Sin After Sin

Last updated

Sin After Sin
Jpsinsin.JPG
Studio album by
Judas Priest
Released8 April 1977 (1977-04-08) [1]
RecordedJanuary 1977 [2]
Studio Ramport (London)
Genre Heavy metal
Length40:36
Label Columbia
Producer
Judas Priest chronology
Sad Wings of Destiny
(1976)		Sin After Sin
(1977)		 Stained Class
(1978)
Singles from Sin After Sin
  1. "Diamonds & Rust"
    Released: 29 April 1977 [3]

Sin After Sin is the third studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 8 April 1977 by Columbia Records. [1] 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.

Contents

Background

After releasing their first two albums on the small Gull label, Judas Priest grew dissatisfied with what they saw as a lack of financial support from their record company. [4] Their previous album, Sad Wings of Destiny , caught the attention of CBS Records, and with the help of new manager David Hemmings, the band signed with CBS and received a £60,000 budget for the follow-up album, [4] which was to draw its title phrase "sin after sin" from the lyrics to the song "Genocide" from the Sad Wings album. [5] The move to CBS required breaking their contract with Gull, and once the legal dust had settled the band had forfeited the rights to those first two albums and all related recordings to Gull. [4]

Production

Rehearsals for the Sin After Sin sessions took place at Pinewood Studios in London, with recording commencing in January 1977 at the Who's Ramport Studios in the Battersea district of London. Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover was hired to produce the album with Mark Dodson as engineer. [6] The band's studio experiences while with Gull were less than satisfying, particularly during the mixing of Rocka Rolla , and they were initially quite keen to produce Sin After Sin themselves. CBS, however, insisted on an experienced producer. Roger Glover was suggested and the band agreed, [7] but after one session the band fired Glover, informing him that they would continue on their own. [8] After a few weeks of struggling with unsatisfactory recordings, the band recalled Glover and the sessions began anew, with only six allotted days remaining. It was also during this period that the band parted ways with drummer Alan Moore, feeling that his technique was too limited for their evolving sound. Session drummer Simon Phillips ( who in 1976 had played for Brian Eno's supergroup 801 on their album 801 Live ) was brought in to finish the sessions. [9]

The album includes a cover of the Joan Baez song "Diamonds & Rust", a decision which was encouraged by Glover in the interest of adding a track with commercial potential. Indeed, "Diamonds & Rust" was the first song by Judas Priest to receive radio play, and Baez herself reportedly enjoyed the cover. This was the band's second attempt to cover the track, and the earlier version from the Gull Records era was only released in 1978 on the compilation album The Best of Judas Priest [10] and as a bonus track on the 1987 reissue of Rocka Rolla.

The "brazenly homoerotic" [1] song "Raw Deal" has been described as vocalist Rob Halford's coming-out song, and a "heavy metal gay rights song". [11] Halford came out as a gay man in 1998.

Touring

As session drummer Simon Phillips had commitments to another band, he declined to join Judas Priest as a permanent member. As a result, former Fancy drummer Les Binks was hired for the subsequent tour. An acquaintance of producer Glover, Binks was able to play double bass, and was one of the few drummers who could replicate Phillips' drum parts live.

A live tape from their headlining show in Croydon on 1 May 1977 shows that all the album's songs except one, "Last Rose of Summer", were played on the 1977 tour. "Raw Deal" and "Here Come the Tears" were only played at headlining shows and permanently retired after this tour, "Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest" was also played a few times in 1978, "Sinner" and "Diamonds and Rust" became regulars on future setlists while "Starbreaker" and "Dissident Aggressor" returned to the band's setlists after a lengthy absence, in 2011 and 2008 respectively.[ citation needed ]

With major label support, Sin After Sin marked Judas Priest's first-ever opportunity to tour the United States, where they served as the opening act for REO Speedwagon and Foreigner.

Reception

Sin After Sin was Judas Priest's most commercially successful release to date, reaching number 23 in the UK Albums Chart. That success was difficult to duplicate in the US where Sin After Sin failed to chart. At home, they also faced a somewhat hostile reception or were outright ignored by a music press which was at that time heavily focused on the new genre of punk rock which swept Britain in the late 1970s. [12] Though it would take several years, Sin After Sin is the first of eleven consecutive Judas Priest albums to be certified gold or higher by the RIAA. [13]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [17]

