The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 527

Number 527

Judas Priest

"Green Manalishi"

(1979)

Genre:Hard Rock

Holy Judas Priest Batman! Sure, I know what you are thinking ..... this should be Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac version & not the bad ass Judas Priest cover version. Or, you might be one of the few like me, that really think this is the best version of Green Manalishi, period. On this day (coincidentally) two twats from Reno USA decided to blow their brains out with a 12 gauge after listening to "supposedly" subliminal message on a Judas Priest album. I don't know about you, but hearing the words "Do it" don't make want to stick a gun to me head and paint the ceiling. I'd probably just want to buy Nike clothing.

2006 & still rocking

In 1979, Judas Priest was growing more and more influential. And as the 1980s progressed, it would become crystal clear that the British headbangers -- who influenced everyone from Iron Maiden to Metallica to King Diamond -- had every bit as great an impact as fellow British headbangers Black Sabbath. One of the Priest's strongest albums, Hell Bent for Leather cannot be described in anything less than glowing terms. Although gothic themes are present on such treasures as "The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)" -- originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac -- "Evil Fantasies," and "Before the Dawn," the album generally isn't as dark or morbid as Stained Class or Sin After Sin. But musically, the band is as aggressive and brutally intense as ever. The two-guitar attack of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing is characteristically blistering, and lead singer Rob Halford never sounded more inspired. For those with even a casual interest in metal, Hell Bent for Leather is essential listening. ~ [Alex Henderson, All Music Guide]

Musical style and influence

Judas Priest were one of the first heavy metal bands to modernize the twin-guitar sound, with the duo of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton. They combined this sound with Rob Halford's unique vocal style create their own unique style of heavy-rock. They are cited often for their influence on heavy metal and the root sound of the guitar work in speed metal and thrash metal. Judas Priest have influenced all metal music since the late-mid 70s either directly or indirectly. Their influence was so important that MTV.com named Judas Priest the second most important band in heavy metal, just behind Black Sabbath.
In addition to the sound, Judas Priest were also known for being the revolutionaries in the heavy metal fashion. Rob Halford began incorporating a macho/biker/S&M style into his look as early as 1978 (to coincide with the release of their album Killing Machine), and the rest of the band followed. It became a mainstay in heavy metal; soon, Saxon were wearing spandex; several other bands, particularly of the NWOBHM and early black metal movements, began incorporating Halford's fashion into their look as well. This sparked a revival in metal in the early 80's, and catapulted them to fame, in both the mainstream and underground. Even in the present, it is not uncommon to find metal artists sporting such a look at concerts. ~ [Source:Wikipedia]

For Fleetwood Mac see Number 591 & Number 547

For Iron Maiden see Number 975 & Number 755

For Metallica visit Mellow Mix Vol 1 #033

For Black Sabbath see Number 979 & Number 826

What does Rolling Stone think about Judas Priest?

When Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath in 1979, the way was clear for a new heavyweight champ of metal. Enter Judas Priest (like Sabbath, from Birmingham, England), a quintet that had up to then released four anemically produced albums. That all changed with 1979's Hell Bent for Leather, a record that effectively removed metal's Seventies-era prog-rock flab. Songs such as the title track were compact, radio-ready blasts of fury that set the stage for every Eighties band from Motley Crue to Metallica. 1980's British Steel was Priest's pinnacle. With "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight," Rob Halford -- perhaps metal's best singer ever -- delivered lessons on how to make hard-rock fans thrill unwittingly to the fantasies of a closeted gay man. What followed -- forays into pop- and thrash-metal, Halford's departure and the tenure of sound-alike replacement Tim "Ripper" Owens -- was just gravy. Metalogy includes all the band's classics from each of its fourteen studio albums, ten live cuts and a DVD containing a 1982 Memphis concert. On that, Halford roars onstage astride a Harley -- advance publicity for Priest's reunion at this summer's Ozzfest. ~ [Source:RS Rob Kemp]

For Ozzy Osbourne see Number 744, #516, MM Vol 2 #138

For Motley Crue see Number 708

Artist Fact File

Name:Judas Priest.................Related to³:Fight

Yrs Active:1969 to now............Site:www.judaspriest.com

Best Song¹:Painkiller ............#1fan:www.judas-priest.com

Best Album²:Stained Glass.........Grammy Awards:0

Albums Sold:30 Million +..........Next best thing:Drokken

¹Number of downloads WINMX ²Artistdirect choice ³Associated acts or collaborations

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Fleetwood Mac ... Yes) and the Album ranked at Number (Judas Priest ... No!)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 74.3 out of 108 pts