It’s time for 1979, though we’ll find no Billy Corgan here, only songs actually from the year. I turned two in ’79 so I obviously have deep and specific memories of all these songs. Next week the 1980’s will kick off and these lists will be batshit for awhile, no two ways about it. But this one was pretty simple to put together so let’s enjoy this pretty easy week.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Refugee
1979 saw Petty and his band break through to true mainstream success, and it’s no wonder with songs like this. This a powerful groove with the organ and guitar working together to blast this freedom anthem into your head. I’ve heard the song all my life and it still gets me going any time it’s on.
The Police – Walking On The Moon
The Police obviously incorporated reggae into their sound, but on this one they just totally went reggae. Very atmospheric stuff here with the guitars accenting things at certain points, but the song as a whole moving on its gravity free march in trippy rhythm.
AC/DC – Highway To Hell
AC/DC have a trove of awesome songs and many were from the Bon Scott era, but I feel like this one really puts it all over the top. This is a seamless blend of great riffing and on-theme delivery that stands as one of rock’s truly great songs. It would also sadly be the bookend of Bon Scott’s time with the band, though the group dusted themselves off and kept on in world-conquering fashion after his death. No matter how much rock radio plays AC/DC, this is one song I never get tired of hearing.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Powderfinger
Rust Never Sleeps is my favorite Neil Young album and this is my favorite song from that album so here we are, pretty simple pick. Tough tale of a young man who shot at a gunboat to defend his family’s property. The gunboat won the battle, if you are keeping score. It’s an anti-war song for sure but one that offers its message in a poignant story rather than being super obvious about it. Grand work from Neil and company.
Judas Priest – Exciter
Heavy metal was about to blow up big in its golden age during the 1980’s. It was Judas Priest who flew the flag for the genre during its relative down period of the late ’70’s, and here they continued to round into form as their own fortunes would explode in just a year’s time. Here Priest laid the groundwork for the entity known as speed metal, lending not only a musical blueprint but also a band name to one of the subgenre’s pioneering acts.
That wraps it up for 1979 and also for the decade of the ’70’s. Great music to be sure, some of the best, but things really get going in the next decade. The absolute explosion of music and the toughest series of picks I’ve had to make kick off next week.
Saxon had been one of the leading acts of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal coming into 1984. By then it was time to shift gears into other sounds, and Saxon would set out to update themselves for the rest of the decade.
Saxon – Crusader
Released January 30, 1984 via Carrere Records
In the mid-80’s Saxon were riding a streak of albums that would go on to sell a million copies each and largely define the career of the pioneering British outfit. But the times were changing and Saxon were poised to explore new territory to adapt. Saxon had not failed in their career by any means, but by this time the NWOBHM was largely fading out as Iron Maiden had taken the crown and run with it while many other outfits were facing obscurity. Saxon were somewhere inbetween – successful but not world-conquering.
Saxon’s line-up through their history needs at least a short book to recount, but in this time period they had a stable group together. Biff Byford was and still is the band’s singer. Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn were the guitar tandem. Steve Dawson was on bass, and Nigel Glockler on drums. Glockler is with the band today along with Byford, and Quinn retains some degree of involvement though has retired from performing.
Crusader features 10 tracks at a decent 39:10 runtime. There was a deluxe reissue in 2009 that features a second disc full of bonus tracks. This is the version of the album I own but I’ll confine today’s conversation to the original album as my posts are too long as it is, no need to write 5,000 words about some bonus tracks. But in general terms, the 2009 CD reissues of these Saxon albums are worth the price of admission.
The Crusader Prelude
This is a small intro bit, with a bit of war and horse sounds. Nothing much too it and no reason for me to grade it, but a neat little piece that adds a bit of atmosphere to the impending title track.
Crusader
Now on to the title track and we get more build-up first, with the song establishing its main rhythm with a brief, ominous spoken intro before Biff comes in. The song operates at a bit of a slower pace, and is a bit militant in its presentation, just as a crusader marching into battle. There’s a kind of long breakdown section before another bellowing spoken part that then goes into a guitar solo.
