JAGUAR: one of the reasons Speed Metal was 'born' in the first place. And if you're too young to believe, just ask any old-school metalhead if he can have you listen to the NWOBHM band's Axe Crazy, Stormchild and Back Street Woman tunes. Even if Archive Alive, Volume 1 - the first off three releases to be totally issued, as rumored - surely is to be delivered to die-hard NWOBHM fans, it is essential for the following to be noted in-brief:
JAGUAR stands tall among the most brilliant and influential New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands. Three demo tapes during 1980-1981, two 7 singles (1981's Axe Crazy and 1982's Back Street Woman), two full length LPs (the monumental Power Games in 1983 plus This Time during 1984), two more albums as a 'reunited' band (Wake Me and Run Ragged in 2000 and 2001 respectively), a best of compilation in 2002, last year's Holland '82 live album and...
...JAGUAR is seen now at its rarest. Archive Alive, Volume 1 covers the '80-'83 'hidden gems' period of the band. Hence, we can find herein the first ever written and recorded songs from 1980, six tunes performed live in a Bristol club gig in 1980, six tracks off the second studio recording by the band in late 1980, plus three 1982-1983 outtakes featuring Paul Merrell, the replacement for original singer Rob Reiss. The production, of course, is less than even mediocre, but who would care bout this (provided he'd love to get the album anyway)? From the sixteen tracks included in here, only Stormchild, War Machine and Scrap Metal made it to official JAGUAR releases. So, plenty of ancient history is served in the first place.
This is a very close-orientated release, that's obvious; mainly for dedicated lovers of the British Metal scene of the early 80s. But, in general, do yourself a favor and try to listen to JAGUAR's Power Games (1983) debut LP. You'll see lots of familiar stuff, plus you'll be surprised to see who offered it first.