tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70484652024-03-12T19:49:56.967-04:00WGAF - aka FATTY MASSuh...huh-huhT-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.comBlogger288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-41578558778562185092015-03-10T17:43:00.002-04:002015-03-11T09:44:04.284-04:001980 - Closing Thoughts<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://rateyourmusic.com/list/T__Bone/top_metal_albums_of_1980/">https://rateyourmusic.com/list/T__Bone/top_metal_albums_of_1980/</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before I move on to 1981 – I would like to give some final thoughts on
1980, and mention some things that I may have skipped.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clearly the UK was the metal home in 1980 with 24 of the top 40 records
hailing from the UK, including all of the top 11.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also, 1980 was the year of the debut, with 21 of the top 40 being
debuts and 2 more debut solo albums from otherwise experienced artists.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My favorite live album was Black Sabbath – Live at Last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not really a great live album, but not bad
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a few noteworthy EP
releases, but the only one that really stands out is Hellanbach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They hail from the UK and their 1980 debut EP;
Out to Get You, was a real scorcher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
it were full length, it would have easily cracked the top 20.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My rookie of the year award goes to Randy Rhoads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could have given this to any number of
rookies this year, but Rhoads performance on Blizzard of Ozz was legendary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My MVP is Biff Byford.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saxon had
two albums in the top six, and his strong lead vocals have always been the
driver for Saxon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, my biggest disappointment of the year was actually included in
the top 40.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clocking in at number 31 was
the second album from Witchfynde.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was
very disappointing that they caved to the record executives so quickly and
became so bland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So that’s it for the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thanks to my regular readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even though you seem to disagree with me sometimes, your comments are
always welcome.</span></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-69958524306969696422015-03-07T15:09:00.001-05:002015-03-07T15:09:25.294-05:00The Top 40 of 1980 (5-1)
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>5. Ozzy Osbourne – Blizzard of Ozz<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ozzy Osbourne may be one of the luckiest people who ever lived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will give him some credit for being a
charismatic singer and personality, and he has some ability to compose pieces
of songs that with the help of more talented performers and writers become
great songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is also fortunate to
have married a ruthless and evil woman who has helped further his career as his
limited talent continues to dwindle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ozzy has been musically irrelevant for 20 years, but somehow he
continues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is all not to mention
that due to the abuse of drugs and alcohol; the man should be dead 12 times
over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes – he is a lucky man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, musically, Osbourne’s greatest fortune was when he completely
stepped in shit and found Randy Rhoads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
newly formed band put together two records in one session, and the first of
those was Blizzard of Ozz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rhoads was an
extraordinary talent and the rest of the band (Daisley, Kerslake and Airey)
were seasoned pros.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I am certain
Ozzy composed most of the lyrics, the music here was all Rhoads and Daisley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>4. Motörhead – Ace of Spades<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Coming off of two terrific 1979 albums, Motörhead was on a roll in
1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enter, Ace of Spades, perhaps
their finest hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No disrespect to Phil
Campbell, but Motörhead was at their best with Fast Eddie Clarke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Motörhead does not do ballads or epics, they aren’t
pretty and they aren’t flashy. They just
play good heavy metal with attitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am not going to say it was all downhill from here, as Motörhead has
released many great albums and songs after this, but Ace of Spades is a must
have, all time classic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>3. Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If the debut from Iron Maiden was all they ever did, they still would
have been one of the more accomplished bands from the NWOBHM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>OF course Maiden went on to do much more, but
this first album stands on its own quite well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Produced by Wil Malone, this is one of the better produced albums from
all of the rookie bands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Steve Harris
would later complain that the production was bad, but for the time I think it
was quite good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for the songs, late arrivals Clive Burr on drums and Dennis Stratton
on guitar were big upgrades and were the final pieces to making these songs
fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can only imagine how
Phantom of the Opera would sound with only one guitar and Doug Sampson on
drums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a terrific beginning to
a terrific career from Iron Maiden, and their story still has not been fully
written.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>2. Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Replacing a presence like Ozzy Osbourne was no easy task.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite all of his shortcomings (and there
are many) he knows how to front a metal band, and while not a great singer, his
distinctive voice was perfect for the music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ronnie James Dio was the perfect replacement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dio was beyond competent, maybe one of the
best singers in metal history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Furthermore Dio was a true professional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was above the childish nonsense spewing from the Osbourne camp (i.e.
