Robbed Hit of the Week 10/8/12 - Judas Priest's "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"...

Judas Priest - "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"
from the album Screaming For Vengeance (1982)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #67

This week's "robbed hit" is by the British heavy metal gods from Birmingham, Judas Priest. The original incarnation of the "Priest" had a totally different cast of characters, led by guitarist KK Downing but vocalized by Al Atkins. After Atkins left and another shuffling of members, singer Rob Halford was recruited in 1973 (his sister was dating bassist Ian Hill at the time).

After a disastrous debut album, but with a few good followup records that grew their fanbase, the group finally made their breakthough in England with their fifth album Killing Machine (known in the US as Hell Bent For Leather), which scored them not only their first minor hit in the UK with their first single, "Evening Star", but also their first top-20 hit with their followup, "Take On The World". Their followup to that album, British Steel, was their biggest in their home country, peaking at #2 and containing their classic "Living After Midnight".

Meanwhile, their image of the black leather biker types were different from all the dark satanic and supernatural forces so invasive of the burgeoning heavy metal movement of the mid-to-late seventies, and their party-style rocking kept them from being fossilized in the 80s. Their 1981 album Point Of Entry get the band their first top-10 hit on the newly-christened US rock radio chart, "Heading Out On The Highway".

Their 1982 effort, Screaming For Vengeance, spawned their only single to make the US pop chart, "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". Written by Halford and Downing with second guitarist Glenn Tipton, and produced by Black Sabbath producer Tom Allom, the aggressive put-down track played right in to the hands of millions of teenagers wanting a release for their anger...

Man this shit turned me on back in the day.

While the song was a big hit on rock stations, peaking at #4 on that chart, in 1982 mainstream radio was not ready for this at all, though they would pave the way for acts like Def Leppard and Motley Crue to be accepted. The reverse happened in Britain; the song peaked one rung higher than in the US, #66, because by then the music there had moved fully on to the New Romantic and New Wave movements.

Of course, now in retrospect, the most notable thing about the group personally is the coming out of Rob Halford in 1998, which does help explain all that leather regalia he wore. And the fact that they (and still are) so revered is quite a step forward for all our community.

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You know, Pat Boone covered the song on his "heavy metal" album, but you know what? Fuck that guy.

That's it for tonight....come back tomorrow for another Song of the Day, Candletime, and the newest music in France and Germany...