Best Judas Priest song on a Judas Priest album?

Since we've been doing all these JP polls lately, I'm going to attempt to make a poll to end all polls. Please specify what you mean if you happen to choose "Other".

Was this really necessary?

If you don't like a thread, then ignore it. This place has been kind of dead recently, the Judas Priest threads are getting some traffic, so evidently people enjoy them. How is that hurting you?

What a waste of time.

I for one think we need at least 3 more Turbo threads, talk about some serious forum traffic.

I want at least Turbo vs Ram It Down, and Turbo vs Innocence Is No Excuse polls.

We should have a poll to decide which poll to put up.

Stillborn.

Somebody must have missed the bus to Jr. High school this morning.

S.D. wrote:

Was this really necessary?  

If you don't like a thread, then ignore it.  This place has been kind of dead recently, the Judas Priest threads are getting some traffic, so evidently people enjoy them.  How is that hurting you?  

This says it nicely.

Perhaps Priest needs to add more J-Pop elements to their music?

Just to elaborate regarding Priest, I checked out pretty much from 1985 until Halford returned in what 2001 ? So the albums between "Defenders" and the reunion with "Angel of Retribution" were oblivious to me. These threads gave me a "reason" to listen other than just to listen. I am sure there are others on the board in the same boat as me ?

DakotaRogers wrote:

I for one think we need at least 3 more Turbo threads, talk about some serious forum traffic.

So far, the "Turbo" poll has more responses than nay other thread in the series.

James B. wrote:

Just to elaborate regarding Priest, I checked out pretty much from 1985 until Halford returned in what 2001 ? So the albums between "Defenders" and the reunion with "Angel of Retribution" were oblivious to me.  These threads gave me  a "reason" to listen other than just to listen.  I am sure there are others on the board in the same boat as me ?  

The Priest threads force me to listen to Priest albums I tend to neglect and to listen deeper and more analytically (i.e. Point of Entry) and to sometimes discover new favorites. I enjoy these Priest polls, James; keep them coming!

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Perhaps Priest needs to add more J-Pop elements to their music?

HuR HuR, I git it, cuz that one time muckie said he enjoyed J-Pop! That'll show him!

People this thread is just for the lolz, don't think I was slagging anyone who actually likes the JP polls, I don't care, I was just trying to humor people!

And as for J-pop elements in Priest, I heard that they had Stock Aitken Waterman (british songwriting team who did a lot of disco-pop songs in the 80s) composed some tracks for them that were kept private. While SAW isn't quite J-pop, it's somewhat close because they had a lot of their songs covered by J-pop artists. Wonder what those Priest songs they did sounded like!

James B. wrote:

Just to elaborate regarding Priest, I checked out pretty much from 1985 until Halford returned in what 2001 ? So the albums between "Defenders" and the reunion with "Angel of Retribution" were oblivious to me.  These threads gave me  a "reason" to listen other than just to listen.  I am sure there are others on the board in the same boat as me ?  

Same here. I enjoy your polls a lot (Saxon and JP) and look forward to them. I listen to albums with which I'm not familiar just to choose a favorite track for these polls. I became acquainted with my two favorite Saxon songs ("Metalhead" and "Red Star Falling") because of them.

You know I was actually hoping for a Priest song battle akin to what Lari did with the Dio material. I really enjoyed those threads and helping narrow it down. It was also nice to see my fave Dio song win the battle.

So, since I am the Sentinel and am contractually obligated to make at least one post in any thread regarding Judas Priest or any thread involving past and/or present members of the band, I chose other. My 3 fave albums are Defenders, Stained Class, and Painkiller but I oscillate back and forth for fave song from "Victim of Changes" and "The Sentinel."

My 3 fave James B. threads on Heart of Metal are:

1- The Poll of Priest
2- The Poll of Saxon
3- The Icon Discog thread.

the sentinel wrote:

You know I was actually hoping for a Priest song battle akin to what Lari did with the Dio material. I really enjoyed those threads and helping narrow it down. It was also nice to see my fave Dio song win the battle.

Which Dio song won?

80s Metal Lady wrote:

the sentinel wrote:

You know I was actually hoping for a Priest song battle akin to what Lari did with the Dio material. I really enjoyed those threads and helping narrow it down. It was also nice to see my fave Dio song win the battle.

Which Dio song won?

