''Denim and Leather'' is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

released in 1981. The album was certified Gold status in the U.K. This was the last album with the classic line up of Saxon, as drummer Pete Gill would leave the band due to a hand injury, later joining

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1975 by bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox. Kilmister was the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band a ...

; this was also seen as the last of their trilogy of classic albums (the previous two being ''

Wheels of Steel ''Wheels of Steel'' is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon. Released in 1980 by Carrere Records, it was their first album to enter the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 5, and is their highest-charting album in the UK A ...

'' and ''

Strong Arm of the Law ''Strong Arm of The Law'' is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon. It was released in 1980, seven months after '' Wheels of Steel'', and debuted on the UK chart at #11. Background, music and lyrics According to '' Ultimat ...

'').

Song notes

The album 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 steam locomotive and "And the Bands Played On" is about 1980 Monsters of Rock Festival – name checking Rainbow. Other themes for the songs include: partying, the spirit of the music, fighting, and, like many of their songs, motorcycles. "Midnight Rider" is a song about Saxon's 1980 North American tour. The name of the album and song was inspired by the popular attire of metalheads in the early 1980s, defined by either denim jeans and jackets or a leather biker jacket (often worn with a denim cut-off waistcoat). 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 The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...

(NWOBHM).

Reception

The album peaked at #9 in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. The album is regarded as a classic in the band's discography, and has been received positively by critics and fans. Eduardo Rivadavia of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

called the opening track "Princess of the Night" an "infectiously anthemic opening statement", whilst praising the title track for also being an "unqualified classic". He considered "Out of Control" and "Rough and Ready" to be strong tracks, whilst regarding "Fire in the Sky", "Midnight Rider", and "And The Bands Played On" as "spectacular". Canadian journalist

Martin Popoff Martin Popoff (born April 28, 1963) is a Canadian music journalist, critic and author. He is mainly known for writing about heavy metal music. The senior editor and co-founder of '' Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'', he has written over twenty books ...

had mixed feelings about ''Denim and Leather'', which he considered "Saxon's stadium rock album... boppier and sillier than ''Wheels of Steel'', but still catchy", denouncing "the band's progressively feeble song skills while gaining points for conviction."

Track listing

*Bonus tracks 12–18 recorded live on the ''Denim and Leather'' Tour, 1981.

Personnel

* Biff Byford – vocals *Paul Quinn – guitars * Graham Oliver – guitars *

Steve Dawson Steven "Dobby" Dawson (born 24 February 1952) is an English bass guitarist and a founder of the heavy metal band Saxon (band), Saxon. Dawson started out in 1970 in the band Blue Condition, which became SOB after a few shows only, together wit ...

– bass * Pete Gill – drums *Gordon Bryan – backing vocals on "Denim and Leather" ; Production * Nigel Thomas – production * Andy Lyden – engineering * Aquarius Studios,

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

– recording location *

Polar Studios Polar Studios was a recording studio in Stockholm, Sweden, which operated from 1978 through 2004. The studio was formed by ABBA musicians Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson and the band's manager Stig Anderson, owner of the Polar Music recording l ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Song notes

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

References