Year : 1983 (Burnt Out Wreckords Remastered Edition 2019)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Scotland
Audio : 320 kbps + scans + Video
Size : 121 mb
Bio:
Heavy Pettin' first stirred into action when vocalist Hamie, guitarists Gordon Bonnar and Punky Mendoza, drummer Gary Moat and bassist Brian Waugh first burst out of Glasgow in 1981. They were vibrant, priapic, anthemic and focused. As they showed on a three-track demo, and on the subsequent debut single for independent label Neat (‘Roll The Dice’/’Love Xs Love’), they were more than mere Def Leppard slaves. In fact, the Pettin’ had an international sound that owed something to AC/DC, UFO, Thin Lizzy and Foreigner, but also had its own raging momentum.Not that the band found the road straightforward. But, thanks to a work ethic that took them around the country, plus a valuable session for Radio 1’s prestigious ‘Friday Rock Show’, the band eventually landed a crucial deal with the major label Polydor Records. Moreover, their 1983 debut album (‘Lettin’ Loose’) was co-produced by the creative Mack together with Queen guitarist Brian May. Now, that’s pedigree.Amazingly, that album has survived more than 20 years of high-speed hi-tech developments intact. While other, more celebrated records have dated badly, ‘Lettin’ Loose’ re-affirms the belief back then that the Pettin would follow Leppard to big time stature. What went wrong at the time has little to do with band, or lack of ambition/talent.In America, where they should have broken big long before Bon Jovi gave Love A Bad Name, they were held back by the label’s insistence on an anaemic re-mix (as well as a title change to ‘Heavy Pettin’, which caused more confusion than anything else). If the band’s essential, vital British brio had been left as conceived in the first place, who knows what might have been achieved. Still, a slot on the bill for the 1983 Reading Festival, the day that Black Sabbath infamously headlined when fronted by Ian Gillan, did them no harm and touring with Kiss, Ozzy, and Motley Crue helped the quintet’s progress.Two years later, the Pettin return to the studio, this time with producer Mark Dearnley (who’d worked with AC/DC and Krokus). The result? ‘Rock Ain’t Dead’, which surprised many with a slicker yet conversely tougher approach. The lads really had progressed, although ironically if things had gone to plan, this would have been produced by Lance Quinn, of Bon Jovi and Lita Ford fame. However, just hours before the band were due to fly to Philadelphia, to work with Quinn at his Warehouse Studios, the decision was taken by PolyGram (to whom both Heavy Pettin and Bon Jovi were signed in the US) that, instead, he should start work immediately on what was to be Jovi’s second record, ‘7800 Degrees Fahrenheit’.Perhaps then, it should have been obvious that record company politics were to scupper Pettin in the crucial American market. Despite continuing to show up well in the UK, once again the US was to prove elusive – through no fault of the five musicians. In many respects, this was the point when the writing was scrawled over every available wall space. Regardless of their obvious determination and grassroots support in Britain, it seemed as if Pettin’s realistic chance of significant international success had gone. A third album, ‘The Big Bang’, was released by FM Revolver in 1989. Although it still proved this lot were way ahead of so many others who were selling truckloads of units and getting acclaim from the media; as the 1980s faded into memory, so too did Heavy Pettin.Driven by a desire, a passion and a capacity simply to invoke the magic and rapport the band enjoyed, they released Prodigal Songs in 2007. The album was well received by their loyal fans and the limited pressing sold out making it a highly sought-after collector’s item.In 2017, original members Hamie, Punky, and Gordon joined by Jez Parry on bass and Michael Ivory on drums performed for the first time in 25 years at Scotland’s WinterStorm. Reinvigorated, Heavy Pettin, now joined by ex-Gun guitarist Dave Aitken due to Punky hanging up his guitar and going in to retirement, did several shows in 2018 including a 6 date UK tour, with 3 sold out gigs in Nottingham, London and Edinburgh, as well as 2 sold out headline gigs in Milton Keynes and Glasgow.The 2019 Heavy Pettin’ assault started in North Wales with HRH AOR Festival, then off to Germany’s Headbangers Open Air Festival in July, and a Aug/Sept tour including The Golden Age of Rock Festival Belgium, with Dee Snider and Angel, plus a mainland British tour with RockGoddess.Heavy Pettin’are currently finishing out the year recording and mixing a new EP for mid-February release.Hamie has said “…the demand and support for new HP material has been so overwhelming, we are excited to say we’re now working on brand new HP Album too! Which will also be released later in 2020… and it’s going great!"
