Judas Priest

If any band was ever the epitome of heavy metal, it is Judas Priest. Loud, unpretentious, with one-word song titles that often describe what the music sounds like (i.e. "Ripper", "Grinder", "Jawbreaker", etc.) Rob Halford's solo work, as well as that of his band Fight, is pretty good, although it does sound a lot like Judas Priest. :) Be sure to also check out the two tribute CDs...

"Rocka Rolla" (import w/ original art)

  1. "One for the Road" (4:34)
  2. "Rocka Rolla" (3:04)
  3. "Winter" (1:41)
  4. "Deep Freeze"--instrumental (1:20)
  5. "Winter Retreat" (3:27)
  6. "Cheater" (2:55)
  7. "Never Satisfied" (4:50)
  8. "Run of the Mill" (8:30)
  9. "Dying to Meet You" (6:15)
  10. "Caviar and Meths"--instrumental (2:00)
  11. "Diamonds and Rust" (3:13)

The cover on the domestic release of this CD is the dorkiest thing I've ever seen, so I specially ordered the import version, even though it's not my favorite of albums. This album came out in 1974, so it hardly sounds at all like modern heavy metal, but at the time, it was the heaviest stuff out there. The band pictures are a riot, especially K.K. Downing wearing a cowboy hat (!) -- and Rob Halford actually has HAIR!!!!! The bonus track "Diamonds and Rust" is simply an early recording of the song, though you can hardly tell any difference.

"Sad Wings of Destiny"

  1. "Victim of Changes" (7:54)
  2. "The Ripper" (2:50)
  3. "Dreamer Deceiver" (5:56)
  4. "Deceiver" (2:46)
  5. "Prelude"--instrumental (2:01)
  6. "Tyrant" (4:26)
  7. "Genocide" (5:47)
  8. "Epitaph" (3:16)
  9. "Island of Domination" (4:26)

A lot of great songs on this one, especially "Victims of Changes" (which was covered by Forbidden at their live shows) and of course the famous "Ripper" (which has been covered by EVERYONE!!! Including Agent Steel...)

All right, Sentinel, you convinced me...this album DOES sound like Priest...well, EARLY Priest, anyway!

"Sin After Sin"

  1. "Sinner" (6:43)
  2. "Diamonds and Rust" (3:23)
  3. "Starbreaker" (4:47)
  4. "Last Rose of Summer" (5:38)
  5. "Let Us Prey" (6:14)
  6. "Call for the Priest/Raw Deal" (7:11)
  7. "Here Come the Tears" (3:36)
  8. "Dissident Aggressor" (3:06)

This was one of the first early Priest albums I bought, and I liked it immediately. "Sinner" has a real powerhouse rhythm to it, while "Call for the Priest" and "Let Us Prey" are excellently constructed. (Those songs are mislabeled, in fact -- track #5 should be "Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest" while track #6 is actually "Raw Deal". How come they never corrected it?) And who doesn't love "Diamonds and Rust", a cover of the Joan Baez song? Slayer does a blistering version of "Dissident Aggressor".

"Stained Class"

  1. "Exciter" (5:34)
  2. "White Heat, Red Hot" (4:20)
  3. "Better by You, Better Than Me" (3:24)
  4. "Stained Class" (5:19)
  5. "Invader" (4:12)
  6. "Saints in Hell" (5:30)
  7. "Savage" (3:27)
  8. "Beyond the Realms of Death" (6:53)
  9. "Heroes End" (5:01)

This was the first album where Judas Priest started to sound like Judas Priest. "Exciter" goes lightning-fast, "Saints in Hell" is slow and heavy, both in their trademark style. The title track is one of my favorite of all Priest songs -- whereas "Beyond the Realms of Death" is my favorite Priest song title. :) (It's been covered by Blind Guardian and Helstar, too.)

Oh yeah...this was the album that caused all that brouhaha about backward masking seducing two teenagers to off themselves with a shotgun. The band's victory over that pointless tort was one of the few times in history that our American civil system actually WORKED (unlike that ridiculous $32 million O.J. judgment...Hey! can somebody famous kill my son, please? I want lots of money too!) Come on, they WANTED to kill themselves already, and more power too 'em, I might need their oxygen someday, and if you're gonna go, why not put on some of your favorite tunes to ease the passage into eternity? All their parents cared about was milking money from the band, just like everybody these days, it's all ME ME ME and hey! How about that stupid old bitch who spilled coffee on herself and collected beaucoup bucks from McDonalds? Or that fucking brat who did the nasty with Michael Jackson and walked away with six mil, making him the highest paid boy-whore in history? Or how about...uh, oops got off on a rant here. Sorry.

