Friday, September 11, 2026

VA - Missing In Action, Heroes of 70s Rock (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)

HEAVY ROCK

VA - Missing In Action, Heroes of 70s Rock (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)

Rock history is usually written by the winners.

The bands that filled stadiums, sold millions of albums and became household names naturally dominate the story. Their achievements are undeniable, but behind every great musical movement exists another history, one created by artists who experimented, influenced and innovated without ever receiving the recognition they deserved.

Missing In Action, Heroes of 70s Rock exists to explore that forgotten history.

The 1970s were the decade when heavy music was born. Before heavy metal had a clearly defined identity, musicians across the world were pushing rock into darker and heavier territory. They were experimenting with enormous guitar sounds, extended compositions, progressive structures and darker atmospheres. Some would help shape the future of doom, proto-metal, progressive metal and underground hard rock.

Many of these artists disappeared from the mainstream almost as quickly as they appeared.

Some released one extraordinary album and vanished. Some were signed to small labels with limited support. Others arrived at the wrong moment, caught between the decline of psychedelic rock, the rise of commercial hard rock and the changing musical landscape of the late 1970s.

But the recordings survived.

This box set is built around a simple idea:  The history of rock is incomplete without the forgotten pioneers.

Missing In Action, Heroes of 70s Rock is not simply a collection of obscure tracks. Rarity alone does not make a recording important. The purpose of this set is to uncover music that combines discovery, quality and historical significance — recordings that deserve to stand alongside the better-known landmarks of heavy rock history.

cross four discs, the listener follows the evolution of an underground movement.

The journey begins with the birth of heaviness: the transition from psychedelic experimentation into early doom and proto-metal. It then moves deeper into the shadowy world of occult underground hard rock and progressive darkness, before reaching the point where heavy rock begins transforming into the early foundations of metal. The final chapter explores the forgotten survivors of the late 1970s — the bands caught between the first generation of heavy pioneers and the explosion of a new metal era.

What makes this collection different is the attention to historical flow. These are not random discoveries placed together because they are rare. Each track has a role in telling the story of a generation of musicians who helped shape heavy music but were left behind by history.

The best way to experience this box is not as background listening, but as a journey. Allow the discs to unfold chronologically. Hear the sound develop, change and evolve. Then return to the artists that capture your imagination and explore the stories behind them.

The greatest success of any archival collection is not simply reminding listeners of what they know.

It is revealing what they should have known all along.

Missing In Action, Heroes of 70s Rock is a tribute to the forgotten musicians who helped build the foundations of heavy rock. They may have been overlooked, but their music was never insignificant.

The missing heroes have finally been found. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Clear Blue Sky - Birdcatcher 3:38 1970

