As the 1970s faded from view and the world of post-punk rock n’roll waited to see what could possibly happen next, the London club scene was already percolating one of the most unexpected hybrids of all.
Running steadfastly against the prevalent fashions, bands like Girlschool, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard emerged with all the energy and attitude of punk, but transplanted into the realm of classic heavy metal – a new wave indeed that was destined to sweep all before it.
Of all the bands that arose, Tank were quite possibly the heaviest of them all, at the same time as they were the punkiest, too – founder member Algy Ward, after all, arrived fresh from the dynamism of The Saints and The Damned; bandmates Peter and Mark Brabbs were unknown beyond their home town of Croydon, but were the perfect foil for Ward’s wild intentions all the same.
Three albums spun out before the original line-up shattered, with the third, 1983’s This Means War, also introducing a fourth member, guitarist Mick Tucker, and a brutal two guitar frontline that sent Tank’s already formidable firepower into the stratosphere.
The only downside was, one of the new line-up’s most coruscating songs, “The Man That Never Was” didn’t even make the album. Instead (at least for now), it was tucked away as the b-side of the single “Echoes of a Distant Battle.” Yes, a whole new line-up of the band would return to it on their next album, while it has also been restored to something approaching its rightful place among the CD bonus tracks on Cleopatra’s forthcoming reissue of This Means War (these also include the song’s demo).
At the time, though, it was all but lost.
Today, however, it steps fully into the spotlight as Tank’s latest single, its raw guitar and metronomic beat a showcase not only for the two axemen, but for Algy, too – his opening scream alone blasts the song into a whole new dimension!
Drummer Mark Brabbs recalls, “The title for ‘The Man Who Never Was’ came from a late 50’s war thriller film of the same name, except Algy sings ‘The man THAT never was’ instead of ‘…WHO never was’!
“Algy’s pre-production lyrics followed the film’s storyline, but he rerecorded the vocals on his own in the studio, and he changed quite a few of the lyrics! So whilst the title remained the same it’s doubtful, in my mind, that the lyrics still follow the film’s concept!”
SINGLE: https://orcd.co/tank_themanwhoneverwas
Cleopatra are almost halfway through the long-awaited reissue of seven primal Tank albums, with the classic Filth Hounds of Hades and Power Of The Hunter already in the stores, and This Means War just weeks away from its October 23 release date.
Like its predecessors, the CD and vinyl releases are packed with rare photos, and detailed liner notes, while drummer Mark Brabb recalls, “We went a bit more metal than we ever had done in the past, but it was a natural progression.”
Recording in what amounted to a well-soundproofed tent on a north London industrial estate, the album was overseen by ex-Argent bassist John Verity, fresh from producing Saxon’s first album. ““I liked John’s approach,” continues Mark. “We needed someone who could bring out the sound that we wanted… and I really liked what John did. It was refreshing for us, it was new, it was kind of ‘wow, we sound quite mainstream now,’ which was something we’d never really thought about in the past.”
Mick Tucker adds, ““Algy wanted it to sound like Rainbow Rising. That was the thing, and that’s what we tried to do.”
They succeeded, too. But they also achieved something else, a dynamic album that today stands proud among the last truly classic LPs of the entire NWOBHM era. And “The Man Who Never Was”… well, it was one of the movement’s last truly classic b-sides.
CD/VINYL: https://cleorecs.com/search?q=tank+this+means+war
DIGITAL: https://orcd.co/tank_thismeanswar
Track listing
1. Just Like Something From Hell
2. Hot Lead Cold Steel
3. This Means War
4. Laughing In The Face Of Death
5. If We Go (We Go Down Fighting)
6. I (Won’t Ever Let You Down)
7. Echoes Of A Distant Battle
8. Swapiyayo (hidden track original LP versions)
9. The Man Who Never Was – 12″ EP B-side
10. Whichcatchewedmycuckoo – 12″ EP B-side
11. The Man Who Never Was – Demo
