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List Price: $7.99 | | Label: Sony
Salesrank: 31496
Released: November 6, 2001 |
| Our Price: $4.30 |
| Used Price: $4.98 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Stained Class Track Listing:
1. Exciter
2. White Heat, Red Hot
3. Better by You, Better Than Me
4. Stained Class
5. Invader
6. Saints in Hell
7. Savage
8. Beyond the Realms of Death
9. Heroes End
10. Fire Burns Below [*]
11. Better by You, Better Than Me [Live][*]
Stained Class Reviews:
Better by Priest 
2009-09-21 - I found this album in the list "The ten all-time best metal albums". I was surprised because I hadn't heard of this album ever. I decided to listen to the songs. The only songs I had heard before were "Better by You, Better than Me" and "Exciter" (a live version actually in "Unleashed in the East"). I was amazed when I listened top this album. It seemed like every track was great, well-produced - and even better than "British Steel" or "Painkiller". The songs such as "Beyond the Realms of Death" and "Saints in Hell" are true Priest classics. Even the title track and the songs such as "White Heat, Red Hot" (The colours of flag of England?). and "Savage" can be listened to time and time again. Rob Halford's voice is great and he really can sing low and high. If I had to leave off one track - that would be "Invader" - but it is also a great track.
Stars: Better by You, Better Than Me, Saints in Hell, Beyond the Realms of Death
Stained Class Is The Definitive 70's Judas Priest Album!
2009-05-24 - Judas Priest's "Stained Class" was a landmark album for the development of heavy metal. It came out in 1978 and it was recorded between October/November of the previous year using many different studios. The personnel involved includes four members responsible for keeping the group alive still today: Rob Halford on vocals, the amazing guitar team of KK Downing/Glenn Tipton, and Ian Hill on bass while the LP marked underrated drummer Les Binks studio debut. Eight out of the nine tracks included were produced by the band themselves with help from Dennis Mackay.
The band couldn't have chosen a better track than "Exciter" to open the album! Binks' dual bass drumming starts and soon a fast riff joins. This could be considered as one of the earliest examples of speed metal! Great lead guitar work that ranges from aggressive to almost a neo-classical feel. Of course, Halford's excellent high octave singing is unforgettable!
The riffing at the beginning of the Tipton written "White Heat, Red Hot" has a notable Budgie influence in it. Pay attention to the dual bass drumming near the end on the part where Halford sings the title many times. A hugely influential drum beat from Binks that will be used later by many speed/trash metal bands like for example Anthrax. Their revival of the Spooky Tooth composition "Better By You, Better Than Me" follows with great singing, killer riffs, and a part with a minor key simple arpeggio. A different producer was used for this track: James Guthrie.
The title track is a monster composition starting with a lead guitar pattern that eventually settle into a triplet rhythm attack that will later be used by bands like Iron Maiden in for example their song "Sun And Steel". The vocal melody in the chorus is fantastic! Awesome solo in the middle but the best part is at the end when Halford sings "stained class kiiiiiing..." while the guitars have a special effect added that make them sound like a machine or something! A proto-industrial type of thing!
"Invader" is a song about an alien invasion that comes complete with an intro where the guitar mimics the sound of a spacecraft. The chorus is reminiscent of the Iron Maiden song of the same name from the "Number Of The Beast"! It is bassist Hill's sole songwriting contribution to the album and it is notable for an unusual solo that utilizes a major scale based melody, definitely something atypical for Judas Priest! Perhaps that was Hill's idea...
The sixth track "Saints In Hell" is a doom and gloom number that has also a peculiarity: it lacks a solo and as a result, it has a songwriting approach more in common with a more modern metal style with heavy riffs but no solos. The highlight comes in the middle with Halford singing "We are saints...in hell!" over a gloomy riff! There's another connection to Iron Maiden in "Savage" with its lyrics that talk about the injustices of conquerors against Indians, similar to Maiden's "Run To The Hills"! Great dual bass drumming from Binks playing a beat that later metal bands will speed up and use extensively. Continuing down the line comes the album's epic: "Beyond The Realms of Death" written by Halford with help from Binks: a song about somebody who commits suicide. Musically it consists of quiet arpeggio-laden verses and then switching to heavy rhythm for the chorus. Both Metallica and Megadeth will later write songs with similar lyrical themes: "Fade To Black" and "In My Darkest Hour". Tipton plays one of his best ever solos that was ranked #97 in Guitar World magazine's top 100 best solos of all time list! To finish up comes "Heroe's End" with lyrics that has been said to talk about three famous people who died young: James Dean, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix. A killer riff is used for the verses while the chorus has a Sabbath feel. My favorite part is the one that goes "If You gaze across timeless years..." with Halford adding a vocal overdub sung in different tones separated by a cool, heavy riff. The ending features a Hendrix "Machine Gun" inspired solo with tremolo arm usage that makes up for an explosive finale to the LP!
Bonus Tracks:
The live take of "Better By You, Better Than Me" was recorded during the band's 1990 US tour and features Scott Travis on drums. It is a good version but not as good as the original while "Fire Down Below" was recorded during the "Turbo" or "Ram it Down" sessions. It is an excellent composition with a more commercial feel. Some atmospheric arpeggios and rhythm guitar playing accompanies Halford's singing and a repeating percussion pattern that was made with a drum machine instead of standard drums but the real gem here is the classical inspired solo from Tipton that uses both acoustic and electric guitars! Excellent solo!
"Stained Class" was a defining moment in Judas Priest's career. A landmark early metal album that was hugely influential for the British NWOHM movement and development of trash/speed metal in the 80's. You should definitely give this LP a spin if you are interested in the genre's roots!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...
Stained Glass
2009-05-08 - Their best effort.
Arguably one of the best metal recordings ever.
If you can, try to find the original CD release on Columbia.
Re-masters are nice but there are some recordings you just can't improve on.
As a classic/blues/progressive ROCK kinda guy, I don't have much metal in my cd collection.
This is one that I listen to all the time.
Awesome!
one of the greatest albums ever made I'ts gotta be one of the top ten albums ever by any band
2009-04-05 - I'm not a big judas priest fan I think this is the first album I bought from them and I was blown away. I bought all there albums after that but ended up selling most of them or simply returning them. Nothing compares to staind class.I would not listen to some of the reviews from other people especialy M.B. Link tkdmateo. Saints in hell is one of the greatest songs any one has ever made. Halfords voice is amazing on this song very creepy and erie song. the hole album is very powerful and emotional.the album will hypnotist you from the guitars too robs voice. I would use extreme caution while listening too this album. If I would have to pick A weak song A would skip exciter and start listen from the second song. saints in hell is a sick sick sick song it really shows the range of halfords voice this song is worth the price of the album alone. all the other songs rock too except exciter. I own around 1,000 cds from iggy pop to elvis and everything in between and this is deffently top ten.
Best of the 70's Priest albums
2009-02-18 - I'll keep this short but sweet. Out of all the Judas Priest albums from the 70's, this is the heaviest and fastest. After songs on the previous album Sin After Sin, like Sinner and Dissident Aggressor, it would only make sense to expand on that sound. And it sure does, almost all the way throughout it's heavy, fast, and aggressive. Buy it if you love Judas Priest, or just great speed metal. You won't be dissapointed.