"Hell Bent for Leather"

  1. "Delivering the Goods" (4:16)
  2. "Rock Fever" (3:19)
  3. "Evening Star" (4:04)
  4. "Hell Bent for Leather" (2:39)
  5. "Take on the World" (3:02)
  6. "Burnin' Up" (4:00)
  7. "The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Pronged Crown)" (3:21)
  8. "Killing Machine" (3:02)
  9. "Running Wild" (2:57)
  10. "Before the Dawn" (3:22)
  11. "Evil Fantasies" (4:13)

All these songs are just basic rockers, unlike the more complicated stuff they did previously. The chains-and-leather image is starting to take hold here, which would inspire countless other, lesser bands. "Green Manalishi" is originally by Fleetwood Mac, believe it or not (Corrosion of Conformity has also covered that song.) Skid Row has done a live version of "Delivering the Goods", with Rob Halford on vocals!

"Priest in the East: Live in Japan"

  1. "Exciter" (5:37)
  2. "Running Wild" (2:52)
  3. "Sinner" (7:32)
  4. "Ripper" (2:41)
  5. "The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Pronged Crown)" (3:29)
  6. "Diamonds and Rust" (3:33)
  7. "Victim of Changes" (7:11)
  8. "Genocide" (7:21)
  9. "Tyrant" (4:41)
  10. "Rock Forever" (3:27)
  11. "Delivering the Goods" (4:14)
  12. "Hell Bent for Leather" (2:40)
  13. "Starbreaker" (5:59)

Japanese import version of Unleashed in the East, with four extra tracks. Apparently the bonus songs come from a bonus 7" that was packaged with the original crappy vinyl pressing. Hmm, first time I've ever heard of that...

"British Steel"

  1. "Breaking the Law" (2:33)
  2. "Rapid Fire" (4:07)
  3. "Metal Gods" (3:58)
  4. "Grinder" (3:57)
  5. "United" (3:30)
  6. "Living After Midnight" (3:29)
  7. "Don't Have to be Old to be Wise" (5:03)
  8. "The Rage" (4:44)
  9. "Steeler" (4:30)

This was the album where Priest began to get noticed, at least by my generation. (A lot of people are surprised that they did anything before "Breaking the Law"!) Oh yes, and see what I mean by the one-word titles?

"Point of Entry"

  1. "Heading Out to the Highway" (3:44)
  2. "Don't Go" (3:17)
  3. "Hot Rockin'" (3:14)
  4. "Turning Circles" (3:39)
  5. "Desert Plains" (4:30)
  6. "Solar Angels" (4:02)
  7. "You Say Yes" (3:25)
  8. "All the Way" (3:47)
  9. "Troubleshooter" (3:57)
  10. "On the Run" (3:41)

This album is kinda dull by comparison, though contains many great songs. "Desert Plains" is another of my favorites, and I wish they had included the live version on Priest...Live!, I know they performed it on that tour, I was there!

"Screaming for Vengeance"

  1. "The Hellion"--instrumental (0:41)
  2. "Electric Eye" (3:39)
  3. "Riding on the Wind" (3:07)
  4. "Bloodstone" (3:51)
  5. "(Take These) Chains" (3:07)
  6. "Pain and Pleasure" (4:17)
  7. "Screaming for Vengeance" (4:43)
  8. "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" (5:09)
  9. "Fever" (5:20)
  10. "Devil's Child" (4:48)

This was one of the very first REAL heavy metal albums I ever bought on crappy vinyl, at which point I was stepping beyond my friends' regular tastes of Def Leppard and Motley Crue. Had to find a new crowd then. :) Oh yeah, and "Devil's Child" really freaked out my Christian parents. FUCK 'em, I say...

Oh, and if you haven't heard Pat Boone's version of "You've Got Another Thing Coming", you should! It's freaking hilarious!! (In addition, "Screaming for Vengeance" has been covered by Iced Earth, and "Riding on the Wind" has been covered by Witchery.)

