Rocka Rolla - early Judas Priest!
Discussion
Just picked this up from my local CD emporium. I've got most of 'Priest's back catalogue but with this being the first Halford album, I wasn't sure what to expect, especially as it was recorded in 1974 and therefore in the shadow of the mighty Zeppelin of Led.
And it's brilliant. There are hints of their later, heavier stuff, but the whole thing's got a well-balanced, dare-I-say-it 'cool' feel to it. Let's just say that if I pick up a 'T-Bar' MR2 this summer, [i]One For The Road[/i], [i]Cheater[/i] and [i]Run Of The Mill[/i] will be roof-off driving tracks.
But on the same subject - is the album Sad Wings Of Destiny any good? I see it for sale but I've no idea whether it's more like this, or their later self-consciously 'metal' stuff they did for Columbia.
And it's brilliant. There are hints of their later, heavier stuff, but the whole thing's got a well-balanced, dare-I-say-it 'cool' feel to it. Let's just say that if I pick up a 'T-Bar' MR2 this summer, [i]One For The Road[/i], [i]Cheater[/i] and [i]Run Of The Mill[/i] will be roof-off driving tracks.
But on the same subject - is the album Sad Wings Of Destiny any good? I see it for sale but I've no idea whether it's more like this, or their later self-consciously 'metal' stuff they did for Columbia.
Sad Wings of Destiny IMHO is probably Priests best studio album, Victim of Changes, The Ripper and Tyrant are all Priest classics.
One of the best bands I ever saw live, put their whole US stage show into Hull City Hall in 1981, £3 a ticket and the Boys from Birmingham worked their socks off.
Go buy it, if you like Rocka Rolla you won't be disappointed
davidy
One of the best bands I ever saw live, put their whole US stage show into Hull City Hall in 1981, £3 a ticket and the Boys from Birmingham worked their socks off.
Go buy it, if you like Rocka Rolla you won't be disappointed
davidy
davidy said:
Sad Wings of Destiny IMHO is probably Priests best studio album
Agreed - I've only got it on tape which is disintegrating, but very good.
I've replaced Sin After Sin on CD, but would like to replace SWOD and Stained Class - another fantistic album.
Never did listen to Rocka Rolla, might be worth a peruse if its in a back-catalogue type shop at a cheap rate...
Ive got Sad Wings of Destiny on Picture Disc(remember them ? 
),plus all Priest output until a about '83 ... Unleashed in the East Japanese import is 
.
Been re buying Priest on CD lately and Killing Machine bears close scrutiny.
Remember daubing "Rob Halford is God" on the white walls of the Apsley Cottage- behind the Manchester Apollo- Post gig ,circa '79
.
),plus all Priest output until a about '83 ... Unleashed in the East Japanese import is . Been re buying Priest on CD lately and Killing Machine bears close scrutiny.
Remember daubing "Rob Halford is God" on the white walls of the Apsley Cottage- behind the Manchester Apollo- Post gig ,circa '79
.whitechimp500 said:
Been re buying Priest on CD lately and Killing Machine bears close scrutiny.
Killing Machine (got it on vinyl) was when JP started to go a bit too much leather-and-camp... I've got Unleashed in the East, but nothing after that at all...
Saw them live in about '80? '81? supported by Iron Maiden, quite a good gig...
"'Ello,'ello,'ello, would you mind accompanying me to the station me lad?"wizzpig said:
It is superb.
Seconded!
My personel favourite is still Painkiller
HE!
IS!
THE
PAIN
KILL-
ER!
Great stuff. IMO a little bit OTT though. They got to a point where they were more interested in telling everyone what they were playing rather than giving us metal classics that weren't necessarily about, err, metal.
I couldn't care less what they were wearing though - I listen to it!
Sin After Sin/Killing Machine/Stained Class is good, solid '70s hard rock.
Point Of Entry was the first 'Priest CD I bought. It's still pretty good (especially Desert Plains and Thunder Road), but lacking a certain ...something?
I think they must've made a conscious decision to go harder and heavier with Defenders Of The Faith. It's nicely done but some of the lyrics are, err, questionable to say the least. I can't figure whether Eat Me Alive is about sadomasochistic sex or heroin abuse.
My personal favourites, apart from Stained Class, are Turbo and Ram It Down. Turbo is probably my favourite driving CD, whilst Ram It Down vies with Metallica's Ride The Lightning for '80s heaviness.
