There's gonna be a little backlash on anything where they got a bit poppy... I'm gonna be one of the guys that likes some of that stuff that will predictably get scorched here. Point of Entry/Turbo---quite like both albums, and I'll accept my beating. I also quite like Living after Midnight/Hell bent for leather/Breaking the law... I can do a little pop, but I struggle with pre-teen anthems like United/Take on all the world...
Breaking the Law (Halford, Tipton, Downing) A quick drum thwack and we are on the run. The intro riff is awesome…..a minor based riff that mostly ascends like a wild animal trying to escape. KK and Glenn play it unison. The verse starts on the A and then goes C-G power chords for a turnaround. The guys guitars are at max verging on feedback. Dig those palm muted chunks from KK in the left channel. The pre chorus follows and rises and then drops to the E dominant leading nowhere to run but to the A. The chorus is simple with Sabbath like stabs on the high A chord…a trademark Priest adopted. Rob doubles his vocals. The verse returns and the guys can barely keep their guitars from screaming with feedback. The pre-chorus and chorus follows. A bridge enters at 1:22 starting on B and then it goes to D at 1:34 and is a variation of the pattern in the intro riff. Gnarly sounding feedback and a siren pierce the song. The bridge quickly rises out….get running. The intro riff returns but now is doubles with an octave to add tension to an already angst-ridden riff. We think maybe this will be the outro but then at 2:10 the boys brilliantly combine the chorus with the intro riff. Awesome song writing. Rob’s vocals are killer and reek of desperation. The rhythm gets chopped up along the way and the song comes to an abrupt ending…maybe our subject has been captured and no longer on the run. Breaking the what, breaking the what? One of my favorites from the band and in all of heavy metaldom. Simple in some ways but still convincing metal wise for me. The lyrics are simple but powerful. The bridge changes keys smartly to add tension. Almost all power chords but the melody is all minor and adds a somber tone. One of the songs that lead them on the way to commercial success. No guitar solo and darn it that is OK with me. The sound effects take the place of the solo…..to perfection. And that intro riff is one of the best of all time IMO. Fits the song subject perfectly…rising and rising like something trying to escape. Trying to escape what? Well, We know the answer to that.
I love this album, an opinion which I apparently don't even share with the band. The first Priest album that I was aware of was Defenders of the Faith. In the 90s, I picked up their back catalog and really liked the less processed sound of the 70s albums. Rocka Rolla is not a fist-raising metal album, but it has some great songs and guitar work on it. The vocals are great as usual. I think that the band would value this album more, if they owned the master tapes. Halford covered "Never Satisfied" on Live in Anaheim. Highlights for me are the title track, "Cheater," and "Never Satisfied," plus the rest of the album. Not a dull moment on here.
SWOD - another great one. Like Rocka Rolla, the album seems to flow like a story, almost like a concept album. SAS - probably my favorite Priest album. Simon Phillips plays brilliantly. The riffs are to subsequent heavy metal music, what The Hobbit is to heavy metal lyrics. "Last Rose of Summer" is unexpected but great on its own. SC - "Stained Class," "Saints in Hell," and "Savage" are a triple whammy here. It doesn't get much better than that. For 1977, this album is avant garde. KM/Hellbent - "Hellbent", "Green Manalishi," also ran: "Evening Star," and "Running Wild." Unleashed - Everybody and their brother owned this one. I have it in my collection but since I didn't experience it originally, it's not special to me, and I've ignored it. Maybe I should give it a close listen. BS - what an album. "BtL," "Rapid Fire," "Grinder," "Living After Midnight," and "The Rage." I knew this one before the original:
Prime has a great documentary on Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac). Toward the end, he talks about "The Green Manalishi."
Thanks for posting that. I need to watch it. Guitar Player mag recently had a previously partially unpublished interview from Peter.
With all of the Sabbath references I have made already, I did not have the heart to add another one. I agree BTL probably came from that BS riff.
