Stained Class

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 a cover version of "Better by You Better than Me" by Spooky Tooth, which became the subject of an infamous civil suit in 1990 which alleged the song subliminally influenced two teenaged boys to make a suicide pact. Other notable tracks include "Exciter", considered an early precursor to speed metal and thrash metal, 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.