Album

Stained Class

Released10 February 1978

Popularity72.1

Wikipedia ↗MusicBrainz ↗Deezer ↗Podcast cover

Stained Class is Judas Priest's fourth studio album, released on 10 February 1978. It was the first of three records the band made with drummer Les Binks, and the first to carry the band's now-familiar logo on its sleeve. Here Priest pushed aside most of the progressive and blues rock touches and the softer ballads of earlier records, settling into the hard-edged sound they became known for.

The songs back that up. "Exciter" is often heard as an early forerunner of speed metal and thrash, while "Beyond the Realms of Death" remains a fan favourite and a regular in the live set. The album also includes a cover of Spooky Tooth's "Better by You Better than Me", which later became the centre of a 1990 civil suit. It reached number 27 in the UK, became the band's first LP to enter the US Billboard 200, and went on to earn a gold certification there.

Chart	Peak
UK Albums Chart · 1978	27
US Billboard 200 · 1978	173
Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1978	49

Source	Date	Note
MusicBrainz	10 February 1978
Wikipedia infobox	10 February 1978
Wikidata	10 February 1978
UK / Europe release	10 February 1978	earliest UK or European date

Date	Country	Label	Barcode	Kind
—	XW	Columbia	5099750212820	other
1978	JP	Epic Records		other
1978	XE	CBS		other
10 February 1978	GB	CBS		original
1983	NL	CBS		other
1986	US	Columbia	074643529624	other
1986	US	Columbia	074643529624	other
1988	AU	CBS	9399746284326	other
25 May 1988	US	Columbia	074643529624	other
1 July 1988	JP	Epic	4988010219550	other
21 December 1990	JP	Epic	4988010521226	other
21 December 1990	JP	Epic	4988010766429	other
February 1991	XE	Columbia	5099703207521	other
February 1991	GB	Columbia	5099703207521	other
1992	US	Columbia	074643529624	other
February 1992	XE	Columbia	5099703207521	other
21 August 1997	JP	Epic	4988010766429	other
2001	US	Columbia	886977301827	other
2001	US	Columbia	886977301926	other
2001	CA	Columbia	074649157722	other
22 October 2001	XE	Columbia	5099750212820	remaster
6 November 2001	US	Columbia	696998543423	other
5 December 2001	JP	Epic Records International	4547366001341	other
2 June 2004	JP	Epic Records International	4562109406481	other
1 June 2005	JP	Sony Records International	4571191051745	other
15 February 2012	JP	Sony Records International	4547366063448	remaster
2014	US	Columbia	821797100373	other
23 December 2014	XW	Columbia		other

Source	Size	Verdict
coverartarchive ✓	1420×1409	upscaled: minor: best source 1420x1409, upscaled to 1500 (x1.06)
deezer	1200×1200	upscaled
fanarttv	1000×1000	upscaled

Stained Class

Stained Class: tracklist, credits and charts

Tracklist

Line-up

Singles

Peak chart positions

Certifications

Also released on 10 February

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Releases and pressings