Stained Class (Exp) [Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Judas Priest | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 6, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00005R62K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (150 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,188 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The album that defined JP in terms of style and sound, November 15, 2002

By 

M. B. Link "wildfirelink" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stained Class (Exp) (Audio CD)

Stained Class. Judas Priest's fourth studio album and first one to feature the talented drumming of Les Binks. In the first years of the band's career, they were searching for the right sound that could set them apart from other heavy metal bands of the 70s. This was especially apparent on their first album Rocka Rolla(1974) and Sad Wings Of Destiny(1976). Although both albums were a commercial flop at the time, the latter album produced many great songs that gained them a steadily increasing fanbase. Priest was financially poor and were ready to quit for good when in no time, CBS(Columbia) Records offered them a name-promoting contract deal to leave Gull Records and record with them for many years. So they happily obliged and recorded their third album Sin After Sin(1977) which gained an American interest for the first time. Although a good album, it still showed signs that the band were trying different things in order to find a fix.

Judas Priest finally made up their minds and decided to go with a full-blown heavy metal style, enhanced further by bringing leather and studs into the formula. With heavier guitars and a new drummer, they released Stained Class(1978) an enhanced followup bearing the same style as Sad Wings. It's a dark album similar to the later released Defenders Of The Faith(1984) but in a 70s metal vein.

Any true Priest fan knows this album's two monster hit numbers, Exciter and Beyond The Realms Of Death. Both songs display a level of complexity not found in most any song that Priest has ever made since then. Exciter showcases Rob's high vocals and speedy riffs, unknown to metal music at the time. BTROD is more of a slower tune which emphasizes a powerful vocal performance and complex guitar arrangements. Those two songs aside, there are still great rockers spread throughout the disc. White Heat Red Hot and Invader are fast moving tracks that often get overlooked by fans. Also, Stained Class has to be the most underrated title track in Priest's discography. It has enough good guitar playing by Glenn and K.K. to label it as a classic. Then there's Better By You Better Than Me, a catchy cover song, and Hero's End, a midpaced song with a memorable midsection. Unfortunately, both of these songs ended up getting the band into trouble twelve years later, as they were brought up in a lawsuit about a couple of kids commiting suicide after listening to those songs. Savage is similar to Sin After Sin's Dissident Aggressor, but with a theme about Indians forced out of their homes by the white men. The only song I don't really like on here is Saints In Hell, which although it has a decent Black Sabbath-esque guitar section, is hindered by a lame chorus. Now even though the bonus track, Fire Burns Below doesn't belong here, it's still a very powerful unfinished track that should have replaced some of the bad songs off of Ram It Down(1988). The live version of BBYBTM is a decent live outtake, neither better nor worse than the original.

Stained Class ended up being the first high-selling Priest album, which would be topped with each succeeding one. After having their first headlining tour in Japan and Europe, Priest took their sound a step further with their next album, Killing Machine(1978)(also titled Hell Bent For Leather). Even though they shortened their songs and made them more commercial, it still retained the same raw heavy metal Priest fans were used to, so it ended up being a great success. All told, I recommend this album as one of the first ones to pick up, especially if you're interested in early Priest. It took me a while to warm up to Stained Class, but since then it has become one of my favorite albums. Others to check out besides this one are Sad Wings, Hell Bent, and British Steel. Then go for the others. Even if you already have Metal Works 73-93, you're still missing many of the band's great songs off of Stained Class. Five Stars for the album, excellent remastering quality, and extras. Now Judas Priest has begun to climb the stairs of success as the one and only Metal Gods. At the very least, this album is a great sign of things for the future to come.

51 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first true heavy metal album, August 30, 2002

By 

Plaque "Plaque" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stained Class (Exp) (Audio CD)

The title of this review might sound a bit much, but let me explain my theory. In my view, heavy metal is a distinct creature from hard rock. Prior to this album, there were plenty of hard rock bands playing and producing excellent, timeless music, including Sabbath, Rainbow, Deep Purple, Zepplin, Motorhead, etc. The above bands played very heavy music, but I have to stop short of calling it "metal" as we know it. The elements of the blues were still very much in evidence in these bands albums, and in my opinion it is the elimination of the blues sound that gave birth to metal. This is not to say that all hard rock bands are equal, nor do I mean to equate Foreigner with Deep Purple. It is the delivery and subject matter that has always distinguished a groundbreaking band (Black Sabbath) and a record company darling like Aerosmith.

Of course, I do not mean to rip on the predecessors of Priest; far from it. I completely worship Black Sabbath, I think they are the greatest band of all time. But the signifigance of Stained Class lies in the straight ahead, classically influenced style of the band, using choppy power chords almost exclusively combined with vocals which make a strong effort to be operatic (however, instead of opera, what came out of Halford was a unique and disturbing vocal style. Halford gives the most unique performance of his career here, I've never heard anything quite like his vocals on this album). The blues sound that they experimented with previously is completely absent, and gives rise to something altogether new - heavy metal!

Stained Class is difficult to describe, and can be difficult to get into because it is actually a very strange album. I have listened to it hundreds of times and I still hear it in a different way every time. This is a misunderstood masterpiece in the best possible way. Judas Priest ushered in a new style of music that has endured ever since.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Priest's Best in the 70s, September 1, 2002

By 

A.J. Taylor (Sparta, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stained Class (Exp) (Audio CD)

After three records of rock experiments, Judas Priest found their sound with Stained Class. The music was considerably heavier than on previous albums, and was very heavy by the standards of 1978. The drumming, which had been a perennial weak point for the band, was improved tremendously with the addition of the talented Les Binks, who even cowrote Beyond the Realms of Death, arguably the record's best song. The weakest track here would be Savage, but not because there's anytihng wrong with it, it just fails to stand out in this collection of standouts. This is a truly great record and if you are a metal fan this is an essential...buy it as soon as you can.