Saxon began with a lineup of Peter "Biff" Byford on vocals, Paul Quinn and Graham Oliver on guitars, Steve "Ponce" Dawson on bass and drummer Pete "Frank" Gill. Early in their career the band changed their name from Son of a Bitch to Saxon, and gained support slots on tour with more established bands such as Motörhead.
Saxon and Judas Priest 1980
In 1979 the band signed to the Carrere record label and released their eponymous debut album. In 1980 follow-up album Wheels of Steel spawned two hit singles: the title track, and the crowd favourite "747 (Strangers in the Night)". The Strong Arm of the Law album, considered by fans to be one of their best recordings, was released later that same year, and chart success continued with singles from their next release, Denim and Leather. The title track to that album is seen as an anthem of the early 1980s metal movement. Later legal issues with Carrere negated most if not all of the financial gains seen during their early success.
Saxon - Sixth Form Girls excerpt
An excerpt from Strong Arm of the Law 's Sixth Form Girls
A relentless series of headlining tours around the UK capitalised on this success, but Saxon were never able to break into the lucrative U.S. market. After 1983's Power & the Glory album, Saxon went in an increasingly commercial direction, in an effort to counterbalance NWOBHM music's decline. This had little success despite signing to major record label EMI. Indeed, the move did little more than alienate their core fanbase. They were seen by detractors as the epitome of the heavy metal cliché. Recently, they have returned to their less overtly commercial roots, and still have a larger following. Saxon recently did a 25th Anniversary of NWOBHM tour of Germany beginning in early March 2005. To celebrate the anniversary of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM), the band played songs they recorded during the 1980s.
Though they brought out 3 official live albums (the eagle has landed part I, II and III) regurally the pirate and bootlegging market got out to sell some live gigs on vinyl and CD. Most valuable besides the music was the humoristic approach to the audience from Biff, who masters his fans perfectly.
Saxon's latest studio album, entitled The Inner Sanctum, was released in Europe on March 5, 2007, and North America on April 3, seen by many critics as their best work in years. In 2007, they started a world tour in support of The Inner Sanctum. Surprisingly for their age, they will only have 15 nights off from 60 dates, to show all the nowadays bands how the big boys do it.
Music
In 2007, Saxon was the subject of an episode of Harvey Goldsmith's Get Your Act Together.
Saxon - Princess Of The Night (Merida 2005)
Saxon's popularity had been in ups and downs since about 1983. As part of his program, Goldsmith wanted to try and restore their popularity and cement their reputation as a great band once again. He claimed their music was just like Iron Maiden's and they should have similar levels of success (Iron Maiden are one of the top selling heavy metal acts of all time). He went on a 6 month make over of Saxon, including their look, sound and stage set. He drafted in two new producers to overlook the production of the new single If I Was You (a song about gun culture), which went straight to number one of the Rock Charts in over 10 countries (becoming their most successful single for over 12 years).
At the end of the programme, Saxon sold out the Sheffield City Hall (over 2,000 capacity) becoming their biggest UK date in over 15 years. Saxon performed at the 2008 Download Festival on the third stage. Despite playing on the smallest of the three stages and only having a 40 minute set Saxon managed to pull in the biggest crowd for the Gibson stage and had to take breaks inbetween songs as the crowds chanting their name were drowning out Biffs vocal's!