Stargazer narrowly beat out Heaven and Hell.

DakotaRogers wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Perhaps Priest needs to add more J-Pop elements to their music?

HuR HuR, I git it, cuz that one time muckie said he enjoyed J-Pop! That'll show him!

You are a comedy genius. 

The whole album-by-album poll is also good since it lets us discuss the complete works of a band, and since "the complete works" folder had a lot of its posts wiped out, this is a good alternative. Heck, i've been considering doing the same thing myself for other bands.

The comments about Turbo vs. Innocence is No Excuse and the "Turbo" poll thread getting lots of views makes me wonder why we, as Hard Rock/ Metal fans, seem to come out in force against the things we don't like or are disappointments to us? I consistently read comments on this board (and others) like "band x or artist y hasn't put out a good album since '86" or "nothing can touch band x's 70's output" and they have put out 8-10 good to great albums since the glory days of the "original" lineup. Why is diversity, exploration, and collaboration in other styles of music celebrated while it's condemned in Metal when an outside songwriter or guest vocalist or instrument appears? The simple answer might be that we are just passionate and love our favorite genres. Maybe?

I guess this has been knowing at me since I started the hair metal thread as to why there is so much disdain for '80's look and production. It's not just here, on this forum, as we all know I love this place and feel it is the most tolerant and intelligent (and witty) Metal forum on the web, but on others. And also in the real world when I have conversations about Metal with people in my age group. Okay, long rant over. The soapbox has been put back in the closet.

Every band and every creative person has ups and downs. We fans don't have to like everything they put out. Often we get excited about the sound and songs of the original style - but it doesn't mean we stick with them when they start recording something else. If I like mid-80s speed metal style of music, it doesn't mean I have to buy and listen to music by bands that don't play that style anymore. It's not mandatory to follow the same musical path as the artist. Maybe my tastes evolve in the complete opposite direction? I start getting into classical music. Or brutal death metal.

the sentinel wrote:

Why is diversity, exploration, and collaboration in other styles of music celebrated while it's condemned in Metal when an outside songwriter or guest vocalist or instrument appears? The simple answer might be that we are just passionate and love our favorite genres. Maybe?

Some fans see adding instruments (esp. synths) as a sell-out. But, I don't think it's just metal that has these fan reactions. A lot of Jethro Tull fans can't stand their early '80s albums "A" and "Under Wraps" because of the different sound (I, personally, love those albums). I'm sure long-time Genesis fans hated "Invisible Touch." Many Gary Numan fans see his mid 1980s-early 1990s Janet Jackson-esque output with the female backing vocalists as a low point (again, I like those albums). Some people just don't like change in general.

True, Lari, we don't have to like everything a band (or are favorite band) puts out. I guess I get bothered when I meet someone in a record store and they are wearing a Maiden shirt but they tell me they hate Somewhere in Time cuz "it's a sellout and a blatant attempt at the American market" because of the synth guitar sound. I am pretty certain they conquered the American market in March of 1985 with 4 consecutive sold out shows on the World Slavery Tour.

Metalguy pointed this out in the Coop thread last year that many 70's bands found themselves in the midst of a different and changed world in the 80's and their sound changed because of it. Also, as we have talked about before, big labels and pressure from those labels' executives forced contracted bands to do things they really didn't want to, to achieve a desired result. Sometimes this led to the end of a bands original lineup and it was years before a reformation occurred.

80s Metal Lady wrote:

the sentinel wrote:

Why is diversity, exploration, and collaboration in other styles of music celebrated while it's condemned in Metal when an outside songwriter or guest vocalist or instrument appears? The simple answer might be that we are just passionate and love our favorite genres. Maybe?

Some fans see adding instruments (esp. synths) as a sell-out. But, I don't think it's just metal that has these fan reactions. A lot of Jethro Tull fans can't stand their early '80s albums "A" and "Under Wraps" because of the different sound (I, personally, love those albums). I'm sure long-time Genesis fans hated "Invisible Touch." Many Gary Numan fans see his mid 1980s-early 1990s Janet Jackson-esque output with the female backing vocalists as a low point (again, I like those albums). Some people just don't like change in general.

Good point. I have the knee jerk reaction too against change. In the last few years, I have an approach that it's the artist's music and they can do whatever they want, but that they have the best interest in mind. I don't have to buy it and listen to it. I will always have their other output to enjoy.