Stained Class is one of the greatest albums ever made by Priest and the one that made them famous for Better by You, Better then Me. The Classic Congressional Death song.

If you never heard this album and are reading these reviews to see whats up ........ don't hesitate buy this it grows and grows and grows on you in time ......... iam addicted

This is my favorite 70's Priest album! Theres not a lot of well known song's here, but the whole album is full of great tunes! It also features my favorite priest song EVER! You definitly want to get the remastered editions. I HAD to upgrade all of mine- the sound is a million times better! I could live without the bonus tracks though. Heres a track by track review:

1- Exciter. Maybe the most popular track on the CD. Great song, but I like at least half of the songs here better. The drum intro is amazing!

2- White Heat, Red Hot. I've heard some knocks here on this song, but I think it may be my 2nd favorite song on the CD. I LOVE the chorus!

3- Better by you, Better than me. A remake. Never heard the original, but this is a great song. Sometimes when I listen to it, I have an urge to "do it!". Do what? I dont know!!! (Sorry! Bad joke!)

4- Stained Class. I don't know how Rob Halford keeps up the high notes like this through out the song! Another great song with a great chorus!

5- Invader. Ehh, ok song. Probably my least favorite. Catchy, but kinda poppy chorus

6- Saints in Hell. Great song that gets better as it goes along. I love the way Rob keeps changing the way he sings the line "Saints in Hell". Very heavy & moody song!

7- Savage. Not bad, but pales in comparison to most of the other songs.

8- Beyond the Realms of Death. This is the crown jewel in the Priest catalouge! Perfect from beginning to end! Perfect vocals, lyrics, music, solos- you name it! Just an amazing song. Powerful & emotional ! This CD is worth buying for this track alone!

9- Heros End. Great ending to a great CD!

You'll only find two songs from this CD on Essential Priest, but don't let that fool you. This is a killer album from start to finish. Very heavy, yet melodic. Even the 2 songs I didn't give rave reviews for seem to be favorites of other reviewers here, so don't take my word for it- just buy this album! You won't be dissapointed!

English Metal Gods Judas Priest's fourth album Stained Class was released in February of 1978.
Following the Sin After Sin tour in 1977 (which saw the band open in the US for everyone from REO Speedwagon to Foghat to Led Zeppelin), lead singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and KK Downing and bass player Ian Hill had recruited drummer Les Binks and went into the studio with producer Dennis Mackay to record the fourth album. When I first heard this album on CD in 1995, I knew I was in for a treat.
We open with the speed metal classic "Exciter" which is still a great song 30 years later. Next is the mid-paced rocker "White Heat, Red Hot" which just rocks. Next is "Better By You Better Than Me" which is a cover of an old Spooky Tooth track. The track was the only track on the album not produced by Dennis Mackay but with James Guthrie (who would gain fame with his work with Pink Floyd as of 1979's The Wall and Queensryche). Like what Zeppelin did with Jake Holmes' "Dazed and Confused" almost ten years earlier, Priest made this track their own. Next is the title cut which is another great Priest track and Halford's singing just rocks here. The first half closed with the rocker "Invader" which is about a UFO sighting and alien invasion.
We begin the second half of the album with a great piece called "Saints in Hell". Next is "Savage" which starts out with some unearthly screams from Halford not heard before nor since on a Priest studio album afterward as Halford hit that high A note. After the unearthly beginning, it is a great shuffling hard rocker that just burns. Next is the album's most famous track "Beyond the Realms of Death" (another track Priest hold in high regard 30 years on). This track is Priest's "Stairway to Heaven" and its riff was written by drummer Binks. Halford's lyrics are superb. Also, his singing on the verses and screaming on choruses is a classic example of what the British called "light and shade". We close the album with the Tipton penned "Heroes End". This great rocker tells of the tale of those that prematurely died (Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and James Dean).
Although the album puttered out at #173 in the US at a time of Saturday Night Fever, Grease and Andy Gibb laced drivel, this album has aged superbly (unlike those aforementioned pieces of trash) and would eventually go Gold because of the timeless nature of the material.
In 2001, Stained Class was re-released as a digitally remastered CD with two bonus tracks. First is the song "Fire Burns Below" which is a great track. Next is a live version of "Better By You, Better Than Me" which was from 1990's Painkiller tour (obviously resurrected after it was cited for the Nevada trial where the band was accused of putting subliminals into the song).
The album is HUGELY RECOMMENDED!

I discovered Priest shortly after "Steel" around 1981. I quickly bought their 70's albums and feel this blows Van Halen 1 away. Many who grew up in the 70's and 80's feel VH 1 killed the fuddy duddy 70's rock like Zeppelin and Nugent. Although a few years after the fact, I discovered this album and it blows VH 1 away (also early 78' release) for truly beginning "THE METAL MOVEMENT" which eventually featured the likes of Metallica till now who I'm sure were influenced by Stained Class. "Exciter" doesn't sound 1978 at all. Hard to believe that was out almost simultaneously as Saturday Night Fever. Think about it. An album ahead of its time. I was in grade school in 78' and at that time, my mom was shoving Manilow down my throat.LOL. Steel was the first "metal" album I bought and like I said, I discoved their 70's gems shortly after. This being the best. May not of commercially sold that well, however, any metal purist has to rate this as one of the top 5 metal influential releases of all time. My top 5 in no particular order are Deep Purple "Machine Head", AC/DC "Let there be Rock", Priest "Stained Class", Metallica "Kill em' all" and G & R "Appetite".