I had a V for a few years but sold it when I got my strat. The V looked really really cool as you say but I couldn't get comfortable with it. A pro I know who is well associated with Vs plays a lot with it tucked inside/on his right leg. Just never felt right to me. Liked the balance on the strat so much more. Also the V that I had I bought used and the music store bought it from Paul Chapman (UFO). I didn't even know he played Vs, or at least didn't play them live with UFO afaik since they are so much a part of Michael Schenker's image. Anyways, that guitar was definitely played A LOT by somebody though if not him, the fretboard had dirt/sweat soaked into it and my fingers always looked black/dirty after playing it.
The Flying V is not my favorite guitar model, that would be a a soft tail strat with single coils...IMO greatest electric guitar ever invented. I have a 94 G&L Legacy for those needs, and a build + a couple Frankenstiens. That said, I find the flying V to be very well balanced when strapped on and standing up. I'm also really comfortable with it sitting down having a wing tucked under my right leg. The guitar that doesn't at all work for me is the Explorer, and in my teenage days I thought it was the coolest looking thing around. For me everything about them gets in the way. I also like the 1 vol 2 tone control wiring in V's and wired my custom Humbucker guitars that way. Also love the neck on my V.
Les Pauls seem to be my most go to guitar. I think the bands that I was in kind of called for that sound as well since we played a mix of jazz, some rock and in some cases laid back Wedding type music. Although I did play a homemade Stratocaster type guitar for years in a Wedding band.
I have a 92 Standard, I bought new and love it, but I find it less comfortable both standing and sitting than either a V or Strat. Not that it's uncomfortable, just not as comfortable. Strat is unmatched for comfort with the contours IMO. I always like to show up and play whatever I felt like on a given day for guitar choice. Though I tend to hang with one for periods of time. I'm personally never completely happy with clean sounds on Humbucker guitars for my own playing, though you probably sound great doing it.
I have an oddball Strat. It is a 1984 Elite with an Ash Body and Maple neck. It has all of those crazy controls with a battery for boost. I think this was the last year CBS owned Fender and many of the models from that year were pretty bad. For some reason mine is great. It is heavy as heck. It almost plays itself. I was lucky to have found a good one. Hard to believe it is over 30 years old. You probably have never felt a Strat as heavy as mine. I have had other Strats over the past 30 years but eventually sold the last one around 5 years ago since I don't play as much as I used to. If I got back into a band I would probably buy a lighter Strat. I tried out for a band about a year ago but did not get the gig. I was unprepared and was having elbow trouble which has since gotten worse. They practiced way too loud for me though.
Funny you mention an Explorer. In my younger days I wanted like one of basically everything. I fell into the V (a friend bought it used from a local music store then sold it to me like a year later - actually I will tell that story because it is kinda funny). However something at top of my list after a strat (and I really loved my strat - don't have it anymore sadly, anyways) was an Explorer. Thought they looked sooooo cool. Seeing players I admired like say Allen Collins or Rickey Medlocke wielding one of those I HAD to get one too. So I put aside enough $$ to get one then set out to some music stores to try 'em out and....I hated the way the straplock part was on the back instead of the top/side and the guitar kept wanting to fall forward away from me. So I crossed that off my list, never bought one. My V story - I had a friend name of Joe that I worked with who was a major Wishbone Ash fan who was partly responsible for me becoming an Ash nut as well. His main guitar god was of course Andy Powell who is known for using Vs. One day at work he went out to lunch and came back & said he just bought a V (used) from this cool independent music store that was about 20 minutes away from where we worked (this was around 1981 or 1982 or so). And that the guitar used to be owned by "some guy from a band called UFO". I freaked out - "YOU MEAN MICHAEL SCHENKER????", I could barely speak (I worship mightily at Michael's feet, love him). Joe didn't even know who Schenker or UFO was though and said he didn't recall