Judas Priest Week on Maidenfans (August 3-9, 2009)

Which band shall we listen to next week?

  • Opeth (nominated by Onhell)

    Votes: 3 23.1%

  • Slayer (nominated by Perun)

    Votes: 4 30.8%

  • Iced Earth (nominated by cornfedhick)

    Votes: 6 46.2%
  • Total voters
    13
SinisterMinisterX

SinisterMinisterX

Illuminatus
Staff member
Gear yourself up in leather, for it is Judas Priest Week!

Next week's band will be chosen by the poll above.
Next week's poll: Rush (nom'ed by Foro) replaces this week's winner.


Holy fleurking schnit ... there's so much I could say about Priest, I don't actually know where to begin. So I'll post this, get the thread started, let you guys post, and I'll post something good later today.
 
Bought Sad Wings of Destiny on its release.The reason was that Priest were then described as the heaviest band in the word in the press, so I had to check it out. I was blown away by it.My favourite track was Victim of Changes.

On the back of this album, I bought Rocka Rolla.This may well be my biggest disappointment in nearly 40 years of buying records.I couldn't believe how shit it was compared Sad Wings.

Priest continued to be my favourite band until they started appearing on TV pop shows singing such blistering tracks(not) as Living after Midnight and United.

I haven't paid much attention to them in years apart from re-purchasing Unleashed in the East earlier this year on CD to replace my vinyl copy, although from what I understand, Painkiller is worth a listen.
 
I'm sure everyone here could post about how they love Priest's heavy stuff. I think I'll go another direction and say how much I love (most of) Turbo. A different sound for Priest, but it mostly turned out well. "Turbo Lover" and "Out In The Cold" are great songs, and several others are quite good.

Among the older songs, "Exciter" and "Sinner" come to mind as my favorites.

And I really need to give Nostradamus another listen. I played it 2 or 3 times when it came out ... it wasn't bad, but didn't really impress me much.
 
My first experience of Priest was hearing a track played by Neal Kay at Maiden's Rainbow gig years ago. It caught me by surprise as I, for some reason, had the impression that they were just a tad on the slow side (remember, I was dumbstruck by NWOBHM[sup]1[/sup] back then - and the faster the music, the better). So, a few months later I brought into the whole British Steel thing and actually enjoyed their poppy tracks - and I still think that British Steel is an extremely good album. I sort of drifted in and out of liking them for the next few years after that.

Overall, they have released some good albums and some stunning tracks but they just don't have that consistency.

Kopfanatic said:
On the back of this album, I bought Rocka Rolla.This may well be my biggest disappointment in nearly 40 years of buying records.I couldn't believe how shit it was compared Sad Wings.
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Personally, I love that album. I got their first two albums re-released and packaged as a double CD a few years back (sleeve notes courtesy of DJ Krusher - remember him?). Playing it as I type.

[sup]1[/sup]I know some folk do, but I don't really consider Priest as part of the NWOBHM movement.
 
Albie said:
I got their first two albums re-released and packaged as a double CD a few years back...
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That keeps on happening, and I've heard Priest hates it.

They were on Gull Records for those first 2 albums, and I think they were the only hit Gull ever had. So Gull has continued to exist since then by re-releasing those 2 albums over and over.

However, I confess that I too own a Gull reissue. Selected tracks from those 2 albums plus a boring interview with the drummer from those albums.
 
I love the more pop-infused Turbo as well as their faster stuff.  (I really, really don't like United though).  I've said this before and I'll say it again, the only band who can consistently write those typical rock/metal anthems is AC/DC.  The best thing about Priest is when they combine melody with speed.  A Touch of Evil and  Night Crawler are my two favourite songs.  I can't see why anyone would like Rocka Rolla.
 
