The early Judas Priest albums

MetalGuy71 wrote:

What's the deal with the Hero Hero album?


Is this just a compilation of their 1st 2 releases on Koch Records? I'm filling in a few remaining gaps in my JP discography and saw this one. I just assumed it was a "Best of" collection. Is there anything essential on here or should I skip it?

I used to have this on cassette many years ago but once I filled out my collection of the 'real' studio albums it became unnecessary.

From what I remember, it's basically a comp album consisting of the bulk of Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings (there may be some tracks missing from each, but I don't remember which ones).

Some of the Amazon reviews claim that the "Diamonds and Rust" on here is an alternate take that pre-dates the version on Sin After Sin, but it's been years since I've heard it so I can't tell ya if that's true or not.

Point is... if you've already got Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings, you can safely skip this.

Fat Freddy wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

What's the deal with the Hero Hero album?


Is this just a compilation of their 1st 2 releases on Koch Records? I'm filling in a few remaining gaps in my JP discography and saw this one. I just assumed it was a "Best of" collection. Is there anything essential on here or should I skip it?

I used to have this on cassette many years ago but once I filled out my collection of the 'real' studio albums it became unnecessary.

From what I remember, it's basically a comp album consisting of the bulk of Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings (there may be some tracks missing from each, but I don't remember which ones).

Some of the Amazon reviews claim that the "Diamonds and Rust" on here is an alternate take that pre-dates the version on Sin After Sin, but it's been years since I've heard it so I can't tell ya if that's true or not.

Point is... if you've already got Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings, you can safely skip this.

Those Amazon reviews are correct - "Diamonds and Rust" is a different version. Hero, Hero was just a Gull Records compilation to cash in on Priest's success after they left Gull. Cool artwork though.

Quote :

Point is... if you've already got Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings, you can safely skip this.

I've had Sad Wings for awhile now. And a copy of Rocka Rolla is on it's way to me via ebay.

Quote :

Those Amazon reviews are correct - "Diamonds and Rust" is a different version.

That version is supposedly on the remastered version of Rocka Rolla (with the bottle-cap cover art) as a bonus track. That is what I have coming to me.

Thanks for the help guys.

Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings have also been combined in this 2-CD set from a while back. It also includes the "alternate take" of "Diamonds and Rust" as a "bonus track"...



When I first saw this disc years ago I was actually considering buying it cuz I didn't have either Rocka or Sad Wings on CD at the time, and this looked like a nice cheap short cut... but I could never bring myself to pull the trigger on it. (Probably cuz of the cheesy cover art and the fact that the back cover photo of Halford was obviously taken in the '80s as opposed to the '70s, when the material was recorded.)

Now I have both albums on individual CDs so I don't need to bother with this.

I like both era's , but thought they were better songwriters in the early days, and were better musicians when Les Binks was behind the drum kit pushing them!

Les Binks was certainly IMO a better drummer then Dave Holland, and apparently a better human being considering what Holland was charged and convicted for

manny wrote:

Les Binks was certainly IMO a better drummer then Dave Holland, and apparently a better human being considering what Holland was charged and convicted for

Les Binks had an awesome '70s porn mustache too. Way cooler than the little French waiter pencil mustache Holland was sportin'.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings have also been combined in this 2-CD set from a while back. It also includes the "alternate take" of "Diamonds and Rust" as a "bonus track"...



When I first saw this disc years ago I was actually considering buying it cuz I didn't have either Rocka or Sad Wings on CD at the time, and this looked like a nice cheap short cut... but I could never bring myself to pull the trigger on it. (Probably cuz of the cheesy cover art and the fact that the back cover photo of Halford was obviously taken in the '80s as opposed to the '70s, when the material was recorded.)

Now I have both albums on individual CDs so I don't need to bother with this.

That cover looks familair. I've probably seen it in the used bins over the years and just assumed it was cheap bootleg or something.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings have also been combined in this 2-CD set from a while back. It also includes the "alternate take" of "Diamonds and Rust" as a "bonus track"...



