JUDAS PRIEST - STAINED CLASS (1978)

Now, apparently, Judas Priest has arrived, because this album is fantastic. Stained Class was the band's fourth offering, released in 1978. It was the first Priest album to crack the Billboard 200 chart (#173) and the band's second straight Gold certified album. All of that prog sensibility seems to have disappeared by this point. The album is pretty heavy and nicely dark. If you don't remember, the lawsuit that was brought against the band centered around the supposed subliminal messages used in the song Better By You, Better Than Me. Apparently a couple of teenagers heard these subliminal messages and entered into a suicide pack because of them. Well, I didn't hear any subliminal messages any of the three times I listened to this over the last week.

Bottom line is, this is a terrific album. I really wish that I had listened to this stuff back when I was forming my musical identity. What do you think of it? Oh, and by the way, I have several songs from this album that I will be adding to my personal Ultimate Judas Priest Playlist. One of those is a bonus track on the album that I own. It did not appear on the original album (Fire Burns Below).

Album Ranking List:

1. Stained Class

2. Sin After Sin

3. Rocka Rolla

4. Sad Wings of Destiny

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