Dinosaurdays - Samson

NWOBHM band Samson was the brain child of guitarist Paul Samson, who formed the band in the late seventies. Early line-ups included vocalist Bruce Bruce ( Bruce Dickinson ) and Clive Burr on drums, both of whom would later feature with Iron Maiden, as well as drummer Thunderstick, a really strange character who used to wear a mask on stage, perched behind his drumkit in a massive cage. Thunderstick and Bruce would later leave the band, with ex-Hackensack and Tiger vocalist Nicky Moore replacing Bruce and Mel Gaynor replacing Thunderstick. Gaynor left to join Simple Minds and was replaced by the excellent Pete Jupp. Bass duties at this stage were taken care of by Chris Aylmer, and this is the line-up that featured on this fantastic album. Nicky Moore was an tremendously good vocalist and he brought a powerful and earthy sound to the bands' music. Further line-up changes ensued and further albums were released over the years, with Paul Samson being the only common denominator. He also released a solo album with bassist John McCoy, from Zebra and Gillan ( McCoy and Moore would later team up in "Mammoth" ) and he also led Paul Samson's Empire in the early nineties. Samson were definitely one of Englands' best hard rock bands during the eighties, and this album, " Don't get mad, get even", as well as it's predecessor, " Before the Storm", are highly recommended, as is their stunning live album, " Thank you and Goodnight". Paul Samson was also one of the leading guitarists of the era.

Samson
Samson - Bite on the Bullet, from "Thank you and Goodnight" in 1984, their 6th album. UK outfit Samson were one of the early members of The New Wave of British Heavy Metal. They were formed in 1978 by guitarist Paul Samson, and the first incarnation included bassist Chris Aylmer, Clive Burr on drums and Bruce Bruce on vocals. Burr later moved to Iron Maiden and was replaced by the masked Thunderstick (a.k.a Barry Graham). The band's first four albums, released between 1979 and 1982, were minor classics of the genre and did fairly well for them. Bruce Bruce (a.k.a Bruce Dickinson), left the band to join Iron Maiden, and was replaced by ex-Hackensack/Tiger vocalist Nicky Moore. This was probably the band's strongest and best era, suitably demonstrated on this wonderful live album, recorded in Holland and Germany during March/April 1984. They split for a while but reformed a few years later. Paul Samson has released albums under various names (Empire, Joint Forces,etc), and has also appeared on albums featuring bassist John McCoy and others. He revived the band in the nineties with a totally different line up and although we haven't seen any brand new releases, they're apparently still going strong. Paul Samson is a very good, yet underrated guitarist, and his band released some really good albums. Pity" Before the Storm", circa 1982, hasn't been released on CD yet, though (as far as we know, that is!).

(If you have more info on this band, please e-mail us)

Biography by Steve Huey
At the time of their first recording, pioneering New Wave of British Heavy Metal group Samson consisted of guitarist Paul Samson, bassist Chris Aylmer, drummer Thunderstick (real name: Barry Graham; concealed his identity by wearing a rapist-style mask), and vocalist Bruce Bruce, better known as Bruce Dickinson. The group got most of its attention playing with Iron Maiden, but this backfired when Bruce Bruce left Samson to join them, adopting his real name. Thunderstick had also left the group at this point, and the band underwent several personnel turnovers over the course of the '80s, still managing to turn out some quality work.