WHITE HEAT – Soldier of Fortune (White Vinyl)

High Roller Records, white vinyl, ltd 100, insert, Formed by guitarist J.J. Cox after the demise of JJ’s Powerhouse, White Heat was a London-based four-piece which also featured vocalist John Dunning, bassist John Tucker and drummer Kevin Cassidy. The band issued just one single in its brief lifetime, ‘Soldier Of Fortune’ b/w ‘Love Maker’ which came in a picture sleeve depicting the famous final scene of the film from which the band had taken its name. Some time before the release of the ‘Soldier Of Fortune’ 7”, White Heat had demoed another pair of tracks, this time with vocalist Paul Armfield behind the mikestand. Although they were never officially released at the time, ‘Missing You’ and ‘Ride To Hell’ were used to get the band gigs, primarily in The Netherlands and Germany where the band developed a fan base. ‘Soldier of Fortune’ draws together the band’s four recordings, and illustrates just why Forearm Smash once dubbed White Heat one of the UK fanzine’s best bands.