Ah, yes. The covers album that nobody asked for. It seems like every band releases at least one. If you’re Metallica, you release two, the latter containing a cover of Bob Seger’s “Turn the Page” which has clogged active rock radio playlists for nearly 25 years. If you’re Six Feet Under, you release…geez, I don’t even know how many. They must be on Graveyard Classics Vol. 10 by now. The point being made here is that 9 out of 10 cover albums are unnecessary and unacceptable. And then you have Saxon who rules at everything they do.
You see, I’m in the minority who believes Saxon never released a bad album. Yes, I’ll even defend Destiny (1988) because the AOR freak in me would do nothing less. When I heard the news that they were releasing a covers album, I was immediately excited. Appropriately titled Inspirations, this selection of songs sums up the two scenes that paved the way for Saxon: the 60s British Invasion (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks) and the 70s metal boom (Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath). Some of these covers are faithful to the original versions. Others are revved up and given the Saxon treatment. The one thing all these renditions have in common is their loose and carefree spirit. If it sounds like the band just plugged in and started jamming away, it’s because they did. This is highlighted on their renditions of Thin Lizzy’s “The Rocker” and AC/DC’s “Problem Child”. Both covers have that “fly on the wall” feel to them, and I’m not talking about the AC/DC album of the same name.
There are three covers in particular that stand out to me. The first is of The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer”. I’m a real stickler for Beatles covers. I can count on one hand the Beatles covers I enjoy. And even with the inclusion of Saxon’s “Paperback Writer”, that number can still be counted on one hand. It’s fantastic to hear one of the Fabs’ most hard rocking tunes reinvented as a NWOBHM rager. The second cover that stands out is of Deep Purple’s “Speed King”. Ever wondered what “Speed King” would sound like if it were released in 1980 instead of 1970? Look no further. Biff Byford tears up the vocals and the ripping guitars make up for the lack of organ.
Finally, there’s the album’s dark horse: a rendition of Toto’s “Hold the Line”. Of all the songs on here, this was the one I was most curious to hear. In a bizarre, twisted way, Saxon and Toto are contemporaries. Both came up around the same time in the late 70s. But while Saxon quickly became the premiere British metal band, Toto was the premiere Californian AOR band. In other words, they were and worlds apart, both musically and geographically. Yet there’s something that sounds so right about Saxon’s take on this AM radio classic. Like “Speed King”, the keys are substituted for guitars and it works. Biff Byford’s vocals aren’t nearly as smooth as Bobby Kimball’s, but they sure do soar.
As far as cover albums go, Inspirations is about as good as you’ll get. It’s also bound to hold us Saxon diehards over until they drop their next collection of all original, uncompromising, “Strong Arm Metal”. Hopefully that’ll be sometime next year, although you can never tell in today’s unpredictable climate. At this point, I’m grateful for whatever I can get from these English metal kings.
7 out of 10
Label: Silver Lining Music
Genre: Heavy Metal
For fans of: Motörhead, Judas Priest, Accept