Re-visiting Ozzy and Priest

Back when I sold my CD collection in 2006, I copied a lot of it. I didn't copy stuff that I was not actively listening to, just because there was so much.

So Ozzy and Priest didn't get copied, because I didn't really feel like I would listen to them much again, as I had burnt myself out so much on the Priest catalog up to Painkiller and the Ozzy up to NRFTW.

So it's been a good 6 years since I'd really digested a bunch of their albums. Lately, though, I had been feeling the urge. I've bought a few of the old discs, and have been listening a lot on Spotify and YouTube.

This stuff really is so good. I guess I had just gotten tired it, so I couldn't really hear it any more. But damn is it satisfying to listen to those albums now.

That's not surprising seeing as how Priest is the best metal band ever.

Ozzy - Blizzard thru Tribute

Priest - Sad Wings thru Painkiller

Haven't listened to Priest in years, even though I always preferred them to Maiden. But nowadays Maiden still sounds fresh and I keep discovering some new elements in the songs I almost know by heart. Great band.

I'm listen to Demilition which in many Priest fans eyes is horrible. I love the first 3 on this and after that it blows!

Metalwargod

Occasionally I'll jam some 70s Priest (especially Unleashed In The East and Sin After Sin) and once in awhile I'll listen to Point Of Entry because it wasn't overplayed. Don't really have any interest in albums post-Screaming For Vengeance any longer.

Ozzy I'll spin about once a year, but nothing after Tribute. The Black Sabbath albums with Ozzy get more frequent play.

I still listen to Ozzy and Priest occasionally - about 10 years ago however I used to listen to both regularly. At the time both were my main metal bands but I also gradually burnt out on both bands. The burn out is more about becoming so familiar with those bands' catalogs to the extent that I can now hum most of their songs and I can anticipate various riffs, solos, vocal lines etc.

There is nothing left to discover or be surprised about from either. Still when I am in the right frame of mind, when I want to experience the classic metal sound both are bands I will readily reach out for.

Oh, on Priest - I tend to listen to Sin after Sin and Point of Entry a lot more than any of their other albums. Similar reasons - the rest are a bit overplayed.

SpectreFate wrote:

That's not surprising seeing as how Priest is the best metal band ever.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Priest - Sad Wings thru Painkiller

Rocka Rolla is also a top notch album imo. Cheater is one of their very best songs.

Back when I first started culling out my cassettes, I sold Ozzy's The Ultimate Sin (to The Wherehouse, so I probably got pennies for it). I don't really know why. I liked the album, but I guess I just didn't think I liked it enough to keep. Well, maybe a decade later, I started thinking about that album again and how much I liked "Killer Of Giants," "Secret Loser," and, of course "Shot In The Dark" and wondered why I let it go. So, I bought it again (on cassette) from eBay and actually ended up getting it on vinyl as well. It is one of my all-time favorite albums. I'll never let it go again. And Blizzard of Oz through Bark At The Moon are like old friends to me (if albums can be considered in such terms), especially Bark. I'd never give those up. I,m not into much of Ozzy's post-Ultimate Sin stuff, except the song "Fire In The Sky" off No Rest For The Wicked. That song is awesome.

As for Judas Priest. They were up there with Iron Maiden as my favorite metal band back in the day. Whereas I don't listen to Maiden that much anymore save for Di' Anno era stuff, I still listen to Priest a lot. The first album of theirs I bought when it came out was Ram It Down, but I had their 1980s back catalog before that. I also bought Stained Class when that lawsuit was in the news and loved it. Ram It Down, though, was a disappointment to me, and I ended up selling it. I also bought Painkiller when it came out, but I guess I stopped being interested in new Priest. I'm a bit ashamed to admit this now, but I had a crush on the drummer and he was no longer in the band by that album. I sold that one, too (but copied the excellent track "A Touch Of Evil"). I don't really care to have them again.

Only a few years ago, I finally got into 1970s Priest. Sin After Sin became one of my all-time favorite albums. I like Rocka Rolla, too. I have the CDs that have two albums on them (one is paired with Defenders, curiously). I won't let those go; that's for sure.

A lot of you mention Point of Entry. It would be one of my favorite albums if the second side was like the first. The tracks on side one (I'm an '80s vinyl chick) are excellent. I like the 3 music videos, too. "Solar Angels" is the best song on side 2, but the rest really bring the album down, unfortunately.

SpectreFate wrote:

That's not surprising seeing as how Priest is the best metal band ever.

Hear, hear!

Wargod wrote:

I'm listen to Demilition which in many Priest fans eyes is horrible. I love the first 3 on this and after that it blows!

Metalwargod

I have to disagree just because Feed On Me is the best track on the album!

I like the 1970's Priest a little more than the 1980's.

Ozzy solo, I probably lose interest after the first Zak album or so.

I love the 80's era of Priest the best, well most of it, but the 70's were defiintely classic.

Ozzy is different, some great albums and many with only a song or two I like. Killer of Giants is a great song though.

SpectreFate wrote:

That's not surprising seeing as how Priest is the best metal band ever.

True dat.

80s Metal Lady wrote:

Back when I first started culling out my cassettes, I sold Ozzy's The Ultimate Sin (to The Wherehouse, so I probably got pennies for it). I don't really know why. I liked the album, but I guess I just didn't think I liked it enough to keep. Well, maybe a decade later, I started thinking about that album again and how much I liked "Killer Of Giants," "Secret Loser," and, of course "Shot In The Dark" and wondered why I let it go. So, I bought it again (on cassette) from eBay and actually ended up getting it on vinyl as well. It is one of my all-time favorite albums. I'll never let it go again. And Blizzard of Oz through Bark At The Moon are like old friends to me (if albums can be considered in such terms), especially Bark. I'd never give those up. I,m not into much of Ozzy's post-Ultimate Sin stuff, except the song "Fire In The Sky" off No Rest For The Wicked. That song is awesome.

