10 Overlooked Masterpiece Songs By Legendary Hard Rock Bands
2. Judas Priest - Steeler
The second great hard rock act on this list to come out of Birmingham, UK, and arguably just as influential as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest (the name came from the Bob Dylan song, The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest) found their perfect pitch on their 1980 album - the appropriately-titled British Steel, from which the song Steeler is taken.
Priest's full-on sound, twin guitar attack, and swaggering, macho stance laid down a blueprint for countless rockers who followed. The set was recorded at Tittenhurst Park, home of Ringo Starr, with the band utilizing smashed milk bottles, billiard cues and cutlery to provide analogue sound effects for some of the tracks.
Such is the importance of and love for British Steel that, to kick off their 2009 30th anniversary tour, Judas Priest performed the album in its entirety live on stage.
The record, which was critically acclaimed on its original release, is uniformly strong, but Steeler deserves to be singled out. You can't ask for more from a hard rock song - a propulsive, burning energy permeates this cut, whose subtle charms will slowly work their way into your head.