The Saints – Gasoline: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day
Out today, two new tracks from The Saints record Long March Through The Jazz Age (out 28th November via Fire Records).
In anticipation of The Saints ’73-’78 performance at The Powerstation this Friday, we bring you this “new” music from the final version of The Saints, led by vocalist Chris Bailey.
“In my opinion, The Saints were Australia’s greatest band…. and Chris Bailey was my favourite singer”
NICK CAVE
As Saints founding guitarist Ed Kuepper says in this 13th Floor MusicTalk interview…this was a different band than the one he was in. But, you know what? They were both special in their own ways.
Long March Through the Jazz Age is the last recorded work by Chris Bailey and The Saints. 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 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.
From Bailey’s rough demos, Long March Through the Jazz Age grew into a deeply human snapshot of modern times.
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.
Pete Wilkinson remembers it vividly: “When it came to recording vocals, Chris Bailey saved the best until last. His lyrical prowess is well known to those familiar with The Saints, new and old, but these recordings offer a new-found depth and breadth to his voice that surpass anything I had heard before.”
Sean Carey added, “Chris was a true artist, it was like watching someone paint a fresh artwork every single day. This collection of songs and recordings were inspired and felt different to anything else I’d been doing.”
Long March Through the Jazz Age, arrives in November and marks the end of Chris Bailey and The Saints’ remarkable journey – over four decades of music making and rule defying.
Album Out 28th November
Available on limited edition blue vinyl and CD
And check out the just-released B-Side:
- Greta Van Den Brink – GIMBGTBLBM: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day - 05/12/2025
- Steve Cropper Has Died Age 84: R.I.P. - 04/12/2025
- PRINS – Heaven Or Hell: 13th Floor New Song Of The Day - 04/12/2025
