Thanks to Mick Wall for including Bill Hale's photos in his latest release "Metallica: Enter Night: The Biography"

Thanks to Mick Wall for including Bill Hale's photos in his latest release "Metallica: Enter Night: The Biography" Available now only in the UK!

Thanks to James Martin and Abdul Fazrul for their reviews of Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984 at amazon.com!

Thanks to James Martin and Abdul Fazrul for these reviews of Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984 at amazon.com!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Metallica...Garage re-re-re-visited, November 12, 2010
By 
Abdul Fazrul (Malaysia)
 


This review is from: Metallica: Club Dayz 1982-1984
This book is totally awesome. If you are a Metallica fan, you must buy it. The story is cool. But the pictures are freaking cool. Made me feel I was there.


5.0 out of 5 stars Makes you feel like you were there!!, October 14, 2010
By 
James Martin (Los Angeles, CA USA)
 

This review is from: Metallica: Club Dayz 1982-1984
Miss the "good ol' days" or are you to young to have been there? Then this little book brings you the romance and glory of music for musics sake. You feel like a member of Metallica while looking at this book.

Thanks to Leslie David for this interview with Bill Hale on Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984!!

2010. október 22., péntek
Metallica: The Club Dayz: 1982-84 written by William Hale





This year you released a very cool book about Metallica titled Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-84, what was the background of this book? At which point did you decide releasing this book?
I was shopping my 1st effort called PowerSurge and nobody understood or got the point of a photography book that had pix of Slayer backed with Tom Petty or Neil Young and L.A. Guns!!! My manager got an email from a Litary agent asking if we placed PowerSurge and if not she knew of a publishing company that would be interested… Well as it turned out they did not see PowerSurge as a money maker either… But they did ask to see if I could produce an all Metallica photo book.. I did and here it is Metallica: The Club Dayz… available at Amazon dot com or other fine online retailers!
How often did Metallica play in the Bay Area before the release of „Kill ’em all”?
In my photo book, Metallica: The Club Dayz... I photographed all but one show, and that was a benefit for Metal Mania. Six gigs... 3 with Ron McGovney... and two with Cliff and Dave Mustaine... One with Kirk, but they had the album done but not released...
As I as know, the reason of their relocation to Bay Area was, that they wanted to have Cliff Burton (Trauma) in the band, since he was the most headbanging bassplayer back then and was a very talented bassplayer as well, can you tell us more about it?
Hum... Cliff was good! but the most talented... I think Lars had asked Joey Vera first but Joey would not leave Armored Saint... Lars also asked John Bush to be the lead singer, also, but Bush would not leave Armored Saint, either… Cliff was a great friend.. I saw Trauma open for Saxon... Cliff was good but he came into his own in Metallica!!!
Is it true, that Cliff Burton initially declined the offer, by the end of the year (1982) he accepted on the condition the band move to San Francisco?
Yeah, Cliff did not want to move down south to LA...
Metallica's first live performance with Cliff Burton was at the nightclub The Stone in March 1983, and the first recording to feature Burton was the 1983 Megaforce demo, what do you recall of that period?
Yeppa... This is well documented in my book Metallica: The Club Dayz... I believe there is a demo called " The KUSF" demo... Only two song "Whiplash" and "No Remorse"... This was Mark Whitaker's school project. Yeah... The Whole Bay Area Metal scene was out at this gig... I got pix of Cliff backstage tuning up before the show... Dave and Cliff hanging out... James and Dave drinking… and a few super cool group shots!!! Metallica, at this time, was the most dangerous band on the planet!!! Better than Sabbath, Purple or Zeppelin!!!
Metallica’s line up became complete, when the band members decided to kick Dave Mustaine out of the band due to drug and alcohol abuse and violent behavior and Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett flew in to replace Mustaine the same afternoon…
YEAH... NO!!! Dave was the most METAL of all of the Metallica guys... Dave wrote a ton of the riffs... Dave talked to the crowd, because James was too shy!!! Dave was the IN YOUR FACE guy!!!.. We all drank!!! To say Dave was more is a JOKE!!! With Cliff, the band was the best band on the planet... But when Cliff came on... Cliff and Dave were more musically equal then Lars... Lars saw the band becoming a democracy with 4 parts not just one...So Dave had to go... I was great friends with Kirk, but Kirk would be on Lars' side and not against him... Dave put the "METAL" in METALLICA!!!
All of the photos that are in the book were photographed by you during the years, aren’t they?
Yes, all the pix were taken by me during my years with MRV!
Could you tell us detailed about the book?
Yes, Metallica: The Club Dayz… is a collection of my photos of Metallica's 1st six official gigs in the Bay area. Three show with the original line up. James, Lars, Dave Mustaine and Ron Mcgovney. The two awesome gigs with Cliff Burton and Dave at the Stone!!! and Kirk's 1st show with Metallica in the Bay area… Plus I have include a ton of backstage and hanging out pix!!!
Does the book contain previously unreleased photos? From how many photos did you pick out those ones, that were published in the book?
Yes. many of the images are perviously unpublished and some have NEVR EVEN BEEN PRINTED!!! I have know ideal how many pix I shot but if I was to guess around two hundred or so…
Did it really represent Metallica’s early days? Were they a hungry, kick-ass band back in the day?
Yes, I think is does! The book really sets a tone and shows in photos how James came about being the lead singer we know and how the shift of power in the band with Mustaine and then with out him...
Do you still remember how and when did you meet them? Were they straight type of guys or…?
Yeppa, We were all young and hungry! Metallica weren't the "bad boys" just yet!!!
In your opinion, how much role did they have in changing the Bay Area scene and sound? Did they pump a fresh blood in the early ’80s Bay Area scene? Did they inspire a lot of Bay Area outfits to play faster and more brutal music?
Not really, You must remember that The Bay Area already had a great scene with many bands!!! Also keep in mind the Lars, Dave and James where there a short time before they got sign and before Dave left!!! What Metallica did do is to change the way the fans got in to the music… But Anthrax brought the MOSH PIT to the Bay Area, so there ya go..
Did their demos help a lot the band to increase their popularity in the scene?
Yes, the tape trading… Again remember Metallica was not the first to do this BUT Lars took full advantage of this! We (MRV) got demos all the time it just the Lars made a bigger noise than most...
What do you think about Metallica’s career? Did they follow their developement/career during the years? Are you still in touch with them by the way?
Like all bands that last this long, they have to progress even if the fans don't understand. You can only write songs that relate to you at the time or it's just fake trash, isn't! Metallica has done well for them selfs. They are one of the biggest bands ever aren't they! The band really have not strayed that far from… You can not be 21 for ever know can you! Have not talk to the band in a while, Kirk lives here in Honolulu, we have some of the same friends but I haven't seem him… But they all dig the book!!!
Bejegyezte: Leslie David dátum: 3:26 0 megjegyzés
Fanzine History - Metal Mania and Metal Rendezvous





























Legendary photogapher William Hale talked about both fanzines.