Sin After Sin introduced the combination of the double bass drumming and rapid sixteenth-note bass rhythms combined with rapid sixteenth-note guitar rhythms that would come to define heavy metal in later years, particularly the thrash metal sub-genre which emerged in the 1980s. [18] The track "Dissident Aggressor" was an early example of the tempo and aggression which would soon become synonymous with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. [18] Author Andrew L. Cope has described Sin After Sin as a key album in the development of heavy metal technique, in particular for its use of double kick drumming. [19]

Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has been quoted as saying that Mark Dodson's engineering work on this album (and later on 1984's Defenders of the Faith ) inspired the band to hire him to produce their 1988 album State of Euphoria . [20]

Packaging and artwork

Sin After Sin would be the final Judas Priest album prior to the band adopting its new, now well known logo (pictured) Judas priest logo.png
Sin After Sin would be the final Judas Priest album prior to the band adopting its new, now well known logo (pictured)

Sin After Sin was the final Judas Priest studio album to feature their original "gothic cursive font" logo, though it would be used on later Gull Records reissues of their pre–Sin After Sin material.

The mausoleum depicted on the Sin After Sin album cover is based on a photograph of the Egyptianate mausoleum built in 1910 for Colonel Alexander Gordon, located on the grounds of Putney Vale Cemetery in London. The artwork is by Rosław Szaybo. [21]

This was the first (in order of release) of Judas Priest's main albums to be remastered in 2001, which included all of the albums between this and their 1990 Painkiller album. The remaster corrected an error in the track listing; "Call for the Priest", which forms one track with "Let Us Prey", had erroneously been listed as forming one track with "Raw Deal" until then.

Inspired band names

The band Starbreaker, formed in 2005 and led by TNT vocalist Tony Harnell, whose singing style was heavily influenced by Rob Halford in his formative years, named themselves after the song "Starbreaker". Germany's Sinner and its vocalist/bassist Mat Sinner, born Matthias Lasch, both derive their names from the song "Sinner". In 1997, Mat Sinner formed Judas Priest soundalikes Primal Fear whose lead vocalist Ralf Scheepers had been on a list of singers under consideration as the replacement for Rob Halford. [22]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sinner" Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton 6:45
2."Diamonds and Rust" Joan Baez 3:27
3."Starbreaker"Halford, K. K. Downing, Tipton4:49
4."Last Rose of Summer"Halford, Tipton5:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Let Us Prey/Call for the Priest"Halford, Downing, Tipton6:12
6."Raw Deal"Halford, Tipton6:00
7."Here Come the Tears"Halford, Tipton4:36
8."Dissident Aggressor"Halford, Downing, Tipton3:07
Total length:40:36
2001 bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Race with the Devil" (The Gun cover, recorded during the Stained Class sessions) Adrian Gurvitz 3:06
10."Jawbreaker" (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California; 5 May 1984)Halford, Downing, Tipton4:02
Total length:47:44

Personnel

Judas Priest

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart (1977)Peak
position
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [24] 49
UK Albums (OCC) [25] 23

Certifications

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

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judas Priest</span> British heavy metal band

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. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement, and are cited as a formative influence on various heavy metal subgenres, including speed metal, thrash metal, power metal, and the hard rock/glam metal scene of the 1980s. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in the latter half of the 1970s, the band had struggled with poor record production and a lack of major commercial success until 1980, when their sixth studio album British Steel brought them notable mainstream attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Halford</span> British heavy metal singer (born 1951)

Robert John Arthur Halford is an English heavy metal singer. He is best known as 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 been noted for his powerful and wide ranging operatic vocal style and trademark leather-and-studs image, both of which have become iconic in heavy metal. He has also been involved with several side projects, including Fight, Two, and Halford.

<i>Turbo</i> (Judas Priest album) 1986 studio album by Judas Priest

Turbo is the tenth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in the UK on 7 April 1986 by Columbia Records. The album is notable for the band's change to a commercial glam metal sound, that had them using synthesizers for the first time.

<i>Painkiller</i> (Judas Priest album) 1990 studio album by Judas Priest

Painkiller is the twelfth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 14 September 1990. It was the last Judas Priest album to feature long-time lead singer Rob Halford until his return for the 2005 album Angel of Retribution and the first to feature drummer Scott Travis.

<i>Killing Machine</i> 1978 studio album by Judas Priest

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.

<i>Stained Class</i> 1978 studio album by Judas Priest

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 setlists.

<i>Unleashed in the East</i> 1979 live album by Judas Priest

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.

<i>Sad Wings of Destiny</i> 1976 studio album by Judas Priest

Sad Wings of Destiny is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 26 March 1976 by Gull Records. It is considered the album on which Judas Priest consolidated their sound and image, and songs from it such as "Victim of Changes" and "The Ripper" have since become live standards. It was the band's only album to feature drummer Alan Moore.