Studio albums
(1979) Saxon
(1980) Wheels of Steel - #5 UK
(1980) Strong Arm of the Law- #11 UK
(1981) Denim and Leather - #9 UK
(1983) Power and the Glory - #15 UK, #155 US
(1984) Crusader - #18 UK, #174 US
(1985) Innocence Is No Excuse - #36 UK, #133 US
(1986) Rock the Nations - #34 UK, #149 US
(1988) Destiny #49 UK
(1990) Solid Ball of Rock
(1991) Best of Saxon
(1992) Forever Free
(1995) Dogs of War
(1997) Unleash the Beast
(1999) Metalhead
(2001) Killing Ground
(2002) Heavy Metal Thunder
(2004) Lionheart
(2007) The Inner Sanctum - #102 UK
(2008) Into the Labyrinth
Saxon is the debut studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1979 (see 1979 in music). ... Wheels of Steel is the second studio album by heavy metal band Saxon. ... Strong Arm of The Law is the third studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1980 (see 1980 in music). ... Denim and Leather is the fourth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1981 (see 1981 in music). ... Power and the Glory is the fifth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1983 (see 1983 in music). ... Crusader is the sixth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). ... Innocence Is No Excuse is the seventh studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1985 (see 1985 in music). ... Rock the Nations is the eighth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1986 (see 1986 in music). ... Destiny is the ninth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1988 (see 1988 in music). ... Solid Ball of Rock is the tenth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1990 (see 1990 in music). ... Forever Free is the eleventh studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1992 (see 1992 in music). ... Dogs of War is Saxons twelveth full-length album. ...
Unleash the Beast is Saxons thirteenth studio album, released in 1997. ... Metalhead is the fourteenth studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 1999 (see 1999 in music). ... Killing Ground is the fifteen full-length studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 2001 (see 2001 in music). ... Heavy Metal Thunder is the greatest hits album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 2002 (see 2001 in music). ... Lionheart is the sixteen studio album by heavy metal band Saxon released in 2004 (see 2004 in music). ... The Inner Sanctum is the seventeenth album by the British heavy metal metal band Saxon, released on March 5, 2007. ...
Live albums
(1982) The Eagle Has Landed - #5 UK
(1989) Rock 'n' Roll Gypsies
(1990) Greatest Hits Live
(1998) The Eagle Has Landed - part 2
(1999) BBC Sessions
(2006) The Eagle Has Landed - part 3
The Eagle Has Landed is the first live album by heavy metal band Saxon, released in 1982. ... Rock n Roll Gypsies is the second live album by the band Saxon released in 1989 by Roadrunner Records. ... Tracklisting Opening Theme Heavy Metal Thunder Rock And Roll Gypsy And The Bands Played On 20,000 FT Ride Like The Wind Motorcycle Man 747 (Strangers In The Night) See The Light Shining Frozen Rainbow Strong Arm Of The Law Princess Of The Night Wheels Of Steel Denim And Leather... The Eagle Has Landed - part II is a Double Live Album by the band Saxon. ... Track listing Friday Rock Show 15/02/80 Backs To The Wall Stallions Of The Highway Motorcycle Man Still Fit To Boogie 747 (Strangers In The Night) Studio B15 Live 25/04/82 20,000 FT Dallas 1PM The Eagle Has Landed Reading Festival / Friday Rock Show 26/06/86... The Eagle Has Landed - part III is a Double Live Album by the band Saxon. ...
Videos
(1983) Live in Nottingham
(1985) Live Innocence
(1989) Power and the Glory - Video Anthology
(1990) Greatest Hits Live
(2003) The Saxon Chronicles
(2003) Live Innocence - The Power and the Glory
(2007) To Hell And Back Again
Tracklisting Intro - Suzie Hold On Never Surrender Princess Of The Night The Eagle Has Landed Redline This Town Rocks Power And The Glory And The Bands Played On 747 (Strangers In The Night) Wheels Of Steel ... Back On The Streets (Video Clip) Dallas 1pm Devil Rides Out Everybody Up A Little Bit Of What You Fancy Broken Heroes Play It Loud Shout It Out Crusader Medley (Heavy Metal Thunder/Stand Up And Be Counted/Taking Your Chances/Warrior) Rockin Again (Video Clip) ... Greatest Hits Live is the title of several albums: Greatest Hits Live (Bachman-Turner Overdrive album), 1986, Bachman-Turner Overdrive Greatest Hits Live (Stiff Little Fingers album), 1988, Stiff Little Fingers Greatest Hits Live, 1988, Carly Simon Greatest Hits Live (Saxon album), 1990, Saxon Greatest Hits Live (James Brown album... The Saxon Chronicles is a double DVD showcasing one of the NWOBHM pioneers spanning 23 years of their career. ... Live Innocence - The Power and the Glory is a DVD released by heavy metal band Saxon in 2003. ...