So Bill, when and how did you get in touch with Metal music? What made this kind of sound so attractive for you?
Hum, great start Leslie.. I have always been into music, since birth… My Dad always had music on all the time. When I got older and could change the radio station, it was ROCK & ROLL!!! At age six I heard Jimi, Janis, The Doors, The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Deep Purple's Hush was a biggie… As a teenager in the mid 70's it was Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, UFO, Status Quo, Aerosmith, BTO, Slade, Sweet, of course, T.Rex, Kiss, Nazareth, a new band called AC/DC… A little bit later some punk slipped in.. The Pistols, The Clash, Nine nine nine,you know that sort… 78-79 brought Lovedrive by Scorpions and Overkill by Motorhead!!! Now these two albums changed EVERYTHING!!! Loverdrive gave all the European bands like Accept, Halloween, Gamma Ray something to shoot for as did Overkill and then Bomber gave the English bands… So naturally all the N.W.O.B.H.M. was to follow and boy did we all jump on that!!!
For how long have you been involved in metal?
That all depends what You call "Metal"… For me "Metal" was some Jimi, some Stepping Wolf, some Cream, some BOC, Purple, Budgie… There was a group in 1975 lead by ex Yardbirds singer Keith Ralph. The band was Armageddon and they where HEAVY!!! But in covering the scene… for the start of the "New Breed" that would be 1980 when MGS played the Oakland Civic center… All that were going to be a major player in the Bay Area scene was at that gig!!! That's the night I met Gary Holt, Paul Baloff, Mike Borden, Dave Starr, Mike Coons and so many others including Cliff Burton!!!
What were the first songs, records, shows etc. that had the biggest effect on you and you decided dedicating your life for the metal scene?
I really think that I was born into this! Just about everything I did leading up to me documenting the Bay Area Scene… As for prime moments… It starts with Hey Joe, the Jimi Hendrix version. I must have been six and heard it on an Am station called "KMBY" in Monterey's Cannery Row… Fast forward to 1979 and Judas Priest - Unleashed in theEast. Gillan - Mr. Universe, Riot - Narita, Electric Sun - Earthquake… 1980 and Budgie - Power Supply, Saxon - Wheels of Steel, the 1st Iron Maiden album!!! Motorhead - Bomber...and all that Neat Records stuff!!!
You were born and growing up in the Bay Area, do you still remember, how did the whole Bay Area metal scene start and develope step by step? How about the early footsteps of the Bay Area scene, with bands such as Metal Church, Anvil Chorus, Blind Illusion, Sinister Savage, Exodus etc.?
You really have to understand that the Bay Area has ALWAYS been a hot bed of bands… The 60's and the 70's bands paved the way for the 80's bands!!! All the clubs were already in place… The promoters like Bill Graham and Bobby Corona (the Stone) were already in place.. And the Bay Area fans were already there as were the older Rock writers, who gave the newer bands press…So it was a matter of time… All the "Metal" bands had a place to gig and fans.. so is was not like "BANG" one day all this stuff just appeared out of thin air...
When it comes to Bay Area metal, Ron Quintana and Ian Kallen are one of the founding fathers, how do you view it? Does it also mean, that they were big catalysators of what later was becoming the famous Bay Area scene?
Ron flew the "flag" but was not the leader… The scene has many "players" and all have there place… The club bookers had a ton of stuff to do with all this… If they don't book your band then… and the independent record store owners who took a chance on stocking the import vinyl which fueled the fire had a ton of stuff to do with the scene… Jeff Weller, the managers of Laaz Rockit, had a big impact… Jeff brought Metal Bands from LA to San Francisco… Mike Varney (Shrapnel Records) had a ton of influence… Metal Mania did not cover a lot of the Bay Area shows… Ron was partial to Motorhead, The Scorpions, Yngwie and Anvil Chorus..
Ron is the man, the myth, the legend, have supported the Bay area metal scene since 1981 when he founded a renegade radio show called Rampage Radio, he was the first Bay Area metal DJ to promote underground bands through his radio show on KUSF and as the editor of the Metal Mania fanzine, how did the whole Metal Mania and KUSF start exactly?
A couple of key points about KUSF… KUSF is the University of San Francisco radio station, it started in 1961… When Ron started there You could only get the signal if you were in a 5 to 10 block radius… It looks cool on paper… but a lot of "young college" people started to play "Metal"... Stred co hosted a radio program in Monterey and there was few others…
Was the whole metal scene in its infancy at this point?
Yeah, this could be said…
Do you agree with, that it wasn’t anything until Metallica’s relocation to the East Bay Area? I mean, did the scene start and get bigger after Metallica relocate to the Bay Area?
Ha, there will be a ton of bands after You for that Statement!!! The scene was why Metallica moved from LA… The Bay area was in full metal swing when Lars and James moved in!!! There were so many metal bands!! not just Thrash… please remember Metallica were "Speed Metal" until Xavier Russell coined the phrase "Thrash Metal"… Vicious Rumors, Steele, Griffin, Hexx, Winterhawk, Brocas Helm, Trauma, Overdrive, Laaz Rockit, Tyrant even Death Angel had started…
So, they seemed to be very influential for the whole scene, right?
Metallica only played five official gigs before they left for New York and three of those show where when they were still based in LA… In all truth.. Lemmy had a bigger impact on all of Us, even Metallica!!! But most of the bigger bands were already formed and gigging...
You became the photographer of Metal Mania, how and when did you join them? Did you also do interview, write reviews and stuff?
I was trying to get my mag off the ground and Ron would ask for pics… since MRV was not out yet I gave him some photos in hopes by doing that I would get interest for my mag...
Did the staff consist of Ron, Ian and you or were there other members too?
Yes Metal Mania was Ron and a gang of correspondents and pen pals… Lots of young writers had articles in MM… Bob Naldandian wrote the 1st Metallica piece, Bernard Doe, K.J. Doughton, Harald O, Brain Lew (Whiplash) and Tim Kort just to name a few…
Do you still remember, how did you get acquainted with each other? Did you have a common musical interest and taste?
Yeah Ron was just like John Strednansky (Chief Editor Metal Rendez-vous Int.) and I… We all were "Up" on the rock scene world wide!!! We hung out at all of the same clubs and dug all of the same bands, and yes we are the same age... I think that Ron and I are a month apart!!!
One of Ron’s more notable moment in metal history is when he asked a not-so-famous friend of his, Lars Ulrich, to help him pick a name for his new fanzine, Lars looked the list over, spied the name Metallica and told Ron to call the fanzine Metal Mania, is that correct?
Yeppa that's about how that story went… Funny, I do not know if Lars and Quintana knew about the book "Encyclopedia Metallica" which predates this event by a year or so…
Were you aware of, that by the mid-1960s, several fans active in science fiction and comics fandom recognized a shared interest in rock music, and the rock fanzines were born and Paul Williams and Greg Shaw were two such SF-fans turned rock zine editors?
Hum… no I did not???
Are Williams’ „Crawdaddy!” (1966) and Shaw’s two California-based zines, „Mojo Navigator” (full title, „Mojo-Navigator Rock and Roll News”) (1966) and „Who Put the Bomp?” (1970) among the most important early rock fanzines? Did you know these fanzines at all?
I never read these but was somewhat aware of them… We or at least I was really into Joel Selvin the music editor of the San Francisco Chronicle… He covered the Bay Area scene forever!!! But mainly we were into the British press.. Mick Wall, Malcolm Dome, Paul Suter and the MIGHTY Geoff Barton!!!
Did you know, that „Crawdaddy!” quickly moved from its fanzine roots to become one of the first rock music „prozines” with paid advertisers and newsstand distribution, while „Bomp” remained a fanzine, featuring many writers who would later become prominent music journalists, including Lester Bangs, Greil Marcus, Ken Barnes, Ed Ward, Dave Marsh, Mike Saunders and R. Meltzer?
No I did not… But this goes to show that You have to start somewhere!!!
Bomp was not alone; an August 1970 issue of Rolling Stone included an article about the explosion of rock fanzines: other rock fanzines of this period include „Flash” 1972, edited by Mark Shipper, „Eurock Magazine” (1973-1993) edited by Archie Patterson and Bam Balam, written and published by Brian Hogg in East Lothian, Scotland, beginning in 1974, and in the mid-1970s, Back Door Man and denim delinquent, so would you name it the start and the turning point of the underground scene?
