JUDAS PRIEST - POINT OF ENTRY (1981)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Next up in the Judas Priest catalog is the 1981 effort Point Of Entry.  The cover posted above, from best I can tell, is the original album cover, but there was an alternate cover for the Japanese and North American release.  The album was not as successful as it's predecessor, but it still managed a Top 40 showing (#39) on the Billboard chart and a Gold certification.  Three singles were released, Don't Go, Heading Out To The Highway and Hot Rockin'.  Heading Out To The Highway was the first Priest single to crack the Billboard chart, landing at the number 10 spot. 

My opinion is that this album was a bit of a step backward after several increasingly good albums.  It seems less metallic to me, though there are a few very nice hard rock and/or boogie styled riffs, with the first half of the album being superior to the last half. While I'm only picking three tracks for my Ultimate Judas Priest Playlist (Heading Out To The Highway, Don't Go and Desert Plains), a couple of others could have easily been picked (Turning Circles and Solar Angels). What is your opinion of Priest's seventh studio album?

Album Ranking List:

1. British Steel

2. Killing Machine/Hell Bent For Leather

3. Stained Class

4. Sin After Sin

5. Unleashed In The East (Live)

6. Rocka Rolla

7. Sad Wings of Destiny

8. Point Of Entry

RJ's Ultimate Judas Priest Playlist (at least one but no more than two from each album):

1. Run Of The Mill

2. The Tyrant

3. Diamonds & Rust

4. Last Rose Of Summer

5. Let Us Prey/Call For The Priest

6. Dissident Aggressor

7. Better By You, Better Than Me

8. Invader

9. Savage

10. Beyond The Realms Of Death

11. Heroes End

12. Fire Burns Below (Did Not Appear On The Original Album)

13. Delivering The Goods

14. Evening Star

15. Hell Bent For Leather

16. The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)

17. Killing Machine

18. Before The Dawn

19. Victim Of Changes (Live)

20. Rapid Fire

21. Breaking The Law

22. Grinder

23. You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise

24. Living After Midnight

25. Heading Out To The Highway

26. Don't Go

27. Desert Plains

[Scott]

Its a favorite for me from the opening riffs of Heading Out To The Highway I was engaged.  Yes it has a lighter feel, but the band plays several cuts off this live still to this day.  Why? because these tracks have a timeless quality, they're just good songs, and the even the band states that they go over live really heavy and the crowd gets into them.  

The band has also stated that the label was pushing for a hit because British Steel was so well received.  The fact that it didn't gave way to Screaming For Vengeance since the band felt like it needed to return to what they do best.  So this album does have a different feel in the bigger picture, but for me its just another reason to like it so much...