"Defenders of the Faith"

  1. "Freewheel Burning" (4:24)
  2. "Jawbreaker" (3:27)
  3. "Rock Hard Ride Free" (5:35)
  4. "The Sentinel" (5:04)
  5. "Love Bites" (4:47)
  6. "Eat Me Alive" (3:34)
  7. "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" (4:07)
  8. "Night Comes Down" (4:00)
  9. "Heavy Duty" (2:25)
  10. "Defenders of the Faith" (1:32)

Another very good album. "Freewheel Burning" is the fastest song Priest has ever done, and contains one of their most anthemic guitar solos ever, and as a bonus their video featured scenes from Pole Position, my favorite video game at the time! Oh yeah, I never did mention the brutal dual-guitar work of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton...their fretwork on "Sentinel" is a mighty duel, yes.

"ABC Defenders" (CDR; 5/5/84, Long Beach Arena, USA)

  1. "Love Bites" (5:50)
  2. "Jawbreaker" (3:54)
  3. "Grinder" (4:09)
  4. "Metal Gods" (4:05)
  5. "Breaking the Law" (2:36)
  6. "Desert Plains" (4:41)
  7. "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" (4:29)
  8. "The Sentinel" (5:53)
  9. "Rock Hard, Ride Free" (2:56)
  10. "Hellion/Electric Eye" (4:08)
  11. "Freewheel Burning" (4:33)
  12. "Victim of Changes" (9:39)
  13. "Green Manalishi" (5:03)
  14. "Living After Midnight" (3:52)

Absolutely marvelous-sounding bootleg from the Defenders tour, might as well be an official release. (Indeed, two or three live "bonus tracks" on the remastered CD's were taken straight from this concert, though I don't recall which ones.) The only major disappointment is "Desert Plains", which sounds totally balls stupid in this show, and I remember them playing it a LOT better on the Turbo tour. (Go figure!)

"Turbo"

  1. "Turbo Lover" (5:33)
  2. "Locked In" (4:19)
  3. "Private Property" (4:29)
  4. "Parental Guidance" (3:25)
  5. "Rock You All Around the World" (3:37)
  6. "Out in the Cold" (6:27)
  7. "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days" (4:39)
  8. "Hot for Love" (4:12)
  9. "Reckless" (4:17)

Most of my friends hated the direction they took on this album, where they ditched the chains & leather and used lots of synthesized guitar...hey, c'mon guys, I like this album! At least the songs "Turbo Lover" and "Out in the Cold". Okay, "Parental Guidance" is pretty awful, but then, Priest has ALWAYS had at least one or two ho-hum songs on their albums...

"Priest...Live!"

  1. "Out in the Cold" (6:40)
  2. "Heading Out to the Highway" (4:30)
  3. "Metal Gods" (4:20)
  4. "Breaking the Law" (2:37)
  5. "Love Bites" (5:16)
  6. "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" (4:09)
  7. "The Sentinel" (5:05)
  8. "Private Property" (4:17)
  9. "Rock You All Around the World" (3:46)
  10. "Electric Eye" (4:20)
  11. "Turbo Lover" (5:53)
  12. "Freewheel Burning" (4:55)
  13. "Parental Guidance" (4:10)
  14. "Living after Midnight" (6:16)
  15. "You've Got Another Thing Coming" (7:46)

A fairly good live album, although they did use too many songs from Turbo (well DUH, it was recorded on that tour.) Still a great selection of songs, much like the concert I saw (except they didn't use "Desert Plains", dammit.) The reason everyone starts cheering in the middle of the first verse of "Out in the Cold" is because that's the point when Rob Halford came onstage.

"Priest, Live & Rare" (CDR; various sources)

  1. "Beyond the Realms of Death" (7:04)
  2. "White Heat, Red Hot" (4:33)
  3. "Starbreaker" (7:21)
  4. "Breaking the Law" (2:35)
  5. "Living After Midnight" (4:22)
  6. "The Green Manalishi" (5:02)
  7. "Breaking the Law" (2:44)
  8. "You've Got Another Thing Coming" (7:37)
  9. "Private Property" (5:15)
  10. "Turbo Lover"--studio track, "Hi-Octane Mix" (7:22)

Just a bunch of live tracks, all taken from 12" crappy vinyl singles from Stained Class to Turbo. The first two songs are the most vital, as they were rarely performed by the band in concert. (Although "Beyond the Realms" became a staple, later on.) Dunno why two versions of "Breaking the Law" are necessary, except that they come from different singles. In the first one, Halford doesn't even sing the chorus...dunno if he just forgot (like that's even possible, it's only three fucking words!) or if he hoped the audience would sing along, and either THEY didn't know the words, or the microphones didn't pick it up. Tracks 8 & 9, while from the Turbo tour, come from a different source than the live album. And then there's that fucking "Turbo Lover" remix, which would be perfect to torture terrorists with.