<i>Rocka Rolla</i> 1974 studio album by Judas Priest

Rocka Rolla is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 6 September 1974 by Gull Records. It was produced by Rodger Bain, who had made a name for himself as the producer of Black Sabbath's first three albums. It is the only album to feature drummer John Hinch.

<i>Ram It Down</i> 1988 studio album by Judas Priest

Ram It Down is the eleventh studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 13 May 1988 by Columbia Records. It was the band's last album to feature longtime drummer Dave Holland, and was promoted in Europe and North America with the Mercenaries of Metal Tour.

<i>Metalogy</i> 2004 box set by Judas Priest

Metalogy is a four CD + single DVD boxed set released by heavy metal band Judas Priest in 2004. The CDs come in card sleeves and are housed in a faux-leather box, which has studs around the center. The box was re-released in 2008 in a cardboard long-box containing the same 4 CDs as the original release, but not the DVD, which is sold separately. It was re-released for a second time in September 2013 as a hardback mediabook, again without the DVD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Les Binks</span> Northern Irish drummer

James Leslie Binks is a Northern Irish heavy metal drummer. He was the drummer for Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979.

<i>War of Words</i> (Fight album) 1993 studio album by Fight

War of Words is the debut album by the American heavy metal band Fight, released on September 9, 1993, by Epic Records. This is the first release Rob Halford recorded after his departure from Judas Priest in 1992. He brought with him drummer Scott Travis from the band and recruited three new members. The music is a mixture between the heavy metal sound created by Judas Priest and a groove/thrash metal sound similar to that of Pantera. Halford is also credited with playing guitar but only recorded vocals for the album. Music videos were made for "Nailed to the Gun", "Immortal Sin" and "Little Crazy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Living After Midnight</span> 1980 single by Judas Priest

"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.

<i>The Best of Judas Priest</i> 1978 greatest hits album by Judas Priest

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).

"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.

"Dissident Aggressor" is a song by the English heavy metal band Judas Priest that was first released on Sin After Sin in 1977. In 2010, thirty-three years after its release, the song won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance after being rereleased as a live track on A Touch of Evil: Live.

"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.

"Run of the Mill" is a ballad by English heavy metal band Judas Priest from their debut album Rocka Rolla. The song was the first written by guitarist K. K. Downing, soon after vocalist Rob Halford joined the band. Downing wrote it, in part, to display Halford's unique vocal range.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rivadavia, Eduardo (8 April 2017). "How Judas Priest Began Their March to Stardom on Sin After Sin". Ultimate Classic Rock . Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  2. ↑ Popoff, Martin (2018). Decade of Domination (2nd ed.). Wymer Publishing. p. 80. ISBN   978-1-912782-63-5.
  3. ↑ "Judas Priest singles".
  4. 1 2 3 Popoff 2007, pp. 41–42.
  5. ↑ Popoff 2007, p. 37.
  6. ↑ Popoff 2007, p. 49.
  7. ↑ Popoff 2007, pp. 42–43.
  8. ↑ Popoff 2007, pp. 43–44.
  9. ↑ Popoff 2007, p. 44.
  10. ↑ Popoff 2007, p. 377.
  11. ↑ Street Jammer, Richard (8 November 2011). "Rob Halford's Raw Deal". Invisible Oranges . Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  12. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 291. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  13. ↑ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – May 19, 2014". Recording Industry Association of America$3. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "Sin After Sin review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
  15. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857125958 . Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  16. ↑ Davenport, Rich. "Sin After Sin – Record Collector Magazine". Record Collector . Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  17. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 384.
  18. 1 2 Cope 2013.
  19. ↑ Cope 2013, p. 114.
  20. ↑ Scott Ian and Jon Weiderhorn (2014). I'm the Man: The Story of that Guy from Anthrax. Da Capo Press, p. 136
  21. ↑ "Gordon Mausoleum, Putney Vale". The Mausolea & Monuments Trust.
  22. ↑ "Primal Fear Vocalist Ralf Scheepers – "I Was Never Invited To Rehearse With Judas Priest"". BraveWords.com. 6 February 2012.
  23. ↑ Sin After Sin (liner notes). Judas Priest. Columbia Records. 1977. PC 34787.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Judas Priest – Sin After Sin". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  26. ↑ "American album certifications – Judas Priest – Sin After Sin". Recording Industry Association of America.

Works cited

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.