Great Metal Albums of 1987: Bad News
At Donnington 1986, after being very impressed by opening act Warlock, there came a band I had never heard of before called Bad News. They definitely got my attention when they came out on stage and announced they weren’t going to start playing until the crowd started shouting, “Fuck off Bad News!” When they did begin playing, I have to say that although I wasn’t blown away by them, I thought they were okay. I was especially amused when they played “Teenage Virgins From Hell” which lasted all about three seconds. It brought back memories of songs of the same length by the Stormtroopers of Death. What I found out later was that they were considered a joke band as pointed out by Kerrang’s review of the day.
In the years following, I would eventually find out that Bad News was actually a made up band consisting of members from the UK television series “The Young Ones,” a show I thought was so good because it was so stupid. The band was an episode from another TV series called “Comic Strip,” where they follow the band who are trying to make it big in the heavy metal industry. I haven’t watched it in years, so maybe a revisit should be on the cards. I assure you it’s really funny.
Before I launch into their self-titled 1987 album, I have to point out that Steveforthedeaf and I just happened to be on the same page here. His recent posts on made up bands has been excellent and well timed. There was no collaboration between Steve and me, my Bad News post would have gone out today but whether you want to call it fate, coincidence or an act of the heavy metal gods, it’s just happens that our posts on the topic has been at the same time. Now for the album.
Like with a lot of albums around the time, the album opens with a song which sounds as if it’s recorded live, “Hey, Hey Bad News.” It’s a good way to open the album. The remaining five songs are all very amusing and from a heavy metal perspective, well played. One song, which sticks out is their very interesting cover of the Queen classic, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I warn hard core Queen fans that they may find this song offensive if they don’t have a sense of humour. That is the only way one can appreciate the song because lead singer, Vim Fuego, (aka Adrian Edmonson), screeches his way through the song. Saying that, it can’t be that offensive as Brian May produced it and lends his guitar skills to several songs on the album.
Another song of note is “Bad News,” where each member of the band gets their own break in the song. We get a few chords of bass and a drum roll but when rhythm guitarist, Den Dennis, who nearly misses his cue, plays, you hear excerpts from “Whole Lotta Love.” Lyrics from two songs are very amusing. “Ghengis Khan” is about rape, pillage and burn and “Masturbike” has lyrics which I’m surprised wasn’t noticed by the PMRC. However, my favourite song on the album is the closer, “Drink Till I Die.” It sounds like they’re trying to copy Motorhead and it was said that Lemmy viewed Bad News with a great sense of humour. Anyway, going back to my mindset back in 1987, a song about getting drunk appealed to me a great deal. Saying that, I laugh and wince at the same time when I hear the line, “Put your dick in a blender.” Ouch! Still, it’s a great way to end the album.
Track Listing:
- Hey, Hey Bad News
- Ghengis Khan
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- Bad News
- Masturbike
- Drink Till I Die
Vim Fuego- vocals, lead guitar
Den Dennis- rhythm guitar
Colin Grigson- bass
Spider Webb- drums
Brian May- guitar on “Bad News” and “Drink Till I Die”
So the question is: Are Bad News a joke band? That was the original intention when Adrian Edmonson, Nigel Planner and Rik Mayall got together on the project. While some so called metal purists may agree with the premise, my thought is that while they may be a joke band, they have left behind a legacy and an amusing album. Oh, one thought which really pisses me off is that non-metal people site Bad News as proof that you don’t need talent to play heavy metal. No, it isn’t! Of course, that was before Metal Church identified the human factor and Brian May did lend a hand. That just makes the album even better.
Next post: Flotsam and Jetsam- Doomsday for the Deceiver
To buy Rock and Roll Children- email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
August 8, 2021 at 10:00 am
Fantastic! Bad News were a rite of passage with my school buddies and I. We played Drink Til I Die alongside Killed By Death and Breaking The Law and considered everyone in on the joke. I think they were a bit of wish fulfilment for the Comic Strip Gang. They were treated like rock stars anyway. Might as well start a band
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August 8, 2021 at 8:09 pm
Thanks, I’ve never played Drink Till I Die, Killed By Death and Breaking the Law in succession. I’ll have to try that.
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August 8, 2021 at 8:42 pm
Add Don’t Fear (The Reaper), Sweet Emotion and The Trooper for the full Steve in high school experience.
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August 8, 2021 at 8:50 pm
That’s a great experience!
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August 9, 2021 at 10:33 pm
Cool song.
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August 8, 2021 at 10:13 am
Never heard of Bad News, but I have heard of The Young Ones, so that had me interested. Even Lep did a video that paid tribute to The Young Ones. I think it was for Me and My Wine.
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August 8, 2021 at 8:10 pm
Bad News never made it to the US and that’s a shame.
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August 8, 2021 at 9:09 pm
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August 9, 2021 at 10:28 am
That’s not a shame, that’s bad news.
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August 9, 2021 at 10:32 pm
Quite right!
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August 9, 2021 at 10:54 pm
Love Bad News. The most funniest LP I ever had. “Warrior” I’ll kill myself one dayyyyyy. Lol
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August 10, 2021 at 3:50 pm
Their lyrics are very funny.
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August 10, 2021 at 8:19 pm
Joke band? Maybe. But what I want to know is, do they have anything to do with the new romantics?
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August 11, 2021 at 10:52 am
I just watched Bad News episode on Comic Strip after so many years so now your comment makes total sense. I think Vim and Den are still arguing over whether they’re a heavy metal band or not.
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August 13, 2021 at 8:32 pm
But I thought they were Heavy Metal. Thats it, Im getting out of the van.
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August 14, 2021 at 9:06 pm
Excellent, LMAO!
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August 14, 2021 at 9:17 pm
Its really great, both of them….
If you like these guys and want to enjoy more from the Comic Stip you should check out Fistful of Travellers Cheques were the lads and (ladies) spend a vacation in Spain pretending to be Clint Eastwood.
In fact here is it…
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August 14, 2021 at 9:28 pm
I’ve now subscribed to Channel 4 online so I can watch all of those Comic Strip classics. “Fistful of Traveller’s Cheques” is a funny one and my favourite is “Strike.” The one which makes fun of how Hollywood would have made a film about the miner’s strike.
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August 11, 2021 at 9:20 pm
My favourite was their Christmas song ‘Cashing in on Christmas’, which if memory serves was released in July!
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August 12, 2021 at 6:18 pm
I recently heard that song. I’m keeping it in mind for a Christmas post.
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August 16, 2021 at 11:51 am
Nver heard of them ’til this post. Fascinating!
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August 16, 2021 at 7:50 pm
They never made it across the Atlantic but they’re worth a listen.
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August 19, 2021 at 12:39 pm
Love it! Bad News is one of my fav episodes of the Comic Strip (along with More Bad News which features footage from the Donington gig!):
If you have’t got the full BN album, I *HIGHLY* recommend it. Hilarious stuff.
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August 20, 2021 at 4:18 pm
I will get it.
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