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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
HERO HERO is the ROCKA ROLLA album REMIXED!, August 27, 2001
Here is the deal with Rocka Rolla; it was mastered wrong. The recording is low, there is a lot of hiss and it sounds like your listening to the album as if your best friend taped it by holding his boombox up to the speakers of his grandmothers recordplayer. Roger Bain, the producer of Rocka Rolla, remixed and remasterd this album and it subsiquently appeared as HERO HERO. Gull records repackaged it with a bunch of Sad Wings Tracks and one oddball track (Diamonds and Rust)not the Sin after Sin version but possibly a Sad Wings out-take. The result is ROCkA ROLLA the way its supposed to sound: HEAVY! Yes folks you heard it right, Hero Hero lets it be known that the guys in the band were not on lithium when recording this album. The difference is night and day. Every ROCKA ROLLA song on HERO HERO is not only 1000 times better but also actually listenable! If your a long time Priest fan and you didnt know this, your in for a BIG treat. Buy Hero Hero and listen to the REAL ROCKA ROLLA!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Where do we go from here? There must be something near.", May 29, 2006
I'm going to review the 12 Judas Priest CDs from 1974-1990 except the two live CDs first. I am a huge Priest fan. I first got into Judas Priest 20 years ago and have stayed loyal to them ever since. This may limit my objectivity since these reviews will really be comparing the different CDs to one another not to other bands. There is no bad Judas Priest CD, only less consistent ones. Judas Priest is a band that have repeatedly experimented stylistically. Some of these experiments were more successful than others. There are CDs that are much heavier than others. I will try and bring all these factors into my reviews as well as attempting to summarize the general consensus among hardcore Priest fans about each individual release.
Judas Priest are possibly the most important act in metal history and they are certainly metal's most unwavering proponents. They helped invent heavy metal music, helped refine and perfect it, helped popularize it and have remained "defenders of the faith" during metal's darkest hours, while other "metal" acts ran for the hills. They are a legendary band whose role in popular music can not be overstated. If a metal band was not heavily influenced by Judas Priest directly, then they were heavily influenced by another band that was. Their reach is inescapable.
Judas Priest are led by Rob Halford, one of metal's most recognizable icons and possibly the greatest vocalist the genre has ever known. Halford's unearthly delivery and range are as responsible as anything else for Judas Priest's signature sound.
Judas Priest were not the first band to employ the services of two lead guitarists but they were certainly the first to fully implement them. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing are both phenomenal lead soloists but it's their riffs and songwriting that have made Judas Priest one of the greatest guitar bands of all time. Both are criminally underrated in the guitar world but Downing is even underrated among Priest fans.
Bassist Ian Hill rounds out the band. A founding member along with Downing, Hill is responsible for keeping the rhythm section humming along through Priest's many drummer changes. Hill is not a flashy player but is certainly competent and on the rare occasions the band's songwriting allows him to shine, he never disappoints.
If this is the worst CD Judas Priest ever recorded with the first Halford/Tipton/Downing/Hill (and it may be) then that's quite a compliment because this is a stellar debut.
Clearly, Judas Priest were still experimenting with their sound and trying to find their direction with this release. That being said, you can already hear the genesis of a fantastic songwriting collaboration which would make magic for the next three decades and counting. Tipton and Downing were already experimenting with integrating two guitars and their accompanying parts into a song.
"Rocka Rolla" is probably their least heavy CD. It is also like many other Judas Priest CDs in that it has it's own fairly unique sound in their catalogue. Overall, you will often find yourself asking whether this is truly a metal CD at all. In my opinion, this is the only Judas Priest CD that is true of. Some of the best tracks off their second CD, "Sad Wings of Destiny" were reportedly left off this CD and that, combined with the mediocre production quality, makes you wonder how truly great this could have been.
Track listing -
"One For The Road" - This slower-paced blues rocker starts off the album on a poor note. It certainly isn't a bad song. It's just a little uninspired and it probably is the worst song offered here. It almost certainly was a poor choice to lead off the album.
