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Judas Priest: Electric Eye

Judas Priest: Electric Eye

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Why the Turbo tour?
Review: First off, I am huge JP fan. I was a JP fanatic and soldier back in the day so I love their stuff. But.....Out of ALL of the tours they have done, WHY did they choose the weakest out of all of the JP albums to highlight? WHY?
Anyhow, the concert part of the DVD which is from the Turbo tour is as weak as the album. There is one very split second shot, in which the camera is panning the audience and you see this guy giving the finger to Rob. It's as plain as day and Rob looks at the guy and smiles. How could the editors miss this? Interesting.
BUT........this DVD is worth it just for the BBC-TV stuff. Seeing Priest from '76 performing "Rocka-Rolla" and "Dreamer Deceiver" is well worth the price. I wish JP would release a multi-DVD set focusing on the '70's (their most creative and best period). It is also interesting to watch the leather and spike progression of Rob and the band. Watching Rob move from satin to leather and the various hair and facial stylings is fun. Rob was trying to find a look that appealed to him and the numerous changes he went through are astounding. I got more fun out of this than the concert. But getting the BBC stuff is just awsome! MORE 70's material!
The videos are a nice touch, but I would have liked to have seen a band documentary instead of this.
Anyway, I was disappointed with the concert but the BBCmusic makes up for it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Still Metal Kings!
Review: Judas Priest will always be the kings of metal. My Screaming for Vengance CD is one of my favorite of all-time. The audio on Electric Eye doesn't come close to the CD in any of the surround modes. Not sure if this is a problem with my copy or the way this disc was mastered. But the videos are great for any Priest fan.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: perfect for JP fans... but...
Review: all of the music videos sound terrible. why didnt the production crew replace it with the CD quality songs. the videos look great but sound like crap. everything is amazing, im glad they included the old TV footage. but it frustrates me to watch the videos. so annoying. minus one point for this.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: PRIEST ELECTRIC SHOCK!!!
Review: All the great videos... the concert...Halford(the metal god),KK & Glend!!!(the best heavy guitars players of all time) please all in this dvd!!! if you are a real fan you need this dvd...The best; Jhonny B Goode,Living after midnight(the video and concert vesions),Rocka Rolla, United,Take on the world,Breaking the law...evening star... A beautiful pack with escencial material.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: This DVD is a must buy for Judas Priest fans.
Review: Awesome promo videos, great concert footage and old BBC TV performances. This is a must have. One bonus not listed on the cover is the discography. This is not your ordinary discography though. There is one whole song from each album in there. The only odd part is that the songs from Rocka Rolla are live versions from Unleashed in the East instead of the original recordings. Kinda of an odd thing, but this is still a great DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Rock Hard, Ride Free!
Review: Bottom line: The "Electric Eye" DVD is an essential collector's item for any Judas Priest fan. This DVD is loaded with great material: 13 music videos, the 19 track Priest...Live! video, 6 rare BBC performances, and a complete discography that plays a full song from each album. The 8 page booklet includes some photos and a note from Rob Halford. The whole package is available for a decent price! Here's what you get:

13 Music Videos:

Living After Midnight (1980)
Breaking the Law (1980)
Don't Go (1981)
Heading out to the Highway (1981)
Hot Rockin'(1981)
You've got another thing Comin' (1982)
Freewheel Burnin' (1984)
Love Bites (1984)
Locked In (1986)
Turbo Lover (1986)
Johnny B. Goode (1988)
Painkiller (1990)
A Touch of Evil (1990)

Priest...Live! - Complete 1986 Dallas, TX Concert during Fuel For Life Tour includes these 19 tracks:

Out in the cold, Locked in, Heading out to the highway, Breaking the law, Love bites, Some heads are gonna roll, The sentinel, Private property, Desert plains, Rock you all around the world, Hellion/Electric eye, Turbo lover, Freewheel burning, Green manalishi, Parental guidance, Living after midnight, You've got another thing comin', Hell bent for leather, Metal Gods (plays over credits)

6 BBC TV Performances:

Rocka Rolla - Old Grey Whistle Test 1975
Dreamer Deceiver/Deceiver - Old Grey Whistle Test 1975
Take on the World - Top of the Pops 1979
Evening Star - Top of the Pops 1979
Living After Midnight - Top of the Pops 1980
United - Top of the Pops 1980

