Power & the Glory is the fifth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in March 1983 by Carrere Records. This is the first Saxon studio album with new drummer Nigel Glockler and was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia in the fall of 1982.
| Power & the Glory | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1983[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio | Axis Sound (Atlanta) | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 36:37 | |||
| Label | Carrere | |||
| Producer | Jeff Glixman | |||
| Saxon chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Power & the Glory | ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[3] |
The album peaked at #15 in the UK Albums Chart.[4][5] It reached No. 1 in the Metal charts in Sweden, Norway, France and Germany selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide.[citation needed] It was their first album to enter the Billboard 200 in the US, peaking at #155.[6]
A retrospective AllMusic review by Eduardo Rivadavia gave the album three out of five stars. Rivadavia criticised the mixing, saying that the album "sounds as though it was recorded in a tin can, albeit a very, very large tin can" eliminating the "big, in-your-face, and gritty" sound heard on the band's past albums. He also criticised the material itself, saying that "despite a few sparks generated by "Redline," "Warrior," and the proto-thrashing "This Town Rocks," only the anthemic title track ultimately showed enough staying power (and glory) to earn a frequent slot in Saxon's live repertoire".[2] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff writes quite the opposite and considers Power & the Glory Saxon's best album, praising the production and the contribution of "new ass-kicking drummer Nigel Glockler" to "working a metal magic that is the embodiment of the NWOBHM's ideals now made real."[3]
In 2005, Power & the Glory was ranked number 376 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[7]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Biff Byford, Paul Quinn, Graham Oliver, Steve Dawson and Nigel Glockler
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Power and the Glory" | 5:57 |
| 2. | "Redline" | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Warrior" | 3:47 |
| 4. | "Nightmare" | 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "This Town Rocks" | 3:58 |
| 6. | "Watching the Sky" | 3:43 |
| 7. | "Midas Touch" | 4:13 |
| 8. | "The Eagle Has Landed" | 6:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Denim & Leather" (live, b-side "Power and the Glory") | 5:11 |
| 10. | "Suzie Hold On" (Jeff Glixman version '82) | 5:01 |
| 11. | "Turn out the Lights" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 3:57 |
| 12. | "Stand Up and Rock" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 3:36 |
| 13. | "Power and the Glory" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 6:17 |
| 14. | "Saturday Night" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 4:11 |
| 15. | "Midas Touch" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 4:07 |
| 16. | "Nightmare" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 5:55 |
| 17. | "Redline" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 3:37 |
Song information
editPower and the Glory
edit"Power and the Glory" was released as a single in April 1983. It reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song is an early power metal song with a fast tempo and lyrics relating to war and battles. A music video was made for the song with band members running through a castle with dead dolls.
Personnel
edit- Biff Byford – vocals
- Graham Oliver – guitar
- Paul Quinn – guitar
- Steve Dawson – bass guitar
- Nigel Glockler – drums
- Production
- Jeff Glixman – producer[8]
- Jeff Glixman – engineer
- Cheryl Bordagary – engineer
- Les Horn – engineer
- Axis Sound Studio, Atlanta – recording and mixing location
- Nic Tompkin – cover design, photography
- Chris Peyton – design (reissue)
- Gavin Wright – design (reissue)
Charts
edit| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] | 26 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 28 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 9 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 15 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 155 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 719. ISBN 9780862415419.
- ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "AllMusic review". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ a b Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 315. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 483. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Saxon | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ Allmusic.com / Billboard Albums – accessed March 2011
- ^ Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 58. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
- ^ "Saxon official homepage". Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Saxon – Power & the Glory" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Saxon – Power & the Glory" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Saxon – Power & the Glory". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Saxon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2023.