NUTZ – Live Cutz [Rock Candy remastered & reloaded]
As requested, the Rock Candy Records ‘Remastered & Reloaded‘ reissue of NUTZ albums, officially released for the first time on CD. If NUTZ doesn’t ring a bell on you, they were a little sensation in UK during the Seventies, and in the ’80s the band changed its name to RAGE delivering 3 fantastic melodic hard rock albums.
“Live Cutz” is the final album from this British band, captured in 1977 showcasing how good they were onstage with their well cooked brand of hard rock. The set-list included 2 new songs never recorded into the studio, exclusives to this release.
Although Nutz never achieved the huge success afforded to a handful of their rivals they did, however, establish a reputation for one of the most talented and hard-working bands that occupied the mid Seventies British hard rock scene.
With a coveted deal with A&M Records and three well received studio albums under their belt, their last studio album ‘Hard Nutz’ had promised so much but delivered little in the way of commercial gain. It was a frustrating set of circumstances especially when you consider the quality of their records.
Faced with a lack of progress, their label, having seen them play gigs, suggested that they try to reverse this situation by issuing a live album – something that would show the world how great and exciting they really were and what we were all missing.
It had worked for Kiss and Peter Frampton so why not for Nutz?
Enlisting the Island Mobile unit, the band booked two shows at Nottingham’s legendary Boat Club venue taping what, as it turned out, would be the final Nutz album.
True to form, the album is a red hot slice of explosive hard rock documenting this great, but underappreciated, band in full flight.
By 1979 the band was sputtering to a halt, but when their song “Bootliggers” was surprisingly chosen for inclusion on 1980’s Metal for Muthas (a compilation of emerging New Wave of British Heavy Metal talent like Iron Maiden, Praying Mantis, and Samson), Nutz decided to cash in on the younger generation by reinventing themselves as Rage.
This barely disguised new version of Nutz ejected their keyboard player, recruited additional guitarist Terry Steers, and went on to record three really good melodic hard rock oriented albums.
With a fully comprehensive selection of tracks from the band’s career including classics as ‘Seeing Is Believing’ and ‘Wallbanger’ the gloves are well and truly off. They also included two new songs ‘You Better Watch Out’ and ‘Can Be Loved’. It’s easy to see why the band is now regarded as one of the forerunners of the NWOBHM.
Strongly Recommended
01 – Seeing is Believing
02 – Loser
03 – Pushed Around
04 – You Better Watch Out *
05 – R.S.D.
06 – Joke
07 – Can Be Loved *
08 – Wallbanger
09 – Knife Edge
* new songs previously unreleased
Vocals – Dave Lloyd
Guitar – Mick Devonport
Bass – Keith Mulholland
Drums – John Mylett
Keyboards – Kenny Newton
BUY
www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Cutz-Nutz/dp/B07CPBVW6Q