Quartz -

Quartz was an English hard-rock/metal band from Birmingham that released a self-titled album on Jet Records in 1977, followed by Stand Up and Fight on MCA in 1980. The band’s intended third album, recorded circa 1981/82, was ultimately released more than three decades later as Too Hot to Handle. In 1983, the band released Against All Odds on NWOBHM-specialty label Heavy Metal and then folded until the 2010s.

Members: Mike Hopkins (guitar), Malcolm Cope (drums, percussion), Mike Taylor (lead vocals, 1977-81), Derek Arnold (bass, vocals, 1977-80), Geoff Nicholls (guitar, keyboards, 1977-79), Steve McLoughlin (bass, 1981-83), David Garner (lead vocals, 1981-82), Geoff Bate (lead vocals, guitar, piano, 1982-83)

Background

Quartz evolved from Bandy Legs, a Brummie rock combo formed by guitarist Mike Hopkins, who played beforehand in Wages of Sin, a short-lived group that backed Cat Stevens on his 1970 tour. After that band split, Hopkins spent part of 1972 in the Canadian band Fludd, then returned to England and joined drummer Malcolm Cope in the group that became Bandy Legs, a four-piece with guitarist Geoff Nicholls and bassist Derek Arnold.

Bandy Legs

Between July 1974 and March 1975, Bandy Legs cut two singles on WEA: “Ride Ride” (b/w “Don’t Play Games”) and “Silver Screen Queen” (b/w “Lonely Girl”), all group-credited numbers produced by Wild Pine, the second billed as Bandylegs.

They singed linked with Jet Records, the UA-distributed upstart venture of ELO/Wizzard manager Don Arden. Jet issued the August 1976 third Bandylegs single, “Bet You Can’t Dance” (b/w “Circles”), produced by Mick Flynn. Pitted as openers for Arden’s non-Jet clients Black Sabbath, Bandylegs changed their name to Quartz.

Quartz

Quartz released Quartz on May 20, 1977 on Jet Records.

The album packs hard-riff material, slower acoustic-led turns, and short keyboard passages into a compact set. Mike Hopkins drives the attack with clipped riffs, ringing chords, and short lead breaks, while Geoff Nicholls runs organ and synthesizer lines through the twin guitar assault. Derek Arnold and Malcolm Cope underpin with punctual momentum while Mike Taylor soars with rough, emphatic vocal lines.

“Mainline Riders” opens on a heavy stomp with a locked bass pulse and hard guitar accents. “Street Fighting Lady” hits with a dirtier pace and sharper lead-guitar cuts. “Hustler” slows the tempo, folds acoustic guitar into the verses, and thickens again when the electric parts return. “Devil’s Brew” starts in a darker register, picks up weight as the drums press forward, and threads Nicholls’ keyboard parts through the center of the arrangement. “Sugar Rain” and “Little Old Lady” lean toward softer acoustic textures. “Around and Around” rebounds with fast charge and forceful lift, while the penultimate “Pleasure Seekers” attacks with blunt delivery.

A1. “Mainline Riders” (3:32) — Quartz
A2. “Sugar Rain” (4:44) — Quartz
A3. “Street Fighting Lady” (4:48) — Quartz
A4. “Hustler” (4:50) — Quartz

B1. “Devil’s Brew” (3:50) — Quartz
B2. “Smokie” (1:08) — Quartz
B3. “Around and Around” (5:00) — Quartz
B4. “Pleasure Seekers” (3:50) — Quartz
B5. “Little Old Lady” (4:34) — Quartz

Quartz recorded Quartz at Morgan Studios, London, with producer Tony Iommi and engineers Chris Tsangarides, Dave Harris, and Robin Black. Around this time, Queen guitarist Brian May worked on an edited version of the Bandylegs b-side “Circles,” which featured Ozzy Osbourne on backing vocals before Iommi wiped that detail from the ultimately vaulted track.

On its cover, Quartz displays red-lit crystals against a black background: a glimmering image reminiscent of the era’s electronic and fusion albums cover. The logo, however, signals the music therein with its sharp, jagged letters.

Jet lifted “Sugar Rain” as an August 1977 maxi-single with “Street Fighting Lady” and “Mainline Riders.” In October, the latter two reappeared together as a standard single.

Jet reissued the album in 1980 under the title Deleted with a different sleeve design.

Live Quartz

In early 1980, Logo Records issued Live Quartz, a document of their recent live set.

