Antonio Cerezuela established telephone connection with Glenn Tipton, guitarist for the band, who answered their questions very friendly, talking about things like the original edition of the disc, theirs themes, the production of Tom Allom, the subsequent impact it has had the album, the accompanying DVD recorded on August 17 at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena in Hollywood, Fla., the famous cover of the knife and of course the re-release itself, which focuses this interesting interview.
- Hi Glenn, how are you? Pleased to say hello.
Glenn .- Very well, thank you, how are you?
- Well, well, working ...
Glenn .- I also (laughs)
Let's start talking about that interview re-edition of "British Steel" are going to launch. The group has prepared a special package with a new cover, a live DVD, and a totally new design in general. Are you satisfied with the results to complete the re-release?
Glenn .- Yes, it's fantastic. As you know last year, in 2009, is the first time we played a disc from beginning to end, so it is very new for us to do that, we had some amazing and very satisfying feeling, and wanted to burn it to launch in 2010, when is the 30th anniversary of "British Steel" and is simply a big thank you to all those fans who have supported us over all these years, nothing more.
- Now that you mention it is the first time the group plays one of their albums in full, how was your first touch after so many years songs like "The Rage" Steeler "or" You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise "?
Glenn .- It was amazing, and never realized that the order of songs was different in America and Europe. In America the album begins with "Breaking The Law", and we made the order of European issues (ndr. Starting with "Rapid Fire"). We had never touched a disc from start to finish and is a very satisfying feeling, really unbelievable.
- The DVD was recorded in your last U.S. tour. Don't you think of the idea of including material from 1980 of the original time of the disk?
Glenn .- Yes, but I'm not sure if we have some video footage, we recorded no material every day, I think we made some good films but were not able to find...
- The release also have included a documentary about the recording sessions. Whereas in 2001 Eagle published a comprehensive documentary about the recording of "British Steel", what are we to find this time in this new report of the recordings on the CD?
Glenn .- Well, mainly it is the live concert we recorded, in this special issue we have the "British Steel" remastering, the recording of the concert (audio) and of course the concert DVD, but there are some material as you said disc recording, so I really think this memorial is a great package for fans, and there is much to hear and see.
Speaking of new on the disc, and though he was directly above yours, you went to work with your producer for many years, Tom Allom. How was working with Tom again in the studio?
Glenn .- It was fantastic because I have much respect for Tom, produced great records PRIEST and is a very generous and very talented. It was great working with him when we did "British Steel", and was a very interesting hard to do, because as you know we did at home of John Lennon, and we had a great atmosphere and a very good vibe. Tom took over and produced a great record, and we thought that thirty years later Tom had to come and mix the audio from the live concert of "British Steel", so we asked to do so and was happy to do, so it's something symbolic Tom do the live album audio thirty years later, it's great to have him back with us again.
- "British Steel" was the first record that Tom Allom produced with you in the studio, but the first pitch that came with the group was the direct "Unleashed In The East". What do you find in Tom Allom that took you to produce so many records with him?
Glenn .- Tom really understood the true essence of the group. 'He's very diplomatic, and if something important needed to be a producer that is diplomacy, and he also wanted us grew up, he promised much with the group. Initially we had done very well when we did "Unleashed In The East" which in fact had been mixed in Tittenhurst Park, which were of Ringo Starr (Ringo ndr. studies were called Startling Studios, and were installed within the old Lennon's house, Tittenhurst Park in Ascot, England) where we recorded "British Steel" and "British Steel" was an album that had not in fact composed of all, we had like 40% done when we entered the studio, so we the recording sound entirely in the hands of Tom and we wrote the rest of the disc. So we can say that after "Unleashed In The East" much trust in him and established a great relationship that has lasted for years after that.
- Now that you mention that Tom realized the group, it must be true, because really "British Steel" doesn't sound like the discs that came later, records like "Point Of Entry", "Screaming For Vengeance" or "Turbo"... Do you think Tom is able to "British Steel" the perfect sound?
