Quartz: Quartz/ Stand Up and Fight
Quartz
are an
English
Heavy Metal band
active
during the
new wave of
British Heavy Metal.
Their origins can be
traced back to
the mid-1970s.
Quartz
dates back to 1974
when they were
known as
Bandy Legs.
Prior to the
founding of
Quartz,
Hopkins had played
in
Wages of Sin,
a short-lived
Birmingham band
that toured as a
backing band for
Cat Stevens
in 1970.
After that band's
dissolution,
two of his bandmates,
expatriate
Canadians
Ed
and
Brian Pilling,
returned to Canada
and formed
the band Fludd;
Hopkins
briefly joined
that band
in 1972
as a replacement
for founding
guitarist
Mick Walsh,
but left
by the end
of the year
after they were
dropped from
their original
record label.
Touring and Recording
Bandy Legs
signed to
Jet Records in 1976,
and supported
Black Sabbath
and
AC/DC.
The band changed
their name to
Quartz
for their
1977 debut album,
Quartz.
The album was
produced by
Tony Iommi
and Quartz
toured with
Black Sabbath
to support this release.
Queen guitarist
Brian May
offered to do his
"Queen"
style editing of
the song
"Circles,"
but after
several attempts
he admitted that
he thought the
original version
was still better;
which also featured
Ozzy Osbourne
on backing vocals,
but his contribution
was cut from
the final mix
by Iommi.
This track did not appear
on the album,
but was released as
the B-side to the
"Stoking the Fires of Hell"
single,
and as a
bonus track
when the
Stand Up & Fight
album was later
reissued on CD
in 2004 by
Majestic Rock.
Quartz toured
during this time,
playing the
Reading Festival
three times
(1977, 1978 and 1980)
and touring in
support of some
of the larger
hard rock bands:
Iron Maiden,
Saxon,
UFO,
Gillan
and
Rush.
In 1979,
Geoff Nicholls
left to join
Black Sabbath.
He contributed keyboards
and songwriting
to that band from
1980's
Heaven and Hell
to 2004.
Quartz released
their second
studio album,
Stand Up and Fight,
in 1980
and their third,
Against All Odds,
in 1983
before disbanding
in 1984
Members
- David Garner - vocals (1982–1983 and 2011–present)
- Mick Hopkins - guitar (1974 to present)
- Derek Arnold - bass (1974–1982 and 2011 to present)
- Malcolm Cope - drums (1974–1984 and 2011 to present)
Former Members
- Steve McLoughlin - bass (1982 to 1984)
- Geoff Nicholls - guitar/keyboards (1974–1979 and 2011–2017, died 2017)
- Geoff Bate - vocals (1983–1984)
- Mike "Taffy" Taylor - vocals (1974–1982, died 2016)
Discography
Studio albums
- Quartz (Jet Records 1977, re-released in 1980 and renamed Deleted)
- Stand Up and Fight (MCA Records, 1982)
- Against All Odds (Heavy Metal Records, 1983)
- Fear No Evil (High Roller Records, 2016)
- On the Edge of No Tomorrow (HNE Recordings Ltd, 2022)
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