Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center

Judas Priest - Does Turbo suck?


gorch

Recommended Posts

Yesterday, I had a Judas Priest vinyl session, digging Stained Class, Screaming for Vengeance and, finally, Turbo.

SC and SFV are both original records I bought in teen times. Eventually, I bought them all LPs and followed until SFV, then discontinued listening to them, buying no further records until today. I can’t tell why really, but the direction they had made wasn’t mine somehow.

However, I was gladly surprised about the big sound of the old vinyls. So, whilst spinning the records, yesterday, I went to Wikipedia reading up on the band history and missed out records. My session ended up streaming Turbo as it was written as being a discourse for the band. It sure sounds more pop oriented, but, direction wise, appeared no different then ZZ Top had taken with Eliminator. Actually, I thought it was great and prices for a used one in great condition were quite high with my preferred vinyl shop https://recordsale.de. It seems the value today appears higher than the critics say.

So, what do you think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Turbo is a good album.  It got slagged a bit because Glenn was using the Roland Synth stuff.  But, listen to the opening of Reckless - the riff, the tone - it kills!  A couple of the songs aren't their best.  For me, their best stuff was British Steel, Point of Entry, Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith.  Painkiller had a couple of good songs, and the Ripper stuff I feel just was OK.  If they didn't call it Judas Priest, I may have looked at it differently. The new stuff seems to be OK, and Faulkner is doing a great job, but he's not KK or Glenn.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Funniest JP show I've seen was the Turbo tour. They had a big robot hand on stage. Rob made an entry standing in the giant clenched fist. With an 80s mullet haircut and a glittery robe. None of the leather and great Marshall tone, just glitter and syntersize guitarsound. That was the end of Judas Priest for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, scottcald said:

 It got slagged a bit because Glenn was using the Roland Synth stuff.

Yep. Love both Maiden and Priest, but I think it's safe to say that Maiden integrated guitar synths much more effectively than their mates in Priest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, scottcald said:

The new stuff seems to be OK, and Faulkner is doing a great job, but he's not KK or Glenn.  

And no Dave Holland. Cant stand the drummer that replaced him. Would not know a groove if it hit him in the face. Dave Holland was the Priest sound.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, scottcald said:

For me, their best stuff was British Steel, Point of Entry, Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith.

It started off with British Steel for me. I went to roll back including Rocka Rolla. Sad Wings Of Destiny became my favorite after all. Sin After Sin is a great one too. I don’t listen to British Steel anymore. It’s to many hymns. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, gorch said:

It started off with British Steel for me. I went to roll back including Rocka Rolla. Sad Wings Of Destiny became my favorite after all. Sin After Sin is a great one too. I don’t listen to British Steel anymore. It’s to many hymns. 

I think every album was good or bloody great up until Turbo. The first three albums had killer guitartones, just a treble booster into a driven JMP. Very raw sounding and great songs. Then from Stained class up until Defenders of the Faith they pretty much created what Heavey Metal is all about. After that they lost it. But that is a pretty damn remarkable 10 year album streak of equally remarkable creativity. It is a great legacy and more than most artist can manage to deliver.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Disturber said:

remarkable 10 year album streak of unremarkable creativity

So, you don't see much creativity in this period except for the genre definition?

Other, rather technical question. What would they have changed from TB into JMP to achive the sound change to define the genre sound scheme?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Always loved the Priest. With that kind of longevity you will find something that is less impressive to you than others. I thought their latest release was very good and would still attend a concert if it were possible. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, HAMERMAN said:

I like the album and Turbo Lover is still one of my favorite Priest songs. I wouldn't want them to have stuck to that mold for multiple albums but I like it when a band tries something outside their typical comfort zone.

I agree and I liked that Tipton just added the guitar synth with some tones and pads and mostly playing it like a guitar player with different sounds rather than a keyboard player. Except for the intro to Out in the Cold, much of it you could play without the synth and it will still sound good.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes.   It kinda does.  Despite some good guitar work on the album, most of the songs are off.  Maybe it's the melodies.  Most of the songs on TL  just don't have that impact that other albums do. But I do like turbo lover and reckless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, gorch said:

So, you don't see much creativity in this period except for the genre definition?

Other, rather technical question. What would they have changed from TB into JMP to achive the sound change to define the genre sound scheme?

😅 Sorry, misspelled. Should say remarkable twice. Extremely creative 10 years on all accounts. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know Turbo was released first, but the pre-chorus to Parental Guidance sounded a lot like Animal from Def Leppard to me and the bridge was similar to the progression in the chorus to Photograph.  I've wondered what Turbo would sound like if the keys were stripped off and it had production more like the previous four albums (actually British Steel and Point of Entry sound alike to me, and Screaming and Defenders sound sort of the same.  All four don't sound alike).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No mention of, "Killing Machine?" That's their crossover record. A lot of great tunes on that one, and the production was a step up from earlier records.

"Turbo?" Meh. They lost their focus on that one and tried to get modern. I didn't pick it back up until, "Painkiller." I thought Halford and Fight were better than anything with Ripper, certainly as good as most heavy metal at the time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like the tune "locked in" but some of the other tunes were lame...   seems like a handful of otherwise

rockin bands got caught in a paradigm shit of the mid 80's... krokus, priest, y&t, helix... Twisted Sister

if you ever saw them in a club, were nasty sob's who played like a punk band almost...  even they got caught

up in it.      I'm not even totally against a more poppier Priest .  Some heads r gonna roll and love bites for

example, good tunes but then they also have the majestic The Sentinel on the same album.  Some of those

tunes, like Hands off private property... were lame attempts at commerciality and there wasn't enough on the

album to balance it out...   Did priest not sell enough units to be given some leeway to do what they normally

do?   I guess not.    

 

  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, scottcald said:

Jeez, the Sentinel is such a cool song.  Great riffs, cool lyrics, great playing all around.  

I meant to say majestic in a good way.   One of my fave Priest tunes.  The intro riff says it all.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, RobB said:

No mention of, "Killing Machine?" That's their crossover record.

That‘s how I see it too. It‘s pretty much bridging to the next step, started with British Steel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...