The concept of this compilation is intriguing. They let a bunch of rockers choose their favorite Judas Priest tracks. I’ve got to wonder if some choices were intentionally left out of the set, though. I mean, it seems strange that the pre-Columbia days are represented by only two tracks (and both of those the live versions – “The Ripper” and “Victim of Changes”) and the group’s break through disc (British Steel) has four tracks on the set. I suppose you ask enough people, you’ll get some that you want to use, and some you don’t. However you slice it, though, this is a cool set. And it’s extremely interesting to see what that various musicians had to say about the choices made. I’ve already reviewed all these songs in other reviews, so for the sake of consistency the track by tracks are taken from the previous write up – but the musician choosing each song is listed here.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2011  Volume 6 at lulu.com/strangesound.

This cover of the Joan Baez song is slower than the one found on Unleashed in The East. It comes in with more a classic rock, than a metal sound, with basically clean guitars. Halford's vocals on this are somewhat restrained, but still extremely powerful. The cut bumps it up a few notches as it carries on and is pretty darn potent. I've always liked this version a lot, but preferred the live one.x

This has always seemed like one of the fastest and most aggressive jams Priest has ever done. A tension builds to start this, then Halford's scream heralds in the fury that makes up the main structure of the cut. The guitar soloing is furious. It drops to a slower segment before jumping back up to the earlier fury. This one is still a scorcher.

This screamer is a frantic rocker. It never wavers and has an awesome musical texture. This has always been a personal favorite. This has one of the latest examples of the early Priest guitar sound.

This is a solid and gritty metal number. It's quite effective and features a great guitar solo break. I've always loved the latter verses on this one. It gains a lot of energy as it carries on.

Who would expect Judas Priest to cover Fleetwood Mac? Still, this one was from the psychedelic blues Peter Green era of that band. The original is slow and rather creepy. The Priest ramp up the volume and intensity, but keep the song pretty well intact otherwise. Halford's higher than the heavens stake on the outro vocal becomes a trademark of Priest, and the guitar solo on this one purely smokes. This one really becomes all Priest and a killer classic metal song at that.

In many ways this rocker is sort of a stripped down piece. It’s got a plodding texture and feels a bit like “Metal Gods.” I’ve never quite understood the lyrics – but that’s not unusual for a lot of Priest. It’s definitely a strong piece.

This is, appropriately, a screamer. It is frantic, angry and a standout cut.

The Turbo album is arguably the weakest disc in the Priest catalog. In the view of this reviewer only the strong vocal performance makes it listenable. This cut is actually one of the strongest from that disc. With that mind, the comparison to the rest of the material here is a dramatic contrast.