What have Donington, plus the albums Heaven And Hell, Ace Of Spades, On Through The Night and Iron Maiden got in common with Black In Black? Simple – the year 1980.
Not only was this the year when AC/DC released the biggest album of their career, but also the one that saw Black Sabbath bring in Ronnie James Dio to replace Ozzy Osbourne for the seminal Heaven And Hell album; the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal take flight into international waters thanks to the debut albums from Iron Maiden and Def Leppard (self-titled and On Through The Night, respectively); and the release of the most important album that Motörhead ever recorded, Ace Of Spades.
This was also the year when a racetrack in the Midlands became one of the famous locations in the world of rock and metal. Castle Donington may have had fans reaching for the nearest road map when it was announced that Rainbow would be playing an outdoor show at the site on August 16, 1980, but it soon became more famous for headbanging than for pit stops.
Joined by Judas Priest, Scorpions, Saxon, April Wine, Riot and Touch, Blackmore and co. turned a rain-sodden, muddy field into a Mecca for metal, one that was to be an annual pilgrimage throughout the 1980s – the Monsters Of Rock Festival at Donington was to quickly establish itself as a world-renowned and revered event. But this was merely the tip of an iceberg that arguably makes 1980 the most crucial year in the history of the music we all love.
In February of that year, EMI released the Metal For Muthas compilation, one that gave the whole NWOBHM concept a major-label cachet, featuring Maiden, plus Praying Mantis, Angel Witch, Sledgehammer, Nutz, not to mention the impossibly named Toad The Wet Sprocket and Ethel The Frog.
There was also the infamous Heavy Metal Barn Dance at Bingley Hall in Stafford, headlined by Motörhead, who led a merry metal jig with Saxon, Girlschool, Vardis, Angel Witch and Mythra. How many fans ended up sleeping on Stafford station that night, having missed their last connection?
The Reading Festival filled our heads with rock – 1980 was when Slade staged one of the great comebacks of all time during the August Bank Holiday weekend. Former UFO guitar hero Michael Schenker cut his hair and started his own band, MSG. Rush also took a radical turn away from their sword & sorcery imagery, with the Permanent Waves album.
So much happened during these 12 months that, decades on, it’s hard to pack the impact into mere words. But have no doubt what this year meant to the music scene. A young Danish wannabe was so fascinated by the UK melting pot that he spent a considerable amount of time over here, pursuing bands like Diamond Head and Jaguar. In fact he was so inspired by what was going on that the teenager determined to ditch his promising tennis career and try his hand with a drum stick.
We now know him as Lars Ulrich of Metallica. Just ask him how 1980 changed his life.
This feature appeared in Classic Rock Presents AC/DC. published in 2017.
