British Steel is the sixth album by British
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States...
band
Judas PriestJudas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, formed in 1969. Judas Priest's core line-up consists of bass player Ian Hill, vocalist Rob Halford and guitarists Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing. The band has gone through several drummers, though Scott Travis has held the position since...
, released on 14 April 1980.
British Steel was recorded at
Tittenhurst ParkTittenhurst Park was the home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono from the late summer of 1969 until August 1971, and then the home of Ringo Starr and family until the late 1980s...
, home of former Beatle
Ringo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE , better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the rock group The Beatles. When The Beatles formed in 1960, Starr belonged to another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes....
, after a false start at Startling Studios, a
recording studioA recording studio is a facility for sound recording. Ideally, the space is specially designed by an acoustician to achieve the desired acoustic properties...
located on Tittenhurst's grounds.
SamplingIn music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also...
did not yet exist at the time of recording, so the band recorded the sounds of smashing milk bottles to be included in "Breaking the Law", as well as various sounds in "Metal Gods" produced by "trays of cutlery" and "billiard cues".
British Steel is the sixth album by British
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States...
band
Judas PriestJudas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, formed in 1969. Judas Priest's core line-up consists of bass player Ian Hill, vocalist Rob Halford and guitarists Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing. The band has gone through several drummers, though Scott Travis has held the position since...
, released on 14 April 1980.
British Steel was recorded at
Tittenhurst ParkTittenhurst Park was the home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono from the late summer of 1969 until August 1971, and then the home of Ringo Starr and family until the late 1980s...
, home of former Beatle
Ringo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE , better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the rock group The Beatles. When The Beatles formed in 1960, Starr belonged to another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes....
, after a false start at Startling Studios, a
recording studioA recording studio is a facility for sound recording. Ideally, the space is specially designed by an acoustician to achieve the desired acoustic properties...
located on Tittenhurst's grounds.
SamplingIn music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song. This is typically done with a sampler, which can be a piece of hardware or a computer program on a digital computer. Sampling is also...
did not yet exist at the time of recording, so the band recorded the sounds of smashing milk bottles to be included in "Breaking the Law", as well as various sounds in "Metal Gods" produced by "trays of cutlery" and "billiard cues". It was released in the UK at a discount price of £3.99, with the advertisements in the music press bearing the legend, "British Steal". Songs "
Breaking the Law"Breaking the Law" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's better known singles, and is recognized by its opening guitar riff.-Video:...
", "United", and "
Living After Midnight"Living After Midnight" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally featured on their 1980 album British Steel. It is one of the band's most popular songs....
" were released as singles, while the track "Metal Gods" earned the band members their moniker.
The album was remastered in 2001, with two bonus tracks added. Bonus track "Red, White, and Blue" was written sometime during the earlier years of Priest's career. It was recorded at
Compass Point StudiosCompass Point Studios is a famous recording studio located in The Bahamas. It was founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, and producer of Bob Marley....
in
NassauNassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 260,000 , nearly 80 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
in July of 1985. We felt that the end tag of Rule Britannia was very fitting for a British band especially on an album entitled British Steel". The second bonus track, a live performance of "Grinder", was recorded on 5 May 1984, in Los Angeles during the Defenders of the Faith tour.
In 2009 Judas Priest kicked off the 30th anniversary tour in the US playing the entire album live for the first time.
AnthraxAnthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene and is notable for being the first to combine heavy metal with rap music...
guitar player
Scott IanScott Ian Rosenfeld , better known by the stage name Scott Ian, is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band Anthrax. Ian is also the guitarist and a founding member of the crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death...
said in an interview in the documentary
Heavy Metal: Louder than Life that
British Steel was probably the album that really defined heavy metal, because it, according to him, did away with the "last shards of blues" that had otherwise been characteristic of the genre. He said, "Even the title... how does it get more metal than that?"
The UK vinyl and the remastered CD
All songs written by
Rob HalfordRobert John Arthur Halford is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Halford has a nearly four octave vocal range, having recorded notes from D2 to B5 . He is one of the most respected singers of heavy metal and rock music with a...
, K.K. Downing and
Glenn TiptonGlenn Raymond Tipton is one of the guitarists for the British heavy metal band Judas Priest...
- "Rapid Fire" – 4:08
- "Metal Gods" – 4:00
- "Breaking the Law
"Breaking the Law" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's better known singles, and is recognized by its opening guitar riff.-Video:...
" – 2:35
- "Grinder" – 3:58
- "United" – 3:35
- "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise" – 5:04
- "Living After Midnight
"Living After Midnight" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally featured on their 1980 album British Steel. It is one of the band's most popular songs....
" – 3:31
- "The Rage" – 4:44
- "Steeler" – 4:30
Original US vinyl and original US CD issues
- "Breaking the Law
"Breaking the Law" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1980 album British Steel. The song is one of the band's better known singles, and is recognized by its opening guitar riff.-Video:...
" – 2:35
- "Rapid Fire" – 4:08
- "Metal Gods" – 4:00
- "Grinder" – 3:58
- "United" – 3:35
- "Living After Midnight
"Living After Midnight" is a song by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally featured on their 1980 album British Steel. It is one of the band's most popular songs....
" – 3:31
- "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise" – 5:04
- "The Rage" – 4:44
- "Steeler" – 4:30
2001 Bonus Tracks
- "Red, White & Blue" (Recorded during the 1985 Turbo
Turbo is the 10th studio album by British heavy metal band Judas Priest.The album was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas and mixed January - February 1986 at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California. This album was first released on April 15, 1986. A remastered CD was...
sessions) – 3:42
- "Grinder" (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach CA, May 5, 1984) – 4:49
Personnel
- Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur Halford is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Halford has a nearly four octave vocal range, having recorded notes from D2 to B5 . He is one of the most respected singers of heavy metal and rock music with a...
- vocals
- K.K. Downing - guitars
- Glenn Tipton
Glenn Raymond Tipton is one of the guitarists for the British heavy metal band Judas Priest...
- guitars
- Ian Hill
Ian Hill is a founding member and bassist for the Birmingham-based heavy metal band, Judas Priest.-Biography:...
- bass guitar
- Dave Holland
David Holland is an English rock drummer, best remembered from his stint with Judas Priest between 1979 and 1989. He is currently in prison for attempted rape of a wheelchair-using 17-year-old boy...
- drums
Charts
| Chart (1980) |
Peak
position |
| UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website ; the full Top 200 is published exclusively in ChartsPlus.To qualify for the UK albums...
|
4 |
| US Billboard Pop Albums The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling new music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
|
34 |
External links