Judas Priest

[Matt Wilson]

Don't know how much traffic this thread will have, because I'm not sure how many head bangers frequent BCB, but I'll give it a go. Metal is something we don't discuss much. Punk is cooler and isn't attached to stereotypes of denim-clad boys with pimples and misanthropic values who live in trailor parks and never talk to girls. Debating what is or what is not 'metal' can be as enervating as our current discussion on prog. I guess punk would fall into the same category. But, Priest are undeniably, unapologetically metal. Let there be no doubt. Anyway, off we go with Rocka Rolla...


Rocka Rolla 1974
Much like Yes, Genesis, ZZ Top, or even Caravan to an extent, Priest's debut is a bit tentative. It SOUNDS like JP, but at the same time it doesn't. The songs aren't really there in other words. I like quite a bit here to be honest, but things would improve considerably with the next LP. There's nothing really fast on this record for one thing, and Rob's trademark high-pitched scream is barely present. I guess I should talk about the development of heavy metal in the '70s briefly. Like we say that King Crimson really birthed prog in '69, Black Sabbath did the same with metal. Sure, there's many antecedents before that, but it's mostly blues rock or heavy psychedelia. There's a world of difference between what the Jimi Hendrix Experience or Cream were doing (or even Led Zeppelin) in the late '60s and what Sabbath did on that first album. Real metal doesn't rely on blues scales so much (Fripp didn't want to work with musicians who played blues either), and has nothing to do with psych. Now I have no problem with blues or blues rock myself, just relating what has been written by metal writers like Martin Popoff and many others. Anyway, enough with the history lesson. I see Judas Priest as the next major development in the metal timeline after Black Sabbath.

Rob Halford – vocals, harmonica
K. K. Downing – guitars
Glenn Tipton – guitars, synthesizers
Ian Hill – bass
John Hinch – drums

1. "One for the Road" (Rob Halford, K. K. Downing) 4:34
Yeah, I'm digging that slow, sensual rhythm here. It picks up and becomes a proper rocker soon enough. Another element of real metal is that there's a dark vibe, and it has to be heavy. Both elements are in effect here, but it's only 1974 and the genre is barely past its infancy. A tune to celebrate music and touring is a fine way to start things off for our soon-to-be leather boys.

Wiki - "Rocka Rolla is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 6 September 1974 by Gull Records. It was produced by Rodger Bain, who had made a name for himself as the producer of Black Sabbath's first three albums. It is the only album to feature drummer John Hinch. According to the band, the album was entirely played live, in studio (i.e. all musicians playing simultaneously as in a concert, vs. the more popular method of each musician's parts being recorded separately and then mixing them).

According to the band there were technical problems in the studio, resulting in poor sound quality and a hiss through the album. Guitarist Glenn Tipton had just joined when recording of Rocka Rolla began and did not contribute any songwriting except on the title track and "Run of the Mill". He did come up with the songs "Tyrant", "Epitaph", and "Ripper", but Bain considered them not commercial enough and rejected them. Bain also rejected the concert staple "Whiskey Woman" which later, with contributions from Tipton, morphed into "Victim of Changes". These songs were eventually all included on their next album, Sad Wings of Destiny."

Damn, can you imagine rejecting those songs? LOL.

2. "Rocka Rolla" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 3:05
Another good 'un where Rob extols the virtues of a hard-living woman not unlike the one he'd present us with in "Victim of Changes" later. Catchy, short, could have been a hit.

"At this point of the band's career, they had not yet developed their signature look of leather and studs. They had appeared on a British television programme called The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1975, performing "Rocka Rolla" and "Dreamer Deceiver", and their wardrobe was very "hippified" as journalist Malcolm Dome put it. This footage was included on the Electric Eye DVD. In addition, the album is more blues/hard rock oriented than their later releases, and also has some slight progressive rock influences that would continue through to Stained Class, but to a lesser extent, and would be abandoned in later releases. This makes the album's style virtually unrecognizable when compared with later Priest albums, although "Rocka Rolla" does feature dual guitars and "Run of the Mill" is the first song that was explicitly designed for Halford's, rather than Atkins', vocal range. The original UK LP has a longer version of "Rocka Rolla" than the version used for the US LP release, and most CD releases. It has an extra verse and chorus at the beginning of the song." - Wikipedia

3. "Winter" (Al Atkins, K.K. Downing, Ian Hill) 1:41
Slow, effects-laden (in the beginning) piece which sounds like the guys experimenting in the studio more than anything else. It does get loud though and it seems to concern itself with a young man already feeling old, like he is tired and has no place to go. This and the next two tracks all form a suite. Wikipedia: "Drummer John Hinch was dismissed in 1975 before the next record was recorded. Tipton would later refer to him as being "musically inadequate" for the band's future plans." Ouch!

4. "Deep Freeze" (K.K. Downing) 1:21
A continuation of the same themes really. The narrator feels the chill of Winter coming on both literally and metaphorically. Wikipedia - "The album was reissued several times over the years and in 1984 it was reissued with a different cover. The original "bottle cap" album cover art was initially intended by designer John Pasche for use with an unspecified Rolling Stones album. The band had filed a lawsuit with the Coca-Cola company."

5. "Winter Retreat" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing) 3:28
Suddenly, all is right with the world as the sun shines and our hero feels all better. A lot of feedback in the beginning almost reminds me of Hendrix. Some of the gentlest passages on the record are here.

6. "Cheater" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing) 2:59
The last cut on side one is a rocker (with harmonica no less!) with a decidedly bluesy feel which is okay by me. The singer has found his woman in bed with another man and off to the dresser to get his gun he goes. Not exactly an English thing really, but then Rob wouldn't find his 'woman' in bed with a man either, would he?

Wiki - "The very rare first printing of the UK LP has the words "Thanks for the words Al!" printed last in the credits in the blue circle on the back cover. This, presumably a reference to original singer Al Atkins, has been removed on other versions of the Gull vinyl.



7. "Never Satisfied" (Al Atkins, K.K. Downing) 4:50
We're never satisfied, you see, and life is strange and I'm gonna reach for a gun (again), etc. The second side opens with another pretty good riff rocker. This one kinda sounds like what Priest would become. I like it. Rob does scream on this track - a harbinger of things to come!

"Most of the songs from Rocka Rolla have not been performed by Judas Priest live since the mid-late 1970s, although Halford's solo band performed "Never Satisfied" during live shows in 2003, and the same song was part of the setlist of the Epitaph World Tour. "Rocka Rolla" was performed for the first time since 1976 at Bloodstock Open Air in 2021." - Wikipedia

8. "Run of the Mill" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 8:34
Easily the longest track on the record starts of slowly and deals with another narrator consumed by life's despondency. Depression really seems to be a theme with these guys and I guess their multitude of fans relate in some way. Halford can sing in different registers and most of them are effective. Tell me that this one isn't bluesy though... There's an elongated guitar solo which I quite like as well. But then I would, right? Rob is screaming again too!

Wiki - "Run of the Mill" is a ballad by English rock band Judas Priest from their debut album Rocka Rolla. The song was the first written by guitarist K. K. Downing, soon after vocalist Rob Halford joined the band. Downing wrote it, in part, to display Halford's unique vocal range.

