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Now, you might be sitting there asking yourself, "Who the fuck
is Al Atkins, and why is Sludge reviewing his CD? Wasn't he that doctor
that started the low-carb dieting craze?" No, that was Robert Atkins.
"Well wasn't he the mob boss in the Jerky Boys movie?" No,
no, that was Alan Arkin. "Then he must be the singer from that
Danish band Pretty Maids." Fuck no, that's Ronnie Atkins. Get a
grip. Allan Atkins, or 'Big Al' as I like to call him, was the original
singer for Judas Priest way back in the early 70s, long before Rob Halford
came along and stole the show. All these years later, Big Al has re-released
one of his long forgotten solo CDs with bonus tracks, and now you can
be the first kid on your block (and probably the only one in a thousand
mile radius) to have his disc gracing your CD tower.
Cover: 4
Sugar Stacks out of 10
Looks like a chalk/pastel/construction paper cutout creation by UK illustrator
Blaise Thompson, whose internationally respected work includes clients
like the BBC, The Guardian, Penguin Books, The New Yorker magazine,
the Sunday Telegraph and Harper Collins. How one of his works ended
up on the front of a metal CD is anyone's guess. The cover illustration
is of a guy in a leather jacket and sunglasses, resting his chin on
his fist reminiscent of that famed Auguste Rodin statue "The Thinker."
I guess it's supposed to be a picture of Big Al engrossed in heavy thoughts,
but it kind of looks like he's taking a heavy dump. Let's move on.
Booklet: 6
Lions out of 10
An 8 panel booklet, with an intro written by Big Al, tracking, credits,
and 2 pages of heavy thoughts by author Garry Sharpe-Young (he wrote
those Rockdetector A-Z books, i.e., "A-Z of Thrash Metal,"
"A-Z of '80s Rock," etc.). There's a few photos of Big Al
in the studio and just hanging out, but what's cool is there's an old
picture of the pre-Halford Judas Priest, circa 1973. Just to prove he
really was in the band like he says he was. No lyrics, but that being
said, there's a lot to read and the pics are cool, so it's not half
bad packaging.
Songs: 6
Judas Priests out of 10
When I first got this CD and looked at the photos of Big Al, I didn't
quite know what to think. Al's getting, uh, old. He looks like a Theological
Ethics professor at Yale Divinity School wearing biker gear, if you
can imagine such a thing. (Check out pics for yourself at www.alatkins.com.)
However, this CD rocks a little harder than I thought it would. I was
kind of surprised. Sort of has that NWOBHM (that's 'New Wave of British
Heavy Metal,' you jackass) kind of vibe like Diamond Head or early Saxon.
Now, Al's no Rob Halford, but then again, who is? He's got kind of a
distinct voice, somewhat of a limited range, nothing over the top but
works well for these tunes. His band is really tight and the musicians
have good chops, especially Paul May (guitars). Musically, it reminds
me a little of those late-80s Sabbath albums like 'Headless Cross' and
'Tyr' and shit like that. Big Al does a Priest tune that he co-wrote
called "Caviar and Meths," of which an abridged (all-instrumental)
version appears on Priest's 1974 debut 'Rocka Rolla.' Here, Al restores
it to its original 7 minutes and 14 seconds.
Comments: Al Atkins is credited
as a co-writer for some of those early Judas Priest tunes that Halford
ended up singing, including the classic "Victim of Changes."
In the mid 70s Big Al fronted another band in the UK called Lion, which
seems to have had some kind of mild popularity over there. It goes without
saying that this isn't really a party rock album, but more along the
lines of serious old school heavy metal. If you're the quintessential
Priest fan who has to have everything remotely related to the band,
then be sure to pick this up. But if you've got Nelson posters on your
wall or you're still in tears about Warrant calling it a day, then you'll
probably not dig this CD very much. In that case, you should probably
find a new hobby or at least try to make some friends. You know... get
out more and stuff. Get a life.
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