Some bands go down in legend, others just fade away.
When Quatermass folded in 1971, bass player and vocalist John Gustafson (who later played in Roxy Music and Ian Gillan’s solo band) was looking to join a more traditional 1970s-style hard rock act.
At the same time, John Du Cann and Paul Hammond had left Atomic Rooster due to disagreements over the bluesy, soulful direction that band was going in. They ended up teaming up with Gustafson.
The band was rounded off with vocalist Harry Shaw, formerly of Curiosity Shoppe. They were going for a harder-edged sound which leaned more heavily on aggressive guitars and stronger, melodic vocals.
Initially they called themselves Daemon as they went into the studio to work on some material under the collective title The Entrance To Hell.
Drastic changes were however afoot, as Shaw was dismissed from the lineup only after recording about half an album’s worth of material. His experience as a rock’n’roll singer turned out to be somewhat lacking, giving the others growing misgivings about his abilities.
The recordings featuring Shaw’s contributions would be shelved, but eventually show up on an archival release in 2010. Shaw would continue doing music and eventually resurfaced in the early 1980s with Liverpool-based NWOBHM band Export.
Aborting the sessions, the band decided to continue as a trio with all vocals handled by Du Cann and Gustafson, both of whom had served as lead vocalists in their prior bands. To distance themselves from the Demon name and their previous incarnation, they changed their name to Bullet, and it was under this name they were signed to their first recording contract.
In 1972 Deep Purple formed their own record company Purple Records. Bullet became the label’s first signing, rushing them back into the studio to make a new and improved debut album eventually titled Bulletproof.
The musicianship on the album is never anything but superb, and all the vocals are delivered with passion. Several songs previously done in the aborted Daemon project are re-recorded with new vocals here.
To further cement the Purple connection, John Gustafson even co-wrote the song Monster In Paradise for the album with Ian Gillan and Roger Glover. This would give the album one of its best moments. The quality of this track is indisputable.
Sinister Minister is another album highlight with its crunchy guitar licks, bass-heavy driving rhythm, and tough vocals. John Cann especially plays his heart out on the guitar to bring the song to a rousing conclusion.
Prior to the release of Bulletproof they were prompted to change their name yet again, this time to Hard Stuff, due to a legal threat from a US band also called Bullet. Deep Purple then took the band with them on the road as support for a huge European tour.
Hard Stuff toured across Europe, particularly in Germany and Italy, opening for the mighty Uriah Heep when their run with Purple ended. They certainly kept themselves in great company.
They recorded a great second album Bolex Dementia (1973), but before it was even released bad luck would strike. While touring in Belgium, Du Cann and Hammond were involved in a car crash which left them badly injured. Hammond was particularly hurt, and it took over two years before he was able to play again.
Although the release of the second album went ahead, the future of the band was in flux and this was in effect the end of Hard Stuff.
John Gustafson would join Roxy Music in 1973, and recorded Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974), Siren (1975), and the live album Viva! (1976) with them. His final studio record with them included their only American top 40 hit single, Love Is the Drug.
Paul Hammond would later form Wang Chung, while John Du Cann saw some solo success and later reformed Atomic Rooster.
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