offline
- Acid_Burn
- Moderator foruma
- Glavni moderator foruma Zabava
- Hellraiser
- Demon to some. Angel to others
- Pridružio: 07 Jan 2005
- Poruke: 25503
- Gde živiš: Beneath the Black Sky
|
JUDAS PRIEST
This enduring heavy metal outfit was formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969, by K.K. Downing (b. Kenneth Downing; guitar) and close friend, Ian Hill (b. 20 January 1952; bass). As another hopeful, struggling young rock band, they played their first gig in Essington in 1971 with a line-up completed by Alan Atkins (vocals) and John Ellis (drums). The name Judas Priest came from Atkins' previous band (who took it from a Bob Dylan song, "The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest") before he joined up with Hill and Downing. Constant gigging continued, with Alan Moore taking over on drums, only to be replaced at the end of 1971 by Chris Campbell. Most of 1972 was spent on the road in the UK, and in 1973 both Atkins and Campbell departed, leaving the nucleus of Hill and Downing (in 1991 Atkins released a debut solo album that included "Victim Of Changes", a song he co-wrote in Judas Priest's infancy). At this point, their fortunes took a turn for the better. Vocalist and ex-theatrical lighting engineer Rob Halford (b. 25 August 1951, Walsall, England) and drummer John Hinch, both from the band Hiroshima, joined the unit. More UK shows ensued as their following grew steadily, culminating in the addition of second guitarist Glenn Tipton (b. 25 October 1948; ex-Flying Hat Band).
In 1974 Judas Priest toured abroad for the first time in Germany and the Netherlands, and returned home to a record contract with the small UK label Gull. The band made their vinyl debut with Rocka Rolla in September 1974. Disappointed with the recording, the band failed to make any impact, and Hinch left to be replaced by the returning Alan Moore. In 1975 the band's appearance at the Reading Festival brought them to the attention of a much wider audience. Sad Wings Of Destiny was an improvement on the debut, with production assistance from Jeffrey Calvert and Max West. However, despite good reviews, their financial situation remained desperate, and Alan Moore left for the second and final time. A worldwide contract with CBS Records saved the day, and Sin After Sin was a strong collection, with Simon Philips sitting in for Moore. The band then visited America for the first time with drummer Les Binks, who appeared on Stained Class, an album that showed Priest at a high watermark in their powers. Killing Machine yielded the first UK hit single, "Take On The World", and featured shorter, punchier, but still familiar, rock songs. The formidable Unleashed In The East was recorded on the 1979 Japanese tour, and in that year, Binks was replaced on drums by Dave Holland of Trapeze.
After major tours with both Kiss and AC/DC, Judas Priest's popularity began to gather momentum. British Steel smashed into the UK Top 5, and included the Top 20 singles "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight". After appearing at the 1980 Donington Festival, they began recording Point Of Entry. It provided the hit single "Hot Rockin", and was followed by sell-out UK and US tours. The period surrounding Screaming For Vengeance was phenomenally successful for the band. The hit single, "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", was followed by a lucrative six-month US tour, with the album achieving platinum status in the USA. Defenders Of The Faith offered a similar potent brand of headstrong metal to Screaming For Vengeance. Turbo, however, proved slightly more commercial and was poorly received, Judas Priest's traditional metal fans reacting with indifference to innovations that included the use of synthesized guitars. Ram It Down saw a return to pure heavy metal by comparison, but now the band's popularity had begun to wane. Scott Travis (b. Norfolk, Virginia, USA; ex-Racer X) replaced Dave Holland for the return to form that was Painkiller. Although no longer universally popular, Judas Priest were still a major live attraction and remained the epitome of heavy metal, with screaming guitars matched by screaming vocalist, and the protagonists clad in studs and black leather.
The band was taken to court in 1990 following the suicide of two fans in December 1985. Both CBS Records and Judas Priest were accused of inciting suicide through the "backwards messages" in their recording of the Spooky Tooth classic, "Better By You, Better Than Me". They were found not guilty in June 1993 after a long court battle, Downing admitting: "It will be another 10 years before I can even spell subliminal". Soon afterwards, Halford became disheartened with the band and decided to quit. He had temporarily fronted an Ozzy Osbourne-less Black Sabbath and recorded "Light Comes Out Of The Black" with Pantera for the Buffy The Vampire Slayer soundtrack, as well as working on his Fight project. He debuted his new band, the electronic rock outfit Two in 1996, and later formed the highly successful Halford.
Judas Priest returned to recording with 1997's Jugulator, featuring new vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (b. Akron, Ohio, USA). Owens had spent several years performing in Judas Priest tribute bands, and was recruited after performing just one song at an audition in London. He spent several years performing Halford's old role with no little skill and energy, but was rather casually dropped when the Painkiller-era line-up of the band re-formed for a world tour in 2004.
Discography:
Rocka Rolla (Gull 1974)**, Sad Wings Of Destiny (Gull 1976)**, Sin After Sin (Columbia 1977)***, Stained Class (Columbia 1978-)***, Killing Machine (UK) Hell Bent For Leather (US) (Columbia 1978-)**, Live - Unleashed In The East (Columbia 1979)****, British Steel (Columbia 1980)****, Point Of Entry (Columbia 1981)***, Screaming For Vengeance (Columbia 1982)***, Defenders Of The Faith (Columbia 1984)***, Turbo (Columbia 1986)**, Priest " Live! (Columbia 1987)**, Ram It Down (Columbia 1988-)***, Painkiller (Columbia 1990)***, Jugulator (SPV 1997)***, Concert Classics (Ranch Life 1998-)**, Meltdown: "98 Live (SPV 1998-)**, Demolition (SPV 2001)**, Live In London (SPV 2003)**.
Compilations:
Best Of (Gull 1978-)**, Hero Hero (Telaeg 1987)**, Collection (Castle 1989)***, Metal Works '73-'93 (Columbia 1993)****, Living After Midnight (Columbia 1997)***, Metalogy box set (Columbia/Legacy 2004)***.
Videography:
Fuel Of Life (Columbia Music Video 1986), Live (Virgin Vision 1987), Painkiller (Sony Music Video 1990), Metal Works '73-'93 (Columbia Music Video 1993), Classic Albums: British Steel (Eagle Vision 2001), Live In London (SPV 2002), Electric Eye (Sony Music Video 2004).
Bibliography:
Heavy Duty, Steve Gett.
|
