Innocence Is No Excuse
1985 studio album by Saxon
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Innocence Is No Excuse is the seventh studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in September 1985. It was the band's first album for EMI after a falling-out with their previous label, Carrere Records, and their last with original bassist Steve Dawson.
| Innocence Is No Excuse | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 September 1985[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Studio | Union (Munich) | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 42:04 | |||
| Label | Parlophone/EMI | |||
| Producer | Simon Hanhart | |||
| Saxon chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Innocence Is No Excuse | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Classic Rock | [6] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 4/10[7] |
Release and reception
The song "Everybody Up" was used in the 1985 Italian horror film, Demoni.
The album was given a generally positive review by Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic, who awarded it four out of five stars. Although he commented in his review for the band's previous album Crusader that this album "would only lead to greater extremes of personality disorder and leave the group's fan base confused and utterly divided",[8] he praised it for being "their strongest collective set of songs since 1981's Denim and Leather" although acknowledged that some of the songs "rubbed many fans the wrong way". He singled out the songs "Back on the Streets", "Rock 'n' Roll Gypsy" and "Broken Heroes" for praise, the latter of which he described as an "excellent ballad". He also pondered the question of what price the album had to the band's "street-level credibility" and said that "the answer will never be agreed upon".[5] Jon Hotten in Classic Rock magazine wrote that the album was "not a huge misstep" and a "response to a glimmer of interest from the US", although "the glossy production lay at odds with Saxons's belt-and-braces take on heavy metal."[6] Martin Popoff, author of The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, reviewed the album negatively which represents for Saxon the return "full-steam to the bastions of metal, without an idea in their dust-clouded heads", as shown in the clichéd titles and in the "old age ineptness on this rule-book headbanging fare."[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rockin' Again" | Biff Byford, Graham Oliver, Steve Dawson | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Call of the Wild" | Byford, Paul Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Nigel Glockler | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Back on the Streets" | Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Glockler | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Devil Rides Out" | Byford, Dawson | 4:23 |
| 5. | "Rock 'n' Roll Gypsy" | Byford, Dawson | 4:13 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Broken Heroes" | Byford, Dawson | 5:27 |
| 7. | "Gonna Shout" | Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Glockler | 3:58 |
| 8. | "Everybody Up" | Byford, Dawson | 3:28 |
| 9. | "Raise Some Hell" | Byford, Dawson | 3:40 |
| 10. | "Give It Everything You've Got" | Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Glockler | 3:27 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Back on the Streets" (12" Club Mix) | Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Glockler | 5:10 |
| 12. | "Live Fast Die Young" (b-side "Back on the Streets") | Glockler, Dawson, Byford | 3:48 |
| 13. | "Krakatoa" (b-side "Rock 'n' Roll Gypsy") | Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Glockler | 3:46 |
| 14. | "The Medley *" (live, b-side "Rock 'n' Roll Gypsy") | Various | 9:05 |
| 15. | "Gonna Shout" (live) | Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Glockler | 4:30 |
| 16. | "Devil Rides Out" (live) | Byford, Dawson | 4:59 |
| 17. | "Back on the Streets" (BBC in Concert, Hammersmith 1985) | Byford, Quinn, Oliver, Dawson, Glockler | 4:38 |
- Notes
- "The Medley" consists of "Heavy Metal Thunder", "Stand Up and Be Counted", "Taking Your Chances" and "Warrior."
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Live Fast Die Young" | Byford, Glocker, Dawson | 3:48 |
| 12. | "Krakatoa" | Saxon | 3:46 |
| 13. | "Broken Heroes" | Byford, Glocker, Dawson | 5:16 |
| 14. | "Devil Rides Out" | Byford, Dawson | 4:47 |
| 15. | "Rock 'n' Roll Gipsy" | Byford, Dawson | 4:48 |
| 16. | "Rockin' Again" | Byford, Glocker, Dawson | 5:36 |
| 17. | "Shout It Out" | Byford, Oliver, Glockler, Dawson | 5:38 |
- Notes
- Tracks 13–17: Chapel Studio, Thoresby Demos
Personnel
Saxon
- Biff Byford – vocals
- Graham Oliver – guitar
- Paul Quinn – guitar
- Steve Dawson – bass guitar
- Nigel Glockler – drums
Production
- Produced and Recorded by Simon Hanhart; additional recording by Keith Nixon
- Recorded at Union Studios, Munich, Germany
- Mixed by Saxon and Simon Hanhart at Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[9] | 15 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 33 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 18 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[12] | 36 |
| US Billboard 200[13] | 133 |