Judas Priest vs. Manowar

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Way back shortly after LBJ rescued the US military/industrial/intelligence apparatus from those commie Micks, some greasers and cholos decided they could get more pussy if they copied some Them, Kinks and Animals down at the local roller rink. It didn't work because they were still ugly, so they brought an organ of their own to play with. Some of these bands turned into Count Five, Shadows of Knight, Blues Magoos and Vanilla Fudge, the latter of which whispered little-birdy style into Ritchie Blackmore's ear - "Do this heavy thing, yeah? Except make it silly and fun, with real fast tempos, ditch the Yardbirds' reverential fellating of ancient black guys, and stick ridiculous demi-classical flourishes on it - take all the subtlelty out, like the Chem Bros or something!"
As the Purps' subsequent solo careers showed, the euroclassy-kitchen-sink approach did not require much in the way of 'intelligence' to put together, a fact which didn't go unnoticed by guitar goons like J. Priest, who jumped on the DP's ineffable legacy like Roman soldiers discovering the surviving virgins in the aftermath of Masada. Since these bands never shook off the perception of being poor relations to Zep's wizened enigmas or Sab's space cadets (Sab/Purple = Sun Ra/Steve Allen), they sadly had to settle for selling out arenas in the USA and the then-communist bloc and consoled themselves with state-of-the-AOR production and ever-more-startling instrumental chops - thus POWER METAL! A genre so unfashionable that most people aren't even aware of its existence - mellotrons, sword-and-sorcery, Yma Sumac vocals, pristine production, all stuck onto that "Highway Star" chassis! None of the pretenders have overtaken the mighty Manowar (Americanized Priest, muscles instead of crotchless leather chaps) - ALL MEN PLAY ON 10!!!

― dave q, Sunday, 7 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Difficult one this! First let's separate out the question of 'cred', as it's so much fun discussing 'cred' in relation to these types - Manowar, yeah, the Dictators connection, voted top band in the Soviet Union for the whole early-80s, signing contracts in their own blood etc. Then again, Priest were best when they desperately went pop trying to keep up with Poison, and wrote more (and more explicit) songs about (we now know) gay sex than anybody ever - the Stones to Turbonegro's Dolls (or is it Aerosmith?)

― dave q, Sunday, 7 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I love Vanilla Fudge, especially Renaissance. Manowar sucks a fat whale dick. Ultimate gayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeness:
http://www.yourphotos.com/users/2504/manowar2.jpg

By default Judas Priest wins.

― Kodanshi, Sunday, 7 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Manowar wasn't even as good as Y&T.

― Kris, Sunday, 7 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

dave q is officially my hero. The question box above is now one of my favourite rock-history paragraphs ever.

― sundar subramanian, Sunday, 7 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

really, i expected all of manowar to come out of the closet before priest.

priest by default. although manowar gets points for playing chinese classical music before their shows to piss their audience off.

― your null fame, Tuesday, 9 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

six months pass...

Manowar is the best band eve, dave q you are a son of a bitch

― -, Sunday, 5 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

Manowar is the best band ever, dave q you are a son of a bitch

― -, Sunday, 5 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

twelve years pass...

Manowar is the best band eve, dave q you are a son of a bitch
― -, Saturday, May 4, 2002 8:00 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Manowar is the best band ever, dave q you are a son of a bitch
― -, Saturday, May 4, 2002 8:00 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― Neanderthal, Saturday, 12 July 2014 21:04 (nine years ago) link

five years pass...

if you give Manowar a huge golf handicap...Priest

― I hear that sometimes Satan wants to defund police (Neanderthal), Thursday, 9 July 2020 01:19 (three years ago) link

dave q made me lol

― Mein Skampf (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 9 July 2020 06:50 (three years ago) link

one year passes...

Manowar is the best band eve, dave q you are a son of a bitch
― -, Saturday, May 4, 2002 8:00 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Manowar is the best band ever, dave q you are a son of a bitch
― -, Saturday, May 4, 2002 8:00 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― Neanderthal, Saturday, 12 July 2014 22:04 (seven years ago) bookmarkflaglink

on reassessment priest 79-82 are way more post-punk political than i'd have roughly guessed pre-relisten ("electric eye" is abt a govt surveillance robot which "keeps the country clean") (unlear if JP approve the latter or deplore it)

i credit hawkwind obviously

― mark s, Thursday, 7 April 2022 10:57 (two years ago) link

i guess this has always been the xhucx eddy line tbf

― mark s, Thursday, 7 April 2022 11:01 (two years ago) link

"Grinder - searching for meat" is obviously a reference to the unquenchable appetite of the military-industrial complex for young bodies.

― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 7 April 2022 11:26 (two years ago) link

correct

― mark s, Thursday, 7 April 2022 11:28 (two years ago) link

"You've Got Another Thing Comin'" is about ejaculation, though.

― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 7 April 2022 11:37 (two years ago) link

also a very post-punk topic iirc

― mark s, Thursday, 7 April 2022 11:42 (two years ago) link

Is Rob Halford the metal Howard Devoto?

― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 7 April 2022 11:52 (two years ago) link

going with yes, proof on its way

― mark s, Thursday, 7 April 2022 11:56 (two years ago) link

The question box above is now one of my favourite rock-history paragraphs ever.

Interesting that I said this 21 years (half my life!) ago. I'm not sure I even fully understand it now.

― And liberty she pirouette (Sund4r), Thursday, 7 April 2022 12:07 (two years ago) link

"Sab/Purple = Sun Ra/Steve Allen" 👈🏽 👍🏽

― mark s, Thursday, 7 April 2022 12:12 (two years ago) link

I don't know that anyone regarded Deep Purple as poor cousins to Black Sabbath at the time, if anything I suspect critics liked them better because they had more "old-time-rock-n-roll" energy.

― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 7 April 2022 12:13 (two years ago) link

If "occult themes" brought critical respect, Uriah Heep would be the most beloved band of all time.

― Halfway there but for you, Thursday, 7 April 2022 12:39 (two years ago) link

the OP's syntax is not at all clear but i don't think he's intentionally setting up DP as the "poor relations" there: they too belong in the tripod of progenitors, while the wack jnr cousins are the power-metal descendants

i am the dave q whisperer

― mark s, Thursday, 7 April 2022 12:56 (two years ago) link

Dave Q= David Quantic?

― Otto Insurance (Boring, Maryland), Thursday, 7 April 2022 13:55 (two years ago) link

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