Running Blind

This represents one of the classic singles from the NWOBHM; both songs represent melodic, straightforward numbers with hints of atmosphere and a nod to their precursors in the 1970s hard rock scene. This is especially evident on the excellent ‘Running Blind’, with its strong songwriting and laid-back but tight sound. ‘My My My’ is a more up-tempo rocker, but the formula isn’t varied that much. The end result is a great piece of NWOBHM that is similar to Omen Searcher or perhaps a less energetic Mythra.

The single was pressed at least twice; the original version was done by the small and collectible Ellie Jay label, while the band later did a second pressing on their own Graffiti label in order to meet demand. Confusingly, the picture sleeve comes in three variants; the picture is the same but the paper color can be white, tan, or mustard yellow. Some sources (e.g., Malc Macmillan’s ‘The NWOBHM Encyclopedia’) indicate that the first copies on Ellie Jay came in the white sleeve, and later copies came in the tan sleeve, while only the Graffiti pressing came in the yellow sleeve. However, I have seen copies that do not follow this pattern (e.g., my Graffiti pressing came in a tan sleeve while my Ellie Jay copy came in a yellow one). In my experience, the white sleeve is the hardest to find, but I’ve never noticed a significant price difference among the variants.