Glenn .- Yes, well, every record we've written has its own character in the direction of the songs and the sound of records, because to the extent that a song is different and the sound must be different too. We never wanted to alienate too, you know, always wanted to be recognizable as Judas Priest, but we feel that each album is a different chapter in the book of Judas Priest and needs to be approached differently as far as sound is concerned, and that is what Tom was good.
- By end of talk about Tom, what was the reason why we decided to spare him for the recording of "Painkiller" for Chris Tsangarides?
Glenn .- In this moment I think Tom left the business for a while. His life changed, it was a completely different stage of his life, he turned away from the business for a while so we use Chris instead, which as you know is also a
major producer of heavy metal.
- Going back a bit to disk (to "British Steel"), this was the first recorded with drummer Dave Holland. What led you to choose him?
Glenn .- I really don't know why Les (Binks) left the group, was a little strange and not whether there was any particular reason for this, he was a great guy, but very long ago and my memory isn't too good. We knew that our next album would be slightly different, we did auditions and Dave fit perfectly, we were very happy to have him, was the type of battery that wanted to "British Steel"
- After thirty years, how you see today, "British Steel"?
Glenn .- I think the record still exists, with some songs as huge as "Steeler", "Rapid Fire," "The Rage", "You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise", and songs like "Living After Midnight ", so I think we still have a great mix, is hymns, songs really fast, is" Metal Gods "... After thirty years I think that still stands as a great record.
- How did you feel after finishing the recordings of that disk? Were you aware that just recorded an album so special?
Glenn .- Well, we didn't really going to be a very special album, we knew what we had in our hands then thirty years ago, is now when we see that disk created a fashion inspired many people... So you didn't notice anything, but then, when looking back care is when things look better.
- Although called NWOBHM was starting, I think this record was very important for the development of this new wave and the heavy metal in general. What do you think?
Glenn .- Yes, I think it was one of those records that made you feel good and that made you feel good when you played some of it songs. I think it was an album that invites people to play ours songs, inviting people to play the original drum beat of "Living After Midnight" because it gets into the issue very quickly, and "You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise... And then you have songs like "The Rage" which begins with the rhythm of reggae and then enters the disc's most powerful riff, which is "The Rage"... So I think that was an album a bit unusual in some ways a hard blunt in others, which has metal tracks like "Rapid Fire" and hymns like "Living After Midnight" and was a great album as I said to touch, because people involved very much, so I think it came at the right time.
- I also think that after Black Sabbath and after your first four or five albums, especially "Killing Machine", which was really hard, "British Steel" was the first heavy metal album in history itself, and that defined the genre completely. What do you think?
Glenn .- Yes, well, the disc had a really strong character, while other disks were very fast songs or slow songs too, but "British Steel" had very different songs, which gave the album a touch too particular, and I think that's what people tend to forget about "British Steel", which has lots of character, every song is different but fits on the disc. I think everything falls into place.
- Speaking a little more about the songs, I also think it's an album with much variety, and also a great "side A" with the most famous songs (the sung "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking The Law" or "United", the classic "Grinder" or "Metal Gods" or direct "Rapid Fire"), but also a disc with a "B side" very interesting, very atmospheric with some issues to be addressed as JUDAS PRIEST "The Rage", another issue is very straight forward as "Steeler" very heavies and songs like "You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise". How do you see your items on the disk? I guess you'll agree that the lesser-known or nor famous tracks are also an important part of "British Steel"...!
Glenn .- Yes, indeed I have already answered before. Each theme is different, every song is different, but for some reason all fit on the disk. That part reggae of "The Rage" fits with songs like "Living After Midnight," "You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise" fits with songs like "Steeler", "Metal Gods" with "Rapid Fire"... All are very different, but for some odd reason all combine to form the character of "British Steel", and it worked out naturally, sometimes things go alone, and that's exactly what happened with "British Steel".
