I have their Doomsday Rock N Roll CD. It didn't do much for me personally. I should probably give it another chance sometime and see if it feels any different but there's so much to listen to out there.
Gents, I'm just in the process of acquiring an original LP via The Cogged Disc and have honed in on two contenders; both are "very good/'near' mint" media with matching sleeve and inner gradings. Now whilst one advertiser claims "collectors will not be disappointed" the other states his records are given a final flourish courtesy of a session with something called an Okki Nokki record cleaner (and some suitably exotic sounding fluid.) My question is, given the price for both is identical - which one would you men choose? Answers on a postcard, danke.
The recording cleaning won't matter too much if they aren't then shipping the vinyl in an anti-static sleeve. You will need to clean it anyway on arrival if it just goes back into the mix of original packaging. Have you dealt with either seller in the past? If you have one that you are experienced with and sent quality media that would be the one I would go with. Do you have your own cleaning regimen for newly received LPs?
So for me, this has been the summer of Judas Priest. I have been digging in and revisiting all the albums--some of which I have not listened to in a long, long time due to overplay. One thing I need to say is, and maybe it's a controversial opinion but maybe not--British Steel would rank really low in my ranking of JP albums. I haven't revisited Nostradamus yet, but that might be the only one I'd rank lower. I like both albums, but Steel, as part of their blistering classic period, it just does not live up to the surrounding albums. On the other end, I am really, really enjoying Demolition.
Pretty basic, to be honest; some mild formula, a special concoction from Audio Technica and a little low level chanting, ususally conducted in a hastily drawn pentagram, followed by some basic brush action and faith that there won't be too many pops or crackles - invariably overcome with crankage, anyway. I'll flip a coin. Cheers, Mord.
I will be getting to it soon. I'm looking forward to seeing how/if my thoughts have changed. Also, I'm looking forward to revisiting Angel of Retribution. I loved it at the time of release but it has been forever since I've heard it.
I would agree. I don't use the term "overrated" too often, but British Steel would absolutely fall into that category. I don't even hesitate to call it one of their worst albums. A couple of staple tracks, for sure. But the rest of the album feels like it's tacked on.
Well, some people definitely enjoy it a lot more than I do, since I usually see the amount of praise it gets from fans. And even the worst Priest records have redeeming qualities. But for me, it's severely lacking in what makes them truly great. Priest did much better before, and after.
A quick check of British Steel's track listing: nope, it's a classic. I never tire of "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight." "Rapid Fire," "Grinder" and "Steeler" feature supreme riffage. "The Rage" is probably my favorite of the bunch and one of the few tracks where Ian Hill can be heard. The remaining three songs are still more enjoyable than the multitudes of copycats.
'Rapid Fire' is musical euphoria whilst 'Steeler' is possibly my all time 'Priest rapture. The album is feted due to its 'breakthrough' credentials for the band, commercially but I agree that whilst it's perfectly OK, overall, bar these two tracks, the rest is not peak material. Then again, to begin citing it in terms of nadirs when other recordings are far more deserving of condemnation seems a tad bizzare. At least to me.
I don't really think it's all that bizarre. When something is considered a breakthrough, it will always be subject to more critique than other works.
Opinions vary, as ever, of course but Turbo and Ram It Down whilst being perfectly serviceable in isolation, were pretty weak against much of the band's output to date. Banal lyricism per se doesn't bother me but some of this material pushed the envelope of letting that slide and many of the melodies were way too Poppy but not even in an interesting way. Individual tracks sought judgemental clemency but the guilty verdict seemed unavoidable in both cases. Against both these albums, Britsh Steel sounds like raging, Black Metal (on a good day.) It is in this regard that I employed the term.
Hardware – Billy F Gibbons ℗2O21–Concord Records–CRE01559 Don't be tricked .. this is one of the rocking-est , heaviest “ZZ” albums ever.
I don't think the surrounding albums are that great either, but I listen to Point of Entry more often than British Steel. As I've mentioned elsewhere, the production on the latter feels lifeless.
It’s maybe my 5th or 6th favorite ‘Priest. The highs are as high as anywhere in their catalogue, but the lows are a bit lower than on their very best albums. So not blasphemy to me - it’s breakthrough status is what helps its legacy, and some of the softer moments that haven’t aged well maybe didn’t seem so cringe at the time.
