I like it, it wasn't the first Priest I heard so it took a little bit to get into it but to echo everyone else here, it was a hint of what was to come. Nice thread BTW, I am now going to listen to all the Priest albums in order as you post them.

I am awaiting for detuned to make his comments than I'll move on to the next album, BTW should I include comps and DVD releases or just stick to the studio and live albums?

Sad Wings Of Destiny

I listened to it again this morning to have it fresh in my mind. While it is still possible to hear some of their influences (doom/dirge of Sabbath, galloping Led Zeppelin riffs, the neo-classical impact of Deep Purple, etc), this was the album where their identity really began. You listen to this album and it sounds only like Judas Priest.

A couple things that jumped out at me this morning:

1) Dreamer Deceiver is the blueprint for Queensryche's entire sound, Geoff Tate must have studied this tune.

2) Epitaph is the only song that sounds like they were purposely trying something different, the vocal arrangement and piano is very reminiscent of Queen during this time period.

3) I had forgotten how "doomy" this record was, it's a wonderfully dark listen.

The only reason I think this album gets underrated by some is the recording. While the style is definitely there, the guitar sound hasn't been fully realized yet. But despite that, this is where Priest and the "classic metal" sound truly began.

Thank you detuned let's move to next CD, 'Sin After Sin' (1977) first album for a major record label, and Priest move further down the road in establishing their own sound and identity, this was album was produced by Deep Purple/Rainbow bassist Roger Glover, and session and former Jeff Beck drummer Simon Phillips on drums.

This album features concert staples 'Sinner' and their cover of Joan Baez's kiss off to Bob Dylan 'Diamonds and Rust'. 'Dissident Aggressor' one of the heaviest songs of this era later covered by Slayer, and few songs that might have fit easily on 'Sad Wings' such as 'Let Us Prey'. A solid release and another highly recommended platter.

The funny thing about SIN AFTER SIN is when we first heard it in the early 80s, my brother and I both HATED it. We were just getting into Priest at that time (we had already heard POINT OF ENTRY, and were absolutely crazy about SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE, which had just blown up), so my brother bought the S.A.S. tape out of a discount bin and we expected it to sound just like SCREAMING. Of course, the difference between SIN AFTER SIN and SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE is like night and day, therefore neither one of us could get into it so early in our metal development. SIN AFTER SIN was too dark, too melancholy, too weird sounding at the time (hey, we were only 11 and 12 years old), we couldn't wrap our heads around it.
I eventually re-visited the album later on in my teen years and that's when it finally clicked with me. I remember thinking "OK, I 'get it' now."
It was a real treat seeing Priest perform "Sinner" when I saw 'em on the RAM IT DOWN tour as that is my favorite track on this album.

I didn't see the post ofr SWOD, oh well, Sin After Sin is personally my fave JP album as it has Sinner, Dissident Aggressor, Lat Rose Of Summer, etc. What can I say, it has great ballads, heavy riffs, and great lyrics. Even the Joan Baez cover Diamonds And Rust is good.

SAS was the first "old" Priest I heard back in 1985. I had a hard time getting into as I was 11 years old, but as time has passed I have warmed up to it. It's one of their better records.

"MAAAAAAA! SPEC'S COPYING ME!! HE'S COPYING MEEEEEEEE!"

When I was purchasing all the re-mastered versions in the JP discography, I think this was the last one I needed. I like it, but really haven't spent much time with it. I probably should. That's about all I have to say about Sin After Sin.

Sad Wings:

A heavy metal masterpiece. One of my favourites. One unbelievable track follows another. The sound is very 70's, but it still sounds good today. Favourite tracks are Victim of Changes, Dreamer Deceiver and Tyrant. And the Ripper. Really, all the tracks are actually good.

Sin After Sin:

First thought: I love that transition from Here Come The Tears into Dissident Aggressor! The Sinner was ahead of its time, too - it was like a proto-thrash metal track. Objectively though, as an album this is not as good as Sad Wings. Not completely awesome and not even metal through and through - the mellower Led Zep style folky parts still remain there in some songs, but I actually like a lot of that stuff. The remastered version sounds very good. Really somewhat of a forgotten album as it falls between two all-time heavy metal classics.

