| Power & the Glory | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1983[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Studio | Axis Sound (Atlanta) | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 36:37 | |||
| Label | Carrere | |||
| Producer | Jeff Glixman | |||
| Saxon chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Power & the Glory | ||||
Power & the Glory is the fifth studio album by Englishheavy metal bandSaxon, released in March 1983 byCarrere Records. This is the first Saxon studio album with new drummer Nigel Glockler and was recorded in Atlanta, Georgia in the fall of 1982.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[3] |
The album peaked at #15 in theUK Albums Chart.[4][5] It reached No. 1 in the Metal charts in Sweden, Norway, France and Germany selling over 1.5 million copies worldwide.[citation needed] It was their first album to enter theBillboard 200 in the US, peaking at #155.[6]
A retrospectiveAllMusic review by Eduardo Rivadavia gave the album three out of five stars. Rivadavia criticised the mixing, saying that the album "sounds as though it was recorded in a tin can, albeit a very, very large tin can" eliminating the "big, in-your-face, and gritty" sound heard on the band's past albums. He also criticised the material itself, saying that "despite a few sparks generated by "Redline," "Warrior," and the proto-thrashing "This Town Rocks," only the anthemic title track ultimately showed enough staying power (and glory) to earn a frequent slot in Saxon's live repertoire".[2] Canadian journalistMartin Popoff writes quite the opposite and considersPower & the Glory Saxon's best album, praising the production and the contribution of "new ass-kicking drummer Nigel Glockler" to "working a metal magic that is the embodiment of the NWOBHM's ideals now made real."[3]
In 2005,Power & the Glory was ranked number 376 inRock Hard magazine's bookThe 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[7]
All tracks are written byBiff Byford, Paul Quinn,Graham Oliver,Steve Dawson andNigel Glockler.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Power and the Glory" | 5:57 |
| 2. | "Redline" | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Warrior" | 3:47 |
| 4. | "Nightmare" | 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "This Town Rocks" | 3:58 |
| 6. | "Watching the Sky" | 3:43 |
| 7. | "Midas Touch" | 4:13 |
| 8. | "The Eagle Has Landed" | 6:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Denim & Leather" (live, b-side "Power and the Glory") | 5:11 |
| 10. | "Suzie Hold On" (Jeff Glixman version '82) | 5:01 |
| 11. | "Turn out the Lights" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 3:57 |
| 12. | "Stand Up and Rock" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 3:36 |
| 13. | "Power and the Glory" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 6:17 |
| 14. | "Saturday Night" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 4:11 |
| 15. | "Midas Touch" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 4:07 |
| 16. | "Nightmare" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 5:55 |
| 17. | "Redline" (Kaley Studio demo 1982) | 3:37 |
"Power and the Glory" was released as a single in April 1983. It reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.
The song is an earlypower metal song with a fast tempo and lyrics relating to war and battles. A music video for the song was shot at Bodiam Castle in East Sussex, England. It shows the band members, dressed in colored jumpsuits and wielding spear weapons, running through the castle grounds. They are shown leaping through windows and over charred mannequins, mixed with footage of the band performing a live stage concert. Each band member then enters a strange box in the castle wall which transforms them into their stage attire, and they then encounter a fire-breathing wizard before finally performing with their instruments inside the castle entryway.
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] | 26 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 28 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 9 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 15 |
| USBillboard 200[13] | 155 |
