From time to time I’ll explore a classic live album from a band that was at the peak of their career. This episode will focus on Priest…Live! by Judas Priest. If you want a quick refresher, check out Episode One: Scorpions / World Wide Live And Episode Two: The Who /Live at Leeds.
Priest…Live! Was taken from two shows on their 1986 tour supporting their album Turbo. I think a strong argument could be made that the end of the era was after the previous album Defenders of the Faith, but there was no live album for that, and there are a couple Turbo-related moments that make the timing of Priest…Live! Very worthwhile.
For many, the sweet-spot for Priest are the four album run starting with British Steel in 1980 and ending with Defenders of the Faith in 1984. These were the glory years for metal, and priest was leading the charge, with their Screaming for Vengeance record widely considered one of the genre’s best. The live album that preceded this run, Unleashed in the East, is a better album than Priest…Live! but the era it signified the end of wasn’t as glorious, so this series focuses on the latter.
By the time Turbo and Priest…Live! came out, there were more copycat bands than those being copied, and everyone from Ozzy to KK Downing had turned to an over-abundance of hair spray, and in some cases spandex and sequins, over the trademark burnout-rocker look bands like Priest, Saxon and Iron Maiden dawned early on. It’s a forgivable offense, and there was plenty of redeeming music being made, but the “Denim and Leather” days were all but gone, or at least fading, until a little band called Guns `N` Roses showed up soon after.
The album hits on all cylinders when the material is strongest – songs like “Electric Eye” from Screaming for Vengeance, “Hell Bent for Leather” from the later renamed `78 album Killing Machine, and the ominous “Love Bites” from Defenders of the Faith. Classics like “Heading out to the Highway,” “Breakin’ the Law,” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” certainly don’t disappoint either.
Where Priest…Live! falls short is largely the Turbo-era material like “Parental Guidance” and “Rock You All Around the World” that just doesn’t match up to the material from the previous few records. The one exception would be “Turbo Lover” – the semi-title track from that album, that doesn’t particularly move in the studio the way it does live - driving, powerful, dynamic, and truly intense.
I think most Priest fans would have preferred a live album from the Screaming for Vengeance or Defenders of the Faith tours, but Priest…Live! does signify the end of an era because it was downhill from here for Priest and the glory days of metal. 1988’s Ram it Down was originally intended to be the second of a two-LP set with Turbo but the label rejected it. Their unnecessary and frankly embarrassing cover of “Johnny B. Goode” and Rob Halford’s departure after the following album and tour were the nail in the coffin. They persevered with tribute-band front-man Tim “Ripper” Owens for a while before Halford returned, and they’ve done some respectable work since, but nothing that quite captures the excitement of early-mid 80s’ Priest.
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
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