Judas Priest

Judas Priest - Rocka-Rolla - (180 gram blue vinyl)

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the release of the very first Judas Priest album, Rocka-Rolla has been remixed and remastered for this vinyl reissue. The band, here consisting of singer Rob Halford, guitarists KK Downing and Glenn Tipton, bass man Ian Hill and drummer John Hinch, couldn't have in their wildest dreams imagined that they'd spend decade after decade as tireless road dogs when they wrote album opener "One for the Road," a blues rocker that's not too different from Foghat's output at the time. The now instantly-recognizable Judas Priest sound was not yet fully-formed when Rocka-Rolla came out but there were plenty of hints at what was to come on songs like the title cut where Halford comes close to breaking into his trademark yowl, but the song still owes plenty to the blues including through Halford's harmonica playing. The eerie "Winter" sounds influenced by Black Sabbath (Sabbath had been around for several years already when Rocka-Rolla dropped), the short instrumental "Deep Freeze," a KK Downing-penned cut, is an otherworldly guitar showcase for Downing, "Winter Retreat" is a mellow, sort of answer to the harder "Winter." Halford blows more blues harp on "Cheater," a story of infidelity that ends, apparently, in murder. Side 2 of the album begins with "Never Satisfied," a Uriah Heep-ish rocker where Halford hits a really high note at the end, "Run of the Mill" is a long, slow jam that gives the band a chance to stretch out and that has Halford vocals that are close to Priest's later sound, "Dying to Meet You" is again Sabbath-like in its condemnation of soldiers of fortune. The album closes with "Caviar and Meths" and the listener can make whatever they want from that title since it is an instrumental. Some have long opined that Rocka-Rolla is not essential Priest but it is far from a throw-way. As Halford puts it in new liner notes on the inside of the gatefold jacket, "From little metal acorns mighty metal oaks do grow."