- The cover of course also played a major role in the success of the album, and would even say that today is one of the heavies of the story. Who had the idea?
Glenn .- The head of the cover was the art director of CBS / Sony in those years. He designed the concept of the cover, showed us, and we saw that it was the perfect cover for "British Steel", was again one of those things that fit perfectly on the disc.
- Last summer, toured the U.S. and Canada presenting this 30th anniversary tour. When can we see this tour in Europe?
Glenn .- (laughs). Well, we know that we have not played in Europe yet, and I'm sure at some point touch it, see what the future holds... When we go to Europe with "Nostradamus" or playing the "British Steel" whole to be seen, but we will, sure.
- Speaking of future plans, have you already started to think about new album or is it too early?
Glenn .- No, it's too early to decide what to do, and if we may do a disk how would record it and where...These are decisions that we will not take now.
- Are not you then nothing in writing, nor any idea?
Glenn .- Well, we always have ideas about potential future projects, but what comes out remains to be seen...
- Recently in an interview asked KK Downing if he had thought to re-record some record or some group's classic albums. Did you think your in it? How about the idea? A lot of groups do that now...
Glenn .- It is possible, is something that we've discussed, perhaps in some of the first records where production was not very good, one of the things we've talked about is re-record some of these classics with the current sound capability...
- OK Glenn, thank you very much for this time, congratulations on course for those thirty years of "British Steel". If there is something you want to add...
Glenn .- Yes, it was a pleasure. I'm re-launching my website right now, will be ready in two or three weeks, and there you will find lots of information related to my solo work and things that may be of interest to you, will be in a couple of weeks or three...
- Now that you mention it, have you thought about making a new solo album?
Glenn .- At the moment my priority will always be Judas Priest, you know, I did my two solo albums were not active when Priest and in the world Priest is now very alive, we are turning and that... so my priority, is the group. Surely in the future I will write more, but my priority now is JUDAS PRIEST is the love of my life.
- Glenn, thank you very much. I hope to see you with the British Steel tour in Europe.
Glenn .- A pleasure as always, goodbye.
Antonio Cerezuela
Original link here
- Hi Glenn, how are you? Pleased to say hello.
Glenn .- Very well, thank you, how are you?
- Well, well, working ...
Glenn .- I also (laughs)
Let's start talking about that interview re-edition of "British Steel" are going to launch. The group has prepared a special package with a new cover, a live DVD, and a totally new design in general. Are you satisfied with the results to complete the re-release?
Glenn .- Yes, it's fantastic. As you know last year, in 2009, is the first time we played a disc from beginning to end, so it is very new for us to do that, we had some amazing and very satisfying feeling, and wanted to burn it to launch in 2010, when is the 30th anniversary of "British Steel" and is simply a big thank you to all those fans who have supported us over all these years, nothing more.
- Now that you mention it is the first time the group plays one of their albums in full, how was your first touch after so many years songs like "The Rage" Steeler "or" You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise "?
Glenn .- It was amazing, and never realized that the order of songs was different in America and Europe. In America the album begins with "Breaking The Law", and we made the order of European issues (ndr. Starting with "Rapid Fire"). We had never touched a disc from start to finish and is a very satisfying feeling, really unbelievable.
- The DVD was recorded in your last U.S. tour. Don't you think of the idea of including material from 1980 of the original time of the disk?
Glenn .- Yes, but I'm not sure if we have some video footage, we recorded no material every day, I think we made some good films but were not able to find...
- The release also have included a documentary about the recording sessions. Whereas in 2001 Eagle published a comprehensive documentary about the recording of "British Steel", what are we to find this time in this new report of the recordings on the CD?
Glenn .- Well, mainly it is the live concert we recorded, in this special issue we have the "British Steel" remastering, the recording of the concert (audio) and of course the concert DVD, but there are some material as you said disc recording, so I really think this memorial is a great package for fans, and there is much to hear and see.
