Raven’s debut album ‘Rock Until You Drop’ getting released as ‘The 4CD Over The Top Edition’

Raven’s debut album ‘Rock Until You Drop’ getting released as ‘The 4CD Over The Top Edition’

UK rockers Raven will be having their debut album Rock Until You Drop (1981) released as The 4CD Over The Top Edition via Cherry Red Records on May 29, 2022.

Cherry Red‘s website indicates in part:

“• Expanded 4CD edition of Raven’s debut album ‘Rock Until You Drop’
• With demo’s, single B-sides, and two incendiary live recordings
• For fans of Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Metallica

“Rock Until You Drop’ is the best LP to emerge out of the NWOBHM since Saxon’s ‘Wheels Of Steel’.” Geoff Barton, Sounds, 19 September 1981

Although Raven were very much part of the NWOBHM of the late ’70s and early ’80s, brothers Mark and John Gallagher had formulated the idea of creating their own rock group way back in 1972. With John on bass and vocals and Mark on lead guitar, they played their first gig in 1975, building up a loyal following across the North East of England. Recording a rudimentary demo in 1978, included here on CD2. Signed to Neat Records, they recorded further demos, by which time they had trimmed down to a power-trio when the Gallaghers were joined by Rob “Wacko” Hunter on drums. Neat would release their debut 45 ‘Don’t Need Your Money’ in 1980 and make Raven the lead act with ‘Inquisitor’ on the cassette compilation, ‘Lead Weight’.

Raven released their debut LP ‘Rock Until You Drop’ in 1981 successfully capturing the energy of their live shows, the album picked up instant champions across the influential UK rock press, with key features in Kerrang! and Sounds. These would lead to important shows with Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake and Motörhead, among many others. These self-styled “athletic rockers” were a huge influence on future Thrash and Speed Metal bands, such as Slayer, Megadeth, and Testament, and also on Metallica, with whom they would later co-headline with.

Their live sound was captured illicitly by a fan on tape while on tour in Italy in December 1982, and is featured here in its entirety, the collection completed by their May 1982 performance at Manchester’s Apollo.

As well as an extensive essay from NWOBHM expert John Tucker, this “4CD Over The Top Edition” of ‘Rock Until You Drop’ also features a 24 page booklet featuring many rare and unpublished photos supplied from the band’s own archive.

While every effort has been made to ensure optimum sound quality, due to the limitations of the audio sources on some of these recordings, they have been included for their historical importance and do not represent the fidelity of the professional studio recordings.”

Track List for Rock Until You Drop – The 4CD Over The Top Edition:

Disc One: Rock Until You Drop (1981)
01. Hard Ride
02. Hell Patrol
03. Don’t Need Your Money
04. Over The Top
05. 39/40
06. For The Future
07. Rock Until You Drop
08. Nobody’s Hero
09. Hellraiser/Action
10. Lambs To The Slaughter
11. Tyrant Of The Airways
Bonus Tracks:
12. Wiped Out (Don’t Need Your Money B- Side)
13. Crazy World (Hard Ride B-Side)
14. Let It Rip (from Brute Force)
15. Inquisitor (from Lead Weight)

Disc Two: Neat Records Live To 2-Track Demo (1980)
01. Don’t Need Your Money
02. Let It Rip
03. Wiped Out
04. Track Demo Session (1978)
04. Inquisitor
05. Come Up And See Me
06. Cry Wolf
07. Hitting The Road
08. On The Hunt
09. Going Home
10. Turn It Down
11. Hit And Run

Disc Three: Sasso Marconi Bologna (2nd December 1982) Pt 1
01. Faster Than The Speed Of Light
02. Hard Ride
03. Hell Patrol
04. Read All About It
05. Tyrant of The Airways
06. Drum Solo
07. Crazy World
08. Firepower
09. Hold Back The Fire
10. Rock Until You Drop
11. Hellraiser/Action
12. Crash Bang Wallop
13. Guitar Solo
14. Wiped Out
15. For The Future

Disc Four: Sasso Marconi Bologna (2nd December 1982) Pt 2
01. Don’t Need Your Money
02. Bass Solo
03. Chainsaw
Manchester Apollo, UK (21st May 1982)
04. Hard Ride
05. Hell Patrol
06. Rock Until You Drop
07. Tyrant Of The Airways
08. Bring The Hammer Down
09. For The Future
10. Don’t Need Your Money
11. Radio Metro interview with Alan Robson