hypersongs

Denim and Leather

Their fourth studio album and the last by the classic line-up, with the single "And the Bands Played On".
Saxon, 1981

Nigel Thomas produced it, with Saxon producing tracks two and six and Andy Lyden engineering; it was recorded at Aquarius Studios in Geneva, with additional recording and mixing at Polar Studios in Stockholm. Biff Byford sang, Quinn and Oliver played guitars, Dawson bass and Pete Gill drums, with Gordon Bryan on backing vocals on the title track. Gill hurt his hand and left, and Nigel Glockler, formerly with Toyah, replaced him at short notice. It reached 9 in the UK, 19 in France, 21 in Sweden, 37 in Germany and 39 in the Netherlands.

The singles were "And the Bands Played On" (March 27, 1981, UK 12, Saxon's biggest single), "Never Surrender" and "Princess of the Night", the latter two in the UK top 20. AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia gave it 4.5 stars and called the title track an unqualified classic; Martin Popoff gave 7 out of 10 and found it sillier than Wheels of Steel. Wikipedia says the album's name comes from early eighties metalhead dress. A BMG extended reissue followed on May 25, 2018.

Track listing

  1. Princess of the Night4:01
  2. Never Surrender3:15
  3. Out of Control4:07
  4. Rough and Ready4:51
  5. Play It Loud4:11
  6. And the Bands Played On2:48
  7. Midnight Rider5:45
  8. Fire in the Sky3:37
  9. Denim and Leather5:25

More from Saxon

Saxon (1979), Wheels Of Steel (1980), Strong Arm Of The Law (1980), Power & The Glory (1983), Crusader (1984), Innocence Is No Excuse (1985), Rock The Nations (1986), Destiny (1988), Rock 'N Roll Gypsies (1989), Solid Ball Of Rock (1990), Forever Free (1992), Dogs Of War (1995), The Eagle Has Landed Part II (1996), Unleash The Beast (1997), Metalhead (1999), Killing Ground (2001), Heavy Metal Thunder (2002), Lionheart (2004), The Eagle Has Landed III (2006), The Inner Sanctum (2007), Into The Labyrinth (2009), Call To Arms (2011), Sacrifice (2013), Battering Ram (2015), Let Me Feel Your Power (2016), Thunderbolt (2018), Inspirations (2021), Carpe Diem (2022), More Inspirations (2023), Hell, Fire And Damnation (2024), Eagles Over Hellfest (2025), Strong Arm Of The Law Tour (2026)

Sources

  1. Denim and Leather, Wikipedia
  2. Saxon (band), Wikipedia