Editing Point of Entry

{{Other uses|Point of Entry (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Point of Entry
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Judas Priest]]
| cover      = Judas priest - point of entry a.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = {{start date|1981|02|27|df=y}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/5139-1648-2|title=BPI certifications}}</ref>
| recorded   =
| studio     = Ibiza Sound ([[Ibiza]], Spain)
| genre      = {{hlist|[[Heavy metal music|Heavy metal]]|[[hard rock]]}}
| length     = 37:41
| label      = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| producer   =
* [[Tom Allom]]
* Judas Priest
| prev_title = [[British Steel (album)|British Steel]]
| prev_year  = 1980
| next_title = [[Screaming for Vengeance]]
| next_year  = 1982
| misc       = {{Singles
| name = Point of Entry
| type = studio
| single1 = Don't Go
| single1date = 13 February 1981<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1981/Music-Week-1981-02-14.pdf|title=Music Week|page=40}}</ref>
| single2 = Hot Rockin'
| single2date = 10 April 1981<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Judas+Priest&titel=Hot+Rockin%27&cat=s|title=Judas Priest singles}}</ref>
| single3 = [[Heading Out to the Highway]]
| single3date = May 1981 (US)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Judas+Priest&titel=Heading+Out+To+The+Highway&cat=s|title=Judas Priest singles}}</ref>
}}{{Extra album cover
 | header  = Alternative cover
 | type    = album
 | cover   = JudaspriestpointofentryUSA.JPG
 | border  =
 | alt     =
 | caption = Artwork used for original release in North America, Brazil, Australia, Japan, and Hong Kong
}}
}}

'''''Point of Entry''''' is the seventh studio album by English [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Judas Priest]], released on 27 February 1981 by [[Columbia Records]]. Following the commercial success of their previous album ''[[British Steel (album)|British Steel]]'' (1980), Priest pursued a more radio-friendly direction on ''Point of Entry''. Following the conclusion of the [[British Steel Tour]], the band began work on their next project. By this time, the band possessed sufficient funds to fly all their equipment to the state-of-the-art Ibiza Studios in Spain. This gave ''Point of Entry'' a louder, stronger, more "live" sound than previous Judas Priest albums.

==Promotion==
Three singles were released from the album: "[[Heading Out to the Highway]]", "Don't Go" and "Hot Rockin{{'"}}, all of which had accompanying music videos. The song "Heading Out to the Highway" has been a staple in live shows since its release,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Heading Out to the Highway performed by Judas Priest|url=https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/judas-priest-6bd6bafa.html?songid=63d0b25b|website=setlist.fm}}</ref> "Desert Plains" was regularly played throughout the 1980s and in 2002 and "Hot Rockin{{'"}} was returned to the setlist for the 2005 [[Reunited Tour]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Hot Rockin' performed by Judas Priest|url=https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/judas-priest-6bd6bafa.html?songid=5bd63b90|website=setlist.fm}}</ref> where Priest also played "Solar Angels" on rare occasions. On the [[World Wide Blitz Tour]] of 1981 supporting ''Point of Entry'', "Solar Angels" had been the opening song of every show,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Solar Angels performed by Judas Priest|url=https://www.setlist.fm/stats/songs/judas-priest-6bd6bafa.html?songid=53d7bf5d|website=setlist.fm}}</ref> while "Troubleshooter" was also performed on parts of the supporting tour. On the contrary, five songs from the album – "Don't Go", "Turning Circles", "You Say Yes", "All the Way" and "On the Run" – have never been performed live.

==Cover art==
The European distribution of the album features "an intriguing and colourful sort of futuristic metal wing over a horizon shot" designed by Roslav Szaybo, who had done all of the band's CBS albums to date.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |title=Judas Priest: Heavy Metal Painkillers |last=Popoff |first=Martin |publisher=ECW Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-55022-784-0 |location=Toronto, Canada |page=114}}</ref> The cover featured on the Canada, USA, Australasia, Brazil, Hong Kong and Japan markets, however, was designed by Columbia Record's John Berg, and instead depicts [[Continuous stationery|continuous stationery paper]] to simulate the line in the middle of the road with white cardboard boxes on the back.<ref name=":0" /> "The sleeve was awful," guitarist Glen Tipton said of the covers, "and we've got to blame management for that because they didn't shop around enough to get one that was suitable. The American cover was different, but that turned out to be even worse!'"<ref>{{cite book |title=Judas Priest: Heavy Duty |last=Gett |first=Steve |publisher=Cherry Lane Music Company, Inc. |year=1984 |isbn=0-89524-227-3 |location=Port Chester NY |page=47}}</ref> The latter version was once again used for the 2001 remaster of the album.

The American artwork also saw the introduction of the extruded '3D' Judas Priest logo, which would be used up to ''Turbo''.

==Reissues==
The album was remastered in 2001, with two bonus tracks added, a live version of "Desert Plains" and "Thunder Road", a track from the ''[[Ram It Down]]'' sessions.

