Album: SAXON – Wheels of Steel
Written By: Wes Haskins
Original Release Date: April 3, 1980
Original Label: Carrere Records
The second album from the British metal legends and considered by many their finest hour. It’s the start of a great run of albums for the band that saw them become a big part of the NWOBHM and worldwide metal scene. The album reached #5 in the UK charts, was certified gold and was one of the band’s most successful albums.
TRACK BY TRACK:
“Motorcycle Man” is everything an opening track should be. Fast and furious and to the point, this track sets the tone and shows the leap in growth between the debut and the second album less than a year later. Telling the story of a biker on the road and the freedom of that lifestyle.
“Stand up and be Counted” continues the faster pace but with a little more melody than the previous track. It could be about standing up for what you believe in and doesn’t seem to be specific at all but more generalized to standing up for yourself.
A classic through and through, “747 (Strangers in the Night)” tells the tale of a massive blackout in the 60s in NYC and the struggle of a plane landing in the darkness, but also seems to be mixed with two strangers meeting in passing somewhere, such as at an airport. Melodic and melancholic, it treads a different road for Saxon up to this point but became a big hit for the band.
“Wheels of Steel” is the classic title track that has a great riff and groove that makes the song a classic live anthem. About driving on the open road, either in a car or a motorcycle, it could be either or.
“Freeway Mad” is another fast-paced rocker about driving a motorcycle fast on the road and being chased or maybe racing someone else.
“See the Light Shining” has a good drum pattern by original drummer Pete Gill that drives the song along. A good upbeat song with solid melodies and, for me, a very underrated track. Lyrically, it could be about fighting through adversity and surviving through tough times.
“Street Fighting Gang” is another frantic upbeat rocker telling the tale of a younger person in school always looking for a fight and never backing down. The energy of being young and running with your friends or gang.
“Suzie Hold On” is a good melodic catchy song and is definitely single material and stands out somewhat from not being a balls to the wall rocker. It seems to be about a woman he cares for that he’s worried is depressed and might take her own life and he’s asking her to hold on and he wishes he had the money to take her away from her problems.
“Machine Gun” ends the album with another fast paced foot to the floor metal song. Lyrically about a soldier on the front line fighting for their life in the midst of never-ending chaos of bullets and bombs and having to fight with a gun and eventually a knife in hand-to-hand combat.
Recap: still a classic NWOBHM album and one of Saxon‘s best albums. The album really pulls no punches and hits you straight in the face, minus a couple more melodic moments.
Favourite songs: “747 (Strangers in the Night)“, “Motorcycle Man“, “Wheels of Steel“, “See the Light Shining“, and “Machine Gun“.
Read more of Wes Haskins‘ Saxon reviews here as he surges through the entire discography: Author – Wes Haskins
