Judas Priest’s debut album Rocka Rolla debuts on multiple charts in the U.K. this week, finally … [+]
For half a century now, Judas Priest has ranked as one of the biggest names in hard rock and metal music. It took a few albums before the group reached the charts in its home country of the United Kingdom, but since landing an initial win, the rockers rarely miss.
The band’s debut album Rocka Rolla was not a commercial win when it was first shared 50 years ago, as it took a little while before Judas Priest became powerhouses. Thanks to a special reworking and re-release, the set has finally become a hit on a number of tallies it’s never reached before as fans rushed to support the early offering, finally giving the title its due.
Rocka Rolla debuts on three charts in the U.K. this week as it becomes a bestseller half a century after it dropped. The set even manages to find its way into the top 10 on one of those three lists, adding to Judas Priest’s ever-expanding collection of smashes.
On this week’s Official Rock and Metal Albums chart, Rocka Rolla rolls in at No. 7. The title marks the eleventh top 10 for Judas Priest on the U.K.’s list of the bestselling projects in those specific styles.
Judas Priest claimed the third-highest-ranking debut on the Official Rock and Metal Albums chart this week. The group comes in behind Rory’s Restoration (No. 1), and Violet by L.S. Dunes (No. 3). Hawkwinds’ Live at the Royal Albert Hall reappears on the ranking for only its second turn, reaching a new peak of No. 6.
Rocka Rolla also happens to land on two other tallies across the pond, though it doesn’t perform nearly as well as on the rock-only ranking. Judas Priest brings the 1974 collection to No. 54 on the Official Physical Albums chart. It lands five spaces beneath that position on the Official Albums Sales ranking, which also centers entirely around purchases, but not specifically physical ones.
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