every show Sharon’s husband would hang a midget named Ronnie).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As for the music – as soon as you put on the record and hear the
opening riff of Neon Knights, you know that Sabbath never lost it and this was
an album to be reckoned with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They lose
it just a touch with the last track, but the other 7 are all classic metal tracks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></o:p> </div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>1. Saxon – Strong Arm of the Law<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In 1980, Saxon was on a roll, and clearly the class of the NWOBHM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the heels of the brilliant Wheels of
Steel, Saxon continued to produce the best metal of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The history of this album is a little
strange, as it was re-released in the US in 1982, with a different cover and different
running order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original UK cover and
running order is better, so I am unsure as to why Carrere did that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All eight of the tracks here are great. Sixth Form Girls, Dallas 1PM,
and the title track are timeless NWOBHM classics and the remaining tracks are
also fantastic. Although the players here are all above proficient, the
musicianship will not blow you away here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The songs are all well written and put together and the sound great. A
true gem, and the best album of 1980 as far as I am concerned.</span></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-33452905375391566242015-03-02T14:52:00.001-05:002015-03-02T14:52:12.370-05:00The Top 40 of 1980 (10 - 6)
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>10. Witchfynde – Give ‘Em Hell<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Witchfynde’s debut had it all (except for singing and production, but
nothing new there).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The songs were epic
and it had an acceptable level of heaviness for the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, there are some weak spots, but overall
it is very strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are rare
occasions where the rawness and underproduction actually works, and while I
will not call it an asset, it does not bother me as much here as it does on
other albums from 1980 (i.e. Sarcofagus).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is disappointing that they changed direction so quickly, as they
could have become a real metal band had they stayed the course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had the unique ability to combine great
riffs and more epic pieces into a cohesive record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had better riffs than Fist, they were
more epic than Diamond Head, and they were heavier than Samson.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sure the beginning of Leaving Nadir is a bit slow, but the song picks
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unto the Ages of Ages is just short
of 9 minutes, but it done so much better than many of the epics of the
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the spoken parts in the
middle are a bit naff, but the song in its entirety is quite good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other 5 tracks are all great metal
tracks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>9. Tygers of Pan Tang – Wild Cat<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Tygers were one of my favorite bands of the NWOBHM with three solid
released before they went to pot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
debut is my least favorite of the three, but it is still a classic
release.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jess Cox was certainly not the
best singer, but he was at least competent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Tygers also had a decent producer in Chris Tsangarides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really like the drumming on this record
too. I think Brian Dick was an underrated drummer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Tygers were not afraid to exceed five and six minutes with their
songs and the risk pays off in Killers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not so much in Insanity or Slave to Freedom, but both are decent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best tracks here are Wild Catz, Suzie
Smiled and the aforementioned Killers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>8. Girlschool – Demolition<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As a kid, this was one of the many bands I always dismissed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess I was a teenage sexist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was a big mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is an infectious record with lots of
riffs, licks and hooks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granted, it is
not as heavy as some other releases of the day, but it is certainly a metal
album.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kelly Johnson was a competent guitarist and the rhythm section does a
good job as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good vocals and good
production compliment a collection of great songs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are no epics here, but they don’t waste
your time with sappy ballads either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
best songs are Breakdown, Emergency, Nothing to Lose and the cover song, Race
With the Devil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>7. Judas Priest – British Steel<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This album represents a change in style for Judas Priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a little hard to describe, but any fan
of Judas Priest will acknowledge the difference in sound in British Steel and
the subsequent 3 records from the first 5 albums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the change in drummer had a lot to do
with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dave Holland was a lot more
straightforward and steady, where Les Binks was more creative and progressive
in his style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not sure why Binks
never caught on elsewhere, especially with the explosion of metal bands in
1980. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course in 1980, Priest were veterans in a sea of metal rookies, and
it showed as they outshined almost all of the rookies in the class of
1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly, this album spawned
three singles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my book, those are the
worst three songs on the record, and in fact it is those three songs that knock
British Steel out of the top 5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
other six tracks are all timeless metal classics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>6. Saxon – Wheels of Steel<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first of two brilliant Saxon albums to be released in 1980, Wheels
of Steel was a giant leap forward from Saxon’s 1979 debut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a great flow to this album and in
the days of Side 1/Side 2, I think the 2 sides here are quite distinct, even in
the age of CD’s and MP3’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both sides
have something to offer, but there is a clear difference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Side 1 is the one most people will recall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Motorcycle Man, Stand Up and be Counted, 747
and Wheels of Steel are all Saxon classics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Side 2 is a little different with Suzie Hold On and See the Light
Shining being stand out tracks, but the rest of the side is not as good with
“filler” tracks, Freeway Mad, Machine Gun and Street Fighting Gang.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saxon would continue an uphill climb that would temporarily put them at
the top of the NWOBHM pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wheels of
Steel <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is the beginning of that climb and
an all-time great record.</span></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-81215593913403272602015-02-26T18:45:00.000-05:002015-02-26T19:01:15.518-05:00The Top 40 of 1980 (15 -11)<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>15. Diamond Head – Lightning to the Nations<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I tend to think this record is overrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it is overrated because Metallica like
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, don’t get me wrong this is a
really solid album and one of the better ones the NWOBHM had to offer, but I do
not subscribe to the theory that if they had better management, they would have
been as big as Iron Maiden or Judas Priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Diamond Head did write better songs than most of their counterparts of
the era, and with the exception of the extraordinarily annoying Sucking My Love
– all of the songs on this debut are excellent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Personal favorites are Am I Evil?, Helpless and the title cut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;">14. Fist – Turn the Hell On<o:p></o:p></span></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here we have one of the better debuts of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the last 4 posts, 15 of the 25 records
reviewed were debuts, and there are still more to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact 3 of the 5 in this installment are
debuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turn the Hell On has many of the
flaws common with the NWOBHM albums of the era, (spotty vocals, bad production,
etc.) but beyond that, this is a really good record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the things I like about this is that it is really in your face
metal, with no let up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, Axeman is a
