Stained Class

Stained Class
Studio album by Judas Priest
Released	10 February 1978
Recorded	October–November 1977, Chipping Norton Recording Studios, Oxfordshire and Utopia Studios, London (track 3)
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	54:10
Label	CBS, Inc. (UK) Columbia Records (US)
Producer	Dennis Mackay, Judas Priest, James Guthrie (track 3)
Judas Priest chronology
Sin After Sin (1977) Stained Class (1978) Killing Machine (1978)

Stained Class is the fourth album by British heavy metal group Judas Priest, released in February 1978. A popular album in the band's catalogue, Stained Class showcased a more streamlined songwriting style. The production is crisper, clearer, and cleaner than any of their preceding albums. This is the only Judas Priest album to feature songwriting by all five members (one of Ian Hill's few contributions to the songwriting process for the band, and the sole contribution thereof by then-drummer Les Binks – the guitar riff for "Beyond the Realms of Death"). Following this album the band broke its songwriting team down to Rob Halford, K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, with occasional contributions solely by Tipton.

The sleeve artwork, by Roslav Szaybo at CBS Records, introduced their classic logo, replacing the Gothic Script logo of earlier releases. Stained Class was highly influential in the development of the speed metal subgenre and was the first Judas Priest album to dent the Billboard 200. The album was remastered in 2001, with two bonus tracks added. In 2004, UK magazine Metal Hammer named Stained Class the heaviest metal album of all time.

Legacy

Stained Class received unfortunate negative attention due to the infamous and bizarre 1990 civil action brought against the band by the family of a teenager, James Vance, who entered a suicide pact with his friend Ray Belknap after listening to "Better By You, Better Than Me" on 23 December 1985. Belknap succeeded in killing himself, and Vance was left horribly disfigured. The suit alleged that the band recorded subliminal messages on the song that said "do it." The suit was eventually dismissed. The song was originally written and performed by the band Spooky Tooth, and the lyrics are about a person who's upset at the world's current state and is leaving his lover to try to change things by joining the war effort.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Exciter"	Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton	5:34
2.	"White Heat, Red Hot"	Tipton	4:20
3.	"Better By You, Better Than Me"	Gary Wright	3:24
4.	"Stained Class"	Halford, Tipton	5:19
5.	"Invader"	Halford, Tipton, Ian Hill	4:12
6.	"Saints in Hell"	Halford, K.K. Downing, Tipton	5:30
7.	"Savage"	Halford, Downing	3:27
8.	"Beyond the Realms of Death"	Halford, Les Binks	6:53
9.	"Heroes End"	Tipton	5:01

2001 bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
10.	"Fire Burns Below" (Recorded during the 1988 Ram It Down sessions)	Halford, Tipton	6:58
11.	"Better By You, Better Than Me" (Live at Foundations Forum, Los Angeles, California; September 13, 1990)	Wright	3:40

"Invader" is the latest songwriting credit given to bassist Ian Hill within Judas Priest's catalogue. It also features the only songwriting credit attributed to a Judas Priest drummer, with Les Binks being credited for "Beyond the Realms of Death". That same song would become a live staple for the band.

Personnel

• Rob Halford: vocals
• K.K. Downing: guitars
• Glenn Tipton: guitars
• Ian Hill: bass guitar
• Les Binks: drums
• Dave Holland: drums (Only on the Bonus track "Fire Burns Below")

Charts

Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1978	Pop Albums	104

External links

• Stained Class at the Judas Priest Info Pages site. Accessed July 10, 2005.