Much touted 80s London rockers LIGHTNING RAIDERS are to have their long lost album released on vinyl for the first time.
The band, who featured an amalgam of West London rock'n'roll cognoscenti, including bassist Sandy from the Pink Fairies, received props from Marc Bolan and Lemmy, releasing a single on Arista featuring the Pistols' Cook and Jones, before guitarist Andy Allan jumped ship to join them briefly in The Professionals.
Retooled with Sandy and founding guitarist/songwriter Johnny Hodge, and recruiting Tyla Gang guitarist Bruce Irvine, ex-Ian Dury & The Kilburns drummer George Butler and sometime Johnny Thunders and prototype Pretenders drummer Gass Wild on vocals, the band signed to Island. Playing high profile shows at Reading Festival and Motorhead's infamous Hackney Dogtrack alldayer, they recorded their debut album with producer Will Reid Dick (Runaways, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy), but sadly, were dropped by their label before the album could be released, a version of it struggling out thirty years later on limited CD.
Now the discerning US label Savant Guarde is set to release the album in its intended form on limited edition 12" vinyl, fully remastered by former Rockfield Studios' engineer Paul Cobbold. Featuring ten tracks, the album Lightning Raiders features ten tracks including the original single 'Criminal World', the album's original title track from the rare 12" promo 'Sweet Revenge' and three previously unreleased songs
Set for a limited release of 150 copies on 11 September, it's available to pre-order here.
Check out the teaser...
Meanwhile Savant Guarde are also lining up new music from Wild, along with releases from The Juvenile Wrecks feat. Gary Lammin, former AC/DC vocalist Dave Evans and onetime Hawkwind singer Bridget Wishart. Check their website for details.
Pic by Adrian Boot