UK hit singles
1980 "Wheels of Steel" #20
1980 "747 (Strangers in the Night)" #13
1980 "Backs To The Wall" #64
1980 "Big Teaser" #66
1980 "Strong Arm Of The Law" #63
1981 "And the Bands Played On" #12
1981 "Never Surrender" #18
1981 "Princess Of The Night" #57
1983 "Power and the Glory" #32
1983 "Nightmare" #50
1984 "Sailing To America" #81
1985 "Back On The Streets" #75
1986 "Rock 'N' Roll Gypsy" #72
1986 "Waiting For The Night" #66
1986 "Rock The Nations" #80
1987 "Northern Lady" #91
1988 "Ride Like The Wind" #52
1988 "I Can't Wait Anymore" #71
Did not have any US Top 40 hits.
Unofficial releases
Live albums
(1997) Live at Donnington
(2000) Live at Donnington 1980
(2002) Live in the Raw
For Iron Maidens 1992 live album, see Live at Donington Live at Donnington is an unofficial live album by Saxon. ... Live at Donnington 1980 an unofficial live album by Saxon. ...
Compilations
(1988) Anthology
(1997) A Collection of Metal
(2000) Diamonds and Nuggets
(2000) Burrn! Presents Best of Saxon
Movies
The Anglo-Saxon settlement of England was no overnight affair. The late-Roman army had many Germanic elements and from the fourth century they and their families had settled in Britain. It is, therefore, not surprising that after the withdrawal of the legions at the beginning of the fifth century individual towns looked to Germanic mercenaries to maintain their security. Vortigern, the post-Roman Kentish king, is often left to take the blame, but he was no doubt only one of several leaders who took this course. The fifth and sixth centuries saw increased Germanic settlement although the balance of local power fluctuated between Britons and Saxons. Ultimately, even in areas such as Northumbria, where Germanic settlement was sparse, the English language became the predominant one and the celtic language and lifestyles became marginalised to Wales, Cornwall and northern Scotland.
The end of the sixth century saw another major new influence on the Germanic invaders - Christianity. Although the Romano-British Church survived and the Anglo-Saxons would have had contact with indigenous Christians, the Church initially existed only on the fringes of English settlement, as paganism remained strong. In 597 a Christian mission sent by Pope Gregory the Great and led by Augustine landed in Kent. Its initial success was dramatic. The prompt conversion of King Aethelberht of Kent (?560 - 616) and the kings of Essex and East Anglia, then the baptism of Aethelberht's son-in-law King Edwin of Northumbria (617 - 33) by his bride's Roman chaplain Paulinus established Christianity within the highest eschelons of English society. Sees were established at Canterbury, Rochester, London and York.
The four kingdoms soon relapsed into paganism, and initially only Kent was reconverted. The evangelistic initiative passed to the Scottish church based on Iona, founded by the Irishman, Columba, in 563. King Oswald of Northumbria (634 - 42) was converted while in exile among the Scots and invited Iona to send him a mission: the result was Aidan's foundation of Lindisfarne in 635. The Irish bishops of Lindisfarne consolidated Christianity in Northumbria; their fellow countrymen Duima and Ceollach, and their English pupils, Cedd and Trumhere, re-established the religion in Essex and introduced it to Mercia and the Middle Angles, whose king, Penda (?610-55), was the last great pagan ruler. In none of these kingdoms was there any significant relapse but Iona was out of line with Rome on the methods of calculating the date of Easter. In 663 Bishop Colman was defeated on the issue at the Synod of Whitby and withdrew to Iona, leaving the way clear for the organisation of the English Church by Theodore of Canterbury (669 - 90). Although the Church of Iona found favour with some of the later kings it was generally the Roman church that was dominant.
