Heavy Duty: Days and Nights in Judas Priest

As a Priest fan for over almost years, I just finished this and I am in a state of shock. Well written, but painful and head shaking for a true fan to read. Downing’s true feelings about Judas Priest are well presented, both fondly and harshly. I think his story needed to be told, and I am curious as to what the reactions will be. Priest to me was all about unity, and although many of his recollections are enlightning, funny, and interesting, they are mostly sad and depressing (as the truth often is). Thank you Mr. Downing for sharing and shedding some light on the mysteries of Judas Priest. Major spoilers for those that read this book. No matter what, their music and legacy will be a part of music history forever.

Amazing read for any true Judas Priest fan. This is honestly the closest you will ever get to an actual Priest biography knowing that KK was basically the mastermind behind this band. He was there before any of the other members and it is amazing how this legendary band came to be. I love the parts where he's discovering music and sacrificing everything to go to festivals and shows. Trying to meet his heroes. It's so refreshing because no matter who you become in life you're always a fan first. There are great moments and then some not so great that some of us won't like to hear. At the end of the day the truth is the truth and if you do your research or actually know this band you'll see everything in here is 100%. He doesn't throw anybody under bus. Very very honest down to earth book. Thank you KK for everything. I highly highly recommend this book and we as true Priest fans should spread the word because it's a must read. For the past years since his departure we've all been asking him to speak up and the man has finally spoken. The only thing that is a major bummer is the fact that he should've stood up more for himself because darn. I miss seeing him onstage. We all do! Cheers to a class act, an irreplaceable man, legend, and Rockstar! I hope you get the credit you deserve and inspire generations to come. KK Downing THANK YOU!!!

i got into priest at a very young age in 1978 when all they had to there name was 4 albums with the latest being stained class, a relative of mine had seen judas priest in nyc in the spring of 1978 open for angel and priest where in the middle and the godz where on first, needless to say he bought stained class, did not care much for it and gave it to me and when i first heard exciter & invader that was it i was hooked as i had never heard a band sound like that as per 40 years ago. anyway i feel kk gives a very honest read here into what went on during all his years in the band and also his personal life as well, i am a bit suprised that he did not get on all that well with glenn tipton all those years, the book also answered a very 30 year old question priest never explained before and that was WHY DAVE HOLLAND WAS JUST OUT OF THE BAND after the ram it down tour, kk gave the real first account here on how/ why dave quit backstage no less at a local arena here on long island where i saw priest a few times in the 1980s. his childhood was rough and he gets into all the great things, the bad things and the sad things, i feel he pretty much covers most everything he went through from 1970 to 2011 when he quit and even though back in 2011 he said he would never say why he left well HE DOES in this book, he does not throw any former band members under the bus, it is i feel a very honest read!!!!!! also he goes into very in depth detail regarding the recording process of each priest record from rocka rolla through his last with the band in 2008 nostradamous. i feel he wrote this book and he did it with respect and was a gentleman about what his version of the truth is, my main priest years are from rocka rolla through unleashed in the east in 79 but you cant argue that british steel, screaming for vengance, defenders where fantastic records......................................... im actually a rare ram it down fan and yes painkiller was awesome. i have really enjoyed this book and if you are a priest fan as long as i have been im sure you will to, there is a lot of silly stuff being said about kk on the net on HM websites and i did notice that a lot of this garbage is coming from exerps from THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i can see what somebody means by FAKE NEWS as they take a negative sentence and make a headline out of it on the net. anyway i have many priest 45s, tour programmes from all over the world, lps and cds as well and i cherish them all. sorry but i do agree priest is just not the same without kk and now glenn even though firepower is the best album they have done in 28 years since painkiller..................................its hard to except priest without kk and glenn up there, anyway GREAT READ FOR A DIE HARD OLD FAN LIKE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ps and i still say LES BINKS was there best drummer EVER!!!!!!!!!!

