Stained Class
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''Stained Class'' is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band
Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
, released on 10 February 1978 by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
. It is the first of three Judas Priest albums to feature drummer
Les Binks James Leslie Binks (born in Portadown, Northern Ireland), is a Northern Irish heavy metal drummer. He was the drummer for Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979. History Previously working for Eric Burdon, Binks was a drummer on Roger Glover's album ' ...
, as well as the first to feature the band's now well-known logo. The album features " Exciter", considered an early precursor to
speed metal Speed metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) roots.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' (Berg Publishers, 2007), , p. 31. It ...
and
thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
, as well as a cover version of "
Better by You, Better than Me "Better by You, Better than Me" is a 1969 song by the English rock band Spooky Tooth. The song appeared on the album ''Spooky Two'' and was composed by keyboardist Gary Wright. In 1990, a 1978 cover version by heavy metal band Judas Priest w ...
" by
Spooky Tooth Spooky Tooth were an English rock band originally formed in Carlisle in 1967. Principally active between 1967 and 1974, the band re-formed several times in later years. History Prior to Spooky Tooth, four of the band's five founding members h ...
, which garnered the band a great deal of negative attention several years after its release when a pair of fans were allegedly influenced by the song to make a suicide pact. Nonetheless, ''Stained Class'' is regarded by some as one of Judas Priest's best albums.


Overview

''Stained Class'' is the only Judas Priest album to feature songwriting by all five members of the band. Newly added drummer
Les Binks James Leslie Binks (born in Portadown, Northern Ireland), is a Northern Irish heavy metal drummer. He was the drummer for Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979. History Previously working for Eric Burdon, Binks was a drummer on Roger Glover's album ' ...
earned a songwriting credit for "
Beyond the Realms of Death "Beyond the Realms of Death" is a power ballad by English heavy metal band Judas Priest from their 1978 album ''Stained Class''. Vocalist Rob Halford's performance is considered one of his finest ever, and the guitar work is noted as well, esp ...
", and bassist
Ian Hill Ian Frank Hill (born 20 January 1951) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and the sole continuous member for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Biography Hill learned how to play the double bass from his father, a bass player ...
received his first songwriting credit for co-writing "Invader" with vocalist
Rob Halford Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He has b ...
and lead guitarist
Glenn Tipton Glenn Raymond Tipton (born 25 October 1947) is an English guitarist. Often noted for his complex playing style and classically influenced solos, he is best known as one of the lead guitarists for heavy metal band Judas Priest. Early life and ...
. Artist
Rosław Szaybo Rosław Szaybo (13 August 1933, Poznań – 21 May 2019, Warsaw) was a Polish painter, photographer and cover designer. He graduated in 1961 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and was mentored by Wojciech Fangor and Henryk Tomaszewski. I ...
's cover artwork introduced the now-classic Judas Priest logo, replacing the Gothic Script logo which appeared on all of the band's previous albums. ''Stained Class'' was the first Judas Priest album to crack the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and was eventually certified gold in the US. Dennis MacKay was brought in by CBS Records to produce the album. His resume at the time consisted mainly of
jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
artists and more progressive rock artists such as
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
and
Supertramp Supertramp were an English rock band that formed in London in 1969. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards, and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), they are distinguished for blending pro ...
. The recording sessions for ''Stained Class'' took place in October and November 1977 at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
. "
Better by You, Better than Me "Better by You, Better than Me" is a 1969 song by the English rock band Spooky Tooth. The song appeared on the album ''Spooky Two'' and was composed by keyboardist Gary Wright. In 1990, a 1978 cover version by heavy metal band Judas Priest w ...
" was a last-minute addition to the album when CBS Records insisted on including something with commercial potential to liven up an album they felt had a very dark and sinister tone. The song was recorded with producer James Guthrie separately from the rest of the album, as MacKay had moved on to other projects and was no longer available. The band was reportedly so impressed with Guthrie's production on "Better by You, Better than Me" that they asked him to produce their next album, ''
Killing Machine Killing machine may refer to: Film * ''The Killing Machine'', English language title for ''Shorinji Kempo'' a 1975 Japanese action film with Sonny Chiba, Hiroyuki Sanada and Etsuko Shiomi * ''The Killing Machine'', a 1994 American action film with ...
''.


Critical reception

In 2005, ''Stained Class'' was ranked number 307 in ''
Rock Hard "Rock Hard" is a single by the Beastie Boys, released by Def Jam Records on 12" in 1984. The track contains samples from the AC/DC song "Back in Black", which was used without obtaining legal permission, causing the record to be withdraw ...
'' magazine's book of ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''. In 2017, it was ranked 43rd in ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'''s "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time". After the success of subsequent Judas Priest albums in the US, ''Stained Class'' would eventually be certified Gold. The song "Invader" was finally added to the band's setlists in 2021, making "Heroes End" the only song off the album that has never been performed live.


