Urchin 'She's A Roller' DJM DJS10850 A1/B1 UK 1st 7" 45RPM single + sleeve 1978

	£		300
	$		398

Urchin 'She's A Roller/Long Time No Woman' DJM Records DJS 10850  UK 1st press Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM single, housed in a printed paper sleeve and released in 1978.
The vinyl appears to have been lightly played and is in great shape. It played through beautifully on my stereo - no skip or stick. It is housed in its original, paper sleeve, which shows minimal signs of wear and which is also in good condition - no rips or writing. Matrix / Runout  Side A : 7-Set-C-5419-A-1 3 JONZ A Matrix / Runout  Side B : 7-Set-C-5419-B-1 I A
Urchin were an East End of London-based rock band formed by the two future Iron Maiden guitarists Adrian Smith and Dave Murray while they both were still at school. The band was originally called Evil Ways but was renamed to Urchin and they got a record deal with DJM. They only released two singles, 'Black Leather Fantasy' and 'She’s A Roller' through DJM before falling apart in 1980. They were part of the NWOBHM movement.
Born in Hackney, Adrian Smith grew up in Clapton. He purchased his first record, Deep Purple's 'Machine Head', at age 15. Shortly thereafter, he met Dave Murray who lived in the same neighbourhood. Smith and Murray formed a band called Stone Free, with Murray on guitar, Smith on vocals, and their friend Dave McCloughlin playing the bongos.
After seeing the attention Murray received from girls, Smith took up the guitar, starting with an old Spanish guitar once owned by his brother, before purchasing an old guitar of Murray's for £5. His early influences included Johnny Winter and Pat Travers, who he claims made him a "melodic player" rather than a "speed merchant or a shredder" as he "was inspired by blues rock rather than metal."
Leaving school after completing his O-levels, Smith formed the band Evil Ways, including Dave Murray on guitar, which was later renamed Urchin. Smith began writing his own material, including a song called "Countdown", which evolved into "22 Acacia Avenue" that later appeared on Iron Maiden's 'The Number of the Beast' in 1982. While leading Urchin, Smith worked as a labourer and bricklayer on building sites in London, and as a water bailiff and fisheries officer at the Walthamstow Reservoirs.
Murray left Urchin in 1976 to join Iron Maiden. Urchin then signed with DJM Records and released the single "Black Leather Fantasy" in 1977. Shortly afterwards, Murray rejoined Urchin on their next single, "She's a Roller", as he had been temporarily sacked from Iron Maiden. Smith was also offered a position in Iron Maiden in 1979, but turned them down to focus on leading Urchin. Smith later regretted this decision as Urchin split up in 1980.
Shortly after Urchin broke up, Smith met Steve Harris and Dave Murray on a street in his neighbourhood, and the two asked him to reconsider joining Iron Maiden as the replacement for guitarist Dennis Stratton. This time Smith accepted the offer, and made his debut with the band on the West German TV show Rockpop in Concert in Munich on 8 November 1980, before setting out on a UK tour and recording the 'Killers' album in 1981. Smith's first song-writing contributions appeared on 'The Number of the Beast' in 1982, co-penning "Gangland" and "The Prisoner", as well as the aforementioned "22 Acacia Avenue". He became a more active songwriter in Iron Maiden, often in collaboration with singer Bruce Dickinson, on the following 'Piece of Mind' album.
Smith and Dave Murray often played dual lead guitars, creating what AllMusic calls "the most formidable twin-guitar attack in heavy metal, outside of Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing." Smith, along with Steve Harris, also provides the band's backing vocals, and sang lead on "Reach Out", the B-side to the "Wasted Years" single, featuring Bruce Dickinson on backing vocals.
Smith is ranked #8 on Total Guitar's list of the Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time, and #28 on Loudwire's Best 75 Hard Rock/Metal Guitarists of All Time. In conjunction with his Iron Maiden bandmates Dave Murray and (later) Janick Gers, Smith was ranked #11 in the list of the 100 greatest metal guitarists of all time according to Guitar World magazine, #4 in the list of the greatest metal guitarists of all time according to Metal Hammer, and #83 in Rolling Stone's list of the 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. In 2026 Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Iron Maiden.
Ultimate Guitar described Smith as "the golden standard for a heavy metal guitarist — a perfect team player who enhances the songs with punchy riffs and catchy hooks, and knows when (and when not) to take the spotlight and let it rip." In a 2025 interview with Sonic Perspective Smith explained that he was influenced by the second generation of blues guitarists. Such as Paul Kossoff, members of Thin Lizzy, and Michael Schenker, he also stated "But I was never be like a shredding kind of guitar [player], so more melodic. I like the space, I like the feel, so that’s what I try and do."
According to Quentin Thane Singer of Forbes, "Adrian Smith and Dave Murray’s duelling guitar harmonies, galloping riffs and epic guitar solos have influenced nearly every significant band to come out of the metal genre since the mid ‘80s. As the primary guitarists for Iron Maiden, Smith and Murray helped to popularize anthemic lead guitar playing, which has consequently become a staple in metal music for the last 40-plus years."