Long March Through the Jazz Age

The death of Chris Bailey in 2022 seemed to mark the end of one of the great bands to come out of the punk scene of the 70s and grow into a great band who could do just about anything, from blue rock rave-ups to orchestrated pop and all things in between. The silver lining in the clouds is that Bailey was able to record one final Saints album. Titled Long March Through the Jazz Age, it was recorded with his longtime drummer Pete Wilkinson along with guitarists Sean Carey and Davey Lane. This basic lineup is buttressed with keyboards, horns, and strings, providing subtle, gently painted backdrop for Baileys romantic lyrics and vibrant vocals, still instantly recognizable despite the passing of the years. He fully inhabits the role of world-weary troubadour throughout, singing like he was on the barstool one over telling all who will listen his tales of woe and adventure. Theres nothing very punk about it, except for the unsparing nature of the lyrics and Baileys inability to sound anything less than totally honest. His cracked warble gives the ballads hard fought character, carrying the melody tenderly and straining against the boundaries of his range and emotions. Stately songs like "Vikings" and "A Vision of Grace" give the record its beating heart, hitting hard and lingering like vintage soul songs; the tender "Will You Still Be There" ends the album on a wistful strum and swell of strings as bailey rides off into the sunset. Along with proving himself a first rate balladeer, hes also adept at stretching out into rambling singer/songwriter territory on the lengthy, quite majestic "Carnivore (Long March Through the Jazz Age", while also coming up with a few songs -- like "Judas" and "Breakaway" -- that have the same jangling beauty and grace as the Saints did circa All Fools Day in the late 80s. Its clear that Bailey and his band were drawing from the sound of that era quite heavily, but its not a backwards looking record at all. Ironically, bailey sounds full of life and ready to take on any and all comers, sonically and emotionally. Long March Through the Jazz Age is a wonderful final statement for Bailey and the Saints, its reminiscent of their best post-punk work and serves as a reminder for all who may have forgotten that Baileys skills as a writer and singer were immense. ~ Tim Sendra