Solid Ball of Rock [Original recording reissued]

Saxon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 6, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: Steamhammer Us
• ASIN: B000063TDY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,918 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terribly Underrated!, August 23, 2003

By 

C. Fogus "sercrow" (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solid Ball of Rock (Audio CD)

this is an OUTSTANDING follow up the Destiny release of 1988 (which was a much better release than critics reported). there are some real classic hard rock gems on this CD. if you are a Saxon fan or are thinking about becoming one, i highly recommend getting this. an excellent, EXCELLENT group of songs. the remastered work is top notch. my highest allocades to the band.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SOLID BALL OF ROCK ROCKS!, May 18, 2007

By 

Thin Timmy "Bela Drake" (New Orleans, La.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Solid Ball of Rock (Audio CD)

Saxon's ball rock is solid! From the great opening
track this rocks! This album is one of Saxon's most
consistent from this era. I had only heard the title
track but songs like Lights in the Sky, Requiem and
Baptism of Fire sound like the classic Saxon while
Songs like I can't get enough, Crash Dive and my
favorite I'm on Fire written by Nick Carter are
also great songs while giving it a different sound.
The production is also great giving it a melodic
but hard rocking sound. I think this is one of the
best all around albums Saxon has delivered and it's
well worth getting. I can't get enough of it!

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Ball of Rock - reissued, April 8, 2011

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Solid Ball of Rock (Audio CD)

Originally released in 1991, Solid Ball of Rock was the tenth studio album from British heavy metal pioneers Saxon. Once one of the forerunners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement, Saxon struggled as the `80s gave way to the `90s. After a couple of less than impressive attempts at mainstream radio success, the band used this album to move back towards a more metal sound.

Solid Ball of Rock still has the AOR polish of Destiny and Rock the Nations, especially in terms of production, but the songs tend to rock a bit more. Songs like "Baptism of Fire" and "I'm on Fire" have an old school Saxon sound, and the more melodic songs like "Solid Ball of Rock" and "Lights in the Sky" have plenty of punch. Even the so-called ballads like "Requiem (We Will Remember)" and "Refugee" are quite well-written. It's not a heavy metal powerhouse by any means, but there's a lot to like about Solid Ball of Rock.

It's not an essential album like Saxon's early albums (or their post-2000 albums), but Solid Ball of Rock is still, well, a solid ball of rock. Even an average Saxon album is still well worth owning if you're at all a fan of British heavy metal.

Edition Notes: SPV reissued Solid Ball of Rock in 2002, adding expanded liner notes and a pair of bonus tracks. The first is a single edit of "Requiem (We Will Remember)" and the second is an odd, swinging rock number called "Reeperbahn Stomp." It's not an essential reissue, so if you have the previous version there probably isn't much need to upgrade to this one. For those of us who missed it the first time around though, the Solid Ball of Rock reissue is ideal.