Saxon – Saxon/Wheels Of Steel/Strong Arm Of The Law (EMI Group)

With a new Saxon CD getting ready to be released, I felt it was a good time to revisit their humble beginnings with the help of EMI Group’s remastered series. The first batch to come out should be considered the blueprint for the NWOBHM. Anyone who considers themselves a fan of that genre needs to purchase this set. Their first self titled record did not set the world on fire but tracks like “Frozen Rainbow”, “Stallions Of The Highway”, and “Backs To The Wall” give an indication of what was to come. Wheels Of Steel is where the band really started to hit their stride. Even though by today’s standards it’s considered a short record, each of the songs was considered a Saxon classic. A number of the songs like “747 (Strangers In The Night)” and the title cut were staples in their live show for decades. At around this time, the band was starting to create a buzz by touring extensively; even opening for Motorhead on their legendary Bomber Tour. Strong Arm Of The Law was really a continuation of the previous album. Not much had changed but the music was still top notch with “Dallas 1 PM” being the tour-de-force. All three of these disks are essential purchases for anyone looking to get a glimpse of what early 80’s heavy metal sounded like.

For those of you who already have these CDs, I would recommend you purchase this latest batch of remasters. If you are familiar with the job that EMI did with the UFO catalogue, then you will know what I’m talking about. Each one of these early Saxon releases sounds better than any of the previous copies I own but what makes these essential is the bonus material. Each disk contains a host of live, demo, or BBC Session material. For those of us who live in the US and were not around the UK in 1980 to here those sessions on the radio, it really makes for a great package. My recommendation is that whether you have these records or not, buy this first batch of Saxon releases by the EMI Group. They are worth every penny.

Greg Olma