Of the seven Saxon Kingdoms (the Heptarchy), the first one to achieve supremacy was Northumbria, whose high culture during the seventh century is reflected in such works as the Lindisfarne Gospels. They ruled the whole area between Derby and Edinburgh and their central territories of Yorkshire and Northumberland remained independent until the Vikings took York in 866, whilst the lordship of Bamburgh continued as an Anglian enclave throughout the tenth century.
The eighth century saw the rise of Mercia who pushed back the Northumbrians and West Saxons and took control of East Anglia and Kent. The peak of Mercian domination came under Offa (died 796), though it remained a potent force until the abdication of Burgred in 874.
A warrior from the period of Offa
The year 793 marked a major change for England with the first major raid by Vikings on the Northumbrian monastery at Lindisfarne (although there is evidence of a small raid four years earlier in Devon). The next decade saw major raids along most of the southern and eastern coasts of England. Most of the raiders were Danes, but the common tongue of the Scandinavians enabled them all to work together. Remember, specific references to Danes and Norsemen are to be treated with caution.
Television
A Saxon (plural Saxons) was a member of a confederation of Germanic peoples, that invaded or migrated to Sub-Roman Britain, during the Late Antiquity period.
Books
The evolution of Saxon and then Anglo-Saxon Britain and the demise of the British peoples is almost all due to a fairly unknown leader of only half of the Roman empire called 'Honorius'. Which is by way of saying that it was nearly all his fault.
Rome was divided in two under Honorius in the west and Arcadius in the eastern half in 395 AD. Then in 410 AD following a string of setbacks and defeats, Rome was sacked by the army of Alaric, which sent shockwaves through the already reduced empire (post the Hadrian AD 76-138 recentralisation). The 28 years of Honorius' rule had it's greatest impact on these isles when in 410 AD he decided that for the good of the rest of Greater Rome, the field army of Britain - around 5000 men - should be returned to protect the homeland from barbarian attacks, leaving Britain to fend for itself. Despite being 'thrown to the lions', and hanging on because of it, the rulers of Britain from that date were referred to as 'tyrants' because their authority had no legitimacy in Roman eyes. Having no standing armies left, the British were left open to harassment from the 'Picts' according to the chronicles. At first these people were no-more than troublesome raiders to Roman Britain (much like the first Vikings were to be later). The Picts if they are the culprits, as described in one late Roman source as a sea-going people - just like the Saxons, who raided probably by sea following the east coast. By 449 AD, the chronicles read on:
'449 In this year Mauricius and Valentinian obtained the Kingdom and reigned seven years. In their days Hengest and Horsa, invited by Vortigern, King of the Britons, came to Britain at a place called Ebbsfleet at first to help the Britons, but later they fought against them. The king ordered them to fight against the Picts, and so they did and had victory wherever they came. They then sent to Angeln (i.e. Denmark); ordered them to send them more aid and to be told of the worthlessness of the Britons and of the excellence of the land. They sent them more aid. These men came from three nations of Germany: from the Old Saxons, from the Angles, from the Jutes. From the Jutes came the people of Kent and the people of the Isle of Wight, that is the race which now dwells in the Isle of Wight, and the race among the West Saxons which is still called the race of the Jutes. From the Old Saxons came the East Saxons and South Saxons and West Saxons. From Angel, which has stood waste ever since between the Jutes and the Saxons, came the East Angles, Middle Angles, Mercians and all the Northumbrians.'
