Sept. 10 — Judas Priest’s 1974 debut album Rocka Rolla will rock and roll once more, 50 years after its debut.
Originally released Sept.6, 1974 through Gull Records, it was announced Tuesday, the band is planning to celebrate the album’s 50th anniversary this year with a new fully approved anniversary re-issue. The album’s digital re-issue date is Sept. 13 while its physical re-issue date is set for Nov. 22.
According to information provided in a news release announcing the forthcoming re-issue, while the band recorded and released the album in its initial release, its members were not involved in the final product’s sound, leading to disappointment from the band in the finished product. The band also had no say in re-issues that came over the years, according to the provided information.
Front man Rob Halford explained his own displeasure at the record’s presentation during a recent interview.
“I took the record… and I put the needle onto the groove and I sat back. And I just slowly started to deflate, deflate,” Halford said. “I was so disappointed with the way it was sounding… All of us were – we’d all worked so hard to get to this place. And now this music that we know when we play live is roaring – the heavy metal is roaring even in those early primitive days – none of that was coming out of the speakers.”
In 2022, Gull Records owner David Howells reached out to Judas Priest guitarist Glen Tipton’s music publisher, Michael Closter, of Reach Music about selling the masters and publishing rights for Rocka Rolla and its follow-up, the band’s 1976 sophomore album, Sad Wings of Destiny. The discussions that followed have now led to the pending band-approved re-issue of Rocka Rolla this fall through Exciter Records, Reach Music’s label.
Halford and some of his band mates have expressed pleasure at the new approved re-issue, with their comments below:
Rob Halford: “I’m just thrilled… because it just goes to show you when you get an expert involved in a project, it’s likely that you have a second chance. And I think that Tom Allom is giving us a second chance here with the way that a lot of the elements were lost in Rocka Rolla. And it’s also nice, like a really nice feeling, especially to attach it to what will be a 50th anniversary moment. It’s just a beautiful feeling.”
Glenn Tipton: “This is where it all started for us and 50 years later, we have a great re-mixed and re-mastered version of the original…and the band are still going strong!”
Ian Hill: “Recorded during nighttime sessions to save costs, over a few weeks in June and July 1974, on a shoestring budget, Rocka Rolla was always going to have its flaws! But walking into my local record store and seeing it on a shelf amongst all your idol’s records was the proudest feeling in the world, and I thought, ‘Whatever happens now, nothing can change that!’ Now re-mixed by Tom Allom and re-mastered, Rocka Rolla has finally got the production it deserved!”
KK Downing: “At last! This! The first Judas Priest album can be listened to and enjoyed in the way it was always intended to be!”
The full track listing for the forthcoming re-issue is noted below:
Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) track listing:
01 One For The Road Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 04:44
02 Rocka Rolla Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 03:24
03 Winter Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 02:59
04 Deep Freeze Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 02:07
05 Winter Retreat Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 01:32
06 Cheater Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 03:01
07 Never Satisfied Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 04:50
08 Run Of The Mill Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 08:21
09 Dying To Meet You Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 06:17
10 Caviar And Meths Judas Priest: Rocka Rolla (50th Anniversary Remixed & Remastered) 02:09
In other news, Judas Priest recently announced the schedule for the upcoming second leg of its Invincible Shield Tour. The tour is scheduled to launch Friday in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and to run through Oct. 26 in Irving, TX.
The tour’s schedule is noted below and tickets are available here.
JUDAS PRIEST: INVINCIBLE SHIELD LEG 2 TOUR DATES:
Fri Sep 13 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Sat Sep 14 – Niagara Falls, ON – Fallsview Casino Resort*
Tue Sep 17 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Thu Sep 19 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life Theatre
Sat Sep 21 – Cedar Rapids, IA – Alliant Energy PowerHouse
Sun Sep 22 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center*
Tue Sep 24 – Rochester, MN – Mayo Civic Center Arena*
Wed Sep 25 – Omaha, NE – Baxter Arena
Fri Sep 27 – Rockford, IL – BMO Center
Sun Sep 29 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life – Festival^
Tue Oct 1 – Independence, MO – Cable Dahmer Arena
Thu Oct 3 – Billings, MT – First Interstate Arena at MetraPark
Sat Oct 5 – Idaho Falls, ID – Mountain America Center
Sun Oct 6 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena
Wed Oct 9 – Everett, WA – Angel of the Winds Arena
Thu Oct 10 – Portland, OR – Alaska Airlines’ Theater of the Clouds
Sat Oct 12 – Sacramento, CA – After Shock Festival^
Sun Oct 13 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort and Casino*
Tue Oct 15 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
Wed Oct 16 – Las Vegas, NV – Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood
Fri Oct 18 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
Sun Oct 20 – Loveland, CO – Blue Arena
Tue Oct 22 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Thu Oct 24 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Sat Oct 26 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
*Not A Live Nation Date
^Festival Date
More information on Rocka Rolla‘s pending re-issue is available along with all of Judas Priest’s latest news at:
Website: http://www.JudasPriest.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OfficialJudasPriest
Twitter: http://twitter.com/judaspriest
