The remixed and remastered model of JUDAS PRIEST’s vintage debut album, 1974’s “Rocka Rolla”, might be launched digitally within the U.S. and Canada on Friday, September 13
The CD and vinyl variations of “Rocka Rolla – Fiftieth Anniversary: Remixed And Remastered 1974 – 2024” will arrive on Friday, November 22.
In 1974, earlier than the everlasting steel flame was once ever lit, JUDAS PRIEST — singer Rob Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton, bassist Ian Hill, guitarist Ok.Ok. Downing and drummer John Hinch — have been merely 5 younger musicians of their 20s from the Black Nation a space of working-class cities in England excited to have signed a document deal. With restricted budget, the band recorded all over the more cost effective evening shift hours. The album “Rocka Rolla” was once born all over those periods, underneath the steering of manufacturer Roger Bain who was once introduced in via the label and who had prior to now produced BLACK SABBATH.
JUDAS PRIEST learnt through the years how one can document an album, and the revel in of operating in a certified recording studio helped get ready them for the following album to come back, one of the vital definitive and foundational heavy steel albums of all time, “Unhappy Wings Of Future”. However with “Rocka Rolla”, the band was once now not there for the blending, the mastering procedure or any ultimate approvals — they didn’t have a say when it was once completed or the way it in the end sounded. Despite the fact that the band felt certain about how the songs sounded within the studio, they have been specifically dissatisfied after they won a completed replica of the album within the mail to hear for the primary time.
Halford recollects: “I took the document and I put the needle onto the groove and I sat again. And I simply slowly began to deflate, deflate. I used to be so dissatisfied with how it was once sounding. All people have been — we’d all labored so laborious to get to this position. And now this song that we all know once we play reside is roaring — the heavy steel is roaring even in the ones early primitive days — none of that was once popping out of the audio system”
The band by no means had a long term say in “Rocka Rolla” within the intervening many years — the re-releases and early-era compilations… however that was once about to switch.
All over JUDAS PRIEST‘s “50 Heavy Steel Years” excursion in 2022, one thing outstanding was once taking place at the back of the scenes. The label that initially signed JUDAS PRIEST in 1974, Gull Data, and its proprietor David Howells, made up our minds to promote the masters and publishing rights for the 2 albums the label owned, “Rocka Rolla” and “Unhappy Wings Of Future”, and David contacted Tipton‘s song writer, Michael Closter of Succeed in Song Publishing.
After discussing this chance and participating with JUDAS PRIEST‘s supervisor Jayne Andrews, a compelling be offering from Succeed in Song was once made to Gull Data. Phrases have been authorized. An acquisition settlement was once ready, and after virtually 50 years from the discharge of those albums, Succeed in Song and its label Exciter Data, in partnership with JUDAS PRIEST, was once now the landlord of “Rocka Rolla” and “Unhappy Wings Of Future”.
The primary order of commercial was once to retrieve the unique multitrack tapes from garage (which miraculously nonetheless existed and saved in usable situation for a lot of these many years) — and to start the method of resurrecting “Rocka Rolla” from those multitrack recordings…
With the duty of delving again into time and striking the tapes of “Rocka Rolla” again at the recording studio console, JUDAS PRIEST put their complete religion in Tom Allom, recognized within the JUDAS PRIEST global for generating the long-lasting “British Metal” and “Screaming For Vengeance” albums, amongst many others.
As Allom states: “What we did with the multitracks is moderately bizarre, to fully remix an album from that period, from scratch. So that you can explain what we’re doing, we’re now not including the rest musically. We’re now not re-recording any of the musical portions… We’re remixing them, rebalancing them the use of the generation now we have, the trendy gear now we have now, to sonically improve them, and lead them to sound extra robust.”
The result of this remixed model are actually to be had for posterity — the artist-approved model of “Rocka Rolla” is after all right here for enthusiasts so as to add to their JUDAS PRIEST assortment.
Halford says: “It’s nice to appear again and spot our long term unfurl — from little steel acorns mighty steel oaks do develop. One small step for steel, one large jump for metalkind — a lifelong steel adventure started with those songs. This album lit the everlasting steel flame — as actual and contemporary as ever 5 many years on.
He provides: “I’m simply overjoyed… as it simply is going to turn you while you get a professional excited about a mission, it’s most likely that you’ve got a 2nd likelihood. And I believe that Tom Allom is giving us a 2nd likelihood right here with the best way that numerous the weather have been misplaced in ‘Rocka Rolla’. And it’s additionally great, like a in reality great feeling, particularly to connect it to what’s going to be a Fiftieth-anniversary second. It’s only a gorgeous feeling.”
Tipton says: “That is the place it began for us and 50 years later, now we have a perfect re-mixed and re-mastered model of the unique…and the band are nonetheless going robust!”
Hill states: “Recorded all over middle of the night periods to save lots of prices, over a couple of weeks in June and July 1974, on a shoestring price range, ‘Rocka Rolla’ was once all the time going to have its flaws! However strolling into my native document retailer and seeing it on a shelf among all of your idol’s data was once the proudest feeling on the planet, and I believed, ‘No matter occurs now, not anything can exchange that!’ Now remixed via Tom Allom and remastered, ‘Rocka Rolla’ has after all were given the manufacturing it deserved!”
Downing says: “Finally! This! The primary JUDAS PRIEST album may also be listened to and loved in how it was once all the time supposed to be!”
“Rocka Rolla (Fiftieth Anniversary Remixed & Remastered)” monitor checklist:
01. One For The Highway
02. Rocka Rolla
03. Wintry weather
04. Deep Freeze
05. Wintry weather Retreat
06. Cheater
07. By no means Glad
08. Run Of The Mill
09. Loss of life To Meet You
10. Caviar And Meths
Photograph courtesy of Chipster PR & Consulting, Inc.