Judas Priest - Turbo (1986)

It seems like Judas Priest's 1986 effort, 'Turbo' is often viewed as the bands lowest and most embarrassing statement as well as a departure from heavy metal towards something glamier in character. Sure, the album has that 80's mechanical drum sound, there's a bunch of stupid keyboard doodles and synth effects scattered about the album, the guitars are not particularly heavy and the lyrics are about as corny as corny ass lyrics get, BUT there's just something special about cheese ball metal/rock albums.

Its likely that most people that hate this album have either never actually heard it or have only heard the title track. Perhaps what I dig on this album is the simple fact that the whole thing is pretty darn catchy in that ridiculous 80's way. I mean, the lyrics generally do just make me laugh, because knowing that Rob is gay it just seems like you can listen to the album the whole way through and every last bit of it sounds like a homosexual love letter. And what is that on the cover, anyway? A hand grasping a gear stick and shifting it? Or... a hand grasping a dildo and ramming it on down somewhere inappropriate? Or..., well, I guess only JP knows that answer.

I also have to specifically speak about the song, 'Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days,' because this song reminds me something totally random from my childhood years in the 80's. I seem to recall seeing a lot of movies back then that had to deal with California, Californian life style and fucking surfing, in fact I even remember one that went by the title of, 'Wet and Wild Summer,' which would also be a smashing title for a JP song, but then again my memory could be betraying me and that might just be a porno I watched last month. Umm... never mind.

Seriously though I can understand a metal listener at the time hating this, because this was a bit of departure from previous JP records and it certainly wasn't as metal as Slayer or Metallica either, but when the damn synths are not getting in the way there are some neat riffs as well as a few cool solos, likewise Halford delivers a great performance singing, as always.

In the end it really just depends on your appreciation for lame 80's corniness and whether or not you find the the whole thing to be memorable or not. Its by no means a mandatory listen, but having found the vinyl for a whole $4 a few months ago I found it simply impossible to pass up.