Description

Limited picture disc. The early nineties was a difficult time for traditional heavy rockers and Saxon didn’t find it any easier. The band had been signed to EMI and released the albums Innocence Is No Excuse (1985), Rock The Nations (1986) and Destiny (1988), each album that was released on EMI took them further away from their original sound. The label had now grown tired of this sinking ship and abandons the band, which also lost their bass player Steve Dawson during these years. EMI wanted to give the band a more American sound and get some hits for MTV to spin. The venues the band performed got smaller and smaller but after the band signed to Virgin records they went out on their 10th anniversary tour (also known as The Rock N Roll Gypsies Tour) trying to re-build there damaged relationship with their European fans. Saxon did the right thing and did not surrender and finally got right back to basics with this tour. The band would release Solid Ball Of Rock in January of 1991 their strongest album in years and since then the band have been spot on most of the time. Castle Communication released the Greatest Hits Live album and video recorded in Nottingham at the C4 TV Centre in June of 1990. I must say I prefer this new Live In Germany 1991 album from the same tour because it has a much better feel to it as the tapes has the original recording and hasn’t been touched up or re-worked in a studio. Graham Oliver has put this out but with the permission from Biff Byford. This show however wasn’t recorded in 1991 when the Solid Ball Of Rock was out but as I said in 1990 during their European comeback tour. This was recorded at the PC69 club in Bielefeld, Germany on the 29th of May 1990 where Saxon performed with Domain, Trans Am and Rough Silk as opening acts. The first four tracks have been circulated before but now we finally can hear 5 more tracks from this show where the band even tries out the title track Solid Ball Of Rock from the new and upcoming album. This picture disc album also features one track from their EMI period (Rock And Roll Gypsies from Innocence Is No Excuse). Track listing: 1. Heavy Metal Thunder 2. Rock N Roll Gypsy 3. And the Bands Played On 4. Motorcycle Man 5. Strong Arm Of The Law 6. Princess Of The Night 7. Wheels Of Steel 8. Solid Ball Of Rock 9. 747 (Strangers In The Night)