Latest news with #Turbo
Car and Driver
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
View Photos of the 1988 Lotus Esprit Turbo
read the full review Despite a modest-by-today's-measure 215 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque, the 1988 Lotus Espirit Turbo was a seriously speedy exotic in its day.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Judas Priest rose above darkness and death to make Turbo, their most divisive album
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Thanks to albums such as British Steel and Screaming For Vengeance, Judas Priest had ascended to metal's premier division by the mid-80s. But they hit a bump in the road with 1986's Turbo, an album that saw the veteran band trying out new technology but left many fans cold . In 2017, singer Rob Halford and bassist Ian Hill looked back on the darkness and tragedy that shaped their most divisive record. Turbo is the sore thumb in the Judas Priest catalogue. Received wisdom pitches it somewhere between a cynical sell-out with one eye on the pop market and outright career suicide. Neither is true. Turbo may have been a departure on the surface, but at heart it was a classic Priest album. On a commercial level, it was far from a flop thanks to mainstream American radio and MTV picking up on the singles Turbo Lover, Locked In and the anti-censorship broadside Parental Guidance. 'It lost us some friends,' says Priest bassist Ian Hill, a mainstay of the band since their very beginning in Birmingham at the end of the 1960s. 'But it made us as least as many as we'd lost.' Priest were coming off the back of a stellar run of success when they began work on Turbo. While their late-70s and early-80s albums had enshrined them as one of Britain's pre-eminent metal bands, the platinum-plated one-two of 1982's Screaming For Vengeance and '84's Defenders Of The Faith had turned them into bona fide rock stars in America. 'We were on top of the world,' says Rob, a man whose drily lugubrious manner is amusingly at odds with his Metal God persona. 'After slogging away for years, we'd suddenly reached that place all bands strive to get to, which is success. It was an amazing time, not only for Priest but for metal in general.' After touring Defenders Of The Faith, the band gave themselves a much-needed break. When they reconvened in Marbella in southern Spain in early 1985, they were keen to throw themselves back into the fray. But the last thing they wanted to do was merely repeat past glories. 'Some people would have been absolutely over the moon if we'd done another Defenders Of The Faith,' says Ian. 'But we felt like we'd reached the end of the line with that. Some bands get a formula and they stick to it, and people love them for it. But we've always moved forwards.' As they soaked up the sun in Marbella, they began to realise that things had changed since they had been away. Launched just a few years earlier, MTV had become a music industry powerhouse with the power to make or break bands. Many of Priest's peers had latched onto this and altered their approach to fit this revolutionary new format, chief among them ZZ Top and Billy Idol, who had begun incorporating the latest technology into their sound and serving up eye-catching videos to fit in the heavy rotation slots. 'We were definitely aware of what was going on with MTV,' says Rob. 'It was a gamechanger. It totally changed the face of music, which probably had some influence on the general outcome of Turbo.' Understandably, when electronic instrument company Roland approached Priest to see if they would be interested in being the people to try out a brand new guitarsynthesizer they had developed, the band jumped at the chance. 'It basically took the straightforward sound that you normally get if you plug a guitar into a Marshall amp, but let you alter the sound completely,' says Rob. 'It could give you a non-guitar sound. That was at the heart of Turbo. And that, I think, was part of the pushback from the purists in metal: 'Why are you messing with the sound? That's not the Priest we want to hear.'' The band weren't oblivious to the ramifications of what they were planning when they flew to the Bahamas to begin work on the album at Nassau's Compass Point Studios with longtime producer 'Colonel' Tom Allom, but they were still determined to push forward. It wasn't the only radical decision they had made. The original plan was that the new album would be a double, titled Twin Turbos. 'We wanted a double album for the price of a single one,' says Ian. 