Rock the Nations is the eighth studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in September 1986.
| Rock the Nations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Paul R. Gregory | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 15 September 1986[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1986 | |||
| Studio | Wisseloord (Hilversum) | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 40:48 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Gary Lyons | |||
| Saxon chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Rock the Nations | ||||
Album notes
editThe album is the first not to feature original bassist Steve Dawson, who was fired from the band earlier in 1986.[4] For the recording of this album, vocalist Biff Byford, who had incidentally begun his career as a singer/bassist, recorded all the bass parts in Dawson's place. However, Paul Johnson joined the band as bassist before the album was released and is therefore credited in the liner notes.
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Classic Rock |   [6] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 5/10[7] |
| Kerrang! |  [8] |
Rock the Nations received mixed reviews from critics. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic gave the album two stars out of five and said in his review for the band's previous album Innocence Is No Excuse that "Saxon's internal chemistry was significantly unbalanced by the subsequent departure of key songwriter [Steve] Dawson -- a loss from which they would take years to fully recover."[9] in his review for this album, he said that although the album was "graced with a somewhat rougher sound more in line with the band's New Wave of British Heavy Metal early years" it was still "arguably less heavy than its predecessor" and also criticised the songs "We Came Here to Rock", "Running Hot" and the title track for being "cliché-ridden" and "Waiting for the Night" and "Northern Lady" for being "unconvincingly sappy ballads", though he did regard "Party 'til You Puke" as being "good for a laugh" and also of interest for the guest appearance of Elton John. However, he concluded that the album is one that "the Saxon faithful would likely rather forget".[5] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff found Rock The Nations "a little more full-bodied production-wise and less overtly metallic and by-the-book construction-wise" than Innocence Is No Excuse, "while still suffering for coasting on [Saxon]'s scant laurels".[7]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Biff Byford, Nigel Glockler, Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock the Nations" | 4:40 | |
| 2. | "Battle Cry" | 5:26 | |
| 3. | "Waiting for the Night" | Byford, Glockler | 4:51 |
| 4. | "We Came Here to Rock" | 4:18 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "You Ain't No Angel" | 5:28 | |
| 6. | "Running Hot" | Byford, Glockler, Oliver, Quinn, Steve Dawson | 3:35 |
| 7. | "Party 'til You Puke" | 3:25 | |
| 8. | "Empty Promises" | 4:09 | |
| 9. | "Northern Lady" | 4:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Chase the Fade [Instr.]" (b-side "Waiting for the Night") | Quinn, Oliver | 2:32 |
| 11. | "Waiting for the Night" (7" single edit) | Byford, Glockler | 4:12 |
| 12. | "Northern Lady" (7" single edit) | 3:57 | |
| 13. | "Everybody Up" (live. In Madrid , b-side "Northern Lady", 12", 45 RPM, Single producer: Simon Hanhart) | 3:37 | |
| 14. | "Dallas 1PM, 12", 45 RPM, Single, producer: Simon Hanhart" (live, b-side "Northern Lady") | Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Pete Gill | 6:34 |
| 15. | "Power and the Glory" (live) | Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Glockler | 6:52 |
| 16. | "Rock the Nations" (live) | 4:49 | |
| 17. | "Waiting for the Night" (live) | Byford, Glockler | 4:34 |
- Bonus tracks 15–17 recorded live at Reading Festival, 23 August 1986.
Personnel
edit- Biff Byford – vocals, bass guitar
- Graham Oliver – guitar
- Paul Quinn – guitar
- Paul Johnson – bass guitar (credited but does not play on the album)
- Nigel Glockler – drums
- Production
- Gary Lyons – producer
- Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands – recording location
- Wisseloord Studios – mixing location
- Elton John – piano on tracks 7 and 9
- Paul R. Gregory – artwork
Charts
edit| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 44 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 26 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 34 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 149 |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[14] | 31 |
References
edit- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 30.
- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 39.
- ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 53.
- ^ "OLIVER/DAWSON SAXON's STEVE DAWSON: 'We Have Never Ever Tried to be the Original Band'". 25 September 2007.
- ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Saxon Rock the Nations". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- ^ Hotten, Jon (March 2010). "Saxon – Reissues". Classic Rock. No. 142. p. 92.
- ^ a b Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 315. ISBN 978-1894959315.
- ^ Dickson, Dave (2 October 1986). "Saxon 'Rock The Nations'". Kerrang!. No. 130. United Magazines ltd. p. 21.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Saxon Innocence is No Excuse". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Saxon – Rock the Nations" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Saxon – Rock the Nations". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Saxon Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 17, 2023.