The track was first recorded as a demo circa 1973, along with another early Priest song, "Whiskey Woman". This track would later surface in altered form on Priest's second album as "Victim of Changes". Priest's manager at the time, Dave Corke, brought the demo to Gull Records, who would later sign Priest after their president, David Howells, attended a performance of the band, with Budgie at London's Marquee Club on 11 February 1974. The song was later recorded properly for their debut, Rocka Rolla, in the summer of 1974.

The song's lyrics are about a poor old man, whose "prospects" for a good life "vanished", now embattled and confused by today's society. Following the first two verses is a long guitar jam with Glenn Tipton and Downing. At the end of the song, the music gets heavier as Halford shows off his vocal range by wailing the end lines.

"Run of the Mill" was Priest's longest recorded track until "Cathedral Spires", a track from their 1997 album, Jugulator. It was also the longest track co-written by Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, and K. K. Downing prior to "Lochness", a track from their 2005 album, Angel of Retribution.

Although Priest has not performed the song since the mid-1970s, many fans and critics consider it to be one of the highlights of the album and a classic early Priest track."

9. "Dying to Meet You/Hero, Hero" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing) 6:23
An attack on soldiers who kill for king and country, or patriotism, or simply because they're told to, I assume. Don't care for Rob's baritone in this song either. But we're almost at the end and enough good music has already been heard so this cut doesn't bother me. Right before the four-minute mark the time signature changes (yes, there are little prog elements in some of these songs), and it sounds like a whole different thing. I like this second part better actually.

10. "Caviar and Meths" (Instrumental) (Al Atkins, K.K. Downing, Ian Hill) 2:02
A slow fade in to a snippet of a longer song (you can hear the whole thing on youtube, it's not the fourteen-minute Atkins version, but a seven-minute Priest tune).

"Several of the songs on the album feature contributions from the band's previous frontman Al Atkins and had been regular parts of their live performances in Manchester, where the band had achieved a cult following during the previous few years. The track "Caviar and Meths" was originally a 14-minute effort penned by Atkins, Downing, and Hill but due to time constraints, only the intro was recorded for the album. A longer version of the song appears on Atkins's 1998 album Victim of Changes. Though not the full-length version, it is notably longer at seven minutes. That album also contains covers of "Winter" and "Never Satisfied". - Wikipedia

[Matt Wilson]

Sad Wings of Destiny 1976
Now we're talkin'. Okay, this is where I make the demarcation of the next major step in '70s metal. SWoD is twice the album that Rocka Rolla was. More fully-developed songs, cooler LP cover, the first appearance of the Priest symbol (look at what the angel is wearing around his neck), etc. You really get the feel that a new, post-Sabbath genre is being born here. Not to mention that the Sabs were just starting to fall from grace that year with Technical Ecstasy (though I don't mind that record at all). Wiki - "Sad Wings of Destiny is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 23 March 1976 by Gull Records. It is considered the album on which Judas Priest consolidated their sound and image, and songs from it such as "Victim of Changes" and "The Ripper" have since become live standards. It was the band's only album to feature drummer Alan Moore.

Noted for its riff-driven sound and the wide range of Rob Halford's vocals, the album displays a wide variety of styles, moods, and textures, inspired by an array of groups such as Queen, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. The centerpiece "Victim of Changes" is an eight-minute track featuring heavy riffing trading off with high-pitched vocals, extended guitar leads, and a slow, moody breakdown toward the end. "Tyrant" and "The Ripper" are short, dense, high-powered rockers with many parts and changes. Riffs and solos dominate "Genocide", "Island of Domination", and "Deceiver", and the band finds more laid-back moments in the crooning piano-backed "Epitaph" and the moody "Dreamer Deceiver".

Sad Wings of Destiny had a positive reception but weak sales. The band recorded their first two albums with the independent Gull label under tight budgets; after living off a single meal per day while working side jobs to support themselves, the group grew frustrated with the financial situation and signed with CBS Records for their next album, Sin After Sin (1977). Breaking their contract resulted in the rights to Sad Wings of Destiny and its demo recordings falling into Gull's hands. In retrospect, the album has received acclaim as one of the most important albums in heavy metal history, with the album's image and style going on to influence many later metal bands, as well as later Judas Priest albums."

- Damn right!

Rob Halford – vocals
K. K. Downing – guitars
Glenn Tipton – guitars, piano, organ
Ian Hill – bass
Alan Moore – drums

1. "Victim of Changes" (Al Atkins, Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford, K. K. Downing) 7:47
Another slow fade in becomes a head bangin' riff rocker about another hard-livin' whiskey-drenched woman similar to the one in "Rocka Roller" from the previous LP (I wonder if it was the same person?). There's also the same theme of getting older that permeated certain songs on Rocka Rolla. Outstanding!

Wiki: "The nearly eight-minute "Victim of Changes" displays a wide dynamic range in rhythm, texture, and mood, with heavy riffing, a melodic ballad section, and extended guitar leads. An almost classical-sounding twin-guitar introduction leads to the violent main riff. The lyrics tell of a woman whose hard-drinking results in losing her man to another woman. Inspired by Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog", the heavy riff alternates with a cappella passages, Halford breaking into screaming falsettos during the slow break and dramatic conclusion of the song.

The track began as two songs: "Whiskey Woman" and "Red Light Lady". "Whiskey Woman" was an early Priest song by Downing and Atkins that the band chose not to include on their first album, though it had long been a crowd-pleasing opener at live shows and features on early demo recordings. To this the band wove in the slow "Red Light Lady", a song Halford brought with him from his previous band, Hiroshima.

Adrien Begrand, writing for PopMatters, claimed the song changed the course of metal history. Vocalist Rob Halford's performance is considered one of his finest ever. The guitar work is noted as well; Bob Gendron praised the song's "landslide riffs" in the Chicago Tribune. The song has come to be regarded as one of the band's classics, and Martin Popoff listed it at No. 17 in his "Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time".

2. "The Ripper" (Glen Tipton) 2:50
Short, sharp, intense little ditty about Saucy Jack which is another Priest classic and certain highlight of this record. This one-two punch is similar to the first two cuts on the debut, but far better, of course. Wikipedia - "A busy, chugging, riff-heavy rocker, "The Ripper" features arrangements inspired by Queen–particularly in the high-pitched layered opening vocals and classical-tinged twin guitars. The lyrics of the Tipton-penned track are from the point of view of Victorian serial killer Jack the Ripper."

3. "Dreamer Deceiver" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glen Tipton, Al Atkins) 5:51
The first part of this cut is very slow and Halford sings in a higher register. It segues right into "Deceiver" and they form an eight-and-a-half minute track much like the three "Winter" cuts did previously. Another cool-as-fuck guitar solo, heaviness dominates, all is right with the world. "A slow ballad with crooning vocals and screaming lead soloing, the song serves as introduction to the heavy "Deceiver" which follows it. Atkins originally received partial credit for both tracks, but disclaimed involvement in them; later releases removed it. - Wiki

Hard to say what he's on about here. Apparently, people are descended into the cosmos or something by a higher-power being who promises something - bliss, nirvana? and then things go awry and the people can't get out.