"Rocka Rolla" - Right off the bat, track 2 on their debut album, this is probably one of Judas Priest's all-time great songs. This is a fine, early example of a Judas Priest trademark, where each guitar and the bass are all playing their own riff. The magical combination of the galloping rhythm section, the sinister guitar lines and Halford's vocals really crystallizes here. There is perfectly placed harmonica at the close of the bridge section at the end of the guitar solo. This is a fantastic song, perhaps only slightly hampered by lukewarm lyrics.
"Winter - Deep Freeze - Winter Retreat" - I consider these three songs to actually be one continuous song and I consider "Cheater" to be seperate altogether. If nothing else, these songs are connected thematically while not being bound by musical motif. "Winter" starts things off well, immediately suggesting the chill of Autumn's demise with a grinding guitar sound effect and echoing, ethereal vocals by Halford. Pretty good. Fairly heavy. This part comprises the bulk of the trilogy, both being longest in duration and carrying the most emotional impact. "Deep Freeze" is Downing (not Tipton as another reviewer suggested) playing some tremolo lines through distorted sound effects. Downing himself has said he doesn't like this but I do. It does what it's supposed to, suggesting a chill so cold that words can't describe. It effectively makes the transition from "Winter" to "Winter Retreat". Even if you don't like it, it doesn't last too long. Admittedly, a LOT of people seem to dislike it. "Winter Retreat" is a very light, short song. Halford's voice is literally beautiful here and the lyrics suggest the time for optimism has arrived. Which of course is why it makes no real sense (possible irony?) to connect this with...
"Cheater" - Great blues-metal riff opens this song about revenge against a woman who has done our narrator wrong (and the guy she did it with too...). Perhaps the dark lyrical tone of this song would suggest to the observant the heavy musical days to come. A fantastic song overall with more strangely perfect harmonica work by Halford and highlighted by a fantastic guitar solo. I can't be sure but I believe the solo is Downing. Glenn would go on to play too many of the solos later in the band's career and this solo would appear to be evidence of that. Tipton seems to be a technically superior player and certainly tends to play faster solos, highlighted by a lot of pentatonics, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and finger tapping. Downing often plays a more soulful solo and he tends to use way more tremolo than Tipton. Of course, they're at their best when they trade off and play off of one another, highlighting each other's strengths.
"Never Satisfied" - Pretty good song featuring more phenomenal vocals by Halford, especially the final wail. Unfortunately, it's a weak spot, both because of the fairly lame lyrics and because the main riff, already used too repetitively, sounds too similar to the bridge. Al Atkins removal from the band seems to have benefitted Judas Priest in two ways. Halford sings circles around him and his removal as a lyricist had to have helped that area as well.
"Run of the Mill" - Clocking in at 8:33, one of Judas Priest's longest songs. One of their least metal. Also, definitely one of the most interesting lyrically of their entire career. The song deals with a person who has failed to reach their potential and has become a failure. This is a great song with some very soulful guitar work. Superlatives escape me to describe Halford's devastatingly poignant vocals. Listen closely to hear a great bass line hiding under all that guitar.
"Dying To Meet You" - Schizophrenic song that starts off with a rare bass intro from Ian Hill and a slower pace overall. The song tells the story of a soldier preparing for battle and then entering combat. Halford's vocal range is put to the test here as he sings the first part of the song about as low and deep as you'll ever hear him. About midway through the songs picks up speed, the guitars take center stage and Halford's vocal delivery gets much higher pitched. Lyrically, this is the part of the song where the fighting starts. The tone of the song seems a little derisive of the soldier himself, perhaps topically reflecting many people's attitudes about the Vietnam conflict, which of course was winding down at the time. Personally, I disagree with this view but Judas Priest are almost entirely an apolitical band for better or for worse so I can forgive these very trivial differences of opinion.
