Though it will have been just a day between my last Judas Priest listening session, the truth of the matter is that it took several days for me to finally get around to 1986's Turbo, much to my chagrin.
After delivering 1984's Defenders Of The Faith, the band would take a hiatus from performing, with the only exception being an appearance at the Philadelphia side of Live Aid in 1985. Their setlist included Living After Midnight, The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown), and (You've Got) Another Thing Comin'.
Returning to the studio, the band initially intended to deliver a double album, Twin Turbos. The idea was to have one record which provided a mainstream commercial sound, with the other returning to the roots of heavier hard rock. The concept was eventually aborted after pushback from the label, with the peppy tracks becoming Turbo.
However, this wouldn't be a calm period for singer Rob Halford. His continued struggles with substance abuse were escalated from growing issues with an ex-boyfriend whom he nicknamed "Brad". Things would take a traumatic turn when Brad committed suicide in 1985. The tragedy would lead Halford to rehab, where he swore to get clean, and by January 1986 he completed the treatment. If there's a light to the story, on January 6, 2026, Rob celebrated forty years of sobriety.
Turbo would be released that following April and be the first to incorporate synthesized guitars and forego the usual sci-fi and fantasy lyrical themes in exchange for love and romance. This was Judas Priests response to the changing landscape of 80's music, which was favoring more synth pop-oriented music over hard rock and heavy metal. The strategic shift proved to be favorable, with the album being yet another success for the band.
The shift is very noticeable from the start, and while it works, it's a bit of a system shock at first. Ultimately though, I dig it. It's like Judas Priest meets Bon Jovi, and the two meld together. I could go for more of this style.
Halford on the other hand considered it his love / hate album, stating in 2008, "The only agenda we've ever had in Priest was to really give every album its own life and I think we've achieved that on everything from Rocka Rolla up to the new one, Nostradamus. That said, if ever there was a controversial record in terms of what people might have expected from us, it's Turbo. It was the fact that we moved into a different atmosphere, but that's where we were at that particular time. Some of the technological advances like the pedal boards that Glenn and KK used were giving us options for different sounds and experimentation. Personally, I think there are still some great tracks on that album ... It's one of the recordings that divide opinion."
That's a fair assessment, and I suppose I'm in the unpopular camp among fans, wherein I liked it quite a bit. Standout tracks for me were Locked In, Parental Guidance, Rocky You All Around The World, Out In The Cold, Hot Love, and reckless.
Despite being a successful, guitarist K.K. Downing would admit it wasn't their biggest selling album. He attributed this to the changing landscape that was visualized across MTV, saying, "Even Ozzy went to the hairdressers." Halford would also admit that he felt his substance abuse at the time contributed to lackluster lyrics.
For better or worse, the remaining tracks initially intended for the double album release were salvaged and made their way to 1988's Ram It Down. Though the band's fanbase would be large enough to push it to gold certification, critically, it was considered a flop. Being their last release in the decade, tomorrow will wrap up my Judas Priest journey.
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