Judas Priest originally was signed to Gull Records for their first two albums. They moved on from them and when Priest started getting big in 1980 with ‘British Steel’ and before their next album in 1981 ‘Point of Entry’, the label decided to capitalize on that rise in popularity and released a greatest hits compilation called ‘Hero, Hero’. The songs on the compilation were from both ‘Rocka Rolla’ (1974) and ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ (1976). Actually it was all of ‘Rocka Rolla’ and only 6 songs from ‘Sad Wings’. What made it interesting though was that the songs from ‘Rocka Rolla’ had been remixed in 1981 by Rodger Bain and so was the song ‘Diamonds and Rust’.

The compilation I have on CD is a re-issue under the Koch Records label. What makes it different is that the songs from ‘Rocka Rolla’ are not the remixed songs. They are actually the original versions from the album. So, it is not quite as collectible as the original 1981 issue. However, the “Diamonds and Rust” song is still the remixed I believe. Instead of doing the songs in order from the original albums, they have altered the listing a little. The band is Rob Halford, K.K. Downing, Glenn Tipton and Ian Hill. There are two drummers since they changed so frequently. You get John Hinch and Alan Moore.

The opener is “Prelude” which is an instrumental opening and actually has no correlation to the next track “Tyrant”. It is done in a baroque style with piano and a lot of tom tom drums. There is some guitar, but not much worth noting. It really seems completely unnecessary and very skippable. “Tyrant” opens with a killer riff and explodes with full on energy. This is the Priest I was always expecting. Hard, heavy and full on metal bleeding from its soul. Halford’s vocals are spot on and I love the layered on vocals of his in the chorus. The guitar work between Downing and Tipton is what it is all about. They way those two play-off each other is unbeatable. I could listen to those two battle all day.

“Rocka Rolla” is more upbeat and has several little solos by Downing and Tipton does the outro. It even has some harmonica played by Halford. Another blues track, but more upbeat and rocking then the opener and another great track.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4vCv4MwlHNY%3Fsi%3DHKqBFcOmoUVQI9pX

 “One for the Road” is a blues rock song written by Halford and Downing and what a great opening track. The opening riff screamed 70’s classic rock and felt like a little Sabbath and a little Deep Purple. Halford’s voice hit some high pitches effortlessly and sounded amazing. 

“Victims of Changes” is an epic almost 8 minute track written by Halford, Downing, Tipton and Al Atkins. The song opens slowly and breaks into a cool double guitar riff. It seems to be a very complex song with lots of rhythm changes and heck even the moods and vibes change throughout. The song is so full of layers and textures that it keeps you engrossed which is needed for such a long track. The thing that clinches the song is Halford’s falsettos and that dramatic, climactic scream at the end. It is legendary!!

“Dying to Meet You” is up next and the biggest misstep for me. Another Halford and Downing song, but this one sees Rob going all deep on the vocals and it sounds all wrong to me. Plus the guitars drown him out since he isn’t going all power with the vocals like we know he can. The song is quite solemn and brought me down a little. A really cool thing is that there is another song attached to this track called “Hero, Hero” which is much better (and where the title of this album was dreamed up). It doesn’t even list it on the cover, but is more of a hidden track as there is a delay before this song kicks in. This one brings us back to the more classic rock sound most of the album has. More uptempo and a nice driving beat. Halford goes complete opposite on the vocals and hit some high notes. A great dual guitar riff and some fine fills thrown in I really liked this one too.

“Never Satisfied” written by Atkins and Downing. I felt the guitar parts were very Zeppelin influenced and Halford’s vocals went a little deeper at times and then hit that higher range he is so known for especially at the end of the song. He had a little grit on this one that fit nicely with the heavy guitar that gave us a great solo and some cool riffs. Another track worth listening to again and again.

The ballad is “Dreamer Deceiver” is up next and it is much slower tempo than the prior songs without losing any of the vibe as it has a more blues style and still feels like a metal song. The solo in this thing is one of the best solos on the album as it fits the song to perfection. The song is also a lead in to the final song “Deceiver” which is a complete opposite song as it is more Sabbath and even borders on speed metal in its guitar delivery. This one is also where I noticed the bass sounded a little different and laid down one nasty ass groove.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XO5z4dCZs1M%3Fsi%3DD31knpabUGWdvCZA

The band goes more prog with the following Suite of songs “Winter”, “Deep Freeze” and “Winter Retreat”. “Winter” was actually co-written with original lead singer Atkins as well as Downing and Ian Hill gets his first credit. “Winter” feels very Sabbath-like with a much darker tone and then “Deep Freeze” opens with some nice drum parts by Hinch and still keeps the dark, distorted sound, but things fall apart for me on the third part “Winter Retreat” with its guitar wailing and a little psychedelia feel then it completely changes course and goes all smooth and calm to take you out, a completely different tempo and vibe. It was very experimental and doesn’t seem to flow with the other two parts.

