Song · Savatage
“When the Crowds are Gone” by Savatage
From the album Gutter Ballet (1989)
“When the Crowds are Gone” by Savatage appears on 1 radio countdown from 1 station in 1990. It was first released in 1989 on the album Gutter Ballet. Its best result is #420 on the Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,431 hard rock song of all time.
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"When the Crowds Are Gone" is where you can hear Savatage changing shape on Gutter Ballet, their fifth full-length album and the second made with producer Paul O'Neill in charge. The record moved the band off straight heavy metal toward something more progressive, and this song is one of the clearest signs of it, with Jon Oliva singing lead and playing piano, Criss Oliva on guitar, Johnny Lee Middleton on bass, Steve Wacholz on drums and Robert Kinkel adding keyboards.
O'Neill wrote it with Jon and Criss Oliva, and James A. Ball engineered. Broadway was in the air at those sessions: while Criss was tracking his guitar solos, O'Neill gave Jon tickets to The Phantom of the Opera, and Jon headed straight back to the studio after the show to put together the title track's music.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 420 | Z-Rock | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) | 1000 |
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