For Stred and I, we started MRV because no US mainstream mag was keeping up with what the English press was doing!!! When we got MRV off the ground it was to cover all the bands that we were into and not what "Corporate America" was paying for… (Side note to history… Metal Rendez-vous was up to 100,000 issues… Metal Hammer, today is only 50,000 and Metal Mania never did those numbers…)
Metallica went on to become a household name and Metal Mania became a staple in the underground, introducing metal fans to unsigned bands across the country, as well as exposing them to a large dose of punk, hardcore, and New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, does it mean, that Metal Mania became the very first heavy metal fanzine in the States?
Well, Leslie, Brian Slagel had the 1st fanzine. It was called the New Heavy Metal Review and I think this was 1980… BUT it was really Sounds and Kerrang that made a bigger impact!!!
The early Bay Area bands (including Metallica too) were highly influenced by the NWOBHM, that started at the late ’70s/early ’80s, were you aware of the existence of that scene? From where did you get informations, news etc. about what’s going on in Europe?
YES!!! WE ALL LOVED THE N.W.O.B.H.M.!!! Sounds, and to a leaser extent, NME and Melody Maker brought it all to Us!!!Then of course Kerrang Topped them all!!!
You mentioned above, that a gang of correspondents and pen pals including Bernard Doe wrote for MM, is he the guy, who established Metal Forces later on?
Yeah, one and the same... lots of pen pals became major writers in their own right...
Was it easy for you guys to get the new Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Judas Priest, Motörhead etc. records or tapes? Were all of you fans of that legendary NWOBHM movement?
Yes, Leslie, The NWOBHM was HUGE for Us... We all scoured all the record stores for all the latest imports... Ron even worked at The Record Vault at one point...
At this point in Germany started a big metal boom as well, with acts, such as Accept, Scorpions, Grave Digger, Stormwitch, Steeler etc., were you familiar with the bands too?
Yes. The Scorpions were the first... Stred was in to them way back in the mid 70's... But we were into the other 70's German bands like Lucifer's Friend, Night Sun, Epitaph, Guru Guru, Birth Control and Jane... Then came Accept. Warlock, Holy Moses and the others...
How do you view, that along with Tampa, Florida, New York and Los Angeles the Bay Area scene was widely attributed as a starting point of American thrash metal?
San Francisco had the club scene already and it was a very large one... That's why the Bay Area ruled... The Clubs were there and great clubs they were!!!
Do you agree with, that as different thrash metal scenes began to develop starting around the early/mid-80's each had their own distinct sound that differentiated the bands from other bands on the scene?
Yeah, it's a geo-political, sociological aspect of life... Bands need some thing to sing about... Guitar tones come from the street... If you live in a house with a basement... Bands seemed to be more complex... If a band lives in the inter city, they tend to be more raw and "punkish"... Anthrax, Overkill and Hades all have that NYC punk edge, as the early Metallica and Megadeth were more complex...
The scene’s earliest bands like Exodus, Metallica, perhaps best examplified the early straight up NWOBHM meets punk style of the scene and albums that very much highlighted this era of Bay Area thrash included Metallica’s „Kill Em All” and Exodus’s „Bonded By Blood”, right?
Well, they were not the 1st bands, per se… Bands like Steel, Laas Rockit and Vicious Rumors had it going on way before... Please remember that Metallica had all, but two, songs written in LA before they moved and Exodus' 1st album came out late in 85... The Bay area was pumping way before then...
Would you say, that Slayer’s „Show no mercy” had also a very important effect on the developing of the American thrash scene?
I would say Riot's "Fire Down Under"... First because it came out in 1981 and the controversy around the album... secondly everyone got it and played it to death... It may not be "THRASH" by definition, but very very influential.. Just play the title track!!! Slayer was big, but there were others...
In your opinion, were there any borders between the styles (black, thrash, death etc.) back in the day or was it a common underground scene? Would you say, that the rise of the extreme metal began with acts, such as Mantas/Death, Massacre, Possessed, Slaughter, Death Strike/Master etc.?
The whole thing was great, until it got to be a parody of it self...
Were you familiar with fanzines such as Decibel Of Death, Kick Ass Monthly, Violent Noize, Blackthorn etc.? Were there any fanzines there were a kind of examples for you how has a fanzine to do? I mean, which fanzines have had the biggest influence, effect on you? Which papers did you know or like back then?
I knew of a few,BUT it was Sounds, NME and the Melody Maker that did it for us... I think that the "Major Rock mags here did more for us in what they would not print... This made all of us work harder to cover "Our Music"... My mag Metal Rendezvous came out just after Ron's 1st issue..
Did you have enough material for each issues? Were there any materials that left out?
Yes, there were a ton of bands... and No, I do not recall the bands that we did not cover.. way too many years have gone by..
What were the criterias for choosing the bands to feature in Metal Mania?
Any band that rocked!!!
Were you concentrating on supporting the underground scene?
Yes... But you had to balance the coverage...
Did you often get demos and rehearsals from underground groups?
ALL THE TIME!!! and from all around the world...
Were you aware of the newer bands via flyers or…?
Yeah, bands would give ya flyers all of the time… and demo tapes and free tickets to their gigs...
How did you do the issues of the fanzines and how much did take to do each issues?
We'd get together and just start hashing out the layouts... I would size all my pix and Stred started to type away...
Did you do the issues with typewriter? What about the production of the fanzines as a whole?
We learned as we went along and made it up when we could...
What were the early issues like and how were the responses to them? How many copies did you print and was it hard to get rid of them?
The 1st issue was xeroxed at a print shop... I photocopied the next few at my Moms office and finally we were professionally off set printed!
Did you also try to get in touch with labels as well? Do you still remember what were the labels that you got in touch with?
Yeppa, out of all of the "fanzines" We got to be the Major Labels' favorite!!! We really did our best to be professional...
Did they start sending you promos? On what kind of format did you get the advance or promotional stuffs?
Yeppa, our mail box was stuffed full of promos...
How many copies of all these single issues were sold at all? How many copies are/were printed from each issue?
I think issue #1 was a run of 50... Our last few issues ran 100,000 copies world wide!!!
What do the issues cost back then? Did you also change, trade with other fanzine editors?
$1.50 for the 1st ones and $2.00 or $3.00 at the end... here is a link to a Facebook Gallery I have set up for some of the covers.
How did you distribute, spread the fanzines? Were you in connection with penbangers from all over the world?
Yeah, Pen pals and record shops...
What about the promotion of Metal Mania back then? How and how much promotion did you make for Metal Mania? I mean, did you sell it alone or was it available at shows, record stores etc.?
Not much promo going on… I think Ron really did not get into that "Sales Man" vibe. But at MRV we did a lot of cross promotions with Bands and record labels… Stred was king of all that!
Did you send from the paper to those bands, which were interviewed in the fanzine?
We tried to send all of the bands copies but fell short… So, sorry guys!
As for the ’80s, both the tape trading scene and running fanzines were very popular, they were at their peak those times, would say, that running fanzines was a chain reaction back then? I mean, the editors draw inspiration from each other or…?
Not really… Stred and I just wanted to put out the best metal mag ever!!! We had our own style but I saw a lot of copy cats out there… but none of them lasted long...
Was a competition between the fanzines editors or was a unity among them? With which fanzine editors were you in touch back then? Which fanzine was the best back in the day in your opinion?
Not really… At MRV we were way too bizzy and I could say the same of Ron… We were like the 1st…
Do you think that fanzines played, play and will play an important role in the Metal scene? How can mags/’zines support the career of bands?
