Suzie Smiled: The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal

The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal got its start over 25 years ago, and John Tucker, who wrote this book, was right in the middle of the scene. He knew many of the band members, wrote about them, and was even a musician in an unsuccessful band. He has the knowledge and credibility to write about this subject.

Purpose Of The Book

This book is not an encyclopedia of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. There are other books that chronicle every band and release of the era. This book does give a broad overview of what was happening in the scene, but its focus is on the personal stories of the bands. Some were very successful and are still around today. Others were obscure then and completely unknown now. The stories are told mostly in the band members' own words, which is very effective.

Bands Covered

A wide variety of bands and their members were interviewed for this book, including Blitzkrieg, Diamond Head, Holocaust, Jaguar, Raven, Saxon, Tygers Of Pan Tang and Witchfynde. It's a fascinating behind the scenes look at the NWOBHM. The book was published in the UK, and finding it in the U.S. might be a bit of a challenge. But if you're a fan of this era of music it is well worth your while to find it.