little weird, but everything else really rocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I think Hole in the Wall Gang, The Watcher, You’ll Never Get Me Up (In
One of Those), and The Vamp are the best songs, but really no clunkers here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>13. Cirith Ungol – Frost and Fire<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The debut from California’s Cirith Ungol is sort of where I draw a line
from the merely good to something more extraordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From here in, the rest of the albums on the
list are of the “classic” variety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
album is just so heavy for the time and has that true metal vibe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, weak production holds it back, but the
quality of the songs and the playing is undoubtedly professional.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My personal favorites are Frost and Fire, Edge of a Knife and A Little
Fire, but each of the 7 songs here has a lot to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a side note, to me Tim Baker’s vocals
sound like Dave Mustaine, but Dave’s career as a vocalist started 5 years after
this was released, so if anything, Mustaine sounds like Baker!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>12. Rush – Permanent Waves<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rush is not metal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They never
were and they never will be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
what.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rush is undeniably one of the most
gifted groups of musicians to ever play in the rock genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when looking at metal and hard rock, Rush
(particularly of this era) belongs in the discussion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Permanent Waves is not Rush’s finest moment, in fact, by Rush standards
it is in the bottom half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But on the
plus side, this album has two great rockers, two better than average epics and
two more songs, one good, one not so good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All in all a strong release for 1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Combine that with all the bells and whistles typical of a Rush album and
you have a fine effort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>11. AC/DC – Back in Black<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hailed by many (and they have sales to prove it) as one of the greatest
hard rock records of all time, Back in Black by AC/DC needs no
introduction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I agree this is a great record
for sure, but it is not without its flaws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You know all the big hits and even some of the “deep cuts” are great,
but this album does suffer from some “sameness”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of the songs blend into each other and sound similar, so we have a
situation where I feel like I’m listening to “Shoot to do for Money Into Your
Leg’s Drink on Me”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe that’s a nit-pick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, while the Brian Johnson era would get a
whole lot worse in the future, for 1980, Back in Black is a classic album, and
worthy of much of the praise it receives. </span></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-47534557623616877052015-02-25T12:37:00.001-05:002015-02-25T12:37:24.431-05:00The Top 40 of 1980 (20-16)
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>20. Samson – Head On<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Clearly, Samson is best known as Bruce Dickinson’s former band, and for
a good reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That reason is he is
light years ahead of the rest of the band in terms of talent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dickinson fronting Samson was like Steve
Carlton pitching for the 1972 Phillies, but I digress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Samson was a blues/rock band that got swept
up in the emerging metal scene and Head On had a more metal sound than the
previous record.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a good album although it fails and falters from time to
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul Samson did not have a real
heavy guitar sound and quite frankly was just not a great songwriter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me the highlights are the less “popular”
tracks like, Take it Like a Man, Manwatcher and Hammerhead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the single Vice Versa goes nowhere
and it a glorified blues song, nothing more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The closer Walking Out on You also meanders and just takes up time and
space.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>19. Beowulf – Slice of Life<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a bit of a surprise pick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hailing from Los Angeles, Beowulf was a promising young metal band.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their first and only album, Slice of Life
sounds like it could have been out of the NWOBHM, as it had many similar
characteristics (average vocals, good guitars, bad production).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, Beowulf could not keep it
together and disbanded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Side 1 is excellent, with Ain’t Getting Any Younger, London Woman and
Hideaway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Side 2 is a little spotty,
Getaway is great, but the rest of the album is a not quite as finished and
sounds a bit thrown together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>18. Van Halen – Women and Children First<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In their early days, Van Halen were lumped in with the heavy metal
genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their beginnings as an opening
act for Black Sabbath and Eddie Van Halen’s guitar sound were clear indicators
of a link to the genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The benefit of
history tells us Van Halen were never really a metal band, but their real
departure from the genre was not complete until 1982’s Diver Down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Women and Children First is a solid heavy rock album.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is nothing unexpected here; great
guitar, charismatic vocals and slick production.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best tracks are And the Cradle Will Rock,
Everybody Wants Some and Romeo Delight. Of course there are some silly numbers
here, but not unusual or completely unwelcome from these guys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>17. Accept – I’m A Rebel<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Accept’s second album was their best to date, but they were yet to hit
their stride. Udo’s voice on most of the tracks here is in perfect Udo form.
The guitars are great and the overall sound is pretty tight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the album suffers a bit from a lack
of continuity and cohesion, but most of the songs are good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">They lose me on the ballads (No Time to Lose and The King) and some of
the songs are better than others, but overall a real strong effort, especially
on the context of 1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>High points are
Do It, China Lady and the title cut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>16. Brats – 1980<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brats is known to be the first appearance of the terrific guitar tandem
of Hank Sherman and Michael Denner of Mercyful Fate fame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Brats is a bit punkish and the overall quality is not not quite
the Melissa/Don’t Break the Oath level, there are some really good songs here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are times here where I feel like I’m
listening to Joe Jackson’s vocals superimposed over At the Sound of the Demon
Bell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shortcomings here are vocals
and production (common theme in 1980).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, the singer (who also played bass here) “retired” from singing
sometime in the 1980's, and went on to play bass only for some really good bands (Stormwarrior, Iron
Savior and Savage Circus).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Zombie People is one of my favorite tracks of the year, and other
highlights include Oy-905, Pinned on My Eyelids and Accepted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The track Heavy Rocker has some great guitar
work in the middle, but clocking in at 6:43 it is a bit of an earful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Start to finish, this is a good record, with
only some sections difficult to get through.</span></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-88329226496171122372015-02-20T17:30:00.000-05:002015-02-20T17:30:44.171-05:00The Top 40 of 1980 (25-21)<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>25. Scorpions – Animal Magnetism<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The evolution of metal really helped bands like Scorpions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think this evolution helped them find their
sound, and while they were still not quite at their zenith, this album is
heavier than is predecessors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quite
frankly, most of this album is not so great and many of the albums mentioned in
the earlier posts had more quality songs, but can one song save an album?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Zoo is one of the best songs of the year and it clearly the best
song on this record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the
album is OK, with only a couple of more stand out tracks (Don’t Make No Promises
and Twentieth Century Man come to mind).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>24. Angel Witch – Angel Witch<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first time I heard this, it was side 1 song 1 – Angel Witch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was so bad; I never listened to it
