Saxon/UK 1985

SAXON in 1985, when “those five” who produced the famous album “THE EAGLE HAS LANDED” were about to collapse. The treasured original recording is now available. This work includes “Leicester performance on September 19, 1985”. It is an exquisite audience recording that conveys the scene. At that time, it was also a special time when he introduced his ambitious work “INNOCENCE IS NO EXCUSE” to the world. First, let’s check the show’s position from the schedule. 1985/June 20th-22nd: Spain (3 performances)《“INNOCENCE IS NO EXCUSE” released on June 24th》/September 5th-October 22nd: Europe #1 (39 performances)←★Here ★・December 31st: San Jose performance 1986・February 1st – April 2nd: North America (30 performances) ・April 12th – May 11th: Europe #2 (15 performances) This is “INNOCENCE IS NO” Overall picture of “EXCUSE TOUR”. Although it was an album that showed their ambition to conquer America, their main battlefield was Europe. The tour started with 14 performances in their home country of England, and the Leicester performance of this work was the 13th concert. This work recorded at such a show is exquisite. This is a masterpiece that was made directly into CD from the original cassette of the famous master “Crazy S.”, and its direct feel is amazing. Biff Byford’s vocals are particularly strong. Anyway, there was no sense of distance at all, and they were completely in close contact. (It’s an unlikely story given the times, but) It sounds like IEMs for vocals. Compared to that singing voice, the rhythm section and guitar aren’t that great, but that doesn’t mean they’re far off. It’s just that the balance isn’t as close to the front as the vocals, but the detail and texture are also on. Audience noise further enhances the sense of closeness. Mr. “Crazy S.” is always a master at capturing performance sounds big and clear, and this work stands out even in his collection. Even if I listened carefully through headphones, I could barely hear the noise around me, and all I could remember was the solid performance and singing voice. It’s like listening to a sound board recording directly connected to the mix desk. What is depicted with such a thick and intimate sound is a full show precisely because it is a turning point in an era where the classic and the new are in conflict. Speaking of SAXON from the 1980s, in addition to the famous album “THE EAGLE HAS LANDED”, there are also official live albums such as “ROCK ‘N’ ROLL GYPSIES” and “GREATEST HITS LIVE!”, but this album is different from any of them. is. Let’s organize the contents here. Classics (9 songs + α)・WHEELS OF STEEL: Wheels of Steel/747 (Strangers In The Night)・STRONG ARM OF THE LAW: Dallas 1PM・DENIM AND LEATHER: And The Bands Played On/Princess Of The Night・POWER & THE GLORY: This Town Rocks/Power And The Glory・CRUSADER: Crusader・Others: Medley (Heavy Metal Thunder/Stand Up and Be Counted/Taking Your Chances/Warrior/Heavy Metal Thunder) (★) INNOCENCE IS NO EXCUSE (6 songs)・Gonna Shout (★) / Back On The Streets / Devil Rides Out (★) / Broken Heroes / Give It Everything You’ve Got (★) / Rockin’ Again *Note: “★” mark is “THE EAGLE HAS LANDED” A song that cannot be heard on either “ROCK ‘N’ ROLL GYPSIES” or “GREATEST HITS LIVE!”. …and it looks like this. While performing classics that are a condensation of “THE EAGLE HAS LANDED”, they also played a large repertoire of the now valuable “INNOCENCE IS NO EXCUSE”. The rarity of the new songs is interesting, but what’s actually more interesting is the encore and last medley. At first, “Heavy Metal Thunder” runs smoothly as usual, but from there the songs quickly change and change. The selection is strong, with representative songs such as “Stand Up and Be Counted” from “WHEELS OF STEEL”, “Taking Your Chances” from “STRONG ARM OF THE LAW”, and “Warrior” from “POWER & THE GLORY”. Riffs and phrases from hidden gems that are difficult to describe pop out one after another. Even though it was an encore, they performed a special medley that further compressed the rich SAXON section. This live album is full of innovative new songs, as well as a medley that expresses the “unchanging SAXON” not in words but in music. Both of these are the tastes of the “INNOCENCE IS NO EXCUSE” era, and they are also the scenes of Britain witnessing this. This is a piece that allows you to witness such a scene with extremely thick sound. Live at De Montford Hall, Leicester, UK 19th September 1985 PERFECT SOUND(from Original Masters) Disc 1(72:16) 1. Intro. 2. Gonna Shout 3. This Town Rocks 4. Back On The Streets 5. Dallas 1PM 6 . Devil Rides Out 7. The Power And The Glory 8. Broken Heroes 9. Give It Everything You’ve Got incl. Drum Solo 10. And The Bands Played On 11. Crusader 12. Princess Of The Night 13. Wheels Of Steel Disc 2(20:35) Encore 1. Audience 2. Rockin’ Again 3. 747 (Strangers In The Night) 4. Heavy Metal Thunder 5. Stand Up & Be Counted 6. Taking Your Chances 7. Warrior / Heavy Metal Thunder (reprise ) Biff Byford – Vocals Graham Oliver – Guitar Paul Quinn – Guitar Steve Dawson – Bass Nigel Glockler – Drums