Long March Through The Jazz Age

Fire Records release Long March Through the Jazz Age, the last recorded work by Chris Bailey and The Saints, coinciding closely with what would have been Bailey's 69th birthday. It's a moving farewell - a testament to a restless, uncompromising artist who always moved forward, one of rock's great lyricists and iconoclasts.

Recorded in late 2018 at Church Street Studios in Sydney, Bailey and longtime Saints drummer Pete Wilkinson flew in from Europe to reunite with guitarist/engineer Sean Carey, who had previously toured and recorded with the band. They were joined by Davey Lane (You Am I) on guitar, plus a handpicked ensemble of Sydney's most exciting young horn, string and keyboard players.

"In my opinion, The Saints were Australia's greatest band…. and Chris Bailey was my favourite singer" NICK CAVE

From Bailey's rough demos, Long March Through the Jazz Age grew into a deeply human snapshot of modern times.

Lead single Empires (Sometimes We Fall) is the album's anthemic opener, cast on a bedrock of western guitars punctuated by Bailey's aching lyrics: "Sometimes we rise, sometimes we fall". It's the perfect set up for an album that swaggers with Bailey's inherent punk spirit while flowing freely in a spacious production.

A 12-string adds harmony and warmth to the string-laden Judas, a glorious melancholic piece, Gasoline smacks of the Stones country honking for Exile On Main Street, while Bruises is a candid recollection of how this celebrated troubadour got to where he did.

There are moments of Dylan-esque majesty as chiming guitars and strings widen the panoramic scale, while the title track carries a haunting, poetic intensity, its mournful trumpet break as spine-tingling as anything you'll hear. and throughout this Long March Through the Jazz Age, Chris Bailey's distinctive vocal carries the storyline.