SAVATAGE Fight For The Rock Pic Vinyl LP (1986)

Savatage in 1986 were a band at a crossroads, and Fight For The Rock was the commercial pivot that their fanbase never fully forgave them for. Slicker production, radio-friendly structures, the Atlantic Records push, a calculated move that didn't quite land either way. Which makes this one of those fascinating heavy metal artefacts that only gets more interesting with distance.

Picture disc vinyl adds another layer to the whole thing. Whatever you think of where Jon Oliva and the boys were pointing the ship at the time, the visual format suits the era perfectly, all that mid-eighties heavy metal graphic energy pressed into something you can hang on the wall if you decide the needle isn't touching it. This 2004 pressing of the original 1986 release is the kind of thing that fills the gap in a serious collection. The Savatage story gets more celebrated every year as power metal and prog-adjacent heavy music find new audiences, and the deep cuts reward people who work backwards through the catalogue.

Format: Picture Disc LP. Original release: 1986. This pressing: 2004. Side A: Fight For The Rock, Out On The Streets, Out On The Streets (Reprise), Crying For Love, Hyde. Side B: Wishing Well, Unlock The Night, The Edge Of Midnight, Stuck On You, She's Only Rock And Roll. Country of origin: USA. Genre: Heavy Metal.

Fans of: Riot, Dokken, early Queensrÿche, Dio.