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Judas Priest Turbo Review by Gary Hill When this album first came out, it almost seemed like a slap in the face. The reliance on guitar synthesizers and the more mainstream rock sound really didn’t work well for Judas Priest. In retrospective, though, it’s actually a decent album. It’s only when you compare it to other Priest discs that it winds up weak. It’s still well worth having, though. It should be noted that I reviewed a few of these songs previously on the box set review. So, in those cases the reviews here are modified from those reviews for the sake of consistency. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Turbo Lover This cut is actually one of the strongest from the disc. With that mind, the comparison to the rest of the material in the Priest catalog is a dramatic contrast.

Locked In The guitar riff that opens this has a real Judas Priest does Chuck Berry sound to it. The synthesizer on this is odd and doesn’t fit the Priest, though. The chorus musical hook is a little trite. The vocals on this cut, though, elevate it. It’s actually another of the strongest pieces here. The instrumental section (and particularly the dual guitar work out) on this is another thing that really elevates the cut.

Private Property With its keyboard intro and generic lyrics, this one definitely doesn't cut it.

Parental Guidance An anthem for the teenybopper crowd, this one is just plain silly lyrically. It seems to have been going for a rather generic '80s metal sound musically.

Rock You All Around the World The guitar riff that opens this one (and the soloing over the top on the introduction) are more trademark Judas Priest than just about anything else here. The song itself, though, has a Chuck Berry vibe to it and is rather trite and rather weak.

Out in the Cold This ballad is actually one that works quite well. That said, the keyboards are still a bit troubling.

Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days First off, this is more of a Priest metallic rocker. It’s just a little generic and the guitar synths really don’t work well on it, either. This is Priest. It just lacks some of the Priest magic.

Hot for Love Keyboards start this off in a very non-Priest like way. The guitar riff that joins, though, is quite Priest-like. They turn it out to a pretty lackluster cut, though. It’s not bad. It’s just too generic. The pre-chorus is tasty, though.

Reckless Arguably, this is the most Judas Priest like tune here. It’s not one of the most memorable things the band have ever done, but the guitar is strong and the singing works well. It’s got some great moments.

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