Hard Stuff was an English hard rock (possibly a heavy metal predecessor) group, which included John Du Cann and Paul Hammond, formerly of Atomic Rooster. Also in the line-up were vocalist Harry Shaw, formerly of Curiosity Shoppe and latterly Export, and John Gustafson, formerly of Quatermass.
Du Cann and Hammond had left Atomic Rooster due to disagreements with Vincent Crane over the increasingly bluesy, soulful direction he wanted to take that band in. Consequently, compared with Atomic Rooster's more progressive leanings, Hard Stuff were based more heavily on aggressive guitar.
Originally, Du Cann, Hammond and Shaw had formed a band provisionally entitled Daemon, with the intention of eventually touring and recording under the name Atomic Rooster. Gustafson was invited to join them on that basis, but after finding out that Crane retained the rights to the Atomic Rooster name, the quartet decided to continue anyway, but under the name Bullet instead.
As Bullet, the band released one single, "Hobo", the first on Deep Purple's Purple Records label. Following that release, however, they were prompted to change their name yet again, this time to Hard Stuff, due to a legal threat from a US band also called Bullet.
Hard Stuff toured heavily across Europe, particularly in Germany and Italy, often as support to Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. Their career was curtailed by a car crash in which Du Cann and Hammond were badly injured. Although the release of a second album went ahead, the band were soon to fold.
Hard Stuff's first album featured Shaw, but he had left the band by the time of its release and was uncredited.
Read more about Hard Stuff: Bullet/Hard Stuff Discography (all On Purple Records)
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