Crusader was Saxon’s first (and unfortunately not their last) play at the American market: even though they wouldn’t sign a proper international deal until their next album, this was recorded in America with an American producer best known at the time for his work with REO Speedwagon, and the songs aimed straight for .38 Special’s fanbase. So while “Borderline” was one of the heavier tracks demoed during the Crusader sessions, and was ultimately left off the album proper, it had the same backwoods boogie that permeated the record, especially when it came to Nigel Glockler’s strangely reserved drumming. To be fair, Biff Byford always had a certain twang in his yelp, and Saxon’s general penchant for biker metal meant that every album had at least a couple attempts at barroom grooving, so “Borderline” wasn’t entirely out of place with what they had put on records like Strong Arm of the Law. But this somehow sounded a bit more hapless, even though the band should’ve had this kind of thing firmly locked down by then. The live and unrehearsed feel that came with the track being a demo livened things up a bit, and at least at this stage, their ongoing amateurishness remained endearing. Unfortunately, this proved to be a harbinger of much more consequential cluelessness to come.
