Stained Class
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Stained Class
| type = studio
| artist = Judas Priest
| cover = Jpstandclass.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{start date|df=yes|1978|02|10}}{{Cite web |first=Eduardo |last=Rivadavia |title=How Judas Priest's 'Stained Class' Showed the Way Forward |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/judas-priest-stained-class/ |date=2016-02-10 |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |language=en}}
| recorded = October–November 1977{{cite book | last1 = Popoff | first1 = Martin | author-link1 = Martin Popoff | title = Decade of Domination | edition = 2nd | publisher = Wymer Publishing | year = 2018 | pages = 108 | isbn = 978-1-912782-63-5}}
| studio = Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire and
Utopia, London
| genre = Heavy metal
| length = 43:40
| label = Columbia
| producer = Dennis Mackay, Judas Priest, James Guthrie
| prev_title = Sin After Sin
| prev_year = 1977
| next_title = Killing Machine
| next_year = 1978
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Stained Class
| type = studio
| single1 = Better by You, Better than Me
| single1date= 27 January 1978{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1978/Music-Week-1978-02-11.pdf|title=Music Week|page=58}}
| single2 = Exciter
| single2date= 19 May 1978 (Japan){{Cite web|title=Judas Priest – Exciter | url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Judas+Priest&titel=Exciter&cat=s |access-date=2022-11-03}}
}}
}}
Stained Class is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 10 February 1978 by Columbia Records. It is the first of three Judas Priest albums recorded with drummer Les Binks, as well as the first to feature the band's now well-known logo in the artwork. Musically, Stained Class is considered the album on which the band honed many of the elements of their hard-edged signature sound, dispensing with most of the progressive and blues rock overtones and softer ballads of previous efforts. The album features a cover version of "Better by You, Better than Me" by Spooky Tooth, which became the subject of an infamous civil suit in 1990 which alleged the song subliminally influenced two teenaged boys to make a suicide pact. Other notable tracks include "Exciter", considered an early precursor to speed metal and thrash metal,{{Cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/10-speed-metal-songs-released-before-thrash/|title=10 Pioneering Speed Metal Songs Released Before Thrash's Birth|website=Loudwire}} and “Beyond the Realms of Death”, which is considered one of the band’s greatest songs by many fans and frequently included in the band’s live setlists.
Upon release, Stained Class was a modest commercial success, reaching number 27 on the UK Albums Chart and becoming the band's first LP to enter the US Billboard 200; it was eventually certified gold in the latter country. Retrospectively, it is regarded by some as one of the most important and influential albums in the development of heavy metal and one of Judas Priest's best records, as well as one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time.{{cite web |url= http://www.stereogum.com/1691165/judas-priest-albums-from-worst-to-best/franchises/counting-down/attachment/stainedclass/ |title= Judas Priest Albums From Worst To Best |author= |website=stereogum.com |access-date= 31 July 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150924132252/http://www.stereogum.com/1691165/judas-priest-albums-from-worst-to-best/franchises/counting-down/attachment/stainedclass/ |archive-date= 24 September 2015 |url-status= live |df= dmy-all }}
Overview
Stained Class is the only Judas Priest album to feature songwriting by all five members of the band. Newly added drummer Les Binks earned a songwriting credit for "Beyond the Realms of Death",{{Cite web|url=http://kkdowning.net/steelmill/Interviews/beyond-realms-les-binks/|title=Beyond The Realms of Les Binks}} and bassist Ian Hill received his first songwriting credit for co-writing "Invader" with vocalist Rob Halford and lead guitarist Glenn Tipton.
Artist Rosław Szaybo's cover artwork introduced the now-classic Judas Priest logo, replacing the Gothic Script logo which appeared on all of the band's previous albums. Stained Class was the first Judas Priest album to crack the Billboard 200 chart and was eventually certified gold in the US.
Dennis MacKay was brought in by CBS Records to produce the album. His resume at the time consisted mainly of jazz fusion artists and more progressive rock artists such as David Bowie and Supertramp. The recording sessions for Stained Class took place in October and November 1977 at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Oxfordshire.
"Better by You, Better than Me" was a last-minute addition to the album when CBS Records insisted on including something with commercial potential to liven up an album they felt had a very dark and sinister tone. The song was recorded with producer James Guthrie separately from the rest of the album, as MacKay had moved on to other projects and was no longer available. The band was reportedly so impressed with Guthrie's production on "Better by You, Better than Me" that they asked him to produce their next album, Killing Machine.
