Customer Reviews

Judas Priest: Electric Eye

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bottom line: The "Electric Eye" DVD is an essential collector's item for any Judas Priest fan. This DVD is loaded with great material: 13 music videos, the 19 track Priest...Live! video, 6 rare BBC performances, and a complete discography that plays a full song from each album. The 8 page booklet includes some photos and a note from Rob Halford. The whole package is available for a decent price! Here's what you get:

13 Music Videos:

Living After Midnight (1980)
Breaking the Law (1980)
Don't Go (1981)
Heading out to the Highway (1981)
Hot Rockin'(1981)
You've got another thing Comin' (1982)
Freewheel Burnin' (1984)
Love Bites (1984)
Locked In (1986)
Turbo Lover (1986)
Johnny B. Goode (1988)
Painkiller (1990)
A Touch of Evil (1990)

Priest...Live! - Complete 1986 Dallas, TX Concert during Fuel For Life Tour includes these 19 tracks:

Out in the cold, Locked in, Heading out to the highway, Breaking the law, Love bites, Some heads are gonna roll, The sentinel, Private property, Desert plains, Rock you all around the world, Hellion/Electric eye, Turbo lover, Freewheel burning, Green manalishi, Parental guidance, Living after midnight, You've got another thing comin', Hell bent for leather, Metal Gods (plays over credits)

6 BBC TV Performances:

Rocka Rolla - Old Grey Whistle Test 1975
Dreamer Deceiver/Deceiver - Old Grey Whistle Test 1975
Take on the World - Top of the Pops 1979
Evening Star - Top of the Pops 1979
Living After Midnight - Top of the Pops 1980
United - Top of the Pops 1980

First off, this DVD essentially combines the 1986 music video compilation "Fuel For Life", the 1987 concert video "priest...live!", adds the three videos made post-1986, and a very welcome handful of rare late-70's/early 80's television performances. Considering that these two VHS release would've set you back about $45 back in the day, this is a bona fide bargain.

The picture seems to be a straight transfer wihtout and real cleaning-up, but hey, it's better than my grainy VHS tapes now pushing 20 years old.

But here's the bad news - we've all gotten used to that little pause that occurs on DVD's when the laser switches layers on the disc. On virtually every DVD I've watched that has this pause, the mastering people are careful to place it in a section of the program where it will be virtually unnoticed (a scene transition, a scene with no dialogue or significant noise and/or little movement, etc.). For a concert film like this, you could certainly overlook a pause placed between two songs causing a brief silence in the crowd noise. But the moron in charge of mastering this disc placed the pause RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A SONG. Right during "The Sentinal", the image freezes, the music stops, everything grinds to a HALT.

Talk about cheap, unprofessional lack of quality control. It really devalues the product, and suddenly the low sticker price is justified. I'm tempted to rate this thing 2 or 3 stars simply because of the lackluster video transfer and the appallingly poor mastering, but I can't. It's Priest. It rocks. 5 stars for the material, 1 stars for the presentation, which in my grading system gives a weighted average of 4 stars.

Electric Eye(2004). A DVD compilation of every Halford-era MTV video 1980-1990, the entire Fuel For Life '86 concert video, and a collection of various 70's BBC TV performances of the band.

Judas Priest was my first real induction to heavy metal music, and while anyone will argue which band is in fact the greatest, for me I've always come back to Priest first and foremost before anyone else. Iron Maiden became very famous for delivering plenty of epic harmonious classic metal songs of the NWOBHM style, while Metallica, on the other hand, were able to pull off thrash metal correctly on their first several albums; both bands taking on a sophisticated approach to metal both lyrically and musically. So most often, I've found that metal fans who prefer their music to be progressive to an extent will prefer these bands over Priest anyday.

