Red Sky - Saracen

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So starts Red Sky, the long awaited (by me anyway) comeback album by 80s symphonic rockers, Saracen.

Back in the eighties there were a lot of rock bands who almost made it big. Of all of them, the ones who most deserved it were Saracen. Their debut album, Heroes, Saints and Fools was a masterpiece, which should have become one of the most ground breaking albums of the decade but was sadly passed over. The band split up ...
...The Light.

Red Sky is the result, twelve songs of which four are from the original two Saracen albums, a fifth is an old Saracen standard recorded for the first time, and two appeared on Rob's solo album. Five are completely new - though one will be recognisable as a re-write of an older song.

The album opens in style with We Have Arrived which was their second single, and a song from the second album. However it is ... more

"Legends tell of a world that our distant fathers knew
Though we look from afar there's a light that shines on you"

So starts Red Sky, the long awaited (by me anyway) comeback album by 80s symphonic rockers, Saracen.

Back in the eighties there were a lot of rock bands who almost made it big. Of all of them, the ones who most deserved it were Saracen. Their debut album, Heroes, Saints and Fools was a masterpiece, which should have become one of the most ground breaking albums of the decade but was sadly passed over. The band split up shortly afterwards.

However, last year, guitarist and main man Rob Bendelow got the band back together again in the wake of a rather impressive solo album, Come To The Light.

Red Sky is the result, twelve songs of which four are from the original two Saracen albums, a fifth is an old Saracen standard recorded for the first time, and two appeared on Rob's solo album. Five are completely new - though one will be recognisable as a re-write of an older song.

The album opens in style with We Have Arrived which was their second single, and a song from the second album. However it is almost unrecognisable; instead of a full-out 4 minute rock song, the new version opens with multi-layer vocal harmonies, which gives way to a new keyboard melody, punctuated by some raw, powerful guitar, building gradually as a long intro until finally the vocals come in. Even then, the song doesn't really take off until four minutes in.

It's a very clever way to open a comeback album, with an old song re-written. It stamps a mark, it says, "this is Saracen, we are back, we have arrived but we have moved on."

What has stayed the same? Rob's guitar is as ballsy and punchy; Steve Bettney's vocals soar as they did twenty years ago; Richard Lowe's keyboards are perhaps a little more polished, a bit more upfront. What has changed? The two new members, Richard Bendelow (Rob's son) on bass and Jamie Little on drums fit in perfectly. What else is new is the mulit-layered vocals on the choruses, a choral sound that is prevelant throughout Red Sky, which was not there before.

The other three older songs re-recorded are much more faithful to the originals. All of them feature backing vocals that are more prominent and choral. Horsement of the Apocalypse is otherwise very true to the original. Heroes, Saints and Fools, the title track of their first, classic album, is probably the most eagerly awaited re-recording and again is faithful, except for a more complex - and sometimes heavy - backing passage during the conversations between the boy, the gatekeeper and the hero, saint and fool. Jekyll and Hyde, from the second album, is also quite true to the original, except that the drumming is slightly less frantic. However it is an important re-recording as, although Rob wrote the song, he didn't play on the second album. So we hear it with his guitar for the first time, and he doesn't disappoint!

Of the new songs, Red Sky is the title track for a reason: it is probably the new song that is closest to the original Saracen sound and style. A gutsy guitar riff, slightly airy, ethereal keyboards, and some wonderful vocals. After the second chorus, and a middle eighth, Rob brings on his first guitar break, a classic Saracen sound, to take us into an instrumental passage before coming back to the original riff.
"See the heavens burning, it's a hunter's moonrise
Never close your eyes
You'll be caught like a child in the wild, by surprise"

Flame of Youth is a pretty straightforward rocker, built around a fun, ballsy riff, which gives Rob a chance to let rip a little during the play out at the end. Ride Shotgun with the Wind is the other new song, somewhat slower, centred around a simple riff, almost plodding, a real road song in every sense.

Castles in the Sand is softer song, mostly played on acoustic guitar. Interestingly, the guitar and vocal melody in the verses are taken from an old song, "Face in the Crowd", with new lyrics and a totally new chorus.

Menage a trois is an instrumental, introduced with some beautiful, layered keyboards. It builds around a duet - triet? - between guitar and two saxophones, before speeding up to let the guitar carry the lead for a while, then slowin back down to let the saxes play it out.

Follow the Piper was a song that Saracen used to play live, one of their earliest songs, but was never recorded until now. A simple riff, with a softer, subtle middle; a haunting keyboard sound; towards the end it builds to a superb solo, rising to a finale crescendo.
"Pied piper is it true this dream we all can share?
I will go with you now if you'll lead me there"

There are two songs from Rob's "Templar" solo project. Faith is a nice song, which is growing on me; it is a softer, more commercial rock song, with a catchy chorus and some lovely instrumental work going on in the background. However, it is far surpassed by Angel Eyes, also originally Templar. This is another mid tempo rock song, sung as a duet between Steve and Dagi Kaletsch. It is rapidly becoming one of my favourite songs of the year, simple but quite stunning, with a beautiful, emotional chorus. Dagi's vocals are softer, less raunchy than Lori, who sang the original, but she gives it a more innocent feel and really brings out some wonderful emotion from Steve. Absolutely stunning.
"So touch me, angel eyes,
So much to see, I realise
Caress me...possess me
Now you're here I feel so alive"

Summary - a worthy comeback album indeed! It is great to hear the old songs, both faithful to the original, and completely rewritten. Of course the highlights are the new songs - Red Sky, Flame of Youth, Ride Shotgun With The Wind and Follow The Piper, but Angel Eyes is quite exceptional too.

Would I have done anything differently? I might have left off "Faith"; perhaps I might have left off one of the songs from the first album; it was such a classic, that any rerecording is going to prompt comparisons. Of course, all of this debate is really about how to get more new songs on, and for that we will have to look forward to the next album! Judging by Red Sky, it will be worth the wait!

Saracen 2003:
Rob Bendelow Guitar
Steve Bettney Vocals
Richard Lowe Keyboards and Vocals
Richard Bendelow Bass Guitar and Vocals
Jamie Little Drums and Percussion

All songs written by Rob Bendelow
 

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