THE METAL GOD, ROB HALFORD, LISTS THE TEN ALBUMS THAT CHANGED HIS LIFE
When asked by MusicRadar which ten albums changed his life, his list included Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and the Beatles.
His top pick was Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Halford said, “Listening to this music at the time it was being made is something I’ll never forget. Simply because of the sheer audacity of this extraordinary guitar player and artist. He made the room light up so vividly. To listen to the sounds that he made with the electric guitar was unbelievably special.
Things were changing at this time. The music in general was getting louder. Marshall amps were being made, speaker cabinets were being used – everything was getting bigger, louder, more impactful. I think Jimi had something to do with that.”
He also praised Led Zeppelin II, describing it as the “roots of heavy metal.” Halford explained, “When I heard the riffs that Jimmy was doing, I got a real sense of where things were going. Even though Led Zeppelin never expressed, ‘We’ve got some heavy metal in us,’ it’s quite apparent that it was there all along.
The riffage and the way they played live – they were a bit like Cream on steroids. John Bonham smashed those drums, and along with the powerful musicianship of Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, they made a sound that was simply incredible. And then you’ve got Robert Plant, screaming and wailing in a way we’d never heard before. Led Zeppelin were such an important band.”
He continued, “The music that touches you in your youth is magnified as you get older. Each record can be a virtual time machine – all you need is to hear a second or two and you go back to that place and time when you first heard it. It’s a brilliant feeling when music touches you so profoundly and stays with you through time.”
The 10 records that changed Rob Halford’s life:
1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland
2. Cream – Disraeli Gears
3. The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
4. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II
5. David Bowie – The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
6. King Crimson – In The Court Of The Crimson King
7. The Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out
8. John Mayall – Blues From Laurel Canyon
9. Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies
10. Queen – Queen
Also, Happy Birthday to the Metal God who celebrates his 63rd year today (August 25th). Judas Priest’s Redeemer of Souls was released on July 8th through Epic Records.
additional source: classicrockmagazine.com
Oh yeah, I think Eddie Trunk might take a look at some of these lists. I’m so sorry Mr. Trunk:
1) STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT
2) LIGHTS OUT
3) UFO 2
4) PHENOMENON
5) SEVEN DEADLY.
I hope that list is okay. Those guys didn’t mean to offend you sir. HANOI ROCKS? JERRY REED? KILLING IS MY BUSINESS…………ROCK N ROLL OVER is number 1. WASSAMATTAWHICHU?
Ok I will join the party
1. UFO Strangers in The Night
2. Pink Floyd Dark Side of The Moon
3. Led Zeppelin II
4. Deep Purple Made in Japan
5. Rush Permanent Waves
6. Scorpions Blackout
7. Iron Maiden Number of The Beast
8. Def Leppard High n Dry
9. Judas Priest Hell Bent for Leather
10. Don Rickles Hello Dummy
In no particular order.
1. Iron maiden “piece of mind”
2. Iron maiden “number of the beast”
3. Saxon “the eagle has landed”
4. Judas Priest “unleashed in the east”
5. AC/DC “back in black”
6. Boston “Boston”
7. Aerosmith “rocks”
8. Dio ” holy diver”
9. Black sabbath ” heaven and hell”
10. Van halen ” van halen”
Honorable mention, though it’s not necessarily metal.
Zakk Wylde ” book of shadows”
One of the greatest records ever!
Oh yeah, forgot one.
Metallica “master of puppets”
The one that set the bar for metal a lot higher.
I need a lot more than ten!
Always great to hear talk about anything music, almost makes up for the noise Gene Simmons spews as if he was an equal to Halford in Metal LOL