This is how the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, and the later Anglo-Saxons viewed the first arrival of 'their' people from the migrations from Germany following the collapse of the Roman Empire, effectively legitimising their claim to the land. Until quite recently, this was the accepted view of what occurred. However, recent research has shown it to be incorrect in almost every aspect. There is no corroborating evidence to show that Hengest or Horsa ever existed, or even if they were actually the same character. The reasoning for this statement is that Hengest is recorded in two other Anglo-Saxon literary sources: Beowulf and The Finnesburh fragment. These go a long way to suggest that he probably did exist, but matters are confused because 'Hengest' and 'Horsa' both mean literally 'horse', with Horsa just being an alternative name for Hengest in another dialect. Hengest was recorded as having been the first Germanic chieftain of Kent, but it was likely he was probably little more than a warlord. The first truly Germanic king was probably his heir Oisc, bequeathing the name of the Oiscingas on the Kentish royal household. A British king who may have been called Vortigern employed Germanic mercenaries to aid him and his local militias in his battles against the Picts who in reality may have been just another tribe and yet another British sub king. This was not the first instance of Germanic settlers in this country, as it is known that Germanic troops had been stationed in this country by the Romans since at least the third century.
A warrior in the Frankish style
The peoples on the fringe of the Roman empire had always been employed as border troops, so this was not as unusual as it might first appear. There were plenty of reasons to become part of the Roman military machine even then, despite the terms and conditions that they expected from the individual. The real surprise is that they practised a system where it was foreign troops that were employed who exercised a certain amount of impartiality, and were employed as 'Foderati' (mercenaries in the Roman army). It was also common practise for these troops to settle in this country. Germanic pirates were also raiding Britain from at least this date too, so via reconnaissance the 'excellence of the land' would have already been well known on the continent. Archaeology demonstrates that by the late fourth century Germanic mercenaries had settled all along the east coast of Britain, and along the track of the Thames and up as far as Oxfordshire. The archaeological evidence used to be read suggesting that the successful Germanic tribes expanded across Southern and Central England. However the spread of these tribes is more likely just to have been the nobility of these invaders and was probably more due to intermarriage, and the transfer of power to 'Germanic' male lines, cancelling out previous British ones. From here the families that received 'Germans' into there midst took on the aspects of their new leaders.
There was a fear of Roman invasion from Gaul to remove the 'tyrants', so some of the Saxons stationed in southern England may have been an insurance against any Roman military intervention, which flies in the face of the 'Britons lamenting the return of the legions to Rome'. The picture is far more complex regarding the make-up of the 'Anglo-Saxons' with far more than just the three groups previously mentioned.
There were Jutes (probably not exclusively from Jutland as many people think, but also from the Frankish Rhineland). There is some debate as to their exact origins, since linguistic evidence suggests they came from Jutland, however this may be entirely coincidental, whilst the more secure archaeological and land divisions evidence suggests an origin in one of the northern Frankish realms, around the mouth of the Rhine. It is also probable that the leaders of the Jutes may have originated in Jutland, having served as mercenaries in Frisia or the Rhineland; resulting in their followers being a mixture of north Danish Jutes, Franks and Frisians.
The Saxons from northern Germany and Angles from the border regions of Germany and Denmark, may have formed the majority of the migrants. There were Frisians from the Netherlands whose Frisian language shared all the more distinct international changes which help to distinguish English from German and also the Scandinavian languages. From Gotland and south-east Sweden came the Geats, Norwegians, Franks from northern France and central Germany, Wends from the southern Baltic coasts, and many others. The solely brutal nature of their arrival is now believed to be very exaggerated. No doubt there were occasions when the newcomers did battle against the Britons or 'waelas' as they were known in the Old English tongue, a word meaning slave or foreigner. Much of the settlement seems to have been quite peaceful with farmers and craftsmen integrating themselves into existing communities. The numbers of invaders were certainly large, and they did alter the character of British society, to the extent of replacing the primary language. The key element here is that they did not wipe out the native British.
One line of thought is that the graves found in early Saxon cemeteries with no grave goods may in fact be the remains of Britons who lived along side 'Anglo-Saxons', and the lack of finds represents the differing burial customs of a people who had a Christian framework. If this is true then the number of Germanic migrants may not have been anywhere as great as was imagined, perhaps only replacing the middle and upper strata of society. It could also be that some of the 'Anglo-Saxon' internment's may actually be native Britons who adopted the lifestyle of these interlopers, just as the Romans had done several centuries earlier and vice versa. It is most likely that a combination of all these instances occurred from solely British, through an amalgam of both peoples to again solely Saxon.
