Judas Priest: British Steel CD Track Listing

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Judas Priest British Steel (1980)
Originally Released 1980\nCD Edition Released \nRemastered + Expanded CD Edition Released May 29, 2001\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: With Hell Bent for Leather, Judas Priest had begun the task of developing their image for increased mainstream attention, reveling in leather-and-motorcycle trappings while beginning to simplify and streamline their sound. British Steel brings that process full circle, offering the band's catchiest, most accessible set of tunes yet, while retaining the precision guitar assault and quasi-operatic vocals that had come to define their sound. It was the simplest music Priest had yet attempted, but thanks to the (mostly) top-notch songwriting and AC/DC-like willingness to allow the songs' grooves room to breathe, the record is a smashing success overall, with maybe one or two subpar tracks. There are a couple of trends beginning here that would take their toll later on -- the lyrics are a bit more juvenile, and the music seems to prize commercialism over complexity -- but in this context, neither really matters, as Priest display a real penchant for stadium-ready anthems. "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight" became genuine hit singles in the U.K., and deservedly so, while the album became their first to reach the U.S. Top 40, going platinum in the process. [The 2001 Columbia/Legacy reissue adds two bonus tracks: "Red, White & Blue" and a live version of "Grinder."] ~ Steve Huey\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nThe main guitar riff from "Breaking the Law" is one of the most recognizable from early '80s heavy metal. Though British Steel sounds dated these days, it's also a classic album, one of the best from a band that defined the genre in the late '70s and early '80s. Everything that ultimately became characteristic of heavy metal is here; the lightning-fast riffs on "Rapid Fire," the anthemic "Metal Gods" and "United," the obligatory party song "Living After Midnight," and the equally obligatory youth-rebellion song, "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise". Metalheads are a dying breed these days, and those unfamiliar with Judas Priest will probably want to start with The Best of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight. Of all their albums, however, British Steel is unquestionably the best. -- Genevieve Williams \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nPriest enters the eighties..., February 4, 2004\nReviewer: Der Kommissar (Las Vegas, NV (USA))\nBritish Steel (1980.) Judas Priest's sixth album.\nIn the seventies, Judas Priest had proven themselves to be the kings of hard rock/heavy metal. Although most people give Black Sabbath the credit for starting up the heavy metal revolution, these guys deserve every bit as much credit. When the eighties rolled around, many once great rock bands came crashing down - some due to dying band members, some due to the times changing. How would Judas Priest handle the transition into the new decade? Would they be instantly destroyed, or would this new decade bring them to even greater heights than we could have ever imagined? Read on for my review of Judas Priest's sixth album, British Steel.\n\nWith this album, Judas Priest began going for a much more "mainstream hard rock" sound than they had been on their recent albums. One way this shows is in the fact that this album contained two of the band's major hits - hits that became so popular, even non-Judas Priest fans know and love them! These songs are the hard rocking and extremely memorable Breaking The Law, and the equally notable Living After Midnight. It's only proper that these songs became so popular - they're everything fans could want. But this album doesn't stop with the hits. The album's opening track, Rapid Fire, is one of the band's fastest and heaviest songs to date. In my opinion, this is the best song on the album. Why didn't THIS song become more popular? The next song, Metal Gods, is also very good. It takes on a slower, more epic sound than the previous one. Another excellent track is the band's take on an arena rock anthem, a little track called United. If you listened to Killing Machine's (Hell Bent For Leather in America) Take On The World, you know how well the band can do songs of this style. Another notable rocker is You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise, in which the band attacks an age-old belief - and does a damn good job of it! However, as good an album as this is, it falls flat when you compare it to, say, Stained Class or Screaming For Vengeance. Grinder is just weak when you compare it to the rest of the album - and the horrible lyrics don't help things either. The Rage and Steeler, though not bad tracks by any means, seem more like fillers when you compare them to the rest of the album. They seem more like B-Sides than tracks that should have been put on the album. Overall, this album is very good, but I don't agree with the editorial review above that calls this the band's best album. It's their most popular, but that doesn't necessarily make it the best.