Point of Entry

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Recorded on the island of Ibiza with multiple distractions, glorious sunshine, and extremely low cost alcohol, this album was regarded with mixed feelings because it was different from what people expected. The album was nearly all spontaneously written and performed in Ibiza - it was an experiment in the sense that before this we had already written the majority of the songs before going into the studio.

Critical reception

Point of Entry
Judas priest - point of entry a.jpg
Studio album by
Judas Priest
Released27 February 1981 (1981-02-27) [1]
StudioIbiza Sound (Ibiza, Spain)
Genre
Length37:42
Label Columbia
Producer
Judas Priest chronology
British Steel
(1980)		Point of Entry
(1981)		 Screaming for Vengeance
(1982)
Singles from Point of Entry
  1. "Don't Go"
    Released: 13 February 1981 [2]
  2. "Hot Rockin'"
    Released: 10 April 1981 [3]
  3. "Heading Out to the Highway"
    Released: May 1981 (US) [4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]

In 2005, Point of Entry was ranked number 352 in Rock Hard magazine's book The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time. [12] In the 2007 book Metal: The Definitive Guide, author Garry Sharpe-Young wrote that the album consists of "radio-friendly fillers." Moreover, Sharpe-Young called the original British artwork "bland" and subsequent American alternative artwork "an even worse compromise." [13]

Opinions about the album from within the band were mixed. Bassist Ian Hill explained, "It came across… people think it's just a commercial album. And it's not, there are some good songs in there. And I think it's overlooked.". [14] In a Louder article, it is noted that "Halford admits to being "dismayed" by the reaction it received." In the same Louder article, K.K. Downing takes on a more mixed perspective, "People don't understand how pressurised we were by the label, either to do covers or make hits", he says. "With that album, we gave them what they wanted." [15] He cites the album as the worst he made with the band, "But then again there are some great songs on that one. That's so, so hard to answer." [16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford and K. K. Downing, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Heading Out to the Highway"3:47
2."Don't Go"3:18
3."Hot Rockin'"3:17
4."Turning Circles"3:42
5."Desert Plains"4:36
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Solar Angels"4:04
7."You Say Yes"3:29
8."All the Way"3:42
9."Troubleshooter"3:59
10."On the Run"3:47
2001 bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Thunder Road" (Recorded during the 1988 Ram It Down sessions)Glenn Tipton and Rob Halford5:12
12."Desert Plains" (Live at Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri; 23 May 1986) 5:03

Personnel

Judas Priest
Production

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] Silver60,000^
United States (RIAA) [26] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ "BPI certifications".
  2. ↑ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 40.
  3. ↑ "Judas Priest singles".
  4. ↑ "Judas Priest singles".
  5. ↑ "Heading Out to the Highway performed by Judas Priest". setlist.fm.
  6. ↑ "Hot Rockin' performed by Judas Priest". setlist.fm.
  7. ↑ "Solar Angels performed by Judas Priest". setlist.fm.
  8. 1 2 Popoff, Martin (2007). Judas Priest: Heavy Metal Painkillers. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press. p. 114. ISBN   978-1-55022-784-0.
  9. ↑ Gett, Steve (1984). Judas Priest: Heavy Duty. Port Chester NY: Cherry Lane Music Company, Inc. p. 47. ISBN   0-89524-227-3.
  10. ↑ Huey, Steve. "AllMusic review". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  11. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857125958.
  12. ↑ Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 69. ISBN   3-89880-517-4.
  13. ↑ Sharpe-Young, Garry (2007). Metal: The Definitive Guide. Jawbone Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN   9781906002015.
  14. ↑ Olivier. "JUDAS PRIEST". Rock Pages. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  15. ↑ Ling, Dave (22 August 2007). "Judas Priest: "For years we had to hide the fact that we were skint"". Louder. Classic Rock. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  16. ↑ Ling, Dave (18 December 2023). "K.K Downing: The Soundtrack of my Life". Louder .
  17. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0331". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  18. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN   978-951-1-21053-5.
  19. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Judas Priest – Point of Entry" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Judas Priest – Point of Entry". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Judas Priest – Point of Entry". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Judas Priest Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1981". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  25. ↑ "British album certifications – Judas Priest – Point of Entry". British Phonographic Industry.
  26. ↑ "American album certifications – Judas Priest – Point of Entry". Recording Industry Association of America.
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