'The label weren't happy about that. They couldn't manufacture the album and flog it for what we wanted them to sell it for. So about halfway through the writing process, we decided to go with it as a single album.' Some of the tracks written for Twin Turbos would appear on their next album, 1988's Ram It Down, while others would feature as bonus tracks on subsequent reissues. But clashes with their record label were the least of Rob's worries. The singer had his own battles to deal with. Ask him today what someone might have seen if they'd have walked in halfway through the sessions, and he laughs drily. 'I'd probably have been in the corner with a bottle of Jack Daniel's and a mound of coke,' he says. 'I was out of my fucking tree. That's where I was at personally. It was a point where I needed help. I don't know how the guys coped with me.' 'We all went over the top in the 80s,' says Ian. 'If you weren't going over the top, there was something wrong. But we didn't realise quite how far gone Rob was.' Rob's state of mind wasn't helped by the exotic location. 'There were tremendous distractions,' he says. 'We'd start work at six o'clock at night, then Tom Allom would have his gin and tonic and that was the end of the session. We'd all go down the pub and get loaded. We had to get the hell out of the Bahamas. Somebody said, 'Why don't we go to Miami instead?' Oh yeah, great idea. 'Cos there were no distractions there either. Ha ha ha, oh my god.' Instead, the band moved their base of operations to Los Angeles. It was there that Rob checked into rehab. 'I came out after 30 days and my life had changed in a million ways,' he says. 'The important part was my ability to understand that music is the most important thing in my life and that I don't need any other chemical influence to do what I need to do.' He may have been clean and sober, but life had one more tragic twist to throw at him. In 1986, Rob's boyfriend at the time killed himself in front of the singer. He's reluctant to talk about specifics, but his voice takes on an understandably solemn note when he recalls the impact it had on his life. 'I was with someone who was also dealing with their own self-destructive challenges,' he says. 'That was my pledge, in the memory of that person, to stay clean and sober. In fact, I just passed my 31st birthday last week. But drug addiction and alcoholism is like a curse, man. Bands ask me about the drink and the drugs, and I say, 'Fucking do it, it's a rite of passage – I hope you have a good time with it and I hope it doesn't kill you.' Because it can, and it does.' Ironically, given Rob's own personal turmoil, Turbo is resolutely uplifting, defiant and even sex-obsessed. It's there in the titles: Turbo Lover; Hot For Love; Reckless; Wild Nights, Hot And Crazy Days. Even the album's cover illustration of a woman's hand clutching a gear stick is a barely disguised visual innuendo. It also features Parental Guidance, a winking dig at the PMRC, the censorship group who had included Priest's song Eat Me Alive on their so-called 'Filthy Fifteen' – a list of songs that they claimed threatened the moral fabric of America. The PMRC successfully campaigned to put 'Parental Guidance' stickers on albums containing explicit material. 'We couldn't believe our ears when we heard about it,' says Rob. 'It's one of those things that only happens in America. I remember the day we said, 'We should write a song called Parental Guidance. Take a walk in my shoes and see what you're afraid of – it's not real. As it turns out, Turbo was a commercial success, one of the biggest ones Priest had. So the PMRC thing didn't have any knock-on effect.' That commercial success must have seemed a long way off when the album was released in April 1986. Initial reactions in the press were at best baffled and at worst outright hostile. More importantly, its synthesized sounds alienated a chunk of their fanbase who wanted Priest's traditional steel-plated twin guitar attack. 'It was a bit of a kick in the balls. It's not nice to make a record and somebody goes, 'This is shit.' But this is the balancing act – you have to write from the heart, for yourself. You need the opportunity to express yourself and bang into things when you do.' Age has been kind to Turbo. Its unconventional approach may have scared the horses at the time, but today it sounds shockingly modern. And its opening four tracks – Turbo Lover, Locked In, Private Property and Parental Guidance – are stone cold pop-metal classics, guitar-synths or not. 'It was a grand experiment,' says Ian. 'We weren't sure what the reaction would be, but we believed we were doing the right thing. And that's why it's honest.' 'The original kickback has mellowed over the years,' adds Rob. 'People appreciate it now for the songs. They've embraced it. We could bang out any of those tracks live now and they'd do the business. Judas Priest are this band that has many metal heads attached to its shoulders, and Turbo has become part of the legend.' Originally published in Metal Hammer issue 281, February 2017