There is nothing wrong with this song – it is the highlight of the album and will garner a high score here. I will say that this song does get an extra kick in the ass when done live. But this original recorded version is one of Saxon’s most-streamed songs, out of a catalog of 24 albums, so it clearly resonates with the fanbase. Grade: A
A Little Bit Of What You Fancy
This one is a fairly high-octane boogie with a very melodic gang chorus that sounds very, very ’80’s. It’s an odd proposition as it causes the fan of classic Saxon to raise an eyebrow, yet it’s a very enjoyable jam. Saxon are expanding their base through the rock realm here and it’s a bit mixed but a worthwhile listen overall. Grade: B
Sailing To America
This song’s premise is totally Saxon – it’s a historic account of the Pilgrims who sailed over on the Mayflower or however the story goes. The music is very airy and melodic here, it’s another push into other areas for Saxon and it’s honestly a bit weird. Like, this isn’t that far removed from a Journey track. But we didn’t get a Steve Perry Thanksgiving song, we got a Saxon one instead. It’s kind of befuddling though listenable by any measure. Grade: C+
Set Me Free
Now we get a cover song, this being from The Sweet. This version is a nice ’80’s update to the original, which actually has a fair bit more edge to it than this more smoothed over cover. This song does leap out a bit in comparison to most of the album. It is a good choice for a cover song as it does seem to fit what Saxon are largely up to here. Grade: A-
Just Let Me Rock
A very simple track here with an easy to grasp premise – Saxon would like to rock. They do so in the powerful chorus for sure. For the verses they go very light and melodically atmospheric (whatever that means). I find the contrast between verse and chorus a bit jarring but I can live with it. Grade: B-
Bad Boys (Like To Rock N’ Roll)
There were a whole lot of bad boys in ’80’s rock and Saxon were not going to be left out of the mix. What did get left out of the mix is a bit of beef to make this song more powerful. It’s not bad but man this is very light and kind of thin. I get that the band were pushing this sort of sound but I think they could have amped this one up a bit more. Grade: C
Do It All For You
This was one of the album’s two singles (the other being the Pilgrim song). It is a ballad that has some extra push behind it, but overall it’s still a ballad and one that I personally find a bit ill-advised. Not a bad song but not really what I’m looking for from Saxon. It’s tougher to grade this forty years out since the band have been balls to the wall since the mid-90’s, but this is a somewhat odd inclusion. Grade: C-
Rock City
This one is a more upbeat and pounding rocker, though again it is a very rock track and not particularly in line with Saxon as we generally know them. This one isn’t really ill-fitting though, it gets the job done and makes for a good listen. Grade: B-
Run For Your Lives
The record closes with another track along similar lines to the one before – very ’80’s and melodic, perhaps a hair light, but still pretty worthy and nice to hear. Grade: B-
Crusader comes off as something of a mixed bag. The album is very melodically pushed and in several places feels like it lacks a bit of bite that would put some of these songs over the edge. It’s also kind of a paint by numbers thing in many respects, this is a standard plate of rock music without a ton of dynamic ideas to set it apart. The grand exception is the title track, which is a total monster and could be considered an early power metal masterpiece. It’s also Saxon’s 5th most played song live, so it hit pretty hard and wasn’t even a single.
This one did confuse the fanbase a bit on release and still does confound many years later. But at the end, I find a decent and sometimes really good album, and overall I can play this without too many hang-ups over the change in direction that would only become more drastic on the next few albums.
Album Grade: B-
In terms of success, Saxon kept themselves in the game here. The album charted at 18 in the UK and in similar positions across many other European countries. It did very modestly chart at 174 in the US. While sources aren’t entirely official, the estimated sales total worldwide is 1.5 million copies, not a bad haul for a band that didn’t break the same way a few of their peers did.
I don’t know if Saxon wanted a piece of the ’80’s rock pie, something they never really got, or if they simply wanted to go in a new direction after five albums of heavy metal. While the ship did get a bit off course in this time period for the band, Crusader is still a pretty enjoyable listen.
Now I’m up to 1978 on my songs by year lists. I turned one that year so I don’t exactly have memories associated with the time, but these songs were pretty easy for me to pick and are timeless ones I’ll always enjoy.
Times were really changing this year I think – three very significant new acts showed up in ’78 that are on this list and would be central to the sounds to come, which was what shaped my musical fandom in my early years. Let’s head in and see what’s up.
Van Halen – Runnin’ With The Devil
Up first is a great cut from the debut album of one of rock music’s most important bands. Van Halen were central in what would happen in the 1980’s and their ’78 debut was red hot. The way Eddie Van Halen played his guitar here, it was almost talking alongside David Lee Roth’s vocals and insane ranting. It’s an ode to living hard and running free, and a massive song.
Heart – Straight On
Another hard rocker from Heart here, as they’d wrap up their first era before transitioning into the next decade. This one has some dance/disco elements to it but still shines through as a Heart classic. It’s an auto-include on any Heart greatest hits or setlist for sure.
Judas Priest – Delivering The Goods
Priest would get in two albums in ’78, and by this time they were truly rounding the corner as heavy metal’s premier act. They would be in prime shape for the total explosion of metal soon to come. Here Priest show their muscle with a song that was composed about how they feel on stage. This was a great way to truly launch the new era of metal.
The Police – Can’t Stand Losing You
Up next is band new to the scene and one that would light the world on fire for the next several years. This chippy, upbeat music stands in contrast to the dismal lyrics about someone ready to off himself over losing his gal pal. The Police were a rock/reggae/punk/new wave machine that would dance across the ears of millions in their time, and all of us who heard them were lucky to have done so.
The Cars – You’re All I’ve Got Tonight
Speaking of new wave, it turns out it blended nicely with hard rock, and The Cars put that into full effect on their debut album. Pretty heavy, very melodic and insanely catchy, this song wasn’t released as a single but wound up all over radio as The Cars became a popular act. Super fun song to bop to.
1978 is now done and dusted. Just one more post to go from the decade before this turns to the 1980’s and things just go totally insane.