Post Roman cavalryman. Could this be how Arthur looked?
Whatever the nature of the influx of these new peoples, it's a fact that it did not happen overnight and that it was not entirely conflict. A half century after the given arrival of Hengest there was still fighting going on between the Britons and the invaders to control areas of land. This was the time of a certain Ambrosius Aurelianus who is a likely candidate for King Arthur of legend. He was a Romano-British chieftain who may have led a cavalry unit in the style of the old Roman 'allas', which might account for the varied number of sites where the 'battles' occurred. Even during the most turbulent periods, the Germanic tribes and their allies still found time to indulge in their own disagreements for supremacy.
Around the year 500 A.D. the Britons who may have been under the command of Ambrosius Aurelianus triumphed over the Saxons at 'Mons Badonicus' (Mount Badon, a site which has never to date been securely identified) which halted the Germanic tide. This had a knock-on effect according to several continental sources who suggest that the expansion switched to northern Frankia, tempting Germanic peoples to leave England for easier gains there. One other effect this had was to cause many Britons to leave these shores for northern Gaul, turning the peninsula of Armorica into Brittany. There was relative peace with British rule over the western half of the country and Germanic rule in the east for the next fifty years, and it seems likely that the Britons may even have regained some areas of central England from the Saxons. By the middle of the fifth century a second wave of colonisation by the Germanic tribes ended with most of lowland Britain under the sway of many Germanic 'kings' founding the basis of most of the later Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. This relegated British culture to the western fringes of the British Isles in 'Dumnonia' (Devon and Cornwall) and Wales, derived from 'waelas' as mentioned above.
In the north there was the British kingdom of 'Strathclyde' and the independent British kingdom of 'Elmet' which stretched westwards for many miles from the marshes at the head of the Humber, and separated the Angles of the northern Midlands from those of the plain of York. On occasion a king who managed to unite the other tribes became known as 'King of all England South of the Humber' using the term 'Bretwalda'. The first of these was 'Ælle', king of Sussex from 477 AD, next was 'Ceawlin', king of Wessex from 560 AD. Those Germanic peoples living north of the Humber are recorded as the 'Nordanhymbroron gens', or Northumbrians, whilst the Germanic peoples living from the Humber to the south coast are referred to as 'Sutangli', or southern English. The Northumbrian Angles were subdivided into two main tribes of the 'Dere', or Deirans and 'Bernice',or Bernicians. The southern English were known as the 'Lindisfaran', Kingdom of Lindsey - which may have been founded as a combined British/Germanic buffer zone kingdom some time before the traditional Germanic invasion.
A classic image of the pagan Saxon warrior
Further south were the 'Mierce' or Mercians centred around north Warwickshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire; the 'Eastengle', East Angles nominally Norfolk, eastern parts of Cambridgeshire and north Suffolk; the 'Eastseaxe'; Essex; the 'West Seaxe', Wessex, Wiltshire, eastern Somerset northern Dorset; the 'Suthseaxe', Sussex; the 'Middelseaxan', Middlesex; the 'Cantware', Kent; the 'Wihtland', people of the Isle of Wight; the 'Hwicce', Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and western Warwickshire; and confederation of disparate groups known as the Middle Angles in central counties of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire of whom little is known.
The Romans had deliberately and for their own reasons splashed the Germanic peoples over an area stretching from Scandinavia to the Danube, and from Gaul to beyond the Vistula. Although similar in many ways to the Celtic peoples, their culture was distinctly different. For example they shared a common heritage and spoke various dialects of a Germanic language (not the Gallic language of the Celts) and they worshipped the northern, not the Roman or Celtic, deities. The war oriented, Teutonic lifestyle had become traditional amongst the tribes. They shared, according to Tacitus, a war orientated Teutonic lifestyle with a veneration for the portentous powers of sage women and a predilection for feasting and drinking to excess. These traditional features which were enshrined as 'Teutonic culture' were admired by the Germans who settled in Britain. These mores were then in turn celebrated by the Anglo-Saxons as a golden age even to them, to such an extent that we can find these antiquated motifs in literary works composed as late as the tenth century, long after any semblance of a tribal society had ended.
