Fight for the Rock

1986 studio album by Savatage

Fight for the Rock

Studio album by

Savatage

Released| June 30, 1986
Recorded| England
Genre| Heavy metal, hard rock
Length| 37:54
Label| Atlantic
Producer| Stephan Galfas, Robert Zemsky, Rick Smith, Steven Machat
Savatage chronology
| Power of the Night
(1985)  | Fight for the Rock
(1986)  | Hall of the Mountain King
(1987)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal| 7/10[2]
Kerrang!| [3]
Metal Hammer (GER)| 5/7[4]
Rock Hard| 7.0/10[5]

Fight for the Rock is the third studio album by the American heavy metal band Savatage, released on June 30, 1986. It is their first album with new bass player Johnny Lee Middleton.

Released in 1986, it is largely regarded as the band's worst release by both fans and band members, with the band referring to it as "Fight for the Nightmare".[6] Jon Oliva said in October 1994, "I've never really been fond of that album. WE'VE never been fond of that album".[6] The band said that they were driven to make the record by their label, Atlantic Records; particularly Oliva began writing pop-rock songs for other artists on the label such as John Waite. However, the label eventually turned around and told the band to record the music that Oliva had written for other artists themselves. This destroyed the band's credibility in the eyes of the press and reviews were not kind to the band.[7] It not only destroyed the band's image, but the negative critical reaction has been cited[by whom?] as a cause of Oliva's bout of drug and alcohol depression which eventually drove him from the fore of the band.[6]

Atlantic Records also wanted the band to have photographs taken, since none of their previous releases had included any. The band hired a friend to do the photography work, with one of the photos featuring the band re-recreating the famous photo Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. The band agreed this was a good idea at the time, but look back with the same feelings on the photos taken as they do the album.[6]

When initially released, the album featured a Parental Advisory label on the front cover, despite having no "nasty words", as Jon Oliva puts it, featured anywhere on the record. This was largely done to please the label, as they felt that putting the sticker on the record would drive up record sales. Although it did chart, the band have been extremely reluctant to perform any of the songs live, and haven't done so since the early 1990s. Even on the tour in support of the album, the band only performed "Hyde", "The Edge of Midnight" and few others.[6]

## Track listing[edit]

Side oneNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

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|
|

1.| "Fight for the Rock"| Criss Oliva, Jon Oliva, Steve Wacholz| 3:55
2.| "Out on the Streets"| C. Oliva, J. Oliva| 3:58
3.| "Crying for Love"| C. Oliva, J. Oliva| 3:27
4.| "Day After Day" (Badfinger cover)| Pete Ham| 3:40
5.| "The Edge of Midnight"| C. Oliva, J. Oliva, Wacholz| 4:52

Side twoNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

6.| "Hyde"| C. Oliva, J. Oliva, Wacholz| 3:51
7.| "Lady in Disguise"| J. Oliva| 3:08
8.| "She's Only Rock 'n Roll"| C. Oliva, J. Oliva| 3:14
9.| "Wishing Well" (Free cover)| John "Rabbit" Bundrick, Paul Kossoff, Simon Kirke, Paul Rodgers, Tetsu Yamauchi| 3:20
10.| "Red Light Paradise"| Johnny Lee Middleton, C. Oliva, J. Oliva| 3:56

1997 Edel Music CD reissueNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

11.| "If I Go Away" (Acoustic version)| C. Oliva, J. Oliva, Paul O'Neill| 3:50

2002 SPV CD reissueNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

11.| "The Dungeons Are Calling" (live)| Keith Collins, C. Oliva, J. Oliva| 3:45
12.| "City Beneath the Surface" (live)| C. Oliva, J. Oliva| 5:01

2011 Ear Music CD reissueNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

11.| "This Is the Time" (acoustic version recorded by Jon Oliva in 2010)| O'Neill, J. Oliva| 5:31
12.| "This Is Where You Should Be" (recorded during the Hall of the Mountain King sessions)| O'Neill, J. Oliva| 4:55

## Personnel[edit]

Savatage

* Jon Oliva – lead vocals, piano
* Criss Oliva – guitars, backing vocals
* Johnny Lee Middleton – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Steve "Doc" Wacholz – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

* Larry Dvoskin (credited as "Dvoskin") – keyboards
* Brent Daniels – backing vocals

Production

* Stephan Galfas – producer, engineer, mixing
* Mario Rodriguez, Ralph Mastrangelo – assistant mixing
* Mark Jolley – engineer
* Dan McMillan – assistant engineer
* Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk, New York
* Robert Zemsky – associate producer, management
* Steven Machat, Rick Smith – executive producers
* Bob Defrin – art direction

## Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Fight for the Rock Chart (1986)  | Peak
position

|

US Billboard 200[8] | 158
Chart (2021)  | Peak
position

|

German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] | 67

## References[edit]

1. ^ Orens, Geoff. "Savatage - Fight for the Rock review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
2. ^ Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 313\. ISBN 978-1894959315.
3. ^ Johnson, Howard (26 June 1986). "Savatage 'Fight for the Rock'". Kerrang!. No. 123\. London, UK: United Magazines ltd. p. 16.
4. ^ Kaldeuer, Ulf (June 1986). "Savatage - Fight for the Rock". Metal Hammer (in German). Retrieved 2018-05-08.
5. ^ Kühnemund, Götz (1986). "Review Album: Savatage - Fight for the Rock". Rock Hard (in German). No. 17. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
6. ^ a b c d e "Savatage FAQ, part 1". Savatage.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-08.
7. ^ Gordon, Jim. "Hall of the Mountain King review". Savatage Official Website. Archived from the original on 12 February 2009. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
8. ^ "Savatage Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Savatage – Fight for the Rock" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 23, 2021.

* v
* t
* e

Savatage

* Jon Oliva
* Zachary Stevens
* Chris Caffery
* Al Pitrelli
* Johnny Lee Middleton
* Jeff Plate

* Criss Oliva
* Keith Collins
* Steve "Doc" Wacholz
* Damond Jiniya
* Alex Skolnick
* Jack Frost

Studio albums|

* Sirens
* Power of the Night
* Fight for the Rock
* Hall of the Mountain King
* Gutter Ballet
* Streets: A Rock Opera
* Edge of Thorns
* Handful of Rain
* Dead Winter Dead
* The Wake of Magellan
* Poets and Madmen

EPs|

* The Dungeons Are Calling

Live albums|

* Japan Live '94
* Ghost in the Ruins – A Tribute to Criss Oliva

Compilation albums|

* From the Gutter to the Stage
* The Best and the Rest
* Believe
* Still the Orchestra Plays - Greatest Hits, Volume 1 & 2

Singles|

* "Edge of Thorns"
* "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Doctor Butcher
* Testament
* Trans-Siberian Orchestra
* Jon Oliva's Pain
* Circle II Circle
* Machines of Grace

* Category:Savatage

Authority control |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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