As for Judas Priest. They were up there with Iron Maiden as my favorite metal band back in the day. Whereas I don't listen to Maiden that much anymore save for Di' Anno era stuff, I still listen to Priest a lot. The first album of theirs I bought when it came out was Ram It Down, but I had their 1980s back catalog before that. I also bought Stained Class when that lawsuit was in the news and loved it. Ram It Down, though, was a disappointment to me, and I ended up selling it. I also bought Painkiller when it came out, but I guess I stopped being interested in new Priest. I'm a bit ashamed to admit this now, but I had a crush on the drummer and he was no longer in the band by that album. I sold that one, too (but copied the excellent track "A Touch Of Evil"). I don't really care to have them again.

Only a few years ago, I finally got into 1970s Priest. Sin After Sin became one of my all-time favorite albums. I like Rocka Rolla, too. I have the CDs that have two albums on them (one is paired with Defenders, curiously). I won't let those go; that's for sure.

A lot of you mention Point of Entry. It would be one of my favorite albums if the second side was like the first. The tracks on side one (I'm an '80s vinyl chick) are excellent. I like the 3 music videos, too. "Solar Angels" is the best song on side 2, but the rest really bring the album down, unfortunately.

Crush on Dave Holland?
I started with PAINKILLER, and its still one of my fave albums by JUDAS PRIEST but to be honest i like them all, from their debut till NOSTRADAMUS but DEMOLITION no, thats a smurf poo album and the first with RIPPER OWENS sucks too (but the last song is good). I like RIPPER OWENS a lot with ICED EARTH and his solo album was good too. With BEYOND FEAR he released a good album too but with MALMSTEEN i dont care about it anymore but not because Ripper Owens but because MALMSTEEN. He doesnt know how to write good songs anymore imo.
About OZZY, i love everything till NO MORE TEARS 100%. The next album OZZMOSIS was okay too (but diferent feeling then the albums before) and DOWN TO EARTH was not bad either. SCREAM and BLACK RAIN only have a couple of good tracks, the rest sounds to modern in my opinion.

Judas Priest is one of my top 5 bands of all time. The only hiccups being the two least regarded albums, Turbo and Demolition. I meant to put those on my playlist today to give them another shot but forgot (I'll probably do it tomorrow). I personally don't think anything sucks except those two and even those two aren't a total waste.

As for Ozzy, IMO The No More Tours farewell should have been the ending point of his career. I find the post NMT albums used all the time but I still don't think them worth my money and skip them.

DallasBlack wrote:

Judas Priest is one of my top 5 bands of all time. The only hiccups being the two least regarded albums, Turbo and Demolition.

i would say Jugulator, Demolition, & Nostradamus. out of those 3, Jugulator is the least offensive. i think Turbo & Point of Entry are really catchy albums.

krokus wrote:

Crush on Dave Holland?

Yeah, it was that mustache and then he wore that tie in the Point Of Entry era photos...

80s Metal Lady wrote:

krokus wrote:

Crush on Dave Holland?

Yeah, it was that mustache and then he wore that tie in the Point Of Entry era photos...

He was a lot in Spain during the 80s producing records for spanish heavy metal bands at MEDITERRANEO STUDIOS in Ibiza. Today we know that at nights he spend his time hunting boys and i dont know if he is still in Jail today.

I do this to alot of bands and artists I love, stop listening for a bit, then go back to them later and it sounds fresh.

Priest is my favorite band, bar none. I would sell all my other music long before I would give up my Priest collection. I recently went back and listened to all of Ozzy's solo material from the 80s and I realized how phenomenal it was. Loads of great tracks that are forgotten. It's good to revisit the Titans of Metal because I know I, for one, often overlook how many great songs these bands put out.

I listen to Priest a lot! Probably not a week goes by when I don't listen to some Priest. I've been a fan since the 70's and have never grown bored with them.

Ozzy I like but don't listen to nearly as frequently. I listen to Sabbath more often than Ozzy as a solo artist.

After listening to Turbo and Demolition again, I can say that both albums are about 50% good. The problem with Turbo is that so many of those songs just don't fit Priest well. I half expected Halford to break out into "Highway to the danger zone". As for Demoilition, I don't think that it's the industrial edge brought into the music but the fact the songs were mostly weak. In conclusion, it's my opinion that Turbo's strongest parts are in the second half and Demolition's strongest are in the first half.

DallasBlack wrote:

Turbo's strongest parts are in the second half

Totally agree! On side 1, I like the title track, and "Locked In" is OK. I always think of the music video when listening to it. But "Private Property," "Parental Guidance" and "Rock You All Around the World" are almost embarrassingly bad.

Side two, though, starts out with "Out In The Cold" which is awesome! It is one of my favorite Priest tracks. It ends with "Reckless," which is a really catchy song. It's easily my second favorite on the album. It's been a while since I've listened to Turbo, but I think I remember liking "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days," too. Not sure about "Hot For Love."

Ive always loved all of what Priest had to offer, much more than Maiden who in my opinion died off a few years ago, their earlier DiAnno stuff proved to be the best of Maiden. As for Ozzy, Id have to say I enjoy his earlier stuff much more. Guess you could say Im more of an oldies fan.