Yeah back then before the internet… Print was king!!! Now I really have not seen the internet "Break" a band yet… But, it helps some bands along the way.
As fanzines were produced in ever greater volumes and developed into new areas of subject matter, a form of culture also developed around them, a "fanzine scene" is referred to by zine producers, do you agree with it?
I really don't know how to answer that one… I was way too busy to step back and look at what we did… I went to a gig, shot the band backstage, shot some live pix and then hang out after… then drive back to Monterey get some sleep and processes the film and make some test prints and head down to the office and layout meetings… Then get back to my darkroom and make master prints to send off to the printers… We never really looked at this as anything else but getting the Metal news out...
What do you think about, that a major problem that fanzines have is their seclusion and isolation away from the general public?
No, the major problem with most 'zines were that they were run by people that did not know what they were doing and did not know METAL… MRV lasted of ten years or so and was up to 100,000 issues!!!
Back to a little bit to Bay Area, the scene started changing in the mid ’80s, more and more thrash bands appeared, but Possessed would bring a turning point to the genre with 1985’s „Seven Churches” regarded as the first album to cross over from thrash metal to death metal for the largely "growling vocals" and subject matter dealing with horror and the occult, how do you explain this?
Don't know about that… You should ask Tom from Slayer that…. Slayer was 1st and all the rest were incomparable!
As I mentioned above, around the mid-80's the sound of the scene changed considerably; virtuosic musicianship (particularly lead guitars) had become a defining characteristic of the scene, correct?
Don't know about that either… Yngwie has always been Yngwie as well as Mustiane being Mustaine so I would say Metal always was about great playing...
The second wave of bands coming out of the scene, led by Testament, Death Angel, Forbidden, and Heathen, played a style of thrash considerably different from their predecessors; this new brand of thrash featured longer and more harmonically and rhythmically complex songs, with often neo-classical styled dual lead guitar playing highlighting the album…
Heathen had Doug from Anvil Chours, that band was all about dual guitars… The Bay area was really all about great playing… Vicious Rumors and Laaz Rockit were main stays…They set the "pace" as much as Exodus and Metallica…
Would you say, that the songs also borrowed more from NWOBHM vocals and melodies?
Any Diamond Head tunes… But Motorhead was and still is the band that set the bar for all to aim for… Cheers Lemmy!!!
A progressive rock influence became apparent for the first time in the genre and the punk influence that was once crucial to the genre was now almost completely absent and this sound, highlighted by albums like Testament’s „The Legacy” and Death Angel’s „The Ultra-Violence”, both released in 1987, was the style that many would associate with the classic Bay Area sound, what are your views on it?
If Cliff was still here he would have something to say about that… The 2nd Metallica album was all that, but the bay area had bands like Griffin and Dammaj that were playing that way long before those bands… Funny, how some bands stay and others fade…
This is often attributed to the fact that guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani lived in the Bay Area and often instructed a number of guitarists who would go on to play in some of these bands (some of these guitarists would include Exodus’s Rick Hunolt, Testament’s Alex Skolnick, and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett), do you agree with that statement? Did Such really a help a lot those guitarists becoming better and more professional?
WOW… Don't say that to Mike Varney… His U.S. Metal lp's did way more than Joe did!
So Bill, how long did you work for Metal Mania? How would you sum up the years that you sent by Metal Mania?
Not long… But, I always there for Ron when he needed some pix
What made you to join Metal Rendezvous? Did you part ways on a friendly term at the end? Did you remain in touch with Ron and Ian after you left Metal Mania?
MRV was started by John Strednansky and myself… Ron got MM out 1st but Stred and I took a little longer to find our design… I still talk to Ron, email mostly, due to the fact that I now live in Hawaii… We did a podcast last year and Ron wrote a cool bit for my Metallica photo book…
After twenty years on the air and through myriad fanzines, Ron continues to promote the local metal scene and introduce new music to his legions of fans. It means, he is still enthusiastic, metal is his passion and metal runs in his veins, right?
Ron has more of a wide taste now a days… But he still is Ron… God bless him for that!!!
To which extent were you familiar with Metal Rendezvous? Did they already exist at this point or was it a really new mag/’zine?
No, we started out as a fanzine and grew up… Stred and I saw a place for a great US Metal mag.. We were big with all the record labels so we needed to be more professional, but we still ROCKED!!!
They were based in California, correct?
Monterey, the same place that Jimi and The Who made there US debuts...
As for the musical taste of this paper, did they specialize in thrash metal or simply in metal in general?
We were Hard Rock and Heavy Metal BUT I NEVER LIKED LABELS… IT WAS REALLY ALL THE SAME...
What about the staff of MR? Did you become photographer like by Metal Mania?
Well, I was one of the founders. Stred wrote and I snapped away… Come to think about it John and I were the only writer & photog team out there...
How many issues were released from MR during the years? How would you describe each issues? How often was MR released?
We lasted 10 years and at 1st our output was not that great but after 87 we were like every 2 months...
Did it succeed for the mag in doing a name for themselves or influencing other ’zine writers? I mean, do you consider an influential and successful mag?
We wanted to write about the bands we liked! If other writers like it that was cool, but we really were there to push the music.. The funny thing was, that a lot of big mags did stories on MRV… From Rolling Stone, Kerrang and even High Times all wrote stories on MRV… So to answer that question yes, but I really did not care. We were there for the MUSIC!!!
When and why did stop MR its activities? Did you relocate to Honolulu Hawaii, after MR was off?
Stred and I put MRV to "sleep" in December 1989… I was living in LA and was just tired… Really, for the last ten years I photographed bands up and down California. If not the rest of the US… I WAS WIPED OUT… I was the one who had to go out and deal with bands… Hell, most of the writers just picked up the phone… I had to be there in the clubs…I slept for two years before I started to hang out again… I moved here, to Hawaii, almost ten years ago and I still work with bands… The main one is Henry Kapono. Henry put out a cd called "The Wild Hawaiian" just think if Jimi Hendrix grew up hawaiian and that's what you got!!!
Since you are in the scene since 1979, how much did change the music industry compared to the late ’70s/early ’80s? What do you think about the present metal scene as a whole? What are the bands that you prefer or often listen to these days?
The whole monster has changed!!! That's a good thing, record labels got greedy! Fat and Greedy… They charged far to much for cds when they cost less to make… I could go on but why… Now bands, if they smart and know how to take advantage of the "Steve Jobs" revolution can do it all them selves.. Really, bands should know the BIZ, all the ins and outs. Recording, legal, marketing and promotion… their are so many outlets to get your music out to the fans… Bands who do the leg work will be the next stars.. BUT remember it is a business and needs to be treated as such!!!
Are you for or against the file-sharing and mp3 things?
Let me put it this way… I always put a © on all my pix that I put up on the net… So if people want to use them you will see my copyright. I do not mind if someone reposts my work as I know others will see my name on them.. If someone takes the extra time to photoshop my name off.. they have way too much time on their hands...
What are your future plans?
To get out my next photo book.. Megadeth: Another Time - A Different Place... I'm in talks right now…
Please name your first ten all time classics! Please add your comments to them!
WOW!!! that's so hard to do but here it goes…
Scorpoins - Loverdrive
This album ushered in a big change in metal… recorded and released in 1979 great guitars, great production just listen to this over headphones and let the brothers Schenker make you a believer!!!

