Wolf: Howling from the edge of the world

Carlisle natives Wolf were one of the most promising bands of NWOBHM. They had everything a band needs to be successful: great songs, awesome musicians, a deal with a major. But sometimes it just doesn’t work. Unfortunately that was the case of Wolf — after just one album and tour with Scorpions the band lost the deal and dissolved in eternity. Bill Keir, the guitarist of Wolf, shared his memories about his time with the band.

The story of Wolf goes way back to the band Leviathan which was founded by Simon Sparkes and Chris English. How did you get to know them? Were you in Leviathan or did you join them later when they became Black Axe?

I met Simon and Chris through Mike (Thorburn), Mike and I were at Carlisle Tech College together, the band was called Leviathan back then.

What was the metal scene in Carlisle back in the day? Were there a lot of cool places which let rock bands play and perform original material?

There was no metal scene, and no places where you could play original material, you had to be a ‘covers’ band — we did a variety of rock covers, a lot of Free/Bad company, Thin Lizzy, ELP, Rory Gallagher, Wishbone Ash, UFO, Purple, Sabbath, Hendrix, Zeppelin, and so on/ With Chris’ voice we could have passed for Free if you had your eyes closed.

The band was managed by Frank Stuart-Brown who also worked with Def Leppard. How do you view his role in the band’s development? Would you say that he was 100% behind the band?

Frank believed in us, so yes he was behind the band, but in hindsight he just wasn’t very good as a manager. Def Leppard tried to warn us.

As far as I understand the band became professional pretty much soon after the start and no one in the band had a day job. Were you backed by your management or did you survive from concert fees? By the way, did you plat that often in pre-Wolf era?

No, we all had day jobs for quite a while (except Simon). I worked on a farm from 6:00 am till 6:00 pm, often they would pick me up from the farm gate, and drop me off there in the morning. We gigged about 5 nights a week on average, the money we made went on equipment.

In the interview for “Kerrang!” you stated that Wolf were influenced by American bands rather than British bands. So what was your vision of Black Axe/Wolf? Did you see the band as a response to Foreigner or something like that?

Really? I’d have to go back and re-read it, I’m not sure if I can remember doing any songs by an American band in our ‘cover band’ phase, except Hendrix, and he was discovered and managed by a Brit (Chas chandler, ex-bass player in the Animals). He lived, and recorded in London and had an English drummer and bass player. So we think of him as adopted.

Tell me about your collaboration with Simon Sparkes. Would you say that you complemented each other well? Did you share the same view on songwriting and musical development of the band?

Simon was a genius, fastidious and dedicated, we worked well together. I often came up with the riff or the chord sequence, then left Simon and Chris to develop the song, often returning to provide the ‘middle eight’ or the missing chord — I was Mr. Missing chord.

The first single “Highway Rider” was recorded with Terry Cavanagh behind the desk. Did he offer you a deal with his label?

No.

Was Metal Recording & Publishing LTD your own label or was it early version of Guardian Records?

Metal Recording & Publishing LTD was set up and owned by Frank Stuart-Brown.

How did you get slots at BBC and Capitol Radios? Were they big deals for you and did they help you to get a deal with Chrysalis?

Frank Stuart-Brown set up the slots at BBC and Capitol Radio, they were very big deals for us, but I’m not sure if they influenced Chrysalis .

How did this deal with Chrysalis happen, by the way?

It was a series of showcase gigs we did for quite a few big labels, we did get more than our fair share of “Big Breaks”.

Why did the label force you to change the name? What was wrong with Black Axe?

What was wrong with Black Axe?  The name was dreamt-up by Simon and Frank, I always thought it was a shit name, and I more or less forced the change to Wolf.

Is it true that the label wasn’t satisfied with your original stuff and offered the band some songs written by other people?

No, not at all. We had a good relationship with the label right up until they dropped us, right after an article in the music press about how Chrysalis were grooming us to replace the ailing UFO. The only song we were ever offered was a shmaltzy ballad by Elvin Bishop, and that was by Warner Bros, after we left Chrysalis.

What are your best memories about the tour with Scorpions? How many shows did you play? Were you treated well by the Germans and their crew? Were there anything significant or funny during that tour or was it pretty much steady?

We did about 20 dates I guess, with one or two days off in-between so Klaus Meine could rest his voice — we didn’t mix much but get on well, Matthias Jabbs was very complementary about Simon’s playing.

