Stained Class ~ Judas Priest

Stained Class is the fourth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 10 February 1978 by Columbia Records. It is the first of three Judas Priest albums recorded with drummer Les Binks, as well as the first to feature the band's now well-known logo in the artwork. Musically, Stained Class is considered the album on which the band honed many of the elements of their hard-edged signature sound, dispensing with most of the progressive and blues rock overtones and softer ballads of previous efforts. The album features such notable tracks as "Exciter", considered an early precursor to speed metal and thrash metal, a cover version of "Better by You, Better than Me" by Spooky Tooth, and “Beyond the Realms of Death”, which is considered one of the band’s greatest songs by many fans and frequently included in the band’s live setlists.
Upon release, Stained Class was a modest commercial success, reaching number 27 on the UK Albums Chart and becoming the band's first LP to enter the US Billboard 200; it was eventually certified gold in the latter country. Retrospectively, it is regarded by some as one of the most important and influential albums in the development of heavy metal and one of Judas Priest's best records, as well as one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time.

1. Exciter 00:00
2. White Heat, Red Hot 05:33
3. Better by You, Better than Me 09:53
4. Stained Class 13:18
5. Invader 18:36
6. Saints in Hell 22:48
7. Savage 28:17
8. Beyond the Realms of Death 31:45
9. Heroes End 38:36
10. Fire Burns Below (Recorded during the 1988 Ram It Down sessions) 44:37