Description
Donnington: The Live Tracks = Live album by Saxon; complete concert, amazing soundboard quality! Mint condition
Released: 4 November 1997
Recorded: Castle Donington, 16 August 1980
Genre: Heavy metal
Length: 42:15
Label: IRS
Donnington: The Live Tracks is an semi-official live album by Saxon, being a legal release but not sanctioned by the band. The recording was made at the first Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington on August 16, 1980, but was not released until fifteen years later. It was re-released as Live at Donnington 1980 in 2000.
“Backs to the Wall” had been featured on an official Polydor Records release, compiled from recordings of most the artists who played that inaugural show.
Brilliant live set from Saxon’s first Monsters Appearance in 1980. They only had 2 albums out at the time (S/T & ‘Wheels..’), so their set was drawn pretty much equally from both of those. For me, they were one of the stand out band of the day and this excellent disc accurately sums up the band on the day. Excellent show, Excellent band, an excellent festival.
SAMPLES: www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-donnington-mw0000030432
“Motorcycle Man” –
“Still Fit to Boogie” –
“Freeway Mad” –
“Backs to the Wall” –
“Wheels of Steel” –
“Bap Shoo Ap” –
“747 (Strangers in the Night)” –
“Stallions of the Highway” –
“Machine Gun” –
Biff Byford – vocals
Graham Oliver – Guitar
Paul Quinn – Guitar
Steve Dawson – Bass
Pete Gill – drums
Musically, we are treated to a band at the peak of their powers… The interplay between the band is brilliant…a good well packaged release giving more than just a snapshot of a short lived band on fire.
…for a time in the early ’80s, they moved the metallic hordes, Donnington 1980…was their performance peak and Wheels of Steel remains a lost AC-DC creaming classic
…when they break into tracks from ‘Wheels of Steel’ the heat is really turned up…Sleevenotes from the band make interesting reading, and are a welcome addition to the entire live set here. “Still Fit To Boogie”, thats Saxon alright.
A true lost gem of the 80s new wave of heavy metal.,
Saxon at Donnington is a great representation of the new wave of British heavy metal that began in the eighties. There is no doubt that Saxon, along with other bands (Motorhead /Iron Maiden), led the way and influenced a generation that followed. To see Saxon live was a breath taking event that I personally witnessed on several occasions. They are the unsung metal heroes of the eighties that many bands, such as Metallica, even credit as a very important influence. This is a stellar performance by one of the greatest heavy metal bands of all time. If you are a true metal fan you should own this for the point that it is Saxon! The oddity of this disc is a track called “Bap Shoo Ap” which, as far as I know, is not on any Saxon album from that time period. Any true metal fan will still appreciate the passion in Saxons powerful performance.
a reminder of what the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was all about…
…still Fit To Boogie’ and ‘Backs To The Wall’ are delivered with typical bare-knuckled bluster, while ‘Wheels Of Steel’ and ‘747 (Strangers In The Night’)are simply colossal tunes…
…you can almost smell the mud, hot dogs and tobacco as well as feel the pure magic of the day
…Containing nine numbers…this storming CD finds Biff Byford and the boys in fine form…
Doningtons Monsters Of Rock 1980 was a great happening. The crowd loved the band already and so the 9 songs they played were received very well. Any SAXON fan must own this, as this is a unique performance of a Classic band at a legendary festival!
Biff Byford pick the best songs from Saxons’s huge back catalogue.
This is what he selected…
STALLIONS OF THE HIGHWAY (Saxon, 1979)
“There were a couple of songs from our debut album that stick out. This is one of them. Stallions Of The Highway is really about the band finding our sound and style. It showed how things were beginning to work for us. We were getting our focus and direction sorted”.
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