Motorhead - Ace of Spades
Lemmy and company where on a roll with Overkill and Bomber, this would be the crowning maters piece that would bring America to it's "Motor-Headbangers" to their feet and rise their "Iron Fist"!!!

UFO - Strangers in the night
I'm going with the live album because it contains all UFO's cool track up to than… Schenker or Paul Chapman.. who knows and who cares this just cooks up some great guitar licks!!!

Gillan - Mr. Universe
Yeah over Deep Purple!!! Ya'll need to go find this record!!! Ian really pulled this out from his heavy roots… The right place and the right time…
Mr. Universe just rules!!!

Deep Purple - Made in Japan
Purple is my favorite band!!! It's hard to pick out just one album for a group that has had some many line up changes… But Made in Japan is a great sound live effort that show cases Ritchie's Guitars and Ian's voices!!!
Highway star anyone????

Riot - Fire Down Under
This is America's first true Metal album!!! Mark Reale and the band went through hell to get this released as Capitol records said that this was too heavy… Capital's loss and Our gain!!!

Holocaust - The Nightcomers
Yeah over Maiden, Angel Witch and Saxon… This record really captures the feel of The New Wave of British Heavy Metal!! Yeah go out and find it and you will see what and talking about!!!

Metallica - Masters of Puppets
Cliff finest hour… RIP Buddy!!!

Megadeth - Killing is my business
One word "Rattlehead" =)

Y&T - Earthshaker
The Band Area's big brothers of hard Rock!!! When Dave and crew signed a new deal with A&M records their 1st record was Earthshaker and the Rock world was never the same… Almost every California based band opened for Y&T… Van Halen, Motely and yes even Metallica...

Bill, thanks a lot for the interview, any closing words for my readers?
And thank you for the time and cheers for help keeping the Metal flame burning!!! If You dig this type of music, go out and support it, Buy the cds, go to the gigs, find new bands the rule and help push them… Metal is a true fan driven music!!! It's up to all of us to help keep metal in the forefront.
Cheers and Aloha =)
Bejegyezte: Leslie David dátum: 2:54 0 megjegyzés

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Thanks to Vlad at Hard Rocker Magazine in Poland for this review of Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984!

Check Hard Rocker Magazine out on MySpace!!

Thanks to Phyllis Pollack of Rock Music Examiner for mentioning Bill Hale's photos in her review of Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir

We'd like to thank Phyllis Pollack of the Rock Music Examiner for mentioning Bill Hale's Photographic contributions to Mustaine A Heavy Metal Memoir in her review!

Thanks to Dave for including 21 of Bill Hale's photos in Mustaine A Heavy Metal Memoir

We got a copy of Mustaine A Heavy Metal Memoir today in the mail and are pleased to see they used 21 of Bill Hale's photos in this book. I'm looking forward to reading it and wanted to say thanks to Dave for including us in Mustaine A Heavy Metal Memoir!

Anybody who would like to own better quality versions of these pics (and many others) can order Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984 from amazon or your favorite book store. Some of the photos in Mustaine A Heavy Metal Memoir will appear in our upcoming book Megadeth Another Time A Different Place.

