My Top 6…bands from my “metal phase”

My metal phase ran in parallel with my obsession with Motörhead - it lasted from first hearing the band in 1979 to the release of the Motörhead - No Remorse compilation in 1984 which included tracks by the new four-piece Motorhead that never really worked for me (and coincidentally was the year that The Pogues released The Pogues - Red Roses for Me and gave me a new obsession).

1. Motörhead
   
   To be honest Motorhead were were my "metal phase" - they were the only band from that time that I couldn't get enough of, and one of the very few that I still listen to occasionally - even if I cringe a little too often at the lyrics...
2. Girlschool
   
   Girlschool made great, classic Heavy Metal, and they were women, which for a sexually frustrated teenager was a good thing...at some point I noticed that they weren't really that good looking after all (until Gil Weston joined) but that didn't really matter after all.
3. AC/DC
   
   AC/DC are another band I still listen to from time to time and still bring a warm glow of the past to me.
4. Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne
   
   I never actually saw Black Sabbath play, but after discovering Motorhead they were the next band I looked for. I saw Ozzy supporting Motorhead at Port Vale in 1981 and he was great. Saw him a couple of years later at Hammersmith Odeon and it was a laughable pantomime. No more interest.
5. Hanoi Rocks
   
   I knew very little about Hanoi Rocks except what they looked like, but as they were playing at Surrey University we went along. It was one of those gigs you don't forget. When a band you thought of as flowery glam rock turn out to be such a great live act and such a good rock band it tends to stick in your memory. The albums were patchy and mostly forgettable.
6. Raven
   
   Raven were exciting and fast and loud and fast...really really fast. They seemed to be doing something a little bit different (faster!) than most other NWOBHM bands and I liked it. I haven't listened to any Raven for many many years - I wonder if they still sound that fast.