the name. So after work I ran right down there and went to the geetar section and started to ask the guy there "Hey you sold my friend Joe a used flying V today and he said you told him it was owned by someone in UFO, was that..." and the guy cut me off b4 I could even finish with "NO, that was NOT Schenker's it was Paul Chapman's"!!! That V did have a bunch of work done to it, think it had dimarzio humbuckers and additional switches for setting them out of phase or something. I ended up selling that to a V collector who was a Schenker worshipper like me. I used to wonder, hey, Paul & Michael used to even be in UFO together for a short period of time, I wonder if Paul got this from Michael, or maybe Michael even played it at some point, so who knows, some of the Schenker magic might be attached to this guitar. Fast forward about 20 years and I had gotten to know Andy Powell and he stored the band's equipment here at my house at the end of a tour for about a week, including a custom V (not Gibson) which I kept inside for safekeeping (the rest of the gear in a small trailer hitch outside). Andy said I could fool around with it if I wanted but no way I was touching that beauty. I did open the case to gaze at it though, and had to call Joe even though we hadn't spoke in about 10 years, to try to guess who was just at my house and entrusted me with his guitar/gear for safekeeping! (apologies for getting off track & rambling but it is the way my brain works, I also enjoy reading other tales like this, back to RRB's Priest thread)
Used Fender 1983 Stratocaster Elite with Fender Case | eBay Something like this......never seen one that I recall.... I've never heard or played one, but I've never liked other guitars I've tried with 9V boost systems in them ( only tried a couple such as the Clapton strat with lace sensor pickups) What I really don't like are active pickups like EMG's. I doubt that's what your ax has, and don't mean to offend if so, just saying for personal preference. Ash can be pretty heavy, but not always. I have a G&L ASAT classic which is pretty heavy. I don't play much, and if I was sane I'd start selling.
I hear you on Michael and I know RRB is right there too. We associate Chapman with the BC Rich guitars, which are pretty cool in their own write. Cool story and thanks for sharing.
Here is one previously from Ebay that looks just like mine. I took off the microtuner that is up at the nut though. Too hard to thread the strings on it.
Looks real good....The one in the photo looks to be a 3 piece body, some were 2 and maybe even one piece in those days.. One of the reasons I got into builds, because I wanted 1 or 2 piece bodies and it does make a difference. That's not to say some of my store bought guitars don't have 3 piece bodies, and in those some resonate better than others. My most prized custom build is a Frankenstein Korina Firebird. One piece Korina body/Hard tail/bolt on Korina neck w Ebony board. Gotoh bridge with decent mass......Dimarzio 36th ann PAFs........absolutely off the charts sustain.
That's my opinion as well. It's a great song that sounds mighty on British Steel. The live versions never quite match the feel of the original.
Point of Entry Point of Entry - Wikipedia Heading Out to the Highway Heads out with a chugging open A string metal riff that ascends. Turns around on a simple alternating riff. Not a bad riff at all…simple but effective. Rob sounds great in the verse and the chords rise out as well. The chorus goes to the predictable sounding E lower string again in metal and harkens back to their blues influence. Rob sounds great in the chorus as well with his harmony vocal. The bridge goes up a step to B …..a song writing thing they do quite a bit. A thematic harmony “solo” follows in Thin Lizzy style. Fine though. The verse returns and the chorus follows and then gradually slows down. Rob kills with a final note held longer than most humans can hold a note. A fine opener with no bells or whistles or interludes or anything other than pop structure. Halford raises the stakes. Don’t Go Starts on a minor 7th which is sort of unusual and then settles into a grindy E blues riff. Humble Pie influenced. The chorus changes key and gets brighter sounding. Fits the pleading quality I suppose. The verse and chorus follow. The solo is a fine one from KK with his trademark harmonics and pull offs. His style fits the bluesy quality of the song. Not a bad song and maybe the most bluesy song they have done so far. Hot Rockin’ A staccato intro and the great riff enters for the verse. An A riff that is a