Lawsuit

Twelve years after its release, ''Stained Class'' was the subject of a 1990 civil action brought against the band by the family of a teenager, James Vance, who entered into a
suicide pact A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to die by suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. General considerations Suicide pacts are an important concept in the study of suicide, and h ...
with his friend Ray Belknap after allegedly listening to "
Better by You, Better than Me "Better by You, Better than Me" is a 1969 song by the English rock band Spooky Tooth. The song appeared on the album ''Spooky Two'' and was composed by keyboardist Gary Wright. In 1990, a 1978 cover version by heavy metal band Judas Priest w ...
" on 23 December 1985. Belknap succeeded in killing himself, and Vance was left critically injured after surviving a self-inflicted gunshot to the face, eventually dying of a
methadone Methadone, sold under the brand names Dolophine and Methadose among others, is a synthetic opioid agonist used for chronic pain and also for opioid dependence. It is used to treat chronic pain, and it is also used to treat addiction to heroin ...
overdose three years later. The suit alleged that Judas Priest recorded subliminal messages on the song that said "do it". The suit was eventually dismissed. The song was originally written and performed by the band
Spooky Tooth Spooky Tooth were an English rock band originally formed in Carlisle in 1967. Principally active between 1967 and 1974, the band re-formed several times in later years. History Prior to Spooky Tooth, four of the band's five founding members h ...
. Three weeks after the lawsuit wrapped up, the band kicked off their Painkiller Tour by playing "Better by You, Better than Me" on the first concert in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
on 13 September. It constitutes Judas Priest's only live performance of the song since 1979. Comedian
Bill Hicks William Melvin Hicks (December 16, 1961 – February 26, 1994) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, and musician. His material—encompassing a wide range of social issues including religion, politics, and philosophy—wa ...
ridiculed the lawsuit as part of his act, pointing out (as many others have also done) the absurdity of the notion that a successful band would wish to kill off their purchasing fanbase.


Track listing


Personnel

;Judas Priest *
Rob Halford Robert John Arthur Halford (born 25 August 1951) is an English heavy metal singer. He is the lead vocalist of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1969 and has received accolades such as the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance. He has b ...
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
*
K. K. Downing Kenneth Keith Downing Jr. (born 27 October 1951) is an English guitarist and a former member of the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Early life and career Downing was born in West Bromwich, West Midlands. In the late 1960s, he developed a p ...
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
s *
Glenn Tipton Glenn Raymond Tipton (born 25 October 1947) is an English guitarist. Often noted for his complex playing style and classically influenced solos, he is best known as one of the lead guitarists for heavy metal band Judas Priest. Early life and ...
– guitars *
Ian Hill Ian Frank Hill (born 20 January 1951) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and the sole continuous member for the heavy metal band Judas Priest. Biography Hill learned how to play the double bass from his father, a bass player ...
bass *
Les Binks James Leslie Binks (born in Portadown, Northern Ireland), is a Northern Irish heavy metal drummer. He was the drummer for Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979. History Previously working for Eric Burdon, Binks was a drummer on Roger Glover's album ' ...
drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
;Additional personnel *
Dave Holland David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years. His extensive discography r ...
– drums (Track 10, 1988) *
Scott Travis Mark Scott Travis (born September 6, 1961) is an American metal musician, best known as the drummer for the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy and the supergroup Elegant Weapons. He was also a longtime member ...
– drums (Track 11, 1990) ;Production * Produced by Dennis MacKay and Judas Priest, and engineered by Neil Ross, except "Better By You, Better Than Me", produced by James Guthrie and Judas Priest, and engineered by Ken Thomas and
Paul Northfield Paul Northfield is a prolific British record producer and sound engineer, who has worked on albums by bands such as Dream Theater, Queensrÿche, Rush, Porcupine Tree and Suicidal Tendencies. Northfield worked at Advision Studio, London from 197 ...
*Coordinated by John Blackburn *Mixed by Neil Ross, Ken Thomas and Paul Northfield *Art design by
Rosław Szaybo Rosław Szaybo (13 August 1933, Poznań – 21 May 2019, Warsaw) was a Polish painter, photographer and cover designer. He graduated in 1961 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and was mentored by Wojciech Fangor and Henryk Tomaszewski. I ...
*Photography by Ronald Kass *David Hemmings – management *Arnakata Limited – management


Charts


Certifications

, -


References


External links


Stained Class at the Judas Priest Info Pages site
Accessed 10 July 2005. {{Authority control 1978 albums Columbia Records albums Judas Priest albums