A new book chronicling the rise and fall of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal is to be published by Constable in February.
Denim and Leather, written by Guardian/Spectator/The Quietus contributor Michael Hann, promises to tell ‘the definitive story about the greatest days of British heavy rock’.
An oral history, the book features input from artists such as Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple), Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Joe Elliott (Def Leppard), Cronos (Venom), Phil Mogg (UFO), Biff Byford (Saxon), Lars Ulrich (Metallica) and scores of less celebrated names from the grass roots British metal community.
The publishers say: “In Denim and Leather, these stars tell their own stories – their brilliant, funny tales of hubris and disaster, of ambition and success – and chart how, over a handful of years from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, a group of unlikely looking blokes from the provinces wearing spandex trousers changed heavy music forever.”
“Denim and Leather captures a moment in time and a genre of music that had a brief moment in the sun,” says Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen. “The book is an honest portrayal, directly from the horse's mouth. The interesting thing is that it was people trying to discover their own identities. The book sums it up by the people who experienced it.”
Denim and Leather is available to pre-order now.
