- Hello Mick! How are you doing? Tell me please, what is actually going on with Buffalo? Well Bart I have not played with the band live since May 2001. The main reason being personal problems with the guys in the band.Frank Knight(who was our last singer),an old friend of mine from the 80's remarried and now has a baby son so he had to quit the band. our bass player Roger Cook(he is married to my exwifes twin sister!!) also had family things to look after so we just decide to stop for a while. Kriss Webber who sang with us before Frank Knight still keeps in touch but he has the problem of his wife having Multiple Sclerosis and he has had to give up all his music to look after her too. So you can see we have not had an easy time of things over the last few years! - I have heard about the Buffalo's comeback... How does it looks? To be honest there is not any plans for the immediate future.I am still in contact with everybody in the band but none of us has had the inclination to start playing again. I have chatted with Gary from Soldier and he might be up for singing for me. Roger Cook (bass) and Bob Hargreaves(drums) would jump at the chance of reforming so i will not rule a comeback out entirely!! Maybe if there was interest from any new releases by the band it might be more of an incentive. So to sum it up WATCH THIS SPACE!! I will never say never to a comeback!! - I heard about your brand new line up, and as I heard, you will have the original X-Wild singer Frank Knight on the board. Is that true? In fact Frank sang with Buffalo for the last year we were together and we made a couple of live recordings only. One being "BIG BOMB" that i sent you earlier this year. We did write 10 or so songs but unfortunately we never got to record them properly... I really regret not recording the new stuff but I still have the basic songs in my head for future times. - In 1999 you released the "Best Of Buffalo 1979-1999" CD, as the own pressing. How many copies did you produce? Are there any left? I formed my own label BUFFALO MUSIC UK to release the "Best of" after Mathias Mader (IRON PAGES) suggested I should release some of my older stuff. Which is exactly what i did, In all i sold about 1500 copies through various people like Mathias selling through the metal magazine "Iron Pages" and Vinyl Tap in the UK plus directly from my website too. I have about 50 copies left which I reserve for "extra special" fans!! - Except songs from the the two
original 7" singles (from 1981 and 1982) the compilation includes12 other songs....
Some of them are from 1989, some other from 1995 and even 1998... Could you say few words
about them? Yes the songs were recorded at various times like the dates suggest. They were done purely to make an archive of stuff we had written at that particular time, Most feature Kriss Webber singing latterly so the "Best of" seemed like a good way of showcasing the unreleased material that was already in the can.The 95 recordings were done at revolver studios in Birmingham. I came to an agreement with Paul Birch (Heavy Metal records/Revoler/FM) to have some studio time in respect of royalties that were due to me for past works and re-releases of old heavy metal records LP's on Cherry Red records in the late 90's - Are these 2 mentioned singles your only one official releases you had in the 80s? We released BATTLE TORN HEROES / WOMEN OF THE NIGHT then MEAN MACHINE / THE RUMOUR on singles. COLD AS NIGHT was released on the HEAVY METALHEROES 1 LP in 1981 too. BATTLE TORN HEROES also appeared on the "New Electric Warriors" LP on LOGO records. - Could you please list all the recording sessions you had as the Buffalo? I ask, as I know bunch of great songs recorded between 1979 and 2000... The first Buffalo recordings were done at SEPTEMBER STUDIOS in Huddersfield Yorkshire UK in 1979.This was the first Buffalo line up, Andy"Tommy" Thompson on bass guitar, Rick Brent on rhythm guitar and Dave "Duggy" Dugdale on drums.we recorded songs for SEPTEMBER SOUND STUDIOS(for Look Records) in Huddersfield Yorkshire with Trevor Starkie songs like ,CITY LITES, BROKEN HILL,PICTURES OF DORIAN GREY,ROCK CIRCUS,PLASTIC COMPANION, PRETTY BLUE. Trevor Starkie vocals also left at this time to be replaced with Wigan singer John Ralphs.This new heavier line-up was responsible for BATTLE TORN HEROES/WOMEN OF THE NIGHT MEAN MACHINE/THE RUMOUR singles 45 recording.This was recorded at Cargo Sound Studios Rochdale Lancashire along with ROCK CIRCUS,MAKING IT BACK TO YOU,THE ANSWER,THE RUMOUR ,LADY JANE,EZY,COLD AS NIGHT,STACCATO,MAKIN' IT BACK TO YOU,MEAN MACHINE,LONG GONE,between79-81.Other famous bands to record at Cargo at this juncture were Streetfighter,Oxym,Turbo,Demon amongst many other local NWOBHM bands.In 1982we as Buffalo wrote a new set of songs with the Gary Taylor line up etc and recorded them at Park Lane Studios Blackpool-:BACKS TO THE WALL ,DETROIT MOTOR CITY,IN THE FLESH, GIMME SOME LOVIN'(Spencer Davis group),TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT. - Buffalo started in the late 70s, but you had only these 2 mentioned singles in the 80s, and CD compilation in 1999. Does it mean that Buffalo wasn't really active during all these years? No, we were playing nearly all the time. I took a break between 1984 and early 90's to bring up my family and run my business so thats the only time I was inactive.from the 90's to 2001 I was gigging and writing and rehearsing. - Actually all the demo songs: from 1979, 1981, 1982 or 1995 were recorded in a bit different line up. Why? Where the original Buffalo members no longer interested in being part of the band? As you know in any band there are always friction and disagreements which expalins some members leaving. I lost contact with John Ralphs (Singer) in about 1982 after he was jailed for an offence he had committed!! That left us without singer at that crucial time when we were just getting the good press for our singles etc !! I blame this for the loss of momentum in our carreeer at that time. Mick Bailey then started the lead vocals after other members left through financial pressure etc. This is when Gary Taylor and Gary Short joined the band. It was so hard to keep band members playing original material with a professional attitudeand make enough enough money to live on. I myself had to work in the construction industry/doin PA hire etc to make a living besides the band income. - Are you founding member of Buffalo? How do you think, which line up was the most strong one? Yes Im the founder member of
Buffalo.In 1978 approx I met a singer songwriter called Trevor Starkie from Burnley.