However, many a metal fan fail to realize that playing technical and having complex songwriting isn't the only way to tackle metal. Priest falls on the other side of the spectrum where power, feeling, and hooks are emphasized over sophistication. And so here is why I consider Judas Priest to be my favorite as far as metal music goes: Over the years I've gradually built up a much broader taste in music ranging from pop to metal to industrial, to classic, to progressive, to electronic, to whatever alse... and yet no matter what I'm into, JP never gets old to me. Sure, they do not always hit the high mark, and their lyrics and songs tend to come off as corny and comical to some, but whenever JP is firing on all cylinders, they get into this special "zone" where not even Maiden or Metallica can really touch them (they still are some of my favorite metal bands though!). They throw this high degree of force and sharp edge into their music that while simplistic most of the time, lifts them above most of their peers, which is clearly evident during Priest's best songs. Listening to many of the bands that they influenced, a lot of them fail to distinguish themselves from their peers and so this is why I have always held Priest in such high regard. They manage to successfully emphasize a traditional metal sound without sounding _exactly_ like any other traditional metal band out there.

And though they often tread between catchy happy pop metal (Point of Entry, Turbo), dark and sinister (Stained Class, Defenders, Painkiller) and everything inbetween, Priest refuses to stay the same from album to album. And so that brings us to this collection:

For those that grew up during the early-mid 80s, I'm sure these videos are all a real nostalgia trip, matching visuals with the music (some successful, others look real dated).

MTV VIDEOS

Here we get every video the band has put out, including: Living After Midnight, Breaking the Law, Don't Go, Heading Out To The Highway, Hot Rockin', You've Got Another Thing Comin', Freewheel Burning, Love Bites, Locked In, and Turbo Lover. And with those are 3 more that were previously not available on any video format: Johnny B. Goode, Painkiller, and A Touch of Evil. The early videos are all very primitive, but entertaining to watch. 'Breaking The Law' is just hilarious all the way through (especially with the band holding up in a bank with guitars!). 'Don't Go' is sorta indicative of Rob's orientation well before it was announced (just watch and see). I love the part in 'Hot Rockin' where the band's instruments all catch on fire and they just keep playing! And you can tell just how primitive technology was on videos such as 'Freewheel Burning' where Rob's head is crudely placed inside a Pole Position video game, and 'Turbo Lover' with the claymation skeleton-thing chasing after Rob, KK, and Glenn. 'Locked In' and 'Painkiller' have my vote as the best vids on here, the former because of its overtly dramatic story setup (band comes in and breaks Rob away from cavemen and scantly clad hot 80s women), and the latter because the black & white steel factory look and Rob's psychotically aaaAAANGRY expressions fit the sheer brutality of the song. 'Living After Midnight', 'Love Bites', and 'Johnny B. Goode' are ok, just live lip-synchings of the songs (Rob looks absolutely ridiculous with that ponytail in 'JBG').

PRIEST...LIVE!

Here we have the entire Fuel For Life video of 15 songs performed on the Turbo tour. Though some songs from that album should definitely not be here (Parental Guidance and Rock You All Around The World come to mind immediately), the rest of the concert smokes and Priest turns out one of their best live performances despite clearly looking like a Poison or Motley Crue while doing it. The setlist will turn off 70s Priest purists, but this concert at the time was meant to showcase the band's 80s material. I especially love the sped up 'Freewheel Burning' and 'Desert Plains', screamed out 'The Sentinel' and 'Locked In', and especially 'Heading Out To The Highway' which is acutally better than the studio version, brought to life with a heavier overall sound and an added solo in the middle. My only gripe is that they placed 'Metalgods' during the credits, and it's not even the complete song! Oh well. So unless you're the sort of fan that absolutely needs to hear 'Victim Of Changes', 'Sinner', 'Beyond The Realms Of Death', and 'Exciter' in every Priest live setlist and/or you simply can't stand the sight of Halford in a mullet, then I see no reason why any other priest fan would not enjoy this concert.

BBC TV Performances

Now here's something new (old) that all Priest fans can chew on: 'Rocka Rolla' and 'Dreamer Deceiver/Deceiver' played back in the band's early days on live TV! Gotta love the band in their psuedo-hippy getups (reminds me of the part in Spinal Tap where it show's the band's psychadelic days). I can't say I really like the album 'Rocka Rolla' much, but this song comes to life much better here (KK even stated in an interview that the original album's production should have come out much better in the mix, but that it was screwed up in the process). 'DD/D' sounds especially sharp (MAN that scream of Halford's had to scare the pants off of ANYONE back then, since there was nothing like it!)

