SAXON: BMG To Reissue Three Classic Albums On Splatter Vinyl, CD With Bonus Material

BMG will reissue three classic albums from British heavy metal legends SAXON on May 25: "Denim And Leather", "Power & The Glory" and "Crusader".

SAXON, over the decades, has gone from being pioneers of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal to becoming one of the most successful U.K. rock acts of all time.

The truth, though, is that SAXON has always transcended trends and eras. From 1979's "Saxon" album to new album "Thunderbolt", the band has enjoyed considerable success. Five Top 40 albums in the U.K., with four Top 20 singles. And they were similarly successful in other parts of the world as well.

It's no wonder their influence spread across the globe and played a crucial role in the way we look at hard rock and heavy metal today.

The albums will be made available on colored splatter vinyl for the first time and include album lyrics, rare photos and memorabilia.

The CD copies will include a 24-page media book and feature rare demos, remixes and live recordings.

SAXON's fourth album, "Denim And Leather" was originally released on October 5, 1981. It was recorded at Aquarius Studios in Geneva. Arguably SAXON's most successful record to date, it spawned the classic singles "Princess Of The Night", "Never Surrender" and the song "And The Band's Played On", which was inspired by their appearance at the inaugural Monsters Of Rock festival in 1980. This edition contains the B-sides of the "Never Surrender" single and seven live tracks recorded on the "Denim And Leather" tour of 1981.

SAXON's fifth album, "Power And The Glory" was originally released on March 21, 1983 and was produced by Jeff Glixman at Axis Sound Studios in Atlanta. The album spawned two singles, "Nightmare" and the title track, "Power And The Glory", and also marked the replacement of drummer Pete Gill with Nigel Glockler, who remains a member of SAXON to this day. This version contains early working demos of songs from the album, recorded in 1982, including tracks that didn't make the final track listing.

Originally released on April 16, 1984, SAXON's sixth album, "Crusader", was produced by Kevin Beamish at the legendary Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. It featured the band's first recorded cover song, a version of THE SWEET's "Set Me Free", and the singles "Sailing To America", "Just Let Me Rock" and "Do It All For You". This version includes early working versions of some of the songs featured on the album and also the songs "Borderline" and "Helter Skelter" that didn't make the final track listing of "Crusader".

To order the releases, go to this location.

Coming from BMG on Friday, July 27 are expanded editions of the following SAXON titles: "Innocence Is No Excuse", "Rock The Nations" and "Destiny".