The more I’m listening to Saxon, the more I’m questioning why Biff Byford and crew never got recognized on the same level as Iron Maiden or Motorhead.
They were, after all, right there as pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but they never garnered the same level of sales—and, thus, the same level of popularity—as the previously mentioned heavyweights.
One listen to Wheels Of Steel, their 1980 sophomore effort, shows that Saxon’s initial success with their self-titled debut was no fluke, and these guys deserved to be better recognized than they ever were.
What the listener is presented with are nine songs filled with power, musicianship and solid songwriting which occasionally slips in a story or two. Tracks like “Motorcycle Man,” “Suzie Hold On” and the title track are absolutely infectious, with the twin-guitar attack of Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn in a tight lockstep throughout the disc. Add in the driving rhythms of bassist Steve Dawson and drummer Pete Gill (who would later join Motorhead for one glorious album), and all the pieces were in place.
Where Saxon tried to set themselves apart was in songs like “747 (Strangers In The Night)”—upon actual happenings in 1965 over JFK Airport in New York City. Maybe the kids didn’t want a bedtime story hidden in their songs, and just wanted songs about car racing, drinking and getting laid. Whatever... Saxon actually challenged the listener to think a little bit. (If anything, it was an idea ahead of its time in the heavy metal genre; Iron Maiden would take the concept and run with it.)
The simple fact is, despite a little bit of repetition in the rhythm sections of a couple of tracks, Wheels Of Steel is an album that cements the concept that Saxon should have been a larger band than they actually became. And that, kids, is a God Damned Shame. Hell, my bedroom walls in 1984 could easily have been plastered with posters of Saxon instead of Iron Maiden, had the right breaks gone their way.
And, quite possibly, that is the rub for Saxon. Perhaps they were just too early to the party, and they ended up paving the road for other bands who would effortlessly dance along the paths they had tirelessly carved out. The truth is, we're just never going to know; all that's obvious is, as Wheels Of Steel proves, that Saxon deserved a far better fate. And, if Biff Byford ever happens to stumble upon these words, I’ll gladly sit down with him over a beverage of his choice (my treat) to discuss these things.
The good news—at least as of April 2024—is that Saxon are still out there, belting ’em out (despite several line-up changes over the course of four-plus decades), and we still have Wheels Of Steel out there waiting to be discovered (or, possibly, re-discovered). This is one that definitively belongs on the shelves of any self-respecting fan of hard rock and heavy metal. Ignore it no longer.