However, the 'Take On The World', 'Evening Star', 'Living After Midnight', and 'United' performances are a huge disappointment since it just shows the band standing there and lip-synching to the original studio tracks (sorry guys, not letting that one slip by!). But the 'Rocka Rolla' and 'DD/D' songs make up for them.

So, if you are any sort of Priest fan who grew up in the early days of MTV or are a big enough new fan that just wants to check out what Priest was like in their prime, then Electric Eye should already be in your possession, no questions asked.

ROCK HARD RIDE FREE!! (wait, that song isn't on here!)

If you're a Judas Priest fan(which you must be if you're reading this), buying this dvd is pretty much a no-brainer. Even if you read negative reviews, you'll probably get it anyway to complete your collection. Is it good? You bet! Especially for the price. The videos are lots of fun to watch. Priest was a great band, but they really make themselves look silly with these videos. Rob Halford must think he's in a play or Broadway musical with the way he overacts constantly. Many reviewers have said, "how couldn't you tell he was gay?" Well, you'll see where they're coming from, especially with the Point Of Entry videos. Remember the Police Academy movies? Remember how they would always trick the police captain and Proctor into going to the Blue Oyster bar? In the video "Don't Go", you'll swear that Halford just stepped out of that place. These may sound like complaints, but it's all this stuff that makes these videos so fun to watch. My favorite being "Freewheel Burning" coz of the Pole Position game and the laser lights. And who could forget the exploding head in "Another Thing Comin'?" The concert gets mixed reviews coz it's from the Turbo tour. I know it's not the tour we would have all picked, but it's still enjoyable and makes the dvd even more worth the money. Basically what it comes down to is if you liked the Iron Maiden dvd and how it was set up, you'll most likely dig this.

Judas Priest have finally come full circle. Getting rid of Rob Halford was their darkest hour, and they struggled to follow up Painkiller with any standout material. After a few missteps, Halford himself came back with a venegence, putting out two classic solo albums in the process.
Now on to the Dvd: its a very reasonably priced dvd full of treats. Its not complete but for a 2 hour 40 minute dvd it is definitely more than enough. It features the entire Priest Live video as well as most of the Halford era promo videos (some really funny stuff here, how could anyone not known he was gay!) and two live songs for bbc along with three mimed ones. Not the best thing since sliced bread, but its pretty awesome. Obviously it is timed to promote the reunion with Rob Halford, as there is no Ripper era material to be found on this release.

Priest Live: A highly entertaining if a little dated (smirk) concert video of Priest at their best, live. Versions of Hell Bent For Leather, Breaking the Law, and The Sentinel actually surpass their studio counterparts. It has a lot of material from the widely controversial (at least at the time) album Turbo, and this may be a turn off to some potential buyers of the dvd (not me because I happen to like the album).

The Videos: Most of the Halford era videos in all their full glory, including one I've waited to see for a long time, Hot Rockin! (hilarious work out scene with obvious innuendos in the video). Touch of Evil is also a big highlight as well as the hilariously over budget Locked In.

The Extras: A few lip synced songs for the tele, but the real treat is the "hippie era" Priest rockin out two songs live, Dreamer Deceiver/Deceiver and Rocka Rolla!

Sound: Thats where one star is taken off. The videos and Priest live sound fine, but there is a decibel drop noticable with the extra tv footage. Part of it may be me using the (not so good) Ps2 dvd player (too cheap to buy a real one) but it is noticable.

Overall: Buy this dvd, you wont be dissapointed.

I won't re-hash what has been said already, but the DVD is worth it. Basically what you get:

1. The videos which were released in the 80's on the home video "Fuel For Life" along with Johnny B Goode, Painkiller, and A Touch of Eveil added in.

2. The concert filmed for the 80's home video Priest Live on the Fuel for life tour. Anybody with any knowledge of Judas Priest knows the Fuel for Life was the "Turbo" tour (states it was the Fuel for Life tour clearly on the back of the box), so I don't see why some are omplaining unless they are posers. Any knowledgeable Judas priest fan knew what to expect, plus it was one of the last high budget rock tours by any group before they started cutting budgets so enjoy the nostalgia.

