Although his name is listed in the credits and his image appears to be on the front cover (standing atop such deceased notable figures as
Jimi Hendrix
,
Jesus Christ
Elvis
, and
Hitler
!),
Bruce Dickinson
was not in
Samson
when their 1979 debut,
Survivors
, was recorded. The band was a trio at this point, consisting of
Paul Samson
on vocals and guitar, bassist
Chris Aylmer
, and masked drummer
Barry "Thunderstick'" Graham
. The band's sound isn't far off from what they would sound like with
Dickinson
on vocals (
Head On
Shock Tactics
, etc.) -- perhaps bluesier, but still comparable to other New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands that were beginning to rule the world around this time (
Judas Priest
Motorhead
Iron Maiden
Def Leppard
, etc.). Such riff-rockers as the album-opening
"It's Not as Easy as It Seems"
and
"Big Brother"
prove to be highlights, and like most other
recordings, at least one song belongs in the
Spinal Tap
hall of fame. This time, it's
"I Wish I Was the Saddle of a Schoolgirl's Bike."
~ Greg Prato