fine one. The chorus is a doozy as well that changes key. The break is the same riff as the verse but goes up a step from A-B……a trademark song writing of theirs and the guys lay down some killer solo with harmonic squeals and overall panache. The bridge is hot and goes to E with Rob picking it up midstream. He is on fire here. The verse returns and the chorus follows. A truncated verse section brings the song to a close. Turning Circles Some chimey chords in B minor…that’s a switch…open this bad boy up. The verse riff is in B minor as well and has a mighty fine groove if you ask me. The chorus stays in B minor and the chords switch up a rise up with Halford laying down his usual strong vocal. The break is a variation on the verse riff and the minor sound comes out a little more with the clean guitars that chime away. Some cool feedback in the background from KK I suppose. Rob mimics part of the picked chord fragments. Halford takes off and the chorus returns in full force. The song ends with the verse riff and Halford adding in the vocal mimic along with some other fine vocalizations. Desert Plains I will post a full review of the song. Solar Angels A chugga chugga E riff opens the song with a cool descending dissonance for good measure. The verse is a standard sounding E to A alternation…..blues influence. The turnaround is a “softened” blues type turnaround. A chorus like section with guitar riff follows. A change up for them from the typical chant chorus. The verse follows and the “chorus” as well. The break has a solo with some slow sustained lines and is pretty blues sounding. The verse follows and the chorusey like riff section returns as well. Part of the verse riff is slowed down and brings the song to a fine finish. You Say Yes Holy smokes a bright sounding boogie riff in now get this…..C Major opens this piece of…….. tuneage. The chorus is OK that at first closes and then has a second line that doesn’t…….somewhat unusual for them and makes the song a little more interesting. Probably needs it. The break is an interlude type affair with moody effects and guitars. Kinda boring whole step back and forth but lo and behold they fill it in rather well and it goes out with a blast. The chorus brings this one to a close with Rob giving the vocals a canon type effect. Pretty cool I guess….oh well. All The Way Another boogie type riff here. Gee….I started to wonder of the guys started to think they should sound like Savoy Brown. I love Savoy Brown, but you know what I mean. Halford saves it for me. The chorus sounds flown in. I don’t skip the song but don’t really pay attention to it much. Would have made a decent Kiss song. Troubleshooter A chugging E riffage song that again reminds me of Humble Pie. The chorus goes by the numbers to A but has a cool turnaround lick. Nothing highly original going on here but Rob sounds great. The guitar solos are neato though. On the Run A Def Leppard sounding riff kicks this one off. A totally mundane sounding A boogie riff is used for the verse. The pre chorus is not too bad but sounds by the numbers. The chorus as well but once again Rob does bring some value to it. I will stop the bleeding at this point. Yeah I know this album is hated by some fans. However, I find Side One to be pretty good. I remember playing that side over and over. When I finally got to side two, well, some disappointment set in. Some of the songs on Side Two are at the low end of their quality list and sound too generic and too much like Kiss or AC/DC or Humble Pie but without the hot hooks those bands are capable of. They tried to reach a broader fanbase with this album but most of it falls flat. A few of the songs are just too banal to attract much attention from any rock fan. So, for me, this album is a musical tug-of-war……Desert Plains is one of my favorite songs from the band, but it sits with some of the band’s most disliked songs as well. Side One IMO is a killer but side two……well you can fill in the blank…just don’t say “filler”.
British Steel was really the album that lost me, did not like the more dumbed down type of music/band they were evolving into at that point (think I said it earlier, but friends of mine started calling them kiddie metal or kiss-like or kiss-lite or whatever when Steel came out), but I picked up Point of Entry anyways, really hated it, and stopped paying any attention to them until 34 years later (gulp!) when a friend of mine convinced me to listen to Redeemer of Souls which brought me back. So I'll be dropping out of this thread for another 34 years worth of albums I guess....