4. "Deceiver" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 2:40
Wikipedia: "A heavy song with a chugging riff presaging the technical style of speed metal, "Deceiver" features energetic soloing and a heavy, Black Sabbath-like break with soaring, high-pitched vocals, climaxing in a repetitive acoustic closing. Unlike other songs on the album, the song is a "spacy ballad". The song is known for showing off Rob Halford's full vocal range, starting from soft, quiet singing, to high pitched shrieking. It was performed by the band on the British television programme The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1975.

The 2-part medley was released as a single in Japan in 1976 calling the first song "I – Dreamer Deceiver" and the second song "II – Deceiver".

The lyrics describe a mystical figure who takes the narrator up through the sky. He ends up "lost above", but is "in peace of mind". He then instructs the listener to try to find a way. The guitar solo is played by Glenn Tipton. This song segues into the next song, "Deceiver", via a long, high pitched scream by Halford."



5. "Prelude" (Glenn Tipton) 2:02
Piano chords in a most un-Priestlike manner start off side two.

"Prelude" is a short baroque instrumental, alternating between the tonic and dominant, and is arranged for piano, synthesizer, guitars, and tom-tom drums. Despite the title, "Prelude" is musically unrelated to the following track, "Tyrant". - Wiki

6. "Tyrant" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) 4:28
And the rocker comes right after. Despite what wiki says above, I've always thought of this as the logical extension of "Prelude." Standard lyrics describe a dictator/tyrant and his effects on the people. It almost could have been on the first LP. "A short track full of many parts and tempo changes, Halford has said "Tyrant" expresses his "aversion towards any form of control". - Wikipedia

7. "Genocide" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 5:51
I guess there's a certain generic quality to this war-strewn tune which doesn't quite make the grade to me, but others love it, so there's that. Wiki: "A forward-looking, riff-heavy rocker, bearing the influence of heavy rockers such as the Deep Purple tracks "Woman from Tokyo" and "Burn". Halford expressed hope that the song's "strong and graphic" lyrics would "be provocative and somewhat controversial and to stimulate people". The phrase "sin after sin" from the lyrics to "Genocide" provided the title to the band's next album."

8. "Epitaph" (Glenn Tipton) 3:08
More piano and Rob's silly vocal stylings in another variant of old age and death. This one doesn't grab me either. "A quiet track with piano backing and Queen-like layered vocals, Halford said the lyrics to "Epitaph" express frustration at a lack of place for the young or old in modern cities." - Wiki

9. "Island of Domination" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 4:32
A full-on Priest rocker ends this album in fine form. Again, hard to decipher Rob's lyrics, but they're all about paranoia and there's perhaps a continuation of "Deceiver's" authority-figure-from-the-sky-coming-down-to-dominate quality.
Wikipedia - "The side-closing "Island of Domination" is a heavy rocker with a complex riff in a style reminiscent of Black Sabbath. Downing described the lyrics as personal to Halford, joking of their having "probably a few innuendoes".

The album had little commercial success at first and had difficulty getting noticed due to critical competition from the rise of punk rock. The band supported the album with a headlining tour of the UK from 6 April to 20 June 1976. The album peaked at No. 48 in the UK, and was awarded a gold record in 1989. Sad Wings of Destiny arrived at the same time as other influential metal albums from the late 70's – the same year saw the release of Rising from Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and Virgin Killer from Scorpions.

Fans, critics, and the band have come to see Sad Wings of Destiny as the album on which Judas Priest consolidated their sound and image. In Rolling Stone Kris Nicholson gave the album a positive review, comparing it favorably to Deep Purple's Machine Head of 1972. Martin Popoff cites the album's "reinvention" of the heavy metal genre. The technical dexterity and operatic vocals pointed toward trends in heavy metal that new wave of British heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden were to follow, and the album's dark themes reappeared in the 1980s American thrash metal, such as in the music of Slayer and Metallica. An early sign of the band's influence was that Van Halen included "Victim of Changes" in their sets before achieving fame. Dave Mustaine of Megadeth relates that his brother-in-law punched him in the face for listening to Sad Wings of Destiny; Mustaine called this a turning point, where he chose heavy metal as a career as "revenge". Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth named Sad Wings of Destiny his second favorite metal album. PopMatters described the album as "not-at-all shabby" and listed "Epitaph" as one of its "25 Best Progressive Rock Songs of All Time" in 2011. Halford has called the album his favorite of the band's."

[C]

I'm not a fan but I saw them at this festival in 1980 [Castle Donington]

I went for Rainbow and Scorpions







.

[Matt Wilson]

Yep, Scorpions were another great band doing similar music to Priest at the same time.

[C]

Yep, Scorpions were another great band doing similar music to Priest at the same time.

Michael Schenker had just left, I think (?), which was a disappointment





.

[Jumper K]

Hell Yeah! Good start Matt. I'm a metal head and Priest are undoubtedly metal. IMO it took them until Sin After Sin to fully crystallise the sound and the approach but the quantum leap from RR to Sad Wings is obvious. I still have a bit of a soft spot for Rocka Rolla and love the title track and Winter. Sad Wings is metal as we know it and at the time of its release was a real kick in the face. As a spotty teenage boy this was the soundtrack to my shitty life, along with Rising, In Rock and Paranoid and it thrills me to the day.I saw them on the Sad Wings Tour at the Wyvern in Swindon and it was a revelation. I was about to get into punk by then but would still listen to metal and would continue to buy the records. Metal for me has always been about the album, whilst punk very much the single.
Looking forward to the rest and I'll have more to say on the albums after Sad Wings.

[robertff]

Not a fan of JP I'm afraid Matt and not really a fan of metal bands although there are a few exceptions - heck it took me nearly 30 years before I bought a Black Sabbath album!

Great write up as usual though Matt and it'll be interesting to see how this goes.


.

[Matt Wilson]

Sin after Sin 1977
Another (I use that word too much in these reviews) step up from the previous album. I'd tell you Sin after Sin is wall-to-wall rockin' metal if not for the ballad on the first side. Priest were solidifying their vision at this point in their career. Each LP a more streamlined version of what they wanted to accomplish. They would perfect this on British Steel, but that doesn't mean it's their best offering. There really is something to be said about these '70s records. Metal was still finding its way, and there's also still more than a remnant of '70s blues rock to be heard. Once that was completely gone, the band stopped evolving. I'm gonna have to give that thesis some thought as I'm just typing what's popping into my head. I'll work on it and get back to you. Or not - sometimes I completely forget these things...

Wiki: "After releasing their first two albums on the small Gull label, Judas Priest grew dissatisfied with what they saw as a lack of financial support from their record company. Their previous album, Sad Wings of Destiny, caught the attention of CBS Records, and with the help of new manager David Hemmings, the band signed with CBS and received a £60,000 budget for the follow-up album, which was to draw its title phrase "sin after sin" from the lyrics to the song "Genocide" from the Sad Wings album. The move to CBS required breaking their contract with Gull, and once the legal dust had settled the band had forfeited the rights to those first two albums and all related recordings to Gull."