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Years later, after seeing such high
praise for this record, I decided I better give it another try. Well, it is certainly not an elite release of
1980, but it is not bad either.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I still stand by my original premise that the song Angel Witch is
unlistenable, but despite this dreadful track, there are a number of good metal
songs here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Angel of Death and White
Witch stand out, but other than the aforementioned title track and Free Man
this is a really good metal album.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>23. Def Leppard – On Through the Night<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have a personal distaste for Def Leppard, but I must admit they were
ahead of most of the pack in 1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
had some savvy beyond their years and the procured a top producer for this
initial release and he got the most out of these guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This album does have a good sound and Joe Elliott
is a strong “metal” vocalist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This album does lack in the music though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the riffs and licks are good, but
Savage and Allen contribute nothing and Willis and Clark are only slightly
better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, well written songs
like Rock Brigade, Wasted and the overlong Overture never really take off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Def Leppard had no choice other than to take
the glam path, because musically, they just couldn’t compete with Judas Priest
and Iron Maiden.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>22. Picture – Picture<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some list this as released in 1980, some 1981 – I choose 1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is another debut, this time from The
Netherlands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, it does
suffer from bad production – I wish they would have got Tom Allom instead of
Def Leppard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think a good producer
could have got more out of these guys and these songs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rockin’ in Your Brains is another one of my favorite songs of the
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like Dirty Street Fighter,
No More and One Way Street, but with the exception of the closer, Fear (a 7
plus minute ballad that goes nowhere) all of the songs here are very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guitar sound is nice and heavy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think Jan Bechum is the best player
in the world, but he had a great sound here. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bass and drums move thinks along nicely
and van Prooijen is a competent vocalist.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>21. Killer – Ready for Hell<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here is another debut album (4th in a row), but this time, from
Belgium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Killer is a three piece that
has been called a poor man’s Motörhead, but I really do not care for that
moniker, as I think Killer has a different sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Killer is straight forward metal – heavy and
fast, especially considering the time period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They have a real crunchy guitar sound that I like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course they do falter every now and then here, but their
transgressions are minor and the album does maintain a good flow with no song
completely intolerable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The standout
tracks are Ready for Hell, I Know and Backshooter. </span></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-50825308544126968642015-02-19T11:52:00.000-05:002015-02-19T11:52:23.292-05:00The Top 40 of 1980 (30-26)<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>30. The Rods – Rock Hard<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been critical of The Rods more than once on this blog, and
rightfully so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find most of their work
to be boorish and more of a spoof than Spinal Tap themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in 1980 they released their first album (limited release),
and I am not quite sure they had completely gone down that path yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course the mini-instrumental, In Your
Panties, was a sign of things to come, but in 1980, The Rods were a
legitimate metal band, albeit sex, drugs and rock n roll are the main themes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite some really odd choices (a The Rascals cover?) there is some promise
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music Man, Power Lover and Crank
it Up are among my favorites, but most of the songs here are really good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The album was re-released in 1981 with a few
different tracks and a different running order, but I am going with the original
for the review and will skip the 1981 version.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>29. Gillan – Glory Road<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I really like the guitar work of Bernie Tormé here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus I have always liked Ian Gillan’s voice,
so Gillan’s solo work is a no brainer for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sure, there are times here where I think I’m listening to Deep Purple,
but this work stands very well on its own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unchain Your Brain, Sleeping on the Job and No Easy Way are real
highlights, but the rest of this album is very cool too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many different types of songs here and most of
them are good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One or two clunkers (If
You Believe Me is a little bit much) here, but overall a good record.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>28. Sarcofagus – Envoy of Death<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A new singer really helped this band out, as Envoy of Death is an
improvement over Cycle of Life, released just a few months prior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the production is also better, it still
leaves something to be desired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bottom line is that while this is raw and a bit simple, Envoy of Death
was a prelude to more forms of extreme metal and in my opinion is an overlooked
album by many fans of the genre. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Insane
Rebels is a great song and most of the other are very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, the epic Black Contract,
clocking in at over 9 minutes is too long and really not good enough to warrant
that length, and the album as a whole suffers from that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>27. Quartz – Stand Up and Fight<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stand Up and Fight is a traditional metal album in every sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are no sappy ballads to get in the way,
just straight forward metal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This album
surely has its flaws and none of the members of Quartz will dazzle you with
their musical prowess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, I
consider this a gem from the NWOBHM and a worthy of being included in any
discussion about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The title track, Charlie Snow and Rock N Roll Child are my personal favorites
and while none of the other songs are busts, none of them are all that great
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a Tony Iommi influence
here (he was involved in their first album) but I would not accuse them of
being Sabbath clones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>26. Michael Schenker Group – The Michael Schenker Group<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker launched his solo career
and left his British former band mates in the dust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I wouldn’t go as far as calling
Schenker a virtuoso, he is still an excellent guitarist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Plus he has an excellent supporting cast,
Simon Phillips is a great drummer, Gary Barden is a quality singer and Roger
Glover did an excellent job as producer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Armed and Ready, Victim of Illusion and Looking Out from Nowhere are
all great straightforward rockers, but there are many more layers here,
including the excellent instrumental, Into the Arena.</span></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-75567155470141220562015-02-12T13:25:00.000-05:002015-02-12T13:25:44.153-05:00The Top 40 of 1980 (35-31)
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>35. Krokus – Metal Rendez-vous<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was the beginning of the best period of Krokus’ career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was after the prog rock 70’s and before the
debacle that ensues after Headhunter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While the inevitable comparisons to AC/DC are valid, I wouldn’t go as
far as saying they were cloning Angus and the gang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are plenty of good sounds here and I
think experience counts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With so many
debuts in 1980, it is refreshing to hear a more cohesive band and the production
and song structures are ahead of much of the 1980 competition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes, there are some duds here for sure, but there are
several rockers here (Heatstrokes, Come On, No Way, among others) that make
this a good record.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>34. Sarcofagus – Cycle of Life<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sarcofagus is one of three bands with two releases in 1980.