Heresy alert:  I think Judas Priest is one of those bands for which you really could just buy a "best of" compilation like The Essential Judas Priest and be pretty much set.  (The Scorpions is another.)  Sure, you'll miss out on a few good songs, but my experience is that too many Judas Priest albums contain one or two great songs and a bunch of filler.  Sad Wings of Destiny is, indeed, an exception. 
 
Hmm, interesting and very diverse opinions. Like with Maiden, people like different records, which is a good sign.

It's very possible that people check the wrong albums. Mid-seventies Judas Priest is different from their late seventies work, which is different again from the eighties stuff, which is different from Painkiller, which is different from the nineties with Ripper, which is different from the one but last Priest album (the return of Halford) which is again different from the last album.

As a metalfan, it's almost impossible to be unmoved by every single record that they have done. Just my 2 cents of course, and I am not that neutral, Priest is my 2nd favourite band, right after Maiden. I love them because of their rich discography and the variation within it.
 
SinisterMinisterX said:
That keeps on happening, and I've heard Priest hates it.

They were on Gull Records for those first 2 albums, and I think they were the only hit Gull ever had. So Gull has continued to exist since then by re-releasing those 2 albums over and over.

However, I confess that I too own a Gull reissue. Selected tracks from those 2 albums plus a boring interview with the drummer from those albums.
Click to expand...

I think they've also said people just shouldn't buy Rocka Rolla as they're not very satisfied with how that album turned out - they consider Sad Wings their first proper album. By the way, I really like that album, but usually I prefer their more straight forward heavy'n'fast songs that are abundant on Painkiller. Think many of their early albums suffer from poor production. Whenever I see live versions of songs from Stained Class, for example, I think they sound better than on the album.
 
Here my take on the first two decades of Judas Priest:

"Rocka Rolla – The track Run of the Mill has such a nice build-up ! Downing's solo is really exciting. This album is a pretty calm album but it has its moments still.

"Sad Wings Of Destiny –
There’s The Ripper, Victim Of Changes, Dreamer Deceiver but also Deceiver, Tyrant & Island of Domination.  I like them all. Epitaph was a growing-song to me. Later I started liking it because of its mood and the vocals.

"Sin After Sin – Filler? None. I think I'd give every track (besides Last Rose of Summer) 4 or 5 stars. This album features excellent drums of Simon Philips who was only 19 at the time of recording. Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest is special to me because of the harmonies in the mid-part, and I think this is the first real speed/power metal kind of song ever created. This mid-piece is really the basis of the prime-elements in Helloween's music. Starbreaker has a cool guitar riff, Dissident Aggressor I like because of its intense aggression, the vocals, the riffs. Last, but not least, an honorable mention for Here Come The Tears. What an emotion, what a melodies, what a built-up and what a vocals. Such deep and low vocals (check with headphones how it goes from left to right and back) and later high ones. Very impressive.

"Killing Machine - This is the first album consisting of short tunes. A solid record, but defintily a change, also lyricwise more commercial.

"British Steel – Besides the classics Metal Gods, Breaking The Law, Living After Midnight" I also think that Rapid Fire, Grinder & The Rage are strong tracks and the last three tracks of the album I like a lot as well.

"Point Of Entry - Might be Priest's worst 80's album, but strangely enough I enjoy Heading Out.. terribly much in a live situation. Solar Angels isn't a bad track either.

"Turbo - I despize the lyrics of this album, but some tunes have such catchy guitar riffs and vocals that I can't despize the album itself. E.g. Reckless contains great chorusses and solos! And Hot For Love as well.

"Ram It Down - The drums on this album are very bad computer simulated drums in my ears. The crappy tracks on this album are terrible. If I was in the band I would have dumped the ideas of Love Zone, Come And Get It & Love You To Death immediately into the trash can. But the other 7 tracks aren't bad. Actually, I think that the title track is amazing, Heavy Metal has good parts and I like the intro as well! Hard As Iron has an excellent midpiece. Blood Red Skies' atmosphere I like a lot. A bit of a Blade Runner feel. I think it's a strong song with great moments, the keyboards (or guitar synths) really lifting it all to higher level.

