Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan by Judas Priest, album cover
Album · Live

Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan

LabelCBS
Popularity46.1
Also cited17 September 1979

Unleashed in the East is Judas Priest's first live album, released on 21 September 1979. It was taken from two nights in Tokyo in February 1979, during the Hell Bent for Leather tour, and arrived after Killing Machine in the band's run of studio records. It was the first Priest album produced by Tom Allom, who stayed with the band for the next decade, and the last to feature drummer Les Binks.

It became their best-selling album up to that point, reaching the UK Top Ten and the US Top 100, and it later went platinum in America. Its authenticity has long been debated, and some listeners nicknamed it Unleashed in the Studio. Rob Halford later said the music was live but that his vocals had been spoiled in the original recording and were redone in a studio set up to feel like a concert. Either way, it captures the band at a sharp, driving moment just before British Steel.

Unleashed in the East: Live in Japan: tracklist, credits and charts

9 tracks · 44:50

Tracklist

  1. 1ExciterRob Halford and Glenn Tipton5:38
  2. 2Running WildGlenn Tipton2:52
  3. 3SinnerRob Halford and Glenn Tipton7:32
  4. 4The RipperGlenn Tipton2:42
  5. 5The Green Manalishi (with the Two-Pronged Crown)Peter Green3:18
  6. 6Diamonds and RustJoan Baez3:33
  7. 7Victim of ChangesAtkins, Downing, Halford, Tipton7:11
  8. 8GenocideDowning, Halford, Tipton7:21
  9. 9TyrantRob Halford and Glenn Tipton4:41
Produced by
Tom Allom, Judas Priest
Mixed at
Startling Studios
Engineered by
Neil Kernon, 鈴木良博
Photography
Fin Costello
Recorded
10, 15 February 1979
Labels
CBS, Columbia
Length
44:50

Line-up

  • Les Binks · drums (drum set)
  • Kenneth Downing · electric guitar
  • Ian Hill · electric bass guitar, bass guitar
  • Glenn Tipton · electric guitar
  • Rob Halford · lead vocals

Singles

  • “Diamonds and Rust” · December 1979 (US)

Peak chart positions

ChartPeak
UK Albums Chart · 197910
US Billboard 200 · 197970
Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 197941
Canadian Albums (RPM) · 197973

Certifications

RegionCertification
CanadaPlatinum
United StatesPlatinum

From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.

46.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
286
ListenBrainz listeners
42k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
—
Deezer fans (all editions)

Also released on 21 September

Every year →

More from Judas Priest

Full discography →

The best of 1979

All of 1979 →

More on CBS

The label →

Releases and pressings

How we know the release date wikipedia 1979-09-21; musicbrainz + wikidata 1979-09-17 (4 days apart, likely another territory)
SourceDateNote
MusicBrainz17 September 1979
Wikipedia infobox21 September 1979
Wikidata17 September 1979
UK / Europe release17 September 1979earliest UK or European date
19 editions
DateCountryLabelBarcodeKind
1979ESCBSother
1979XECBSother
1979JPEpicother
1979JP—other
17 September 1979GBCBSoriginal
1986XECBS5099708385224other
1986USColumbia07464361792other
21 March 1991JPEpic Records4988010525323other
1993MXSony Music7509908385224other
21 August 1997JPEpic Records4988010766627other
2001USColumbia888430170827other
2001CAColumbia074649156428other
22 October 2001GBColumbia5099750213025remaster
6 November 2001USColumbia696998618220other
5 December 2001JPEpic Records International4547366001365other
2 June 2004JPEpic Records International4562109406528other
1 June 2005JPSony Records International4571191051721other
15 February 2012JPSony Records International4547366063431remaster
——Columbia5099750213025other
Cover art sources

fanarttv · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)

SourceSizeVerdict
fanarttv ✓1000×1000upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
coverartarchive600×600upscaled