Turbo is the tenth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released in the UK on 7 April 1986 by Columbia Records. The album is notable for the band's change to a commercial glam metal sound, that had them using synthesisers for the first time.

Overview

Following the success of their previous album, Defenders of the Faith, Judas Priest initially recorded a double album which was intended to be released under the title Twin Turbos, half of which would be more commercial and the other half would be aggressive heavy metal. This idea was scrapped. Instead, the material was split up, with the more commercial songs appearing as the album Turbo. The lyrical content on Turbo was markedly different from previous Judas Priest albums, with more emphasis on grounded subjects such as love and romance rather than the band's usual sci-fi and fantasy themes. On the whole, it was a response to the changed music scene of the mid-1980s which was becoming focused more on light, synth-driven pop rather than the driving hard rock of the 1970s to early 1980s.

After concluding the Metal Conqueror World Tour at the end of 1984, the band took their first-ever extended hiatus and did not perform at all during 1985 except for an appearance at the Live Aid Concert where only three songs were played. Work began on Turbo that summer and finished late in the year. During this time, singer Rob Halford struggled with increasing substance abuse and violent feuds with his romantic partner. After his partner died by suicide, Halford resolved to get clean and entered rehab, where he spent a month from December 1985 to January 1986.

Upon its release in April 1986, Turbo was a commercial success. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on 10 June 1986 and Platinum on 24 July 1989. The album reached No. 33 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 17 on the Billboard 200, marking the apex of Priest's commercial success and being the band's highest chart position until 2005's Angel of Retribution. The music videos supporting "Turbo Lover" and "Locked In" enjoyed heavy rotation on MTV, furthering the success of the album commercially.

The cover was once again done by graphic artist Doug Johnson, who designed the Screaming for Vengeance and Defenders of the Faith covers.

"Reckless" was asked to be on the soundtrack of the movie Top Gun, but Judas Priest declined, both because they thought the film would flop and because it would have meant leaving the song off Turbo. However, their next album, Ram It Down, contained a cover of "Johnny B. Goode" that was featured in the soundtrack for the movie of the same title. "Reckless" and "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days" were also Judas Priest's first songs to be played lower than E tuning, instead being tuned a half-step down to E♭ standard tuning.

"Parental Guidance" was allegedly written as a response to Tipper Gore's attack on the band, and heavy metal in general, in the mid-1980s. Her organization, the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), had placed the band's song "Eat Me Alive" (from Defenders of the Faith) at No. 3 on their list of offensive songs, referred to as the "Filthy 15". The PMRC alleged that the song was obscene because it encouraged the performance of oral sex at gunpoint.

Reception

Turbo sold well initially, and was certified Gold by the RIAA on 10 June 1986 and Platinum on 24 July 1987. The album would be Priest's final platinum-selling album. Sales tapered off and the subsequent live album from the otherwise successful Fuel for Life tour did not sell as well, only going Gold after a string of Platinum certified albums.

Despite Turbos achievement and reception, Downing said that "it wasn't the big-selling album that we hoped for. I think quite a lot of that went on with the acceptability and success of a lot of other bands that you would look at on MTV. Even Ozzy went to the hairdressers." In his 2020 memoir Confess, Halford admitted that he now sees his lyrics on Turbo as subpar, stating that his alcohol and substance abuse at the time had started to take their toll on his writing process.

Track listing

30th Anniversary Edition – bonus live CDs

Personnel

;Judas Priest

  • Rob Halford – vocals
  • K. K. Downing – guitars, guitar synthesiser
  • Glenn Tipton – guitars, guitar synthesiser
  • Ian Hill – bass
  • Dave Holland – drums

;Additional Musician

  • Jeff Martin – backing vocals on "Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days"

;Lead Guitar Credits

  • Turbo Lover – Glenn Tipton
  • Locked In – KK Downing, Tipton, Downing, Tipton, underlying melody – Downing, arpeggios and run – Tipton
  • Private Property – Tipton
  • Parental Guidance – first half – Tipton, second half – Downing
  • Rock You All Around The World – Tipton
  • Out in the Cold – intro – Tipton, solo first half – Downing, solo second half – Tipton
  • Wild Nights, Hot and Crazy Days – Downing
  • Hot For Love – Downing, harmony section – both
  • Reckless – intro – both, solo – Tipton, licks – Downing

;Production (Original)

  • Produced by Tom Allom
  • Recorded at Compass Point Studios, Nassau, IN
  • Engineered by Bill Dooley, assisted by Paul Wertheimer and Sean Burrows
  • Mixed by Glenn Tipton, K. K. Downing, Tom Allom, and Bill Dooley at The Record Plant
  • Equipment surveillance by Tom Calcaterra
  • Mastered by Bernie Grundman
  • Cover design by Doug Johnson

;Production (2001 Remaster)

  • Remastered by Jon Astley
  • Remastering co-ordinator by Jayne Andrews

;Production (30th Anniversary Remaster)

  • Remastered by Mandy Parnell at Black Saloon Studios
  • Revised artwork by Mark Wilkinson
  • Photography by Ross Halfin, Mark Weiss, and Neil Zlozower

;Production (30th Anniversary Remaster Bonus Live CDs)

  • Recorded at Sandstone Amphitheatre, Bonner Springs, KS on 22 May 1986
  • Mixed by Tom Allom and Jack Rushton
  • Mastered by Mandy Parnell at Black Saloon Studios

Charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! Chart (1986)

! Peak<br />position

|-

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)

| 56

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)

| align="center"| 11

|-

|-

!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)

| align="center"| 22

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! Chart (2017)

! Peak<br />position

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|}

Certifications

References

  • Extensive album info