Description

Part 18 in the NWOBHM singles replica series. Limited 500 copies

The debut single and one of only a handful of releases from this band, they pull no punches laying down their heavy-and-melodic style here, and summing up everything right with the NWOBHM. Any band could get into a studio and churn out a single, and Fist took full advantage. Admittedly, there was some really crappy stuff coming out but this was on Neat, and Neat Records back catalogue is a NWOBHM goldmine, and this an absolute gem, a fantastic release. Sure, it’s only two songs, but they’re both listening pleasure. The single opens with the title track, one of my favourite songs of the whole movement. It opens with a fast, melodic riff followed by some accessible, listenable vocals. Despite these accessible vocals, they are delivering thrilling lyrics about torture and a chorus which has immense staying power, a simple delivery of “Name, Rank and Serial Number” with backing vocals and repeated. It’s such a basic idea, but it works so well. Minor gripe: verse-chorus ratio is skewed, ‘cos I love the verses and Keith Satchfield’s fantastic vocals are at their best here. In fact, the vocals are the x element which makes this song so successful. The second track, “You’ll Never Get Me Up (In One of Those)” is more of a grower, and you don’t love it straight away, it has to sit and then you must re-listen, like, to use a well-known example, …And Justice for All. The beautiful simplicity of the opener is lost here too, Fist over thinking themselves, and making a worse song for it. So it’s a cautionary tale, but that doesn’t mean that it’s bad, and it has some entertaining riffs and nice high-register vocals which are again fantastic. The track’s got great energy too, so it’s definitely not all bad, or bad at all. In conclusion, this is a great introduction to Fist or NWOBHM, and any fan of traditional metal will really dig this, but as with most of the wave, the good bands died whereas the crappier ones salvaged careers (looking at you, Def Leppard). But this is really wonderful stuff, so while it may not’ve been the most successful single we can all listen and savour the quality of this surprisingly original and audibly exciting music which was “just one of the many lost” in the words of the UFO song, which could break into the mainstream. Imagine where we’d be supposing it had.

Track list:
1. Name, Rank And Serial Number
2. You’ll Never Ge Me Up (In One Of Those)