In a recent chat with Rockin’ Metal Revival, Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens said he doesn’t earn anything from Judas Priest.
When the interviewer asked if fans still talk about why the two albums he made with Judas Priest don’t get enough respect, the singer replied:
“Yeah, it’s nonstop. K.K. [Downing, former Judas Priest and current KK’s Priest guitarist] and I talk about it. It’s weird that [those albums] were erased. I get it, you move on, but it was Judas Priest and for Judas Priest to erase Judas Priest… Listen, they’re the ones… I’m not gonna make any money from it; they’re gonna make money from it. Could you imagine how many LPs they could sell if they released that? They’ve just erased it.”
Owens Triest To Show Respect To Those Songs
But Owens keeps performing those songs in his solo shows and with KK’s Priest:
“The good part is I have it, so when people come and watch me play solo, I play ‘Hell Is Home’, ‘Burn In Hell’ — I mean, I play all kinds of stuff from that in my solo shows. And then KK’s Priest will be playing it as well. It is a shame, but the best part now is I’m on stage [putting on] top-notch shows and putting out top-notch records, be it my Ripper solo EP or the KKs Priest ones that are selling and getting reviewed great. So, we will show it some respect in our own way.”
Owens And K.K. Downing’s Thoughts On Judas Priest’s Approach To Those Albums
According to Tim, Judas Priest tried to ignore his contribution to the band’s history. Last year, he talked about why Priest didn’t mention him during their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction:
“I was just shocked that I didn’t even get a mention or a call from the band. Almost 10 years and a Grammy nomination and all that. I would’ve liked to have heard a ‘Thank you’ or maybe on stage a ‘thank you,’ but it’s not shocking. And that’s what happens. They erased my part of the Judas Priest history, so it’s not shocking.”
Later, K.K. Downing also joined a chat with THAT Rocks! earlier this year and said Judas Priest wasn’t fair to Tim:
“It just seems like they’ve — the desire is to want to erase those songs, which is extremely unfair, really, because it’s a part of my musical history, Tim’s musical history, and [it’s] very, very sad. Not to make those albums available to the fans is just crazy, really.”
The guitarist also disclosed he didn’t have any control over those records. Still, he and Owens want the albums back. Tim recorded the 1997 album ‘Jugulator’ and the 2001 album ‘Demolition’ with Judas Priest.
You can listen to Owens’ full conversation below.
