BraveWords caught up with legendary JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing recently and we chatted about the recent 50th anniversary release of the band’s debut, Rocka Rolla. During the conversation that aired on Streaming For Vengeance (see full video below), when asked what Judas Priest album do people talk to you most about, Downing says, “Probably, the Painkiller album, maybe.”
BraveWords: There’s two key moments in heavy metal history where a band brought in a brand new drummer and the album would kick off with a classic drum moment: one would be “Where Eagles Dare”, with Nicko (McBrain replacing Clive Burr on Piece Of Mind), and Painkiller when you brought Scott Travis in to replace Dave Holland.
“I think with the Painkiller album,” the guitarist continues, “and I’ve got to say that people don’t realize this, but that album was not as successful as we would have liked it to have been, straight away. There is a lot of things that happened about that time, wasn’t it, Tim? There was a lot of things going on. I think Painkiller was probably a bit of a stretch for a lot of traditional Priest fans, you know. Whether it’s, I think that it might have been a step forward towards the heavier side of metal, for a lot of fans. But there were a lot of things that were happening at that time, because I know we went out there and we took out Pantera. We were just playing small clubs at the time, nobody knew who they were. But there was a transitional period in metal that was between Painkiller and everything else. Pantera, and Megadeth, and so many other bands. So-called new metal. So, I think it might have been a touch too much for a lot of traditional Priest fans, but as time went on, they realized that Painkiller compared a lot of other bands, wasn’t as edgy, you know what I mean? There were so many new metals coming on, death metal, speed metal, industrial metal, so many alternative metal styles that made Painkiller almost seem a touch too light for a lot of the new metal fans. But as time went on, obviously the Painkiller album became very much revered as a groundbreaker. We always say when you release an album, chances are, nine times out of ten, that it’s going to be a bit too soon, or a bit too late. It’s very rare that you get the timing for a record exactly right, and when did Judas Priest get a record that was exactly right for the time? Maybe British Steel?”
BraveWords: Or this one (holds up Screaming For Vengeance record).
Downing: “Maybe. You’re absolutely right. I think Screaming For Vengeance may have been another ‘This is the right time, this is the right record’, because that was the band’s biggest-ever selling record.”
BraveWords: Now, you’re talking to a fan that’s based in southern Ontario, and I was at that August 19th, 1991 CNE Grandstand show (called Operation Rock & Roll also featuring Alice Cooper, Motörhead, Dangerous Toys and Metal Church) when Rob rode out on his Harley and was knocked off it by a piece of low-hanging stage prop. He broke his nose then he left the band. What are your memories from that night? Or do you want to even think about it?
Downing: “That was a horrible moment, really. For the fans that don’t know, it’s a big outdoor venue. And from the stage to the dressing rooms it was a car ride. It started off, in the first car was Rob and I forgot who else, and the rest of us, well we couldn’t find the car keys to start off, and we were late getting in the car anyway. And so we got to – they started the intro tape when we were still driving to the stage – and of course we didn’t get to the stage in time, because a set of stairs in the middle of the stage would kind of rise up and then Rob would ride the motorbike out onto the stage. But the stairs didn’t go high enough, and Rob drove out and collided with the stairs and knocked himself out. By this time we got the guitars, we went on stage, but there was dry ice and smoke, and we didn’t know Rob was on the stage, because he was flat out. So we played the first song without any vocals.”
BraveWords: I don’t mean to laugh, but it’s a Spinal Tap moment, right?
Downing: “It’s an absolute Spinal Tap moment. To Rob’s credit, he just picked himself up and dusted himself off and performed. And that was the last gig for 14 years with Rob in Judas Priest.”
Judas Priest’s 50th anniversary remixed and remastered edition of their Rocka Rolla album is available digitally in US and Canada (here). The CD and vinyl are also available.
The post K.K. Downing Says It Was A “Horrible Moment” For JUDAS PRIEST When ROB HALFORD Got Knocked Off His Harley At The CNE Then Left The Band appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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BraveWords: There’s two key moments in heavy metal history where a band brought in a brand new drummer and the album would kick off with a classic drum moment: one would be “Where Eagles Dare”, with Nicko (McBrain replacing Clive Burr on Piece Of Mind), and Painkiller when you brought Scott Travis in to replace Dave Holland.
“I think with the Painkiller album,” the guitarist continues, “and I’ve got to say that people don’t realize this, but that album was not as successful as we would have liked it to have been, straight away. There is a lot of things that happened about that time, wasn’t it, Tim? There was a lot of things going on. I think Painkiller was probably a bit of a stretch for a lot of traditional Priest fans, you know. Whether it’s, I think that it might have been a step forward towards the heavier side of metal, for a lot of fans. But there were a lot of things that were happening at that time, because I know we went out there and we took out Pantera. We were just playing small clubs at the time, nobody knew who they were. But there was a transitional period in metal that was between Painkiller and everything else. Pantera, and Megadeth, and so many other bands. So-called new metal. So, I think it might have been a touch too much for a lot of traditional Priest fans, but as time went on, they realized that Painkiller compared a lot of other bands, wasn’t as edgy, you know what I mean? There were so many new metals coming on, death metal, speed metal, industrial metal, so many alternative metal styles that made Painkiller almost seem a touch too light for a lot of the new metal fans. But as time went on, obviously the Painkiller album became very much revered as a groundbreaker. We always say when you release an album, chances are, nine times out of ten, that it’s going to be a bit too soon, or a bit too late. It’s very rare that you get the timing for a record exactly right, and when did Judas Priest get a record that was exactly right for the time? Maybe British Steel?”
BraveWords: Or this one (holds up Screaming For Vengeance record).
Downing: “Maybe. You’re absolutely right. I think Screaming For Vengeance may have been another ‘This is the right time, this is the right record’, because that was the band’s biggest-ever selling record.”
BraveWords: Now, you’re talking to a fan that’s based in southern Ontario, and I was at that August 19th, 1991 CNE Grandstand show (called Operation Rock & Roll also featuring Alice Cooper, Motörhead, Dangerous Toys and Metal Church) when Rob rode out on his Harley and was knocked off it by a piece of low-hanging stage prop. He broke his nose then he left the band. What are your memories from that night? Or do you want to even think about it?
Downing: “That was a horrible moment, really. For the fans that don’t know, it’s a big outdoor venue. And from the stage to the dressing rooms it was a car ride. It started off, in the first car was Rob and I forgot who else, and the rest of us, well we couldn’t find the car keys to start off, and we were late getting in the car anyway. And so we got to – they started the intro tape when we were still driving to the stage – and of course we didn’t get to the stage in time, because a set of stairs in the middle of the stage would kind of rise up and then Rob would ride the motorbike out onto the stage. But the stairs didn’t go high enough, and Rob drove out and collided with the stairs and knocked himself out. By this time we got the guitars, we went on stage, but there was dry ice and smoke, and we didn’t know Rob was on the stage, because he was flat out. So we played the first song without any vocals.”
BraveWords: I don’t mean to laugh, but it’s a Spinal Tap moment, right?
Downing: “It’s an absolute Spinal Tap moment. To Rob’s credit, he just picked himself up and dusted himself off and performed. And that was the last gig for 14 years with Rob in Judas Priest.”
Judas Priest’s 50th anniversary remixed and remastered edition of their Rocka Rolla album is available digitally in US and Canada (here). The CD and vinyl are also available.
The post K.K. Downing Says It Was A “Horrible Moment” For JUDAS PRIEST When ROB HALFORD Got Knocked Off His Harley At The CNE Then Left The Band appeared first on BraveWords - Where Music Lives.
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