30 years after the release of “British Steel,” Judas Priest is still going really strong.

By Martin Popoff

Today, the 30-year anniversary of Judas Priest’s seminal “British Steel” album is upon us. But back in 1980, it was good to see the band finally break big with a record that touched off a golden decade for metal.

“I guess up to that point, it was the definitive heavy-metal album,” ventures bassist Ian Hill, a bold statement, but when you think about it, pretty defensible, given the lyrics about metal and the solidifying of a whole metal package, including the leather of studs look and all told, an overt declaration of the love of metal.

“It also crossed over into other areas. There was, as you know, a couple of very good radio-friendly tracks on there, in ‘Living After Midnight’ and ‘Breaking The Law.’ So the radio stations started to pick up on those songs, and it started to gain us fans from areas we wouldn’t necessarily pick them up from. Maybe people who’d never go see us live, or bothered to be into the things we were into at the time (laughs),” Hill said. “So it probably started heavy metal on its way to its popularity, if you know what I mean.”

If you don’t know what all the fuss is about, Sony has reissued the album in expanded “legacy” form, adding a 30- minute making-of interview, two bonus tracks plus a massive live DVD from the last tour, which featured the album played in full, in sequence. (Turn to our Reviews section, which starts on page 57, to get Michael Popke’s take on the “British Steel” Legacy Edition.)

But if you’re familiar with Judas Priest’s catalogue, you’ll know that this album is where the band simplified things, something that has been attributed — at least in part — to Tom Allom’s role as producer. The record company suggested Priest use Allom. Hill and the rest of the band members were skeptical.

“When we first met him, we thought there’s no way this bloke could be a heavy-rock producer. He was very public schoolboy. He came from a well-to-do family, and like I say, spoke very Queen’s English, sort of thing. We thought, “This isn’t going to work,” Hill said. “But he mixed the live album, “Unleashed In The East,” and he did a tremendous job on it, he really did, a great job on that, and we used him then, so he was with us for over 10 years there, right up until… well, from ’80 to ’88, was the last one we did, which was “Ram It Down,” and he was with us all that time. Colonel Tom Allom (laughs).”

Allom brought a lot to the mix, so to speak. First and foremost, Allom was an excellent engineer who knew just how to sort out the sounds of the various instruments, Hill said. But he had a host of other talents that came in handy.

“He was also a good mediator. Because if a couple of lads wanted to do something in the band one way, and a couple another; he was very pragmatic — he would look at the pros and cons and he would go to the most sensible suggestion,” Hill said. “He was good at that, and his mixing technique was very, very good, and production, and all the noises, the production sounds. There was no such thing as samples in those days. We had to invent them.”

The band had “great fun” creating sounds with everything from cutlery trays to broken bottles, Hill said. Of course, even with those bonus sounds, the band found itself short of material, he said.

“Well, we wrote some of the songs, actually, in the studio. ‘The Rage,’ I think was written, and oh, it was ‘Living After Midnight’ that was actually written in the studio,” Hill said. “We had just come off the end of a very long tour, a two-year cycle, and Ken and Glenn and Rob hadn’t got the time to write a complete album, so those two… it was a very hectic schedule, if you think about it. It was write, record, tour, write, record, tour, maybe with a couple of months off in between.

That’s all. For us to write a song and then not use it was almost like sacrilege.”
“British Steel” clocks in at 36 minutes. That’s a bit short compared to its contemporaries, but incredibly brief by today’s standards, where artists can easily cram twice that amount of music onto a CD.

“Generally, albums in those days were 40 minutes. Any longer than that, I mean, you’re talking about the days of vinyl records here. The more stuff you put on, the more grooves there are on the record, the shallower the groove, and the shallower the groove, the less quality to it. The deeper the groove, obviously the stylus was sitting lower in the groove and it could pick up more information there. So 40, oh, 45 at a real push, and you’re starting to lose quality.”