This book gave an answer to my long-term enigma and dissatisfaction about Judas Priest.I discovered Judas Priest in ’82 with “Screaming for Vengeance” album, and Live Vengeance 82 was my favorite live video.But I was always wondering why K.K.’s air-time is less than Glen. To me, K.K. was obviously better looking and his stage performance was energetic and sexy. Glen, on the other hand, looked old and awkward for 16-year-old me, and I hated him holding his guitar really high and looking into camera in narcissistic way. I don’t know how many times I screamed at TV “I want to see more K.K.!!!”Not only K.K. was a better looking guy, he was as strong guitarist as Glen. I was wondering why Glen has longer solo, and why they don’t do more twin harmonious guitar and feature both of them.I respect K.K.'s honesty. I imagine it was't easy to look back painful times. I hope writing this book helped him to reconcile with his past.

Initial chapters covering his childhood inform his thoughts, motivations, and actions over the next 50 years. Through great stories, insider music-making process and inspiration details, and well-developed portraits of Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford, and himself, K.K. paints a vivid picture of his life inside the legendary heavy metal band for over four decades. While it does, at times, wander into the self-indulgent, K.K.'s book rings of honesty, warts and all. Oddly, Judas Priest co-founder is barely discussed throughout the book. The depth of his animosity toward Glenn is thoroughly plumbed, but usually with a strong element of professional respect. Well-written and hard to put down. A must-read for any Judas Priest fan. Highly recommended.