"Caviar And Meths" - A two minute instrumental closes the CD out. I think it's fantastic. Wordlessly sad. It's a tragedy that this was originally an eight minute long song with lyrics. I'd love to hear the full version but it's probably lost forever.
I don't consider "Diamonds And Rust", Priest's cover of the Joan Baez masterpiece a song from this CD. I consider it a part of "Sin After Sin", their third CD and will talk about it there.
I believe the two versions of the song to be the same version with each being produced differently.
Amazon users consider this 10th out of 12 of Judas Priest's 1974-1990 CDs. I consider it dead last. That being said, it's still a great album. It's just not a great introduction to the band as a whole and a lot of fans of the heavier side of Priest may not like this album. Curious listeners should get "Screaming For Vengeance". It's not Priest's best but it's their best selling and possibly their most generally accessible and most indicative of what Priest generally sound like.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Barroom fighter, ten pint a-nighter, Definite 99", June 13, 2005
Rocka Rolla was Judas Priest's debut LP released in 1974. It features the mainstays of the band Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing, Ian Hill, and, of course, the legendary Rob Halford on vocals (he is credited as "Bob" Halford on the packaging for this release). It was John Hinch's turn on the musical drummer stools for this one. For fans of 1980s Priest, Rock Rolla is a mixed bag of classic rockers, soft ballads, catchy radio tracks, experimental riffs, long epic anthems, and short songs that run together. The overall sound demonstrates a definite Black Sabbath influence with darkness and depth. Rocka Rolla rocks, but it rocks in the classic 1970s hard rock sense, not in the adrenaline-pumping aggression of 1980s Priest masterpieces like Defenders of the Faith.
The debut begins with "One for the Road," a quintessential Black Sabbath style opener. It has a plodding beat but does pick up the tempo. "Rocka Rolla" is the most recognizable track on this album. A television performance for this song can be found on the DVD Electric Eye. "Rocka Rolla" is "hella killa" from the cool opening guitar riff to the addictive chorus. The next three tracks run together to give the impression of a long, epic piece. "Winter" (1:41) offers a quiet background intro that builds up into a dark, very Black Sabbath sounding track. At the drum solo it switches to "Deep Freeze" (1:20) so that, unless you are watching the CD track counter, you may not even realize the song has changed. It then moves into "Winter Retreat" (3:27) that begins with distorted, experimental guitar sounds with strange, dark sound effects (very Black Sabbath-like) then becomes a very pleasant song for the last minute. It is a laid-back relaxing number that is all too brief.
"Cheater" is a driving, classic rocker with harmonica provided by Halford. The guitar riff sounds like "My Sharona" by the Knack. The lyrics are about a man finding his girl in bed with another man. "Never Satisfied" is a classic, raw, stripped-down rocker. It is one of my favorites. Offering a change of pace is "Run of the Mill," a soft epic number running 8:30. The powerful ending with the beautiful keyboards really enhances this piece. "Dying to Meet You" (6:15) is another slow track but picks up around the 4:00 mark and offers Halford's signature wails and breakneck speed vocals. The album ends with a 2:00 instrumental "Caviar and Meths." This track was the concert finale used in the early years of Priest when Al Atkins was the vocalist. It was cut on this album. The entire piece is available on Atkins' solo project Victim of Changes and it is difficult to tell they are the same track because Atkins' version is a 7:00 rocker with vocals.
If you do not have the remake of "Diamonds and Rust" off Sin After Sin this will be an amazing bonus track for you. It is as good as "Better By You Better Than Me" and "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise," maybe better! Actually, I'd buy Sin After Sin for that track (and more!) and find the Rocka Rolla CD with the bottlecap cover as the cover to this version is hideous. As a whole, Rocka Rolla is an excellent debut. It has a lot to offer; something for everyone. Fans of 1980s Judas Priest should give it a try and fans of 1970s classic rock should definitely pick it up.
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