When I first saw this disc years ago I was actually considering buying it cuz I didn't have either Rocka or Sad Wings on CD at the time, and this looked like a nice cheap short cut... but I could never bring myself to pull the trigger on it. (Probably cuz of the cheesy cover art and the fact that the back cover photo of Halford was obviously taken in the '80s as opposed to the '70s, when the material was recorded.)

Now I have both albums on individual CDs so I don't need to bother with this.

I think this is just another attempt by Gull Records cashing in on having the rights to the first two Judas Priest albums. There are a ton of "best of" albums put out by them that only contain songs from Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings. They're just a tiny independent label and those albums are their only claim to fame.

Supposedly the band had a very poor relationship with the label, I read in an interview with Halford once that they were struggling to feed themselves with the money Gull was paying them. There's even a pretty scathing condemnation of these albums on the official Judas Priest site:

"Gull Records through many subsiduary companies are releasing sub standard re-hashes of these 1st two albums under different guises. If for instance anyone out there has bought their "JUDAS PRIEST - THE BEST OF" - Insight Series, then they would find that 50% of the album consists of a mindless interview with John Hinch an ex-drummer with Priest who we had to let go because he was musically inadequate. The interview is not only misleading but full of rubbish and false information.

They, however have cleverly track listed the back cover so it appears that other band members are involved and as though it contains new material. It's just one example of how Gull Records are greedily continually exploiting and misleading the fans out there and unfortunately we cannot control it or stop them - but we can strongly advise you not to waste your money buying tracks you will already have under the original album titles. They have nothing new to offer and are just trying to cash in on the Priest name - so check out any CD with their name on it before buying."

Fat Freddy wrote:

manny wrote:

Les Binks was certainly IMO a better drummer then Dave Holland, and apparently a better human being considering what Holland was charged and convicted for

Les Binks had an awesome '70s porn mustache too. Way cooler than the little French waiter pencil mustache Holland was sportin'.

Les was killer, but I'm one of the few that think that Holland, while being their least skilled drummer, had a catchy groove and contributed quite a bit to the memorable qualities of the songwriting process. In other words, underrated.

candlemass wrote:

I like both era's , but thought they were better songwriters in the early days, and were better musicians when Les Binks was behind the drum kit pushing them!

Les is Irish

corplhicks wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

manny wrote:

Les Binks was certainly IMO a better drummer then Dave Holland, and apparently a better human being considering what Holland was charged and convicted for

Les Binks had an awesome '70s porn mustache too. Way cooler than the little French waiter pencil mustache Holland was sportin'.

Les was killer, but I'm one of the few that think that Holland, while being their least skilled drummer, had a catchy groove and contributed quite a bit to the memorable qualities of the songwriting process. In other words, underrated.

Holland was great, but he was a total kiddie fiddler - he got sent down for 7 years in the UK for child molestation. He was about to do a solo project with IOMI until Tony found out he was a sicko. He brought some 12 year old kid into the studio at one point telling Tony this is my Drum student - he was later done for child molestation. The weirdo is out now, but no band would touch it with a bargepole. Sick f**k.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Holland_(drummer)‎

Chrome Locust wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

manny wrote:

Les Binks was certainly IMO a better drummer then Dave Holland, and apparently a better human being considering what Holland was charged and convicted for

Les Binks had an awesome '70s porn mustache too. Way cooler than the little French waiter pencil mustache Holland was sportin'.

Les was killer, but I'm one of the few that think that Holland, while being their least skilled drummer, had a catchy groove and contributed quite a bit to the memorable qualities of the songwriting process. In other words, underrated.

Holland was great, but he was a total kiddie fiddler - he got sent down for 7 years in the UK for child molestation. He was about to do a solo project with IOMI until Tony found out he was a sicko. He brought some 12 year old kid into the studio at one point telling Tony this is my Drum student - he was later done for child molestation. The weirdo is out now, but no band would touch it with a bargepole. Sick f**k.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Holland_(drummer)‎

Yeah, I try to look past aspects of a musician's personal life and judge them on the music but that's something that's pretty damn hard to get out of your head.

