Jameson Raid

Biography

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Jameson Raid (1975-1983, 2008-present): a Heavy Metal band from Birmingham, UK.

ritish heavy metal band Jameson Raid are often considered to be part of the new wave of British heavy metal genre (NWOBHM), mostly due to their appearance on the compilation album Metal For Muthas II: Cut Loud, part of a set of compilations featuring such bands during the very early part of the 1980's and late 1970's that was instrumental in showcasing and launching the careers of bands of this up-an-coming style of the time. Despite this, Jameson Raid were established on the Birmingham circuit as a hard rock band several years prior.

The origins of Jameson Raid can be dated back to 1973, when John Ace (bass) and Ian Smith (guitar), played together in an act called Spectaté II at the school they attended in Sutton Coldfield. With the exception of Smith who went to work at sea, the band members went their separate ways at university, at which point Ace started a cover band, but when this effort split, he, together with rhythm guitarist Stewart Harrod, persuaded Smith to return and added Phil Kimberley on drums. Their first gig took place on 26 August 1975, under the generally disliked name Notre Dame. That name was soon after changed. The new name, Jameson Raid, comes from a failed raid attempt by the English in the Transvaal region of South Africa during the last days of 1895 which many historians consider the prelude to the Boer War of 1899-1902. Their roadie Nick Freeman was credited with recalling the event from his school history books and proposing it to the band. With Hoi Polloi singer Terry Dark joining in December 1976, and Stewart leaving a few days later, Jameson Raid's most well-known line-up was complete.

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Jameson Raid's debut three-track Seven Days of Splendour EP would arrive in February 1979 coming across as a mixture of elements of 70s rock/pop (specifically David Bowie and Mott the Hoople), heavier acts such as Thin Lizzy, and the occasional nod towards punk. Boasting the tracks, Seven Days of Splendour, It's a Crime and "Catcher in the Rye, the EP was well received with the first 1,000 copies arriving in a white sleeve, with a further pressing of 2,000 in a black sleeve.

Credited as simply The Raid in May 1980's, 'EMI' release of the the second of the NWOBHM compilation albums, Metal For Muthas II: Cut Loud, featured the Jameson Raid track Hard Lines. The band were unhappy, however, that 'EMI' had, unbeknownst to them, completely remixed the song that they had already completed to satisfaction, and in their opinion destroyed the song's original sound. In doing so, however, Jameson Raid were also now billed as a NWOBHM act despite their sound really fitting this role in the imposed genre title only.

Unlike many of their featured counterparts, Jameson Raid didn't benefit greatly from their appearance on the aforementioned Metal For Muthas II: Cut Loud album, and fighting against a tide of apathy, Smith and Ace quit and played their final gig with the band in Birmingham in July 1980. A second 7-inch EP, widely referred to as The Hypnotist but actually entitled End of Part One (1980), and featuring four tracks in the form of The Hypnotist, The Raid, Getting Hotter and Straight from the Butchers would be released next; it fell flat and proved to be the band's first swansong.

Kimberley and Dark carried on, however, by recruiting Mike Darby on guitar and Peter Green for bass. In 1981 Darby left and was replaced by The Handsome Beasts founder James Barrett, who in turn gave way to Steve Makin in 1982. The four-track Electric Sun demo cassette (featuring the tracks Electric Sun, Run for Cover, Poor Little Rich Girl and Getting Hotter) was made available, but later that year Kimberley and Dark quit and the band was effectively over. A green vinyl LP titled Jameson Raid, comprising the End Of Part One EP, the Electric Sun demo tracks, the Metal for Muthas version of Hard Lines and the unreleased track Running Blind recorded during the the final 1983 line-up was released as a bootleg but never officially, although it has become an expensive collector's item since. Both of the EPs were also subsequently featured in the 2010 edition of Record Collector.

An attempt to resurrect the band would happen in 1983, when Green and Makin drafted drummer Roger Simms, with Makin handling both guitar and vocal duties under the name The Raid. The attempt failed. Makin went on to front several other bands before being invited to appear on the solo album by Cozy Powell, The Drums Are Back (1992). He then joined Slade in 1993.

The classic line-up of Dark, Smith, Ace and Kimberley re-united in 2008, with their back catalogue album, Just as the Dust Had Settled, being released by 'Shadow Kingdom Records' in March 2010.

In February 2011 Ace left the band forcing the act to play the Download festival in June 2011 with a stand in bass player before Peter Green, who had previously been in the band from 1980 to 1983, rejoined in June 2011. By 2012 first Smith then Kimberley had followed Ace for their day jobs. They were replaced by Kalli Kaldschmidt and Andreas 'Neudi' Neuderth from the band Roxxcaliber. In August 2013 drummer Lars Wickett was recruited due to Neudi's live gig commitments with Manilla Road but not before the release of the 9 Reasons EP (2014) and Uninvited Guests (2015) representing their first new studio work since the early 1980s. Since then, the band have to remained active with occasional shows in Europe and the UK more than likely relegated into the history books as a band who was never able to gain the momentum for large scale stardom.