Birmingham’s ‘Cavern Club’
Historic England has recently listed three properties that have been claimed as the ‘first’ examples of their kind (not, it has to be said, by Historic England themselves – they know better than to invite a pantomimic chorus of ‘Oh no it’s not!’, but the media are not so subtle). Hence the BBC, among others, claimed that the Crown Hotel in Station Street, Birmingham, newly listed at Grade II, was ‘the birthplace of heavy metal’ and the place where ‘Black Sabbath played their first gig’. In reality, Black Sabbath played their first gig in Workington, Cumbria, and the band that we now know by that name was called ‘Earth’ when it performed at the Crown.
There are numerous other bands that could claim to be the originators of heavy metal. Wikipedia devotes many words to the topic and concludes that Black Sabbath’s eponymous album (released on Friday 13 February 1970) was the first LP composed entirely of metal tracks, whereas Cream’s first album (released on 9 December 1966) and Led Zeppelin’s first two (31 March 1969 and 31 October 1969) also included blues covers and folk-influenced material.
Singling out Black Sabbath as the reason for the listing does a disservice to the venue’s rich musical history. It started as a folk revival pub, where the Ian Campbell Folk Group recorded Ceilidh at the Crown (a pioneering example of a live folk-club recording), as well as hosting such luminaries of the rock world as Christine McVie, Jethro Tull, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Rory Gallagher, Status Quo, Thin Lizzy, and UB40. Campaigners say that it is as important as a music venue as the Cavern Club in Liverpool.