The lyrical direction of the record, which featured more overt lyrics about the brotherhood of metal, along with the leather-and-studs look, helped cement the band’s place in the new heavy metal movement.

“The direction the music was going sort of attracted a certain audience anyway,” muses Hill. “We didn’t attract girls for instance (laughs). We used to at one time, but with the leather and the studs and the actual power, the raw aggression of the music, it was not something that was that attractive to the female audience. So most of our audience were boys, really. Teenage boys. Which we all were ourselves the time. We were sort of in our mid-20s at the time, maybe 30, but yeah, that was when the typical heavy metal fan, if there was such a thing, started to evolve.”

“British Steel” also served as a way for the band to remind itself that rock ‘n’ roll was supposed to be fun.

“Living After Midnight’ is the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle, you know (laughs),” Hill said. “‘Breaking The Law,’ I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the video for that, but that was a lot of fun. It might be a bit cringe-worthy these days, but at the time, we had a blast doing that. It was a little tongue-in-cheek. It wasn’t taken as deathly seriously as it had been before, maybe. Maybe we were getting a bit of a lighter side, and like I say, it could be a little bit tongue-in-cheek from time to time. It was evolving. We were getting across to the people who we wanted to get across to, which is basically people like ourselves. That’s who we were playing to, and as long as we had an audience and we were keeping them happy, that was the most important thing to us. And as I say, it was just the two radio tracks, or three maybe, that set this album aside, broke us into another audience, another area.”

By Pat Prince

In our June 4, 2010 print issue, renowned metal journalist Martin Popoff interviewed Judas Priest’s bassist, Ian Hill, in celebration of the “British Steel” 30th Anniversary edition. Here, we have vocalist Rob Halford touch on the reissue as well, but Rob takes us back to the original “British Steel” album and tour. Halford shares with us the feeling of making the “British Steel” album, the adventures on the original tour, and an end note on the Grammy win for Best Metal Performance.

I wanted to touch on the influence “British Steel” has had on many metal bands. Why this album and not, say, “Hell Bent for Leather” [which was originally released as "Killing Machine" on October 1978 in the U.K.]?
Rob Halford: I don’t think anybody’s got the honest answer to that. I mean, it’s a bit like going to the casino, isn’t it really? In all practical terms it’s got to be the way it (the album) sounds, the way the songs were created, the production of it. The beginning of 1980. … the decade of 1980 to 1989 was unbelievable for metal music. That was the year it became this worldwide phenomenon. Obviously, for us in Priest, we were delighted that it received that amount of attention. And all these years later people are talking about it. I was just sent a link that Disturbed have covered “Living After Midnight.” And there’s one of these CD giveaways in a big metal magazine in Europe that had about twelve different acts covering “British Steel” songs. I suppose because you’re so close to it, you can’t really be that analytic about it, because you’re like ‘I’m in the band. We wrote these songs, we recorded them, and then we released them to the world. And then it’s out of hands.’

Maybe because it was the first album to really catch on in America?
Halford: Yeah, with “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight,” no doubt that those two songs caught everybody’s ear. Whereas, ordinarily, they may never have heard of Judas Priest before. And that was just the way it came together.

And it happened on the verge of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWoBHM).
Halford: The British heavy metal invasion, yeah. It was also the beginning of the video phenomenon, when MTV kicked off. So everything kind of fell into place, didn’t it? If we never had those two tracks — ”Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight” — and we never had the video phenomenon beginning, things might have turned out completely different. Everything synched together. We never — and even now we don’t — write with a specific agenda … like “we gotta get our songs on the radio, so we gotta do this and we gotta do this …”

If you do, you kind of jinx yourself.
Halford: You do. You absolutely do. And it loses its sincere value, and its honesty.

Did you feel there was something special going on when you were recording the album?
Halford: Really, no, because as most people are aware we were in and out of the studio less than a month … to actually put this all together. We were just very excited about our growth and the tremendous support of the label at the time. And everyone was rooting for is, particularly in America.