Shortly after I then met the next three members who were jamming together in the nearby
town of Blackburn.This was the first Buffalo line-up,Andy"Tommy" Thompson on
bass guitar,Rick Brent on rhythm guitar and Dave "Duggy" Dugdale on drums. - Back then in the early 80s... Did you often play live? With which bands you used to share the stage? I have played alongside MOTORHEAD, IAN GILLAN BAND, STRIFE, PIRATES, Y&T, LIONHEART (Paul Di'Anno), DEMON, SPIDER,WITCHFINDER GENERAL we also played the Marquee in London at this time. Mike Stone Demon's manager was interested in getting us a deal with Carrere Records the single we had recorded of Spencer Davies "Gimme Some Lovin'" but it was released by Carrere records own band "NUTZ" who as it happened did a much poorer version than ours! - Did you ever play any covers? Which bands were the most inspiring for you? Yes we played covers and originals during the 90's .... stuff like AC/DC, VAN HALEN, CREAM, GARY MOORE, GUNS N ROSES, FOGHAT, FREE, covers etc etc. I love Tony Iommi, Angus Young, Satriani, Malmsteen, Hendrix,Van Halen and theres a lot of influence from these players in my style... - In the 1981 you had Gary Taylor of Tank on drums. Was he regular member of Buffalo, or actually you recorded these 5 songs which I know, as a common side project, under a different name? Yes, Gary Taylor was a full time member of Buffalo.To put the record straight the recordings we made with Gary were NOT a side project and NEVER recorded under a different name! They were demos for Buffalo for that line up and for any company to listen too. BACKS TO THE WALL, DETROIT MOTOR CITY, IN THE FLESH, GIMME SOME LOVIN', TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT. Unfortunately these songs were deemed to be too progressive for the market and we never released or got deals for them. - Did you ever play in any other band except Buffalo? And other members? Where did you find them? Yes, my first real band was called TANGLEFOOT a band formed from local musicians in my area. We did get a management deal too but was short lived about 2 years due the singers drug problems etc. Briefly in the 70's I jammed with John Sykes from Whitesnake / Tygers / Streetfighter and Merv Goldsworthy of FM before I formed Buffalo. In 1983 I did abrief stint with Frank Knight's band called the Savages In Blackpool. That was it till I reformed Buffalo in 1989/91 - Are you planning to re-release some stuff from the Buffalo in the nearest time? Yes hopefully due to renewed interest and keen followers like yourself, I have lots of unreleased stuff which im sure is worth a listen to for those who still follow Buffalo. It's a pity I di not have the same luck in the 80's and make more of a name for the band..... but thats life as they say! - Ok. Thanks for this interview - last words are yours! Just to say a big thanks to all the people in the world who still play my music from so long ago. I am very honoured by the feedback I still get from around the globe. I think the internet and the way we communicate now have lead to a reawakening for NWOBHM bands! I hope I can record some new music soon even if i dont actually tour as i still want to write new music for Buffalo.
Visit BUFFALO at: www.buffalo-nwobhm.co.uk UPDATE VIII 2006: Visit KARTHAGO RECORDS at www.karthagorecords.de |
Guys from Buffalo hadn't
much luck... They had bunch of fantastic songs that could fill up at least two full lenght
albums, but actually published only two 7" singles. Thankfully bands like this one
aren't forgotten, and still have many fans around the globe. I asked few questions to Mick
Priestley, guitarist and founding member of Buffalo - the underground heroes of the
miracle once called New Wave of British Heavy Metal!
