Strong Arm of the Law

Strong Arm of The Law is the third studio album by the English heavy metal band Saxon. It was released in 1980, four months after Wheels of Steel, and debuted on the UK chart at No. 11.[1]

Strong Arm of the Law
Studio album by
Saxon
Released14 November 1980
Recordedlate May – August 1980
StudioRamport Studios, London, UK
GenreHeavy metal
Length37:05
LabelCarrere
ProducerPete Hinton and Saxon
Saxon chronology
Wheels of Steel
(1980)		 Strong Arm of the Law
(1980)		 Denim and Leather
(1981)
Singles from Strong Arm of the Law
  1. "Strong Arm of the Law / Taking Your Chances"
    Released: February 1981

The last track, "Dallas 1 PM" concerns the assassination of John F. Kennedy.[2] "We thought, 'Should we put one shot in there or should we put three?'" recalled singer Biff Byford. "In the end we went down the conspiracy theory route and had three shots."[3] According to guitarist Graham Oliver, the title track was inspired by an incident where the band was driving in Whitehall and was subsequently pulled over and searched by the security detail of then British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.[4]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[6]
Sputnikmusic[7]

Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic rated the album four and a half out of five stars. He called it "equally timeless" to its predecessor, Wheels of Steel and commented, "All the right ingredients pretty much fell into place for Saxon on this amazing record, and though it lacked as many clear-cut hits as its predecessor, Strong Arm of the Law‘s unmatched consistency from start to finish makes it the definitive Saxon album in the eyes of many fans and critics."[5] After their peak with Wheels of Steel, Canadian journalist Martin Popoff was a little disappointed, calling the album "comfortable and nostalgic if never remarkable", but "definitely betraying Saxon's lack of ideas"; despite their "stripped, basic and enthusiastic delivery of metal... creatively Saxon was getting left in the dust, both looking and sounding a bit like Slade."[6]

UK Track listing

All tracks are written by Biff Byford, Paul Quinn, Graham Oliver, Steve Dawson and Pete Gill.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Heavy Metal Thunder"4:20
2."To Hell and Back Again"4:44
3."Strong Arm of the Law"4:39
4."Taking Your Chances"4:19
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."20,000 Ft."3:16
6."Hungry Years"5:18
7."Sixth Form Girls"4:19
8."Dallas 1 PM"6:29

US Track listing
Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Dallas 1 PM"6:27
2."Strong Arm of the Law"4:30
3."Sixth Form Girls"4:15
4."Hungry Years"4:57
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."Heavy Metal Thunder"4:14
6."Taking Your Chances"4:17
7."To Hell and Back Again"4:42
8."20,000 Ft"4:18
2006 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
9."20,000 Ft." (Live)3:30
10."Dallas 1 PM" (Live)6:18
11."Hungry Years" (Live)5:56
12."Strong Arm of the Law" (Live)4:52
13."Heavy Metal Thunder" (Live)4:01
2009 remaster bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
9."20,000 Ft." (BBC session)3:17
10."Dallas 1 PM" (BBC session)6:01
11."The Eagle Has Landed" (BBC session)7:32
12."747 (Strangers in the Night)" (BBC session)4:41
13."To Hell and Back Again" (alternate version)4:47
14."20,000 Ft." (Abbey Road mix 2009)4:10
15."Mandy" (early version of Sixth Form Girls)3:58
16."Heavy Metal Thunder" (Abbey Road mix 2009)4:15
  • 2009 remaster bonus tracks 9-12 recorded live at Studio B15, 25 April 1982.

Personnel
Saxon
Production
  • Pete Hinton - producer
  • Will Reid Dick - engineer

References
  1. "Saxon Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  2. "Dallas 1PM by Saxon". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  3. Elliott, Paul (August 2016). "The gospel according to Biff Byford". Classic Rock #226. p. 54.
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdhx5OmDVvo
  5. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Saxon Strong Arm of the Law". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  6. Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 314. ISBN 978-1894959315.
  7. g, manos (11 October 2013). "Review: CD Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law Album". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
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