The live album catches the band in a raw hall setting with the guitars pushed high in the mix and the rhythm section hitting in a blunt rush. Hopkins keeps the solos short and cutting, Cope drives the set with a hard snare-led shove, and Taylor treats the room as part of the performance with a loose, urgent vocal delivery. The set mixes earlier originals with two rock-and-roll covers and one long, darker centerpiece.

“Street Fighting Lady,” “Mainline Rider,” and “Around & Around” arrive in tougher live form, with the guitars pushed harder and the tempos held tight. “Belinda” stretches the set into a broader mid-tempo shape. “Count Dracula” opens into the album’s longest performance, with a slow build, extended instrumental space, and heavier riff emphasis. “Good Times” and “Roll Over Beethoven” keep the room in straight-ahead bar-band motion.

A1. “Street Fighting Lady” (4:20) — Quartz
A2. “Good Times” (3:36) — Harry Vanda, George Young
A3. “Mainline Rider” (3:32) — Quartz
A4. “Belinda” (5:42) — Quartz

B1. “Count Dracula” (8:43) — Quartz
B2. “Around & Around” (6:30) — Quartz
B3. “Roll Over Beethoven” (5:45) — Chuck Berry

Quartz performed this set on December 1, 1979, at Digbeth Civic Hall in Birmingham with engineer Phil Savage at the sound booth.

Some copies circulated under the alternate title Count Dracula and Other Love Songs.

In February 1980, Quartz surfaced on Reddingtons Rare Records with “Nantucket Sleighride,” a cover of the Mountain classic backed with “Wildfire,” a taster from their upcoming studio album. Meanwhile, Sound for Industry issued the flexi-disc “Satan’s Serenade,” a studio rarity backed with the live numbers “Count Dracula” and the otherwise unavailable “Bloody Fool.”

Stand Up and Fight

Quartz released Stand Up and Fight on September 19, 1980 on MCA.

The album tightens the band into a heavier, squared attack with more emphasis on riff-led choruses, broad guitar shapes, and straight four-square momentum. Hopkins keeps the guitar tone dense and bright, Arnold and Cope hold a hard, centered pulse, and Taylor drives the material with a more forceful shout at the front of the mix. The songs stay close to direct verse-chorus construction, with a few longer pieces opening the pace and arrangement.

The title track opens with a marching riff and a call-to-arms vocal line. “Charlie Snow” hits with a brisker charge and a tighter chorus snap. “Can’t Say No to You” opens the pacing into a longer, slower piece with room for guitar phrasing and a wider vocal line. Side two presses hard through “Stoking Up the Fires of Hell,” “Rock ’N’ Roll Child,” and “Questions,” each built on firm riff repetition and a strong downbeat push. “Wildfire” closes the album on a longer, darker build.

A1. “Stand Up and Fight” (4:40) — Quartz
A2. “Charlie Snow” (3:22) — Quartz
A3. “Can’t Say No to You” (6:15) — Quartz
A4. “Revenge” (4:09) — Quartz

B1. “Stoking Up the Fires of Hell” (4:05) — Quartz
B2. “Rock ’N’ Roll Child” (4:49) — Quartz
B3. “Questions” (4:19) — Quartz
B4. “Wildfire” (5:59) — Quartz

Quartz recorded Stand Up and Fight at De Lane Lea Music Centre with producer Derek Lawrence, engineer Pete Wandlass, and tape operator Mark Phillips. The album was mixed at De Lane Lea and cut at Utopia Studios.

Stand Up and Fight displays cover art by the design firm Cream. The illustration shows a horned-helmeted warrior in a metal fantasy setting. He holds a round shield and wields a chained weapon above a fallen adversary.

MCA issued “Stoking Up the Fires of Hell” as an August 1980 single (b/w “Circle”). In January 1981, “Stand Up and Fight” became the second single (b/w “Charlie Snow”).

On Saturday August 23, Quartz vultured the slot of the Headboys at the 1980 Reading Festival, which marked a metal shift for the annual event with sets by Angel Witch, Budgie, Def Leppard, Girl, Gillan, Gary Moore’s G Force, Iron Maiden, Magnum, Praying Mantis, Samson, Sledgehammer, and Whitesnake,

Meanwhile, Quartz landed a rarity, “Back in the Band,” on the 1980 EP Muthas Pride, a NWOBHM sampler in EMI’s Metal for Muthas series. The EP also includes cuts by Wildfire (“Wild Dogs”), White Spirit (“Red Skies”), and Baby Jane (“Baby Jane”).

