Album
British Steel
British Steel is the sixth studio album by Judas Priest, released on 11 April 1980 by CBS. It was the first Priest record to feature Dave Holland on drums, and it carries on the leaner, more direct approach heard on Killing Machine. Songs are shorter and less intricate, and the lyrics steer away from the darker themes of the band's 1970s albums.
That tighter focus paid off. Three singles, "Living After Midnight", "Breaking the Law" and "United", all reached the UK top 40, and the first two remain among the band's most enduring radio staples. It is now regarded as a breakthrough for Priest and one of the early landmarks of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which makes it a natural place to start if you want to hear the band at their most concise.
British Steel on Riffology
riffology.co →
British Steel: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 36:03Tracklist
- 1Breaking the LawDowning, Halford, Tipton2:35
- 2Rapid FireDowning, Halford, Tipton4:07
- 3Metal GodsDowning, Halford, Tipton4:00
- 4GrinderDowning, Halford, Tipton3:57
- 5UnitedDowning, Halford, Tipton3:34
- 6Living After MidnightDowning, Halford, Tipton3:31
- 7You Don't Have to Be Old to Be WiseDowning, Halford, Tipton5:04
- 8The RageDowning, Halford, Tipton4:44
- 9SteelerDowning, Halford, Tipton4:30
- Produced by
- Tom Allom
- Recorded at
- Startling Studios, Tittenhurst Park, Ascot
- Recorded
- December 1979–February 1980
- Engineered by
- Louis Austin
- Labels
- CBS, Columbia
- Length
- 36:03
Line-up
- Kenneth Downing · guitar family, electric guitar
- Ian Hill · bass guitar, electric bass guitar
- Dave Holland · membranophone, drums (drum set)
- Glenn Tipton · guitar family, electric guitar
- Rob Halford · vocals, lead vocals
Singles
- “Living After Midnight” · 21 March 1980
- “Breaking the Law” · 30 May 1980
- “United” · 15 August 1980
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1980 | 45 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1980 | 69 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1982 | Platinum |
| Sweden · 1987 | Gold |
| United Kingdom | Silver |
| United States | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
82.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
8.5k
ListenBrainz listeners
144k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
31k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 11 April
Every year →
More from Judas Priest
Full discography →
Rocka Rolla
1974
Sad Wings of Destiny (Original 1976 Masters)
1976
The Best of Judas Priest
1977
Sin After Sin
1977
Stained Class
1978
Killing Machine
1978
Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan
1979
Judas Priest Turn Me Loose 1981
Turn Me Loose
1981
Hero, Hero
1981
Point of Entry
1981
Screaming for Vengeance
1982
Judas Priest Judas Priest 1983
Judas Priest
1983
Defenders of the Faith
1984
Turbo
1986
Priest…Live!
1987
Ram It Down
1988
Painkiller
1990
Genocide
1993
Metal Works ’73–’93
1993
Judas Priest Judas Priest 1996
Judas Priest
1996
Jugulator
1997
Judas Priest Live Meltdown 1998
Live Meltdown
1998
The Best of Judas Priest: Living After Midnight
1998
’98 Live Meltdown
1998
Judas Priest Bloodsuckers 2001
Bloodsuckers
2001
Demolition
2001
Live in London
2003
Metalogy
2004
Angel of Retribution
2005
The Essential Judas Priest
2006
Judas Priest Visions 2008
Visions
2008
Nostradamus EP
2008
Nostradamus
2008
A Touch of Evil: Live
2009
The Chosen Few
2011
Single Cuts
2011
The Complete Albums Collection
2012
Redeemer of Souls
2014
5 Souls
2014
Battle Cry
2016
Firepower
2018
Invincible Shield
2024
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More on CBS
The label →The Rolling Stones Terrifying / Blue Sky Mine / It's Party Time (Tonite) 1990
Terrifying / Blue Sky Mine / It's Party Time (Tonite)
The Rolling Stones · 1990
Facelift
Alice in Chains · 1990
No Rest for the Wicked
Ozzy Osbourne · 1988
Killing Machine
Judas Priest · 1978
Sin After Sin
Judas Priest · 1977
Ram It Down
Judas Priest · 1988
Tribute
Ozzy Osbourne · 1987
Greatest Hits
Fleetwood Mac · 1971
Rock in a Hard Place
Aerosmith · 1982
Judas Priest Turn Me Loose 1981
Turn Me Loose
Judas Priest · 1981
The Original Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac · 1971
Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan
Judas Priest · 1979
Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1980-04-11; musicbrainz + wikidata 1980-04-14 (3 days apart, likely another territory)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 14 April 1980 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 11 April 1980 | |
| Wikidata | 14 April 1980 | |
| US release | 14 April 1980 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | April 1980 | earliest UK or European date |
31 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XE | CBS | other | |
| — | JP | Epic/Sony | other | |
| — | XW | Sony Music CG | 5099750213124 | other |
| 1980 | DE | CBS | other | |
| 1980 | ES | Discos CBS | other | |
| April 1980 | GB | CBS | other | |
| 14 April 1980 | ZA | CBS | original | |
| 14 April 1980 | US | Columbia | 07464364431 | original |
| 1984 | XE | CBS | other | |
| 1986 | US | Columbia | 07464364432 | other |
| 1986 | GB | CBS | 5099708416027 | other |
| 1988 | XE | CBS | 5099703241228 | other |
| 1 July 1988 | JP | Epic/Sony | 4988010219659 | other |
| 13 November 1990 | US | Columbia | 5099703241228 | other |
| 21 March 1991 | JP | Epic | 4988010525422 | other |
| 1992 | XE | Columbia | 5018665272521 | other |
| 1997 | AU | CBS | 5099708416027 | other |
| 21 August 1997 | JP | Epic | 4988010766726 | other |
| 30 April 2001 | GB | Columbia | 5018665272521 | other |
| 7 May 2001 | XE | Columbia | 5099750213124 | remaster |
| 29 May 2001 | US | Columbia | 696998575226 | other |
| 1 June 2005 | JP | CBS | 4571191051714 | other |
| 2010 | GB | Back on Black | 803341319240 | remaster |
| 2010 | XE | Columbia | 886976674021 | deluxe |
| 20 January 2010 | XW | Sony Music CG | 5099750213124 | other |
| 10 May 2010 | GB | Columbia | 886976674021 | deluxe |
| 11 May 2010 | US | Columbia | 886976674427 | deluxe |
| 26 May 2010 | JP | Sony Records International | 4547366053586 | deluxe |
| 15 February 2012 | JP | Metal God Entertainment | 4547366063462 | remaster |
| 29 August 2020 | XW | Columbia | 194397196818 | deluxe |
| — | — | CBS | 0889853812226 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1388x1388, upscaled to 1500 (x1.08)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1388×1388 | upscaled: major: best source 1388x1388, upscaled to 1500 (x1.08) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |