Judas Priest's Reviews

Turbo

(Average Rating: 5.88 out of 10)

Experiment in pop gone bad

(Rated this album with 4 out of 10)
Reviewed by sdbaker70 from Phoenix, Arizona United States

A moment of perspective is in order - it was the mid-1980s and the idea was that ZZ Top had (successfully) added synths, so why not Judas Priest? (After all, it was GUITAR synths, not KEYBOARDS.) The result was 'Turbo' (1986), which could not possibly have been more different for Judas Priest in its distinctive pop leanings. To be sure, the record sounds great. There are even a few good tunes here - "Turbo Lover", "Out in the Cold", and if you want to really stretch your sense of open-mindedness, "Locked In" and "Restless". But all in all, this is one of the most reviled Priest records in its canon, and for good reason.

The remasters series means that a lot of studio outtakes from these sessions now see the light of day. All I can say is thank god that the original plans to release a double album, 'Twin Turbo', were scrapped because these songs are, at best, disposable, and at worst, outright offensive. The one studio cut from those sessions included here, "All Fired Up", is perhaps the least objectionable to the Priest sensibilities. (Worse are the power ballads, "Prisoner of Your Eyes" on 'the Screaming for Vengeance' remaster, "Turn on Your Light" on the 'Defenders of the Faith' remaster, and the anthem "Red White & Blue" from the 'British Steel' remaster.)

The other extra track on this remaster is a live version of "Locked In", although one has to ask why it was not simply added in running order to the double-CD remaster 'Priest Live' (1987).

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