I’m a bit confused about the recording sessions for both the album and the single “Head Contact”. Did you record all the songs during one session or was there a different session for the single?

All the songs on the album were complied from various demo tapes we did all over the country, “Head Contact” and “A Soul for the Devil” were recorded at Wessex Studios (Chrysalis Records own London Studios) and the vocals added and mixing done at Startling Studios (Ringo Starr’s — attached to his house).

You said the song “A Soul for the Devil” was the best song which Wolf recorded and I can’t argue that. How was it written? Which version do you like better — the short one from the album or the extended one from the single?

Struggling to compete with Simon for the lead guitar slots, I decided I would learn to play the keyboards, I had the intro, and the outro, and the chords all as separate pieces, I brought them into a rehearsal session and the song wrote itself almost in one take. I much prefer the long version form the 12” single, when lying down the Hammond organ track I played, and Simon worked the Leslie cabinet controls.  We recorded Simon’s lead parts the same evening — it was a magical experience.

What are your favorite songs off the album beside “A Soul For The Devil”?

“Medicine Man” (more ‘Red Indians) and ”Too Close For Comfort” (the only track on the album where I take the guitar solo).

It seems that by the time the single came out Mike Thorburn had quit the band. Why did that happened and how did you find John Shearer?

Poor Mike was kicked out the band on the direct orders of Tom Allom, Chrysalis and Frank, it was a huge mistake in retrospect, and one I bitterly regret.

How was it to work with the famous Tom Allom? Did he understand the band and help you to create what you really wanted or did he try to make your sound more radio-friendly?

Tom was great, and I think he really helped.

Don’t you think that the song “Too Close For Comfort” sounded “too close” to UFO? Do you remember how was it written?

Hah!  We didn’t think it was too close at the time!  I bought the “Phenomenon” album when I was about 15, long before they broke through, and because of the twin guitar parts had “Doctor Doctor” in the set from day one.  I must take the blame because I wrote the riff and chords.

There are some songs like “Lost City” and “Lazerblind” which never made it to the album. Why did you drop them?  Were they recorded properly or are they available only on live bootlegs?

I love “Lost City”. They were recorded as demos, and its worth noting that we had no input into the album, and the first we knew was when a copy arrived in the mail long after the split.

So what basically happened between the band and the label? Were you disappointed with the whole affair or was it the label which dropped you?

The Label dropped us — BASTARDS! We were devastated!  I had done an interview for the local TV station saying we were shortly to fly out to Ibiza to record the “proper” album with Tom, and when I got home Frank rang with the news.

When did exactly the band split? Did you try to carry on for a while after the split with Chrysais?

We did try to carry on — moved to London, but then Chris and Richy missed their girlfriends too much and quit must have been 1982 I guess.

It’s a shame that no one from Wolf outside Mike Thorburn continued playing music professionally. I believe that every one of you would fit in well to any band! So were you sick and tired of the show business and decided to quit it completely?   

It’s a huge shame, my biggest regret is that the world class talents of Simon and Chris didn’t go on to be successful.  Simon teaches guitar, John Shearer has apparently found god, Chris works on the Railway, Alex (the bass player with Leviathan) plays a lot, and makes jewelry, Mike teaches woodworking at the same college where we met.

What have you done since the departure from Wolf? What are you up to these days?

I worked as a builder, managed a trucking company with 60 trucks, moved to New York, moved back, played in a band with Simon for a while, 1987, then decided I wanted to build traditional Timber Frame houses, and am currently the Operations and Commercial director of a company that employs 135 people.

What happened to Stewart Richardson as I heard he passed away? Is it true?

Sadly its true, brain hemorrhage the day after Christmas, I am Facebook friends with his daughter.

Do you still stay in touch with your ex-bandmates?

I do – sporadically, Simon and Chris by email the others on Facebook, I had an evening out with Alex and Mike a couple of years back.

Did you hear the cover version of “Highway Rider” by the Canadian band Axxion?

Yes I have – I like it.

Were you involved in the recent re-issue of the album through High Roller Records? What do you think about ongoing interest in Wolf?

I was pretty surprised, and was the main point of contact, they have re-issued it twice now, and paid us! Amazing, more money than we got when we were a band, good people to deal with. I’m very surprised and gratified by the continuing interest, humbled in fact.

How do you view the whole experience with the band today? Is it something you are proud of and something you speak about with your family and friends?

I am intensely proud of the band, and have no regrets whatsoever for me.