Note – I am back at it now after my “new job” break. As of now I’m good as far as time to post goes, that might change as things go along but I should have enough time to keep up with the site. My post schedule might be irregular but at least for this week it is set.
1984 saw the debut of an act that would go on to reap success through the rest of the decade, remain a constant through the turbulent rock era of the 1990’s, then suffer great tragedy in the early 2000’s. But their start would be plagued by roadblocks.
Great White – self-titled
Released in 1984 via EMI America
Great White had been around for several years, having formed in 1977, just ahead of the newly-emerging rock scene in Los Angeles. Even their early years were rife with turbulence, but by 1983 the band had released a debut EP and secured a recording contract with EMI. The band worked with producer Michael Wagener, who already had his hands all over 1984 with works by Dokken and Accept.
Great White had already undergone a score of line-up and name changes by their debut full-length. Mark Kendall was, and is, the band’s lone constant member at guitar. He was joined by Jack Russell on vocals, Lorne Black on bass and Gary Holland on drums. Only Kendall remains with the band today, and only he and Holland remain alive as of late 2024.
The album features 10 songs at 38:22. Three of the songs are re-recorded versions from the Out Of The Night EP a year prior. Along with the band members having writing credits, manager Alan Niven, producer Wagener and Wagener’s great pal Don Dokken all have various writing credits as well.
This album was reissued in 1999 with bonus tracks and under the name Stick It. The bonus songs are a series of covers.
Out Of The Night
Up first is the title track of the previously released EP. This song jumps out and goes for the throat, it’s a steady and very hard rock track. This metal attack is well worth the listen, Great White came out of the gate sharp here. Grade: A
Stick It
This one comes in at a bit of a slower pace than the opener but remains quite heavy and pounding. It is a relatively basic song, though Kendall gets up to some nice guitar work as the song heads into the close. This song sounds exactly like a 1984 metal song and it’s a wonder that it never got any traction, this fit the scene like a glove. Despite that, this is the song with far and away the most traction on this largely forgotten album. Grade: A-
Substitute
And now we have a cover of the classic track from The Who. Great White perform the song well and make the sound fit to what they’re doing on the album. It’s one of a million covers of the song but it fits with what’s going on here so it comes out as worthwhile. Grade: B
Bad Boys
Time now for the standard ’80’s metal “badass” song. Great White do a good job of it here, this one is again pounding and intense. I don’t have any real criticism of the song or anything that came before it, but in terms of an album experience things are a bit samey. It’s similar, pounding rhythms throughout and it is noticeable. But on their own the songs do hold up. Grade: B+
On Your Knees
This is another song re-recorded from the EP and also the track that Don Dokken contributed to. This one is much alike the prior songs, though there are some more guitar flourishes and Jack Russell goes pretty sinister with his vocals. It’s again simple yet very effective. Grade: B+
Streetkiller
Here things switch up a hair, this one distinguishes itself from other songs with an extra bit of flair. This dark tale of a killer on the prowl has a nice snarl to it and is easy to headbang to. Grade: A
No Better Than Hell
One could wonder here if Great White picked up a bit of Judas Priest through osmosis or something. This song pounds pretty deep, even with a small section of drums that doesn’t entirely come off but overall does add some grim atmosphere to the proceedings. This song might give a moment’s pause to people more familiar with Great White through their signature works. Grade: B
Hold On
This one has the makings of a ballad but isn’t quite there, it’s still pretty heavy and retains the more gritty themes of the album as a whole. It isn’t the album’s most interesting song but it’s a step above filler material. Grade: B-
Nightmares
This one is another standard headbanger on par with the first half of the record. The album is keeping up its momentum throughout, again perhaps too similar in song style but delivering enough to overlook that. Grade: B
Dead End
The album closer injects some speed into this affair. It’s the third song brought over from the EP. It’s a pretty shit hot way to close things out – this one runs full steam ahead and gets the blood flowing. Grade: A
Great White was a nicely constructed debut for a band who’d been grinding away in some form or another for several years already. While the album fit the sound and feel of what was going on in 1984, sadly very few people took notice. The album charted at 144 on the Billboard 200 and quickly faded away. This led EMI to drop Great White, who would retool and come back with a more melodic, blues-based sound that got the band their traction through the 1980’s.
While the story of Great White comes with many twists and turns as well as tragedy, it is a shame this album did not catch on. It might perhaps lack the fully dynamics of the W.A.S.P. debut or the absolute red hot delivery of Out Of The Cellar or Tooth And Nail, but this record absolutely belongs in the pantheon of 1984 rock albums. The band rebounded nicely out of this commercial failure, but it’s a true shame that this one got overlooked.
This one is pretty easy to grade. The album maintains a nice flow and offers up many quality tracks. It’s a step below those albums we consider the greatest of the year, but it’s still a very quality offering that is well worth checking out.
Album Grade: B+
Not everything works like it should in the music industry, and it’s unfortunate that Great White were not able to gain a foothold with their debut. This one shines far above its status as an idle curiosity and should absolutely be in the discussion of the great albums of 1984.
The Crooked Wanderer 