Saxon/London,UK 1980

SAXON in 1980, who rose to the top of NWOBHM with two consecutive albums, “WHEELS OF STEEL” and “STRONG ARM OF THE LAW”. A live album that allows you to experience the glorious scene is now available. This work is recorded on the “London performance on December 19, 1980”. It is a superb audience recording recorded at the traditional famous venue “Hammersmith Odeon”. The biggest point of this work is that the show content is also super hot. It is a good opportunity, so let’s first look back on the golden age where the three great masterpieces are crowded and check the position. 1980 – January 5th – April 2nd: UK #1 (10 performances) (April 3rd “WHEELS OF STEEL” released) – April 21st – June 22nd: UK #2 (36 performances) – July 26th: THE OVER-THE-TOP HM BRAIN DAMAGE MAYHEM PARTY – August 16th – 24th: Europe #1 (3 shows) “STRONG” September 1st ARM OF THE “STRONG ARM OF THE LAW” released, September 11th – October 19th: North America (22 performances), November 2nd – December 23rd: UK #3 (32 performances) ←★Here★●1981, January 23rd – April 6th: Europe #2 (24 performances), May 4th – 7th: Japan (4 performances), May 15th / June 3rd / July 17th: Europe #3 (3 performances)《October 5th “DENIM AND LEATHER” released》, October 7th – December 16th: Europe #4 (45 performances)This is SAXON in 1980/1981. Speaking of the “STRONG ARM OF THE LAW” era, the legendary first visit to Japan is also memorable, but this work’s Hammersmith performance was six months before that. It was the 30th concert of “UK #3”. This work recorded at such a show is truly a superb audience with “super”. Anyway, it’s very thick, direct, and fresh. If you listen carefully with headphones, you will notice the evidence of the audience recording, but that is only the tone. Even the vocals, which tend to have a sense of space, have a lot of density in the snare and shite, and there is no sense of distance. The detailed recording position is not clear, but the sound is so vivid that it is like a Crazy S. or Kinney recording even though it is not outdoors (although it seems that it is neither). Such a direct and clear sound depicts the full show of a young hero who conquered his native England and is about to take flight in the world. Speaking of their golden age, it is “THE EAGLE HAS LANDED” above all else, but this work allows you to enjoy masterpieces that you cannot hear even in the (enlarged) 2006 remastered version. Let’s organize it while comparing it here. Saxon (3 songs + α) Backs to the Wall (★) Rainbow Theme/Frozen Rainbow/Stallions of the Highway (★) Wheels of Steel (7 songs) See The Light Shining/747 (Strangers In The Night)/Freeway Mad (★)/Stand Up and Be Counted (★)/Wheels Of Steel/Motorcycle Man/Machine Gun Strong Arm of the Law (5 songs) Heavy Metal Thunder/Hungry Years/Strong Arm Of The Law/20,000 Ft./Dallas 1 PM *Note: Songs marked with “★” are not even heard on the masterpiece “THE EAGLE HAS LANDED (2006 remastered version)”. …And so it goes. Their debut album “Backs to the Wall” and “Stallions of the Highway” are delicious, but their two great masterpieces “WHEELS OF STEEL” and “STRONG ARM OF THE LAW” are also a big hit because they were released in real time. In particular, all songs from their masterpiece “WHEELS OF STEEL” are performed except for “Street Fighting Gang” and “Suzie Hold On”. The performance of such a set and the enthusiasm of the audience are wonderful. Hammersmith Odeon was the gateway to success for British bands, and SAXON, who stands there, exudes the body odor of NWOBHM while its dynamism has already reached international level. There are many famous bands in NWOBHM, but IRON MAIDEN and SAXON are the only ones who were able to combine this “core” and “big feeling”. And what a proud thing it is for Londoners to welcome such a local hero with a chorus… This is a live album that allows you to witness the scene of such an era with 100% real sound. This work is undoubtedly a masterpiece live album of the golden age of SAXON, but it is also a time machine that allows you to experience the best scene of NWOBHM. This is the virtue and place where hard rock was reborn as heavy metal. The scent of Hammersmith Odeon, which many bands aimed for and sent out to the world in London in that era. The best audience recording of “December 19, 1980 Hammersmith Odeon performance”. It is simply thick, direct, and fresh. Even the vocals that are easy to feel the sense of space are dense and there is no sense of distance in the snare. It is a historical album that not only plays seven of the nine songs of the great masterpiece “WHEELS OF STEEL” in a famous recording like Crazy S. or Kinney recording (although it seems that it is neither), but also has a delicious atmosphere of NWOBHM. Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK 19th December 1980 TRULY PERFECT SOUND(74:50) 1. Intro 2. Heavy Metal Thunder 3. See the Light Shining 4. Backs to the Wall 5. Hungry Years 6. Rainbow Theme / Frozen Rainbow 7. Strong Arm of the Law 8. 20,000 feet 9. 747 Strangers in the Night 10. Freeway Mad 11. 1pm 12. Stand Up and Be Counted 13. Stallions of the Highway 14. Wheels of Steel 15. Motorcycle Man 16. Machine Gun Biff Byford – Vocals Graham Oliver – Guitar Paul Quinn – Guitar Steve Dawson – Bass Pete Gill – Drums