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Saxon - Saxon Audio CD

A fair review of the Saxon "Saxon" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Saxon reviews here, or go back to the Saxon tabs.

Saxon Band: Saxon
Title: Saxon
Rating:
Release Date: 2003-04-29
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Rainbow Theme 2: Frozen Rainbow 3: Big Teaser 4: Judgement Day 5: Stallions of the Highway 6: Backs to the Wall 7: Still Fit to Boogie 8: Militia Guard

An Ideal Heavy Metal Masterpiece
Believe me, this is saying a lot about a band that would go on to produce so much more fantastic music. This is Saxon's inncredible debut from 1979, and in my opinion, their strongest album to date. Everything on this album just comes together perfectly and beautifully.

Everything to love about heavy metal is here: the mystery and fantasy ("Rainbow Theme," "Frozen Rainbow"), the rock 'n' roll anthem ("Still Fit to Boogie"), and more. Much more.

The musicianship and the compositions on this album are simply fantastic. Pounding drums by Pete Gill,and some of the coolest, most complimentary bass lines I've ever heard from Steve Dawson. Then you've got the crisp, crunchy guitar riffs and screaming, wailing guitar solos of Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn. These guys don't play anything outrageously flashy, but their playing is so amazingly tasteful that in this case, less is more. Completing the sound is Biff Byford's passionate, clean vocals. A great frontman with true spirit.

Something really awsome in this music is the vocal harmonies, especially in a songs like "Big Teaser," and "Militia Guard. " Most of these songs really rock hard and do it most excellently, but there are also some beautiful, mellow moments on this album. "Rainbow Theme" and "Frozen Rainbow" are mesmerizing and mystical, and there is a truly gentle, soothing stretch in the middle of the epic "Judgement Day. "

Some bands take a while to find their sound, but this was not the case with Saxon. Believe me, they had their sound with this debut, and what a unique, flamboyant, powerful sound they had.


too short
waste of good plastic. only 4 stars for length. may be under 30 minutes.
anyway i enjoy it for whats there.

"rpm".


saxon
Good sound quality. Nice guitar work. Their first album. And now on a cd. I also have Crusader which is damn good. .


A good beginning


In the UK, you were experiencing the first ripples of what would become, in my opinion, the most energetic revitalisation of rock music, never equalled before or since:

THE NEW WAVE OF BRITISH HEAVY METAL (NWOBHM)!

There were exciting new bands taking their place alongside classic metal warriors like Judas Priest, the revitalised Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Whitesnake (pre-hair metal days) and UFO. "Where were you in '79 when the dam began to burst?"

In America, you were probably clutching your Aerosmith, Van Halen, Ted Nugent, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple albums and playing them at full blast to ward of the aural nausea of the Village People, Bee Gees, et al.

Among them were Iron Maiden, Def Leppard (yes, they were once a metal band!) and. . . SAXON.

This is an example of a new, young band at the forefront of a new, exciting musical genre. They haven't quite found their feet here and in a lot of ways still sound like the band gigging around pubs in their native northern England. Some of the tracks, like "Big Teaser" and "Still Fit To Boogie" are forgettable. However, others, like "Backs To The Wall", "Stallions Of The Highway" and "Militia Guard" give hints of the band that would soon release seminal slabs of British metal like "Wheels Of Steel" and "Strong Arm Of The Law".

The album isn't perfect, but I find it worlds better than their lame attempts to "crack America" in the '80s and '90s with dreck like "Crusader" and "Destiny" (I still cringe at their cover of Christopher Cross' "Ride Like The Wind"), though they returned to form after that.

Of course, they never went beyond a cult following in America, but if you listen to this disc you'll see the beginnings of a band who went on to stardom nearly everywhere else in the world and were on the bill at the first Castle Donington festival.


Saxon - self-titled (EMI)
Originally released in 1979 as this was Saxon's very first album. I'll give it 2 1/2 stars. Should keep in mind that any new Saxon fans should get their later CD reissues FIRST,then later get a copy of this debut of theirs. Not sure if the problem is in the production or the final mix of this album. Either way their self-titled first lp clearly shows you what the band was like,before they got good. No,make that great. Their follow-up to this CD,1980's 'The Strong Arm Of The Law' indicates what the group that was active during the 'New Wave Of British Heavy Metal'(aka NWOBHM)era is totally capable of. That was only the beginning of many great Saxon recorded works to come. In my opinion,to this very day,they're STILL able to pen out good songs. As for the CD here,the only two cuts I thought were that good were "Frozen Rainbow" and "Backs To The Wall". The line up:Biff Byford-vocals,Graham Oliver&Paul Quinn-guitars,Steve Dawson-bass and Pete Gill-drums. Not really a bad lp,it just could have been better.


You can see a complete list of all Saxon discography, or go back to the Saxon tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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