"Blood stains, speed kills, fast cars cheap thrills, rich girls fine wine. I've lost my sense I've lost control, I've lost my mind."
Is It Official?
Affirmative, captain
Is It Really Live?
Debatable: according to the band, there were a few guitar touch-ups and
some of Rob Halford's vocals were redone because he had the flu during the recorded shows. Opinions range from this official answer to the more skeptical, "it's all fake."
Where Was It Recorded?
February 10th and 15th 1979, Tokyo Japan
What Are The Details?
I love this album; from the cover photo, which has just the right combination of camp and awesomeness and captures the band at the very beginning of their leather period., to the name of the record, which makes the entire title nearly impossible to say.
So this record is from the period around, "Hell Bent For Leather/Killing Machine," the band's turning point album. Previously the band produced their debut, "Rocka Rolla," then their true masterpieces "Sad Wings of Destiny," "Sin After Sin," and "Stained Class," "Hell Bent," is the bridge between these and the dumbed-down, pop-metal poop, which inspired the movie "Heavy Metal Parking Lot," on "British Steel," and every subsequent album.
As far as the material on "Hell Bent," itself, "Delivering The Goods," is kind of a guilty pleasure, and the other songs included here( "Running Wild," the title track and "Rock Forever,") are decent but they have obviously turned the corner lyrically. This album also includes their cover of Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac, "The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)" my personal pick for best song ever written. (Priest's version is decent).
I should also point out that the original release was only 9 songs, with only "Running Wild,"and "Manalishi," from that album, the rest mainly consisting of songs from "Sad Wings of Destiny" and "Sin After Sin."
The "Victim of Changes/Tyrant/Genocide," is especially cool.
In a nutshell, before they were slick sounding and cliched, the band wrote smart lyrics, featured greasy, NWOBHM style riffs and epic songwriting, featuring a bad-ass guitar duo and soaring vocals second only, perhaps, to Ian Gillan. (For anyone interested, Glenn Tipton was a more traditional/melodic rock n roll style player, while KK Downing pioneered the more modern metal "dive-bomb," style of soloing.)
In a nutshell, before they were slick sounding and cliched, the band wrote smart lyrics, featured greasy, NWOBHM style riffs and epic songwriting, featuring a bad-ass guitar duo and soaring vocals second only, perhaps, to Ian Gillan. (For anyone interested, Glenn Tipton was a more traditional/melodic rock n roll style player, while KK Downing pioneered the more modern metal "dive-bomb," style of soloing.)
This album is a great introduction to the band's earlier material, for anyone only familiar with "Livin' After Midnight" and "Breaking The Law."
Check it out.
The Set:
1. Exciter
2. Running Wild
3. Sinner
4. The Ripper
5. The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)
6. Diamonds & Rust
7. Victim of Changes
8. Genocide
9. Tyrant
10. Rock Forever
11. Delivering The Goods
12. Hell Bent For Leather
13. Starbreaker