Rob Halford – vocals
K. K. Downing – guitars
Glenn Tipton – guitars, piano on "Here Come the Tears", arrangements on "Diamonds and Rust", organ on "Let Us Pray"
Ian Hill – bass

Additional Musicians
Simon Phillips – drums and percussion (Tracks 1-8)

1. "Sinner" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) 6:45
"Sinner" blasts forth from your speakers in style. I used the word "streamlined" earlier, and that's exactly what this sounds like. A perfect introduction to their best record yet. "Sacrifice to vice or die by the hand of the sinner," says our Rob. You can tell a lot of thought was put into the words to these songs. The band is formulating a style, a calling-card if you will, to aimless teenagers adrift in the world. They want to build an army of metal-heads. And that's just what they did of course.

"Rehearsals for the Sin After Sin sessions took place at Pinewood Studios in London, with recording commencing in January 1977 at The Who's Rampart Studios in the Battersea district of London. Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover was hired to produce the album with Mark Dodson serving as engineer. The band's studio experiences while with Gull were less than satisfying, particularly during the mixing of Rocka Rolla, and they were initially quite keen to produce Sin After Sin themselves. CBS, however, insisted on an experienced producer. Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover was suggested and the band agreed, but after one session the band fired Glover, informing him that they would continue on their own. After a few weeks of struggling with unsatisfactory recordings, the band recalled Glover and the sessions began anew, with only six allotted days remaining. It was also during this period that the band parted ways with drummer Alan Moore, feeling that his technique was too limited for their evolving sound. Session drummer Simon Phillips was brought in to finish the sessions." - Wikipedia

2. "Diamonds & Rust" (Joan Baez) 3:27
I've always loved their take on Baez's song about her relationship with Dylan for some reason. It's such a left field idea anyway, right? I guess I first heard the live version. You may be asking yourself what JP and Dylan have to do with each other. Well, the name comes from a tune on the John Wesley Harding album. Wiki - "The album includes a cover of the Joan Baez song "Diamonds & Rust", a decision which was encouraged by producer Roger Glover in the interest of adding a track with commercial potential. Indeed, "Diamonds & Rust" was the first song by Judas Priest to receive radio play, and Baez herself reportedly enjoyed the cover. This was the band's second attempt to cover the track, and the earlier version from the Gull Records era was only released in 1978 on the compilation album The Best of Judas Priest and as a bonus track on the 1987 reissue of Rocka Rolla."

But this version is better, folks.

"Diamonds & Rust" is a song written, composed, and performed by Joan Baez. It was written in November 1974 and released in 1975.In the song, Baez recounts an out-of-the-blue phone call from an old lover, which sends her a decade back in time, to a "crummy" hotel in Greenwich Village in about 1964 or 1965. She recalls giving him a pair of cufflinks, and surmises that memories bring "diamonds and rust". Baez has stated that the lyrics refer to her relationship with Bob Dylan.The song was a top 40 hit on the U.S. pop singles chart for Baez, and is regarded by a number of critics and fans as one of her best compositions. It served as the title song on her gold-selling album Diamonds & Rust, which was released in 1975.

The song alludes to Baez's relationship with Bob Dylan ten years previously. Although Dylan is not specifically named in the song, in the third chapter of her memoir, And a Voice to Sing With (1987), Baez uses phrases from the song in describing her relationship with Dylan, and has been explicit that he was the inspiration for the song. She recounts how she originally told Dylan that the song was about her ex-husband David Harris, which was obviously not true. The lyrics, for example, include the lines, "Well, you burst on the scene already a legend / the unwashed phenomenon, the original vagabond...", which would describe Dylan but not Harris. In her memoir, And a Voice to Sing With, Baez recounts a 1975 conversation between herself and Dylan, discussing songs to include in the then-upcoming Rolling Thunder Revue concerts:

"You gonna sing that song about robin's eggs and diamonds?" Bob had asked me on the first day of rehearsals.
"Which one?"
"You know, that one about blue eyes and diamonds..."
"Oh", I said, "you must mean 'Diamonds and Rust,' the song I wrote for my husband, David. I wrote it while he was in prison."
"For your husband?" Bob said.
"Yeah. Who did you think it was about?" I stonewalled.
"Oh, hey, what the fuck do I know?"
"Never mind. Yeah, I'll sing it, if you like."

But Baez's marriage to Harris had, in fact, already ended by the time the song was written and composed. In an interview with music writer Mike Ragogna, Baez later admitted that the character in the song is Dylan:

MR: "Diamonds and Rust" was another magic moment. You've said when you began writing the song, it started as something else until Dylan phoned you. Then it became about him. That must have been one helluva call.
JB: He read me the entire lyrics to "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts" that he'd just finished from a phone booth in the Midwest.
MR: What was the song about originally?
JB: I don't remember what I'd been writing about, but it had nothing to do with what it ended up as.

Dylan included a scene of Baez performing the song live on the Rolling Thunder Revue in his 1978 film Renaldo and Clara. In the 2009 American Masters documentary Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound, Dylan praised the song in an on-camera interview: "I love that song 'Diamonds & Rust'. I mean, to be included in something that Joan had written, whew, I mean, to this day it still impresses me". - Wiki

3. "Starbreaker" (Rob Halford, K. K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 4:49
Okay, this is possibly the third song to discuss the idea of some kind of supernatural being coming down from the sky to take people up with him, and then... It's unclear what happens then. I probably like this more than the "Deceiver" cuts on the last album, but they're all good.

Wikipedia: "As session drummer Simon Phillips had commitments to another band, he declined to join Judas Priest as a permanent member. As a result, former Fancy drummer Les Binks was hired for the subsequent tour. An acquaintance of producer Glover, Binks was able to play double bass, and was one of the few drummers who could replicate Phillips' drum parts live.

A live tape from their headlining show in Croydon on May 1, 1977 shows that all songs except one, "Last Rose of Summer" were played on the 1977 tour. "Raw Deal" and "Here Come the Tears" were only played at headlining shows and permanently retired after this tour, "Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest" was also played a few times in 1978, "Sinner" and "Diamonds and Rust" became regulars on future setlists while "Starbreaker" and "Dissident Aggressor" returned to the band's setlists after a lengthy absence, in 2011 and 2008 respectively.

With major label support, Sin After Sin marked Judas Priest's first-ever opportunity to tour the United States, where they served as the opening act for REO Speedwagon and Foreigner."