This was the first of the two, and the lesser as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While poorly produced and uneven, Sarcofagus clearly
had some great doom elements here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other
than the poor production, the worst part about this album was the
vocalist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not recall his name, but
he was bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a concept album and while I will not bore you with
the details, I will say that it actually works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sure the songwriting is amateurish, but there is a good flow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, like many albums of this era, the
guitar sound (while murky due to the production) is nice and heavy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></o:p> </div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>33. Chevy – The Taker<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is where I drew the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is really impossible to classify as
metal, and if the song Chevy were not included on Metal for Muthas, Volume II,
I may have never even heard of this band.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even though it is more Bad Company than Black Sabbath, this record is
still a good listen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I really do not have much more to say, there is nothing
really special here, the songs are good and the players are all competent and
the vocals are strong. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a side note,
I never realized how many bad singers there were in the NWOBHM until I really
listened to so many of these records.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>32. White Spirit – White Spirit<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another contributor to Metal for Muthas, Volume II, White
Spirit is most famous as the launch point for Jannick Gers of Gillan and Iron
Maiden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their only album was their self-titled
1980 release.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This album, like many from
this year is raw and under produced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are plenty of keyboards here and the Deep Purple influence is
clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While Red Skies is one of my favorite tracks of the year, I
really do not love any of the other songs here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Way of the Kings is weird, and Fool for the Gods is a snooze fest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other 4 are quality songs (if you like
Deep Purple) but nothing really stands out.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>31. Witchfynde – Stagefright<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is the second of two albums Witchfynde released in 1980
and it is clearly a step in the wrong direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An unfortunate prelude to so many good and
heavy NWOBHM bands listening to the wrong managers and the wrong record
executives and trying to change their sound to capture a wider audience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is still a good album, but the attempt at accessibility
and a commercial sound is overwhelming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Quite frankly, Steve Bridges was just not good enough a singer to lead a
commercially successful metal band.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
with the watered down sound, I like many of the tracks here like Would Not be
Seen Dead in Heaven, In the Stars and Stagefright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the “joke” song Bid Deal is very
entertaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ballad at the end,
Madeline is a total waste, but despite the many things wrong here, there are
also mant things right, so overall, this is pretty sold. </span>T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-36667451867213887622015-02-09T14:41:00.003-05:002015-02-09T14:41:42.072-05:00The Top 40 of 1980 (40-36)
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>40. Sorcery – Till Death do we Part<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was really struggling with what record to put at number
40.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually when you see a countdown of
this sort, the space between number 39 and 40 is pretty narrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not so here. I was very clear on my top 39,
but struggled with which record to put at number 40.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “best of the rest” Sorcery – Till Death
do we Part is an inconsistent and spotty affair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes reminiscent of Black Sabbath, other
times it is an unlistenable pile of drivel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It stars with Ogre, a reject from Bat out of Hell by
Meatloaf – yeah it has some riff-age, but the piano is so Crocodile Rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next track is a Hawkwind reject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then a slower piece – totally
forgettable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Track 4 – Right to Survive,
is a step in the right direction, but then the title cut is probably one of the
worst songs I can recall hearing in all of my 1980 catalog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However after this, the album recovers and
the remaining tracks are much better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Still spotty for sure, but there are moments where they really shine.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>39. Limelight – Limelight<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With a name like Limelight and an opening riff reminiscent
of Spirit of Radio, you would be leery of their intentions, but wait – this is
1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song Limelight does not exist
and the Spirit of Radio riff is still unknown to these Brits when they wrote
this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Limelight is yet another debut from yet another English
band.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like many of these third tier
NWOBHM bands, this was it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was
promise here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the quality of the
songs was not as good as most of their countrymen to release full length debuts
in 1980, it has its moments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But with
three of the seven songs clocking in at over six minutes and Limelight just not
having the songwriting chops for this, the album falls a little flat.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>38. Girl – Sheer Greed<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Part Glam Metal, Part 70’s rock, part NWOBHM, The debut from
Girl shows some promise that would never be realized (this will be a consistent
theme here in 1980).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if Girl did
continue, they would have most likely evolved into a poor man’s Def Leppard
(their guitar player would eventually join Leppard), never really being metal,
but probably not able to reach the commercial heights of the glam bands of the
1980’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The album starts out with some powerful riff, but Hollywood
Tease can’t keep up, with its attempt at a catchy bridge and chorus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t really recall glam metal before this,
and quite frankly Girl may have been a pioneer of the sub-genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me though, there are some highlights
here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little Miss Ann has that LA glam
feel, but more credible that Poison or Warrant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Doctor Doctor and Heartbreak America are similar in that fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole album is pretty enjoyable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably too British to be popular in America