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = AllMusic
|rev2 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
|rev3 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide
|rev3score = {{rating|2.5|5}}{{cite book |title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |date=1992 |publisher=Random House |page=384}}
}}
Steve Huey of AllMusic described Stained Class as "Judas Priest's greatest achievement", commenting, "This is the point where Priest put it all together, embracing their identity as the heaviest band on the planet and taking the genre to new heights of power, speed, musicality, and malevolence." In 2005, Stained Class was ranked number 307 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.{{cite book|title=Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten|year=2005|publisher=Rock Hard|language=de|isbn=3-89880-517-4|page=89}} In 2017, it was ranked 43rd in Rolling Stone
After the success of subsequent Judas Priest albums in the US, Stained Class would eventually be certified Gold.{{cite web|title=RIAA.com|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=judas+priest#search_section|access-date=4 June 2020|website=riaa.com|language=en}}
The song "Invader" was finally added to the band's setlists in 2021, making "Heroes End" the only song off the album that has never been performed live.{{Cite web|date=August 16, 2021|first=Joe|last=DiVita|title=Judas Priest Play Two Old Songs Live for the First Time Ever|url=https://loudwire.com/judas-priest-one-shot-at-glory-invader-live-first-time-ever/|access-date=2021-08-18|website=Loudwire|language=en}}
Lawsuit
Twelve years after its release, Stained Class was the subject of a 1990 civil action brought against the band by the family of a teenager, James Vance, who entered into a suicide pact with his friend Ray Belknap after allegedly listening to "Better by You, Better than Me" on 23 December 1985. Belknap succeeded in killing himself, and Vance was left critically injured after surviving a self-inflicted gunshot to the face, eventually dying of a methadone overdose three years later. The suit alleged that Judas Priest recorded subliminal messages on the song that said "do it". The suit was eventually dismissed. The song was originally written and performed by the band Spooky Tooth.
Three weeks after the lawsuit wrapped up, the band kicked off their Painkiller Tour by playing "Better by You, Better than Me" on the first concert in Burbank, California on 13 September. It is Judas Priest's only live performance of the song since 1979.
Comedian Bill Hicks ridiculed the lawsuit as part of his act, pointing out (as many others have also done) the absurdity of the notion that a successful band would wish to kill off their purchasing fanbase.{{cite book|author1=Hicks, Bill|author-link=Bill Hicks|author2=Lahr, John|author2-link=John Lahr|date=2004|title=Love All the People: Letters, Lyrics, Routines|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l5ueBAAAQBAJ&q=%22what+performer+wants+his+audience+dead%22&pg=PT63|publisher=Constable & Robinson|isbn=1-84119-878-1|access-date=20 April 2015}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
| title1 = Exciter
| writer1 = Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton
| length1 = 5:34
| title2 = White Heat, Red Hot
| writer2 = Tipton
| length2 = 4:20
| title3 = Better by You, Better than Me
| writer3 = Gary Wright
| note3 = Spooky Tooth cover
| length3 = 3:24
| title4 = Stained Class
| writer4 = Halford, Tipton
| length4 = 5:19
| title5 = Invader
| writer5 = Halford, Tipton, Ian Hill
| length5 = 4:12
}}
{{track listing
| headline = Side two
| title6 = Saints in Hell
| writer6 = Halford, K. K. Downing, Tipton
| length6 = 5:30
| title7 = Savage
| writer7 = Halford, Downing
| length7 = 3:27
| title8 = Beyond the Realms of Death
| writer8 = Halford, Les Binks
| length8 = 6:53
| title9 = Heroes End
| writer9 = Tipton
| length9 = 5:01
| total_length = 43:40
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = 2001 bonus tracks
| title10 = Fire Burns Below
| writer10 = Halford, Tipton
| note10 = Recorded during the 1988 Ram It Down sessions
| length10 = 6:58
| title11 = Better by You, Better Than Me
| writer11 = Wright
| note11 = Live at Foundations Forum, Los Angeles, California; 13 September 1990
| length11 = 3:40
| total_length = 54:18
}}
Personnel
;Judas Priest
- Rob Halford – vocals
- K. K. Downing – guitars
- Glenn Tipton – guitars, backing vocals
- Ian Hill – bass
- Les Binks – drums
;Additional personnel
- Dave Holland – drums (Track 10, 1988)
- Scott Travis – drums (Track 11, 1990)
;Production
- Produced by Dennis MacKay and Judas Priest, and engineered by Neil Ross, except "Better By You, Better Than Me", produced by James Guthrie and Judas Priest, and engineered by Ken Thomas and Paul Northfield
- Coordinated by John Blackburn
- Mixed by Neil Ross, Ken Thomas and Paul Northfield
- Art design by Rosław Szaybo
- Photography by Ronald Kass
- David Hemmings – management
- Arnakata Limited – management
Charts
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;" |
| Chart (1978)
! Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon){{cite book|title=Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005|publisher=Oricon Entertainment|location=Roppongi, Tokyo|year=2006|isbn=4-87131-077-9|language=ja}}
|49 |
| {{album chart|UK2|27|date=19780226|access-date=October 5, 2023|rowheader=true}} |
| {{album chart|Billboard200|173|artist=Judas Priest|access-date=October 5, 2023|rowheader=true}} |
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=Point of Entry|artist=Judas Priest|award=Gold}}
|-
{{certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}
References
{{Reflist|2}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060321073134/http://members.firstinter.net/markster/STAINEDCLASS.html Stained Class at the Judas Priest Info Pages site]. Accessed 10 July 2005.
{{Judas Priest}}
{{Authority control}}