\n\nLike the other rereleases in the Judas Priest remasters series, this one has two bonus tracks. On this particular reissued album, you get an unreleased studio session entitled Red White And Blue, and a live take on Grinder. The former is a much slower and more melodic track than what you're used to hearing this band play, but it's still very good. This is Priest at their most patriotic, as the title may have implied. The latter is disappointing. Grinder is the weakest track on British Steel, so the fact that they chose to do a live version of it is just depressing. Why couldn't they have picked a better track to do a live version of? Halford's intro to the live take is nice, but the song ends up being even weaker than the already weak studio version... what a shame.\n\nOverall, British Steel is a great album. It's not their best one by any means, but I still feel it is an excellent one. If you're new to Judas Priest, this is the album I strongly recommend starting with. DO NOT buy one of the band's hits compilations, as they are bound to disappoint you. Stick to buying the studio albums, as they give you a number of underrated masterpieces you won't soon find on any hits compilation!\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nClassic British Heavy Metal, July 7, 2000\nReviewer: R. C Gorham "rcg2" (Phoenix)\nThere were some great rock & roll records that came out in 1980..... AC/DC (Back in Black), Ozzy (Blizzard of Ozz), Rush (Permanet Waves), Black Sabbath (Heaven & Hell), and Judas Priest's BRITISH STEEL. Nothing quite sounded like PRIEST. Rob Halford has a unique set of chords to vocalize by. The tracks that made it to the radio were deserving - "Living After Midnight", and "Breaking The Law". The other tunes are classic album tracks that you probably won't hear on the radio - these are the songs worth their weight in gold... "Rapid Fire", "Metal Gods", "The Rage" and "Steeler" are simplistic heavy metal classic songs. I can listen to this disc anytime - anywhere. A rock & roll classic that belongs in any rock collector's library. A must have.\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nProof that Priest were still kings of heavy metal in the 80s, March 16, 2000\nReviewer: Eric N Andrews "Music reviewer" (West Lafayette, IN)\nAfter discovering their calling in finely-crafted songs on HELL BENT FOR LEATHER, Judas Priest continued that theme on probably their best overall album BRITISH STEEL. Of course, "Breaking The Law" was the hit, a masterpiece of crunching metal in only 2 1/2 minutes. Every budding guitarist may want to learn "Breaking The Law". Signs of the old epic-oriented Judas Priest crop up on BRITISH STEEL in the form of "You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise" and "Steeler", which show that only occasionally should they expand their range. Other great heavy metal "songs" include Priest standards like "Living After Midnight" and "Metal Gods" (which Judas Priest certainly were in the 1980s). In a catalog as erratic as Judas Priest's is, BRITISH STEEL is the best non-compilation album Priest fans can get.\n\nHalf.com Album Credits\nLou Austin, Engineer\nTom Allom, Producer\n\nAlbum Notes\nAlso available in a 3-pack with POINT OF ENTRY and SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE.\n\nJudas Priest: Rob Halford (vocals); Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing (guitar); Ian Hill (bass); Dave Holland (drums).\n\nDigitally remastered by Jon Astley.\n\nNot only is Judas Priest's 1980 release BRITISH STEEL one of its very best albums, it also proved to be one of heavy metal's all-time classics. After Priest spent the '70s honing its dark, heavy-duty metal to perfection, the band decided to inject more melody and universal themes into the mix for BRITISH STEEL.\n\nIt was rewarded with two of its best known anthems--"Breaking the Law," and "Living After Midnight." Also included here are such metallic gems as "Rapid Fire," "Metal Gods," and "Grinder," establishing Judas Priest as one of the leaders of the early-'80s new wave of British heavy metal.
This rock cd contains 9 tracks and runs 36min 6sec.
Freedb: 72087409
Buy: from Amazon.com

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