This is one of my personal favorite bands from the so-called genre ”Proto-Metal” (Read more about the genre here). Just listen to ”Crossrocker” or ”Skullcrusher” and tell me you don’t hear Black Sabbath?
The text down below is from the YouTube uploader
Hailing from the town of Dumfries in South West Scotland, the origins of the band Iron Claw started in the summer of '69! Founder member Alex
Wilson, who was then aged 21, and was at the time assisting in the management of another local band, as well as recording music as a hobby, was inspired by seeing Led Zeppelin on their first concert tour of Britain at a show at Newcastle City Hall on June 20th 1969. This "revelation" planted a seed of the ambition to start a band good' enough to eventually release recordings of their own songs. Having been involved in the local music scene, Alex knew the best young guitarist and drummer in the area who were still uninvolved with any other bands, and on August 1.gth 1969, jimmy Ronnie (1 5) (guitar) joined, followed by Ian McDougall (15) (drums) on August 23rd 1969. Finding a vocalist proved more deiced, and Alex bad to handle vocals as well as bass during the early rehearsals and for the lint three public appearances! Playing cover versions at first to "tighten up' , songs by the likes of Johnny Winter, Free, Taste, to rears After, Blind Faith, Reef Hartley Band, and Black Cat Bones gave an indication of the type of blues based material that the band were developing.
1969~1971
Mike Waller -vocal
Alex Wilson -Bass
Jimmy Ronnie -Guitar
Ian McDougall -Drums
1971
Wullie Davidson -vocal,flute,harmônica
Donald MacLachlan -guitar
Alex Wilson -bass
Jimmy Ronnie -guitar
Ian McDougall -Drums
1971~1972
Jimmy Ronnie -guitar
Wullie Davidson -vocal,flute,harmônica
Alex Wilson -bass
Ian McDougall -Drums
Billy Lyall -Mellotron,piano,sax
1972~1974
Wullie Davidson -vocal,flauta,harmônica
Jimmy Ronnie -guitar
Alex Wilson -bass
Neil Cockayne -Drums
Wilson, who was then aged 21, and was at the time assisting in the management of another local band, as well as recording music as a hobby, was inspired by seeing Led Zeppelin on their first concert tour of Britain at a show at Newcastle City Hall on June 20th 1969. This "revelation" planted a seed of the ambition to start a band good' enough to eventually release recordings of their own songs. Having been involved in the local music scene, Alex knew the best young guitarist and drummer in the area who were still uninvolved with any other bands, and on August 1.gth 1969, jimmy Ronnie (1 5) (guitar) joined, followed by Ian McDougall (15) (drums) on August 23rd 1969. Finding a vocalist proved more deiced, and Alex bad to handle vocals as well as bass during the early rehearsals and for the lint three public appearances! Playing cover versions at first to "tighten up' , songs by the likes of Johnny Winter, Free, Taste, to rears After, Blind Faith, Reef Hartley Band, and Black Cat Bones gave an indication of the type of blues based material that the band were developing.
Finding a name at this point was also a problem, and their first public appearance on October 3rd 1969 was under the name `NAB', which continued until mid-November. Then another "revelation" occurred on November 16th 1969. While Alex was recording a local band at Dumfries nab Club, Black Sabbath played a set and amazed everybody who was lucky enough to be there that night. As well as pointing the way to a heavier type of music, in the audience that night was a local musician who agreed to join as vocalist for the impending Claw, Mike Waller (17). One public appearance with Alex still on vocals went under the name "Mad Dog", before Mike commenced vocals on December 6th 1969 with the name "Mother Earth" now the preferred option. This name continued in use until February 28th 1970 when Alex chose the name Iron Claw (taken from the first line in King Crimson's song "21 st Century Schizoid Man”).
In 1971 Wilson had to replace Mike Waller (when he left because he wanted to play guitar) and so two new members (Wullie Davidson who performed on vocals, harmonica and flute, and Donald MacLachlan who played guitar) were recruited by Wilson and this changed the sound of the band to a more structured twin harmony guitar direction. However, in October 1971 when new recording sessions were looming, Donald MacLachlan was asked to leave the band as Jimmy Ronnie was unhappy with his presence in the band. After the recording sessions, drummer Ian McDougall left in May 1972 and was replaced by Neil Cockayne. The group finally broke up in April 1974. In 1993 Iron Claw performed one reunion show for charity. In the late 1990s a German "bootleg" CD of some of the early recordings surfaced. In 2009 sixteen recorded songs from the early 1970s were remastered from the original Alex Wilson master tapes and officially released on CD by Rockadrome Records.
In 1971 Wilson had to replace Mike Waller (when he left because he wanted to play guitar) and so two new members (Wullie Davidson who performed on vocals, harmonica and flute, and Donald MacLachlan who played guitar) were recruited by Wilson and this changed the sound of the band to a more structured twin harmony guitar direction. However, in October 1971 when new recording sessions were looming, Donald MacLachlan was asked to leave the band as Jimmy Ronnie was unhappy with his presence in the band. After the recording sessions, drummer Ian McDougall left in May 1972 and was replaced by Neil Cockayne. The group finally broke up in April 1974. In 1993 Iron Claw performed one reunion show for charity. In the late 1990s a German "bootleg" CD of some of the early recordings surfaced. In 2009 sixteen recorded songs from the early 1970s were remastered from the original Alex Wilson master tapes and officially released on CD by Rockadrome Records.
1969~1971
Mike Waller -vocal
Alex Wilson -Bass
Jimmy Ronnie -Guitar
Ian McDougall -Drums
1971
Wullie Davidson -vocal,flute,harmônica
Donald MacLachlan -guitar
Alex Wilson -bass
Jimmy Ronnie -guitar
Ian McDougall -Drums
1971~1972
Jimmy Ronnie -guitar
Wullie Davidson -vocal,flute,harmônica
Alex Wilson -bass
Ian McDougall -Drums
Billy Lyall -Mellotron,piano,sax
1972~1974
Wullie Davidson -vocal,flauta,harmônica
Jimmy Ronnie -guitar
Alex Wilson -bass
Neil Cockayne -Drums
1 Clawstrophobia 00:00
2 Mist Eye 05:20
3 Sabotage 09:37
4 Crossrocker 14:40
5 Skullcrusher 22:01
6 Let It Grow 28:05
7 Rock Band Blues 30:57
8 Pavement Artist 35:20
9 Strait Jacket 40:55
10 Gonna Be Free 46:04
11 Loving You 49:54
12 Lightning 52:37
13 All I Really Need 56:25
14 Knock 'Em Dead 59:50
15 Winter 1:02:52
16 Devils 1:09:10