Category Archives: MAMMOTH

Built around the novel idea of having heavy musicians playing heavy music, they released one full studio album and had single success with Fatman. This release contains six live tracks from a Radio One road show in Prestatyn in 1987 (with the legendary DJ Tommy Vance compering) plus songs that would have made a second album had there ever been one released.

The live tracks show Moore in great form he has bluesy voice (his Samson era work is a must in any rock fans collection) and can really belt out when needed, including the catchy Fatman (there is also a demo version of this track on here on well). Other live highlights include the AOR of Thirty Pieces Of Silver and the radio friendly rock of Always And Forever.

Worth a listen just to here what could have been with their second album had it ever seen the light of day. Despite the fat gimmick there was good tunes and music in the band and its a shame they never carried on. In Moore and McCoy they had a strong writing partnership and produced some classic AOR/melodic rock tunes, not unlike latter day Slade at times. Nicely packaged with informative sleeve notes from Record Collectors Joe Geesin.

Jason Ritchie, get ready to ROCK! (September 2003)

The heaviest Rock band ever? Well, in the 1980s the UK band MAMMOTH received a great deal of publicity with being labelled as the heaviest rockband on the scene, but it’s a shame they were never taken serously for their music, because their mix of AOR and Melodic Heavy Rock sounded very impressive at times. Notable members include vocalist NICKY MOORE and bassist/guitarist JOHN MCCOY, and basically this CD release on ANGEL AIR RECORDS contains most of the recordings by MAMMOTH.

In total 17 tracks are included, of which 6 are live recorded tracks. The 11 studio tracks are a very interesting listen for fans of 80s British AOR/Melodic Rock, although the band also offered some weaker rocksongs (like “Monster mania”, “Working for the man”, “Dressed to kill”, “Bet you wish” and “Do what you want to”). Highlights however are such great AOR/Melodic Rockers like “Fatman”, “All the days”, “Can’t take the hurt” (almost a classic, fantastic memorable chorus!), “Always and forever” and “Catcher in the rye”. Without a doubt, an underrated band that could have scored massive with their song “Can’t take the hurt”, although need to be added here that it ended up on the soundtrack of the famous Horrormovie ‘Freddy’s Nightmare on Elm Street’, so there was some success, but the main feature on the band was the fact they were the heaviest band on the planet and were more seen as some sort of SPINAL TAP kinda band! (8/10)

Strutter magazine (October 2003)

If these guys were as pretty as Bon Jovi then they could have been huge…This is a good album, certainly one that hard rock lovers of the old school should seek out…

Feedback (Nov 2003)

…Altogether this album shows that Mammoth were a really great hard rock band, absolutely magnificent.

Adrian Lyth, Classic Rock Society, (January 2004)

…Mammoth emerge one of the most monstrous bands of their – and any other – age…

Jo-Ann Greene, Goldmine, (December 12, 2003)

We hard rockers usually talk about heavy bands, here’s one that surpasses John Candy. MAMMOTH did not follow Jane Fonda´s aerobics video but went for pounds per inch. Formed around Christmas 1986 consisting of Nicky Moore (vocals, ex. SAMSON), John McCoy (bass, ex. GILLAN), Kenny Cox (guitars, ex. MORE) and “Tubby” Vinnie Reid, drums. Jive contracted the band and the game was afoot. Amidst the mix of irony (“Fatman”), mature rock, pub rock, geezer rock, PINK FLOYD-tendencies and hits there was a lot of circumstances as nearly always in NWOBHM circles. At least until the band went belly up in 1989.

The first to go was Kenny Cox who was replaced by the predestines Big Mac Baker but even the wafer thin Bernie Tormé guested. Anyhow, on offer here are six live tracks from Prestatyn introduced by Tommy Vance and eleven studio tracks. Pure dynamite of its kind but I miss a few like for instance “Political Animal”. An album to discover but do keep an eye out for the White Mammoth on the M1!

Michael Svensson, SR Magazine (Sweden), January 2004

…catchy rock…a nice package with the legendary Angel Air colour booklet

Modern Dance (March 2004)