Abum:
British cult rockers HEAVY PETTIN’ debut album ‘Lettin’ Loose’ has just been reissued at the end of 2019, remastered and with 2 bonus tracks, on Burnt Out Wreckords via Cherry Red Records.Signed by major label Polydor, this Heavy Pettin’ rockin’ debut was produced by Brian May and Queen engineer Mack, a confident display of the band’s talents with their catchy melodic hard rock being favourably compared to early Def Leppard.This Scottish quintet was formed in July 1981 when vocalist Steve Hayman and guitarist Punky Mendoza joined with guitarist Gordon Bonnar, bassist Brian Waugh and drummer Gary Moat.Taking their name from a UFO album, they toured the UK heavily, and their impressive three-track demo led to a single “Roll The Dice” through Neat Records, followed by a major contract with Polydor.Make no mistake, like a few other bands of that era, Heavy Pettin’ should have been huge from when they emerged in 1981 and this, their mainstream debut from ’83 still sounds fantastic with its mix of hard rock, NWOBHM and glam melodies packing a real punch to this day.Despite having Queen’s Brian May at the producer chair, ‘Lettin’ Loose’ sounds heavy, punchy. May respected the band’s sound at the moment and the result is as closest Heavy Pettin’ sounded in its origins.Listening back to the album the first thing that strikes you is the similar style they shared with Def Leppard, especially the early albums such as ‘High and Dry’ and ‘Pyromania’, with their mix of the melodic and heavy. There’s certainly elements of early Motley Crue and all the US scene too.Amongst the accessibility of their material, there’s some grit and heft and you have to wonder whether that was the issue that held back their ascent to the top as they were too heavy for glam fans and too melodic for the metalheads.‘In and Out of Love’ is a classic start of the album, full of Leppard’s snarling youthful attitude but with an extra portion of shine with the gang vocals in the chorus adding a big West Coast feel to things.The swagger was more akin to their Sheffield contemporaries but there was certainly a scent of Sunset Strip laced throughout and Steve ‘Hamie’ Hayman’s vocals were a mix of Biff Byford and Vince Neil whilst the twin guitars of Punky Mendoza and Gordon Bonnar equally sang and bruised.It’s these twin guitar attack that really shine during second track, ‘Broken Heart’, a wonderfully kaleidoscopic production job by May adding tasty layers and little twists that make listening a joy and, whilst never overcooked, give everyone the space to show what they can do.Things get a lot heavier on ‘Love on the Run’, a hedonistic tale that features a scorching solo and pounding and compulsive turn by rhythm section Gary Moat and Brian Waugh, propelling this real gem along at top speed, followed by ‘Love Times Love’, another highlight of the live set with more gang vocals, melody and a breakdown near the end that ticks a lot of 80s hard rock boxes.There’s more frantic riffing on ‘Victims of the Night’, the track having the heaviness and drive of prime Saxon but adds yet more harmonies in the chorus and gives the best of both worlds, really playing to the strengths of Heavy Pettin’ and pointing the way to future releases by the quintet.Despite its title, ‘Rock Me’ has a medium pace quality that focusses more on dynamics than all out attack and switches between slow, atmospheric passages and big stadium rock.‘Shout It Out’ on the other hand is a straight down the line fast rocker that seems to be heavily influenced by Leppard as the guitars sound so very much like Clark and Willis under the ‘Mutt’ Lange production era. ‘Devil in her Eyes’ is another multi-part, deeper, album track that reveals more and more with repeated listens.The bonus track ‘Roll the Dice’ see the band swinging into action with a powerful duo of truly heavy tracks, with the former being arguably the highlight of the whole release and shows that the Queen guitarist certainly knows how to rock, bringing out something that Biff’s Barnsley boys would have been proud of.‘Shadows of the Night’ it’s another strong song full of the style that Heavy Pettin’ were comfortable in and one that makes you want to hit the repeat button to play the whole album again.With a remastering overseen by drummer Gary Moat, ‘Lettin’ Loose’ is an 80s cult classic and still sound as fun and fresh today, the perfect introduction to someone you may have missed the first time around.
Line-Up:
Hamie - lead vocals
Gordon Bonnar - guitars
Punky Mendoza - guitars
Brian Waugh - bass
Gary Moat - drums
Tracklist:
01. In and Out of Love 3:53
02. Broken Heart 4:17
03. Love on the Run 4:04
04. Love Times Love 4:03
05. Victims of the Night 5:24
06. Rock Me 5:02
07. Shout It Out 3:43
08. Devil in Her Eyes 5:12
09. Hell Is Beautiful 4:13
10. Roll the Dice 4:05 (Bonus Track)
11. Shadows of The Night 4:42 (Bonus Track)
+ Video "In and Out of Love" (Official Video)
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