Not so much buried treasure as upcycled blasts from the past, Biff and co join the surge of bands pressing vinyl versions of material previously available on CD and DVD. Here we have the The Eagle Has Landed II and III, plus part of To Hell And Back Again, renamed after their respective tours and minted onto 180g gold vinyl, your very own Saxon hoard – see what they did there?
All four double albums nestle snugly in a box featuring a cover painting by artist Paul Gregory, and if you really must, you can splash the cash on a limited Amazon edition with a print signed by Mr Byford himself.
Now, Saxon’s catalogue isn’t light on live recordings and while these are not from the halcyon days of the NWOBHM – the earliest tracks here date from 1995 – what they do demonstrate is just how powerful they sound in full flight, even if it’s on lesser-appreciated cuts such as Great White Buffalo and Crash Dive.
Of course, Crusader and Wheels Of Steel inevitably turn up three times each, but then there’s no denying their classic status. Ultimately, this is for diehards with deep pockets.
