Glasgow’s sole album is a monster slab of melodic New Wave of British Heavy Metal rediscovered and re-issued.
An excellent package includes a couple of earlier singles, a cut from a Glasgow Friday Rock Show session and one live song from 1983. 041 (the old telephone dialling code for Glasgow) is much, much more than a NWOBHM-era obscurity.
Glasgow were from, er, Glasgow (you didn’t see that one coming did you…..?) forming in the early 1980s from the ashes of a couple of other bands. Local interest and gigging.
A sparking performance at a local rock festival drew attention even securing support slots with the likes of Nazareth and Budgie.
A Friday Rick Show session was followed by single – Stranded and Heat of the Night which is included on this re-issue – and a three-track EP which is also included – and it was looking good for Glasgow as the high-profile support slots kept coming including Uriah Heep.
The band’s attentions would turn to recording an album and a change to a more melodic (yet still heavy) style rounded out by a second guitar and some keyboards. A deal was struck with Sonet Records with 041 being the impressive result. Alas, like many at the time, an excellent, well-received album wasn’t enough to progress along the road to rock stardom and Glasgow sort of fizzled out.
But what a fine legacy 041 is. It’s heavy all right yet full of monstrous hooks and melodies with a nice far sound throughout.
The opener – We Will Rock being a prime example. A simple, throbbing hypnotic bass thumps it along throughout with the understated keys giving it at atmospheric feel. The crisp riff and anthemic vocal makes for a heady mix. Marvellous. Have a listen:
Secrets in the Dark Back on the Run keep up the momentum. My Heart is Running With the Night impossibly catchy. Under the Lights back to the We Will Rock style and the closer – Breakout – a fine more straight ahead rocker. The whole album is “all killer and no filler” as the cliché goes.
Then we have the earlier singles. Stranded/Heat of the Night more “traditional” NWOBHM with the past-paced rifferama and speedy soloing showing plenty of promise.
The Miles Better EP has a heavier version of Under the Lights along with the punchy Searching for Glory and After Midnight.
And that live cut from 1983 (Say Goodbye) is a fine slow burring, moody effort.
No doubt Glasgow had “it”. 041 and the extras make an excellent listen still sounding fresh today as the day it was originally released.
The re-issue appears to be somewhat limited and hard to find. Though it’s worth tracking down if you can. A nice “digi-book” style with the hard cover and booklet with a potted history of the band and the lyrics.
I found mine from No Remorse Records in Greece. As I type this post it’s still available from them.
Do check Glasgow out. A properly excellent album from the old NWOBHM days and a band that surely should have gone on to bigger things.
Glasgow 041 re-issue from No Remorse:
https://www.noremorse.gr/products/glasgow-zero-four-one-digibook-cd
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