View source for Rocka Rolla

{{Short description|1974 studio album by Judas Priest}}
{{for|the music magazine|Rock-A-Rolla}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{sources|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Rocka Rolla
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Judas Priest]]
| cover      = Rocka Rolla (Judas Priest album).jpg
| alt        =
| released   = {{start date|1974|09|06|df=y}}
| recorded   = June–July 1974<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Popoff | first1 = Martin | author-link1 = Martin Popoff | title = Decade of Domination | edition = 2nd | publisher = Wymer Publishing | year = 2018 | pages = 30 | isbn = 978-1-912782-63-5}}</ref>
| studio     = [[Island Studios|Island]], [[Trident Studios|Trident]] and [[Basing Street Studios|Olympic]], London
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Hard rock]]}}
| length     = 38:49
| label      = [[Gull (record label)|Gull]]
| producer   = [[Rodger Bain]]
| prev_title =
| prev_year  =
| next_title = [[Sad Wings of Destiny]]
| next_year  = 1976
| misc       = {{Extra album cover
 | header  = Reissue cover
 | type    = studio
 | cover   = Rockarollareissue.JPG
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption =
}}
{{Singles
 | name        = Rocka Rolla
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = Rocka Rolla
 | single1date = 23 August 1974<ref>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Rocka Rolla / Never Satisfied |others=Judas Priest |date=23 August 1974 |type=liner notes |publisher=[[Gull Records]] |id=GULS 6 |language=en}}</ref>
}}
}}

'''''Rocka Rolla''''' is the debut studio album by English [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Judas Priest]], released on 6 September 1974 by [[Gull (record label)|Gull Records]]. It was produced by [[Rodger Bain]], who had made a name for himself as the producer of [[Black Sabbath]]'s first three albums and [[Budgie (band)|Budgie]]'s first two albums. It is the only album to feature drummer [[John Hinch (musician)|John Hinch]].

==Background==
According to the band, the entire album was played live in the studio.<ref>[http://www.facebook.com/OfficialJudasPriest/posts/10150426935093965 Post on the official Judas Priest Facebook page]. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.</ref>

According to the band there were technical problems in the studio, resulting in poor sound quality and a hiss through the album. Guitarist [[Glenn Tipton]] had just joined when recording of ''Rocka Rolla'' began; his only songwriting contributions accepted by producer [[Rodger Bain]] were on the title track and "Run of the Mill". He did come up with the songs "Tyrant", "Epitaph", and "Ripper", but Bain considered them not commercial enough and rejected them. Bain also rejected the concert staple "Whiskey Woman" which later, with contributions from Tipton, morphed into "Victim of Changes". These songs were eventually all included on their next album, ''[[Sad Wings of Destiny]]''. In addition, "Winter", "Deep Freeze" and "Winter Retreat" form a suite, but are listed as separate tracks and divided as such on some versions of the CD release.

Several of the songs on the album feature contributions from the band's previous frontman [[Al Atkins]] and had been regular parts of their live performances in [[Manchester]], where the band had achieved a cult following during the previous few years. The track "Caviar and Meths" was originally a 14-minute effort penned by Atkins, Downing, and Hill but due to time constraints, only the intro was recorded for the album. A longer 7-minute version of the song appears on Atkins's 1998 album ''[[Victim of Changes (album)|Victim of Changes]]''. That album also contains covers of "Winter" and "Never Satisfied".

At this time, the band had not yet developed their signature look of leather and studs. They had appeared on British television show ''[[The Old Grey Whistle Test]]'' in 1975, performing "Rocka Rolla" and "Dreamer Deceiver", and their wardrobe was very "hippified" as journalist [[Malcolm Dome]] put it. This footage was included on the ''[[Electric Eye (video)|Electric Eye]]'' DVD. In addition, the album is more [[blues rock|blues]]/[[hard rock]]-oriented than their later releases,<ref name=MetalRecusants>{{cite web|url=http://metalrecusants.com/2014/09/06/blast-from-the-past-judas-priest-rocka-rolla/|title=Metal Recusants|access-date=4 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502220203/http://metalrecusants.com/2014/09/06/blast-from-the-past-judas-priest-rocka-rolla/|archive-date=2 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and also has some slight [[progressive rock]] influences that would continue through to ''[[Stained Class]]'', but to a lesser extent, and would be abandoned in later releases. This makes the album's style virtually unrecognizable when compared with later Priest albums, although "Rocka Rolla" does feature dual guitars, and "Run of the Mill" is the first song that was explicitly designed for Halford's, rather than Atkins', vocal range.

Drummer [[John Hinch (musician)|John Hinch]] was dismissed in 1975 before the next record was recorded. Tipton would later refer to him as being "musically inadequate" for the band's future plans.

