In an interview with Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules Saxon frontman Biff Byford was asked at what point he and his bandmates began to reap the benefits of their success.
According to Byford, he doesn't think that actually happened. "I don't think we ever had that, to be honest. I don't think I remember ever getting a big, fat check. You have to remember that was in 1983, around the time of Power & The Glory , that's when we really started to break into the US," he said.
“I think something happened with the record label at that time. We were on tour with Iron Maiden , a pretty big one. And then halfway through, it kind of stopped. So, I really don’t know what happened. I don’t know. Something happened and we were dropped and I think Fastway was moved up. I don’t know. Maybe there was a lot of political talk behind our backs. Some people said that Bruce [ Dickinson ] didn’t like the way we were going. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it’s been said,” he added.
The frontman says that back then, the band could have been much more successful, but none of the albums gained enough traction to reach the top of the charts.
“ Crusader was the first tour we did as headliners in the US, and it was with Accept , which was very, very successful. I just think that, for some reason, Wheels Of Steel , Strong Arm Of The Law and Denim And Leather didn't really get enough momentum like the Maiden albums, for some reason. I think that's due to management and the record label. I think Denim And Leather and Strong Arm Of The Law are as good as The Number Of The Beast ,” he stated.
Bill Byford believes that many Americans consider Power & The Glory their favorite Saxon album.
“It was the first time we saw some of them and it was the first time we played on the air, on MTV. And I think we were on the Billboard charts at some point with the album, and the tour was absolutely very successful. It was a great tour. I just think it was our manager who decided we could do it on our own or something happened and it didn't take us far enough,” he explained.
