Denim and Leather

Denim and Leather is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon released in 1981 (see 1981 in music). The name of the album and song was inspired by the popular attire of metalheads in the early 1980s, defined by denim pants and leather jackets. The song is seen as a tribute from the band to their fans while describing the history of the sub-culture and the rise of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). This was the last album with the classic line up of Saxon, as drummer Pete Gill would ultimately leave the band to join Motörhead; this was also seen as the last of their triptych of classic albums (the previous two being Wheels of Steel and Strong Arm of the Law). Following the release of Denim and Leather the band stopped making albums for over a year, trying to reach mainstream success in the United States.^[2]

Though the album is not Saxon's best selling, it spawned two of their most successful singles, "And the Bands Played On" and "Princess of the Night". There are nine songs on this album, which are noted for lyrics about a wide range of topics. "Princess of the Night" is a song about a powerful train and "And the Bands Played On" is about the resiliency of the heavy metal (particularly NWOBHM) bands. Other themes for the songs include: partying, the spirit of the music, fighting, and, like many of their songs, motorcycles.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Saxon. 

Personnel

• Biff Byford - Vocals
• Graham Oliver - Guitar
• Paul Quinn - Guitar
• Steve Dawson - Bass
• Pete Gill - Drums

Production

• Producer : Nigel Thomas
• Engineer: Andy Lydon
• Recorded at Aquarius Studios, Geneva
• Also recorded at Polar Studios, Stockholm
• Mixed at Polar Studios, Stockholm

References