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Rock Hard, Ride Free!
Review: Bottom line: The "Electric Eye" DVD is an essential collector's item for any Judas Priest fan. This DVD is loaded with great material: 13 music videos, the 19 track Priest...Live! video, 6 rare BBC performances, and a complete discography that plays a full song from each album. The 8 page booklet includes some photos and a note from Rob Halford. The whole package is available for a decent price! Here's what you get:

13 Music Videos:

Living After Midnight (1980)
Breaking the Law (1980)
Don't Go (1981)
Heading out to the Highway (1981)
Hot Rockin'(1981)
You've got another thing Comin' (1982)
Freewheel Burnin' (1984)
Love Bites (1984)
Locked In (1986)
Turbo Lover (1986)
Johnny B. Goode (1988)
Painkiller (1990)
A Touch of Evil (1990)

Priest...Live! - Complete 1986 Dallas, TX Concert during Fuel For Life Tour includes these 19 tracks:

Out in the cold, Locked in, Heading out to the highway, Breaking the law, Love bites, Some heads are gonna roll, The sentinel, Private property, Desert plains, Rock you all around the world, Hellion/Electric eye, Turbo lover, Freewheel burning, Green manalishi, Parental guidance, Living after midnight, You've got another thing comin', Hell bent for leather, Metal Gods (plays over credits)

6 BBC TV Performances:

Rocka Rolla - Old Grey Whistle Test 1975
Dreamer Deceiver/Deceiver - Old Grey Whistle Test 1975
Take on the World - Top of the Pops 1979
Evening Star - Top of the Pops 1979
Living After Midnight - Top of the Pops 1980
United - Top of the Pops 1980

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Priest beast at their hard rockin¿ best!
Review: ELECTRIC EYE brings together Priest material never before released in DVD format, an obvious teaser to whet fans' appetites for the reunion album due later this year, this is still an entertaining DVD that works well as both a career retrospective and a time capsule for the band.
First up are the videos from the 1980-90 era. The obvious hits are here- BREAKING THE LAW, LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT & YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING. Personally, the promo I found the most amusing was the DON'T GO video, especially the scene where Rob in his bondage gear sings the line "I'd do, I'd do anything for you" (apparently) to KK Downing as KK walks through a door & down a hall. Then as KK walks among white rabbits Rob sings the lyrics "Inside out and upside down/ Back to front and all around/Don't you leave me by myself/ I don't like it". Even back in '81 it was apparent Rob was batting for the other team! Please don't mistake my comments as homophobic. A lot of poofs are actually very nice people. In fact one of the biggest shocks of my life was learning that my brother was straight! Drum beat. (OK, I admit I'll never be the next Robin Williams, but I'm still a darn sight funnier than Jonathan Crooks. Feel free to send your complaints to me at vidiot_y2k@hotmail.com. I always enjoy a good giggle.)
And now back to the promos:
My personal favourites of the videos are PAINKILLER and LOVE BITES; apparently this song has subliminal messages in it- I played my DEFENDERS OF THE FAITH album backwards and heard someone screaming "You're going to hell you useless imbecile!" Turns out it wasn't the album, but my neighbour yelling at me! Also highly amusing is the video for LOCKED IN from the TURBO album. A conceptual promo which features Rob being kidnapped by gorgeous wild women & placed in bondage on a torture rack. Unfortunately he's not a very convincing actor. Also, if you look carefully at the video you can see KK swatting Rob around the head after he & Glenn release him from the rack!
The TURBO LOVER video is good, very high tech for 1986. My only complaint is they show too much of the skeleton and not enough of the blond (The GIRL!! Not KK! Sheesh!). I also particularly like the video for A TOUCH OF EVIL which features the band taking pot-shots at religious loonies and self-appointed censors (One of my Top Pet Peeves, as the two or three people who regularly read my reviews will know!).
ELECTRIC EYE also includes the 1986 Dallas concert, with Priest in their "glam" phase. Back in the days when KK wore sunglasses & Rob had hair. The concert's pretty good, but personally I think "Priest Live" works better on CD (some of the camera tricks kind of ruin it a bit). Standout tracks include amazing renditions of OUT IN THE COLD & HEADING OUT TO THE HIGHWAY (from the "Turbo" & "Point Of Entry" albums respectively) which give the songs the energy that I personally felt the studio versions lacked. Also among the track list are THE SENTINEL- one of my fave Priest songs, and HELL BENT FOR LEATHER, which doesn't appear on the original sound recording of the show. If I may divert from the review briefly, does anyone know if PETA plonkers still trying to get them to change the song title to HELL BENT FOR PLEATHER? Next thing you know Ozzy will be chewing up heads of CABBAGE onstage!! (Another feeble joke. Me tries me bestest).
And finally some BBC TV performances including Priest miming (yes, MIMING. Ugh) UNITED & TAKE ON THE WORLD on that dreadful show, TOP OF THE TOPS, which I admit, I watched as a kid. I'm not a proud man. Also are Priest's earliest TV performances on THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST in 1975 of ROCKA ROLLA & the brilliant, timeless classic DREAMER DECEIVER. Brilliant though it is, you can still have a good old laugh at Rob with long hair & a scarf, KK in his Stetson, & Glenn and Ian in bell bottoms. Now I can vaguely understand why the PMRC targeted them! Those long-haired hippie hooligans! And while I'm on that subject, it's disappointing to note that the TV performance of "Eat Me Alive" with subtitles isn't on here. I'd crawl over hot coals to be able to see that. And sadly none of the videos from the "Ripper" era are present here either. I've only seen the BURN IN HELL clip, because NZ TV by law is required to program a high quota of asinine drivel by one hit wonders, wannabe "punks" & nu-metal sludge that no one will give two hoots about a decade from now. I think I've rambled enough. ELECTRIC EYE belongs in the collection of every Priest fan, whether you're a long-time devotee or just want an introduction to their music, this DVD is a must. Get off of your lazy keeshter & buy a copy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Horrendous mastering, but it still rocks
Review: First off, this DVD essentially combines the 1986 music video compilation "Fuel For Life", the 1987 concert video "priest...live!", adds the three videos made post-1986, and a very welcome handful of rare late-70's/early 80's television performances. Considering that these two VHS release would've set you back about $45 back in the day, this is a bona fide bargain.