I can definitely understand being turned off by Holland, just like people are turned off Mel Gibson's films after his comments about denying the Holocaust ever happened.

ElectricEye93 wrote:

Chrome Locust wrote:

corplhicks wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

manny wrote:

Les Binks was certainly IMO a better drummer then Dave Holland, and apparently a better human being considering what Holland was charged and convicted for

Les Binks had an awesome '70s porn mustache too. Way cooler than the little French waiter pencil mustache Holland was sportin'.

Les was killer, but I'm one of the few that think that Holland, while being their least skilled drummer, had a catchy groove and contributed quite a bit to the memorable qualities of the songwriting process. In other words, underrated.

Holland was great, but he was a total kiddie fiddler - he got sent down for 7 years in the UK for child molestation. He was about to do a solo project with IOMI until Tony found out he was a sicko. He brought some 12 year old kid into the studio at one point telling Tony this is my Drum student - he was later done for child molestation. The weirdo is out now, but no band would touch it with a bargepole. Sick f**k.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Holland_(drummer)‎

Yeah, I try to look past aspects of a musician's personal life and judge them on the music but that's something that's pretty damn hard to get out of your head.

I wish I could be that forgiving: just can't. Anybody who meses with children is dead in my book. What kills me is the Libs give these guys pathetic sentences where they learn not to leave a living witness.

My country was the home for child abuse - kids raped and murdered for decades, f*cking church were untouchable. They'd move one peado priest on to another patch, free to rape again. These Priests were ignorant muck savages (red necks times ten) born of incest and set free from Rome to rape and kill young children. Disgusting. I wish I believed in a God, as there would be a hell. As I don't - they get away with it Scott free. And Dave Holland can go and f**k himself - I don't care if he was in one of my all time favourite bands. If I met that guy, he'd be missing his front teeth.

I get it, you can't help being born that way, but you don't act on your sick desires. You don't molest a minor, they can't protect themselves. I'm getting so angry writing this. Holland raped a minor, the sick, twisted f**k.

007 wrote:

I have to admit, I wasn't very enamored by the earlier Priest material when I first heard it. I really only liked British Steel and after. But when I started upgrading to cd I decided to get the entire discography and something about those albums just clicked with me. I'm not sure what it was I didn't like in the beginning but that was long gone. Really good stuff. I should add though that I still haven't gotten Rocka Rolla yet (never even heard one note from it).

:glee: :glee: I don't know a single person ever who has that album. Has anybody here actually bought it? Make a great thread, lol. I'm serious , I'm 44 been involved in and out of the metal market from various degrees and never known anybody who owns 'Rock A Rola' - the tracks I heard frpm it were awful. I always remember the video of Rock a Rolla on the Old Grey Whistle Test with KK dressed like Sport from Taxi Driver

I have Rocka Rolla and I totally dig it!

Fat Freddy wrote:

I have Rocka Rolla and I totally dig it!

X2

thejokeriv wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

I have Rocka Rolla and I totally dig it!

X2

x3

SpectreFate wrote:

thejokeriv wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

I have Rocka Rolla and I totally dig it!

X2

x3

x4 - You need to get it for Never Satisfied. Also, it's a damn good early 70s hard rock album.

Rocka Rolla is an underrated gem. Terrible album title, though.

I have 'Rocka Rolla' I think its a great album

The title track is by far the worst song on Rocka Rolla.

S.D. wrote:

The title track is by far the worst song on Rocka Rolla.

Cheater is by far the best song. It still stands as one of my favorite Priest songs of all time.

Sabbath may be credited with creating the genre, but those first 6 Priest albums transformed it into what it still is to this very day.

I was actually listening to Rocka Rolla yesterday, it had been a while and I found it to be an excellent listen.