Thanks to Tony and Tiffany of Metal Storm Magazine for this review of Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984

Metal Storm Magazine

Metal Storm magazine on MySpace

Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984





Metallica

The Club Dayz

1982-1984



Photography by Bill Hale





Written inserts by: Bill Hale, John Strednansky, Ron Quintana and Scott Earl.



All I can say is if you are a true Metal-head you have to own this book! Pretty much everyone (whether they know it or not) has seen Bill Hale’s photographs, but not the majority of these. This book possesses some rarely and never before seen Metallica pics from the beginning. Let’s face it, no matter what regard you hold them in now, back in the early days they were the definition of thrash metal!

I know very few musicians who were not inspired by some Metallica member (be it a current or former one), and this collection has pictures of them all. Not just the posed, give me your metal face shots; but of the guys being themselves (you know…real). This is a tribute to any musician that ever played in the band, so if you favor Dave Mustaine, this is a must have. If Cliff Burton is a better match, you’ll find no more memorable photos than these.

For about twenty bucks, you get Metallica shots from their first show and two years coverage at the peak of the band’s true metal years. I think this is a necessary part of anyone’s metal history collection.

Added: June 6th 2010
Reviewer: Tiffany
Score:✰✰✰✰✰
Related Link: Photo Books Bill Hale
Hits: 11
Language: english

Thanks to Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal and Metal Assault for this interview on Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984!

Check out this great interview on Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984 from Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal and Metal Assault!!

Metal Assault

Thanks to this anonymous Yahoo shopper for the great review!

Many thanks to this anonymous Yahoo shopper for taking the time to write this nice review!

Metallica: The Club Dayz 1982-1984
By Yahoo! Shopping User  Jan 7, 2009
Pros: This book contains many never before seen pictures of Metallica when they were just beginning their career. It's the band's "baby book" and it will be cherished by every Metallica fan, old and new. R.I.P. Cliff Burton.
Cons: Not one comes to mind!
I have had the pleasure of viewing this book in it's digital form and I must say reading about the band, from friends of theirs, in the early days is a treasured experience. The story about Dave Mustaine's exit from the band from different insider's perspectives just may change the history of this band as we know it. Bill's last shot of Cliff Burton alive in this book brings tears to my eyes as I suspect it will to every fan. The photos in this book transcend time and bring the reader back to the early days of Heavy Metal in the 80's. For those of us who had the pleasure of being present it is a real treat. For those who came later, it will be an education into the early roots of a band they have come to love. ENJOY!!

Thanks to Curt King of Demolish Magazine for his interview with Bill Hale on Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984!

Thanks to Curt King of Demolish Magazine for this lengthy interview with Bill Hale about Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984!

http://demolishmag.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/killer-metallica-book-out-now-the-club-dayz-1982-1984/

Killer Metallica Book Out Now: The Club Dayz 1982-1984

Metallica: The Club Dayz
1982-1984
Photography by Bill Hale

by Kinger

So, have you ever wondered what it was like in the early days for METALLICA? And I don’t mean the “Black” album either folks, I am talking about the EARLY dayz! If so, then you are in for a real treat. Enter young photographer Bill Hale circa 1982, who was right there from the beginning, capturing the band before, during and after their performances. He was at every one of their early Bay Area shows, without the safety of a “modern-day” photo pit, getting crushed among the savage crowd (and lovin’ every minute of it) as they head-banged fearlessly to the music of their local heroes!

As chief photographer of Metal Rendezvous (a groundbreaking heavy rock magazine that was published throughout the ’80s), Bill Hale was given unlimited access to hang out with and photograph this then-fledgling Metal band. His job at the time was to capture the band onstage and offstage at several of their early performances, including shows with the original lineup with Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney (bass). He even captured Metal history with shots of Cliff Burton’s first METALLICA gig! Also included are rare shots of Kirk Hammett’s METALLICA début and the bands last show with Dave Mustaine.


Ron Quintana, James & Dave 1983

This is a unique article for Demolish, as this book (and Metallica) certainly fits in with our popular “80’s Metal theme”, however, I also wanted to cover Bill’s history as a great rock photographer and to weave that in with his roots with Metal Rendezvous. Bill has been taking pictures of rock bands since his first concert back in 1979. He has taken photos of Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, MSG, Whitesnake and Black Sabbath (just to name a few). Metal Rendezvous were one of the earliest Metal Fanzine/Magazines out and were causing some serious “metal” waves back in the day.

So sit back and relax as we bring you this special Triple Metal Threat all rolled into one kick ass, in-depth feature!



Part One: The Band

What was your first meeting with METALLICA like?

BILL HALE: “The first in person meeting with Metallica was the first time I photographed them live. This was Sep. 18th, 1982 at The Stone in San Francisco. They were very cool.”


1st printed pic!

What do you remember about your FIRST photo shoot for METALLICA?

BH: “The band was stoked to be giging outside of LA! As for the photo session, Metallica had the “F*CK’EM IF THEY CAN’T TAKE A JOKE attitude.”

Were the early audiences receptive to METALLICA?

BH: “The bands very first show at The Stone was cool, not too many people showed up. There was another gig that night, forgot who, but they had the draw. The next show at The Old Waldorf (10-18-82) was jam-packed and the crowd was all Metallica’s!”

Did you get to attend any or very many early band rehearsals?

BH: “Yes I did, a few for Ride The Lighting.”

I noticed a lot of black VENOM t-shirts being worn by band members…any comments?

BH: “I’m not too sure but I think James had just picked that Venom t-shirt up at the Record Vault earlier that day. I was not in to Venom, maybe James was.”

Where you surprised when they kicked out Dave Mustaine?

BH: “Yeppa!!! Big time.”

Can you offer any insight as to the inter workings of the band at the time?

BH: “Hmm, good question, Curt. Metallica was Lars’s band at first. James and Ron joined, followed by Mustaine. Dave was the “IN YOUR FACE” member of the group. Dave did most of the talking between songs as well as wrote a ton of riffs and songs! Ron was the “normal” member. Great guy! James was shy off stage but after a few beers was the budding lead singer that we all know and love. This line up was good, most of the early demos came from this line-up. Cliff Burton was the missing piece though -with Cliff in the group, Metallica became the most dangerous band in the world!”



Bill Hale pic in Kerrang

“Cliff Burton was the missing piece though -with Cliff in the group, Metallica became the most dangerous band in the world!” – Bill Hale

When you first heard their original songs, what came to mind and did you ever imagine they had what it would take to become one of the biggest Metal bands of all time?

BH: “I heard “Hit the Lights” as they were writing it! Lars would call the office (Metal Rendezvous Int. Hard Rock – Heavy Metal Magazine -ed)and say “listen to this song”… three + minutes of metal noise later, Lars would come back on the line and say something like: “What do You think?” But the first time live was just too cool. Metallica had the riffs of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (N.W.O.B.H.M.) with an American lead singer. This combo was the secret to their success. Where either US bands had a good singer but the UK bands had the great riffs. Metallica had both. Ya’ just knew that Metallica was going somewhere.”


