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Ram It Down is the eleventh studio album by Judas Priest, released in 1988 through Columbia Records; a remastered edition containing two bonus tracks was reissued in 2001. The album earned gold certification (500,000 sales) on July 18, 1988. The band toured in Europe and North America to support the release of the album. This is the last album to feature long time drummer Dave Holland.
Background
In 1986, Judas Priest intended to record a double album called Twin Turbos of which half would be lighter, more commercial rock, and the other half would be similarly polished but heavier and less synth-driven. As it happened, record labels being notoriously timid about double albums, the project was split into two releases, with the heavier Twin Turbos material being relegated to this later album. While it largely failed to capture the metal public's approval, elements such as the more technical drumming, high speeds, and sci-fi themes prefigured their return-to-form classic, Painkiller. A drum machine was used at some parts because of Dave Holland's health problems. Judas Priest had also done a rendition of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" for the movie Johnny Be Good, which was the only single from this album.[2] This would be the final album involving long-time drummer Dave Holland and producer Tom Allom. Allom would later return as co-producer to the 2009 live release A Touch of Evil: Live.
The epic song "Blood Red Skies" has been described by Glenn Tipton as "Victim of Changes model 1988". The song was never performed live until the "Epitaph" world tour of 2011, where it was included in the setlist.
The song Johnny B. Goode was originally made for a video soundtrack, and the song that was supposed to replace it (which would have been a bonus track) was lost somewhere during the Halford-Ripper limbo. This is the reason Ram It Down is the only remastered disc with no bonus "track", just two live tracks. Despite this, other tracks from the sessions have been released on the other remasters, such as the "Thunder Road" appearing on the Point of Entry remaster, and "Fire Burns Below" on the Stained Class remaster.
The song "I'm a Rocker" references the other Judas Priest song "Thunder Road", which can be found as a bonus track on the album Point of Entry (though it was likely, to judge by the sound, recorded during the Ram It Down sessions) In both songs the lyrics read "it's something in the blood [...] Wouldn't change it even if I could".
The band recorded three tracks with famed pop producers of the era, Stock-Aitken-Waterman, however they were pulled from this album, either by the band or label depending on the sources. Around this time, Glenn Tipton also recorded guitar solos for songs by another S-A-W produced artist, Samantha Fox, and was officially credited on the track "Spirit of America".