Too Hot to Handle

During their second three-year gap between studio albums, Quarts stockpiled material in 1981 and 1982 that remained vaulted for three decades. In 2016, the songs appeared on Too Hot to Handle, an archival double-album on Too Hot to Handle.

The sessions catch Quartz with overlapping lineups and two lead vocalists, David Garner and Geoff Bate. Mike Hopkins keeps the riffs concise and hard-edged, Steve McLoughlin gives the rhythm tracks a centered bottom, and the keyboards sit inside the guitar-led arrangements. Bate adds rhythm guitar and piano on part of the program, and Geoff Nicholls returns as a guest on backing vocals and keyboards.

The title track drives forward on a blunt mid-tempo riff and a chorus locked tightly to the beat. “Hard Road” and “Frontline” keep the same hard center, with the guitars pushing the pulse in short, firm phrases. “Madman” adds extra bite through its chord attack and vocal placement. Garner’s lead on “Crack the Sky,” “Silver Wheels,” and “Buried Alive” sits over denser backing with a darker tonal weight. “Love ’Em & Run,” “Tell Me Why,” and “Avalon” open more keyboard space around the vocal line. “The Lawman,” “Revelations,” “Right Above Myself,” “Gold Digger,” and “It’s Hell Livin’ Without You” extend the picture of the band’s final early-1980s studio phase.

A1. “Too Hot to Handle”
A2. “Crack the Sky”
A3. “Hard Road”
A4. “Just Another Man”
B1. “Silver Wheels”
B2. “Frontline”
B3. “Love ’Em & Run”
B4. “Madman”
C1. “Buried Alive”
C2. “The Lawman”
C3. “Tell Me Why”
C4. “Revelations”
D1. “Avalon”
D2. “Right Above Myself”
D3. “Gold Digger”
D4. “It’s Hell Livin’ Without You”

Quartz recorded these tracks during 1981 and 1982 at Outlaw Studios. The band handled production, Phil Savage engineered the sessions, and the material was remastered in 2014.

High Roller issued Too Hot to Handle as a gatefold double LP with an insert in 2016. Roberto Toderico supplied the cover illustration, Alexander von Wieding handled the insert, layout, and design work. The label pressed 500 copies split between clear and black vinyl editions.

Against All Odds

Quartz released Against All Odds in June 1983 on Heavy Metal Records.

The album shifts into a cleaner early-1980s attack built from mid-tempo guitar lines, keyboard-backed choruses, and compact song lengths. Hopkins keeps the riffs blunt and economical, McLoughlin and Cope lock the center with a tight pulse, and Geoff Bate brings a higher, smoother vocal line that sits close to the keyboards. The songs favor direct structures, with a few darker turns pushed forward by heavier guitar emphasis and short atmospheric intros.

“Just Another Man” opens with keyboard-backed momentum and a broad chorus line. “Madman” tightens the pace and pushes the guitar harder into the front of the mix. “Too Hot to Handle,” “Hard Road,” and “Tell Me Why” keep the set in a compact mid-tempo lane. “The Wake” leads into “Buried Alive,” which arrives with the album’s darkest pulse and heaviest chord attack. “Silver Wheels,” “Love ’Em & Run,” “Avalon,” and “(It’s) Hell, Livin’ Without You” return to shorter, direct song forms with keyboards set close behind the rhythm guitars.

A1. “Just Another Man” (4:25)
A2. “Madman” (3:45)
A3. “Too Hot to Handle” (4:25)
A4. “Hard Road” (3:02)
A5. “Tell Me Why” (4:35)

B1. “The Wake” (0:36)
B2. “Buried Alive” (4:10)
B3. “Silver Wheels” (3:45)
B4. “Love ’Em & Run” (5:12)
B5. “Avalon” (3:40)
B6. “(It’s) Hell, Livin’ Without You” (2:47)

Quartz recorded Against All Odds at Metrosound, Wednesbury, and Horizon Studios with producer/engineer Robin George, the Byron Band guitarist who worked in sequence with Witchfinder General.

Against All Odds features sci-fi artwork by Garry Underhill, whose image depicts three small silver fighters spawned from a mothership that hovers near Earth. The back-cover continues the spacecraft theme with an overshot of a wide metallic hull with orange-lit vents.

In December, Heavy Metal issued “Tell Me Why” as a single backed with the non-album “Streetwalker.”

Discography: