Saxon - to Release Unplugged and Strung Up on November 18th 2013
The British heavy metal legends produce a series of alternative takes on classic favorites to herald a worthy new entry to the Saxonian Institute of Metal.
There is always feral beauty in a raging beast...and with Unplugged and Strung Up, Saxon's selection of unique, fresh and adventurous interpretations of material previously heard only with raw heavy metal thunder, the point is triumphantly underscored.
Unplugged and Strung Up reveals layers and pieces previously dormant in many of the 14 classic Saxon songs chosen for this makeover, thanks to some ear-catching new arrangements and mixes. Recorded, mixed and mastered with Andy Sneap in Derbyshire, UK earlier this year, Biff and co re-evaluated, re-worked and re-energized the towering likes of "The Eagle Has Landed" and "Crusader" by introducing orchestral dynamics to offer added dimension. "Frozen Rainbow" from the band's 1979 debut, gets a stunning acoustic reprisal which transports it into a power ballad to be proud of, whilst "Red Star Falling" soars and sweeps the emotions with it's orchestrally-arranged dovetail.
As if this reinvention wasn't enough, Saxon superfans and collectors can purchase a digipack version of the release which will include 2002's storming set of full-volume, pedal-to-the-metal re-recorded hits Heavy Metal Thunder. Featuring staple Saxon stormers such as "Motorcycle Man", "Strong Arm of the Law" and "Dallas 1pm" it is a quintessential part of any collection.
The full-track listing for Unplugged and Strung Up is as follows:
01 Stallions Of The Highway (Remix)
02 Crusader (Orchestrated Version)
03 Battle Cry
04 The Eagle Has Landed (Orchestrated Version)
05 Red Star Falling (Orchestrated Version)
06 Broken Heroes (Orchestrated Version)
07 Call To Arms (Orchestrated Version)
08 Militia Guard
09 Forever Free (Re-recorded Version)
10 Just Let Me Rock (Re-recorded Version)
11 Frozen Rainbow (Acoustic Version)
12 Iron Wheels (Live Acoustic Version)
13 Requiem (Acoustic Version)
14 Coming Home (Acoustic Version)
The full track-listing for Heavy Metal Thunder is as follows:
01 Heavy Metal Thunder
02 Strong Arm Of The Law
03 Power & The Glory
04 And The Bands Played On
05 Crusader
06 Dallas 1PM
07 Princess Of The Night
08 Wheels Of Steel
09 747 (Strangers In The Night)
10 Motorcycle Man
11 Never Surrender
12 Denim & Leather
13 Backs To The Wall
Formats:
- Limited Edition Digipack + Bonus Disc "Heavy Metal Thunder"
- CD Jewel Case
- Double Vinyl Gatefold LP
- Digital Download
- Exclusive D2C (Direct To Consumer) Package
www.saxon747.com, www.udr-music.com
Tourdates:
25.10.2013 SE Baltic Sea The Rock Classic Cruise*
07.11.2013 CH Zurich Club Hallenstadion
09.11.2013 FR Paris Zenith
10.11.2013 LU Luxembourg Rockhal*
11.11.2013 BE Deinze Brielpoort
13.11.2013 UK Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
14.11.2013 UK Newcastle City Hall
15.11.2013 DE Ferienpark Weißenhäuser Strand Metal Hammer Paradise*
16.11.2013 UK London O2 Academy Brixton
18.11.2013 UK Northampton Roadmenders*
19.11.2013 UK Wolverhampton Civic Hall
20.11.2013 UK Manchester O2 Apollo
22.11.2013 UK Glasgow 02 Academy
23.11.2013 UK Preston 53 Degrees*
24.11.2013 UK Buckley Tivoli*
26.11.2013 DE Berlin Velodrom
27.11.2013 DE Frankfurt Jahrhunderthalle
29.11.2013 DE Stuttgart Schleyerhalle
30.11.2013 DE Munich Zenith
02.12.2013 DE Düsseldorf MEH
03.12.2013 DE Hamburg Sporthalle
04.12.2013 NL Leeuwarden Romein*
06.12.2013 DK Horsens Forum
07.12.2013 SE Malmo KB*
08.12.2013 NO Oslo Centrum Scene
10.12.2013 FI Helsinki Hartwell Arena
12.12.2013 SE Linkoping Cloetta Center
*solo Saxon dates
All other together with Motörhead
