Interview by Mark Taylor. Video by Andy Rawll.

Biff Byford the co-founder and lead singer of British Heavy Metal Crusaders, SAXON, met rock journalist Mark Taylor within the inner sanctum of London's Soho Sanctum Hotel to talk about the latest run of live shows and a special new 'Eagle Has Landed 40' live album that coincides with the 40th anniversary of the band's first major UK tour supporting Motorhead in 1979.

 2019 tour dates include many of the major European festivals including Wacken Open Air, before the Eagle lands in the UK for three special 'Castles & Eagles' dates in Glasgow (18 Oct.2019); London (19 Oct.2019) and Manchester (20 Oct.2019)

http://www.saxon747.com/en2/tour-dates-neu

 'The Eagle Has Landed 40' is the fourth instalment in the series of live albums that started in 1982 and whose most recent was in 2006. As such, the majority of the featured tracks are culled from the best of the six studio albums that the band has released between 2007 and the present day (from 2007's 'The Inner Sanctum' to 2018's 'Thunderbolt'). 

 This expansive forty track release also has room to accommodate eleven classic songs from the band's golden era of 1980-1985, including early favourite deep cuts: 'Machine Gun' and 'Play it Loud', as played by the current line-up of Byford, Quinn, Glockler, Carter and Scaratt. There's also a special cover version of 'Ace of Spades' from their 2016 'Battering Ram' show in London (5 Nov.2016) featuring Motorhead's 'Fast' Eddie Clarke. Fellow guitar ace Phil Campbell guests on the version of '747 (Strangers in the Night) which has been released as the first preview track: https://youtu.be/Gq6VhHTYGq0

 The release is available from 2nd August 2019 via Silver Lining Music in two formats:

 1) DIGIPACK CD EDITION Deluxe CD: three CDs plus replica of signed set-list from 1982 Monsters of Rock at Donington Park.

 2) VINYL BOX SET.  Five 12" LP 180g vinyl albums; turntable slip-mat, 40-page book and tour pass

 3) LIMITED EDITION BOX SET (747 Signature Edition): as above plus exclusive extras including a print of Biff Byford's original hand-written lyric sheet for "747 (Strangers In The Night)", hand-numbered and autographed, 23 plectrum set, featuring album artwork from all 22 Saxon studio albums and a limited edition The Eagle Has Landed 40 (Live) plectrum. Limited to 747 copies only.

 #Saxon #TheEagleHasLanded #Castles&Eagles