PBK is fast approaching and its been a few days since my last rants and during the last leg of duties last month as Mcdo, I remember stumbling upon a topic about battle tanks or war tanks over Discovery Channel. Lots of Panzers, Tigers, T-34's and T-35's paraded on the screen. Then I remember when I was still making some plastic models in '96. One model was of a Panzer from Bandai complete with a gunner, a driver, gasoline tanks and a detailed engine. But when my passion on plastic models began to decline, I gave it away to my nephew. So back on Discovery, I was surprised that Bruce Dickinson owns a genuine and still running T-34. Who is Bruce Dickinson anyway? He is the vocalist of the heavy metal band "Iron Maiden." Then last night, while partly answering Sis. Leyn's google groups invite, I've checked on YouTube if they have a song from Bruce Dickinson's former group before he went to Iron Maiden, and luckily there was. A song included in Lars Ulrich (Metallica's drummer) and Geoff Barton (Managing Editor of Kerrang! Magazine) side project during the making of ...And Justice For All tour programme at the tail end of 1988. A double compilation album entitled NWOBHM or New Wave of British Heavy Metal which gave tribute to the 1979 British Heavy Metal Movement. Lars had put it, "The songs in the album are not merely products of modern day over-blown extravagances that many of the current crop think that they need to make music. There were no 7 figure recording budgets, no 6 figure 'entertainment' bills, no 96 track digital studio facilities...etc. It was long-hair adopting the do-it-yourself attitude and values of the punk movement that had so dominated at grass root levels the previous few years (76-78) and ironically in many ways had made it very difficult for the young heavy metal bands to get the attention they needed.

Anyway, off their 1980 "Head On" album, here's a "Samson" song "Vice Versa" which also included in the NWOBHM compilation album with Bruce Dickinson on vocals. Listen closely and find out why the drummer (real name is Barry Graham) who wore a mask while pounding skins inside a cage was called Thunderstick.

Vice Versa
Samson

She was a real two timer
She knew I'd never leave
She thought that she could make it
I could never believe

She looked so healthy
and she looked so clean
But when she got to bite you
was she mean

Vice versa, vice versa

She could roll you over
and make you blind
She could say things to astound
the dirtiest mind

She looked so healthy
and she looked so clean
But when she got to bite her
was she mean

Vice versa, vice versa

Vice versa, vice versa
Turning you around