This line-up was equally successful and did some great gigs from 1980-82, also writing some very strong JR songs. A vinyl special edition of this line-up’s music is set to be issued this autumn on High Roller Records [out by now of course - Ed]. Many of today’s fans tell us that they were introduced to the band during this period and, of course, Pete Green re-joined the band in 2011 giving us a great boost with his outbursts of humour and great playing style.
In general, people think that hard rock virtually died with the appearance of the punk movement and that as a result, the NWOBHM exploded a few years later. What are your thoughts on that, as you were there to witness it.
I think that’s a fair comment. It was the music press that killed Hard Rock. They jumped en masse on the Punk bandwagon, which normally wouldn’t be so bad, but included in their statements about Punk bands they took over like little sheep an integral part of the Punk bands’ propaganda…which was a vitriolic slagging off of any band playing rock or metal or anyone having long hair. Only very few rock journalists, people like Malcolm Dome, were prepared to write anything positive about Metal music. At this time, in 1977-8, we talked about stopping with the Raid. It was an extremely difficult time. However, we decided F**k ‘em! We love our music so we are going to play it and eventually people will see through the haze of lies and put downs. NWOBHM was born out of us and other bands thinking like this.
Did you feel part of something bigger that was beginning to happen in the UK when you released Seven Days of Splendour - one of the earliest slices of vinyl to be included in the long catalogue of the NWOBHM?
The short answer is, no. Jameson Raid played hundreds of gigs a year, one of the things that made us so tight on stage. We didn’t have time, and besides, all you could read about was Punk. Punk. Punk. No record companies, that we knew of, were interested in releasing Metal so the only way forward was to do it yourself. Record it yourself, design it yourself and distribute it yourself.
What was the reason for the two variations of the cover of the Seven Days... single?
Together with Tom Galley, we could only afford 1000 copies. These went very quickly much to our surprise, and had a white background with black logo. When we realised we could afford to have some more made, we deliberately decided to reverse the colour scheme so that fans from the 1st hour could say they had the very first JR record. 2000 of these were made. I myself no longer have a copy of the 1st printing. Damn it!
You have been hailed by your fans as one of the best live acts in your area at the time. What other bands do you remember sharing the stage with? Do you remember any weird incidents worth mentioning?
We are still proud of that reputation. I don’t think any band ever blew us off stage. Our mix of Metal and show was too strong. It’s a fact that other, better known acts, didn’t want to work with us, and we had many compliments from other musicians. Nice was one of the guitarists from Def Leppard who after a show in our home town came up to us and said, “You were better than us tonight.” Not many bands can handle their egos that well. We played with Judas Priest a couple of times but they were better than us! That made us up our game, I can tell you. We played a self-penned song called Hell for Leather and took it as a compliment when they recorded a song called Hell Bent for Leather shortly afterwards……..It did force us to drop the song from our act because we didn’t want people to think we had copied them.
At one gig the singer of the support band tried to hit me when I assed him off about throwing a mike he’d borrowed from us on the floor. He missed, and the Hell’s Angels who often ran security at our gigs grabbed him and “escorted” him outside. I asked them what they had done with him and they just said, “There was a very large puddle in the car park!”
Was there any particular 'act' or theme behind JAMESON RAID’s live shows, or were they simply driven by the energy of the band itself?
We were a bit rough and tough, more bikers than anything else. Theme wise? Well, we had our own identity and our own “title” song called The Raid. We always used effects in our live shows and still do; a combination of dress, props and lyric driven interaction, lights, smoke, the unexpected… and we really enjoy being loud and dirty. We fought on stage, threw things, which gave our chief soundman Roger nine stitches, and me many bruises. Ian once appeared in goggles and flippers…. and pants so tight…. Lots of laughs, also on stage. Generally speaking you wouldn’t want us brought home by your daughters……But it happened!!
You were included in the historic Metal For Muthas II compilation – a release which you have expressed disappointment with on previous occasions. In my opinion (and many others') your track is one of the highlights of the album. So what was your main complaint with this compilation, and why did you appear as THE RAID rather than JAMESON RAID?
Everybody used to say things like, When are the Raid on? What’s the Raid doing? In your 3rd question you do it yourself, Mike. We took that over and thought OK, if they call us The Raid we’ll call ourselves that too. Big mistake...
Our complaint was simple. Studios at that time were much more primitive than now and we had a limited amount of time to lay down a track and make it sound good. EMI paid the bill but the limit, we knew, would quickly be reached. So it was but as luck would have it we got the perfect sound in the studio, the sound you always look for but never achieve. We were over the moon. We sent the track to EMI and sat back to wait for the release of the album and perhaps to hear our fans say 'great'...
Someone at EMI decided he could do a better job! He re-mixed the track, without telling us of course... why should he? So when the LP finally arrived, instead of the glorious, powerful Hard Lines we thought we had recorded and mixed…….we got the track you know. Not bad is the best I can say of it… but thanks for your comments.
Your second 7” single was a more straightforward hard rocking release, another classic single in my opinion. The name of the single End of Part One suggested the closing of a chapter – was this your intention, or was there a broader meaning to this title?
This signaled Ian & John’s departure from the band as in End of… but also Phil and mine’s intention to continue with Part One.
Both of your releases have a great sound and a very original style, and given your constant and acclaimed gigging, one wonders how you didn’t get picked up by a record label, either major or indie (like Heavy Metal Records). Did you get any offers from companies at the time?
As I’ve said, we were maybe not the people you wanted to mix with back then. On top of our abilities we were also arrogant and unyielding. Good qualities to have sometimes but you need to understand that it meant we said a firm “No!” to more than one record company who had the money and desire to back us all the way. When EMI offered us a deal in 1980 which was a company that was one of our top choices, John Hinch was forced to say no because of Ian and John’s desire to leave the band. That’s life.