We really had no idea. We were just doing what we had to do and because we didn’t really have that much time to think and ponder and plan what songs we were trying to create. It was just a very unique record.

Is it your favorite Priest album? Or is it hard to say?
Halford: Just by definition of the running order and the sound of the record … it’s an amazing sounding record. Tom Allom just did something remarkable. Again, maybe if we had six months to mix and produce it, it would have sounded completely different. I think we were actually mixing it and doing everything as we went along. It kept us all in this kind of immediacy. So now when you listen to it, it’s a timeless record. It sounds like it was done last month somehow. I think that’s what you get with a simple clarity in production. That’s why George Martin’s work with The Beatles is so amazing, or Jimmy Page’s work with Zeppelin, or Tony Iommi and Geezer’s influence in the early Sabbath recordings. These records just have a remarkable sound essence and they don’t have this thing where it’s ‘Oh, that was done in 1960 or that was done in 1980.’ It was just recorded as clear and as pure as the instruments being played.

Is it hard for you to pick out the most effective song on the album.
Halford: I like the leadoff track on the European version: “Rapid Fire.” The American version began with “Breaking the Law.” For whatever reason the label felt that that was the way to go, probably because that was the lead track sent to radio. And we started the “British Steel” show (last year) with “Rapid Fire.” It’s great. The first line, Pounding the world like a battering ram. That’s Priest.

On the liner notes of this re-issue of “British Steel”, Dave Shack writes that there’s a “staccato spit” to your singing. And there is a great cadence in the way you sing your lyrics. It really came out on this particular album. And, in the past, whether it was “Tyrant” or “Genocide,” it was always there.
Halford: I never thought about this in my entire career, until now, and it’s probably a reflection of my personality. I don’t like odd numbers. I like even numbers. I’m not one of these obsessive-compulsive people but I do have a little bit of that in me. I have to have things in a certain way. I have to have tidiness and efficiency, (laughs) and maybe that transmutes into my vocal performance.

Your singing has a life of its own … where you’re playing with words, and you did that a lot in the 70s.
Halford: I don’t know where that comes from. Maybe it’s just the fact that even as kid I had a …

…love for words?
Halford: Yeah. I love working with the English language. That’s why I still enjoy the challenge coming up with a message in a lyric. It’s not easy. Sometimes it’s a little bit easy when you’re given a “Nostradamus,” because it’s almost laid out in your mind, and all you do is pick the words out and put them together. When you try to come up with the words for a “Rapid Fire.” Well, what is Rapid Fire? What does it mean? Including the words to “Steeler,” what is that about? What is the “Grinder” about? I was talking on the Jim Breuer show, and Jim is just a genius comedian, and he has this Sirius show, and he thought “Grinder” was this sex song. And I said, ‘Why did you think that, Jim?’ when we were talking live on Sirius. ‘Well, you’re talking about grinding meat …’  and I said ‘You have a one-track mind there, Jim. It’s not about that. In fact, the inspiration for that was the First Amendment .’ He said, ‘You’re kidding me?’ ‘Yeah, you know, Never straight and narrow, I won’t keep in time, tend to burn the arrow, out of the line … As the mighty eagle, I need room to breathe … day of independence … It’s just a reflection of the Constitution.’ And he said, ‘No. I never knew that.”  Well, you know, Grinder, looking for meat (pause) … sex, sex, sex …

That’s interesting. I never knew it had a sort of political tone to it. And “Breaking the Law” had a sociopolitical tone to it as well.
Halford: Definitely. And I always kind of reflected on why that was. The fact that Priest never set out, or never will be, that kind of band. We’re not the heavy metal U2. But a lot of those songs convey a kind of strong observation of society.

And the unrest in Britain at that moment …
Halford: It was definitely that. You couldn’t escape it. You know, we’d been in this beautiful house [Tittenhurst Park], twenty minutes from London, and we watch the news and there were riots.

