The UK 70s Arrows

Arrows in 1974, left to right- Alan Merrill, Paul Varley, Jake Hooker.

Arrows, ‘I love rock n roll’ 1975.

The UK band Arrows made the charts with their first three singles and oddly their 4th single, the monster song that the band wrote “I Love Rock N Roll” was the one the label didn’t promote, with that single never going further than the DJ demonstration copy phase in England with the A-side version only being promoted in Belgium where the band had won the Golden Lion award for best new band in 1974. Mad as it seems now, “I Love Rock N Roll” was the least promoted of the 6 Arrows singles.

Arrows were a short lived band (1974-1977) based in London England. Their first three singles made the British charts. After their third single “My Last Night With You” made the charts with the 4th single “I Love Rock N Roll” a song written by the band’s lead singer, their record label mysteriously stopped promoting the group and by February 1976 the band stopped releasing singles and broke up not long after in 1977 unable to release records and held to their binding recording contract. 

They are the only band in history to have a weekly TV series Arrows (1976-77) and no records released during the run of the shows, two full seasons in the UK. This was due to a severe acrimonious clash between the label RAK and the band’s manager Ian Wright of MAM Management.

Arrows lead singer Alan Merrill London England 1974. Photo by Michael Putland for Getty Images.

Arrows in Berkeley Square, London England  spring of 1974. The park is near their record label RAK at 2 Charles Street.

Lead singer of the UK band Arrows hits and songwriter of “I Love Rock N Roll” Alan Merrill, in 1975.