3. The BBC TV performances which are what I think makes the whole thing worth it. Especially the "Rocka Rolla" and "Dreamer Deceiver/Deceiver" tracks which show Judas Priest before they dawned the leather look. A must have for all real Judas priest fans. They have that 70's look and Robert Halford resembled Robert Plant. KK looked like Slash in that hat. The other BBC stuff was OK, but those first two are worth buying the DVD for. They show Judas Priest at an early time in their career and classifies them with some of the other greats of the time like Sabbath and Zepplin, which shows why they deserve the respect us die hard Judas Priest fans feels they do.

Sure I hear the complaints from the people who already have "Fuel for Life" and "Priest Live" on video tape and I understand. Look at it this way though, they could have just re-released both on seperate DVD's to milk the fans for all the money they can. Instead they combine them with some rare and classic BBC footage previously unavailable and release it in an affordable 1 disk set. That is caring about the fans and not the cash, more bands need to be like this.

It is preposterous that all the other "best of"'s and "anthologies" floating around of Priest do not have "Green Manalishi" or "Hell Bent for Leather". These ARE here in the "Priest Live" section (but not on the CD of the same name!);the inclusion of these songs, plus the videos that brought them MTV fame, make this the best choice if you can only own one Priest recording.

The concert was okay, but many of their best songs weren't played: Victim of Changes, Ripper, Tyrant, etc. The Screaming for Vengeance DVD (check Ebay) was WAY better. I personally don't like their radio friendly songs from Turbo or Ram it Down. Judas Priest should never have made videos. For such a great band, the videos (except Painkiller, which was EXCELLENT) came off as silly- SO bad that they weren't even good. Add a flimsy inner jacket and you get a package that seems like a half hazard rush job. Let's hope they put out a DVD of their Ozzfest tour (with Slayer). That would be truly great!

I had to think a bit before deciding on a 4 star rating instead of a three star for this DVD. The Dallas concert footage was Priest at a high point, albeit more commercial than most of their tours, and the sound is pretty good, but after seeing the New Led Zeppelin DVD, the lack of remastering made me cringe. The slow mo and special effects shots are what they are, typical concert video that a band hopes to get played on MTV and the like. It's dated, but then, so is the concert, so live with it!

The videos....... oh, the pain! They also could have been remastered, but they too were left alone. There is, of course, no way to eliminate the incredible camp of the early videos. I chuckle to think that the local Harley riders lived for Priest where I grew up! The inclusion of the version of Painkiller without the added MTV video footage was nice, and, of course A Touch Of Evil is incredible. BUT.... without a doubt the best material is the two early, pre leather videos, showcasing the band's early development, and Halford's incredible vocal range, if not his taste in clothing. Another plus is the discography section, which actually includes an entire cut from each album.

If you have the videos Fuel For Life or Live, get this DVD. If you don't, but like Priest, get it anyway.

The 'Electric Eye' DVD provides a good visual history of Priest. Most of the old promo videos are here. I haven't seen many of these for years and I forgot the wry sense of humor Priest has. I never realized before that the sign at the beginning of the 'Another Thing Coming' video says 'Noise Pollution Test Area.' So that's why the inspector's head blows up! Fantastic. The skeletons with their helmets still on is also pretty funny in the 'Turbo Lover' video given the sign at the beginning. I really respect a band as big as Priest that has the ability to laugh at themselves.

But the audio on the promo videos is not very good . I ran it through my digital receiver but they still sound like they are playing through speakers on a 13" TV set (that's why I subtract 1 star).

The concert has decent audio but I wish they would have used the Screaming for Vengeance or Painkiller tour instead. The Turbo era doesn't present Priest in their best light either visually or musically. Don't get me wrong, it's a decent concert, but at that time Priest was trying to conform to a fad that was more style-over-substance.

For a long-time Priest fan like me the best selling point for this video is the old 70s era TV footage from Great Britain. Check out KK's outfit on 'Rocka Rolla' - priceless! Surprisingly the audio on these clips is fantastic.

The price is reasonable. There is no reason not to get this if you have been into Priest for a long time. If you're not so much interesed in the history of Priest and just want a high-quality DVD Priest concert video to rock along with try 'Live in London' instead. It packs a lot of power. Ripper Owens is still the vocalist on that one but I'm sure there will be a new live DVD with Rob within a couple years, too.