(The only thing British about Def Leppard was their t-shirt).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Girl is more famous for launching other Glam bands, but this
record has place in metal history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>37. Warrior – Let Battle Commence<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had a hard time with this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where do you draw the line between rock and
metal?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1980, rock was only 25 years
old and while metal could claim 10 years since Black Sabbath, it was still very
new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So many hard rock acts were
considered here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of these is
Warrior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The album cover is very metal
(I blame Meat Loaf for metal covers on non-metal albums).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They even have an umlaut! The tempo of many
of the songs is metal, but something is missing. Probably overdrive – you know
– distortion. Most of the songs are good, but sometimes I feel like I’m
listening to Gerry Rafferty when I have this record on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Calling this metal is a big stretch – so much
so, that even three or four years later, I would have dismissed this as AOR.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t get me wrong there is some nice metal sounding guitar
work here, and again the tempo is right, but it’s just not heavy enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are traces of it in songs like Warrior
and Invaders, but it’s really only in the licks and solos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The riffs just have no power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really think the songs are good here and if
this thing got a real facelift, I think it could have been top 20 material, but
alas it never gets off the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>36. Viva – Born to Rock<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Speaking of metal looking record covers, this is far from
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I saw this record as a kid, I
would have thought it was the Bay City Rollers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like the Warrior record described above, this is not the heaviest thing
in the world, and may even fall to the hard rock side of the ledger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Viva was one of the first German metal bands,
even if this first album falls short of that moniker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Raw, unpolished and not well produced; Viva’s Born to Rock
has some highlights. Darkness is real metal track and other rockers like Dark
Eyes, Blue Jeans Forever and Fire are strong enough to make you forget some of
the slower and sappier moments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the
slower tempo in What I Need manages to feel right and metal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It just goes to show that a good guitar sound
goes a long way.</span></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-55997072969659328512015-02-07T10:04:00.001-05:002015-02-07T19:44:01.976-05:00To EP or not to EPOne of the decisions I need to make in evaluating the music from 1980 and beyond is whether I should consider EP's. In those days, many bands issues singles and EP's and sometimes either never released a full album or the songs from these EP's and singles never saw a full length release.<br />
<br />
The other problem with EP's is many of them are live or cover songs, and thus not really in the spirit of this blog.<br />
<br />
So my solution is to name an EP of the year. This way I can review and enjoy these releases, but not judge them against the full length records.T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-59189548410195063142015-02-06T10:16:00.001-05:002015-02-06T10:16:19.074-05:001980 - Live AlbumsThere were not many live albums in 1980. <br />
<br />
There were two bands that recorded original material live and released it. Probably because they did not have the financial support or wherewithal to properly record a debut. Those were Vardis and A-II-Z. The Vardis record is the better of the two, but really it is nothing special.<br />
<br />
Whitesnake had a live album as well, but I find their early material too bluesy, so not really to my taste.<br />
<br />
Reluctantly, Nems' Live at Last performed by Black Sabbath is the best live record of the year. The sound quality here is about the same as a good bootleg, so nothing great. Some of the classics are already tired here in 1973 when it was recorded. The versions of War Pigs and Paranoid offer nothing interesting. Snowblind sounds ridiculous. Sweet Leaf and Children of the Grave are marginal at best.<br />
<br />
There are some highlights here, though. Killing Yourself to Live, with alternate lyrics, is great. This version of Cornucopia is also well done. The real gem here is the 18plus minute medley of Wicked World. Other that the requisite Iommi wank-fest, the rest of the 18 minutes is really good old Sabbath playing some great riffs and snippets of their material (Supernaut and Into the Void).<br />
<br />
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-7555058147131955472015-01-30T11:43:00.001-05:002015-01-30T11:43:13.132-05:00Live Albums & DisappointmentsAnother thought in using this blog as a retrospective on metal was to name my favorite live album and biggest disappointment of the year.<br />
<br />
For 1980, there really can be no biggest disappointment. I mean, what can the expectations have been? Probably half the albums in a top 20 will be debut albums, and the rest are pretty solid. I can't think of any band that put out an album in 1980 that was worse that their late 70's work. Maybe UFO, but after losing Michael Schenker, were there really high expectations?<br />
<br />
For live albums, I really only see three choices for 1980 - so more discussion on that later.<br />
<br />
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-8673502325919814252015-01-28T09:07:00.000-05:002015-01-28T09:07:03.170-05:001980 - Little VarietyI have been listening to a lot of 1980 music lately, and also searching the web for 1980 lists. There are several top 10 lists for 1980 metal music. Back in those days, there just was not much choice. Almost every top ten list looks the same. They all have the same top 8, but in different order. Inevitably, you'll find Ozzy, Sabbath, Maiden, Priest, Motorhead, Leppard, Diamond Head* and AC/DC. Most lists also have Angel Witch and a Saxon album (or two), but for the most part their top 8 look like those household names you see above.<br />
<br />
By no means is this the fault of the authors. I have scoured YouTube and other corners of the web for 1980 albums that are rare and on the border of metal (Gillan, Krokus, MSG, etc.) that stand up to these, and while I have found some interesting things, the aforementioned groups put out the best stuff of that year (mostly).<br />
<br />
I will be doing a top 15 or 20 list in a few days, but don't look here for anything really different. Bands like Fist (the one from Canada), Viva and Sorcery are only footnotes in the history of metal for a good reason. <br />
<br />
*I am convinced that Diamond Head is seen as the lost NWOBHM gem solely because of their influence on Metallica, and therefore it is uncool** not to have Lightning to the Nations in your top 10.<br />
<br />
** It may actually be in mine too - but for the right reasons.....T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-57935359275754914982015-01-26T16:06:00.000-05:002015-01-26T16:06:46.753-05:00Where to Start?<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In restarting the history of metal blogs, I decided to start with
1980.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While that seems somewhat random,
it was well thought out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
several reasons for this demarcation.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First and foremost is the NWOBHM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although a few acts (Saxon, Samson, Quartz, etc.) had earlier releases,
several major bands had debuts this year - Iron Maiden, Fist, Angel Witch,