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Andrew Johns Origin call backfires as Manly flops expose worrying truth around DCE
Manly stars Tom Trbojevic and Haumole Olakau'atu failed to live up to calls from Andrew Johns that they should be in the Blues' State of Origin team after underwhelming displays in Friday night's shock loss to Parramatta. The Eels jumped off the bottom of the NRL ladder after an impressive 30-10 win that once again exposed Manly's struggles without captain, Daly Cherry-Evans. The Sea Eagles skipper was missing due to Origin duties with the Maroons, with Jake Trbojevic (concussion) also out for the Sea Eagles. Parramatta were also missing their two Origin stars Mitchell Moses and Zac Lomax but showed they were much better equipped to deal with the absences as stand-in halfback Dean Hawkins played a staring role and had a hand in four of the Eels' five tries. But it was a woeful defensive display from an insipid Manly that had coach Anthony Seibold scratching his head after the match, with the Sea Eagles looking rudderless without their skipper and veteran halfback. The absence of Cherry-Evans was glaring as halves Luke Brooks and Jake Arthur failed to control the game and get Manly's attack clicking. Too many times they resorted to last-tackle plays that involved unthreatening high kicks that impressive Eels fullback Isaiah Iongi diffused with ease. Many expected superstar fullback Trbojevic to step up in the absence of Cherry-Evans, and the pre-game talk that he was finally moving more freely after being hampered with a leg cork the last couple of weeks was certainly encouraging. However, Turbo did little to prove that Blues coach Laurie Daley was wrong to overlook him for next Wednesday's Origin opener, with the Manly No.1 having limited impact on Friday night. Manly's superstar fullback played a part in the two tries that Lehi Hopoate scored on the night, but he still didn't look anywhere near his electric best and had a tendency to pass rather than taking on Parramatta's line on numerous occasions. Manly wrecking ball Olakau'atu - who was picked as part of the extended NSW Origin squad and trained with the Blues this week before being released for the Eels clash - was also kept very quiet. Olakau'atu had 14 runs for 140m but failed to register one offload or significant attacking stat the whole game as the Eels shut down his potent threat on Manly's right edge the whole game. NRL legend Johns picked both Olakau'atu and Trbojevic when naming his NSW Origin squad last week, and even made the shock claim that Turbo should be picked at centre ahead of Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton. But Friday's underwhelming defeat to the struggling Eels - which sees Manly drop out of the top-eight - convinced fans that Daley was right to leave them out of his 17-man Blues squad for Wednesday night's Origin opener at Suncorp Stadium. Both Johns brothers wanted Turbo in the Origin side. Let that sink in...#NRLEelsManly — Paul (@bluesfor) May 23, 2025 Tom T is a good man, and at his best was a NSW great, but before tonight's match he said he was physically and mentally fit for origin if required. But that performance was more two-stroke than turbo. #NRLEelsManly — Michael Reid (@Reidy_tweets) May 23, 2025 another game where turbo does nothing and our whole foward pack gets bullied love this club! 😍 — AirConZ (@Airconz1of1) May 23, 2025 Manly are such frauds. Turbo especially. The Eels had kids out there and pumped them. Humiliation #NRLEelsManly — YourClubCouldNever (@GuyInco53684439) May 23, 2025 Tacklng bags out at Brookvale next week... defence awful — The Mole (@9_Moley) May 23, 2025 "We lacked cohesion tonight," Manly coach Seibold said after the game. "For whatever reason we just didn't look like we have been when we were at our best. "We were so good last week against the Cowboys away from home, defensively and grittiness. And then tonight we were the total opposite." RELATED: Johns calls out Slater mistake in shock Origin Game 1 call on Cleary Fresh calls for NRL action after Bulldogs robbed by 'deadset farce' Staggering new twist after Billy Slater snubs Queensland player Worryingly for Manly, they still have two games to play without Cherry-Evans across the rest of the Origin period and Seibold must surely be wondering whether it's a chance to hand teen halves sensation Joey Walsh his NRL debut. In contrast, Parramatta had no such concerns without their inspirational skipper and No.7 Mitch Moses, with Hawkins stepping up superbly in his absence to get the Eels' attack firing. "It was good to give him another opportunity to come in in that situation. He does all the little things really well and it's good to see him get the reward," coach Jason Ryles said about Hawkins. "We've still got a long way to go, it's a slow burn. It's just good the last six weeks we're starting to look like on the field, not just training." Parramatta's win was even more impressive after they lost Will Penisini to concussion in the opening minutes. That setback opened the door for Joash Papalii to make his debut for the Eels after joining from the Bulldogs before the season, and it was a fairytale for the Parramatta youngster as he produced a try-assist and grabbed his own four-pointer in back-to-back sets, in front of 150 of his family and friends. with AAP