I haven't got British Steel, Screaming For Vengeance or Painkiller yet - I've got Living After Midnight instead, which seems to have most of them on. I'll probably get them eventually.
The 'Ripper' Owens years aren't something I'm aware of really, but Angel Of Retribution is a gloriously self-indulgent coda.
. 
whitechimp500 said:
Priest Facts;
1)K.K Downing used to have a Jensen ,the one before the cv8 , with the six cyl Austin Engine a 541 R ??
Yep, 541R.
Ian Hill has two '80s Aston Martin V8 Vantages - one in ultra-low-mileage, pristine condition for shows, the other his daily driver.
And have you seen Rob Halford's Harley-Davidson? He's had it airbrushed and fitted with 'blade' alloys to make it look like the one on the cover of Painkiller.
Saw Priest live 5 times in late 70's and early 80's. Awe and then Some.
Got hit on the head by the bootlid by Hill outside the Empire stage door, as I peered his motor, while getting Halford's autograph. Decent chaps all round, I recall. My mate caught Simon Phillips' drum stick after he bounced it into the crowd off the rim of his snare at the end of a lengthy solo on the tour he did, again at the Empire, a few years later.
First time was the Stadium, around 76/77 ( bad news - used to have all the ticket stubs and dates were etched into the memory ) when they headlined for Sasafrass & Heavy Metal Kids ( Gary Holton, spitting at the crowd, and getting them to spit back, as he put up a brolly, caught the gobs, and span it around in retaliation - Lovely, punked up chap that he was. Aufwedersehen, Lad. RIP ) at what may well have been the last ever gig there.
Fantastic band. Thanks for the memory.
And I only got onto this cos I was checking out whitchimp's 500 before The Decision is made.
FWIW, I SO look forward to playing the start of Highway Star, rather loudly, as I warm up the next Beast of Eight, outside the house, at a suitably smiling moment in time. Then moving away smoothly from the kerb, as Garth comes in ....
"Ain't nobody gonna take my car...."
Indeed, Indeedy do
Got hit on the head by the bootlid by Hill outside the Empire stage door, as I peered his motor, while getting Halford's autograph. Decent chaps all round, I recall. My mate caught Simon Phillips' drum stick after he bounced it into the crowd off the rim of his snare at the end of a lengthy solo on the tour he did, again at the Empire, a few years later.
First time was the Stadium, around 76/77 ( bad news - used to have all the ticket stubs and dates were etched into the memory ) when they headlined for Sasafrass & Heavy Metal Kids ( Gary Holton, spitting at the crowd, and getting them to spit back, as he put up a brolly, caught the gobs, and span it around in retaliation - Lovely, punked up chap that he was. Aufwedersehen, Lad. RIP ) at what may well have been the last ever gig there.
Fantastic band. Thanks for the memory.
And I only got onto this cos I was checking out whitchimp's 500 before The Decision is made.
FWIW, I SO look forward to playing the start of Highway Star, rather loudly, as I warm up the next Beast of Eight, outside the house, at a suitably smiling moment in time. Then moving away smoothly from the kerb, as Garth comes in ....
"Ain't nobody gonna take my car...."
Indeed, Indeedy do
wizzpig said:
It is superb.
Seconded!
My personel favourite is still Painkiller though. How in God's name Halford reaches that high in "A touch of Evil" I don't know.
Same here!!
In fact my Nickname comes from The Hell Patrol. Where the first line is "Like Wildfire..."
Wildfire said:
Same here!!
In fact my Nickname comes from The Hell Patrol. Where the first line is "Like Wildfire..."
........ comes roaring
Mad whirlwind burning the road
Black thunder white lightning
Speed demons cry
the - hell - patrol! 
Oh yes indeedy. They don't make 'em like that anymore. I don't know about you, but playing painkiller out & about in the Tiv puts my licence in mortal danger
Bought Sad Wings Of Destiny and Painkiller last week - two stunning, yet very different albums.
With the exception of the 'Ripper' Owens albums, I only have British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance to buy to complete the whole set. Having said that, I have Living After Midnight, which has most of Screaming For Vengeance on it.
With the exception of the 'Ripper' Owens albums, I only have British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance to buy to complete the whole set. Having said that, I have Living After Midnight, which has most of Screaming For Vengeance on it.
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