APRIL 16TH
Epitaph 1999
(Original recordings 1985 & 1988)
Tracklist
1 She's Mean 3:18
2 Thursday's Child 3:57
3 Midday Man 5:47
4 Don't Drink 5:25
5 Sleepwalking 5:06
6 Clapham Wood 7:46
7 Illusion 4:21
8 Let It Roll 4:54
9 Away 4:43
10 Rattlesnake Shakedown 3:32
11 The Dealer 5:16
12 Bloody Mary 4:13
13 Survivor 6:53
14 Looking For Love 2:58
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“I don’t like the word compilation,” adds Chris Harris. “The title Epitaph was chosen to reflect the sombre memory of our demise and to present all the (recorded) material that the band had available. And so Epitaph was compiled by using the original 1986/87 master tapes. The CD is an exact duplication of the original sound of the band and was not enhanced or re-mixed in any way.”
LINEUP
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Eric Puffett - Bass
John Fisher - Drums
Lawrence Mills - Guitars
Chris Harris - Guitars
Dave Russell - Vocals
April 16th debuted, appropriately enough, in April of 1985, near the end of the NWOBHM movement. As a consequence, they were included by many as part of that scene, especially since they hailed from London. I am reluctant to pigeon-hole them as NWOBHM, however, and since it is my website, I will classify them as simply 80's metal - raw, keyboard free, hard pounding, no frills rock (check out Illusion, Survivor and Rattlesnake Shakedown). In the bands' words: “Philosophically the band truly believed in the power of rock music as a form of expression. Their stage presentation was a totally unpretentious and honest, yet powerful and exciting experience. “APRIL 16TH” despised the use of stage clothing and over-hyped theatrical performances with larger-than-life egos. At gigs you could find and could talk to the band at the bar or the pub next door, not locked away in the dressing room.”
Some random fan, third from right, at the pub next door with the band
Unfortunately, the band was able to release only one album, Sleepwalking, in January, 1989 (a demo was made in 1985). One of the bands' biggest accomplishments, aside from Headline slots at The Marquee Club (Soho), was when Tommy Vance and Radio 1 invited them to perform on The Friday Rock Show (Recorded: 5-20-1988 and First Broadcast on June 3,1988. Setlist: Let It Roll / Rattlesnake Shakedown / She Mean It / Sleep Walkin'), which was a far cry from when they played for 'Literally one man and his dog at The Tunnel Club in Greenwich'. As for the band's name, guitarist Chris Harris explained it to Robscurities this way - "I used to write songs on the pages of an old diary and at the time we were deciding on a name for the band I was scribbling away on a page headed "APRIL 16TH". It hit me that this was meaningful and so the name was born. The name did become an issue for gig posters though particularly around the month of APRIL with confusing messages about APRIL 16TH play Bogey's Night Club on APRIL 15TH !!!!!!!"