Sydney Morning Herald
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Dolphins or Roosters? DCE confirms contract talks as Turbo captains Manly
While Cherry-Evans spends the week north of the border, Trbojevic will lead the Sea Eagles into battle against Parramatta on Friday night. Jake Arthur will wear Cherry-Evans' No.7 jersey – his first NRL game since the end of 2023 – while prop Matt Lodge and hooker Lachie Croker also play their first matches in the top grade this season. Laurie Daley left Trbojevic out of the NSW side, and said on Monday he wanted Turbo to 'go back and play some good football and be confident'. 'I've got no doubt Tommy will be back in this arena at some point,' Daley said. Coach Anthony Seibold said of Trbojevic on Tuesday: 'Every player wants to play Origin, and I feel like with Turbo, this is a great opportunity for him to build some confidence in his game. 'The thing that Turbo is very much a hard marker on himself is his attack. He made a couple of errors on the weekend [against the Cowboys], but the thing I said to him was he was putting himself in the picture. 'Defensively, two out of the last three games we've played, which we've won, against the Panthers and Cowboys, Tommy's defence, individually and his organisation of the defensive line, have been at an elite level. 'That's what he has built his game on. We're just finding ways to get his flow again. 'The way he finished last year, and his form for Australia, and even before he got injured, that game in round one against the Cowboys, that was one of the best games I've ever seen him play. Loading 'He's had an MCL, he's had corks, so it's been a stop-start season for him. 'We didn't count on having him here [during Origin]. But he'll captain. He's keen and ready to go.' Jake Trbojevic will also be missing from the Eels clash due to a concussion, his second in a month, which could yet see him miss more than one week as a precaution. The return of Lodge is a big plus. The front-rower was not eligible to play before round 11 because he was on a train-and-trial deal.
The Age
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Dolphins or Roosters? DCE confirms contract talks as Turbo captains Manly
While Cherry-Evans spends the week north of the border, Trbojevic will lead the Sea Eagles into battle against Parramatta on Friday night. Jake Arthur will wear Cherry-Evans' No.7 jersey – his first NRL game since the end of 2023 – while prop Matt Lodge and hooker Lachie Croker also play their first matches in the top grade this season. Laurie Daley left Trbojevic out of the NSW side, and said on Monday he wanted Turbo to 'go back and play some good football and be confident'. 'I've got no doubt Tommy will be back in this arena at some point,' Daley said. Coach Anthony Seibold said of Trbojevic on Tuesday: 'Every player wants to play Origin, and I feel like with Turbo, this is a great opportunity for him to build some confidence in his game. 'The thing that Turbo is very much a hard marker on himself is his attack. He made a couple of errors on the weekend [against the Cowboys], but the thing I said to him was he was putting himself in the picture. 'Defensively, two out of the last three games we've played, which we've won, against the Panthers and Cowboys, Tommy's defence, individually and his organisation of the defensive line, have been at an elite level. 'That's what he has built his game on. We're just finding ways to get his flow again. 'The way he finished last year, and his form for Australia, and even before he got injured, that game in round one against the Cowboys, that was one of the best games I've ever seen him play. Loading 'He's had an MCL, he's had corks, so it's been a stop-start season for him. 'We didn't count on having him here [during Origin]. But he'll captain. He's keen and ready to go.' Jake Trbojevic will also be missing from the Eels clash due to a concussion, his second in a month, which could yet see him miss more than one week as a precaution. The return of Lodge is a big plus. The front-rower was not eligible to play before round 11 because he was on a train-and-trial deal.
