Priest Live & Rare

RELEASE
September 21, 1999
LABEL
Epic
GENRES
Pop/Rock, Album Rock, British Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, New Wave of British Heavy Metal

Album Review

Like their Brit-metal peers Iron Maiden and Motorhead, Judas Priest issued quite a few singles in England during their heyday. And like the others, Priest would include non-album B-sides with many of the singles, to entice fans who already had the A-side on their full-length to splurge for the single. The 1999 release Priest, Live & Rare is just what the title says -- a ten-track compilation of their B-sides (nine of which are live recordings, one a remix). For fans of Priest's late-'70s/early-'80s work (the group's "heaviest" period), Priest, Live & Rare is quite a find, since it includes great live takes of forgotten classics. Included are such molten heavies as "Beyond the Realms of Death," "White Heat, Red Hot," and "Starbreaker," as well as the better-known compositions "Living After Midnight," "The Green Manalishi," "You've Got Another Thing Coming," and two versions of "Breaking the Law." But not all of Priest, Live & Rare is top notch, especially the inclusion of Turbo-era material (Priest's brief stab at more mainstream rock) -- as evidenced by a bland live version of "Private Property" and a preposterous remix of "Turbo Lover," the latter bordering on dance music! Still the good definitely outweighs the bad on Priest, Live & Rare.
Greg Prato, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Beyond the Realms of Death [Live]
  2. White Heat, Red Hot [Live]
  3. Starbreaker [Live]
  4. Breaking the Law [Live]
  5. Living After Midnight [Live]
  6. Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) [Live]
  7. Breaking the Law [Live]
  8. You've Got Another Thing Comin' [Live]
  9. Private Property [Live]
  10. Turbo Lover [High Octane Mix]