St.Red and James @ Wolfgangs

How do you think your constant backstage presence affect the band?

BH: “If a Rock and Roll photographer is doing his job then the impact is only felt after wards when his photos are published. You need to be that “fly on the wall” and I only “posed” the band when it was time for a group shot. So, I had really no effect on the band back then.”

You seemed to have carte blanche access, was there anything that was considered “off-limits” back then?

BH: “That’s another good question! Metallica at this point trusted me and at that time we were all so quite innocent. Nothing really happened backstage.”



Those guys also seemed to really give you “hell” most of the time, what were the most challenging aspects trying to capture them during this early period?

BH: “It was all in good fun. That was Metallica just trying to act tough and look older. Please keep in mind that Lars was 18 or 19 back then! James and Dave might have been barely 21 as was I. We were all just trying to make a name for ourselves.”

Other than METALLICA, what was happening musically in the area at that time?

BH: “The whole of California -the Bay Area and LA was on FIRE! San Francisco had so many bands (both Metal and Glam) as did LA. Y&T ruled up and down the state. I do believe that almost every band from 1977 up until today has opened for Y&T. Van Halen, Motley Crue, Ratt, Laaz Rockit, Vicious Rumors and I think even Metallica opened for them. There was a ton of stuff going on.”

What’s the craziest thing that happened while backstage and or while shooting their live shows!?

BH: “The craziest incident was, funny enough, backstage at The Stone. Megadeth was opening for King Diamond. This was also that last time I had seen Cliff alive (on page 107 of my book). I was to shoot King Diamond and I had this room backstage where I would shoot group shots. I had the room blocked so no one but the band was in the room. I was talking to the band waiting for King Diamond to show up. My back was to the door, so I knew if anyone would enter. I blinked (really like that fast) and there was King Diamond… out of nowhere!!!”



Watch out for the KING!

Part Two: The Book

When did you decide to put the book together and how long did that take?



BH: “Hmm… I, at first, only wanted to put out one book of all my 80’s work. I called it “Power Surge”…
I wrapped up work on it in 2002 and started showing in 2003. I had asked my old buddy Bob Nalbandian (great metal journalist and pod-caster -ed) if he would manage the project and he hit up all the major and minor publishers. NO one could grasp the concept of having SLAYER photos backed with Tom Petty or Neil Young followed by E-Z-O! Power Surge had over 150 bands, well over 700 photos of Rock, Metal, Punk and Glam bands from this time. We put Power Surge on the back burner for a wee bit. In late 2007 (out of the blue) this agent emailed my management company and inquired if we had “placed” Power Surge and if she could work it for us. Early in 2008, Steph (my agent) came back with a publisher, but they wanted a “smaller” version of the book. Which I did some major edits and sent this off. A few days later Steph comes back and says they (the Publisher) wants to know if I would like to show them an all Metallica book! So I did and that was that. Funny thing is that I got an email from Kerrang looking for old Metallica pics. I told Steph and the very next day ECW had a contract for me to sign.”

Was it difficult selecting which pics would make it into the book?



BH: “No, it was not. This was all very natural. The hard part was that I was great pals with all the guys and I really wanted to be fair to the band members. Ron (McGovney -ed) got a lot of flack when the band replaced him and Dave got labeled as a drunk. Too be frank, Dave and Ron’s contribution to early Metallica is monstrous and the band would not be the band that they are now…”

Live photo of Metallica that is not in the book!

“Too be frank, Dave and Ron’s contribution to early Metallica is monstrous and the band would not be the band that they are now…” – Bill Hale

What are your favorite pictures in the book and why?

BH: “There are so many images in this book that are real cool! All the group shots are a blast. They just scream. But may favorites are on page 90 and 91 (they are of Cliff and Dave), the shots were taken just after Metallica played The Stone (3/19/83), which just happened to be the LAST gig with Mustaine in the Bay Area. The shots where taken a few doors down from The Stone. We were just walking and talking about the gig when the photo bug hit me and I snapped a few shots off.”

How did you go about picking the cover shot and why?



BH: “Metallica’s motto back then was “METAL UP YOUR ASS!!!” so I needed a shot that would show that “war cry”. I think that pic of James works well.”

The extra commentary in the book is great, how did that come about?

“There was so much mis-information around that time. First I wanted to set a tone for the book, to get the readers in a mind-set. Ron Quintana was/is an old friend. I did some work for his Metal Mania Fanzine. But most Metallica fans might know Ron because he came up with the name “Metallica” (yes there was a photo book out in England called The Encyclopedia Metallica but I doubt either of them had seen it). Next was getting my old partner in crime involved on this project. John Strednansky and I started MRV almost right out of High School. Lars had contacted “Stred” even before Lars had Metallica. Lars would call the MRV office and we would hear his band play their big song “Hit The Lights”. So Stred was a must and most Metallica fans would dig his insight with Metallica.” Bill states.



Rare pic with St.Red & Bill

“Finally I needed a musician’s angle. Scott Earl was the Bass player in Culprit. Culprit was a very cool band out of Seattle. They were recording their début album in San Francisco and were asked to play at the 3/18/83 Stone show. So Scott saw Cliff play! Later on, Metallica had called Scott to audition for Cliff’s spot in the band, so Scott had a great perspective on that whole musician’s thing! I really wanted to set a path for the readers to follow, these three guys were there and thankfully they shared their insights.” Bill added.

Do you have other photos of METALLICA leftover, or did you just pick the “cream of the crop” (if you will) and use those?

BH: “I kept two out. Due to the fact that they need to be published in a large format. They will both show up in my “Bay Area Thrash” book (hella’ cool, can’t wait -ed)!!”

Did METALLICA have any objections to the book or any of its contents?

BH: “Well no, due to US copyright laws, I did not have to get the band involved.”

Does it have worldwide distribution and where is it the most popular thus far?

BH: “Yes, the book is everywhere. Amazon Japan, UK, Germany, Canada and France all carry the book.

Your readers can Google the books ISBN #. ISBN-10: 1550228765 or Metallica The Club Dayz. It’s world-wide!”

I really like this one - Kinger


*Lars busy signing autographs (for fans not much younger than he is)!


Looking back, now that the book is out – what is your fondest memory?

BH: “Well this is just the first step in getting my 80’s rock vault published. I did all the main work myself -on my Macbook Pro! I picked out, scanned and “photoshopped” all the images. The main layouts are mine and the base text also. It was really a labor of love. It’s great to see the Steve Jobs “Apple/ Macintosh Revolution” work out.”

