Formed in 1974 in London, England, the Arrows was a glam rock trio formed by Americans Alan Merrill (vocals/bass) and Jake Hooker (guitar) and English drummer Paul Varley. The band is best-known for the original version of “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, a track that Joan Jett would turn into a career-defining anthem in 1982. The band’s first RAK Records single, “Touch Too Much” (1974) was written by the hitmaking songwriting team Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman and produced by Mickie Most. The single reached Number 8 in the UK. Their second single, “Toughen Up” (another Chinn and Chapman composition) didn’t do as well, only reaching Number 51. Their third single was “My Last Night With You”, which was written by British songwriter Roger Ferris, did slightly better, climbing to Number 25. Their next single was “Broken Down Heart” (again, written by Ferris), which didn’t garner much attention until the label realized that the B-side, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (written by Alan Merrill but credited to Merrill/Hooker), was gaining interest. RAK Records then switched sides, making “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” the single’s official A-side. The band released one album – First Hit – and two more singles before they were asked to host a weekly variety series for Granada Television. Their Arrows series debuted in 1976, replacing the popular Bay City Rollers’ Shang-a-Lang series and proved to be a success. The band performed their own material alongside their special guests like Marc Bolan & T. Rex, Bay City Rollers, Pilot, Slade, and others. However, there were no new Arrows recordings released during this time due to a conflict between the band’s manager and the group’s mentor and producer Mickie Most. The band came back for a second series of shows but still no new material was released. Once the second series ended in 1977, the band split up.
