Search - Judas Priest :: Rocka Rolla

ROCKA ROLLA TO ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION

Donald M. Barajas Jr. | 09/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i chose to do this review for several reasons. in your editorial views it

is stated this originaly was put out by guil records. though it seems to

be a bit picky i mention it because gull records would not sign priest do

to the fact they didnt think they would ever make it. a 2nd try by priest

was also denied and the band already thought of throwing in the towel.they practiced under a pub in birmingham england after it closed &

charged very little to play there. rob,ian,kk and glenn survived on beans

and crackers and slept there overnite until the pub would open. finally a

break thru of sorts. after 2 tries, gull gave them a shot. they recorded

rocka rolla and played on the " top of the pops " on bbc. ( pickup the

making of british steel where u can see them play rocka rolla, deciever,

and take on the world. U HAVE TO SEE THIS !!! although rocka rolla only

sold just over 1000 copies ( i have one ) gull gave them the okay to go

with their 2nd release "sad wings of destiny". when i first listened to it

i was blown away. its a masterpiece to me. albums that you can play all

the way thru without skipping songs is very very rare. although they still

struggled w/ gull they finally got picked up by columbia and the rest is history as all u priest fans know. the rocka rolla album had 2 interesting

things. one was that the cover of the album featured the top of a glass

bottle of pop with rocka rolla on top of the cap design. in the early

1980's, the company of coke or coke a cola told priest they had to remove

that design off the album because it compared to close to the top of a

bottle of coke. there is now a new design on that cover with an evilish

type of flying machine on it. another little trivia is that on rocka rolla

rob halford used bob halford on the back cover and in the credits. on sad

wings of destiney he used robert halford and then he went on to rob halford since then.rocka rolla is a great album and the song dying to meet

u about a soldier in war and the terror only one could imagine if they

were in that position really grabs on to you and holds on and then the

soldier returns to find almost equal terror as he tries to shed those

horrible memories. again , its a great album and i suggest u pick it up

and add it to your collection. watch for priests next release that is a

concept album about the mystery and predictions on nostradomus. to all

priest fans , i know its been 10 yrs but angel of retribution is as if

rob never left. its meavy metal a its best. cd id do out in 2007.

don barajas, author"

The entertaining yet confusing Priest debut

Bloodbath_and_Beyond | usa | 03/12/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Rocka Rolla coulda been the great heavy metal debut alongside Black Sabbath (1970), Led Zeppelin (1969), Are You Experienced (1967) and Budgie (1971). However producer Roger Bain (nothing against him) didnt really seem to know what to do with Priest on their 1974 debut. Obviouisly far from the biker filled imagary and party minded lyrics the band would become known for in the 80's, they were more serious musicians in the early days, even some who consider their more well known groundbreaking mid 70's metal efforts like Sad Wings, Sin After Sin, and Stained Class likewise will be surprised. Apparently Bain didn't like some of the bands top flight material that was part of their show, like Genocide, The Ripper, and Tyrant (which of course became the showcases for their sophomore effort that went on to become the foundation for metal). While this might be a wild assumption it just comes off that alot of these songs sound thrown together at the last minute or lacking inspiration. (slow, atmospheric, more progressive kind of songs). No they werent Pink Floyd but merely more serious and "yes we're making deep music" ethos. However some of the songs do sound like they were part of the bands original touring sertlist, like the rocklicking title track, the semi interesting opener One For The Road, and the four song medly Winter/Deep Freeze/Winter Retreat/Cheater. Deep Freeze has some of KK's Hendrix inspired guitar madness and it is a neat little piece although its not for everyone. Cheater also being a ferocious little rocker of note. Never Satisfied is another mediocre yet aptly satisfying dirge of early 70's hard rock. Run Of The Mill which is exactly what its title says, an 8 min piece which illustrates the bands more serious side. It's interesting stuff but it doesnt really hold up over the years and its dated and generic. Of course the title track is as well but its a fun song. the long and slow tunes like Run Of The Mill and half of the next song Dying To Meet You, another piece of slow and dreary art rock, it also doesnt really go anywhere but around the 3:54 mark it turns into a nifty rocker that does entertain. The album is finished off with Cavier And Meths which is from what I've heard another Bain influenced guitar instrumental. Like before mentioned this is serious and deep kinda rock and yes is what was expected considering the times where prog rock ruled. There's alot of Sabbath on this album. More or less Sabs debut. Where there were more basic jam type blues derived hard rock material that was long and weighty. It wasnt until Paranoid that the band became heavy metal forefathers, and Priest the same way did their second album to be the real mark hitter. But as before mentioned its been noted that Bain was against the band using some of their early classics for this debut so they ended up on the second album which many consider the first real JP record. The reissue on Koch doenst have great sound quality, if you want the original cover with the soda bottle top, it is avaliable but most commonly you'll find the reissue with a different cover. As JP's first 2 albums were on a small indie label Gull in England, these first 2 records werent part of the bands remastered CBS/Columbia series which started with their 3rd album. Most metal fans expecting the British Steel Priest should look elsewhere as Halford and the boys on this debut seem to be slapping together songs to please a producer or others while integrating more "thoughtful" structures into their own somewhat developed heavy style, but for historical purposes, give it a listen. There's certainly worse you can spend your money on"