Diamond Head, Tygers of Pan Tang to name a couple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also, I have found that the line between hard rock and metal gets fuzzier
the further you go back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, in 1980, I
am considering things like Rush, Michael Schenker and AC/DC in the same
category as Iron Maiden, Motörhead, and Judas Priest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As time passed, the lines between rock and
metal became more defined as the music became more extreme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you go further back than 1980, the line
becomes even more blurred and you start considering Aerosmith and ZZ Top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, 1980 is a nice round number, and a seemingly good place to
start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, for the last week or so, I have been listening to nothing but 1980 albums (except for the new Subterranean Masquerade album, brilliant by the way). I have been surprised by some of the things I have been hearing, mostly The Rods and Angel Witch are not as horrible as I remember them.</span></o:p></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-55677104686771007472015-01-23T12:42:00.003-05:002015-01-23T17:02:39.327-05:00I know Led Zeppelin, and you sir, are no Led Zeppelin<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t like Def Leppard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean
some of their music is OK, but I don’t like their attitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me explain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, let’s agree on the facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They released two pseudo-metal albums during the heyday of the NWOBHM
(which they completely scorn – more on that later).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, was a half metal/half glam effort in
1983, which was very well received from a commercial view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their mega-blockbuster in 1987 was pure glam/hair
metal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had another album in 1990
that did OK, but after that they released one commercial dud after another (I
think there were six, but I could have missed one).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So here is a band that shuns their metal roots because they want to be
more mainstream than a metal band. For a few years they certainly accomplished
this, but those days are long gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joe
Elliott always considered his band more like a Led Zeppelin or Rolling Stones,
but history will remember Leppard more with Whitesnake and Poison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So is being a has-been hair metal band better
that being considered part of the NWOBHM?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s dismiss Elliott’s premise that Leppard is comparable to Zeppelin,
The Who, the Stones, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll easily
dismiss this with the fact that Def Leppard can’t sell out a shoebox
anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If any of those other bands
toured, it would be 50,000+ seat stadiums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, none of those bands have ever released commercial duds like Slang
or Songs from the Sparkle Lounge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
Led Zeppelin’s Presence was a far more successful and lasting effort.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yet despite this failure to capture the hearts, minds and pocketbooks
of American music consumers for the last quarter century, Leppard still thinks
they are too good for the NWOBHM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now
like any music movement, the NWOBHM had their share of garbage, but there were
a lot of good bands and a couple of legendary bands to rise out of that
movement; and, considering Def Leppard’s inability to record anything anyone
wants to listen to, I would think they would want to associate themselves with
anyone that would have them, including the likes of Saxon and the Tygers of Pan
Tang. </span></div>
T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-73360109585108350292015-01-13T18:30:00.003-05:002015-01-13T18:30:53.875-05:00An Apology - Sort ofMy last post was critical of a list of someone's top 100 albums of 1984. While the list in question is certainly flawed and open for criticism and debate, I do not think it was without merit.<br />
<br />
So, to reiterate, it was deeply flawed and I think that deliberately placing Dio, Iron Maiden and Metallica in the bottom 10 was begging for trouble. Also the though of placing a 19 minute EP by Acid 50 places above the aforementioned bands is a complete joke.<br />
<br />
However, there were a lot of hidden and forgotten gems on that list. <br />
<br />
Like I said, I probably only heard about half the albums/EP's on that list, and some of them I only heard once or twice.<br />
<br />
So the list go me thinking maybe it would be cool to revisit the 1980's again.<br />
<br />
So - that is what I am going to do.<br />
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Stay tuned for a detailed look back at 1980.T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-65134385535299745322015-01-09T18:00:00.001-05:002015-01-09T18:02:54.362-05:00Shit sandwich - 1984 styleSo, I was browsing the internet and came upon the Metal Archives message board. I do not participate in message boards anymore because people are stupid. To further prove my point, I saw this top metal albums of 1984 list.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://forcesofsteel.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=1476">http://forcesofsteel.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=1476</a><br />
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Now let me preface my remarks by saying everyone is entitled to their opinion and yadda yadda yadda. I'm sorry, but this list is a crock of shit. This guy basically had his legit top 10 or so, put some of the most well known albums at the end of this list, and filled in the middle with crap, hoping that anyone reading his list had never heard of half the crap on there. Well, it's true for me too. I have only heard about half of the crap in the middle, but I can tell you for sure, most of it is crap. Thus this guy created a true shit sandwich. <br />
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He did include almost every decent album from 1984 (let's face it, there weren't even 100 good metal albums world wide that year). If you look at his top 17, most of these are legit (I admist I have not heard three of them). So in that regard it's a good list. I wish he did a top 50 instead and left out the Dio, Maiden and Metallica albums. That would have given the list more crdibility in my opinion.<br />
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Let's look at some of the albums he deemed better than Powerslave, The Last in Line and Ride the Lightning (as you know, I am no Metallica fan, but give credit where credit is due - this is a great album).<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Pantera - Projects in the Jungle. This record is a joke. It may not be as bad as Metal Magic, but it is still horrendous (this one was below Metallica)</li>
<li>TNT - Knights of the New Thunder - not as laughable as the Pantera album, but still lame.</li>
<li>TKO - In your face. I heard this one and could not sit through it.</li>
<li>The Rods - Let Them Eat Metal. Even Feinstein himself would laugh at this being rated above his far more talented cousin.</li>
<li>Saracen - Change of Heart. This is a metal list, right?</li>
<li>Warning - Metamorphose. Their first two albums had some credibility, but this is better than Powerslave?</li>
<li>Acid - Black Car - Really?</li>
<li>Savatage - The Dungeons are Calling. I like Savatage, but they were nowhere ready for prime-time at this point in their career.</li>
<li>Raven - Live at the Inferno - a bad band in the studio - worse live</li>
<li>Pretty Maids - Red, Hot & Heavy. This is getting ridiculous. He had this turd at number 22!!</li>
<li>Tank - Honour & Blood. It's albums like this one that killed the NWOBHM.</li>
</ul>