When reading this I found myself automatically comparing it to the excellent Bruce Dickinson autobiography, which set the bar quite high in some respects. Bruce's book is pretty much all about Bruce - everybody else is a one dimensional cameo who only serve to highlight what Bruce is doing (fencing, brewing, singing, flying) or simply doesn't exist (wife, children, friends) - Bruce doesn't slag anybody off and seemingly exists in a Bruce-World bubble of old fashioned British derring-do. The starkest difference with KK's book is that Ken has no such Ken bubble and, as such, he pulls few punches about who he largely blames for the eventual decline in his fortunes, and in his opinion the band's fortunes; namely co guitarist Glenn Tipton and latter day band manager; Jayne Andrews. Surprisingly the fact that he didn't get on with Tipton is stated from first mention he gets in the book, so it's not a dislike based on years of being together - Ken just couldn't get close to him personally. The Tipton clash is one of the recurrent themes in the book, along with the 'holes in the shoes', working class, kid who has 'done good', Ken's opinion that he was more of a professional guitar player than Glenn, lots of 'Chicks' (all LA beautiful of course),the abject fear of losing the singer and a lot of golf. He also pulls no punches on what he thought of Iron Maiden in the 80s and on Rob's efforts in Fight when he went solo (suffice to say, he wasn't impressed). With the former there is a distinct tinge of jealousy and exasperation at Maiden's enduring success and a bewilderment as to why Priest never shifted the units Maiden did (and still do). I think Ken's conclusion is that Maiden had a better and more focussed manager in Rod Smallwood, which is probably true, and that they would have been more successful if they had had Rod rather than Jayne. Thinking about it (and for the record I have been more a Priest fan than Maiden over the years) the other reasons that Maiden have been more successful is that the they have a clearer brand (Eddie), they are more accessible as real 'blokes' that you could have a pint with, Bruce is a more colourful, warm and engaging front man and can manage more on stage banter than 'let us take you to the [insert album title], this is, of course, [insert song title]' and Maiden don't write daft songs about Loch Ness Monsters, Redeemers of Souls, Hellions, Metallions, Spectres, Sentinels or Flamethrowers.Still, KK's book is an interesting inside run through one of the more colourful histories of a downright classic band (although, inevitably, a touch Spinal Tap in parts), with most of what is covered already pretty well known to the casual Judas Priest fan: There are the classic albums (Steel, Vengeance), the terrible albums (Ram It Down, Demolition), the suicide court case, the subliminal messages, the spat with the PMRC, the all important singer leaving, the singer returning, numerous drummers (although none exploded), a replacement singer (called, err, Tim) pulled from a Judas Priest tribute band (which then inspires a rubbish movie), the old singer comes out (although was patently never ‘in’, given that in 1974 the stage name picked for him was Rob 'The Queen' Halford), invention of the heavy metal leather image (by Ken apparently), the doctored Unleashed 'live' album (finally, this one is on record), the imprisoned drummer (who oddly Ken doesn't acknowledge as now being actually dead), the bloated double concept album based on ‘Saucy Jack’ (sorry 'Nostradamus'), the bizarre Stock, Aitken and Waterman dalliance and who could forget that Loch Ness Monster with it's eyes of onyx.......(Ken, for the love of God, admit it's rubbish!).However, it's a gentle, well written, heart felt, entertaining, honest and informative read even if some of the sketchy anecdotes feel more like Alan Partridge's than Bruce Dickinson's, due inevitably to the time lapse from the actual events occurring (along the lines of: Then I bumped into Robert Plant who recognised me as we are both rock stars. Unfortunately I had scraped his car with my rock star Rolls Royce - he said 'we'd better exchange insurance details, Ken';. 'Yes, Rob mate, we should'; I said and drove off).I suspect the release of the book will make a reunion less likely due to it's frankness and obvious finger pointing, although the feeling you get is that Ken does actually want some sort of a reunion. The book feels a bit cathartic and is a touch tinged with sadness and regret in that respect - he had to tell someone, so he chose the fans who he genuinely seems to appreciate. Unfortunately, rather than a reunion, the response from his erstwhile band members may also come in the form of books of their own. I hear Rob is already threatening a book where he tells us not about Olympic fencing, beer brewing or flying 747s but the absolutely 100% believable (and no doubt 'fascinating') story of when he met the Virgin Mary (not 'a' virgin called Mary, obviously).....can't wait for that one....Unfortunately Ken's pride and joy home and golf course, Astbury Hall, went into administration in 2017 along with the royalty rights to 129 Judas Priest songs (interestingly worth £250-£300k pa). Oddly this event doesn’t make it into the book, even though later events do. I guess KK wants the reader to be left feeling that even though he walked away from Priest he still landed on his feet. Maybe though, these unrecorded recent events, Glenn's illness and the impending 50th Anniversary of the band having started in 1969, will allow them all to settle their differences and unite for one last time - who knows. If not, KK can probably be found propping up the bar in his new Heavy Metal venue in Wolverhampton..although I suspect he won’t be drinking Trooper ale..However, as Ken now ponders on Iron Maiden's enduring commercial success he should entertain the following thought - Iron Maiden aren't the total, 100% embodiment of Heavy Metal - Judas Priest are and they always will be, period. And that's the legacy that will never be taken away from him. So cheers to you Ken!

Some autobiographies cross all boundaries because they are simply superb. I'm thinking 'The Moon's A Balloon,' by David Niven is the perfect example. A book so funny, interesting or genuinely well written its hard to put down. Bruce Dickenson's 'What Does this Button Do,' is another example. Even if you are not a fan of heavy metal or indeed even music, its still a genuinely interesting book to read.This isn't it.It is firmly a book for the fans of Judas Priest and if like me you have followed the band for what seems like a million years, you will want to read it. What is isn't is a book that takes you on a winding path with fun or interesting anecdotes along the way. It's a simple linear thread of KK Downing's life which despite being a rock star is relatively bland. Or at least it is in this book.Okay, the start delves a bit and clearly KK had a tough upbringing - which I assume fed into his drive into heavy metal music. However, once last that this is a fairly lightweight superficial book. The only real interesting nugget being that KK was clearly not particularly happy in the band mainly down to his relationship with Glen Tipton. Certainly it was not a warm one and there are a few digs along the way.After Priest we don't get to find out anything really. Nothing about KK Downings foray into Astbury Golf - which I believe has ended for instance. Nothing about his time looking after other bands.Most of all its hard to say that having read this I understand KK Downing much at all still. He does seem to be genuine and I get the impression a decent geezer.If anything comes from this is that I can see that Judas Priest was more of a business entity than a band with members who were not friends but instead partners in to be fair one of the greatest creative forces in rock music.Overall though, I'd have to say that as a Priest fan I found it interesting but its not the classic autobiography that will appeal to anyone outside of the fraternity.

