Moshtalgia - Episode 07 - Saxon - Crusader

This is Moshtalgia. A podcast about albums we love, albums that were important to us growing up. 

Saxon's 'Crusader' was released in 1984, an album that not only didn't define the band's career but also left a delible mark on the hearts of metal fans across the globe. In our latest podcast episode, we strap on our bullet belts and dive deep into the tight leather trousers of this Marmite album.

'Crusader' was the follow-up to Saxon's 'Power and the Glory,' and it quickly rose to become their biggest-selling album. Recorded at the renowned Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, it reached number 18 on the UK album charts and charted in the US Billboard Albums at 174. But what made this album resonate with so few?

Our episode explores the wayward production by Kevin Beamish, whose previous works with REO Speedwagon hinted at the commercial sound Saxon was aiming for. We discuss the band's desire to crack the American market and how this ambition influenced the direction of 'Crusader.' Yet, as came the commercial sheen, the album contained less raw energy that captured the essence of Saxon's sound.

Throughout the episode, we dissect each track, from the anthemic title track "Crusader" to the soft rock single 'Sailing to America.' We share stories from the recording studio, insights from the band members, and the reception from fans and critics alike. The episode is packed with Moshtalgia, laughter, and a fair share of headscratching moments.

Whether you're a lifelong Saxon fan or a newcomer to their oeuvre, our podcast episode offers something for everyone. Join us as we relive the power and the potential glory of 'Crusader,' and discover why this album still rankles the metal community today. Tune in, turn 'er up, and let the Moshtalgia wash over you like the greasy riffs of Saxon's metallery.

There's absurdity, snark, and blistering twin-microphone facts from Taylor and Bourney, fully harmonised with double-tracked wailing and complaining. We men do play on ten, to Valhalla and back.

Best served with beer and a side of silliness. Lie back and enjoy it. Come join us on a review of those now-vintage LPs we loved in the 1980s from the bands that parted us from our money.

It isn't just two friends chatting in front of microphone about their long-haired heavy metal days. Well it is, but also it's much more.

Dive deep into the spurious subconsious of two middle-aged metallers regaling the days of their youth with squirming stories, analogue anectodes, and antsy accusations from the east coast of Ireland. We name and shame, mostly ourselves. 

Remember that first metal album? First concert? The rock ballad you first copped off to on a disco dancefloor with nervous hands and dry lips? Yeah, you do. 

We let the hair on down the back, steal tapes, photocopy covers, and even buy a bullet-belt. We deftly sew patches on our denim jackets, and pilfer magazines in the shop.

Offering our metal heroes no quarter. We praise and prosletyse, we ridicule and rile. We spar with each other and the teenage illusions we had when hearing these masterpieces.

Armed with a sonic scalpel, we cleave our way through track by track, appraise hits and filler a generation on. Who dared battle the Saracen? Who gave love a bad name? Who danced on glass? Listen and find out.

Tune in to rock radio again, hear it as it was, all entombed by fat and freckled guitar segues brought to you by our resident riffer, that man from Annamoe; Pat 'The Fingerer' Shaughnessy! 

We rifle through the pages of once-mighty UK rock organ Kerrang for hot takes of the late Eighties. Hear the words of Malcolm Dome, Dante Bonutto, Sylvie Simmons, Howard Johnson, Chris Watts, Alison Joy, and Mick Wall as they gurn over the news, interviews, and reviews of the day.

Moshtalgia exposes many a metal mistake, a misheard lyric, and as much madness as your mind can muster. You will