Unleashed in the East
Encyclopedia
Unleashed in the East is Judas Priest
's first live album
, recorded live in Tokyo, Japan during the Hell Bent for Leather Tour
in 1979. It was released in September 1979 and became the band's best-selling album up to that point, reaching the US Top 100 and the UK Top Ten.
To which extent the album was really live remains a matter of contention, with the album sometimes being called Unleashed in the Studio. Years later, after he had left Priest, Rob Halford
noted in various interviews that the music was indeed live, but that his vocals had been ruined in the original recording and were later dubbed in a concert-like studio setting.
These four tracks were previously available on the Japanese pressing of the album (titled Priest in the East and having the same track-list as the remaster), and were recorded at the same time as the original nine tracks. Additionally, two more songs were recorded from the same concerts but were only available as B-sides on various singles: "Evil Fantasies" was on the "Living After Midnight" 12 inch, along with "Delivering the Goods". "Beyond The Realms of Death" was pressed with "Rock Forever" and "Hell Bent for Leather" on a special 3 track live EP that came with initial UK pressings of "Unleashed In The East". There is also a 1979 UK cassette version with 12 songs: "Rock Forever", "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Beyond the Realms of Death" plus the original 9 tracks.
All the extra songs are fully produced, and are of the same quality as the original nine tracks. Certain bootlegs have turned up with all fifteen tracks put in the original setlist order, to better reflect the actual concerts of the 1979 tour (for the record, all the Unleashed in the East recordings were taken from 2 shows: Feb 10th and 15th, 1979). Two more songs, "White Heat, Red Hot" and "Take on the World" were performed but never officially recorded.
However, the "Take On the World" 12 inch single, released in late 1978, included a live version of "White Heat, Red Hot" recorded at the Agora Ballroom
in Cleveland, Ohio
on May 31, 1978 (on the Stained Class
Tour). Live versions of "Beyond the Realms of Death" and "Starbreaker" recorded from the same 1978 Cleveland show were released as b-sides to the "Evening Star" 7 inch single and "Take on the World" 12 inch single, respectively. These tracks are available on the Priest, Live and Rare CD. They are not the same versions as on Unleashed in the East. The band was possibly trying to avoid repetition by not including songs on the official full-length live album that were already available as live versions on singles.
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
's first live album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, recorded live in Tokyo, Japan during the Hell Bent for Leather Tour
Hell Bent for Leather Tour
The Killing Machine/Hell Bent for Leather Tour was a 1978-79 concert tour by British heavy metal band Judas Priest, in support of their most recent release, Killing Machine . The live album Unleashed in the East was recorded during the Japanese leg of this tour...
in 1979. It was released in September 1979 and became the band's best-selling album up to that point, reaching the US Top 100 and the UK Top Ten.
To which extent the album was really live remains a matter of contention, with the album sometimes being called Unleashed in the Studio. Years later, after he had left Priest, Rob Halford
Rob Halford
Robert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
noted in various interviews that the music was indeed live, but that his vocals had been ruined in the original recording and were later dubbed in a concert-like studio setting.
Reissues
The 2001 cd reissue featured four "bonus tracks", "Rock Forever", "Delivering the Goods", "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Starbreaker" which were only available on the 7" bonus disc that came in the original 1979 Japanese vinyl release. Three of these were from their then-current album "Killing Machine" (Hell Bent For Leather in the US), which was not well-represented on the original release.These four tracks were previously available on the Japanese pressing of the album (titled Priest in the East and having the same track-list as the remaster), and were recorded at the same time as the original nine tracks. Additionally, two more songs were recorded from the same concerts but were only available as B-sides on various singles: "Evil Fantasies" was on the "Living After Midnight" 12 inch, along with "Delivering the Goods". "Beyond The Realms of Death" was pressed with "Rock Forever" and "Hell Bent for Leather" on a special 3 track live EP that came with initial UK pressings of "Unleashed In The East". There is also a 1979 UK cassette version with 12 songs: "Rock Forever", "Hell Bent for Leather" and "Beyond the Realms of Death" plus the original 9 tracks.
All the extra songs are fully produced, and are of the same quality as the original nine tracks. Certain bootlegs have turned up with all fifteen tracks put in the original setlist order, to better reflect the actual concerts of the 1979 tour (for the record, all the Unleashed in the East recordings were taken from 2 shows: Feb 10th and 15th, 1979). Two more songs, "White Heat, Red Hot" and "Take on the World" were performed but never officially recorded.
However, the "Take On the World" 12 inch single, released in late 1978, included a live version of "White Heat, Red Hot" recorded at the Agora Ballroom
Agora Theatre and Ballroom
The Agora Theatre and Ballroom is a concert club located in Cleveland, Ohio. The Agora name was previously used by two other Cleveland venues in succession, the latter of which was destroyed by fire in 1984...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
on May 31, 1978 (on the Stained Class
Stained Class
Stained Class is the fourth album by British heavy metal group Judas Priest, released in February 1978. A popular album in the band's catalogue, Stained Class showcased a more streamlined songwriting style. The production is crisper, clearer, and cleaner than any of their preceding albums...
Tour). Live versions of "Beyond the Realms of Death" and "Starbreaker" recorded from the same 1978 Cleveland show were released as b-sides to the "Evening Star" 7 inch single and "Take on the World" 12 inch single, respectively. These tracks are available on the Priest, Live and Rare CD. They are not the same versions as on Unleashed in the East. The band was possibly trying to avoid repetition by not including songs on the official full-length live album that were already available as live versions on singles.
Track listing
Personnel
- Rob HalfordRob HalfordRobert John Arthur "Rob" Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest. He is nicknamed the "Metal God" as a tribute to his influence on metal, and after the Judas Priest song of the same name from 1980's...
: Vocals - K.K. Downing: Guitars
- Glenn TiptonGlenn TiptonGlenn Tipton is one of the Grammy Award-winning guitarists for the heavy metal band Judas Priest...
: Guitars - Ian HillIan HillIan Hill is a founding member and bassist for the Birmingham-based Grammy award winning heavy metal band, Judas Priest....
: Bass Guitar - Les BinksLes BinksJames Leslie Binks , is a Northern Irish heavy metal drummer, who is most notable for having been the drummer for Judas Priest.-History:...
: Drums
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
10 |
| 1979 | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Pop Albums (US) |
70 |