Various German peoples demonstrably retained features in common although they were settled over a wide geographical area and long period of time, and nourished their 'barbarian' culture despite the proximity of the Roman Empire. This lack of change is useful to us when studying the early Germanic immigrants, since their illiteracy for a century and a half after settlement inevitably leaves a gap in the British historical record, a gap that can be filled, at least partially, by written accounts from outside observers. For example, 'Tacitus' Germania' gives us many details of life amongst the Germanic tribes, as do other classical texts, but we should not take their words as gospel, for they were writing for an appreciative audience who liked to be shocked at the barbaric nature of these foreign peoples.
As time went by the differences between the different tribal cultures gradually became more blurred until eventually they stopped thinking of themselves as Germans; they were Anglo-Saxon or English.
The English nation was finally formed in the crucible of the Viking invasions - a war for control of the country between the English and their continental cousins.
Main References
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles - Anne Savage; N. Garmonsway.
Anglo-Saxon England - Sir Frank Stenton.
The Anglo-Saxons - James Graham-Campbell.
Germania - Tacitus.
The Anglo-Saxon World - Kevin Crossley-Holland.
The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Middle Ages 350-950 - Edited by Robert Fossier.
Related articles on this subject:
'Anglo-Saxon Social Organisation' - How Anglo-Saxon society was structured.
'The Anglo-Saxon Fyrd' - The origins and development of the Anglo-Saxon army.
'Anglo-Saxon Military Organisation' - How the fyrd was organised.
Heroes
Son of a Bitch (1976-1978)
Biff Byford - vocals
Graham Oliver - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Steve Dawson - bass
David Ward - drums
[edit] Saxon (1978-present)
[edit] Original lineup (1978-1981)
Biff Byford - vocals
Graham Oliver - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Steve Dawson - bass
Pete Gill - drums
[edit] Second lineup (1981-1986)
Biff Byford - vocals
Graham Oliver - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Steve Dawson - bass
Nigel Glockler - drums
[edit] Third lineup (1986-1987)
Biff Byford - vocals
Graham Oliver - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Paul Johnson - bass
Nigel Glockler - drums
[edit] Fourth lineup (1987-1988)
Biff Byford - vocals
Graham Oliver - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Paul Johnson - bass
Nigel Durham - drums
[edit] Fifth lineup (1988-1994)
Biff Byford - vocals
Graham Oliver - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Nibbs Carter - bass
Nigel Glockler - drums
[edit] Sixth lineup (1995-1999)
Biff Byford - vocals
Doug Scarratt - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Nibbs Carter - bass
Nigel Glockler - drums
[edit] Seventh lineup (1999-2004)
Biff Byford - vocals
Doug Scarratt - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Nibbs Carter - bass
Fritz Randow - drums
[edit] Eighth lineup (2004-2005)
Biff Byford - vocals
Doug Scarratt - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Nibbs Carter - bass, keyboards
Jörg Michael - drums
[edit] Present lineup (2005-present)
Biff Byford - vocals
Doug Scarratt - guitar
Paul Quinn - guitar
Nibbs Carter - bass, keyboards
Nigel Glockler - drums
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Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1977 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As leading lights in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal they had particular big success in the early 1980s with several successful UK Top 40 albums. In the early 1980s, they also tasted success in Europe, Japan and a brief success in the USA. They still tour heavily and regularly. Their latest tour is their largest in the UK since the early 1980s. Until this, the band's fame had been focused largely in Germany for many years.
There is another incarnation of Saxon featuring two former band members who hold the legal rights to the name - "Oliver/Dawson Saxon".