Both albums had nice covers. Gothic looking. Something like what Black Sabbath did with their debut.

back in 1982 I traded an Iron Maiden Killers cassette for a Sin After Sin cassette, which was fine for me since I also had the LP of Killers. I had Unleashed In The East so the only songs from SAS I knew were "Diamonds" and "Sinner" and I didnt like the originals as much as the live at the time. But as with all great albums, it grew on me and I eventually got the cd somewhere around '88 or '89, I dont remember what year...
I love this album but better things were to come.

Sad Wings=brilliant

Sin After Sin... special lp to me.... at a local park, I got my first "french kiss" sitting on the hood of my sisters boyfriends Javelin while the song "Last Rose of Sumer" was playing on the 8 track

As I mentioned in another thread, Sin After Sin was really the album that turned me into a Priest fan. I got it around 1980-81, found it at a yard sale on vinyl for .25 cents, thought the cover looked cool and bought the album.

Listening to it again last night this album holds up remarkably well. What Sad Wings Of Destiny hinted at, Sin After Sin hammers home. From front to back this album sounds like nobody else but Judas Priest. I've always preferred the studio version of Sinner, it's just an amazing signature track that immediately hooks you in. Starbreaker points the direction toward Stained Class and beyond. Side Two begins and ends in amazing fashion....Call For The Priests/Let Us Prey is a true epic song that I wish remained in their setlist, would be awesome to hear them play that now. Then of course the album ends with Dissident Aggressor which is by far the heaviest track they had recorded yet.

Special mention needs to go to Last Rose Of Summer which is one of the best ballads they ever recorded. From this point onwards in their career the progressive tendencies would start to diminish in favor of punchier, more in your face tracks. But on Sin After Sin they were still experimenting and molding their sound, which to me is always a fascinating thing to hear.

*note* - I see quite a few people mentioned that they first got this album after Screaming For Vengeance came out. I can see how that could have been a little disorienting at the time.

I too didn't "get" this album until much later. I guess it just wasn't catchy enough for me at the time, but I'm glad it clicked for me later.

Sad Wings is their first masterpiece, and my personal favorite "early" Priest record, some of their great songs in "Dreamer Deceiver", Victim Of Changes, Tyrant and Genocide, but the whole record is stellar and VERY heavy, NO ONE can even think they like Priest and not have this album

My story is similar to Freddy and Spec, only I listened to everyone who claimed "it sucks" and never got a copy or heard the whole thing till many years later. I'm glad I waited because at the time there is no way I would have liked it. Being older and wiser with my musical tastes certainly allowed me to fully appreciate how great an album SAS is. It also caused me to go back on all the Priest I had missed/skipped over.

On the next Priest CD, 'Stained Class' (1978) as detuned stated in another thread this would be the last Judas Priest album to have any prog like tendencies, this album would breach the gap between they were and what they were about to become.

This album unfortunately is best known for the controversial trial, but fans know that trial was bs and it was the music that matter. The opening track 'Exciter' is a great way to open the album and great riff rocker, 'Better By You, Better Than Me' a great cover of a Spooky Tooth cover. And the album continues the epic classic 'Beyond the Realms of Death' . A classic album. Also the first album to feature their classic now standard Priest logo.

man, what can ya say about Stained Class? IMO this album would be the prototype of every future Priest album from here on out. I remember hearing this in early 1981 and by early summer I bought the cassette. I played the crap out of this album. As with many cassettes back then, the track listing was different than the album and cd, Savage was the track after Exciter and White Heat was right after Saints In Hell, so for many years that was the order I knew.

It is very hard to pick a favorite JP album but if someone asked me and needed an immediate answer in 3 seconds, the first to come to mind would probably be Stained Class. With more time to think, I would probably have 3 tied for first but off the top of my head, this album might be their best of the 70's albums, which are my favorite Priest albums.
and 1978, what a year for hard rock/heavy metal.

Bow before STAINED CLASS. My fave of the 70s albums and one of my fave Priests overall. Nuff said.

What an awesome album!!

Stained Class defined Priest as a metal band - they came up with the leather and studs image around this time, too. And there's the new, now legendary, logo making its first appearance.

Favourite track: Savage, but once again it's all quality metal from beginning to (Heroes) end.