The bad news - first off, it's standard issue 2-channel format. No Dolby 5.1 or DTS to speak of here. Woulda been nice to have this presented in the same pristine sound that graces the Led Zeppelin DVD (in which they were working with much older footage that was probably recorded in mono), but unfortunately straight reissues of old VHS releases without an audio upgrade is more common than not. In the case of the music videos, I've never found that the 5.1 format lends itself well to studio recordings anyway, so no big loss there.

The picture also seems to be a straight transfer wihtout and real cleaning-up, but hey, it's better than my grainy VHS tapes now pushing 20 years old.

But here's the REALLY bad news - we've all gotten used to that little pause that occurs on DVD's when the laser switches layers on the disc. On virtually every DVD I've watched that has this pause, the mastering people are careful to place it in a section of the program where it will be virtually unnoticed (a scene transition, a scene with no dialogue or significant noise and/or little movement, etc.). For a concert film like this, you could certainly overlook a pause placed between two songs causing a brief silence in the crowd noise. But the moron in charge of mastering this disc placed the pause RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A SONG. Right during "The Sentinal", the image freezes, the music stops, everything grinds to a HALT.

Talk about cheap, unprofessional lack of quality control. It really devalues the product, and suddenly the low sticker price is justified. I'm tempted to rate this thing 2 or 3 stars simply because of the lackluster audio/video transfer and the appalling poor quality of mastering, but I can't. It's Priest. It rocks. 5 stars for the material, 1 stars for the presentation, which in my grading system gives a weighted average of 4 stars.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An absolute bargain
Review: For those who don't already own "Priest...Live!", the Electric Eye DVD is an absolute bargain and a must have for every Judas Priest fan. Featuring the entire "Priest...Live!" performance, 13 music videos, some BBC-TV performances, and a complete discography that plays a full song from each album (a pleasent surprise to say the least), Electric Eye isn't just a bargain, it's essential to every Priest fan's library. The "Priest...Live!" segment shows the band at their best, and while some of the videos haven't aged very well ("Breaking the Law" is pure 80's all the way), this is still pure Priest all the way, and for what all you get, this is more than worth the price. You can't go wrong with this DVD, and once you get your hands on it you'll be wishing more bands released DVD's like this.


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