Saxon - Denim And Leather (1981) - €10,00

Denim and Leather is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon released in 1981. The album was certified Gold status in the U.K. This was the last album with the classic line up of Saxon, as drummer Pete Gill would leave the band due to a hand injury, later joining Motörhead; this was also seen as the last of their triptych of classic albums (the previous two being Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm of the Law).

Saxon's third straight and ultimately last (mostly) universally acclaimed studio album, 1981's Denim and Leather capped off a stunningly prolific 18-month stretch for the New Wave of British Heavy Metal stars. If only Saxon had managed to stagger the amazing triumvirate of Wheels of Steel, Strong Arm of the Law, and Denim and Leather over a longer stretch of years, we might still be talking about the group today in the same hallowed tones reserved for fellow N.W.O.B.H.M. standouts Def Leppard and Iron Maiden.

But perhaps the band's run at the top was simply fated to be short and sweet, and if that's the case, Saxon never concocted a more perfect pair of album bookends than Denim and Leather's infectiously anthemic opening statement, "Princess of the Night" (one of Saxon's biggest American "hits" and arguably the only love song ever written for a train!) and the title track's ode to heavy metal culture (featuring the core metallic philosophy: "Denim and leather; brought us all together; it was you that set the spirit free").

Bridging the distance between these two unqualified classics was another consistently strong to spectacular body of work, including memorable cuts like "Out of Control" and "Rough and Ready" (the strong), as well as (here come the spectacular) the speed metal workout "Fire in the Sky", the Allman Brothers-referencing road tale "Midnight Rider," and the fan favorite "And the Bands Played On," which used a guitar solo lick -- not a riff -- as its main theme and famously immortalized Saxon's appearance at the Donington Monsters of Rock Festival the previous year. In retrospect, neither "Never Surrender" nor "Play It Loud" quite measure up to the rest, but they are far from crap, and they hardly gave notice that Saxon's incredible run was in fact coming to an end.


Side A
A1. Princess of the Night  - 4:01
A2. Never Surrender  - 3:15
A3. Out of Control  - 4:07
A4. Rough and Ready  - 4:51
A5. Play It Loud  - 4:11

Side B
B1. And the Bands Played On  - 2:48
B2. Midnight Rider  - 5:45
B3. Fire in the Sky  - 3:37
B4. Denim and Leather  - 5:25

Notes

Release:  1981
Genre:  Heavy Metal
Format:  LP
Label:  Carrere Records
Catalog#  67811

Vinyl:  VG+
Cover:  VG+

Prijs: €10,00