1980 A Year in Metal

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NEW BANDS

Anthem, Baron Rojo, Battleaxe, Bitch, Black Rose, Blitzkrieg, Bulldozer, Exodus,  Grave Digger, Heaven, Holy Moses, King’s X, Lionheart, Los Suaves, Loudness, Malice, Manowar, Metal Church, More, Ozzy (solo career), Overkill, Rok Masina, Sacred Rite, Saint, Salem, Sound Barrier, Tank, Turbo, Vixen, Warning, White Sister, Wrathchild


BAND BREAK UPS

Led Zeppelin


BAND REFORMATIONS

  • Black Sabbath - Ozzy & Geezer replaced by Dio and Geoff Nicholls. Nicholls moved to keyboards when Geezer rejoined the band. 

  • Steppenwolf


ALBUMS

  • AC/DC - BACK IN BLACK

  • ACCEPT - I’M A REBEL

  • ALICE COOPER - FLUSH THE FASHION

  • ANGEL WITCH - ANGEL WITCH

  • ATOMIC ROOSTER - ATOMIC ROOSTER

  • BLACKFOOT - TOMCATTIN’

  • BLACK SABBATH - HEAVEN AND HELL

  • BLUE OYSTER CULT - CULTOSAURUS ERECTUS

  • BUDGIE - IF SWALLOWED, DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING (EP)

  • BUDGIE - POWER SUPPLY

  • DEF LEPPARD - ON THROUGH THE NIGHT

  • DIAMOND HEAD - LIGHTNING TO THE NATIONS

  • GILLAN - GLORY ROAD

  • GIRLSCHOOL - DEMOLITION

  • GRAND PRIX - GRAND PRIX

  • IRON MAIDEN - IRON MAIDEN

  • JUDAS PRIEST - BRITISH STEEL

  • KISS - UNMASKED

  • KROKUS - METAL RENDEZ-VOUS

  • MANILLA ROAD - INVASION

  • MOLLY HATCHET - BEATEN’ THE ODDS

  • GARY MOORE - G-FORCE

  • MOTORHEAD - ACE OF SPADES

  • TED NUGENT - SCREAM DREAM

  • OCEAN - “A” LIVE + B

  • OZZY OSBOURNE - BLIZZARD OF OZ

  • RUSH - PERMANENT WAVES

  • SAMSON - HEAD ON

  • SAXON - WHEELS OF STEEL

  • SAXON - STRONG ARM OF THE LAW

  • SCHOOLBOYS - SINGIN’ SHOUTIN’ (EP)

  • SCORPIONS - ANIMAL MAGNETISM

  • THIN LIZZY - CHINATOWN

  • TRIUMPH - PROGRESSIONS OF POWER

  • TRUST - REPRESSION

  • TYGERS OF PANG TANG - WILD CAT

  • UFO - NO PLACE TO RUN

  • VAN HALEN - WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST

  • WHITESNAKE - READY AN’ WILLING

  • WHITESNAKE - LIVE...IN THE HEART OF THE CITY

  • WHITE SPIRIT - WHITE SPIRIT

LIVE ALBUMS

BLACK SABBATH - LIVE AT LAST

WHITESNAKE - LIVE...IN THE HEART OF THE CITY

“HIT SONGS”

AC/DC - ROCK AND ROLL AIN’T NOISE POLLUTION & YOU SHOOK ME ALL NIGHT LONG

ANGEL WITCH - SWEET DANGER

BLACK SABBATH - NEON KNIGHTS, DIE YOUNG & HEAVEN AND HELL

DEF LEPPARD - HELLO AMERICA

GILLAN - SLEEPING ON THE JOB

IRON MAIDEN - RUNNING FREE & SANCTUARY

JUDAS PRIEST - BREAKING THE LAW, LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT & UNITED

MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP - ARMED AND READY & CRY FOR THE NATIONS

MOTORHEAD - ACE OF SPADES

OZZY OSBOURNE - CRAZY TRAIN & MR. CROWLEY

PHIL LYNOTT - DEAR MISS LONELY HEARTS & KING’S CALL

RUSH - THE SPIRIT OF RADIO

SAXON - WHEELS OF STEEL, 747(STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT) & STRONG ARM OF THE LAW

SCORPIONS - MAKE IT REAL & THE ZOO

THIN LIZZY - KILLER ON THE LOOSE & CHINATOWN

TRIUMPH - I LIVE FOR THE WEEKEND

UFO - YOUNG BLOOD

WHITESNAKE - READY AN’ WILLING & FOOL FOR YOUR LOVING



HAPPENINGS

BON SCOTT - LEAD SINGER OF AC/DC DIES AT 33 ON 2-19-80 AFTER A DRINKING BINGE.

JOHN BONHAM - DRUMMER OF LED ZEPPELIN DIES AT 32 ON 9-25-80 AFTER A DRINKING BINGE.

METAL FOR MUTHAS - NWOBHM COMPILATION ALBUMS ARE RELEASED. VOL. 1 REACHED UK #16 AND FEATURED IRON MAIDEN, ANGEL WITCH AND SAMSON. VOL. 2 REACHED UK#58 AND FEATURED WHITE SPIRIT, DARK STAR AND RED ALERT.