[[File:Rob Halford, explication de Never Satisfied, Montréal, 24-11-2011.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Rob Halford made a brief explanation before performing "Never Satisfied" during the Epitaph Tour, as there were "a few blank stares" from the audience while performing the song.<ref>Hartmann, Graham "Gruhamed". [http://loudwire.com/judas-priest-rob-halford-ian-hill-interview-chosen-few-upcoming-album/ ''JUDAS PRIEST'S ROB HALFORD AND IAN HILL TALK 'CHOSEN FEW,' UPCOMING ALBUM + MORE''] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224223317/http://loudwire.com/judas-priest-rob-halford-ian-hill-interview-chosen-few-upcoming-album/ |date=24 December 2011}}. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.</ref>]]

The album was reissued several times over the years, and in 1984 it was issued with a different sleeve design. The original "bottle cap" album cover art, featuring the title in [[Spencerian_script#Continued_use|Spencerian script]], was initially intended by designer [[John Pasche]] for use with an unspecified [[Rolling Stones]] album. The band had filed a lawsuit with the [[Coca-Cola]] company.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kkdowning.net/SpecialReports/logohistory.html |title=Judas Priest logo history |publisher=Kkdowning.net |access-date=18 May 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715211116/http://kkdowning.net/SpecialReports/logohistory.html |archive-date=15 July 2013 }}</ref>{{FV|date=September 2021}} The re-issue cover art (by artist [[Melvyn Grant]], and originally used as the cover for the novel ''[[The Steel Tsar]]'') was also used for the US cover of ''[[Ballistix]]'' for the [[TurboGrafx-16]] and [[Amiga]].

Most of the songs from ''Rocka Rolla'' have not been performed by Judas Priest live since the mid-late 1970s, although [[Halford (band)|Halford's solo band]] performed "Never Satisfied" during live shows in 2003, and the same song was part of the setlist of the [[Epitaph World Tour]]. "Rocka Rolla" was performed for the first time since 1976 at [[Bloodstock Open Air]] in 2021.

The tour for ''Rocka Rolla'' was Judas Priest's first international tour<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thexquorum.com/mad/BEGINNINGS.html#APRIL%201974 |title=Judas Priest Info Pages - Forging The Metal |publisher=Thexquorum.com |access-date=18 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318025251/http://www.thexquorum.com/mad/BEGINNINGS.html#APRIL%201974 |archive-date=18 March 2013 |url-status=live  }}</ref> with dates in Germany, Holland, Norway and Denmark including one show at Hotel Klubben<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nordicchoicehotels.no/Quality/Quality-Hotel-Klubben/|title=Hotell Sentralt i Tønsberg - Quality Hotel Klubben|publisher=Nordicchoicehotels.no|access-date=18 May 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715190855/https://www.nordicchoicehotels.no/quality/quality-hotel-klubben/|archive-date=15 July 2014}}</ref> in [[Tønsberg]], one hour from Oslo, Norway which scored them a somewhat negative review in the local press.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kkdowning.net/pictography/scrapbooks/scrap2/lydsjokk.jpg |title=Newspaper cutting : Lydsjokk pa Klubben |publisher=Kkdowning.net |access-date=19 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112183757/http://www.kkdowning.net/pictography/scrapbooks/scrap2/lydsjokk.jpg |archive-date=12 November 2013 |url-status=live  }}</ref>

==Reception==
{{album reviews
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r42002|first=Steve|last=Huey|access-date=1 July 2011}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2011 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=9780857125958 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&q=judas+priest&pg=RA3-PA2005-IA45 |access-date=21 May 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
}}

The album was released to very little reception selling "only a few thousand copies". Because it flopped, the band found themselves in dire financial straits. In particular, they talked of nights in which they were starving and didn't know when they were going to get their next meal. They tried to enter into an agreement with Gull Records to pay them £50 a week, but Gull, which was also suffering economic woes, refused.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/artists/judas-priest/playlist/1700662/ |title=Judas Priest Behind The Music Remastered: Judas Priest |publisher=MTV |access-date=18 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427151822/http://www.mtv.com/artists/judas-priest/playlist/1700662/ |archive-date=27 April 2014 |url-status=dead  }}</ref> In a retrospective review, [[AllMusic]] gave ''Rocka Rolla'' a rating of 2.5 out of five stars, and said that while it was a "sketchy and underfocused debut", the album "definitely hints at Judas Priest's potential and originality".<ref name="allmusic"/>

== Track listing ==
{{Track listing
|headline  = Side one
| title1   = One for the Road
| writer1  = [[Rob Halford]], [[K. K. Downing]]
| length1  = 4:34
| title2   = Rocka Rolla
| writer2  = Halford, Downing, [[Glenn Tipton]]
| length2  = 3:05
| title3   = Winter
| writer3  = [[Al Atkins]], Downing, [[Ian Hill]]
| length3  = 3:02
| title4   = Deep Freeze
| writer4  = Downing
| length4  = 1:58
| title5   = Winter Retreat
| writer5  = Halford, Downing
| length5  = 1:30
| title6   = Cheater
| writer6  = Halford, Downing
| length6  = 2:59
}}
{{Track listing
|headline  = Side two
| title7   = Never Satisfied
| writer7  = Atkins, Downing
| length7  = 4:50
| title8   = [[Run of the Mill (Judas Priest song)|Run of the Mill]]
| writer8  = Halford, Downing, Tipton
| length8  = 8:34
| title9   = Dying to Meet You/Hero, Hero
| writer9  = Halford, Downing
| length9  = 6:23
| title10  = Caviar and Meths
| note10   = Instrumental
| writer10 = Atkins, Downing, Hill
| length10 = 2:02
}}