I have worshipped at the Priest catalogue for many decades but I NEVER expected the revelations that are presented here, primarily of division in the ranks. Did not realise either just how much of KKs baby the band actually was. The Management did a grand job of keeping a lid on all this for so long.Full marks to KK for not letting all this out when he quit. Only now have the things been (reported to have been) said been said.Yes time moves on and sometimes its too late. Would we rather have never known about this, or do we in fact need to know of this.Unfortunately, its best to know the truth. And this is KKs side of it. And it sound totally genuine and heartfelt.Gripes? Could be longer with more detail, such as Les Binks' departure (see his interview on KK's Steel Mill).Makes me want to read Glenn Tipton's story now. Come on Glenn!!

I mustn't rely on music papers and mags any more, ditto internet gossip! Somehow I'd been led to believe that KK and Halford had always been at each other's throats, that KK was homophobic, that he'd resented Halford's return to Priest, blah blah.Now I read the real story, from the horse's mouth, I see that was entirely the OPPOSITE of the relationship! What a great bloke KK is, and seemingly always has been.It turns out there WAS friction, but between him and Tipton. I had no idea of the way Tipton wanted to control the lead guitar so much, and full marks to KK for keeping it hidden from fans so well.I have to admit that I never had a preference (or knowledge) for which lead guitarist I preferred. I never noticed separate styles, for the simple fact that I found BOTH their leads usually discordant in the extreme! I'm not joking. Even when I saw the corresponding "tab" notation written down, I was like "Huh?".... people told me certain notes were "harmonics". What a misnomer! Anything but harmony to me! Don't get me wrong, they were both amazing technically, but it takes more skill to pick out melodious notes that make you go "Aaah!" Mickie Most once said "You should be able to sing a guitar solo". How true! They COULD be melodic, certainly, e.g. in the outro of "Breaking The Law" for example, but too many times I remember thinking "that gives lead guitar breaks a bad name". Hey ho.Also, KK mentions thrash metal and Priest's part in developing the style. I agree "Exciter" may have been a trend-setter, although I have to say I've never considered "Sinner" to be anything like. I actually think thrash was the downfall of Priest. The band wonders why sales dropped off around "Painkiller", and I think they'd strayed too far from classic rock. OK, have the odd thrash number now and then, but not at the expense of traditional metal. (Same applies to Saxon!)Anyway, my own lead guitar feelings aside, Priest have given me a lot of pleasure over the years. I thank KK for his contributions to JP, and wish him nothing but well, whatever he chooses to do.

Quite simply a great read. Not a book filled with Stats or technical blurb, not solely page after page of touring anecdotes but genuine heartfelt recollections from an interesting guy who lead an amazing life and became a rock guitar god.I always thought Ken was the most aloof and least accessible member of the mighty 'Priest' and there are moments when I wondered if I'd been right all along but then as the book progresses and in the context of a guitarist in one of the biggest bands on the planet with the tag 'Co-creators of heavy metal' alongside names like Zepp, Purple, Sabbath etc he has every right to be straight but far from arrogance I get it, he's just honest and most of all proud and grateful for what he's done and fair play to the guy. There are a few tales where he tells it like it is; or rather like it was at the time and rivalries and angry words were inevitable but not no grudges are held and by the end of the book I was wanting more and came to really love 'our Ken' as a genuinely nice guy in a hard business, proud of what he's achieved and deserving of the praise he so rightly deserves but doesn't always get. There are enough anecdotal story books about life on the road, but this one tackles the emotions of the times, how he grew and how it really felt to be associated with the birth of Metal and a part of its worldwide growth . Great book, Ken - you really should do more writing.