Stampede formed in 1981 by the song-writing partnership of Reuben and Laurence Archer and signed to the Polydor label. They previously made inroads into the NWOBHM movement with the bands Lautrec, Lionheart and Wild Horses and toured with the likes of Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Gary Moore. 

In 1982 Stampede played the prestigious Reading and Mildenhall festivals where they recorded the live Official Bootleg album. 1983 saw the band record their first studio album Hurricane Town with Polydor, which was re-mastered and re-released on Rock Candy Records in 2006 with bonus material.