I know, I know—I'm trotting out the names of rock dinosaurs lost in the land where time forgot, at least in terms of TMS. And I realize I'm too old to be in That Metal Show's primary demographic. After all, I remember hearing the first Led Zep album before anyone knew who they were when Page was best known as The Yardbirds' last guitarist and composer of "Beck's Bolero." I saw Black Sabbath on their first U.S. tour when Ozzy got sick and Black Oak Arkansas blew them off the stage. Friends insisted I was into Kiss before anyone else, but they really meant the New York Dolls. If you look at the debut album covers for both bands, you can understand the initial confusion.
So this crotchety curmudgeon thinks TMS could provide a valuable service to their viewers by going further back in the vaults to showcase where it all began. Eddie and the guys don't mind bringing out guests that aren't really metal like the Wilson sisters and veterans of The Runaways, so why not tip their hats to old rockers like Leslie West, Chrissie Hynde, and even a few Yardbirds who are still out there on the road and deserve both recognition and support? This is especially important now since that generation of rockers is getting to the point where we will see them out there with new tours and product less and less frequently.
Without question, VH1 Classic has been excellent at providing the music and histories of rock bands of the Baby Boomer generation. They've broadcast great "Behind the Music" documentaries and anniversary specials for classic albums. So, Eddie, why not let a little of that spill over into That Metal Show? I'll still be happily watching and learning—just please toss some older stuff into your curriculum from time to time so the young-uns don't really think it all began with "Iron Man" and "Smoke on the Water."
Article comments
1 - Grodd70
Sorry but I totally disagree with the author at some point a line has to be drawn to define what is "hard rock and heavy metal".
I do disagree with TMS having the Wilson sisters on even though I really like Heart.
As for Chrissie Hyde or the Yardbirds I wouldn't call either "hard Rock". While I am a huge fan of Blue Cheer and Dickie Peterson's bass playing as amazing as it is it's not hard rock. Harder Hippy music would be a better description same as the great Jimmy Hedrix. Hard rock may have its roots in those bands and even transformed into the great Led Zepplin but again hard 60's hippy stuff. Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal started with Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Rainbow, then Judas Priest, AC/DC. Jeans T-shirts, black leather, no flowers, bell bottoms, psychedelic prisms.
2 - Charlie Doherty
I agree that The Pretenders aren't hard rock but to say The Yardbirds (especially the Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page eras) and Blue Cheer (and even Hendrix) aren't hard rock is very wrong. Anyone who has ever taken a serious look at their musical output has definitely said they ere all among the pioneers of hard rock. They weren't full-time hard rock but had plenty of songs between them that were among the first in the genre.
Calling what they did "harder hippy music" is pretty dismissive and saying hard rock/heavy metal only started with the bands you listed is pretty ignorant too. I suggest you look at the Wikipedia or Allmusic page of those bands and see some YouTube clips of hard rockers like the Yardbirds "I'm Not Talking," and "Train Kept A-Rollin'," and songs from Blue Cheer's first album (Vincebus Eruptum, released January 1968), which is regarded as one of the first ever heavy metal albums.
Even The Beatles' "Helter Skelter"
3 - Charlie Doherty
Whoops - sent that first post prematurely. Meant to say even The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" is considered hard rock and "proto-metal" too, one of the most important tunes in the development of heavy metal in general. And it came out in late '68 on The White Album, well before Black Sabbath and those other bands you mentioned.
4 - Wesley Britton
When I mentioned The Pretenders, I didn't mean their entire outputâ€"anymore than Heart could be considered hard rock for most of their canon. But they were apparently hard enough to appear on TMS. But Pretenders II could be rough and toughâ€""Day After Day," "Message of Love." True, such songs are more punk than hard rock, so if punk don't count, I here withdraw them from contention.
5 - Devin Townsend
To me, "Heavy Metal" is a pretty large umbrella, under which many sub-genres of metal exist. I competely agree with the author that the assertion at the beginning of each episode "your home for all things hard rock and heavy metal" is completely wrong.
There is definitely a specific type of metal and a specific timeframe that they focus on, and that is generally old-school 70s and 80s metal.
I would add to the author's comments above that the show doesn't cover older rock, it most certainly does not cover anything new either. The occasional visit from Chuck Billy or Rob Flynn doesn't compensate for the fact that the majority of the bands featured are completely irrelevant today -- either members of defunct bands, bands working at some "reunion", or musicians that used to be in a relevant band, and who are now off doing something far less interesting (que Eddie sniveling about any chance of a reunion).
I like the show, and I was a big fan back in the day of bands like Priest, Accept, etc., but the metal world has moved on and flourished, and they should at least acknowledge all the other great metal that's out there.