Speaking of new on the disc, and though he was directly above yours, you went to work with your producer for many years, Tom Allom. How was working with Tom again in the studio?
Glenn .- It was fantastic because I have much respect for Tom, produced great records PRIEST and is a very generous and very talented. It was great working with him when we did "British Steel", and was a very interesting hard to do, because as you know we did at home of John Lennon, and we had a great atmosphere and a very good vibe. Tom took over and produced a great record, and we thought that thirty years later Tom had to come and mix the audio from the live concert of "British Steel", so we asked to do so and was happy to do, so it's something symbolic Tom do the live album audio thirty years later, it's great to have him back with us again.
- "British Steel" was the first record that Tom Allom produced with you in the studio, but the first pitch that came with the group was the direct "Unleashed In The East". What do you find in Tom Allom that took you to produce so many records with him?
Glenn .- Tom really understood the true essence of the group. 'He's very diplomatic, and if something important needed to be a producer that is diplomacy, and he also wanted us grew up, he promised much with the group. Initially we had done very well when we did "Unleashed In The East" which in fact had been mixed in Tittenhurst Park, which were of Ringo Starr (Ringo ndr. studies were called Startling Studios, and were installed within the old Lennon's house, Tittenhurst Park in Ascot, England) where we recorded "British Steel" and "British Steel" was an album that had not in fact composed of all, we had like 40% done when we entered the studio, so we the recording sound entirely in the hands of Tom and we wrote the rest of the disc. So we can say that after "Unleashed In The East" much trust in him and established a great relationship that has lasted for years after that.
- Now that you mention that Tom realized the group, it must be true, because really "British Steel" doesn't sound like the discs that came later, records like "Point Of Entry", "Screaming For Vengeance" or "Turbo"... Do you think Tom is able to "British Steel" the perfect sound?
Glenn .- Yes, well, every record we've written has its own character in the direction of the songs and the sound of records, because to the extent that a song is different and the sound must be different too. We never wanted to alienate too, you know, always wanted to be recognizable as Judas Priest, but we feel that each album is a different chapter in the book of Judas Priest and needs to be approached differently as far as sound is concerned, and that is what Tom was good.
- By end of talk about Tom, what was the reason why we decided to spare him for the recording of "Painkiller" for Chris Tsangarides?
Glenn .- In this moment I think Tom left the business for a while. His life changed, it was a completely different stage of his life, he turned away from the business for a while so we use Chris instead, which as you know is also a
major producer of heavy metal.
- Going back a bit to disk (to "British Steel"), this was the first recorded with drummer Dave Holland. What led you to choose him?
Glenn .- I really don't know why Les (Binks) left the group, was a little strange and not whether there was any particular reason for this, he was a great guy, but very long ago and my memory isn't too good. We knew that our next album would be slightly different, we did auditions and Dave fit perfectly, we were very happy to have him, was the type of battery that wanted to "British Steel"
- After thirty years, how you see today, "British Steel"?
Glenn .- I think the record still exists, with some songs as huge as "Steeler", "Rapid Fire," "The Rage", "You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise", and songs like "Living After Midnight ", so I think we still have a great mix, is hymns, songs really fast, is" Metal Gods "... After thirty years I think that still stands as a great record.
- How did you feel after finishing the recordings of that disk? Were you aware that just recorded an album so special?
Glenn .- Well, we didn't really going to be a very special album, we knew what we had in our hands then thirty years ago, is now when we see that disk created a fashion inspired many people... So you didn't notice anything, but then, when looking back care is when things look better.
- Although called NWOBHM was starting, I think this record was very important for the development of this new wave and the heavy metal in general. What do you think?