METAL FOR MUTHAS TOUR -  FEATURED IRON MAIDEN, SAMSON AND ANGEL WITCH. THE TOUR WAS SUCCESSFUL THANKS TO FANS AND POSITIVE REVIEWS THE THE MUSIC PRESS.

RAINBOW - HEADLINES THE FIRST DONINGTON FESTIVAL ON 8-16-80. JUDAS PRIEST, SCORPIONS, SAXON, RIOT AND APRIL WINE ALSO PERFORM. 35,000 FANS ATTENDED.

BRIAN JOHNSON - JOINS AC/DC AS LEADING SINGER ON 4-1-80.

MIKE VARNEY - FOUNDS SHRAPNEL RECORDS.

IRON MAIDEN - DENNIS STRATTON LEAVES AND IS REPLACED BY ADRIAN SMITH,

THIN LIZZY - FORMER PINK FLOYD GUITARIST SNOWY WHITE JOINS THE BAND.

TOURS

BACK IN BLACK TOUR - AC/DC - 6-29-80 to 2-28-81, 6 legs, 144 dates. First tour with Brian Johnson. The band brought their own Hell’s Bell on the road with them, it weighed a ton, literally. It would be lowered to the stage each night during the song Hell’s Bells and Johnson would hit it with a hammer as the band played on. Played The Fox in Atlanta, 8-12-80.

BLIZZARD OF OZ TOUR - Ozzy Osbourne - 9-12-80 to 9-13-81, 4 legs, 131 dates. Debut solo tour. Opening bands on the tour included Motorhead, Joe Perry, The Outlaws, Mountain and Def Leppard. Played The Fox in Atlanta, 9-4-81.

BRITISH STEEL TOUR - Judas Priest - 3-7-80 to 8-23-80, 3 legs, 83 dates. Opening bands on the tour included, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Sammy Hagar, Journey, Scorpions, Heart, Rainbow, Saxon, Ted Nugent, Johnny Winter, Molly Hatchet and Ian Gillen. No Atlanta date.

ON THROUGH THE NIGHT WOULD TOUR - Def Leppard - 1-18-80 to 12-13-80, 5 legs, 139 dates. Tour for their debut album. They toured Europe as headliners and North America as an opening act. They opened for Judas Priest, Ted Nugent, Scorpions, Molly Hatchet, J. Geils, Blackfoot, Bob Segar, Eddie Money, Heart, AC/DC and Whitesnake. No Atlanta date.

HEAVEN AND HELL TOUR - Black Sabbath - 4-17-80 to 2-2-81, 5 legs, 128 dates. Their first tour with Dio and Vinnie Appice who replaced Bill Ward mid tour. The stage set up included an electronic cross that flashed lights and burst into flames that Iommi said hardly ever worked. The European leg of this tour is responsible for unleashing Manowar upon an unsuspecting world. Ross the Boss was in Shakin’ Street who opened for Sabbath on this leg of the tour met Sabbath bass tech Joey DeMaio. They became friends and later founded Manowar. They co-headlined the North American leg with Blue Oyster Cult with opening support from Sammy Hagar, Saxon, Riot, Molly Hatchet and Shakin’ Street. Played the Omni in Atlanta, 9-12-80.

IRON MAIDEN TOUR - Iron Maiden - 4-1-80 to 12-21-80, 103 dates. European tour only. Was the tour for their debut album. They supported KISS on their Unmasked tour from 8-24-80 to 10-16-80. Immediately following this tour Dennis Stratton was fired and replaced by Adrian Smith. This tour saw them play in mainland Europe for the first time as well as record their first live video at the Rainbow Theater on the last night of the tour.

METAL FOR MUTHAS TOUR - 2-1-80 to 3-2-80, 30 dates. Great Britain tour only. This tour was to support the Metal for Muthas NWOBHM compilation album. It was variously headlined by Motorhead, Samson and Saxon.  There were 22 opening bands for the tour including Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Raven and Urchin (former band of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden).

TOUR OVER EUROPE 1980 - Led Zeppelin - 6-17-80 to 7-7-80, 14 dates. European tour only. It would be their last tour. Plant was reluctant to tour the States and wanted to avoid negative press in the UK so their manager scheduled them a short European tour. They played smaller venues with a scaled down stage set up. After the tour moral was good and they were rehearsing for a North American tour when John Bonham died.

UNMASKED TOUR - KISS - 7-25-80 to 12-3-80, 42 dates. European tour only. First tour with Eric Carr replacing Peter Criss. The first tour where they only played in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Iron Maiden were the opening act for the European leg. Would be the last tour with Ace Frehley until 1996 reunion tour.

VAN HALEN WORLD INVASION TOUR - Van Halen - 3-19-80 to 11-15-80, 124 dates. Tour support their 3rd album Women and Children first, dubbed the Party Till You Die tour by the band. It was the first tour the band played keyboards live on stage. Michael Anthony would play the keyboard parts of And The Cradle Will Rock. Played the Omni in Atlanta, 8-6-80. Played the Macon Coliseum in Macon, 10-31-80. Played the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, 11-1-80. Played the Savannah Civic Center in Savannah, 11-12-80.