Description

2018 press on red vinyl with gatefold cover

Birmingham’s Quartz remains one of the 1970s’ greatest heavy metal enigmas. Championed by Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, who took it upon himself to produce the band, Quartz’s first album was so fraught with contradictions that it confused both metalheads and commercial rock fans. And understandably so, since, on the one hand, listeners get the saccharine lyrics of delicate acoustic singles like “Sugar Rain” and “Little Old Lady,” while on the other, there’s the full-on metal offensive of “Pleasure Seekers” and colossal opener “Mainline Riders.” A landmark of ’70s heavy metal, the latter’s inexorable march and signature bassline were so timeless that they would both later resurface with only small alterations on Sabbath’s epic “Heaven and Hell.” Powerful hard rockers like “Street Fighting Lady” and “Devil’s Brew” features excellent synthesizer work from bandmember Geoff Nichols, himself later adopted into the Sabbath fold. If you like harder 70’s rock, you should look no further than Quartz. It’s easy to forget this is a debut album, as the band has a profound air of professionalism, even authority, on this offering. Anyone seeking to expand their NWOBHM collection should seek it out, as should avid 70’s hard rock fans. If you like the sound of Priest’s earlier works, such as “Rocka Rolla” and “Sad Wings” as well as Rainbows Dio era stuff, and later Deep Purple, also highly recommended. An excellent debut. A bit more of a rock release than their thunderous follow-up though, and less refined and complex than their third album – this one is still very enjoyable underappreciated stuff.

Track list:
1. Mainline Riders
2. Sugar Rain
3. Street Fighting Lady
4. Hustler
5. Devils Brew
6. Smokie
7. Around And Around
8. Pleasure Seekers
9. Little Old Lady