“Cheater” which was written by Halford and Downing takes us back to the blues hard rock sound. It opens with a great riff and slams it home from there. I love the swagger to the song, the cowbell and the harmonica all screamed classic rock and right up my alley. One of my favorites on the album.

Next is a cover of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds & Rust”. I mean how do you take a song from the female equivalent to Bob Dylan and turn it in to a metal song. Well, Priest did it and turned in a quite sensational performance. Musically it is great, but I think this is a Halford highlight as he turns in a great performance. They would this song for ‘Sin After Sin’, but this version is left over from ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’.

“Run of the Mill” is up next and the longest song that band would do until 1997’s “Cathedral Spires” from ‘Jugulator’. It was written by Halford, Downing and Tipton. The song is another where I feel they were a little more progressive in style. An ambitious song that fits Halford’s vocal range perfectly. This is one where the story is really great as well about a man going over what he did in his life and realizing most of his life was controlled by others. It ends with him either dying or committing suicide. I like its darkness along with the guitar work on this one as well which you get plenty of it with a nice musical interlude. I usually don’t like long songs, but this one is worth listening to diving in and absorbing everything they had to offer.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=F4QZw37OJrg%3Fsi%3DHvDCvK9cW_C1izG4

“Genocide” is another riff-laden song. It has more of a Deep Purple feel to it as I can almost hear a little Blackmore in those guitars. It is more of a mid-tempo track and chugs along with a great rhythm section from Hill and Moore. Halford sings the lyrics with a little anger as the lyrics are pretty aggressive and controversial. There is a line in it where Halford speaks and starts off with “Sin After Sin” which would become the title of the next album. The song goes gangbusters at the end with everything speeding up in a fury like the world was going to end and they wanted to play and sing every last note they could.

The final track is an instrumental written by Atkins, Downing and Hill called “Caviar and Meths”. At only 2 minutes it didn’t really have time to develop in to much of anything. I understand that this song would be 14 minutes long when they played it live. Here, it is too short, too repetitive and didn’t do anything for me, almost a waste of time and space as it doesn’t make sense with the album.

And there you have it. 17 tracks of unnecessary songs. It is unnecessary because you need to buy the first two albums separately anyway so this is not needed. The first two albums are a band that haven’t found their full sound yet, but you can hear the talent that was to come. There are some glimpses of greatness here no doubt. If you have to have every song you might need this for this version of ‘Diamonds and Rust’, or you might like to have the version on ‘Sin After Sin’ which you need as well. This is a pure money grab from Gull Records at the time. Now, it is a collectors piece for those of us that need it all. My Overall Score is a 3.0 out of 5.0 Stars. These songs are still good and the only reason it gets a passing grade.

Okay, Okay…before you leave. Do you want a fun fact? Of course you do. The album cover used for ‘Hero, Hero’ is the same cover used for the Kiss Bootleg, ‘Barbarize’ which came out around 1985. See for yourself…

THE COMPLETE ALBUMS COLLECTION SERIES:

1. Rocka Rolla (1974)
2. Sad Wings of Destiny (1976)
3. Sin After Sin (1977)
4. Stained Class (1978)
5. Killing Machine / Hell Bent For Leather (1978)
6. Unleashed in the East (1979)
7. British Steel (1980)
8. Hero, Hero (1981)
9. Point of Entry (1981)
10. Screaming for Vengeance (1982)
11. Defenders of the Faith (1984)
12. Turbo (1986)
13. Priest…Live! (1987)
14. Ram it Down (1988)
15. Painkiller (1990)
16. Angel of Retribution (2005)
17. Nostradamus (2008)
18. A Touch of Evil: Live (2009)
19. Jugulator (1997) – Bonus Edition
20. Demolition (2001) – Bonus Edition
21. Redeemer of Souls (2014) – Bonus Edition
22. Firepower (2018) – Bonus Edition