Welcome to another edition of From My Collection. “Where were you in ’79 when the dam began to burst?” Saxon was making the rounds with their self titled debut album, Angel Witch and Iron Maiden put out groundbreaking demos, Def Leppard, Praying Mantis, and Trespass dropped some legendary 7 inches, and Marseille…wait, who the hell is Marseille? Good question! If you’re a record nerd such as myself, you’ve likely seen the band’s self titled sophomore effort lurking in the bargain bins. It usually never goes for more than $5. Most record stores dismiss it as yet another C tier Styx knockoff destined for failure. Little do they know they’re sitting on a forgotten NWOBHM relic. Today, we explore Marseille. Who was this band? How is this album? Why did they fall between the cracks? Find out all that and more in this week’s essay.
Marseille formed in 1976, which in retrospect, was an odd year for English metal. The NWOBHM hadn’t kicked off yet, but bands from the earlier half of the decade felt out of place. Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin moved on to a more pop/adult oriented style. Uriah Heep and Budgie were starting to lose their creative momentum. Deep Purple disbanded completely. Aside from UFO, who was riding high on their reinvention from space rock oddballs to heavy metal heavyweights, there wasn’t much happening in terms of English metal in ’76.
It was only a matter of time before a young crop of bands took over, dominating the tail end of the 70s and paving the way for the 80s. Among this crop was Marseille. The band released their debut album, Red, White and Slightly Blue, in 1978. Primarily an uneven collection of glammy hard rockers, this album set the path for greater things to follow, even if only creatively. A major part of this album’s failure, commercially speaking, was the band’s French gimmick. When your name is Marseille and you put out an album whose cover boasts a French flag and a woman’s leg, people are only going to be more confused when they find out you’re English. And even if they were French, it’s not like kids were flocking to the likes of Trust and Shakin’ Street (unfortunately).
Despite this observation, Red, White and Slightly Blue must’ve done well enough for the band to earn a North American distribution deal with RCA Records. This breakthrough was also likely the result of some high energy opening slots for, you guessed it, UFO. At the time, UFO was at their peak, both creatively and commercially. Lights Out (1977) and Obsession (1978) were getting regular airplay on FM rock radio, and the band was now an arena headline draw in the midwest and Texas. I can only imagine American record execs caught wind of Marseille and thought, “Well, if they can attract the UFO crowd in England, they can do the same here!”
The result was 1979’s Marseille: a piping hot collection of hard rocking, party ready NWOBHM. The album opens in high gear with “Rock You Tonight”. This sweaty, straightforward rocker boasts simplistic lyrics, rowdy choruses, and a raucous arrangement characteristic of UFO and Sweet, establishing the mood for the rest of the release. Despite its aggressive name, “Armed and Ready” is anything but, towing the line between dreamy 70s prog and arena tailored, Starz styled hard rock. It comes off as very American sounding, and perhaps part of the reason they didn’t catch on like their peers.
Side A continues with the carefree and happy “Over and Over”. Again, this glam inspired romp isn’t as abrasive as say Maiden or Angel Witch, but the balls are most certainly there, especially in the riffing. This is especially evident on “Lady of the Night”. This fiery NWOBHM hymn fools you with it’s slick, unassuming intro, before transforming into a full blown barn burner. It’s a lengthy jam, chock full of mega riffs and compelling musicianship. Had this somehow been sandwiched onto a 7 inch, it would’ve become a scene staple.
The party continues as we flip over to side B. “Walking Thru’ the Night” is a wild cut with a party hard atmosphere and slight boogie edge reminiscent of Status Quo, particularly in the riffing. The first band of boogie doesn’t get enough credit for influencing the likes of Vardis, Raven, Chevy, and evidently, Marseille. This is followed by the first of two oddballs on this album, “Kites”. Originally performed by forgotten 60s psych rockers Simon Dupree and the Big Sound, “Kites” comes off as an obligatory cover recorded for commercial intentions, similar to Maiden’s cover of Skyhooks’ “Women in Uniform”.
“You’re a Woman” pushes the blues and boogie sound of the early 70s into metallic overdrive, and doesn’t sound too far removed from what Raven would be doing a few years later, while “Don’t Wanna Hurt You” makes a name for itself as the weakest link. A sappy breakup ballad that would sound more in line on a Bread or Barry Manilow album, “Don’t Wanna Hurt You” comes off as desperate for AM radio attention, and not in the good way (see Dark Star’s “The Musician”). Thankfully, this disappointment is reconciled with the utterly ferocious “Some Like It Hot”. Talk about saving the best for last! “Some Like It Hot” captures the UFO meets Sweet formula of “Rock You Tonight” in one final hurrah.
Despite the best efforts from both the band and RCA, Marseille failed to make any headway stateside. The band stuck it out into the 80s, releasing the glam metal oriented Touch the Night (1984) before ultimately calling it a day. They’d regroup for a comeback album in 2010, entitled Unfinished Business, but not much has been heard of since. It’s a shame, because while Marseille is no NWOBHM masterpiece, it serves as a snapshot into a very special era of metal; one where these young English bands were caught between the DIY practices of punk and being picked up by the major labels, and even major label support didn’t guarantee superstardom. Consider Marseille to be exhibit A.