4. "Last Rose of Summer" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) 5:37
A ballad, of all things, closes the first side of the LP. Rob is on about Winter coming again, and how he'll give you a rose to remind you of his love, yada, yada, yada... They could still get away with this kind of thing in '77. Soon after, this type of tune would be abandoned. I don't miss it either. "Sin After Sin was Judas Priest's most commercially successful release to date, reaching number 23 in the UK Albums Chart. That success was difficult to duplicate in the US where Sin After Sin failed to chart. At home, they also faced a somewhat hostile reception or were outright ignored by a music press which was at that time heavily focused on the new genre of punk rock which swept Britain in the late 1970s. Though it would take several years, Sin After Sin is the first of eleven consecutive Judas Priest albums to be certified gold or higher by the RIAA." - Wikipedia



5. "Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 6:12
The side-openers are the longest. This one starts off slowly, but becomes a typical Priest rocker. They're creating anthems again for the disenfranchised - or at least that's how I hear it. "Let the cynics drop dead in their critical head
They're wrist merchants as we all can see. Bunch of deaf ears with their columnized fears" might refer to critics of metal, possibly. "Sin After Sin introduced the combination of the double bass drumming and rapid sixteenth-note bass rhythms combined with rapid sixteenth-note guitar rhythms that would come to define heavy metal in later years, particularly the thrash metal sub-genre which emerged in the 1980s. The track "Dissident Aggressor" was an early example of the tempo and aggression which would soon become synonymous with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal." - Wiki

6. "Raw Deal" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) 6:00
So I guess this is Halford's coming out song, but we didn't interpret it that way at the time. Or at least no one I knew did. It makes sense that he would write about it in veiled references and cloaked verbiage. Or maybe it's not hidden at all, and I just never realized what he was talking about. I assume he's in a gay bar or something. Go, Rob! Wiki - "The "brazenly homoerotic" song "Raw Deal" has been described as vocalist Rob Halford's coming-out song, and a "heavy metal gay rights song". Halford officially came out as a gay man in 1998."

7. "Here Come the Tears" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) 4:36
Latest in a long line of Priest songs about loneliness and lack of love as life moves on. I'm sure many in their audience related. It builds up to an almost "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" feel. Heavy, indeed...

"Sin After Sin was the final Judas Priest album to feature their original "gothic cursive font" logo, though it would be used on later Gull Records reissues of their pre-Sin After Sin material. The mausoleum depicted on the Sin After Sin album cover is based on a photograph of the Egyptianate mausoleum built in 1910 for Colonel Alexander Gordon, located on the grounds of Putney Vale Cemetery in London." - Wiki

The track segues right into...

8. "Dissident Aggressor" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 3:07
Oh, hell yeah - proper metal again. I have no idea (yet again) what Halford's writing about here, or the "Berlin" references, but who cares when it rocks this hard? This and "Sinner" are prime examples of heavy metal in the year of 1977. The genre didn't get any better at the time. "Dissident Aggressor" closes the album Sin After Sin, and is seguéd into from the slow ballad "Here Come the Tears". It is played aggressively on two guitars at a fast tempo; the bass and drums are heavy, and the vocals are screamed at high pitch. The song features what Rolling Stone describes as "driving guitar riffs", and guitarists K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton trade solos in the song. Rolling Stone further describes the song as an "apocalyptic epic". - Wikipedia

[pcqgod]

I love the 'Rocka Rolla' album. I think it's more a case of "the band hasn't found their sound yet" than weak material that singles it out for criticism among the band's fans. Yet it's probably that whole ambiguity as to their true musical style that makes it so compelling to me. "Cheater" is the closest they came to blues rock, there's one track that's nothing but pure psychedelic guitar feedback, and some proggish elements as you noted. Halford's wider vocal range also fascinates me. The title track and "We are never satisfied" are mix standards for me, and "Hero Hero" is one I crank up every time.

[Fonz]

I’ve got to concede that this is a thread I’ll be watching with interest.
KK Downing’s autobiography is good- worth a read. Cringe in places- there’s a line in there that says something like “we were tired, and our testicles were empty”, when he’s talking about a Priest tour.
I’ve yet to read Halford’s book.

[The Slider]

I am a huge fan of the 70s stuff - after the pretty-much-worthless debut anyway - and I enjoy the 80s and onwards too, though I find it hard to take them seriously after British Steel.
But Sad Wings and Sin After Sin are them on a cusp. I do not really think of those records as 'metal'
They both sound remarkably like Queen's first four albums - hard rock for sure, but with much more light and shade than they display by the time of Killing Machine.
Stained Class still shows a little of the second/third album approach but after that it is heads down squealing metal.

I do somewhat prefer the Unleashed In the East live versions of the songs from Sad Wings, as they live and breathe more. They feel more organic - less studio bound. Looser.

They are undoubtedly the most powerful live metal act I ever saw.

[C]

They are undoubtedly the most powerful live metal act I ever saw.

Have you seen Budgie lad?

They invented NWOBHM





.

[The Slider]

Unfortunately, yes I have

[Jimbly]

I saw JP live in Glasgow, paid a bouncer a quid to get in. UK were playing at the Uni but we couldn't get signed in, on the way back to the car we passed the venue Priest were playing.

They were fucking rubbish, I've never laughed so much at a gig, every hard rock/metal cliche was all present and correct.

[C]

Unfortunately, yes I have

They’re as hot as a docker’s armpit….!




.

[Matt Wilson]

Stained Class 1978
There's a certain dark perfection to this album. Every track counts. Priest were chiseling away at their ideal vision of a post-Sabbath metal universe pointing the way to the NWOBHM eighties where for a few years at least (until Metallica and the other thrash bands), this group would reign supreme. Maybe Iron Maiden would sit beside them for awhile, but Priest were the major architects in the genre at this time. If Sin after Sin was more advanced than Sad Wings of Destiny, Stained Class took it one step higher.

Wiki - "Stained Class is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 10 February 1978 by Columbia Records. It is the first of three Judas Priest albums to feature drummer Les Binks, as well as the first to feature the band's now well-known logo. The album features "Exciter", considered an early precursor to speed metal and thrash metal, as well as a cover version of "Better by You, Better than Me" by Spooky Tooth, which garnered the band a great deal of negative attention several years after its release when a pair of fans were allegedly influenced by the song to make a suicide pact. Nonetheless, Stained Class is regarded by some as one of Judas Priest's best albums."

Rob Halford – vocals
K. K. Downing – guitars
Glenn Tipton – guitars
Ian Hill – bass
Les Binks – drums

1. "Exciter" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) 5:34
Definitely a precursor to speed metal, but there had been others before this. Rob is writing about yet another supernatural being from the skies again - only this time he brings fire and scorched heat to the masses in some sort of redemptive change which is supposed to offer us... I dunno, salavation? Your guess is as good as mine. Awesome opening track which to me is even better than "Sinner."

Wikipedia: "Exciter" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest from their 1978 album Stained Class. It is the opening track and is an early example of speed metal. According to former guitarist K.K. Downing their drummer Les Binks accidentally came up with the drum intro for the song at a soundcheck on their Sin After Sin tour. Canadian heavy metal band Exciter took its name from this song.

During the 1990 civil action brought against the band, "Exciter" was played backwards to the court. Lead vocalist Rob Halford demonstrated that, when played in reverse, the song appeared to contain the phrase: "I asked for a peppermint, I asked for her to get one." This action showed that by playing any song in reverse, phrases could be formed by the human brain. The same point applied to "Better by You, Better than Me", which had a sound that could be interpreted as "do it".

2. "White Heat, Red Hot" (Glenn Tipton) 4:20
A smokin' number pulling in images of Christianity, gladiators in the arena, and the fire/heat of "Exciter." Glenn was shaping up to be quite the songwriter. Wiki: "Artist Rosław Szaybo's cover artwork introduced the now-classic Judas Priest logo, replacing the Gothic Script logo which appeared on all of the band's previous albums. Stained Class was the first Judas Priest album to crack the Billboard 200 chart and was eventually certified gold in the US."

