Judas Priest/TX,USA 1977 & more

JUDAS PRIEST was a rising star in the 70s who protected the traditions of British hard rock. Here is a superb vintage recording of that band. This album contains three live performances. The main performances are from the “SIN AFTER SIN” era, “June 21, 1977: San Antonio performance” and “July 18: New York performance”, and the bonus performance is from the “October 11, 1975: Slough performance”. This is a two-disc set that allows you to collect valuable early records. To begin with, PRIEST’s early records are very limited. They were a minor presence not only before their debut, but for a while after their debut as well, and their recordings only increased significantly after their 4th album “STAINED CLASS”. At that time, it was the dark age of hard rock, and audience records were not easy to come by. First of all, let’s organize the live records up to the “SIN AFTER SIN” era. ROCKA ROLLA era (1975) April 25: TV appearance Official “ELECTRIC EYE” August 22: Reading Festival appearance “READING ROCK ’75” October 11: Slough performance ←★ This work disc 2 SAD WINGS OF DESTINY era (1976) {No record} SIN AFTER SIN era (1977) June 21: San Antonio performance ←★ This work disc 1 July 18: New York performance ←★ This work disc 2 Above, 5. Too few compared to 3 studio albums. Officially, there are only 2 songs from the OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST appearance, which was a bonus video for “ELECTRIC EYE”, and the rest are all audience recordings. Among them, the historic masterpiece “READING ROCK ’75” is known as a masterpiece, but this work is a live album that brings together the other three. Now, let’s take a closer look at each performance. [Disc 1: San Antonio performance on June 21, 1977] First up is the 1977 San Antonio performance, which is the representative recording and masterpiece of the SIN AFTER SIN era. This year, PRIEST will experience their first American tour, and this is the audience recording of the fourth performance. What is surprising is the quality. Although it is a 1977 recording that is appreciated just to be able to listen to, the sound is one of the best of all audience recordings of the 1970s. It has been digitized directly from the analog master, and is a famous recording that has been praised by enthusiasts as “just like a sound board” rather than being a roaring or explosive sound. In fact, it is difficult to call the real enthusiasm a sound board, but the clarity of the essential performance sound / singing voice, and the direct feeling with almost no venue echo make it easy to say “line recording”. The pitch, which was more than 1/4 tone out of sync in the original sound, was accurately aligned, and it was finished as a piece that updates the highest peak of the SIN AFTER SIN era. The show depicted with that sound is also wonderful. It’s amazing. Joe Anthony’s introduction of the band, “Their first US tour, JUDAS PRIEST!!” is full of mood. The opening song “Let Us Prey/Call For The Priest” that comes from there is so rare that it’s dizzying. From there, the “rising star of British rock” spirit overflows endlessly. To be honest, compared to their later years, their performance is a little suspicious, but their passionate performance that makes you think of their first experience in America overflows and overflows throughout the show. Particularly wonderful is Rob Halford, who was 25 years old at the time. His high notes are youthful! He would later become famous as the God of Steel, but from this album, you can hear the pure and pure lyricism of British hard rock. Just listening to his voice, which is both taut and glossy, is a live album that will leave you in awe. [Disc 2: New York performance on July 18, 1977] Next is New York, about a month later. This is a live performance at the traditional venue “Palladium”. After this, they performed at the Palladium every time they toured, and in 1979 and 1981 they left behind a wonderful sound board (you can enjoy it in “ON AIR 1979” and “DEFINITIVE BLITZ 1981 (Zodiac 266)”). This venue is truly their “outpost in the United States”, but this was their first visit. The sound is also a very wonderful vintage audience. There was a previous release where “Diamonds & Rust” was cut, but this work contains all six songs that have been excavated. As expected, it does not reach the miraculous San Antonio performance (Disc 1), but it is not a roaring or explosive type, and it is not the type to search for a performance among a lot of noise. The thick and meaty musical tones powerfully dominate the scene. Although you can’t expect neat beauty or detail, the robustness is not inferior to the San Antonio performance. In fact, there are tape change sounds and tape saving cuts between songs (not overlapping with the performance section), but even that is tasteful. And not only can you hear “Let Us Prey/Call For The Priest” here, but the fresh performance is dazzling. Rob got the hint for his later Leather & Studs at his first visit to America, but the culture shock is also evident from the excited singing voice that covers the entire show. And the performance has been evolving rapidly in about a month. At the San Antonio performance, there was a sense of unfamiliarity, and he was confused between calling the song title and starting the performance. That appearance was also realistic like the 70s, but at this New York performance, the show was much smarter. You can see the growth of the 20-somethings who evolved one day and one performance at a time. [Bonus track: Slough performance on October 11, 1975] At the end of disc 2, a super rare recording from the “ROCKA ROLLA” era is included as a bonus. This Slough performance was also the first day of Alan Moore’s return. As mentioned above, the only recordings from 1975 were “ELECTRIC EYE”, “READING ROCK ’75” and this work. This work is an essential piece for completing the early recordings. This one also has a vintage flavor and a thick, meaty feel that is typical of a valuable sound source. Although it is not as fresh as it used to be, it is one of the best in the 70s in terms of directness, and although it does not surpass “READING ROCK ’75”, it is certainly a great recording that comes close. Although the quality is too good to call it a bonus, it was included here because it is only five songs and about 30 minutes long. These five songs are particularly rich! The performance is even more youthful than the main part and is incredibly real. Although the timeline is from the “ROCKA ROLLA” era, there are no songs from “ROCKA ROLLA” at all, and you can listen to plenty of early versions of the great album “SAD WINGS OF DESTINY”. The Ripper is particularly amazing. The arrangement is completely different from the final version, and the lyrics are temporary, and even parts that are not in the official version have fast vocals along with the guitar. It is a much more sinister and evil version than the final version. And the best part is “Mother Sun”! This is not just an unreleased song. It is a masterpiece of over 8 minutes that was a highlight track of “READING ROCK ’75”, a masterpiece full of rich British rock lyricism. It’s like WHISHBONE ASH with super skillful singing. Why did they not leave such a masterpiece in the official version? It is a wonderful song that makes you wonder if the band’s musicality changed without the details of the arrangement being decided because it is a masterpiece… It is a wonderful song that expands to such delusions. Before the extremely valuable “SIN AFTER SIN”. It is a masterpiece that allows you to experience 100% of the era that is heavy but not metal. It is a must-have for your collection with a quality that is more than rare. A young priest Judas who admired BLACK SABBATH and embodied the ideals of British hard rock while experiencing culture shock. Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, TX. USA 21st June 1977 PERFECT SOUND The Palladium, New York City, NY. 18th July 1977 TRULY AMAZING SOUND Disc 1 (47:15) Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, TX. USA 21st June 1977 1. Introduction by Joe Anthony 2. Let Us Prey/Call For The Priest 3. Victim Of Changes 4 Diamonds & Rust 5. The Ripper 6. Sinner 7. Genocide 8. Drums Solo 9. Starbreaker Disc 2 (68:04) The Palladium, New York City, NY. 18th July 1977 1. Let Us Prey/Call For The Priest 2. Diamonds & Rust 3. Victim Of Changes 4. The Ripper 5. Genocide 6. Starbreaker Bonus Tracks Slough College, Slough, England 11th October 1975 7. Victim Of Changes 8. Dreamer Deceiver 9. Deceiver 10. The Ripper 11. Mother Sun Rob Halford – Vocals K.K. Downing – Guitars Glenn Tipton – Guitars Ian Hill – Bass Les Binks – Drums Alan Moore – Drums(on Bonus Tracks)