The Saints are preparing to release what will stand as their final album with Chris Bailey, Long March Through The Jazz Age, due 28 November through Fire Records. The second single, Judas, has now been unveiled – a haunting, string-laden ballad where Bailey’s unmistakeable voice is draped across the shimmer of a 12-string guitar.
This is not just another Saints record. It is the last word from one of Australia’s most uncompromising frontmen, a man who never looked back and never played the game. Bailey’s voice, weary yet commanding, gives these songs a depth only a lifetime of living, writing and pushing against the grain can create.
The album was tracked at Church Street Studios in Sydney. Bailey and drummer Pete Wilkinson flew in from Europe to cut the record with guitarist/engineer Sean Carey, who had history with The Saints from earlier tours.
They were joined by Davey Lane (You Am I) and a cast of Sydney’s sharpest horn, string and keyboard players, giving the songs a widescreen quality without losing the Saints’ raw edge.
“Chris was a true artist, it was like watching someone paint a fresh artwork every single day,” Carey recalls. Wilkinson adds: “When it came to recording vocals, Chris saved the best until last. His voice had a new-found depth that surpassed anything I’d ever heard before.”
The set mixes chiming guitars with orchestral flourishes, moving from Dylan-like grandeur to stark, poetic balladry. The title track, Carnivore (Long March Through The Jazz Age), with its aching trumpet lines, sits as a centrepiece of Bailey’s final statement.
Nick Cave once said, “In my opinion, The Saints were Australia’s greatest band…. and Chris Bailey was my favourite singer.” This record backs him up.
Long March Through The Jazz Age arrives 28 November on limited edition blue vinyl and CD.
CD Tracklist
Empires (Sometimes We Fall)
Break Away
Judas
Vikings
Gasoline
The Key
A Vision of Grace
Imaginary Fields Forever
Bruises
Resurrection Day
Carnivore (Long March Through the Jazz Age)
Will You Still Be There
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