Are you happy with the way the book turned out and in retrospect, is there anything you would change about the book?



BH: “Yes I’m very happy! The good people over at ECW Press are just great to work with. Cheers to Jack and his staff.”

What impact do you think the book will have and or what are your hopes?

BH: “This is really for the Metallica fans, old and new (as well as Rock and Roll fans in general). For the headbangers who were there, it’s like now they can look back and say… “Hey I was there and I remember that show!” The newer Metallica fan can get a good glance at what it was like when the band first drove the 400 + miles to San Francisco and unto their destiny. Because, really, Metallica came into their own in the Bay Area and my book covers all the great gigs of that time!”

Part Three:
While At METAL RENDEZVOUS Mag.



James Thrashin' Live!

What do you remember the most about your FIRST photo shoot for MR?

BH: “I was still in High School and I went to shoot Triumph. Nothing came out BUT, it was such a rush. Next gig was July 4th 1979 at Oakland Coliseum. On the bill that day was The Rockets, UFO, Nazareth, J. Geils, Journey and Thin Lizzy (with Gary Moore on guitar) -great gig but still no great shots. A few weeks later I shot AC/DC when Bon Scott was still alive. Finally got some good shots!”

What was your favorite and or most memorable photo shoot during the MR dayz?

BH: “They were all great and there was so many but here was a jam-packed weekend: Flew to LA Friday night, off to the Country Club in Reseda to shoot Racer X. Saturday morning off to shoot White Lion (this was before “Pride” came out). Hopped a cab to Hollywood to photograph Pete Way, Pete’s one of my all time faves! Dinner with Armored Saint and then worked up a cover pic for MRV. Met up with Phantasm (which was Ron McGovney and Katon De Pena’s side band) for more photos. Caught a flight back to Monterey on Sunday to be in the office Monday AM for DEADLINES! But hey, we were doing what we loved.”



St.Red backstage with Armored Saint



Backstage with Hirax



Trouble with St.Red Backstage

I shot some decent pics of bands way back when, what kind of camera and or equipment did you use back then?

BH: “Nikon and I still use Nikons…they are just the best. I used to develop my own Black & White film and print my own prints. This is what set my work apart from the rest. Way more control over the images.”



How did you score the all-access gig to photograph and or follow Metallica – was it through MR perhaps? And what kind of preparation had you done beforehand?



BH: “For Metallica, they needed press. And there was not a lot of mags out that would know what to do with a band like Metallica. Being on staff at a leading Metal Mag gives you a lot of clout!”

Were you ever nervous about photographing anyone or certain band during your time at MR or career in general?

BH: “No, if you do your homework and keep your equipment well maintain then your sessions should go well. I always tried to do research on the bands that I was shooting. This makes for a better shot and ultimately great photos. Nerves can lead to regrets and I never wanted to say maybe I could have done that differently. You really only get one chance and you don’t want to blow it!”

Meet The Man Behind The Lens


You are living in Hawaii now, how did you end up in Cali when you were younger?

BH: “I was born in California, I moved here to Hawaii in 2001.”



Even Cliff Burton liked Metal Rendezvous!

How/when did you hook up with Metal Rendezvous Mag.?

BH: “One of my best friends in High School, John Strednansky (nick name St. Red) and I started MRV in Jr. College. We planned it out around 1980 and went into production late 81′. The last issue of MRV was 1989, the mag was up to 100,000 issues world-wide! Metal Hammer today is only 50,000 copies.”

How old were you during this time frame?


BH: “I worked on MRV for the whole 1980s.. so from 21 to 29 years old. It was a good run, we covered a ton of bands -new, old, Metal and Hard Rock + some punk and some glam!”

Being a photographer you are always BEHIND the lens and not in 99% of the photos, was there ever a time when you wished you were in the photo and or asked someone else to take the pic?

BH: “No! That was, and still is, my gig… I love to photograph, I’m very lucky to cover a subject that I love also.”

Have you ever ran into METALLICA over the years and or also after the book was published/released?

BH: “No, not yet. The book was released in April 09. Kirk lives on the same Island (in Hawaii -ed) as I do but I have not ran into him. I am in contact with Ron, he loves the book. James digs it also. I get feed back from people all the time.”

Do you think of the band differently now than you did back then?

BH: “Yes, they are a totally a different band now. They all grown up now, aren’t they?!”

Bill Hale

What are you up to these days? Do you still take pictures and or shoot any bands?



BH: “I’m living in Hawaii, still work with bands and working on getting my 80’s Rock archive published. The next photo book is on Megadeth. I think that there will be 6 books in all. I do a lot of work for Henry Kapono. Kapono just released a very cool album called “The Wild Hawaiian”. It was up for a Grammy. Imagine if Jimi Hendrix grew up Hawaiian!”

What do you think of the “current” Metal “scene”?

BH: “There are a lot of very cool bands out now. Some of my faves are Glyder from Ireland -they really rock! The Starz from France, again -very cool and the Muddpigges from NOLA.”

We really appreciate you taking the time to chat with us and allow us to pick your brain! Is there anything else you would like to add for the Demolish Mag. readers and or tell the Metal World in general?

BH: “Yes I would like to thank you, Curt for taking the time and for posting such a cool blog! Cheers. And to your readers: go out and support the music you like. Either by going to the gigs or buying cds, dvds or legally down loading the tunes. You, the fans, make this or any music happen. Go find new bands that rock or support the old ones BUT GO OUT AND ROCK!!! Really, it’s not about the record companies any more, it’s about the fans. You will make the next big band. I still look for out new bands and I go out at least once a week and see live music. IT IS UP TO YOU… so go out and ROCK!”

Thanks to all who have ordered, reviewed, interviewed and promoted Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984!



Cliffs first gig...Metal history was about to be made!

_

In closing, any self-respected Metal fan should own this piece of Metal history. There are so many more amazing photos in the book -I only wish it was larger and maybe a hardcover coffee table book.

There are lots of rare Dave Mustaine pics throughout, so attention all Megadeth fans -go get it! I hear he is also working on an all Megadeth book as we speak and maybe a Bay Area Thrash Metal book. I will be the first in line for that one. That’s right up my alley. Let’s all support Bill and his lifelong dedication to all things rock/Metal. Great work Bill – mega thanks for opening your photo vault!



Order your copy from Amazon here.

Other Links of Interest

http://www.myspace.com/metal_rendezvous_int

http://www.facebook.com/pbbh1

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PrLog Press release for Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984

Check these links to see the PRLog press release for Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984

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Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984 A photo book by Bill Hale and published by ECW Press is out now!


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Metallica The Club Dayz 1982-1984 A photo book by Bill Hale and published by ECW Press is out now!