Les Binks | |
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 Binks in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Leslie Binks |
| Born | 1951 (age 72–73) [1] Portadown, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | Heavy metal, hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
James Leslie Binks (born 1951) is a Northern Irish heavy metal drummer. He was the drummer for Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979.
Previously working for Eric Burdon, Binks was a drummer on Roger Glover's album The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast (1974). The album project began as a soundtrack for an animated film based on a well-known English children's book, but a promo for the film never gained any interest, so the project was scrapped. Glover went on to release the soundtrack as a "Roger Glover and Friends" title. One of the featured vocalists, Eddie Hardin, later released his own albums, the first of which was Eddie Hardin's Wizard's Convention (1976), which again included Binks on drums.
Binks played for the pop band Fancy who had two U.S. hits in 1974 with a cover of "Wild Thing", and "Touch Me". [2]
Through his connection to Roger Glover who had just wrapped up production of their album Sin After Sin , Binks joined the up-and-coming heavy metal act Judas Priest in March 1977 for their world tour – their first on American soil. Binks remained with the band for two and a half years, until July 1979, [3] recording the studio albums Stained Class and Killing Machine and the live album Unleashed in the East . While with Judas Priest, he received a writing credit for the song "Beyond the Realms of Death" from the album Stained Class. Binks made a home demo of the track with friend Steve Mann of the Michael Schenker Group helping on guitar, and at a band rehearsal he picked up a guitar to show them the song. The band loved the song and vocalist Rob Halford then crafted the song's lyrics and title. [1]
Binks left the band just before the start of the North American leg of the "Killing Machine" (Hell Bent for Leather) tour. Binks said in 2017 that he left because he felt he was essentially hired as a "freelance session drummer" by the band and was never made an official member. He felt insulted when the band's then-manager Mike Dolan suggested that he "waive his fees" (i.e. not get paid for his performance) on the live album Unleashed in the East, a RIAA-certified platinum seller. [1]
In 1979, Binks joined Charlie Whitney and Axis Point and remained active in the British hard rock/heavy metal underground. In 1981, he was a member of Lionheart which featured Dennis Stratton (ex-Iron Maiden) on guitar and Jess Cox (ex-Tygers of Pan Tang) on vocals, though this was only a brief stint. Also in 1981, Binks played on the album Finardi by Italian rock singer Eugenio Finardi.
Binks toured with the bands Lionheart (1981) and Tytan (1982–1983) soon after their first single release.
Since then, Binks has appeared in a classic rock cover band around South London called The Shakers, with Dave Bunce, guitarist Pete Friesen (formerly with Jeff Beck and with Alice Cooper), and vocalist/guitarist Tom Lundy (of The Poor Mouth). Rounding out the band was bassist Phil Rynhart, co-founder member of The Poor Mouth. Binks and Pete Friesen have also done time in Metalworks, along with ex-Iron Maiden guitarist Tony Parsons, playing covers of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and other legendary metal bands around London.
In 2013, he joined the band Raw Glory, which also featured singer Paul Manzi (of Arena). [4]
In 2015, Binks played live around London in Broken Bones [5] with ex-Bad II The Bone members Ed Hudson and Paul Smith, [6] and in original prog-folk-rock band Kindred Spirit [7] with whom he recorded the album Phoenix Rising.
Since 2017 [8] Binks performed classic Judas Priest songs live with a new band called Les Binks' Priesthood. [9] [10] He additionally intended to join the band KK's Priest after a one-time show in November 2019 playing Judas Priest songs at KK's Steelmill in Wolverhampton, along with other former Judas Priest members K. K. Downing (guitar) and Tim "Ripper" Owens (vocals). Other participants included David Ellefson (bass) of Megadeth and A.J. Mills (guitar) of the UK band Hostile. However, Binks reportedly suffered a fractured wrist prior to the recording of KK's Priest's first album in 2020, so he was replaced by Sean Elg (The Three Tremors).
In 2022, Binks was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Judas Priest via the Award for Musical Excellence. On 14 October, K. K. Downing confirmed that he and Binks would be joining Judas Priest for a performance at the induction ceremony. [11]
Binks played a three-song set with Judas Priest at their Rock and Roll hall of fame induction on 5 November 2022, marking his first appearance with the band in 43 years.
In Stained Class, he approached a fast and steady playing style. “Exciter” became a staple for heavy metal drumming, utilizing the china cymbal in the intro, and fast drum fills in between the verse and chorus. In Killing Machine, he continues this but kept it minimal since it was a more of a commercial approach.
Even though his longevity with the band is short, he helped establish the percussive sound and pushed the band to new heights in their music.
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 the latter half of the 1970s, the band struggled with indifferent record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980, when their sixth studio album British Steel brought them notable mainstream attention.
Kenneth Downing Jr. is an English guitarist and a founding member of the heavy metal bands Judas Priest and KK's Priest.
Glenn Raymond Tipton 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 the heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is the second longest-serving member of the band, after bassist and co-founder Ian Hill. Tipton and Hill are the only two members of the band who have appeared on every studio album.
