Customer Reviews

Live in London

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It has been a while since a bought a Priest album, in fact the last one I got was the JUGULATOR and I was quite dissapointed.
In need of some classic metal I bought this LIVE IN LONDON and what a plaisant surprise!
A collection of Priest's classics from Victims of Changes, breaking the law, United, a semi-acoustic version of Diamonds and Rust, Painkiller, etc and some newer stuffs from the last album Demolition.
What is his name?Oh yeah...THE RIPPER!Well, a very good surprise too, it seems like the Priest chose the good replacement for HALFORD, same type of voice, same energy although sometimes a little less high-pitched which is not unplaisant...
Of course this CD doesn't compete with the great Unleashed in the east, but equals Halford's Live Ressurection and is certainly above PRIEST LIVE.
Apparently the track-listing is very close from the previous live MELTDOWN but I can't compare the two for I have never heard the previous one.All I can say is that the sound of LIVE IN LONDON is great, the track listing excellent and the band in a very good shape-even if sometimes drummer Scott TRAVIS seems to have a plane to catch right after the show and speeds up the tracks...
The lowest point would be TURBO LOVER-not a very good number to begin with-and the highests points would be the tunes from Point Of Entry(Heading on the highway, Desert Plains)and some very good songs from Demolition.This review refers to the european version featuring 25 tracks on a double cd, I'm not sure about the "+7".Good purchase anyway.

this is a great live show that no priest fan should be without. very good show with ripper owens on vocals.ripper was not halford,but he was one great substitute.

Definitely you'd be torn choosing which live album to get- 98 Live Meltdown or Live In London. I'll tell you the difference, and you be the judge. First and foremost, 98 Live has better track ordering. Second, it also has a more exiciting feel as a live album, since it is the return of the band from a 4-5 year drought, and you can sense it in the way Ripper presents the songs-complete with stage antics. However, there are just some tracks, that for me, could have been replaced by better ones- Blood Stained, Abductors, Metal Meltdown, Painkiller.. etc. Hey, I mean, these songs are great, but some Priest classics just do not match Ripper's style, most especially Painkiller. He seems a bit forced there.

For Live In London, the aura is that Ripper is comfortable with he audience. What differs from the songs here is that the tracks contain more exciting and better renditions of the classics. Check out Heading out to the Highway and Desert PLAINS (this is my FAVOURITE TRACK), also Turbo Lover. Now how'd you like to hear Turbo lover in all it's metal glory? Also, the basic fact that there are MORE tracks here makes this album somewhat match the 'necessity' of 98 Live. As for the sound, not much has changed, except that the guitar work on this one is more defined than 98. Check out Beyond the Realms for this one. Overall, I gave it a five stars because.. well, this albums simply METALS!

P.S. By the way, you could use the CD's on your PC and you'll find out that there are extra videos from the Live In London DVD. Now how's that for a bargain!

This cd is great!!!! , heading out to the highway is great , grinder is brilliant. I might be in the minority but i sooooo much prefer ripper , he doesnt scream all the time. Ive seen the dvd and hes great on stage . Well worth getting evvery song is great , i luv the songs off demolition, their probably my fave. I was never a real jp fan before , but now im going to be a fan for ever, ripper rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Priest Live in London is another excellent album from a band that was so amazing at its height that no matter what it does will find it hard to top that success. The band was right on, and the song selection was excellent. I recommend both this CD and the Live in London DVD.

A few years from now, Priest fans will look at this performance as a pivotal one as it may have been the turning point in the long struggle between Rob Halford, K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton.

It had been over a decade since Rob Halford left Priest, and over five years since Tim "Ripper" Owens took over as vocalist when this very dynamic performance was recorded. Since "the Ripper's" arrival there had been two studio albums, two live albums, a live DVD, and two major and extended world tours by the band. And yet, there were still rumors of a Halford reunion, and questions about the band's future.

On July 11, 2003 all those rumors were laid to rest and the questions were all answered. Halford is back, Owens is gone, and perhaps, all that will be remembered of Owens will be this album and the companion DVD.

The only question left to be answered now, as when Owens was the lead singer, is whether this band can come up with a studio album that measures up to their successes of the 1980's, "Screaming For Vengeance," "British Steel," "Defenders of the Faith," and "Painkiller."