3. "Better by You, Better Than Me" (Spooky Tooth cover - Gary Wright) 3:24
I remember scurrying off to buy Spooky Two after hearing this tune. JP got into some trouble in a lawsuit years later after some teenagers shot themselves in the face supposedly after hearing this song. I'll let wiki explain: "Better by You, Better than Me" is a 1969 song by the English rock band Spooky Tooth. The song appeared on the album Spooky Two and was composed by keyboardist Gary Wright.

In 1990, a 1978 cover version by heavy metal band Judas Priest was the subject of a much-publicized "subliminal message trial". The lawsuit alleged that the band's recording contained hidden messages which were responsible for influencing a pair of young men in Sparks, Nevada, to make a suicide pact in 1985. The case was eventually dismissed. Judas Priest's rendition of "Better by You, Better than Me" is faster than Spooky Tooth's and adds a short vocal bridge. The song was a last-minute addition to the album when CBS Records insisted on including another more commercial track to liven up a record with which a majority of the songs have a very dark and sinister undertone. It was recorded in a separate session with James Guthrie, as Dennis MacKay had moved on to other projects and was no longer available. The band was reportedly impressed with the production Guthrie did on "Better by You, Better than Me", as it stood out in comparison to the overly thin, flat sound that had plagued their albums up to this point; they would ask him to produce their next album, Killing Machine."

4. "Stained Class" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) 5:19
The LP cranks out these rockers one by one, and they're all pretty great. "Long ago when man was king, his heart was clean now he's stained class. Time has slashed each untouched thing, so now he's just a stained class king" sings Halford, and who are we to disagree? LOL.

"Dennis MacKay was brought in by CBS Records to produce the album. His resume at the time consisted mainly of jazz fusion artists and more progressive rock artists such as David Bowie and Supertramp. The recording sessions for Stained Class took place in October and November 1977 at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Oxfordshire." - Wikipedia

5. "Invader" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill) 4:12
There's an invader in our midst, and we must all fight back you see... Hard to say if there is a filler track on this record - they're all pretty cool if you've a metal mind. As solid a side one as any of the previous three. Wiki - "The song "Invader" was finally added to the band's setlists in 2021, making "Heroes End" the only song off the album that has never been performed live."



6. "Saints In Hell" (Rob Halford, K. K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 5:30
Side two is just as savage. Here Rob extolls the tale of a civilization turning their back on their god and the fiery aftermath which ensues. Not necessarily one of my faves, but if it came on randomly I'd probably love it. Heavy as fuck of course.

Wikipedia: "In 2005, Stained Class was ranked number 307 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. In 2017, it was ranked 43rd in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". After the success of subsequent Judas Priest albums in the US, Stained Class would eventually be certified Gold."

7. "Savage" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing) 3:27
Progress is bad when seen from the eyes of the oppressed. Rob is telling us what civilization calls 'savage' is freedom to those looked down upon. This one could also almost pass for filler, but it still kicks ass. Great guitar solo too.

8. "Beyond the Realms of Death" (Rob Halford, Les Binks) 6:53
This is the song actually about suicide, even though it was the Spooky Tooth cover which sparked the controversy. A long, dark journey into the abyss. Not for the faint of heart. If I was a songwriter, I wouldn't want to explore this area, but it's certainly within the band's abilities to do so and to blame them for the mental disabilities of others is absurd.

Wiki - "Beyond the Realms of Death" is a power ballad by English heavy metal band Judas Priest from their 1978 album, Stained Class. Vocalist Rob Halford's performance is considered one of his finest ever, and the guitar work is noted as well, especially the solos. Many reviewers have called it one of the best songs on the album. The song is considered a Judas Priest classic, with versions of the song appearing on the albums Priest, Live and Rare, '98 Live Meltdown, Live in London, A Touch of Evil: Live, Live Insurrection and many of the group's compilation albums. Drummer Les Binks has his only songwriting credit with the band for the song's main riff.

The song starts out as a slow and light ballad until the chorus, where the song erupts into heavy riffs. The song then turns light once again until the next chorus, and the following bridge section. The first guitar solo is then played by Glenn Tipton. Then the song turns light once again for the next verses, which is followed by the heavy chorus/bridge section once again and the second guitar solo played by K. K. Downing. This is followed by the final heavy riffs and the epic final scream of Rob Halford.

The song describes a man who suffers from depression and enters into a pseudo-catatonic state, which gives the outward appearance of a comatose state, in that it essentially renders the body physically immobile whilst leaving inner thought processes intact in an almost 'locked-in' fashion. He eventually dies, possibly by his own hand due to the state he was essentially locked in, so he is once more released from the chains of life. Furthermore, other lines in the song suggest an anti-suicidal message. The song was mentioned in a 1990 trial in which the parents of two teens who had committed suicide after listening to Stained Class alleged that subliminal messages encouraging suicide had been hidden in another song on the album. In a telephone interview with The New York Times at the time, Halford confirmed that the song carries an anti-suicidal message, discussing how people suffering from depression withdraw from society and refuse to communicate."

Also:

"Twelve years after its release, Stained Class was the subject of a 1990 civil action brought against the band by the family of a teenager, James Vance, who entered into a suicide pact with his friend Ray Belknap after allegedly listening to "Better by You, Better than Me" on 23 December 1985. Belknap succeeded in killing himself, and Vance was left critically injured after surviving a self-inflicted gunshot to the face, eventually dying of a methadone overdose three years later. The suit alleged that Judas Priest recorded subliminal messages on the song that said "do it". The suit was eventually dismissed. The song was originally written and performed by the band Spooky Tooth.

Three weeks after the lawsuit wrapped up, the band kicked off their Painkiller Tour by playing "Better by You, Better than Me" on the first concert in Burbank, California on 13 September. It constitutes Judas Priest's only live performance of the song since 1979.

Comedian Bill Hicks ridiculed the lawsuit as part of his act, pointing out (as many others have also done) the absurdity of the notion that a successful band would wish to kill off their purchasing fanbase."

9. "Heroes End" (Glenn Tipton) 5:01
I like this closer from Glenn about how famous people become canonized when they die. Like I said, every song counts here, in varying degrees anyway. Judas Priest would solidify this approach even more on the next LP.

[Matt Wilson]

Killing Machine 1978
The second metal classic in the same year. It's doubtful Priest ever had a better year LP-wise, than 1978 - as this is another virtually filler-free effort consolidating their growing army of fans on the road to superstardom with British Steel. I'd say this is probably my favorite JP album, but it's hard to say really. It was certainly the first one that I really loved. I actually can't recall the first record of theirs that I heard, but I know that I wasn't hip to the band at this time. I think I first noticed them the following year when the live LP received some airplay.

Wiki - "Killing Machine is the fifth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 9 October 1978 by Columbia Records. The album pushed the band towards a more commercial style while still featuring the dark lyrical themes of their previous albums. At about the same time, the band members adopted their now-famous "leather-and-studs" fashion image, inspired by Rob Halford's interest in leather culture. It is the band's last studio album to feature drummer Les Binks. In the United States, it was released with a different track listing as Hell Bent for Leather due to controversy over the Cleveland Elementary School shooting."

