DVD Review: Saxon - Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie
IDR/Militia Records/EMI
All Access Rating: A
 |
| Saxon - Heavy Metal Thunder - The Movie 2012 |
Chosen to support Motorhead on the “Bomber” tour in 1979, Saxon
seemed a perfect fit and yet there was something different about them that
confounded Lemmy. Being the charitable sort, Lemmy – is there really any need
to list his last name anymore? – offered them some of his vodka and samples of
whatever drugs he had available, as former Saxon bassist Steve “Dobby” Dawson
remembers it, readily admitting that the alcohol made him sick. Saxon actually didn’t
seem to want any of it, and that made Lemmy … well, not sad, but a bit baffled.
They were a heavy metal band, after all. What part of sex, drugs and rock and
roll didn’t they understand?
Shaking his head and having a good laugh about the whole thing now in the
long-awaited 2012 Saxon two-disc documentary “Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie,” Lemmy
still finds it amusing that they were more interested in drinking tea than
downing bottles of booze. As a matter of fact, Saxon demanded crates of English
tea when they New Wave of British Heavy Metal horsemen set out to conquer
America for the first time, believing that they couldn’t find the good stuff in
the U.S. That’s what kept Saxon up at night – the ability to find quality tea …
and lots of it. Not exactly the stuff of a “Behind the Music” special, is it?
In the beginning, Saxon was one for all and all for one, a
band of brothers that busted out of the mining and industrial wasteland of South
Yorkshire with modest dreams of heavy-metal glory. Informed by the punk
movement and the harsh, dirty noise of industry and machines, Saxon’s sound
couldn’t have been less pretentious. Devoid of artifice, the hard-nosed,
hot-wired guitars of Paul Quinn and Graham Oliver could sear flesh, and
Steve “Dobby” Dawson’s bass rumbled like a Hell’s Angels’ chopper, while the
drums – first ably played by David Ward, and then bashed into powder by former
Gary Glitter drummer Pete Gill – pumped furiously like pistons. Driving this
thundering vehicle, Biff Byford, a lanky, long-haired showman with the voice of
a metal god, always has been the heart and soul of Saxon, as well as its most
compelling character. They were, and still are, a working-class band, albeit with a lineup that's somewhat different now,
and their lyrics often sympathized with the plight of blue-collar England,
which at the time was embroiled in vicious labor disputes with the mother of
all union busters, Margaret Thatcher – all of these elements are trumpeted in “Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie,” an account of Saxon’s history that bares everything.
Against this backdrop of economic depression and rusted-out
factories, Saxon’s story played out, taking interesting twists and turns, their struggle mirroring
that of Black Sabbath and other NWOBHM legends. With the kind of honesty and integrity that characterized Saxon’s music, “Heavy
Metal Thunder – The Movie” tells a heroic tale of perseverance and substance
over flash. Full of wicked old war stories, as told by the members of Saxon,
this documentary traces the Saxon story all the way back to when they were
called Son of a Bitch. Despite the dated production values, this no-frills film
– supplemented with amazingly rare and vital live footage from various points
in Saxon’s history, including great stuff from that infamous “Bomber” tour with
Motorhead – travels back to that rough-and-tumble English rock club circuit the
band played when that fire that burned in their bellies was all that got them through poverty and dashed hopes. They toured on a
shoestring budget, taking liberties with groupies in a cramped van containing
their gear and no privacy. They fervently dreamed of securing a record contract,
and when they did, it was with French label Carrere Records, a deal that would
leave them penniless. Details about how their famous logo was developed and how
the cover of their debut album was created are revisited in the film, and when Saxon’s
machinery finally started churning out the records they were born to make, like
Strong Arm of the Law, Wheels of Steel and Denim and Leather – these powerhouse, chrome-plated albums of tough,
smoking riffs, workhorse rhythms and gritty, uncompromising hooks – “Heavy
Metal Thunder – The Movie” traces the band’s steady progression to the top of
British rock heap with admiration.
Of course, there’s the inevitable decline, the clueless
producers who tamed Saxon’s mighty roar, Dawson’s cocaine use and the fierce battles
with Byford that led to his messy departure, and insight into the hard feelings
that persist between past and present members – all of whom talk candidly and
passionately about these matters and about this thing they started. “Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie” would go nowhere
without these conversations, and the editing strikes a not-so-easy balance
between shaping loads of content into something entertaining while at the same
time trying to manage a flood of Saxon-specific information. The result is an engrossing
and comprehensive biography, essential viewing for anybody with even a passing
interest in Saxon.
And there’s more on a second disc comprised of behind-the-scenes
material, stirring live footage, in-studio scenes, various tributes from other rockers, humorous exchanges
between Biff and Lemmy – much of it stemming from a recent Saxon tour with
Motorhead – and a full-length concert from 2008. Then there’s the vintage video of a tight and energetic Saxon
killing it in a raucous 1981 “Beat Club”performance as they
charge through “Motorcycle Man,” “Hungry Years,” “Strong Arm of the Law,” “747”
and a host of other favorites. It’s an immersive Saxon experience, packaged
as unassailable testimony to their grossly underappreciated greatness.
Stuffed to the gills with loads of fantastic Saxon material, this whole set is an absolute
must-have for Saxon fans. Tea is not included, however.
-
Peter Lindblad