It has been confirmed by the comedy actors Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer that Saxon was a major inspiration for the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap, portrayed by the duo in the 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. Spinal Tap copy many of Saxon's mannerisms on stage. This came about after Harry Shearer toured with the band in 1981, and was told dozens of anecdotes about life on the road by lead guitarist Graham Oliver and bassist Steve "Dobby" Dawson. Many of these anecdotes found their way into the film. Shearer copied Dawson's famous mannerisms in his characterization of Spinal Tap's bass player Derek Smalls, such as playing his bass with one hand plucking the strings while the other one points to the crowd. Smalls also sports a mustache very similar to Dawson's.
After their first release of their first album almost nothing happened. Being on tour with Motörhead (at the legendary Bomber tour) Lemmy shouted to the audience he'd buy the album of these bastards, so it all happened to kick off!
Throughout the band's history line-up changes have been common, but with Byford and Quinn remaining as constants. Gill left in 1981 after injuring his hand, to be replaced by his old friend Nigel Glockler, formerly of Toyah Willcox's band, who was himself replaced twice – briefly between 1987 and 1988 (by Nigel Durham), and, more permanently, following an injury of his own in 1998. Glockler rejoined the band in 2005 being completely cured from his injury.
Gill later went on to play for Motörhead. Dawson departed in 1986 – his replacement, Paul Johnson, lasted two years before leaving. Nibbs Carter has filled the position ever since.
When Graham Oliver left in 1995 (replaced by Doug Scarratt), the band split into two different Saxon groups - one dominated by vocalist Byford and his cohort Quinn and the other consisting of original Saxon members Oliver and Dawson. A period of legal actions ensued, resulting in both groups having the right to use Saxon in their name (although former member one must be indicated as "Oliver/Dawson Saxon").
The Eagle Has Landed (Oliver Dawson SAXON) (O.D.S.) oliver/dawson saxon "WHIPPIN BOY"
The line-up of Byford's Saxon has been fairly stable apart from the departure of a few drummers. Following Glockler's departure, German Fritz Randow took up the position until 2004. His replacement was former Stratovarius man Jörg Michael.
The line-up that played on the Lionheart album consisted of Byford on vocals, guitarists Quinn and Scarrat, Carter on bass and Michael on drums. The German originally agreed to perform on the album as a session musician, but following his firing from Stratovarius was hired as a full-time member. Following the rapid reunion of Stratovarius, Michael departed after only a year in the job, opening the door for Glockler to return to Saxon.
Saxon - Lion Heart (live)
Saxon recorded The Inner Sanctum after the release of the live album The Eagle Has Landed - part 3, which features Glockler and Micheal on drums, as well as former drummer Fritz Randow.
Saxon - Princess of the night
Despite the fact that their carreer had it's ups and downs Saxon remains very underestimated and undervalued for their musical influences. They match perfectly to acts like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden or Motörhead and after some line-up changes they still sound fresh and updated in terms of Metal. Never they leave an audience behind without a tear of laughter in their eyes, was it not at least the skymastering humor of the leadsinger. Saxon speaks in ways of life and their thundering riffs will be remembered just like the brave deeds of those who stood their ground in Albion. SOLID BALLS OF ROCK!!!!
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£leTriKa sounds completely different from any Metal band you have ever heard. The Brazilian rhythms and the Portuguese language added to the songs makes its style unique, giving birth to a new kind of Metal. If you are really looking for something new about Metal, you should check £leTriKa out!
Hugs from Brazil, Claudio David
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[BrazilianM£TAL]
Valeu demais a força! Quando rolaumtempinho, me fala o que achou da £leTriKa. Agente junta Metal com umasparada Brasileira. Tamutendumbom feed nas rádios gringas nos quatrocontos. Mantenha contato, blz?
Hey There, it would be absolutely awesomest awesome if you could spend 20 seconds of your precious time to help us a little bit. We made it to the finals of the songcontest for the hymn of the first real Heavy Metal video game Brütal Legend Please click on the banner below, mark Hatred in the voting-section and click voten...that´s all! Voting ends on Nov. 15th thank you the very muchest of much!
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