But while we wait, we should celebrate the fact that they are still around, that Halford is back, and that Tim Owens delivered the goods on this CD, and in my opinion, during his entire stint with the band, even if he could never seem to shake the comparisons to Rob Halford.

This CD, and the companion DVD should let a lot of these things rest, although it most likely won't. And the reason is that the Halford fronted Priest wrote the book on metal. Thus no matter how good Owens was, he will always suffer from the inevitable comparisons to Halford.

Nevertheless, the Owens fronted Priest was an excellent heavy metal band, as long as the listener keeps an open mind and does not expect a carbon copy of the old Priest, and perhaps soon to be the born again Priest. Owens hits all the required high notes, and in many instances sounds uncannily like Halford, making the experience quite interesting for long term fans.

But there are also significant differences to be noted. And on this live album, they are glaring. Songs like "The Sentinel" find Owens searching for his range, and jerkily moving from his trademark growl to Halfordian like screeches within the same phrase, creating a less than stellar interpretation of classic Priest songs.

On the other hand, "Green Manalishi" rises to a new high on this album, with Owens whipping the crowd into frenzied choruses of "Hoy, Hoy" as the band chugs through the song. "Painkiller" is stunning, with every single high note delivered with gut wrenching, hair raising relish that would make a banshee take notice. The energy is clearly transferred through the speakers, and the true fans will feel the hair on the back of their neck stand as they bang their head in rythm.

The new stuff is also pretty well done, with Jugulator's "Burn in Hell" and Demolition's "One on One" rocking along nicely to the more modern darker and thrashy tone.

The highlights are "Victim of Changes," "The Ripper," and what became Owen's live trademark, the semi-acoustic version of "Diamonds and Rust," where there is no doubt about Owens' vocal range and ability to sing.

Highly recommended for old fans and those that are searching for a nice compilation from the Metal Gods during the Tim Owens era.

This cd as a majority of the exact same songs from '98 Live Meltdown, which makes me think one or the other was unnecessary. Tim Owens is a great singer and he rips through all the Priest classics. This cd is probably for die hard fans only. Otherwise save your money. Now that Rob's back in the band, I'm sure there will be another live cd/dvd from the next tour. I'd just wait for that. Only buy Live in London if you don't already have '98 Live Meltdown.

good show i really enjoyed it, it was at brixton academy where i saw maiden a couple years earlier, a medium sized venue in london. flew over to see slade at covent garden, and went to this show as well. ripper can hold his own, this is the second time i saw him with priest, the first in louisville in 97. this is not a compilation of live shows, this is all taped at the brixton gig. i have been a fan of priest since 1982 and have seen em with both rob and ripper. rob of course is my favorite, that gig in nashville in 91 on the painkiller tour will always stand out, but ripper can deliver the goods. if you like a live gig from start to finish not an edit from the last world tour this is a good one.

This live offering is really somewhat boring to be honest. The song selection is pretty good for the most part, although I could do without United (Yawn!!). I have listened to this a number of times now and it is missing something? I just don't feel it has the overall power that Unleashed In The East or Live Meltdown 98 have. The power or rush just isn't present here. It's not a bad live recording, it's just not very inspiring to be honest. Metal is all about the power and the passion of the music and what it entails and this cd just coasts along and does really nothing to provoke such feelings.

The sound is good and the musicianship is good, but the delivery seems non committal if that makes sense? Perhaps the immanent return of Rob Halford was on everybody's mind when this was recorded and the ability to create a strong showing was overshadowed by thoughts of when is he coming back.

Ripper does a fine job yet again of belting out Priest's tunes, but even he can't bring this one to life. If you really want to good Judas Priest live cd get either Unleashed In The East or Live Meltdown 98 as they both offer all kinds of intensity and power. Avoid this one and Judas Priest Live as they both are really kind of boring!!

Even though Halford is the other member of the metal god's Judas Priest still has it, and this proves that they still have it all, LIVE!!

Priest sound pretty good here. In fact, they sound better than ever. If this was recorded with Rob Halford, I'd give it one more star. If they dropped the weak, new songs in favour of tried and true classics, I'd give it a full 5-star rating.

Halford's return opens the door for another live album sometime after they release their next studio album.

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