Back Covers: Judas Priest- Unleashed In The East(1979)

Judas Priest’s Unleashed In The East was the first-ever Priest album I bought sometime in early 1980.  Live Live Live so they said but others called it Unleashed In The Studio. Who friggin cares man!

I love this album and so should you. Nine songs.  Two of which are covers but Priest, Cheap Trick with the Budokan and KISS with Alive are the three bands I had purchased that the first albums I ever owned of them are live.

Kinda cool.

1980 I was 13 and talk about a back cover Impact Shot. Fin Costello captures Priest’s live in the act. Rob Halford on his Harley while the twin ax duo of Glenn Tipton and KK Downing have the rock pose down while Bassist Ian Hill was the first Metal Dude I ever saw sporting a beard.

How about the er…drummer? How come no picture of Les Binks who totally demolished his drums on this recording and is I think the best drummer Priest ever had is not shown?

Simple answer really folks as Binks was out of the band at that point. Priest was drummerless when this picture was taken in a studio (not a live shot..fooled you’s!).

What Priest did was set the drums up and pump up the fog machine. Kind of a brilliant sneaky move if you ask me as Judas Priest was starting to make inroads in the North American market so they had to look like a unit!

So with the front and back cover shots taken in a studio and supposedly the album recorded in the studio with an audience added does it matter in my world?

Nope couldn’t care less as this album is stellar I mean look at those song titles. Ripper/Sinner/Genocide/Tyrant. Those alone will kick your ass!