I mean, just the fact that songs like “Breaking the Law’ had a sort of punk feel to them, too.
Halford: That’s a valid point. And maybe that filtered into our psyche. And some people say the way the guitars were chugging on, “Rapid Fire” and “Steeler” were the start of the Thrash idea. When they first heard the ways the guitars were being used, it inspired them.

And going back to that first “British Steel” tour, what is your favorite memory about it? There was one thing — and this was considered controversial at the time — you had a plastic machine gun and would pretend to riddle the audience with it.
Halford: It was a real machine gun full of blank bullets. Yeah, and I had this idea, at the end of “Genocide,” — and, I mean. “Genocide”  is about genocide, you know — and I thought it would be great at the end (of the song), with that unusual time measure [hums the riff] … that’s a great fucking tune. We gotta do that song again … I’d take the machine gun (laughs) and fire into the crowd. And everyone thought ‘Are you fucking mad?’

We actually got a real machine gun and we had a guy go around with us on tour (to check it and load it).  It was a full-on machine gun, a John Dillinger-type thing, And, of course, a fire marshall would come to check and it’d be ‘These are the flash pots and this is the machine gun …’  And they’d go, ‘What the fuck? A machine gun?’ The fire marshall had to watch the guy load it with blanks and give it to me.

There’s a very famous picture of me with that machine gun. I’m shooting it, and you can see the shell cases coming out and the smoke and stuff. I remember doing it at the Palladium in New York City and it was embarrassing because it didn’t fucking work. Yeah, sometimes it would jam. And it was really loud so it was loud enough not to be mic’ed up because the mics onstage would pick it up.

Is there any video footage of the machine gun onstage?
Halford: There can’t be.

I would love to see that.
Halford: You would think if it was gonna show up, it was gonna show up by now. it would be great, wouldn’t it? After that show — after the Palladium show — we did another show at a place called The Mudd Club [in NYC]. It was at The Mudd Club where I met Andy Warhol.

I have two of the most amazing pictures in rock and roll of me with Andy Warhol and I got him handcuffed to me, in the dressing room. He was there as we were playing, he was taking pictures, and, you know, they are in those boxes in his warehouses somewhere, which going through would take forever to do. But Andy came backstage and I was messing around with chains and handcuffs and I go ‘I’m going to put these handcuffs on you, Andy.’ And he goes, ‘Oh really?’ And all about Andy would say was ‘Oh really?’ about anything. And I put them on and we were both handcuffed together. And I thought, ‘This is really cool. I’m handcuffed to Andy Warhol. Somebody please take a photo.’  And the label photographer took a couple of photos. And then I said, ‘I’ve got bad news, Andy. I’ve lost the key.’ ‘Oh really?’ And those were in my drinking days as well, so I said ‘Looks like we are handcuffed together for the night.’ ‘Oh really?’ ‘No, I’m just kidding.’ And then I took the handcuffs off and we both went to Studio 54 together. What a night that was. But many, many years later I remembered that moment and I got two beautiful black and white prints made and they’re at my house in England. Just me and Andy Warhol, handcuffed together.

Can you compare last year’s “British Steel” tour to the first one?
Halford: Probably everything going over better …

… better than the first tour?
Halford: Yeah, just because people have become to love the songs.

Plus the last tour you were able to do the whole album, all the way through.
Halford: Yeah, yeah, just a very special feeling.

I gotta tell you, “Steeler” blew me away. I’d never seen it live.
Halford: Someone said to me, ‘It’s like a metal church. I feel like I’ve been to church and seen the ultimate metal experience.’

That song is intense as it is, but live …
Halford: What a great way to finish that record. The lasers, and KK and Glen trading off, and then the buildup and the big crashing chord. And those green lasers coming out and it’s the end and everybody’s just ‘Fuck. What was that?’

It was intense.
Halford: I would just look at the crowd every night and they were just open-mouthed. It turned out absolutely fantastic.

