[Strappado]

86

!	Strappado wrote:
	Re-released on CD and vinyl in December 2019 by High Roller Records. https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/R ... est/793165 https://www.hrrecords.de/high_roller/si ... ?relno=728 https://www.hrrshop.de/RAW-DEAL

Artist: Raw Deal
Release: Out Of My Head / In The Mood, Single 1981
Label: White Witch Records #WIT 701
Genre: NWOBHM
Country: UK (Kent)
Bitrate: 192kbps
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Reupload request.

Confusingly, there were at least three different bands named Raw Deal making the rounds in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal underground in the early '80s, and all of them fared equally miserably. This Deal featured Rob Childs (vocals/guitar), Paul Reynolds (guitar), Brian Smith (guitar), Ade Jones and Steve Richardson ( drums), and hailed from Kent, where they are rumored to have formed as early as 1978, and then struggled along with the lot of the era's underappreciated heavy metal bands until being spotted by the small independent White Witch label. The label promptly hustled Deal into a studio for garbage-time recording sessions, which proved to be such an ordeal that the studio crew's much-relieved cheering could be heard towards the end of a song called "Cut Above the Rest"; that song was eventually selected for 1981's 'Kent Rocks' compilation. Thankfully, the same sessions also spawned what would become Raw Deal's only single, "Out of My Head" (b/w "I'm in the Mood"), released by White Witch later that year, after the band had broken up.

Rob Childs - Vocals, Guitar (Phobia)
Paul Raynolds - Guitar
Brian Smith - Guitar
Ad Jones - Bass
Steve Richardson - Drums
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1. Out Of My Head
2. In The Mood
3. Cut Above The Rest (Bonus / Kent Rocks comp)

[SteveRich]

RAW DEAL

I was the drummer in Raw Deal and having read the band biog on here I thought I'd correct a few errors.
Myself - Steve Richardson, Paul Reynolds on guitar and Brian Smith also on guitar formed the band in 1978. After a few rehearsals and getting a few songs together we poached Rob Childs (vocals/guitar) from another band. We then rehearsed in earnest putting a set together of cover songs and our own material.

We auditioned a few bass guitarists and settled on Ade Jones. In truth, Ade was only in the band for around six months and played only a handful of gigs with us but he did come into Mouse Hole Studios in Orpington and record two songs we had written prior to him joining - 'Cut Above The Rest' - which was later released on the Kent Rocks album - and 'Make Or Break' which has never seen the light of day. The recordings were financed by the band and not by White Witch Records as has been suggested elsewhere. Incidentally.....the cheering at the end of 'Cut Above The Rest' was the band cheering not the studio staff. We were euphoric at the end of recording that song as we had attempted it about five times and on this occasion had got it right.

Ade Jones was out of the band before the year was out, with Brian Smith switching from guitar to bass. 1979 saw us gigging around Kent and South East London and in early 1980 we returned to the studio - the re-vamped Rabbit Hole Studios in Orpington - formerly Mouse Hole Studios - to record two cover songs: AC/DC's 'Live Wire' and Rory Gallagher's 'Shadow Play' - both staples of our live show. Again we financed the recordings ourselves.

We gigged regularly throughout 1980 and toward the end of the year we met Gary Abbott, owner of the White Witch label and also a record shop of the same name. Having seen us live on a few occasions he asked if we'd be willing to submit a recording of one of our self-penned songs to what would become the Kent Rocks album. We gave him the recording of 'Cut Above The Rest' from our first studio session in 1978. I remember we played at the album launch party at The Woodman pub in Blackfen near Sidcup in 1981, a venue we played regularly.

After the release of the Kent Rocks album Gary Abbott approached us again, stating that people who had heard our track on the album frequently came into his shop asking if any more Raw Deal material was available on record. He suggested we record a single and also suggested we part finance it. This we declined - because we were skint - and we came up with an alternative plan where White Witch Records financed the recording and pressing of the single and they took a larger percentage from sales of the record.

In the summer of 1981 we went into a recording studio in South London - the name of which I forget - and recorded two of our own songs, 'Out Of My Head' and 'In The Mood'.....the intro of which was inspired by the Glen Miller song of the same name. After the intro any similarity to that Glen Miller classic is non-existent.

A thousand copies of the single were pressed, the majority of which came into our possession and we sold a few at gigs and gave the rest away to friends and family over the following years. I'm lead to believe that Gary Abbott of White Witch Records, who financed the recording, etc, relocated to Belgium for reasons unknown - although at the time I heard several rumours....all unfounded....and has never been heard of since.

Raw Deal split up in 1982 and all four members went on to play in other bands and still do to this day. Paul Reynolds, Rob Childs and I stay in regular contact and although we rarely see Brian Smith we still all remain friends. We've talked about reforming Raw Deal over the years but we're all located far and wide and have busy lives. However......never say never!

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• 4 likes this

[akira]

@SteveRich
Thank you Steve for the bio and info. Shame that band have never recorded anything else and you have never got a chance to release proper lp, 'cause these three songs are excellnt.

New link, corrected

LINK REMOVED

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• 8 likes this

[easternthunder]

Re-released on CD and vinyl in December 2019 by High Roller Records.

https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/R ... est/793165

https://www.hrrecords.de/high_roller/si ... ?relno=728

https://www.hrrshop.de/RAW-DEAL

• 
• 1 likes this