Rob Halford – vocals
K. K. Downing – guitars
Glenn Tipton – guitars, keyboards on "Before the Dawn"
Ian Hill – bass except "Take on the World"
Les Binks – drums

1. "Delivering the Goods" (Rob Halford, K. K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 4:16
Well, you know how this goes - a stunning opener just like on the last LPs. This one has perhaps a more pronounced attempt at an anthem vibe to it, but its effect is no less compelling than that of "Victim of Changes," "Sinner," or "Exciter." These guys really did deliver the goods!

"The album was retitled Hell Bent for Leather for its US release in early 1979, because the US branch of Columbia/CBS did not like the "murderous implications" of the title. Both album titles are drawn from the titles of songs on the album with "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)", an early Fleetwood Mac cover, being added to the US release. The album was also pressed in red vinyl in the UK."

Yep, and I love that Mac cover. Methinks the US version is better, frankly.

2. "Rock Forever" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 3:19
Blistering cut which illustrates how the group were still using the term "rock" to describe their music, and not "metal" or "heavy metal." That would change soon.

"Rock Forever" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1978 album Killing Machine, and released as the B Side of "Before the Dawn" the same year (CBS 6794 (UK)). The song contains a guitar duet by guitarists K. K. Downing and Glenn Tipton." - Wikipedia

3. "Evening Star" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) 4:06
The evening star helped the narrator to see the light, see (yes, I know - an awful pun), and now he's okay. The closest thing to filler as side one has to offer. Incredibly, it was a 45.

Wiki: "Evening Star" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1978 album Killing Machine, and released as a single in April 1979. Following the success of the previous single "Take on the World", it again charted in the UK but it only reached No. 53."

4. "Hell Bent for Leather" (Glenn Tipton) 2:41
Oh, goodness yes! You want to know where the leather and Harley image comes from with JP? Look no further. Can't see any mention of motorcycles in the lyrics though. A perfect little ditty which could give any punk song of that year a run for its money. Now why wasn't this one a single?

"The song "Hell Bent for Leather" is featured in Ari Gold's 2008 film Adventures of Power, the 2004 episode of the sitcom That '70s Show entitled "Surprise, Surprise" and also featured in 2009 game Guitar Hero: Metallica.

5. "Take On the World" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) 3:00
Another self-conscious anthem for the legions (did they have a big following at the time?) which was actually a British hit. Don't think I ever heard this one on the airwaves though. One more step up the ladder to world domination.

Wiki: "Take On the World" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1978 album Killing Machine, and released as a single in January 1979. It was the first Judas Priest single to chart in the UK top 40, reaching number 14. The song was an attempt at producing a stadium shoutalong tune in the mold of Queen's "We Will Rock You". It was also covered by new wave band The Human League on their 1980 tour. According to guitarist K.K. Downing, the song was used by Wolverhampton Wanderers football club as their club song. As a single it sold around 400,000 copies."



6. "Burnin' Up" (K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 4:07
For once the "burnin'" doesn't refer to fire, but to sex. The guitarists are sowing some wild oats here and it sounds fine. Rob wouldn't write a song like this yet.

"With Killing Machine, Judas Priest began moving to a more accessible, commercial format that abandoned the complex, fantasy-themed songs of their previous three albums. While this album still had dark undertones, it was more grounded in realism. This was reflected in their change of stage costumes from flowing Gothic robes to leather, but was also a reaction to the rising punk and New Wave movements. K. K. Downing had expressed doubts about the New Wave of British heavy metal stating "everybody was totally dedicated to having their own show, their own images". Priest were part of the influence on the NWOBHM, but not part of it. The band's new, simpler sound was the result of several factors, including a desire to compete with punk rock, produce songs that were easier to perform live, and also appeal more to American audiences. Tracks such as "Burnin' Up" and "Evil Fantasies" are replete with S&M themes while "Running Wild" is about late-night partying and "Before the Dawn" a depressing ballad. "Hell Bent for Leather" reflected their newly adopted leather costumes as well as Rob Halford's soon-to-be-trademark entrances on stage in a Harley-Davidson motorcycle." - Wiki

7. "Killing Machine" (Glenn Tipton) 3:01
Boy, could they crank them out in these days. Glenn's contract killer song makes an impact despite its short length (only a couple of them exceed four minutes), and is another brick in the wall that is Killing Machine.

Wikipedia: "Hell Bent For Leather", and "The Green Manalishi" were the two songs from Killing Machine which became standard parts of the band's live setlist, with the other songs being performed rarely ("Evil Fantasies", "Running Wild", "Rock Forever and "Take On the World") or not at all. "Running Wild" and "Delivering The Goods" became regulars on the Firepower tour setlists in 2018 after not being played since 1980, and the title track returned to the band's setlists at a show in Paris in January 2019 after being absent for 40 years."

8. "Running Wild" (Glenn Tipton) 2:58
Another track, another anthem for the dispossessed. By now you're either onboard or left behind. LOL.

Wiki - "This is the first Judas Priest album where Glenn Tipton incorporated the guitar technique of tapping into his soloing style, which had been popularized by Eddie Van Halen earlier that year with the release of Van Halen's popular debut album. This can be heard in the solos of "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Killing Machine".

This is also the final studio album for drummer Les Binks who had joined the band in early 1977 in time for the Sin After Sin tour; he is credited with helping develop the traditional Priest percussive sound. Binks was dropped and replaced by drummer Dave Holland after the 1979 tour because of a financial disagreement where the band's manager Mike Dolan wanted Binks to "waive his fees" for performing on the platinum selling 1979 Unleashed in the East live album."

9. "Before the Dawn" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 3:23
The narrator is leaving his lover you see, and thus we have another song. A power ballad when such things weren't the norm. Cool guitar solo though. The closest thing to filler (for me anyway) on side two.

"In 2005, Killing Machine was ranked number 321 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. This album, as well as subsequent albums by the band, have somewhat divided fans, with some preferring the complexity and darkness of the early albums, while others prefer the more mainstream and polished later albums. - Wiki

10. "Evil Fantasies" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) 4:15
He wants to get inside his lover's mind with his evil fantasies and... does it matter? One of the longer cuts here is no better nor worse than most of the others. Despite the title, Killing Machine is less dark in tone than Stained Class, with a more pronounced attempt at commercialism which would serve the band well in the immediate future.

[naughty boy]

I saw JP live in Glasgow, paid a bouncer a quid to get in. UK were playing at the Uni but we couldn't get signed in, on the way back to the car we passed the venue Priest were playing.

They were fucking rubbish, I've never laughed so much at a gig, every hard rock/metal cliche was all present and correct.

[Matt Wilson]

Unleashed in the East 1979
I'm going to say this is the best live '70s metal album. I mean there's not too much competition. Thin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous, AC/DC's If You Want Blood... (both great, but are they metal?) UFO's Strangers in the Night, and... I dunno, can't think of too many more. No Sleep 'till Hammersmith was in '81. No, this'll have to do - and it's a fine record. No nonsense, speeded up versions of Priest classics with no between-song banter other than to announce the song titles. No real surprises either, but then none are required. After six years of making records, JP are sill amassing their leather-clad army one album at a time - and this was the biggest one yet. As I mentioned earlier, this is the first album of theirs I can remember being played on rock radio stations.