In the booklet of the Remastered CD, the band states:

{{blockquote|Recorded on the island of [[Ibiza]] with multiple distractions, glorious sunshine, and extremely low cost alcohol, this album was regarded with mixed feelings because it was different from what people expected. The album was nearly all spontaneously written and performed in Ibiza - it was an experiment in the sense that before this we had already written the majority of the songs before going into the studio.}}

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Huey|first=Steve|title=AllMusic review|website=[[AllMusic]] |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/point-of-entry-mw0000650340|access-date=26 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130605065836/http://www.allmusic.com/album/point-of-entry-mw0000650340|archive-date=5 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2011 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=9780857125958 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&pg=RA3-PA2005-IA45|language=en}}</ref>
}}

In 2005, ''Point of Entry'' was ranked number 352 in ''[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]'' magazine's book ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten|year=2005|publisher=[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rock Hard]]|language=de|isbn=3-89880-517-4|page=69}}</ref> In the 2007 book ''Metal: The Definitive Guide'', author Garry Sharpe-Young wrote that the album consists of "radio-friendly fillers." Moreover, Sharpe-Young called the original British artwork "bland" and subsequent American alternative artwork "an even worse compromise."<ref>{{cite book |last=Sharpe-Young |first=Garry |year=2007 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KNrV3iQ_qrIC&pg=PA37|title=Metal: The Definitive Guide |pages=37–38|publisher=Jawbone Press |isbn=9781906002015 }}</ref>

Opinions about the album from within the band were mixed. Bassist Ian Hill explained, "It came across… people think it's just a commercial album. And it's not, there are some good songs in there. And I think it's overlooked.".<ref>{{cite web |author=Olivier |title=JUDAS PRIEST |url=https://www.rockpages.gr/en/interviews/item/9338-judas-priest |website=Rock Pages |access-date=20 October 2019}}</ref> In a Louder article, it is noted that "Halford admits to being "dismayed" by the reaction it received." In the same Louder article, K.K. Downing takes on a more mixed perspective, "People don't understand how pressurised we were by the label, either to do covers or make hits", he says. "With that album, we gave them what they wanted."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ling |first1=Dave |title=Judas Priest: "For years we had to hide the fact that we were skint" |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/judas-priest-for-years-we-had-to-hide-the-fact-that-we-were-skint |website=Louder |date=22 August 2007 |publisher=Classic Rock |access-date=20 October 2019}}</ref> He cites the album as the worst he made with the band, "But then again there are some great songs on that one. That's so, so hard to answer."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/kk-downing-soundtrack-of-my-life|author=Ling, Dave|title=K.K Downing: The Soundtrack of my Life|website=[[Classic Rock (magazine)|Louder]]|date=18 December 2023}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
| all_writing = [[Glenn Tipton]], [[Rob Halford]] and [[K. K. Downing]], except where noted
| title1 = [[Heading Out to the Highway]]
| length1 = 3:47
| title2 = Don't Go
| length2 = 3:18
| title3 = Hot Rockin{{'-}}
| length3 = 3:17
| title4 = Turning Circles
| length4 = 3:42
| title5 = Desert Plains
| length5 = 4:36
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| writing_credit = yes
| title6 = Solar Angels
| length6 = 4:04
| title7 = You Say Yes
| length7 = 3:29
| title8 = All the Way
| length8 = 3:42
| title9 = Troubleshooter
| length9 = 3:59
| title10 = On the Run
| length10 = 3:47
| total_length = 37:41
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = 2001 bonus tracks
| title11 = Thunder Road
| note11 = Recorded during the 1988 ''[[Ram It Down]]'' sessions
| writer11 = Glenn Tipton and Rob Halford
| length11 = 5:12
| title12 = Desert Plains
| note12 = Live at [[Kiel Auditorium]], [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], Missouri; 23 May 1986
| length12 = 5:03
| total_length = 47:56
}}

==Personnel==
;Judas Priest
*[[Rob Halford]] – vocals
*[[K. K. Downing]] – guitars
*[[Glenn Tipton]] – guitars
*[[Ian Hill]] – bass
*[[Dave Holland (drummer)|Dave Holland]] – drums

;Production
*Produced by [[Tom Allom]] and Judas Priest
*Engineered by Louis Austin
*Mixed by Tom Allom
*Mastered by [[Ray Staff]]
*UK cover design by [[Rosław Szaybo]]
*US cover design by John Berg, photography by [[Art Kane]]

==Charts==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1981)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Canada|42|artist=Judas Priest|album=Point of Entry|rowheader=true|chartid=0331|access-date=October 5, 2023}}
|-
! scope="row"| Finnish Albums ([[The Official Finnish Charts]])<ref name=FINI>{{cite book|last=Pennanen|first=Timo|title=Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972|edition=1st|publisher=Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava|location=Helsinki|year=2006|isbn=978-951-1-21053-5| language= fi}}</ref>
| align="center"| 18
|-
{{album chart|Germany4|19|artist=Judas Priest|album=Point of Entry|id=12416|access-date=October 5, 2023|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|Norway|32|artist=Judas Priest|album=Point of Entry|access-date=October 5, 2023|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|Sweden|14|artist=Judas Priest|album=Point of Entry|access-date=October 5, 2023|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|UK2|14|date=|access-date=October 5, 2023|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{album chart|Billboard200|39|artist=Judas Priest|access-date=October 5, 2023|rowheader=true}}
|}
{{col-2}}

===Year-end charts===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1981)
! scope="col"| Position
|- 
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1981/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1981|magazine=Billboard|access-date=3 August 2021}}</ref>
| 94
|}
{{col-end}}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=Point of Entry|artist=Judas Priest|award=Silver|relyear=1981|certyear=1981|id=5139-1648-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=Point of Entry|artist=Judas Priest|award=Gold|relyear=1981|certyear=1989}}
{{certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Judas Priest}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1981 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Tom Allom]]
[[Category:Columbia Records albums]]
[[Category:Judas Priest albums]]