Rob Halford has included Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie in his list of the 10 albums that changed his life.
The Judas Priest frontman gave his choices to MusicRadar and also named albums by The Beatles and Alice Cooper.
His top pick was Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Halford says: “Listening to this music at the time it was being made is something I’ll never forget.
“Simply because of the sheer audacity of this extraordinary guitar player and artist. He made the room light up so vividly. To listen to the sounds that he made with the electric guitar was unbelievably special.
“Things were changing at this time. The music in general was getting louder. Marshall amps were being made, speaker cabinets were being used – everything was getting bigger, louder, more impactful. I think Jimi had something to do with that.”
He also praises Led Zeppelin II, describing it as the “roots of heavy metal.” Halford adds: “When I heard the riffs that Jimmy was doing, I got a real sense of where things were going. Even though Led Zeppelin never expressed, ‘We’ve got some heavy metal in us,’ it’s quite apparent that it was there all along.
“The riffage and the way they played live – they were a bit like Cream on steroids. John Bonham smashed those drums, and along with the powerful musicianship of Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, they made a sound that was simply incredible. And then you’ve got Robert Plant, screaming and wailing in a way we’d never heard before. Led Zeppelin were such an important band.”
He continues: “The music that touches you in your youth is magnified as you get older. Each record can be a virtual time machine – all you need is to hear a second or two and you go back to that place and time when you first heard it. It’s a brilliant feeling when music touches you so profoundly and stays with you through time.”
The 10 records that changed Rob Halford’s life
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland 2. Cream – Disraeli Gears 3. The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 4. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II 5. David Bowie – The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars 6. King Crimson – In The Court Of The Crimson King 7. The Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out 8. John Mayall – Blues From Laurel Canyon 9. Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies 10. Queen – Queen
