Judas Priest’s Rob Halford Picks a Live Record Amongst His 5 Favorite Albums
You can count Judas Priest's Rob Halford among the musicians who have taken part in AXS-TV's ongoing series, Stranded, in which artists are asked what albums they would want to have available if they were stranded on a desert island. As you might expect, there's some metal representation, but Halford threw in a few surprises as well, including a live album.
So, what did Rob Halford choose for the five albums he would want on a deserted island?
Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath (1970)
What better place to start than with the start of metal? “The original Black Sabbath album that I think is the motivator for all great things in heavy metal,” says Halford among revealing his first selection. That classic album gave us the title track, "N.I.B.," "The Wizard" and "Evil Woman" and is often credited as helping to birth the metal genre.
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Ladyland (1968)
You gotta have the guitar for some great heavy rock, so who better to go with than Jimi Hendrix?
“I’m a frustrated guitar player and I love what electric guitars can do, so Electric Ladyland from Jimi Hendrix, most definitely,” says Halford. The 1968 album gave us "All Along the Watchtower," "Crosstown Traffic," "Voodoo Chile" and more.
READ MORE: Vince Neil Names His 5 Favorite Albums
Rolling Stones, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out (1970)
The Rolling Stones delivered some great albums at the start of their career, but Rob Halford picked a record that highlighted songs from across their early years - a live record. “I think it’s from Madison Square Garden, a live record," says Halford. "It really shows the power and the energy of that band. They’re one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll bands that ever lived.”
Slayer, Reign in Blood (1986)
Choosing to advance the timeline, Halford went with one of metal's "Big 4." “Let’s go really fierce and aggressive with something from Slayer and really burn things up on the island. That palm tree is gonna fall over," jokes Halford. "I would go with Reign in Blood from Slayer because of its fierceness and intensity.”
"Post-Mortem," "Criminally Insane," and of course, the title track, are legendary Slayer classics.
Tool
You can forgive Rob for getting caught up in Tool. Many of us do, and in this case, he didn't name a specific album. But he did salute the band's overall history, noting, “Tool, for me, has always been a great adventure, because they always go to some remarkable places and it really is great music. You just put your headphones on, which I do have on this island, and listen to some Tool.”
Check out Rob Halford 5 Favorite Albums for his AXS-TV Stranded feature below.