Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Without warning, something's dawning, listen", August 5, 2004
Turbo was the album that caused a lot of long-time Judas Priest fans to scream for vengeance (or, at least, to not buy the album). With all the hair taking over the moneymaking side of metal in the mid-1980s, Priest decided to try to cash in with a more commercial and synthesizer-driven sound. Turbo does not sound like Poison, but it is more radio friendly than the often harsh and brutal Defenders of the Faith. Most fans did not like Turbo because it did not sound enough like Judas Priest. I remember reading a letter in a rock magazine where a fan admitted to crying when he first heard the album. Well, it's not that bad. In fact, some of the tracks here are pretty good and one is incredible.
"Turbo Lover" is a very cool track. The synthesizers make it sound like a futuristic motorcycle cruising down the highway and the guitar solo is awesome. "Locked In" is very commercial but darn catchy which was accompanied by Priest's most creative music video. "Reckless" is another catchy track that does not become a syrupy commercial song like some of the tracks here. "Hot For Love" is also pretty good but the chorus seems disjointed. The guitar break demonstrates how bands like Iron Maiden were influenced by these metal statesmen. The best track, by far, though, is "Out in the Cold." It is an amazing, powerful ballad and one of my all-time favorite Priest songs. It is worth the price of the album alone!
In my opinion, Turbo's main flaw is that it didn't go further in its experimentation. It becomes very commercial with tracks like "Parental Guidance" (an obvious knock on the PMRC who criticized the track "Eat Me Alive" off their previous album), "Private Property," and "Wild Nights, Hot Crazy Days." "Parental Guidance" sounds like a song written by a bunch of teenagers, not by metal veterans well into their 30s and maybe even pushing 40. "Rock You All Around the World" is one of those "all hail us" songs that I do not care for. Despite these tracks, Turbo is not the complete bust a lot of fans claim it to be. Turbo was actually planned to be a double album called "Twin Turbos." When that plan was scrapped, many tracks were left off. Some found there way on Ram it Down like the title track, "Hard as Iron," "Monsters of Rock," and "Love You to Death." The first two were virtually complete at the time of Turbo. It is difficult to imagine what a double Twin Turbos album would be like as Ram it Down is so much different than Turbo. It may have helped fans accept the synthesizers if half the album gave them the more typical Priest sound. It probably should not be the first Judas Priest album you buy, but it is not a complete bust. "All Fired Up" is a good extra track and the brilliant "Out in the Cold" is worth two stars alone!
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of their better ones, I don't care what anyone says, April 11, 2002
This was my fifth official Priest album. I got hooked on them with "Defenders", had to run out and get "Screaming" immediately after that, dubbed a friend's copies of "British Steel" and "Hell Bent" (keep your shorts on Sony, I have since purchased the CD's...twice) and then waited two years with baited breath to get my hands on this classic. Like many, I was initially revolted by what was coming through my speakers. Priest singing songs about love and partying, with glossy synth-heavy production and electronic drum sounds? Even the token teen rebellion song ("Parental Guidance") is kind of lighthearted and not really an "angry" song at all. It was a little hard to take at first. But it soon came to be my third favorite Priest album, right behind the 1-2 punch of "Screaming" and "Defenders". Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this album came out right when I was graduating from high school and it served as a really kickin' soundtrack for my final summer before college (it IS a great driving record, make no mistake). The first four songs on this album are total classics in my mind. "Turbo Lover" remains one the best songs they've ever done, I don't care what anyone says. I put it on one of my jogging tapes several years ago, right at the point where I normally start to lose steam, and let me tell you, that song really kicks in the adrenaline for me. "Locked In" is also a great song, I love those electronically altered wails on the guitar in the beginning. "Private Property" has a cool bubbling synth in the beginning that transitions into a mid-tempo brooding rocker. "Parental Guidance", despite my earlier comments, is a fun singalong song mocking parents and the PMRC for being so [bad] about rock n' roll and its supposed influence on kids. "Rock You All Around The World" is my lease favorite song on the album, and "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days" and "Hot For Love" don't do much for me either. But "Out In The Cold" is easily the best ballad Priest has ever done, totally blows away "Before The Dawn", "Night Comes Down", or "A Touch of Evil". It was also a great choice for opening number on the "Fuel For Life" tour. If you can get the VHS version of "priest...live!", check out how well this song works as the opening number. Doesn't seem like it would since it's a ballad (although Priest ballads are typically pretty darn heavy), but you'll see what I mean. The closing track, "Reckless", is also a great tune, Halford's voice is great as always and he really know how to emote the lyrics. I don't care what the naysayers say, this is an essential chapter in the Priest story. If your musical tastes are so stringent that you can't sit through this one, then don't bother with Priest at all, go listen to your collection of death metal albums and leave the rest of us alone!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Has its Moments, June 29, 2004
I recently pulled this record off the shelf and gave it another listen after owning it for many years. It surprised me how well a lot of it stands up once you look past the obvious exploration of the 80s synth sound.Half of the songs on this album would be eminently listenable if they weren't burdened with the ignominy of being found on the Turbo album. The title song is a track that captures the essence of Judas Priest's music: a memorable vocal delivery, sexual innuendo, and a dark vibe that belies the playful title. Other tracks include the power ballad "Out in the Cold", which is vintage Priest once the overlong synth intro is out of the way. The two tracks "Reckless" and "Locked In" would have been right at home on another Priest album such as Defenders. The rest of Turbo is a mixed bag of 80s fluff metal that meets with some middling success. I never bought into the guys in Priest being the flag-bearers of teenage rebellion, and obviously not many other people do either. Still, the moments on Turbo where Priest is not trying to identify themselves with the youth movement are enjoyable, and it's a shame that an album with 4-5 good songs gets dismissed in an era where modern bands put out 1-2 hit song albums padded by 8-9 filler tracks.
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