(Hmm, turns out this isn't a bootleg after all, but a rare official import -- no WONDER I could never find it on anyone's trading list!)

"Ram it Down"

  1. "Ram it Down" (4:48)
  2. "Heavy Metal" (5:57)
  3. "Love Zone" (3:58)
  4. "Come and Get It" (4:07)
  5. "Hard as Iron" (4:08)
  6. "Blood Red Skies" (7:50)
  7. "I'm a Rocker" (3:58)
  8. "Johnny B. Goode" (4:38)
  9. "Love You to Death" (4:36)
  10. "Monsters of Rock" (5:31)

"Johnny B. Goode", the theme song to that awful movie, came out a while before this album did, and at first I thought, oh dear what have they done?? Thankfully, it was unlike anything else on this album, which is full of plain old hard rockers and much less synthesizer work. "Blood Red Skies" and "Love Zone" in particular are some of their best songs ever. Another cool concert, too.

"Painkiller"

  1. "Painkiller" (6:05)
  2. "Hell Patrol" (3:36)
  3. "All Guns Blazing" (3:56)
  4. "Leather Rebel" (3:35)
  5. "Metal Meltdown" (4:47)
  6. "Night Crawler" (5:44)
  7. "Between the Hammer & the Anvil" (4:48)
  8. "A Touch of Evil" (5:45)
  9. "Battle Hymn"--instrumental (0:56)
  10. "One Shot at Glory" (6:48)

Not as excellent as their previous, but still better than Turbo (okay, I'll admit it...that album really DID suck...) Unfortunately, Halford split the band after this one, so it's probably the last real Priest album we'll ever hear...

"Jugulator"

  1. "Jugulator" (5:51)
  2. "Blood Stained" (5:26)
  3. "Dead Meat" (4:44)
  4. "Death Row" (5:04)
  5. "Decapitate" (4:39)
  6. "Burn in Hell" (6:42)
  7. "Brain Dead" (5:24)
  8. "Abductors" (5:49)
  9. "Bullet Train" (5:11)
  10. "Cathedral Spies" (9:17)

...well, I will admit one thing...sometimes when I'm wrong, I'm glad to be wrong. I was dead certain that Priest was destined to fall down the tubes a la Iron Maiden after Rob Halford left, since it's hard to imagine ANY worthwhile incarnation of Judas Priest w/o Halford (kinda like Genesis without Phil Collins...heh.) But when I saw this CD in the used bins, I figured what the hell, I'll listen to it anyway. Well, suffice to say that 30 seconds later, I was on my way home with this CD in my pocket!

Okay, a few songs do get old rather quickly, but that's hardly any surprise. "Burn in Hell" and "Cathedral Spies" are fantastic songs, and overall the CD has a fresh sound to it, yet retaining the musicality of essential Priest. So it looks like these boys aren't down for the count yet...

"'98 Metal Meltdown" (live 2CD)

    disc one:
  1. "The Hellion"--instrumental (1:08)
  2. "Electric Eye" (3:47)
  3. "Metal Gods" (4:09)
  4. "Grinder" (4:26)
  5. "Rapid Fire" (4:24)
  6. "Blood Stained" (5:08)
  7. "The Sentinel" (5:46)
  8. "Touch of Evil" (5:51)
  9. "Burn in Hell" (5:34)
  10. "The Ripper" (3:51)
  11. "Bullet Train" (5:58)
  12. "Beyond the Realms of Death" (7:13)
  13. "Death Row" (4:24)
    disc two:
  1. "Metal Meltdown" (5:02)
  2. "Night Crawler" (6:11)
  3. "Abductors" (5:54)
  4. "Victim of Changes" (8:31)
  5. "Diamonds & Rust" (3:54)
  6. "Breaking the Law" (2:36)
  7. "The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Pronged Crown)" (4:53)
  8. "Painkiller" (6:28)
  9. "You've Got Another Thing Coming" (8:35)
  10. "Hell Bent for Leather" (3:48)
  11. "Living After Midnight" (6:03)

Well, when you're a classic band with a new lead singer, the best test is to see how well your new guy does with the old songs. Hence, this double live set, covering songs from Painkiller all the way back to Sad Wings of Destiny. And dang me, but "Ripper" Owens does a fantastic job here. Even though his vocal style sounds nothing like Halford, his voice fits the music PERFECTLY. I also like how he screams to the audience, "WHAT'S MY NAME??" when introducing "The Ripper"...cute. :) Absolutely the best live Priest album ever done, Halford or no Halford.