I forgot a few. ;)

“Stained Class” is not the most easy listening record of the band but after a few listenings one could realize how strong it is. Suspenseful moments in Saints.. and the sheer beauty of Beyond.. is hard to ignore. The title track has some unusual tempo changes. All in all a strong record, and the last one (imo) with intruiging lyrics. After this album, the lyrics were mostly about metal, partying, love, metal and metal. ;-)

“Screaming for Vengeance” is good but I still like “Defenders of the Faith” better.
Defenders has imo the strongest A-side ever recorded in the history of hardrock and heavy metal. It’s a bit like Powerslave (also 1984):
Even though some songs are not that great, the brilliant ones make up for it.
 
I went through four albums last night.

Rocka Rolla: First time I heard it I was not very impressed.  But I find now that I like it a lot more.  It is not great, and not much in the way of standout tracks, but I found it very enjoyable as a bit of "easy listening" if you will.

Sad Wings of Destiny: I find this album to be similar to Rocka Rolla, but just better.  Last night was the first time I really found myself digging "The Ripper", a song I have never jived with before.  Victim of Changes rocks my world.

Sin After Sin: Definitely better than Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings.  I thoroughly found myself rocking out with this album.  It absolutely captured me in a way I hadn't expected at all.  I hadn't heard much of this album aside from random play before.

Stained Class: Again, I had never really understood why people love this particular album, but last night it was flowing.  Maybe I really was in a Priest mood, but I just felt caught up in the whole "Priest" sound.  You can really really hear it on Sin After Sin and Stained Class.
 
LC has the right idea. I just put on Rocka Rolla.

According to my winamp, I have 12 hours and 49 minutes of Priest to check out. That's all studio albums (including Ripper) plus Unleashed In The Studio East.

I got through Rocka Rolla without turning it off... a few good moments, but not many. Some parts sounded like experimentation for the hell of it, without any payoff. Most songs lacked energy. When the energy was there, the song was kinda dumb, even by Priest standards. ("Cheater", I'm looking at you.)
 
As with St Anger, I seem to be out on my own with Rocka Rolla.
 
Hey, I said I liked it.

Halfway through Turbo now, and I really have never listened to it before, and I find myself really, really enjoying it.  Every song is really good in that 80s metal ballady way.
 
Forostar said:
“Screaming for Vengeance” is good but I still like “Defenders of the Faith” better.
Defenders has imo the strongest A-side ever recorded in the history of hardrock and heavy metal. It’s a bit like Powerslave (also 1984):
Even though some songs are not that great, the brilliant ones make up for it.
Click to expand...

That A side is pure class. All fireworks, speed and great melody. I just love that half album. I'm going to listen to it right now.
 
You bet. And imo also some awesome solos.
My favourite song of side B must be Some Heads Are Gonna Roll.

A segment I also particularly like on "Rocka Rolla" is the a capella drum part in Winter and then those guitars:
daaa daaa  dadaaaa etc.

Do some of you people own "Hero, Hero"? I have the double LP and have played it quite often in the past.
Besides its awesome cover, you can find on it a nice mix of songs from the first two Priest albums.
I really ought to recommend this set.

Perhaps I have learnt to appreciate the debut album so much because I knew "Hero, Hero" first, before I had heard these 2 separate albums. And the mix with the "Sad Wings.." songs might have helped, who knows.

Hero,_Hero_cover.jpg


wiki information:
Hero, Hero is a compilation album by Judas Priest, released in between British Steel (1980) and Point of Entry (1981) by Gull Records. It consists of all ten tracks from the Rocka Rolla album, six tracks from the Sad Wings of Destiny album, and an alternate version of "Diamonds And Rust". The tracks from Rocka Rolla and "Diamonds And Rust" were remixed by Rodger Bain in 1981. The tracks from Sad Wings of Destiny were not remixed.

