The Meteors are a psychobilly band from the United Kingdom, who are often credited with giving the genre its distinctive sound. Although the origins of psychobilly are debatable, the Meteors consider themselves the first and only psychobilly band. Fans of the band are known to use the slogan "Only the Meteors are pure psychobilly" (often shortened to just "OTMAPP") as a rallying cry.
The Meteors were started in 1980 by P. Paul Fenech (guitar and vocals), Nigel Lewis (upright bass), and Mark Robertson (drums). Fenech and Lewis had played in rockabilly bands before, but left their former band, Raw Deal, in order to experiment with a new sound that mixed horror and science fiction lyrics with a punk rock-rockabilly crossover. This sound would later be called psychobilly.
The Meteors played their first show during Rockabilly Night at The Sparrow Hawk in north London, but after being heckled due to their punk fashion, decided to begin playing shows beyond just rockabilly clubs. They developed a loyal following known as "the Crazies," who invented their own dance style called "going mental," a cross between dancing and moshing. This would later be renamed "wrecking," and is still a staple of the psychobilly scene to this day. Coupled with Fenech's ritual of spitting blood during performances, many clubs believed they were dangerous and refused to book them. The band began playing at punk rock clubs alongside other UK punk bands such as the Anti-Nowhere League and the UK Subs. However, unlike punk bands, the Meteors would insist that their shows be "a politics and religion free zone" in order to focus on having a good time instead of allowing disputes between fans to break out. Because of their example, there are nearly no political themes in psychobilly today.
Due to their cult following, the Meteors made a film in late 1980 with comedian Keith Allen called Meteor Madness. It was released as a double feature with two-tone ska film Dance Craze in March 1981. The movie featured four songs, which made it onto the band's first vinyl single. In August 1981, the band were signed to Island Records and recorded their first full-length, In Heaven.
The Meteors have gone through numerous line-up changes since, with Fenech being the only original member today. The current line-up includes Mark Burnett on bass and Wolfgang Hordemann on drums. They have 17 official albums, countless singles, and numerous reissues and compilation appearances. They continue to record using their own recording studio, In Heaven, and have extensively toured Japan, America, Europe, and Scandinavia.
P. Paul Fenech has also released many solo albums and plays in a rockabilly side-project, the Legendary Raw Deal, named after his first band. Nigel Lewis and Mark Robertson went on to first play together in the Escalators, a psychedelic rock band, then the Tallboys, a rockabilly band best known for recording the song "Take a Walk" for the Return of the Living Dead soundtrack.
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There's also a dutch band called The Meteors. One of the most wayward Dutch rock groups in the period between the late '70s and early '80s. The Meteors release three records which feature a futuristic sort of 'art' rock which is influenced by Roxy Music and David Bowie. The band formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1982.
Source: www.hollandrocks.com
King Vlad
The Meteors Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Six hundred years ago
He ruled his world with a vicious hand
And he didn't fuck about oh no
Kings and queens and mighty rulers
Handed over money to stop him getting mad
And made sure they smiled has they handed over money
And had a drink to the good king vlad
With his bold army from Transylvania
Nearly just as black heart as he
They slaughtered all nations that would not bow to him
It was a bloody sight to see
Prince and paupers sons and daughters
Show him respect or he'll nail on your hat
So give up your treasure and don't be sad
Just have drink to the good king vlad
Fly the dragon flag stained in blood
Impale people every day
Long live the legend of this great king
His memory will never fade away
All religions measured equally
Fell to nothing and gave all they had
So fill up your cup with the blood of his enemy's
And have a drink to the good king vladâ?¦
The Meteors' song "King Vlad" is a tribute to the infamous ruler of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler, who lived during the fifteenth century. The song paints a vivid picture of a cruel and vicious king ruling his world with an iron hand, demanding tribute and respect from all his subjects. Vlad had a fearsome reputation for his brutal tactics, such as impaling his enemies and leaving them to die in agony.
The lyrics describe how kings, queens, and mighty rulers were compelled to pay tribute to Vlad to avoid his wrath. His army from Transylvania was described as being just as ruthless as he was, and slaughtered all nations that refused to bow down to him. It was a "bloody sight to see" as they gave a show of their strength and terrorized those in their path. Even Prince and paupers' sons and daughters were expected to pay their respects to the king, or face the consequences.
The song also highlights Vlad's ability to unite his subjects regardless of their religion, as they all fell under his authority and gave all they had to avoid his wrath. The imagery of the dragon flag and the blood-stained impalements portrayed him as a warrior who made sure his enemies knew who was in charge. Overall, the song celebrates Vlad the Impaler's legacy as a ruthless ruler who commanded respect and fear.
Line by Line Meaning
Hi up in the mountains of old carpathia
In the old Carpathian mountains, where King Vlad once lived
Six hundred years ago
Many centuries in the past
He ruled his world with a vicious hand
King Vlad was a cruel ruler
And he didn't fuck about oh no
He did not hesitate to use force
Kings and queens and mighty rulers
Leaders of other nations
Handed over money to stop him getting mad
Paid tribute to avoid his wrath
And made sure they smiled has they handed over money
They pretended to be happy about it
And had a drink to the good king vlad
They toasted to his name
With his bold army from Transylvania
King Vlad had a powerful army from Transylvania
Nearly just as black heart as he
The soldiers were as cruel as the king
They slaughtered all nations that would not bow to him
They killed those who refused to submit
It was a bloody sight to see
It was a violent and gruesome scene
Prince and paupers sons and daughters
People of all classes
Show him respect or he'll nail on your hat
Respect was demanded or punishment would follow
So give up your treasure and don't be sad
Give up your wealth and suffer in silence
Just have drink to the good king vlad
Toast to the king despite the suffering
Fly the dragon flag stained in blood
The flag symbolizes violence and death
Impale people every day
Execution by impalement was common
Long live the legend of this great king
The legacy of King Vlad endures
His memory will never fade away
People will not forget him
All religions measured equally
All religions were treated the same
Fell to nothing and gave all they had
They were stripped of their wealth and power
So fill up your cup with the blood of his enemy's
Drink to celebrate the deaths of his enemies
And have a drink to the good king vladâ?¦
Toast to the king's success in battle
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FENECH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@misterdisease0815
Love this song.
@tomaqsetoma
love this song
@TheMKBOxide
Drink to the good king Vlad!
@alfredbusby1877
KING*DEATH*HEAD*MESSIAH!!
@LarzGustafsson
When it comes to Vlad Dracula everything that was written about him was not true. And he was not the ruler of Transsylvania, by the way. He was the ruler of Wallachia.
Good tune anyway.
@user-jh9se3eb6d
Пр
@Sokar138
love this song