Diamonds And Rust Heavy Duty Judas Priest

Diamonds & Rust
by Joan Baez and covered by Judas Priest

Baez revealed to The Huffington Post that she wrote this song after Bob Dylan called her from a phone booth and sang her the lyrics to his song "Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts." Baez said that this gave her inspiration to write "Diamonds & Rust," and that she lied to Dylan, telling him it was about David Harris, to whom she was married from 1968-1973. Bob Dylan rarely reveals much about his songs, but his track "Queen Jane Approximately" is most likely his take on his relationship with Baez.

In addition to singing on this, Baez played the Moog and Arp Synthesizers.

The British metal band Judas Priest covered this song in 1977. They pick up the tempo and electrify the song, but their version is sincere.

They recorded it at the urging of their record company, which sent a copy of the Joan Baez original to the studio when they were recording their second album, Sad Wings Of Destiny, in 1976. At first, they dismissed it, but changed their tune when they gave it a good listen. "We sat down, listened to it closely, and realized it was a brilliant, sensitive song," lead singer Rob Halford wrote in his memoir, Confess. "'OK,' we decided. 'Let's show them what we can do with this.'"

The song didn't make the album, but they held onto it and included it on their next one, Sin After Sin. It became one of their most popular songs, included on their compilations The Best of Judas Priest and Hero Hero, and on the live album Unleashed in the East. It remains a staple of their concert performances.

In the 2000s, Priest performed a mostly acoustic version of the song more similar to the original than the "rocked up" recorded version.

On Bob Dylan's album John Wesley Harding, there's a song called "The Ballad Of Frankie Lee And Judas Priest," which may have supplied the band name. Judas Priest took their name from a disbanded group that had been using it, so it's provenance isn't clear.

Defenders of the Faith is the ninth studio album by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, released on 13 January 1984 by Columbia Records. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA

Defenders of the Faith was recorded at Ibiza Sound Studios, Ibiza, Spain, and mixed from September to November 1983 at DB Recording Studios and Bayshore Recording Studios in Coconut Grove, Miami, Florida. The LP and cassette tape were released on 4 January 1984, and the album appeared on CD in July. A remastered CD was released in May 2001. Simultaneously with the album's release, the band kicked off their tour in Europe, with the bulk of concerts taking place in North America during the spring and summer.

Judas Priest
Rob Halford – vocals
K. K. Downing – guitars
Glenn Tipton – guitars
Ian Hill – bass
Dave Holland – drums

Track 9
Heavy Duty

I know you like it hot
Love to writhe and sweat
You think that this feels good
You ain't felt nothin' yet

Red-hot licks in the palm of my hand
Feel your body quake
As we hit the promised land
I'm heavy duty

We'll rise inside ya 'til the power
Splits your head
We're gonna rock ya 'til your metal hunger's fed

Let's all join forces
Rule with iron hand
And prove to all the world
Metal rules the land
We're heavy duty
So come on let's tell the world