I think that was the song that went over best, — not just cause it ended it (the British Steel album) — because you went on to do other Priest songs, but that was the song everyone was talking about afterwards.

As far as the “British Steel” album cover art  … why did you alter it for this 30th Anniversary release [at left]?
Halford: To put a bit of blood on it?

Yeah, cause the original was so perfect [below left].
Halford: It’s just what Priest does. It would have been probably too easy to just re-release the same thing. I think we were looking to go to a sort of different place. And we always wanted to put the blood on the blade … blood on the blade…. I got to write that down. That’s a great title. I’ll remember that. That could be on the next Priest record.

But the artist did a great job because you are left wondering why the fingers aren’t bleeding (from the razor blade). It’s kind of freaky because you expect it to bleed. It’s even more intense …
Halford: Yeah, because it isn’t. We said ‘Where’s the blood?’ And they said ‘We can’t put blood on it.’

A lot of times it’s what you don’t see that freaks you out.
Halford: That’s it. I think that’s what makes it. Is this the feeling before the blood begins to spurt? It’s a wonderful record cover.

One last thing … about the Grammys. You won for “Best Metal Performance” (“Dissident Aggressor”). They’ve come a long way since Jethro Tull.
Halford: Yeah. I remember watching that on t.v.. “And the Grammy goes to … Jethro Tull.’ I saw Lars (of Metallica), his face go ‘What the fuck?’ But (for us) it was wonderful to get it. Our fifth nomination. It’s the biggest kick in the world for a musician. It was a real treat.

Next up, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, maybe.
Halford: You never know.

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Judas Priest
“British Steel — 30th Anniversary Edition”
Legacy
★★★★

by Pat Prince

The classic album, bookended by two of the best metal songs put to record — “Rapid Fire” and “Steeler” — is celebrated here in all its glory. The music still sounds relevant after 30 years, as songs like “Metal Gods” and “Grinder” describe their own essence perfectly. Even an ’80s anthem like “United” revitalizes itself in the 21st century. And, hopefully, underappreciated songs like “You Don’t Have To Be Old To Be Wise” and “The Rage” will gain a new audience with this anniversary disc.

There are a few things that do pull up lame in this re-issue of “British Steel.” One is the alteration of the cover. Instead of the iconic photograph of fingers tensely grasping a razor’s edge, ready to bleed, the blade is now seen in some kind of CGI perpetual motion as the blood is gushing beneath it. Some things should be left alone — even in a sharp re-issue like this one.

The other is a bonus track called “Red White & Blue.” This was on the last “British Steel” remastered release. But the song is about as mediocre as Judas Priest’s creativity can ever get (not counting the “Turbo Lover” LP, that is). There’s a reason this song was forgotten for many years. It’s a corny, plodding bit of jingoism added to the album because of it’s presumed nationalistic bent. This is clearly not a bonus but an oddity. It should have been left off.

The addition of the DVD, however, is fantastic. Last year’s British Steel Anniversary Tour was a major success and you can see and hear why from this live DVD of a show in Hollywood, Florida. Each song is given new life. And to experience “Steeler” live (even if it is on DVD) can send shivers up your spine. Remarkable.

The highlights continue after the performance of the entire “British Steel” album, too. “Hell Patrol” is as intense as you will ever hear it; “Freewheel Burning” takes on a thrashier (read: better) edge; and “Prophecy” shows just as much promise away from the conceptual meat of the ‘Nostradamus” album.

If there was a way to celebrate “British Steel,” Judas Priest have delivered, capping it off with this wonderful re-issue. A must for any fan who collects the very best of Judas Priest.

For related items that you may enjoy in our Goldmine store:
Download Goldmine’s Guide to Aerosmith (PDF download)
Get a Goldmine back issue. Editor’s Pick: Whitesnake cover story (August 15, 2008) via digital download
Check out the book on classic guitars: “Classic Guitars, Identification and Price Guide,” By Nick Freeth
And be sure to check out the latest price guides from Goldmine