Hero, Hero was released under the Gull Records - the band's former record label - in an effort to "capitalize on Judas Priest's popularity." Judas Priest's management firmly states that people should not buy these compilations, because even though it would seem like a new album on the surface, it's just a re-issue of material already recorded.

The CD releases of the album have produced a few alternate versions. Some European CDs sequenced the tracks differently so that the tracks from sides 3 and 4 of the LP come before the tracks from sides 1 and 2. The US CDs released by Transluxe and Koch Records used the mixes from the original Rocka Rolla album rather than the remixed tracks from the original Hero, Hero LP.

Track listing:
Side 1
1."Prelude" (Glenn Tipton) - 2:02
Originally released on Sad Wings of Destiny, in 1976
2."Tyrant" (Rob Halford, Tipton) - 4:28
Originally released on Sad Wings of Destiny, in 1976
3."Rocka Rolla" (Halford, K.K. Downing, Tipton) - 3:05
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974
4."One for the Road" (Halford, Downing) - 4:40
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974

Side 2
1."Victim of Changes" (Al Atkins, Halford, Downing, Tipton) - 7:47
Originally released on Sad Wings of Destiny, in 1976
2."Dying to Meet You" (Halford, Downing) - 6:16
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974
3."Never Satisfied" (Atkins, Downing) - 4:50
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974

Side 3
1."Dreamer Deceiver" (Atkins, Halford, Downing, Tipton) - 5:51
Originally released on Sad Wings of Destiny, in 1976
2."Deceiver" (Halford, Downing, Tipton)- 2:40
Originally released on Sad Wings of Destiny, in 1976
3."Winter" (Atkins, Downing, Ian Hill) - 1:31
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974
4."Deep Freeze" (Downing) - 1:20
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974
5."Winter Retreat" (Halford, Downing) - 3:27
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974
6."Cheater" (Halford, Downing) - 2:57
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974

Side 4
1."Diamonds & Rust" (Joan Baez) - 3:26
Originally released on Sin After Sin, in 1977
2."Run of the Mill" (Halford, Downing, Tipton) - 8:33
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974
3."Genocide" (Halford, Downing, Tipton) - 5:51
Originally released on Sad Wings of Destiny, in 1976
4."Caviar and Meths" (Atkins, Downing, Hill) - 2:00
Originally released on Rocka Rolla, in 1974
 
Alright, here we go.

I have a few Priest albums, but honestly I was never impressed too much by what I heard. Those really popular ones like Breaking the Law and Electric Eye are great (especially live), but what really got to me were Halfords screams on things like Ram It Down. Admittedly I really need to go back and give things like British Steel and Sad Wings of Destiny another listen (preferably live versions) because it's been a while. Funnily enough I started appreciating more Priest songs from listening to Halford's renditions of them on his solo work (Live Insurrection or Rock in Rio come to mind). A good example of this is Beyond the Realms of Death.

That's what I have to say on early Priest. Oh yes, I forgot, I really dislike Jugulator. Moving on to later stuff. I was told by someone I should get Angel of Retribution. I dunno what it was about the album, but I liked it, still do. Favorites on those are the title track, Worth Fighting For, Eulogy and that great epic Lochness. Lochness is one of my all time favorites, not just from Priest, in total. I then bought Nostradamus when it came out, because I liked the direction Priest was going in. And I love Nostradamus...I've listened to that thing straight through so many times, it's ridiculous. It's hard to have especial favorites from that album just because everything is constructed so nicely together. Revelations, Visions, Alone, and Future of Mankind strike me as particularily noteworthy, but I never listen to them on their own (at least, very rarely).

So as far as Priest goes I'm glad they exist, they've put out some great albums, some great songs, but above all I like Priest because of Halford (his voice that is). So excuse me while I go listen to some of his solo stuff...it's really great.
 
Some great albums, some great songs, eh?

Didn't you just say you have heard some 5 or 6 albums (out of 16)? 
:D
 
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