Timothy S. "Ripper" Owens is an American heavy metal singer who currently performs with KK's Priest, Spirits of Fire, the Three Tremors and A New Revenge. He first gained attention as the lead singer of Judas Priest and then Iced Earth. He took the nickname "Ripper" from the Judas Priest song "The Ripper" during his time in the tribute band British Steel.
Killing Machine is the fifth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in November 1978 by Columbia Records. The album pushed the band towards a more commercial style while still featuring the dark lyrical themes of their previous albums. At about the same time, the band members adopted their now-famous "leather-and-studs" fashion image, inspired by Rob Halford's interest in leather culture. It is the band's last studio album to feature drummer Les Binks.
Stained Class is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 10 February 1978 by Columbia Records. It is the first of three Judas Priest albums recorded with drummer Les Binks, as well as the first to feature the band's now well-known logo in the artwork. Musically, Stained Class is considered the album on which the band honed many of the elements of their hard-edged signature sound, dispensing with most of the progressive and blues rock overtones and softer ballads of previous efforts. The album features such notable tracks as "Exciter", considered an early precursor to speed metal and thrash metal, a cover version of "Better by You, Better than Me" by Spooky Tooth, which became the subject of an infamous civil suit in 1990 which alleged the song subliminally influenced two teenaged boys to make a suicide pact and “Beyond the Realms of Death” which is considered one of the band’s greatest songs by many fans and frequently included in the band’s live setlist.
Unleashed in the East is the first live album by the English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in September 1979 on Columbia Records. It was recorded live over two nights in Tokyo during their Hell Bent for Leather Tour in February 1979. Upon release Unleashed became the band's best-selling album up to that point, reaching the US Top 100 and the UK Top Ten, eventually the album became one of the five Judas Priest albums to gain a RIAA platinum certification. It is the first Priest album to be produced by Tom Allom who would remain at the helm for the next decade for the band, and the last release to feature drummer Les Binks.
Sin After Sin is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 8 April 1977 by Columbia Records. Produced by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, it was the band's major label debut, their first album for the label, and their only album to feature drummer Simon Phillips, a studio musician who replaced original drummer Alan Moore for the recording sessions.
Demolition is the fourteenth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, and the first in the decade of the 2000s. It is the second and final studio album to feature Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals. It is also the only Judas Priest studio album to feature a Parental Advisory label on the album cover due to the songs "Machine Man", "Hell Is Home", and "Metal Messiah" containing profanity.
Lionheart is a British hard rock band formed in late 1980, originally featuring singer Jess Cox, guitarist Dennis Stratton, guitarist/keyboardist Steve Mann, and bassist/vocalist Rocky Newton, and drummer Frank Noon. The band split up in 1986 but reformed in 2016 with a line-up featuring Stratton, Mann, Newton, plus vocalist Lee Small and Clive Edwards on drums.
"Living After Midnight" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was originally featured on their 1980 album British Steel, which was their first gold album in the United States selling more than 500,000 copies. The song speaks to the hedonistic, rebellious spirit of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and is among the band's most popular songs.
The Best of Judas Priest is a compilation album featuring select songs from English heavy metal band Judas Priest's first two albums, Rocka Rolla (1974) and Sad Wings of Destiny (1976).
Tytan is a British rock band that lasted about two years during the early 1980s by former Angel Witch bassist Kev Riddles. The album Rough Justice was released after their split. They formed out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement and are best known for their strong melodies. The band reformed in 2012 to play Keep It True in Germany and have been touring since. In 2016 the band recorded a follow-up album Justice Served with Chris Tsangarides for High Roller Records. It was released in May 2017.
Richard Ian Faulkner is an English musician most known as one of the lead guitarists for the heavy metal band Judas Priest since 2011, replacing original member K. K. Downing. Faulkner has also performed with Lauren Harris, Christopher Lee, Voodoo Six, Deeds, and Ace Mafia.
"Beyond the Realms of Death" is a power ballad by English heavy metal band Judas Priest from their 1978 album Stained Class. The song is considered a Judas Priest classic by fans and critics, with further recordings included in Priest, Live and Rare, '98 Live Meltdown, Live in London, A Touch of Evil: Live, Live Insurrection and a number of compilation albums. Drummer Les Binks has his only songwriting credit with the band for the main riff.
"Take On the World" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, originally released on their 1978 album Killing Machine, and released as a single in January 1979. It was the first Judas Priest single to chart in the UK top 40, reaching number 14. The song was Judas Priest's attempt at producing a stadium anthem in the style of Queen's 1977 single "We Will Rock You". As a single it sold around 400,000 copies.
"Exciter" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest from their 1978 album Stained Class. It is the opening track and is an early example of speed metal. According to former guitarist K.K. Downing their drummer Les Binks accidentally came up with the drum intro for the song at a soundcheck on their Sin After Sin tour.
KK's Priest are an English/American heavy metal band, formed by former Judas Priest guitarist, K. K. Downing in 2020.
Tony Newton is an English bassist, recording engineer and record producer, most active in heavy metal and hard rock genres. He is the current bassist of KK's Priest and Voodoo Six. He has also produced and/or engineered releases from Iron Maiden and British Lion.
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| Artists | |
