BW&BK; Editor In Chief MARTIN POPOFF has finally finished the first installment of a planned book series. Ye Olde Metal: 1968 To 1972 is Martin’s 18th book. An email that has gone out to people who have bought books from Martin in the past reads as follows:

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a new book out, and I’m actually trying something a little crazy here. I hope you don’t get this email too many times, but my system of keeping track of who’s bought books from me in the past is getting a little out of hand.”
“Anyway, got a new one. And it’s almost like an academic journal, the very first of a series, the intention being a little library of similar books covering a pretty big chunk of metal history.”
“It’s also limited to 1,000 copies, signed by me, and most importantly, it’s numbered. But yeah, you’ve got to be a pretty serious student of old hard rock to care about this. I know I’m dealing with a rarified bunch, so in the spirit of collectibility… 1,000 and then that’s it. It’s called… Ye Olde Metal: 1968 To 1972.”

The back cover hype:

The Concept:

Detailed examination of early hard rock albums, many lost to the sands of time, some merely in need of a celebratory re-visit. Primarily through the use of new, exhaustive interviews with the band members who were there – the focus being on one classic album - Martin meticulously pieces together the complete story of each album, lending his respected critical eye to the record, massaging in bucket loads of trivia previously unpublished. The end result is a collection of essays that are variously surprising, funny, revealing, and scholarly. Above all, it is the author’s hope that the enclosed “love letters to ancient metal” enrich the serious musicologist’s enjoyment of each record so reverently examined.

The Records:

BLUE CHEER – Vincebus Eruptum, MC5 – Kick Out The Jams, SIR LORD BALTIMORE – Kingdom Come, BLOODROCK – Bloodrock, WARPIG – Warpig, CACTUS – One Way… Or Another, MOUNTAIN – Nantucket Sleighride, URIAH HEEP – Look At Yourself, NITZINGER – Nitzinger, DUST - Hard Attack, HUMBLE PIE – Smokin’, BUFFALO – Dead Forever…, CAPTAIN BEYOND – Captain Beyond, TRAPEZE – You Are The Music… We’re Just The Band.

The Interrogated:

Dickie Peterson, Paul Whaley, Wayne Kramer, Michael Davis, John Garner, Stevie Hill, Jim Rutledge, Ed Grundy, John Nitzinger, Rick Donmoyer, Terry Hook, Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert, Jim McCarty, Leslie West, Corky Laing, Ken Hensley, Mick Box, Marc Bell, Kenny Aaronson, Jerry Shirley, Dave Tice, Bobby Caldwell, Larry “Rhino” Reinhardt, Glenn Hughes, Tom Galley, plus maybe a dozen others amusingly quotable and fleshing out the terrific tale…

His email continues as follows:

“The next one in the series will cover the years 1973 to 1975, and I’m working on it already. Next, 1976 to 1977. Then, 1978 to 1979. But yeah, the idea is that this is a pretty strange, obscure thing to try, and the hope is that people will “collect ‘em all,” with all the cover graphics and spines being similar, the whole thing making a l’il heavy metal encyclopedia set as they show up, a series, a cool bunch of collectible books. Like, once I get up to the ‘80s, I can see each one covering one year only. Fact is, I’m getting killer stories from all these guys. All manner of unearthed little trivia nuggets is coming to light, and it’s all getting stuffed into these essays that are, like I say, the story of one album.

The book is full trade size 6” x “9 format, 232 pages, and includes front and back cover shots of all the records discussed.

Price including shipping:

US orders: $29.00 US funds

Int'l orders (surface mail): $31.00 US funds

Int'l orders (air mail): $35.00 US funds

Canadian orders: $33.00 Cdn. funds

PayPal happily accepted! Direct funds to martinp@inforamp.net

Or… send payment to (personal check in US funds is fine, or cash):

Martin Popoff

P.O. Box 65208, 358 Danforth Ave.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

M4K 2Z2

*Money orders: For my US friends, PLEASE, if you go this route (and you don’t have to – checks in US funds is fine), make sure you get an INTERNATIONAL money order, and not the DOMESTIC one that says in big red letters: “Negotiable in U.S. and possessions only.” Ha ha… I’ve had to mail more than a few of those back to y’all.

Email me at martinp@inforamp.net with any further questions, and see www.martinpopoff.com for descriptions, covers and ordering info for my other available dozen or so books. Nice savings on shipping can be had if you take a few things. Just email me for a total price.

NEWS FLASH – The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums Of All Time is back in print! But there are only 1,800 copies, and about half of those went from the publisher straight to back orders. It’s my best book – see the site for prices. Seriously, it’s pretty cool.

Thanks!”

Martin