Reissue of the debut album these Kings of British metal,first released on the Gull label in 1974. Features theircover of Joan Baez's 'Diamonds And Rust' as a bonus track,plus the original cover art and all 10 of the origin... more »alcuts. 1998 Snapper release.« less
Reissue of the debut album these Kings of British metal,first released on the Gull label in 1974. Features theircover of Joan Baez's 'Diamonds And Rust' as a bonus track,plus the original cover art and all 10 of the originalcuts. 1998 Snapper release.
"This is defintely an underrated Priest album. I had read several reviews that said it was a great start for JP but nothing memerable on it. I have to disagree. Every song on this is great. Although it isn't as heavy as their later albums, you've got to remember....it was 1974. Thrash metal came a little later.
This album has some great elements in it. There's some pink floyd moments, led zeppelin, and definately some black sabbath. Although they came out a little later than sabbath, zeppelin, and maiden, JP has become a HUGE influence on the direction metal took and I wouldn't hesitate to say they are in the top 5 hard rock/metal bands of all time.
No metal collection should be considered complete without Rocka Rolla."
I love this cd
gordon | newfoundland | 07/13/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"even though judas priest first album may not be thier heaviest it's by no means thier worst.this is a definite overlooked classic by judas priest fans.every song is great except for caviar and meths which is a plain boring instrumental.tracks such as rocka rolla,one for the road and cheater are great rockin tunes.dying to meet you and run of the mill along side rocka rolla are my favorite tracks on the album.dying to meet you and run of the mill are unlike anything the band ever recorded again.the other tracks are never satisfied which is a great song and winter which is not quite as good as the other songs but it is a decent song even though it kind of drags out.all in all this is a great album.a must have for priest fans and for fans of good 70's hard rock."
Judas Priest's first record
S. Baker | Phoenix, Arizona United States | 11/10/2001
(2 out of 5 stars)
". . . and as far as first records in 1974 go, this is not bad. "Run of the Mill" and "Dying to Meet You" are great songs if you want to get bluesy-mellow. "Deep Freeze" is an experiment that would eventually become a guitar solo in the classic "Sinner" (on 'Sin After Sin' (1977)). But none of these tracks survived to become part of the Judas Priest live show because they are so out of place with the band's other material.Of special interest in this version of the record is the original studio version of "Diamonds and Rust" (which is better than the version on 'Sin After Sin') and the revised artwork (the original record had a bottle cap on the cover)."
Judas Priest
Rock and Roll | PA | 01/29/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Dont listen to the naysayers about this album.This is Judas Priest 1st album and it is a hard rocking album.They were just beginning to come to the greatness that everyone was going to hear in a few short years.This is Metal in the early stages of the band Judas Priest."
A nice start...
magnoliavillage | Seattle, WA USA | 03/05/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"A good and interesting album, but probably not for the casual fan; certainly not for a fan of the band they would later become.
This is definitely not a heavy metal album. Most songs here are blues based with a tinge of psychedelic, Hendrix-inspired whammy bar thrown in for good measure on a song or two.
The first couple songs don't break new ground, but the third song, "Winter", is atmospheric and blends into the next three songs, "Deep Freeze", "Winter Retreat", "Cheater". Other than title, it's not clear they have anything, thematically, to do with each other, but that's how they play out. "Deep Freeze" is a Jimi Hendrix whammy-bar fantasy which dissolves nicely into "Winter Retreat". "Cheater", the last song in the group, is a song in which the protagonist finds his woman and another man in bed. Angry and powerful.
"Never Satisfied" is not a bad song and the last line really sums up most people's nature.
"Run of the Mill" is, in my opinion, one of the best songs Judas Priest has ever recorded. It starts off very quietly and slowly and builds into a blues number that keeps the listener riveted to the restrained, tasteful guitar playing of KK Downing. The song builds to a haunting, sad, desperate ending and Rob's vocals have rarely been this dramatic. The ending crescendo rises, floats, and slowly fades out. 8 minutes of restrained greatness.
"Dying to Meet You" is a slow, plodding number that picks up about half way through the song. Interesting topic matter, but not a stand out track.
"Caviar and Meths" is a curious instrumental snippet from a song that was never released in its entirety. This two minute gem is all they released from that performance and shows a softer side the band didn't often reveal.
While I wouldn't recommend this as the first purchase for someone casually interested in the band, it is certainly a worthy addition for the variety it contains and serves to illustrate the contrast that exists between this, their first album, and their much heavier, nearly perfect, second album: Sad Wings of Destiny."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1