"Demolition"

  1. "Machine Man" (5:35)
  2. "One on One" (6:44)
  3. "Hell is Home" (6:18)
  4. "Jekyll and Hyde" (3:19)
  5. "Close to You" (4:28)
  6. "Devil Digger" (4:45)
  7. "Bloodsuckers" (6:18)
  8. "In Between" (5:41)
  9. "Feed on Me" (5:28)
  10. "Subterfuge" (5:12)
  11. "Lost and Found" (4:57)
  12. "Cyberface" (6:45)
  13. "Metal Messiah" (5:14)

Hmm...good album, and quite a few songs sound like vintage Priest (esp. "Machine Man", "Hell is Home" and "Subterfuge") but others don't sound like Priest at all -- "Jekyll and Hyde" has a HORN SECTION, for chrissakes! It's about the same quality as Jugulator but I just don't see myself spinning this very often, nothing really stands out.

Of course, with the impending Halford reunion, "Ripper" Owens got the boot. He's now the new lead singer for...get this...Iced Earth!! That's strange, I always figured he'd wind up in a Seattle nightclub, singing acoustic songs that come straight from the heart. Suddenly, his ex-girlfriend shows up, and in a sticky-sweet sentimental moment, they hug. And kiss. The audience cheers. The credits roll. Not a dry eye in the house. Oh wait...I was thinking of that Rock Star movie instead.

"Bonus Tracks" (CDR compilation)

  1. "Race with the Devil" (3:08)
  2. "Fire Burns Below" (7:00)
  3. "Fight for Your Life" (4:07)
  4. "Red White & Blue" (3:44)
  5. "Thunder Road" (5:13)
  6. "Prisoner of Your Eyes" (7:14)
  7. "Turn on Your Light" (5:25)
  8. "All Fired Up" (4:45)
  9. "Living Bad Dreams" (5:23)
  10. "Turbo Lover"--Hi-Octane Mix (7:23)
    Ripper Owens vox:
  11. "What's My Name" (3:48)
  12. "Green Manalishi" (4:13)
  13. "Rapid Fire" (4:01)

Normally, when a band remasters its entire catalog and adds bonus tracks to bait us neurotic "completist" types, I don't mind so much, as long as they come from the era when the original album was released. Instead, Priest decided to sprinkle all their various unreleased studio and live tracks, mostly from the Defenders and Turbo eras, with complete disregard for whether or not they fit each particular album's style. Who the fuck came up with THAT stupid idea? Don't they know such greedy sheenanigans are moot, what with unlimited file-trading at our fingertips these days? Or...in this case...locating a friend who's a total Judas Priest nutcase already, and who had already purchased all the new remasters, and agreed to burn me a compilation of the bonus tracks onto one disc -- after much begging and arm-twisting, of course. :)

Of all these songs, only "Race with the Devil" (added to Sin after Sin) sounds at all like early Priest. Indeed, most of these tracks are clearly outtakes from the Turbo sessions, as that's the only time they experimented with synthesized guitars, and that sound is unmistakeable. "Fight for Your Life" (added to Hell Bent for Leather) is quite obviously an earlier version of "Rock Hard Ride Free", which wasn't released until four albums later! I'm not sure what era "Red, White & Blue" came from, but it's anthemic, patriotic style made me wonder, "Why is Halford saluting the American flag? Being English, wouldn't a song for the Union Jack make more sense...oh wait, they have those same colors, too!"

The last three tracks are taken from a "Special Tour Edition" of Demolition, with Marky Mark -- oops I mean Ripper Owens :) -- on vocals, consisting of one new song and two older, Halford-era songs. As for the "Hi-Octane Remix" of "Turbo", well, I get the feeling that my friend knows my aversion to remixes and decided to fuck with my head. Truly, as far as remixes go, this is one of the most annoying and irritating I've ever heard. But, not to worry. I'll get him back someday. :) :) :)

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