Album Review British Steel Judas Priest (remaster Edition)
There I was completely wasting and feeling down. Feel as if nobody cares...
That was the first lines of Breaking the Law, a song about feeling helpless in the face of mass unemployment. It also always reminds me of Birmingham in 1980.
In 1980 British rockers Judas Priest released their seminal album British Steel, it would in many respects be their trademark record.
The remaster edition was released in 2001, and in 2010 a 30th anniversary version was released.
Earlier records such as Stained Class had already meant that the group had a large following in Britain and other parts of Europe, British Steel would expand their fan base much further afield than before. It show cased the speed metal guitar riffs of K K Downing and Glen Tipton not to mention the menacing vocals of Rob Halford.
Judas Priest unintentionally it seems made their songs on this record more commercially appealing than their previous offerings, for instance Breaking the Law. The video for this track having the dubious distinction of the becoming the first song having sub-titles on MTV!
The video was filmed in their home city (and mine) of Birmingham, after they have robbed a bank in Shirley with cardboard cut out guitars.
Aside from Breaking the Law other highlights are Living After Midnight, Metal Gods, Grinder, and United. Much of these songs still played at their gigs.
The 2001 remaster features the bonus tracks Red, White, & Blue plus a live rendition of Grinder.
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