What do you remember from the recording sessions back in the '70s and '80s? In your opinion, what are the main differences between today’s digital studios and the days of analogue recording?
We had great fun making our records and surrounded ourselves with people we liked to help us do it. We laughed a lot but put in some hard work as well. But please, give me a modern studio every time. Everything took sooooo loooong…..These days it is so much quicker. You rarely hear of a band spending months in the studio these days. Thank a god.
When JAMESON RAID disbanded, it seems like you disappeared from the music scene Terry. Was it the bitter taste of not making it with the RAID that made you stop doing music, or did you continue playing in smaller local bands?
JR2 also came very, very, close to a major recording contract but didn’t get it. It was ’82, Mike Darby had left the band and been replaced by Steve Makin, who went on to play for Slade after we quit. Phil and I were disheartened, and married. Morbid despair set in and yes, a certain bitter taste was present. I opened an inn and restaurant. Phil made himself a career. Then I got divorced and moved to the Netherlands when I met my current wife. I did start a band in the 90s called The Dark Sunbirds. Local guys, good players but no ambition. I also sang covers for a while to keep my voice going. In 2009 JR decided to hold the reunion which took place in 2010.
I bought the Seven Days... single in the mid '90s and at that time and for some years afterwards the band's name had faded into obscurity. Then all of a sudden your name reappeared on the hard rock map: you reformed, had albums released, and played live again. What was the motivation that got you back in 'business'? Did you expect to make such an impact in the heavy metal world after an absence of so many years?
The reunion came about because of the internet. Suddenly people were talking about us and could compare notes. Steve Reynolds started his net site Paul Britton did a MySpace page and let’s not forget Roxxcalibur, the German metal covers band who recorded Seven Days and put it on their 1st CD. I saw these things and suggested to the guys we do a reunion gig, basically before one of us keeled over and died. They agreed - somewhat reluctantly, but they agreed. This was our 2nd reunion, we got together in 1992 but didn’t play a gig we just hired a room and blasted away for a few hours. We had no thoughts of making an impact anywhere, and it wasn’t until we did the Headbangers Open Air gig in Germany, our first ever foreign gig, and were literally stunned to see fans from all over the world singing along with the songs, that we realised how deep the interest in the band was.
The Just As The Dust Had Settled compilation is an amazing release, especially in its vinyl form – a must have for any hard rock fanatic. Apart from the tracks included on this anthology, is there any other unreleased material you plan on using sometime in the future, perhaps as a 'Part II' compilation?
Thank you. I think JATDHS is a good album. As I said earlier a new vinyl release is imminent. High Roller Records are issuing a special edition featuring the Darby/Dark/Green/ Kimberley line-up and the music we made from 80-82. Many new songs and unheard versions dug from our attics and pumped up to an acceptable level by Sam Bollands, a nephew of our original soundman Roger, who sadly passed away some years back. The album is fittingly titled, “The Beginning of Part 2.”
In recent years you’ve played at festivals outside the UK, but did you do any touring in Europe in your early days? Was there any interest from overseas when you first released your singles, or was your support back then limited to the UK?
We never left the UK shores to gig until 2010. Ha! No internet in 1979 so if there was interest we never heard of it. It was odd that shops reported American tourists buying up all the JR singles they could get hold of.
You have some new members in the band these days: Kalli and Neudi from Germany’s ROXXCALIBUR, a NWOBHM tribute band which has helped to make JAMESON RAID a more familiar name in recent years. Can you explain how they ended up in the ranks of the RAID? Did your own re-location to the Netherlands inform this decision?
As soon as I saw Kalli and Neudi playing, which was in 2009 when I did a guest appearance at the Keep It True Festival in Germany, I was struck by their musicianship, their joyous approach to making Metal music, and their in depth knowledge of the genre. When Ian left to return to Thailand, Pete and I immediately asked Kalli if he would like to join, and when Phil left, Neudi was first choice for all three of us.
How do you overcome the geographic separation of your members?
We are working hard on our new CD. Obviously we can’t get together every week. We make demos of the new songs and send them to each other for comments, etc. Then, when we do get together, we work on those songs we think show potential. This system is working well. Airplanes, ships and cars do the rest.
What’s the future of the band now, are you planning on recording any new material?
We are definitely making a new CD and have several tracks ready for it. Kalli has his own studio facilities so we will record there and then look for a producer to add the final touches. Personally speaking, this makes me very happy. It’s great to work with these guys and we really want to make a Jameson Raid CD that people will talk about. The mix of UK and German styles, old school and modern Metal with Hard Rock and god knows what else influences, has got me excited. I suppose it’s also very strange when you realise that this will be our first proper CD, with all new songs. JATDHS was a collection of old material from different recordings. JR Live at the O2 Academy was a live album, and The Beginning of Part 2 is also made up in the same way as JATDHS. This CD will be a new departure for Jameson Raid. New songs. New people. I just hope people like it.
Thanks for the interview! Please add anything else you'd like to mention, and leave us with a final comment.
It’s amazing to me that these things are happening with Jameson Raid, and very satisfying too. What started as a simple friends' reunion has grown into something else, that’s obvious. We shall see just what it finally becomes but believe me when I say my ambition to write songs that will stand the test of time, and Pete's, Kalli’s and Neudi’s fantastic contributions, including song writing, are highly motivating. Jameson Raid is beginning on a new phase and who knows where it may lead.
Thanks for the intelligent and well researched questions, Michael.
Metal Greets,
Terry Dark
The Netherlands, August 2012.
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