You wait ages for a Beatles cover, then two come along at once… We encountered My Pleasure’s reworking of the entire Revolver album a few days ago, and now we discover that Saxon are releasing an album featuring covers of songs which inspired them (hence the title Inspirations). They’re already released “Paint it Black” and “Speed King“, and now “Paperback Writer” gets an airing.
Recorded at Brockfield Hall near York, UK, with a firm eye on the old school way using Marshall cabs, Marshall amps, real drums and produced by Biff Byford with Jacky Lehmann recording and mixing, Saxon approach the likes of Motörhead’s “Bomber” (with added whistle!), Toto’s “Hold The Line”, Black Sabbath’s “Evil Woman” and a raucous Deep Purple’s “Speed King” with refreshingly warm, unfiltered, “vintage” sounding renditions.
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We wanted to do an album based on our influences, the songs and bands that inspired us to write what we did and still do.
I saw The Beatles on TV for the first time in 1963. It was a very inspirational moment for me to think maybe I could be in a band!
Byford does, indeed, take on some new vocal challenges, which he duly smashes on the likes of Thin Lizzy’s “The Rocker”. The net result is that whether cranking up a heavyweight take on Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” or throwing down AC/DC’s “Problem Child”, Saxon does a supreme job of entertaining both themselves and their audience throughout Inspirations.
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Inspirations is out on March 19th and can be pre-ordered now.
Check out our Classic Covers playlists on Spotify and Youtube
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