Judas Priest along with U.F.O’s magnificent ‘Strangers In The Night’ live album from 1979, you can also add this wee beauty from Britain’s premier metallers as being one of the best live metal albums ever released.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Judas Priest
ALBUM: Unleashed In The East (Live In Japan)
LABEL: CBS
SERIAL: CBS 83852
YEAR: 1979
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: Rob Halford – vocals * K.K Downing – guitars * Glenn Tipton – guitars * Ian Hill – bass * Les Binks – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Exciter * 02 Running Wild * 03 Sinner * 04 Ripper * 05 The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown) * 06 Diamonds And Dust * 07 Victim Of Changes * 08 Genocide * 09 Tyrant
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
Along with U.F.O‘s magnificent ‘Strangers In The Night’ live album from 1979, you can also add this wee beauty from Britain’s premier metallers Judas Priest, as being one of the best live metal albums ever released. Taking the best tracks from their previous studio albums, and wrapping an edgy live performance around it, set the band on their way toward worldwide domination.
For a live album, it seems a few liberties were taken during the recording process. By accounts, the original live vocal tracks from Rob Halford didn’t come out that well, and may have been re-recorded in the studio. Whether this is true or not is a bone of contention, but whatever the case, many ‘live’ albums have been doctored along the way, so it wouldn’t surprise me. But the final product is amazing, for 1979 that is!
The Songs
Back in the day, I never bothered going back to listen to Judas Priest’s earlier studio albums (‘Killing Machine’ excepted). I was more than content listening to the live renditions of ‘Exciter’, ‘Sinner’ and ‘Victim Of Changes’. After since hearing the studio versions I think I much prefer the live ones instead.
Highlights include the sublime dual axework of ‘The Ripper’, the Peter Green< written ‘The Green Manalishi’ (an interesting but no less different version thereof), plus the sonic genius of the aforementioned ‘Victim Of Changes’. Joan Baez‘s ‘Diamonds And Dust’ gets a reworking here, surely JP at their most eclectic – something they wouldn’t be accused of on future albums. Mostly though, it’s fantastic hard rock/metal from a bygone age.
In Summary
Decades later Sony would re-release the album on CD and include four previously unreleased live tracks from that era, ‘Rock Forever’, ‘Delivering The Goods’, ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ and ‘Starbreaker’.
After this album, drummer Les Binks retired from the band, to be replaced by former Trapeze sticksman Dave Holland. He would remain with the band all the way through the 80’s decade, though was missing when Judas Priest made a ‘sort-of’ comeback with the 1990 ‘Painkiller’ album.
Still, for a decisive and incisive blast of quality live hard rock/metal which has that late 70’s feel, then ‘Unleashed In The East’ stands right up there among the best of them. Yes, they would release a savage set of live action during the mid 80’s with ‘Judas Priest Live’ but don’t think this one is a poor cousin, far from it. It’s superior!
Video
All Album (Select Tracks)
