# The Strange Magic of: Judas Priest



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Let me state at the outset that I am not the audience for whom Heavy Metal is intended. Sure, I like a song here and there, and I do have affection for some groups perhaps better termed Lite Metal (Scorpions, Blue Öyster Cult). But working through hundreds of my son-in-law's HM cassettes convinced me that metallurgy is not to my taste.

But here is an exception. I love _You've Got Another Thing Comin'_ and always have--the sheer energy and assertive optimism are irresistible, and when combined with the droll, smirking enthusiasm and the theatrics of lead singer Rob Halford with his gift for audience interaction, the result is a whole lotta fun. Enjoy!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Me again...

One of the few out-and-out metal bands I actually liked. My favourite period was 1976-1980 which covered the Sad Wings of Destiny, Sin After Sin, Stained Class, Killing Machine, Unleashed in the East and British Steel albums. Such a pity that all of the studio albums from that time apart from British Steel were given such feeble production jobs. I did like them for a number of years after that but I prefer the earlier albums mentioned above.

Have a listen to Dissident Aggressor from 1977's Sin After Sin album - there weren't many bands that were laying it down like that back then:


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2016)

I too liked those albums. In fact I thought JP were the knees of the bees back then. I've probably gone off them the most of any band, even what I used to like of theirs. And the whole Village People S&M outfit thing is cringey beyond the realms of death.


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## Iean (Nov 17, 2015)

I am a big fan of Judas Priest and my favorite JP album is "Screaming for Vengeance". Even with a rotating membership, the band managed to release great album after great album. :angel:


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

dogen said:


> I too liked those albums. In fact I thought JP were the knees of the bees back then. I've probably gone off them the most of any band, even what I used to like of theirs. And the whole Village People S&M outfit thing is cringey beyond the realms of death.


Extra points for the pun .


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Judas Priest are excellent - Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing on guitars are metal masters, excellent singing, plus variety. A great metal band. Favourite 'non-metal'-style track by them: Desert Plains.


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## The Riddle Master (Jan 9, 2016)

Sad Wings of Destiny. Great album. My favorite JP album!


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

Loved them! Went to see them many times. Sad Wings of Destiny is a classic LP Very influential. Even in Halfords leather biker phase they where cool. How the hell we didnt realise he was gay I'll never know. Were we ever that innocent? Heh!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Badinerie said:


> Loved them! Went to see them many times. Sad Wings of Destiny is a classic LP Very influential. Even in Halfords leather biker phase they where cool. How the hell we didnt realise he was gay I'll never know. Were we ever that innocent? Heh!


I can't recall the question even being asked - perhaps back then everyone assumed that any musician involved in the hard-partyin' world of heavy rock had to be a groupie-obliging love machine like Gene Simmons or Bon Scott!


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> I can't recall the question even being asked - perhaps back then everyone assumed that any musician involved in the hard-partyin' world of heavy rock had to be a groupie-obliging love machine like Gene Simmons or Bon Scott!


'Love machine' - what a classic 'rock' term .


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I feel like the 'cool' answer is to say one mostly likes their old stuff, when they were truly metal and before they went more mainstream. To be honest I actually am not that familiar with this band, but also LOVE the track mentioned in the OP. _You've Got Another Thing Coming _- what is it about that song? (I think its a combination of production and the lyrics, that droning guitar riff - simple yet powerful).

On the surface it seems like kind of a simplistic metal-pop thing musically not too far removed from Kiss - Lick It Up...but somehow it is much more than that. For whatever reason I love that song.


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2016)

_Sad Wings Of Destiny_ is my favorite and one of my favorite pop albums of all time. Classic song after classic song after classic song on that thing. _Stained Class_ is a distant second, followed by _Sin After Sin_. After that, there are a few fun tunes littered among "Meh" (Copywrite Richannes Wrahms) later albums.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

tdc said:


> I feel like the 'cool' answer is to say one mostly likes their old stuff, when they were truly metal and before they went more mainstream. To be honest I actually am not that familiar with this band, but also LOVE the track mentioned in the OP. _You've Got Another Thing Coming _- what is it about that song? (I think its a combination of production and the lyrics, that droning guitar riff - simple yet powerful).
> 
> On the surface it seems like kind of a simplistic metal-pop thing musically not too far removed from Kiss - Lick It Up...but somehow it is much more than that. For whatever reason I love that song.


Yes, there's something to the track - the apparent 'simplicity' is deceptive. The solo is masterful though.


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## kerrcophony (Dec 21, 2015)

Yes, I like the beast that is the Priest! I used to be a bit sniffy about them, but they got to me in the end. Maybe I was a victim of changes? Hell, I even like the 'Ripper years.' And 'Nostradamus' is terrific - would have made a brilliant TV production...


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## Metairie Road (Apr 30, 2014)

I was never into Heavy metal as such, and the so called Big-Hair craze of the 1980's was the last nail in the coffin as far as I was concerned. However I did buy two Heavy Metal records (vinyl 45's) because I liked them. One was Judas Priest's version of The Green Manilishi. The other was Motorhead/Girlschool doing 'Please Don't Touch'. Both brilliant.

Regards


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

It's always a shame when a favorite YouTube concert clip is taken down. Alas, the gem of _You've Got Another Thing Coming_ with Halford at his sartorial finest--plenty of black leather, studs, rivets, chains, wristbands--and playing back and forth with an adoring audience, is gone. So I've included here another fine performance of _Thing_, with plenty of enthusiasm and welcome noise. But you shoulda seen the original!


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