Wiki: "Unleashed in the East is the first live album by the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in September 1979 on Columbia Records. It was recorded live over two nights in Tokyo during their Hell Bent for Leather Tour in February 1979. Upon release Unleashed became the band's best-selling album up to that point, reaching the US Top 100 and the UK Top Ten, eventually the album became one of the five Judas Priest albums to gain a RIAA platinum certification. It is the first Priest album to be produced by Tom Allom who would remain at the helm for the next decade for the band, and the last release to feature drummer Les Binks."

Rob Halford – vocals
K. K. Downing – guitar
Glenn Tipton – guitar
Ian Hill – bass guitar
Les Binks – drums

1. "Exciter" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) Stained Class 5:38
This song comes blasting out of your speakers just like it did on the studio LP, but here it has the added excitement of a live audience singing along to "Fall to your knees and repent if you please" every time Rob sings it. LOL, love it!

"To what extent the album was really live remains a matter of contention, with the album sometimes being called Unleashed in the Studio. Years later, after he had left Priest, Rob Halford noted in various interviews that the music was indeed live, but that his vocals had been ruined in the original recording and were later dubbed in a concert-like studio setting." - Wikipedia

2. "Running Wild" (Glenn Tipton) Killing Machine 2:53
It's over before you know it, this Tipton number is typical for Priest at the time. Lyrics designed to give the listener a charge and music written to do the same.

Wiki: "The 2001 CD reissue featured four "bonus tracks", "Rock Forever," "Delivering the Goods," "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Starbreaker", which had been issued on the 7" bonus disc that came with the original 1979 Japanese vinyl release. Three of these were from their then-current album Killing Machine, which was not well represented on the original release. "Delivering the Goods" and "Starbreaker" had been exclusive to the Japanese release, although the former would be one of the B-side tracks to the "Living After Midnight" 12 inch, released in March 1980."

3. "Sinner" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) Sin After Sin 7:31
They come fast and furious on this album. Little if no space between the songs and the already-fast tempo is amped up another notch. Having said that, this is still longer than the studio cut. Continuing with the bonus cuts mentioned above: "These four tracks were previously available on the Japanese pressing of the album (titled Priest in the East and having the same track-list as the remaster), and were recorded at the same time as the original nine tracks. Additionally, two more songs were recorded from the same concerts but were only available as B-sides on various singles:

"Evil Fantasies" was on the "Living After Midnight" 12 inch, along with "Delivering the Goods." This live version of "Evil Fantasies" had an official CD release on Single Cuts (2011), albeit with a 6-second edit to the start, which trims Halford's chat slightly.

"Beyond the Realms of Death" was pressed with "Rock Forever" and "Hell Bent for Leather" on a special 3 track live EP that came with initial UK pressings of Unleashed In The East. There is also a 1979 UK cassette version with 12 songs: "Rock Forever", "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Beyond the Realms of Death" in addition to the original 9 tracks. To date, this version of 'Beyond the Realms of Death' has not been released on CD." - Wiki

4. "The Ripper" (Glenn Tipton) Sad Wings of Destiny 2:44
Another short one, but it's not long on Sad Wings either - perhaps They could have added another section in concert or something. But this is the age of punk, so lengthy pieces were out for UK bands.

5. "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" (Peter Green) Hell Bent for Leather 3:16
This is one of the cuts I used to hear. I'm not sure if this was the first version of the song I was familiar with, or if I knew Fleetwood Mac's take on it at the time. Lost in the fog of memory... I definitely recall hearing this before I heard Priest's studio version though.

Wiki: "Heavy metal band Judas Priest covered the song on their 1979 album Hell Bent for Leather (the American version of Killing Machine). The first worldwide release was on the band's live album, Unleashed in the East, released later that year. A re-recording of the song was also added as a bonus track on the German/Australian version of the album Demolition in 2001. The band performed it on Live Aid at JFK Stadium, Pennsylvania in 1985. This version features a dual guitar solo played by Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing.

PopMatters said the cover, "succeeded in such a way that the Priest version is now far more famous than the original. They make it their own, accelerating the pace just enough to achieve a better balance of force and menace, and the groove created by drummer Les Binks cinches it. Priest’s towering version is nevertheless an all-time heavy metal classic."

Well, there ya go. Not sure I agree that it's better than Mac's version, but I love it regardless.



6. "Diamonds and Rust" (Joan Baez) Sin After Sin 3:30
This is another one that they used to play on the airwaves. Odd that two of the most popular Judas Priest songs at the time were covers. They're not really a band that I associate with non-original material either. Regarding Joan's version: "Baez has performed the song no fewer than 234 times in concert. Even after the conclusion of her "Farewell Tour", Baez performed the song as a duet with Lana Del Rey when she showed up as a surprise guest at a Del Rey concert in Berkeley, California on October 6, 2019." - Wikipedia

7. "Victim of Changes" (Al Atkins, Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) Sad Wings of Destiny 7:12
This one kicks ass. I don't know if I like it more than the studio take, but it's hard to screw up a song like this. Back to the bonus tracks, Wiki - "All the extra songs are fully produced, and are of the same quality as the original nine tracks. Certain bootlegs have turned up with all fifteen tracks in the original setlist order, to better reflect the actual concerts of the 1979 tour. (For the record, all the Unleashed in the East recordings were taken from shows on 10 February 1979 at Kosei Nenkin Kaikan Tokyo, and 15 February 1979 at Nakano Sunplaza Tokyo. Additionally, there were two shows on 10 February: an afternoon and an evening show. The two 10 February shows can be found as a bootleg under the title Tyranny Unleashed In The East.) Two more songs, "White Heat, Red Hot" and "Take on the World" were performed but never officially recorded."

8. "Genocide" (Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton) Sad Wings of Destiny 7:19
The Sad Wings album is perhaps over-represented on this LP, but I'm not going to complain when the live versions are this good. I think this beats the studio take.

And lastly regarding bonus tracks from this era: "However, the "Take On the World" 12 inch single, released in late 1978, included a live version of "White Heat, Red Hot" recorded at The Agora in Cleveland, Ohio on 9 May 1978 (on the Stained Class Tour). Live versions of "Beyond the Realms of Death" and "Starbreaker" recorded from the same 1978 Cleveland show were released as b-sides to the "Evening Star" 7 inch single and "Take on the World" 12 inch single, respectively. These tracks are available on the Priest, Live and Rare CD. They are not the same versions as on Unleashed in the East. The band was possibly trying to avoid repetition by not including songs on the official full-length live album that were already available as live versions on singles." - Wiki

9. "Tyrant" (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton) Sad Wings of Destiny 4:32
Another Sad Wings track which I think bests the original. There's just something about the energy level of the performances. This is what metal at that time was supposed to sound like.

[The Slider]

It is all downhill from here, albeit slowly so

I've never laughed so much at a gig, every hard rock/metal cliche was all present and correct.

You say that like it was a bad thing