British Steel (album)

British Steel is the saxt album bi the Breetish hivy metal baund Judas Priest, released on 14 Aprile 1980. It saw the baund reprise the commercial soond thay haed established on "Killing Machine" ; housomever, this time, thay abandoned mony o the daurk leerical themes whilk haed been prominent on thair earlier releases. British Steel wis recordit at Tittenhurst Park, hame o umwhile Beatle John Lennon, efter a fause stairt at Startling Studios, a recordin studio locatit on Tittenhurst's grunds. Sampling didna exist yet at the time o recordin, sae the baund recorded the soonds o smashin milk bottles tae be included in "Breaking the Law", as weel as various soonds in "Metal Gods" produced bi "trays of cutlery" an "billiard cues". It wis released in the UK at a discoont price o £3.99, wi the advertisements in the muisic press bearing the legend, "British Steal". Sangs "Breaking the Law", "United", an "Living After Midnight" war released as singles, while the track "Metal Gods" earned the baund members thair moniker.

The album wis remastered in 2001, wi twa bonus tracks addit. Bonus track "Red, White, and Blue" wis written in the earlier years o Priest's career. It wis recordit at Compass Point Studios in Nassau in Julie 1985. The seicont bonus track, a live performance o "Grinder", wis recorded on 5 Mey 1984, in Los Angeles during the Defenders o the Faith tour.

In 2009 Judas Priest kickit aff the 30t anniversary tour in the US playin the hale album live for the first time.

Anthrax guitar player Scott Ian said in an interview in the documentary Heavy Metal: Louder than Life that British Steel wis likely the album that really defined hivy metal, acause it, accordin tae him, did awa wi the "last shards o blues" that haed itherwise been characteristic o the genre. He said, "Even the title... how does it get more metal than that?"

The 30t Anniversary release o the album, came wi a Live DVD, an Live CD recorded on 17 August 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena in Hollywood, Florida as pairt o the British Steel 30t Anniversary tour. The Live versions o aw the British Steel tracks frae this release war an aa made available as downloadable content for the Rock Baund series beginnin 11 Mey 2010.

Track listin

Aw sangs written bi Rob Halford, K.K. Downing an Glenn Tipton

Original vinyl and remastered CD

1. "Rapid Fire" - 4:08
2. "Metal Gods" - 4:00
3. "Breaking the Law" - 2:35
4. "Grinder" - 3:58
5. "United" - 3:35
6. "Living After Midnight" - 3:31
7. "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise" - 5:04
8. "Living After Midnight" - 3:31
9. "The Rage" - 4:44
10. "Steeler" – 4:30

Original US vinyl an original US CD issues

1. "Breaking the Law" – 2:35
2. "Rapid Fire" – 4:08
3. "Metal Gods" – 4:00
4. "Grinder" – 3:58
5. "United" – 3:35
6. "Living After Midnight" – 3:31
7. "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise" – 5:04
8. "The Rage" – 4:44
9. "Steeler" – 4:30

Bonus track (2001 re-issue)

1. "Red White & Blue" (grabado en 1986 durante las sesiones de Turbo) - 3:40
2. "Grinder" (en vivo) - 4:49