Page 48 - Metal Hammer Issue 334 - UK (May 2020)

JUDAS PRIEST

tolen tapes. Smashed Rob Halford:
milk bottles. Flying Metal God. Legendary Lad
cutlery. Police cars. They
all play a part in the
story of how British Steel
became one of the most
significant UK metal albums of all time.
As we celebrate the 40th anniversary
of its release, it’s worth noting that it
remains an elite album that set the
tone and style for much that followed.
The impact of British Steel was global,
and continues to this day.
By the time Judas Priest recorded
British Steel in early 1980, they had
already released five studio albums
and one live record, and were steadily
building momentum. Previous studio
LP Killing Machine, released in 1978,
had peaked at No.32 in the UK and
became the band’s highest-charting
record in the US where (under the
title Hell Bent For Leather) it reached
No.128. The following year, live album
Unleashed In The East ramped things
up commercially, as it hit No.10 in
Britain and No.70 in the States. Judas
Priest were poised for a major
breakthrough – and this is the story
of how it happened, through the eyes
of those who were there.

he band (vocalist Rob Halford,
guitarists Glenn Tipton and
K.K. Downing, bassist Ian Hill
and new drummer Dave Holland, who
had replaced Les Binks) convened
with producer Tom Allom at Startling
Studios. It was based at Tittenhurst
Park, a 72-acre estate in Ascot,
Berkshire, and had once been owned
by John Lennon but now belonged to
Ringo Starr. Given how important
this album would prove to be, it’s
astonishing that Priest hadn’t finished
writing the songs when they went in.

Glenn Tipton: “I can’t remember
why we chose to do it this way. We
had never done that in the past, and
never worked like that again. We had
about 60% of the songs written and
ready to go. I know The Rage was
written in the studio, and so was Living
After Midnight.”
K.K. Downing: “We were always
confident that we would get the stuff
written in time, and sometimes being
spontaneous like this can work to
your advantage.”
Tom Allom: “I recall that they had
a lot of ideas and riffs, but not many
songs actually ready. The band had
been constantly touring, so never had
the time to get the material written.
There was also no time for any
pre-production. I had only just finished
producing Def Leppard’s first album,
On Through The Night, at the same GETTY

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