{{tracklist
| headline = 1987 remaster bonus track
| title11  = [[Diamonds & Rust (song)#Popular covers|Diamonds and Rust]]
| note11   = [[Joan Baez]] cover, 1975 recording
| writer11 = Joan Baez
| length11 = 3:12
}}

=== Track notes ===
The very rare first printing of the UK LP has the words "''Thanks for the words Al!"'' printed last in the credits in the blue circle on the back cover. This, presumably a reference to original singer [[Al Atkins]], has been removed on other versions of the Gull vinyl.{{better source|date=May 2024}}

On some versions of the CD release, "Rocka Rolla" is timed at 4:00 and "Winter" at 0:45, becoming a medley but remaining on separate tracks.{{what|date=May 2024}} Some releases, e.g. ''[[Hero, Hero]]'' also combine "Winter", "Deep Freeze" and "Winter Retreat" into one track. The [[iTunes]] version combines those three plus "Cheater" into one track.

The version of "Diamonds & Rust" that appears on the re-release is actually from the ''[[Sad Wings of Destiny]]'' sessions and not the version that appears on ''[[Sin After Sin]]''. 

''Rocka Rolla'' features Judas Priest's longest track, "Run of the Mill" (8:34), prior to "Cathedral Spires" (9:17) from ''[[Jugulator]]'' in 1997. It is also the longest track co-written by Halford, Downing and Tipton prior to "Lochness" (13:28) from ''[[Angel of Retribution]]'' in 2005.

''Rocka Rolla'' was covered by Swedish [[black metal]] band [[Vondur]] in the EP ''The Galactic Rock n' Roll Empire''{{cn|date=May 2024}}

==Personnel==
;Judas Priest
*[[Rob Halford]] – lead vocals, harmonica (credited as "Bob Halford" on some releases)
*[[Glenn Tipton]] – guitars, synthesisers, backing vocals
*[[K. K. Downing]] – guitars
*[[Ian Hill]] – bass guitar
*[[John Hinch (musician)|John Hinch]] – drums
*[[Alan Moore (drummer)|Alan Moore]] – drums (track 11 only)

;Production
*Produced by [[Rodger Bain]]
*Engineered by [[Vic Coppersmith-Heaven|Vic Smith]]
*Cover concept by [[John Pasche]]; photo by Bryce Atwell
*Band photographs by Alan Johnson

==Release==
The album, along with ''[[Sad Wings of Destiny]]'', owned by Gull at that time, was reissued as part of the band's limited edition [[Judas Priest discography|''50 Heavy Metal Years of Music'']] box-set, released on October 2021, through [[Sony Music Entertainment]] and [[Legacy Recordings]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Judas Priest 50 Heavy Metal Years Of Music Limited Edition Box Set |url=https://www.legacyrecordings.com/2021/07/15/judas-priest-50-heavy-metal-years-of-music-limited-edition-box-set/ |website=[[Legacy Recordings]] |publisher=[[Sony Music Entertainment]] |access-date=2 December 2024 |date=15 July 2021}}</ref>

In 2023, the band regained control of the recordings of ''Rocka Rolla'' and also their second album via the company Reach Music and are planning a 50th anniversary release of the album for 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Benitez-Eves |first=Tina |date=27 April 2023 |title=Judas Priest Sells First Two Albums to Music Publisher |url=https://americansongwriter.com/judas-priest-sells-first-two-albums-to-music-publisher/ |access-date=16 March 2024 |website=American Songwriter |language=en-US}}</ref>

Hill confirmed in a 2024 interview with Detroit radio station [[WRIF]] that the album had been "re-engineered" by Priest collaborator [[Tom Allom]] in preparation for a release that was "a few weeks away."<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 August 2024 |title=IAN HILL Says Remixed Version Of JUDAS PRIEST's 'Rocka Rolla' Is On The Way: 'It's Finally Got The Production It's Always Needed'|url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/ian-hill-says-remixed-version-of-judas-priests-rocka-rolla-is-on-the-way-its-finally-got-the-production-its-always-needed |access-date=2 September 2024 |website=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

The album, titled "Rocka Rolla - 50th Anniversary: Remixed And Remastered 1974 - 2024", was digitally re-released on 13 September 2024 and was expected to be physically reissued on 22 November 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 September 2024 |title=JUDAS PRIEST's IAN HILL On Remixed And Remastered Version Of 'Rocka Rolla': 'It's Been A Long Time Coming'|url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/judas-priests-ian-hill-on-remixed-and-remastered-version-of-rocka-rolla-its-been-a-long-time-coming|access-date=15 September 2025 |website=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Judas Priest}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1974 debut albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Rodger Bain]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Trident Studios]]
[[Category:Judas Priest albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Vic Coppersmith-Heaven]]