Judas Priest

Take On the World was a single but I fail to see its importance compared to many other songs on the album.

Here's what K.K. says about the song: "Take On The World is a really important song. I say that because it could have all gone wrong, but it didn't because that song helped us to become a household name. A lot of people don't know that, and that's the reason I'm selecting the song. We were still struggling as a band, and we didn't really have too much going for us - But it became a hit single. And that's why it's pretty important. That single sold around 360,000 copies, which is amazing. It put it in the charts, and it put us on Top Of The Pops. Wolverhampton Wanders took the song on as their anthem, which was great. The song got us noticed in the industry, and led to British Steel, which consolidated Priest as the archetypal heavy metal band".
 
I thought Dave Ellefson quit taking drugs...

Permanent brain damage.
 
It's a shame that Priest depends of this guy to tour. I want to see their faces when Ozzy tell them he cancels his tour before the summer because he will do a second farewell tour with Sabbath guys LOL
 
I'd like see Ozzy myself, not really hear his songs. But at least seeing him would be pretty cool though.
 
Ian Hill might just be the most boring bassist in any classic, high profile metal band. There's literally zero bass lines I can recall after spending the previous 12 months listening to every JP album 4-5 times each.

The only ones I can recall are solo lines (The Rage, like terrell said) or during cleaner sections where he isn't being drowned out by the guitarists (Night Comes Down, Evil Never Dies... er, something else), he seems to follow the guitar lines so closely it's hard to separate him in the mix. I don't think you can fault his playing for not being super technical though, he does what he needs to do and he does it well.
 
The only ones I can recall are solo lines (The Rage, like terrell said) or during cleaner sections where he isn't being drowned out by the guitarists (Night Comes Down, Evil Never Dies... er, something else), he seems to follow the guitar lines so closely it's hard to separate him in the mix. I don't think you can fault his playing for not being super technical though, he does what he needs to do and he does it well.

Sure, he doesn’t have to be an overly technical or virtuoso player, but his bass lines are literally non-existent in both composition and mix. David Ellefson himself fits your description as well, yet he sits well in the mix and actually adds to the songs with his playing instead of just playing behind them.

IMO a good bassist should fill out the songs while also adding another dimension to the overall sound, not simply play root notes to add a sub-octave to a guitar. I’d say Geezer Butler is possibly the best metal bassist in terms of style without being overly flashy.
 
Rob calls Ian the "walking encyclopedia of all things Judas Priest" however I beg to differ!
Heard an interview few years ago where The Rage was discussed and Ian stated every now & then they play it live but it's been a while; then the interviewer pointed out Priest had just finished the British Steel anniversary tour where The Rage was played every night! Too this Ian said "oh yeah...I forgot about that"
 
Back
Top