Glenn .- Yes, I think it was one of those records that made you feel good and that made you feel good when you played some of it songs. I think it was an album that invites people to play ours songs, inviting people to play the original drum beat of "Living After Midnight" because it gets into the issue very quickly, and "You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise... And then you have songs like "The Rage" which begins with the rhythm of reggae and then enters the disc's most powerful riff, which is "The Rage"... So I think that was an album a bit unusual in some ways a hard blunt in others, which has metal tracks like "Rapid Fire" and hymns like "Living After Midnight" and was a great album as I said to touch, because people involved very much, so I think it came at the right time.
- I also think that after Black Sabbath and after your first four or five albums, especially "Killing Machine", which was really hard, "British Steel" was the first heavy metal album in history itself, and that defined the genre completely. What do you think?
Glenn .- Yes, well, the disc had a really strong character, while other disks were very fast songs or slow songs too, but "British Steel" had very different songs, which gave the album a touch too particular, and I think that's what people tend to forget about "British Steel", which has lots of character, every song is different but fits on the disc. I think everything falls into place.
- Speaking a little more about the songs, I also think it's an album with much variety, and also a great "side A" with the most famous songs (the sung "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking The Law" or "United", the classic "Grinder" or "Metal Gods" or direct "Rapid Fire"), but also a disc with a "B side" very interesting, very atmospheric with some issues to be addressed as JUDAS PRIEST "The Rage", another issue is very straight forward as "Steeler" very heavies and songs like "You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise". How do you see your items on the disk? I guess you'll agree that the lesser-known or nor famous tracks are also an important part of "British Steel"...!
Glenn .- Yes, indeed I have already answered before. Each theme is different, every song is different, but for some reason all fit on the disk. That part reggae of "The Rage" fits with songs like "Living After Midnight," "You Do not Have To Be Old To Be Wise" fits with songs like "Steeler", "Metal Gods" with "Rapid Fire"... All are very different, but for some odd reason all combine to form the character of "British Steel", and it worked out naturally, sometimes things go alone, and that's exactly what happened with "British Steel".
- The cover of course also played a major role in the success of the album, and would even say that today is one of the heavies of the story. Who had the idea?
Glenn .- The head of the cover was the art director of CBS / Sony in those years. He designed the concept of the cover, showed us, and we saw that it was the perfect cover for "British Steel", was again one of those things that fit perfectly on the disc.
- Last summer, toured the U.S. and Canada presenting this 30th anniversary tour. When can we see this tour in Europe?
Glenn .- (laughs). Well, we know that we have not played in Europe yet, and I'm sure at some point touch it, see what the future holds... When we go to Europe with "Nostradamus" or playing the "British Steel" whole to be seen, but we will, sure.
- Speaking of future plans, have you already started to think about new album or is it too early?
Glenn .- No, it's too early to decide what to do, and if we may do a disk how would record it and where...These are decisions that we will not take now.
- Are not you then nothing in writing, nor any idea?
Glenn .- Well, we always have ideas about potential future projects, but what comes out remains to be seen...
- Recently in an interview asked KK Downing if he had thought to re-record some record or some group's classic albums. Did you think your in it? How about the idea? A lot of groups do that now...
Glenn .- It is possible, is something that we've discussed, perhaps in some of the first records where production was not very good, one of the things we've talked about is re-record some of these classics with the current sound capability...
- OK Glenn, thank you very much for this time, congratulations on course for those thirty years of "British Steel". If there is something you want to add...
Glenn .- Yes, it was a pleasure. I'm re-launching my website right now, will be ready in two or three weeks, and there you will find lots of information related to my solo work and things that may be of interest to you, will be in a couple of weeks or three...
- Now that you mention it, have you thought about making a new solo album?
Glenn .- At the moment my priority will always be Judas Priest, you know, I did my two solo albums were not active when Priest and in the world Priest is now very alive, we are turning and that... so my priority, is the group. Surely in the future I will write more, but my priority now is JUDAS PRIEST is the love of my life.
- Glenn, thank you very much. I hope to see you with the British Steel tour in Europe.
Glenn .- A pleasure as always, goodbye.
Antonio Cerezuela
Original link here
