5 Stars
Audio CD (paid link)
Back in 1977, Nutz, the rock band from Liverpool, were on the cusp of the wave to breaking through.
They had already done the hard work, with plenty of tours in support of such big names as Black Sabbath, Status Quo, Motorhead, and Budgie. Many headline gigs in smaller venues playing anywhere the length and breadth of Europe that would have them. A show-stealing set on the Friday of the Reading Festival in 1976. They had also released two previous well-received albums: Nutz 1974 and Nutz Too 1975 (Get it?) They were positioned as ready to be the next big thing. They were then struck down by punk rock as many of their contemporaries were. In 1977, Europe was not a good place to be a mainstream rock band.
Nutz were put in the dinosaur bracket (which seemed a bit harsh as they were still in their mid-twenties, younger than most of the so-called punk groups), discarded by many, as everyone cut their hair into spiky messes, ripped their new t-shirts and put safety pins through their noses.
This was terribly unfair, as Hard Nutz was a brilliant album of fine polished hard rock. The album’s producers, Gary Lyons and John Sinclair went on to produce Foreigner’s multimillion-selling debut album later that same year. But then, rock bands in America still meant something whilst living alongside the Punk Rock warriors.
The album, featuring the original Nutz lineup of David Lloyd on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mick Devonport on lead guitar and vocals, combined with the amazing rhythm section of Keith Mulholland on bass guitar and the envy of every band in the land John Mylett on drums. Additionally, Kenny Newton had been brought in on a huge rank of keyboards to fill out the sound and turn Nutz into a true classic rock band.
David Lloyd and Mick Devonport shouldered most of the songwriting credits between them. As they were so in tune together, it was often difficult to tell who had written what. David Lloyd’s songs may have been a little bit more pop/commercially tinged. Whilst Mick Devonport’s efforts had a more brutal edge, giving Nutz a fully rounded sound.
The album opens with what had become the traditional Nutz opener on the live stage, ‘Seeing Is Believing.’ Starting off with John Mylett’s rolling around his kit before several crescendos of all the instruments together, leaving Mick Devonport to blurt out the riff giving it plenty of welly, before passing to Kenny Newton, allowing him to stretch his fingers. Then David Lloyd comes in with a verse and then chorus, by which time the whole band are in full flight.
The multi-tracked vocals were another valuable feature in Nutz’s armory. This is followed by a healthy chunk of boogie rock, ‘I Know The Feeling,’ an excellent song for David Lloyd to show off his pipes. David Lloyd in his down time had also been the voice of Cadbury’s Flake in the television adverting with their raunchy theme soundtrack. Many of you will remember from watching ITV in the mid-seventies.
Then we have the stomping ‘Loser,’ which features the great lyric “Take Me to your leader, I want out.” (I know how he feels.) ‘Loser’ segues straight into ‘From Here To Anywhere,’ one of the best songs to ever come out of the Nutz cannon. A tale lamenting the passing of the innocence of youth, it’s as close as Nutz get to a ballad on this album.
The calm is then disbursed by John Mylett thrashing into his double bass drum kit as he introduces the Nutz standard-bearer, ‘Wallbanger.’ It’s a total rave-up. Everything. Everywhere. All at once. Keith Mulholland’s bass playing underpins all the antics of the three others at the front of the stage. This studio version comes in at under four minutes. Live, this could easily be run up to fifteen minutes or more. When Nutz were going around the traps, playing support to much bigger commercial bands, they would often have it written into their contract that they weren’t allowed to play this as the main band did not want to go on after it. Personally, I don’t blame ‘em.
This concluded side one of the vinyl edition. Once it was flipped over, there was plenty more treasure on the other side.
Starting with ‘Pushed Around’ – a great song of rebellion and standing nothing from others. If you had to charge the ramparts, heavily outnumbered, this would be the rough house song to have as the soundtrack. Mick Devonport’s guitar is at its harshest. David Lloyd is in commanding form. Kenny Newton solos, a fury when unleashed, whilst Keith Mulholland and John Mylett lock down the rhythm with frightening precision.
‘Beast Of The Field’ was a riff-heavy song that was a firm live favorite, often anchoring down the mid-section of the Nutz live set. For sure, a must play in the setlist. ‘Sick and Tired’ is an up-tempo driving song about the foibles of playing support slots and badly managed gigs which Nutz had more than their fair share of.
‘Down On My Knees’ is a great rocker with some excellent guitar work from Mick Devonport. Then in many ways comes the highlight to finish off the album, one of the best cover versions of a Bob Dylan song. (Yes, I do know about ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ by the Byrds and Hendrix’s ‘All Along The Watchtower.’ I did say “one of.”) ‘One More Cup Of Coffee’ is taken to new heights. Mick Devonport’s guitar screams out from the desperation of the lyrics so well sung by David Lloyd. It is a show-stopping moment. If Mr. Zimmerman ever heard this, I do hope he took note. Might have even put a smile on his face. So Hard Nutz concludes after forty minutes of pure class Seventies Rock.
Now you have read me rattling on about how good a live band Nutz were? Well, now is your chance to find out.
On the newly released, remastered, expanded Hard Nutz, those industrious, good folk from Rock Candy Records have unearthed an old recording from BBC One’s In Concert Series. This is where Nutz really excel. Years of experience shine through as the band comes out rockin’ from the first chords of ‘Seeing Is Believing’ and take it from there.
There is a wonderful moment when the musicians pull together ‘Loser’ and ‘Pushed Around’ with a section based around the ‘Magic Roundabout’ riff, an amusing and heartwarming moment. The version of ‘One More Cup Of Coffee’ proves that no studio trickery was used on the recorded version. ‘Beast Of A Field’ is so much heavier live than it was in the studio the first time around. Then, as a crowning glory, there is a full version of ‘Wallbanger’ clocking in just under ten minutes of unadulterated madness mixed with blinding musical skills. You can clearly hear why headline acts did not want to follow this monster.
Sadly, all that is released here are the songs from Hard Nutz from the set that night. (Which Nutz shared with another of Britain’s stalwart bands, Sad Café.) But perhaps the whole concert will be released in the fullness of time.
After Hard Nutz released one more album, a live one, the sadly neglected but magnificent album called Nutz – Live Cutz the same year, the band was dropped from their record label in favor of the new flavor of punk rock.
Four years later, the original four members got back together and had another go at the big time, changing their name to Rage with three more studio albums. But sadly, the tides of rock music were against our heroes from Liverpool again.
Their reputations can only be enhanced by the magnificent release. As well as all the music, the CD comes with a 16-page booklet including interviews with the band, unreleased photos, plus a 3,500-word essay.
Words by Mott The Dog
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