02 Janus - Red Sun 8:55 1972

03 Drosselbart - Inferno - Drosselbart 3:58 1971

04 McChurch Soundroom - Time is Flying 6:17 1971

05 Comus - Diana 4:36 1971

06 Lucifer's Friend - Ride in The Sky 2:53 1970

07 Dark - Maypole 5:00 1972

08 Leaf Hound - Work My Body 8:11 1971

09 Indian Summer - Glimpse 6:44 1971

10 Bakerloo - Big Bear Ffolly 3:57 1970

11 Frumpy - Take Care of Illusion 7:38 1971

12 Hairy Chapter - There's A Kind of Nothing 5:45 1971

13 May Blitz - Fire Queen 4:15 1970

14 T2 - No More White Horses 8:32 1970

15 Sam Gopal - Horse 3:33 1970

16 High Tide - Walking Down Their Outlook 4:59 1970

17 Atomic Rooster - Sleeping for Years 5:23 1970

18 Black Cat Bones - Death Valley Blues 3:56 1970

19 Aardvark - The Greencap 6:05 1970

20 Stray - Around The World in 80 Days 3:37 1970


CD2

01 Wicked Lady - out of the dark 10:15 1972

02 Czar - Beyond The Moon 3:49 1970

03 Bodkin - Plastic Man 6:03 1972

04 Warhorse - Confident But Wrong 4:46 1972

05 Black Widow - Come to The Sabbat 4:55 1970

06 Highway Robbery - Mystery Rider 3:01 1972

07 Zior - Before My Eyes Go Blind 3:27 1971

08 Writing on the Wall - Lucifer Corpus 5:47 1973

09 Blackwater Park - One's Life 3:08 1971

10 Orange Wedge - Death Comes Slowly 11:15 2020

11 Bang - Last Will and Testament 4:09 1971

12 Night Sun - Plastic Shotgun 2:33 1972

13 Buffalo - Suzie Sunshine 2:53 1973

14 Jerusalem - Primitive Man 5:54 1972

15 Salem Mass - Witch Burning 10:36 1971

16 Jericho - Ethiopia 4:32 1972

17 Bram Stoker - Fast Decay 3:45 1972

18 Tetragon - Nature 7:41 1971

19 Stonehouse - Nightmare 4:41 1971

20 Icecross - Jesus Freaks 5:36 1973


CD3

01 Sir Lord Baltimore - Hell Hound 3:19 1971

02 Granicus - Prayer 11:05 1973

03 Poobah - Mr. Destroyer 5:29 1972

04 Hard Stuff - No Witch at All 5:41 1972

05 Steel Mill - Blood Runs Deep 5:18 1971

06 Murphy Blend - Past Has Gone 7:33 1972

07 My Solid Ground - Dirty Yellow Mist 13:06 1971

08 Twenty Sixty Six & Then - At My Home 7:56 1972

09 Dschinn - Freedom 4:47 1972

10 Gift - Groupie 3:09 1972

11 Head Machine - Orgasm 9:00 1973

12 Morly Grey - Peace Officer 5:49 1976

13 Truth and Janey - Midnight Horseman (Bonus) 3:08 1976

14 Dust - From A Dry Camel 9:50 1971

15 Granmax - Daughter of Hell (Kiss Heaven Goodbye) 4:44 1978

16 Josefus - Crazy Man (Get Off My Case LP) 3:39 1970

17 Incredible Hog - Execution 3:10 1973

18 Triton Warrior - Sealed in a Grave 4:36 1972

19 Bad Axe - Coachman 3:03 1973

20 Captain Beyond - Dancing Madly Backwards (On A Sea of Air) 4:02 1972


CD4

01 Moxy - Moon Rider 4:29 1975

02 Legs Diamond - Stage Fright 5:01 1977

03 Target - Are You Ready? 3:16 1976

04 Saracen - Rock of Ages 3:17 1978

05 Strider - Misunderstood 5:56 1975

06 Dark Star - Spectre 3:12 1974

07 Medusa - Black Wizard 6:08 1975

08 Stone Axe - Slave of Fear 4:49 1978

09 Albatross - After The Fire 5:03 1975

10 Geordie - Strange Man 3:32 1974

11 Tucky Buzzard - Stainless Steel Lady 4:30 1975

12 Steel - Rosie Lee 2:28 1976

13 Hellstorm - Cry for the Newborn 6:08 1979

14 Quartz - Wildfire 6:00 1977

15 Riot - Warrior 3:50 1977

16 Angel Witch - Sorcerers 4:13 1979

17 Heavy Metal Kids - Delirious 3:41 1975

18 Tygers of Pan Tang - Wild Cat (1980 Uk) 3:06 1979

19 Praying Mantis - Captured City 5:33 1980

20 White Spirit - Way of The Kings 5:37 1980

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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8 comments:

  1. Wow, I can honestly say I've never heard of any of these artists, Can't wait to jump down the rabbit hole

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi mark i,
      That’s exactly what makes a set like this fun, a whole run of artists you may never have stumbled across otherwise. Enjoy diving into these 70s gems; plenty of great discoveries ahead.
      Cheers.

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  2. Great compilation! Cheers...Andrew

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Andrew,
      Thanks for the kind words, really glad you're going to enjoy this one. It was a pleasure to pull together, and it’s great to hear it hit the mark for you.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  3. Thanks for this collection Butterboy - some of my favorites in there. But no Clark Hutchinson?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi simonmsmith,
      Great to hear you enjoyed the collection. Plenty of favourites in there, absolutely, but no Clark Hutchinson this time around. They’re a terrific band, and they sit close to the edge of the brief, (probably because they seem more jazz rock to me) yet for this particular set I kept the focus on artists who slipped even further through the cracks. Always room for them in a future compilation, though.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  4. Thank you very much! There are many artists i hadn't known about before. Looking forward to listening to it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great idea - and the collection looks fascinating. Thanks

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