I wish he did a top 50 instead and left out the Dio, Maiden and Metallica albums. That would have given the list more crdibility in my opinion. The shit andwich approach is an obvious cry out for debate. Well, you got it.T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-68970628323737649162015-01-08T08:52:00.002-05:002015-01-08T08:52:49.165-05:00A look back at 2002I seems to have covered 2002 a long time ago on this blog. In looking at that list, I would say the top 5 or 6 spots are going to remain the same. Some of the bottom of that top 10 will be replaced for sure. I think there may even be some entries that crack this top ten that we omitted from my big top 500 that I posted on Rateyourmusic a couple of years ago.<br />
<br />
I recently listened to Escape by Ram-Zet and I liked it more than the first time I heard it. I think it is too long (I really do not care for 60 minute plus albums) and probably could have been trimmed down by ten minutes or so, but it is a very good listen.<br />
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So this month I will re-listen to the 30+ albums I have from 2002 and remake my top 10. I wouldn't expect a change from the top 4 as those are all in my top 50 all-time are are in in constant rotation in my iPod, but there are some gems here that I have overlooked.T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-13879356367509703292015-01-07T08:39:00.000-05:002015-01-07T08:39:37.781-05:00A ReturnI have decided to return to my long lost home on the web. Nobody really reads it anymore, but what the heck.<br />
<br />
So, stay tuned (lol) for more updates about metal (mostly) and maybe the occasional sports or political post.T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-80305109383327473482012-01-03T13:04:00.001-05:002012-01-03T13:04:35.012-05:00Shutting DownI am closing up shop. I am still continuing the Top 500 <a href="http://rateyourmusic.com/list/T__Bone/top_500_metal___hard_rock_albums_of_all_time__thru_12_31_11_">here</a> as well as posting other lists on rateyourmusic. Soon look for the worst metal albums and the best non hard-rock/metal albums. Also best live albums, bootlegs, etc.<br />
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I may post an occasional observation here and there, but if I have something to say, I'll probably just make a note on facebook or something.<br />
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See you round Al Gore's playground friend(s)!!T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-10979288976858088282011-12-31T13:56:00.002-05:002011-12-31T13:57:25.728-05:00480 - Immortal - Pyramaze - 2008<a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/Immortal_(Pyramaze_album).jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Immortal_(Pyramaze_album).jpg&usg=__01gfl2xjUbP2-211bN1gNQWEwAU=&h=600&w=600&sz=82&hl=en&start=2&zoom=1&tbnid=ponak7xSSOCJqM:&tbnh=135&tbnw=135&ei=VVn_TpX2B4Xg0QHD14yGAg&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dpyramaze%2Bimmortal%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1"><img height="135" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSz0aZcMhyAeRm_JPzEYcBMWcGdusEpxEYJHPuhSPY5yIGLIruvoygZQb0_EQ" width="135" /></a>So when I heart Matt Barlow joined Pyramaze I thought that was pretty cool and the result would be something special. Legend of the Bone Carver and Melancholy Beast are really cool albums, so I figured with a better singer, Immortal would be a can't miss great record.<br />
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Well, it is a good record, but disappointing for sure. My real beef here is that the album is a tad boring. I mean in theory it works, but when I play the album I am just not that impressed. Maybe I expected Dante's Inferno of something more substantial, but what it is is a collection of solid Power Metal songs, nothing more, nothing less.</div>T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-53948328613735968562011-12-30T11:07:00.001-05:002011-12-30T11:10:40.466-05:00481 - Back From the Grave - Grave - 2002<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ec2jY1WNF0k/Tv3gZ9ZuXiI/AAAAAAAAALI/o8BoQX2WRgY/s1600/Back_from_the_Grave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ec2jY1WNF0k/Tv3gZ9ZuXiI/AAAAAAAAALI/o8BoQX2WRgY/s200/Back_from_the_Grave.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Tr00 Grave fans do not like this record, and I think the Death Metal Establishment (DME?) will tell you their first album is the best; however, I disagree.<br />
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For me, this album sounds more musically mature (I hate that word but I think it's the right one) than Grave's earlier works. It sounds like they cared more for the quality of the music and production here.<br />
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This album is just as heavy and any of the previous works, but it is more cohesive. Hell - it is just better. Grave would eventually top this record, but in 2002, this was their high water mark, and they were getting better. They were not selling out or going soft as the DME may have you think.T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-81544012754990178872011-12-29T17:48:00.001-05:002011-12-29T19:58:04.734-05:00482 - Enigmatic: Calling - Pagan's Mind - 2005<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOKnRqRl0Xo/TvztR_vOpJI/AAAAAAAAAK8/6tkY4RLEqXo/s1600/6593502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vOKnRqRl0Xo/TvztR_vOpJI/AAAAAAAAAK8/6tkY4RLEqXo/s200/6593502.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The songs on this record could all be B-sides on Dream Theater's Images and Words. That's not an insult. Images and Words is one of the greatest records of all time, so B-side status on that record is pretty damn good.<br />
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It is hard to deny the Long Islanders influence on this band, and I don't think they ever did. That being said, this record is better than anything Dream Theater has done in ages.<br />
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As with many progressive metal albums, it is too long and they certainly could have trimmed a fair share of fat away, but all in all, this is a cool album and recommended for fans of the sub genre.T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-56409721852408308562011-12-28T10:16:00.000-05:002011-12-28T10:16:09.143-05:00483 - Evil Star - Wolf - 2004<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndBK4PNS3Sc/TvsxKaIo4JI/AAAAAAAAAKw/9I02bQboLw4/s1600/WOLF_ES.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndBK4PNS3Sc/TvsxKaIo4JI/AAAAAAAAAKw/9I02bQboLw4/s1600/WOLF_ES.JPG" /></a></div>
Evil Star is the third record from Swedish traditional metal act Wolf. There is not much flash here, just solid traditional metal. The production is slightly fuzzy and it gives the album a nice Mercyful Fate meets Iron Maiden vibe.<br />
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Wolf is not a clone band, and they get more points for originality than Primal Fear, but Wolf won't amaze you either.<br />
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A solid record from a good band. Not much else to say.T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7048465.post-50648643933121413882011-12-27T13:11:00.002-05:002011-12-27T13:14:33.065-05:00484 - Nuclear Fire - Primal Fear - 2001<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIalZyLWoZhGyOscYYX1lXBA0ISvVh6-mD9qlDaOafZsy5gFV4XM7r_apwMMxr1vX1TE-8Dso1_ZMQ3s73dlOb3y8naIZ_INvUBIlIH1cKsy6eJUvzKgX2HRk6LUGHjTFdZ1M_/s1600/nuclear-fire-primal-fear-cd-cover-art.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690872681157925186" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIalZyLWoZhGyOscYYX1lXBA0ISvVh6-mD9qlDaOafZsy5gFV4XM7r_apwMMxr1vX1TE-8Dso1_ZMQ3s73dlOb3y8naIZ_INvUBIlIH1cKsy6eJUvzKgX2HRk6LUGHjTFdZ1M_/s320/nuclear-fire-primal-fear-cd-cover-art.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>"This guy sounds more like Halford than Halford". This is a great quote and will always stick in my mind. I know I've used it on this blog before, but it is appropriate, and needs to be used again. Primal Fear's lead vocalist Ralf Scheepers should have been Rob Halford's replacement in Priest, rather than Ted McGinley. However, Priest's mistake is a boon for Power Metal fans as Primal Fear have been churning out competent records for over a decade. This is one of their best.<br /><br />Primal Fear will not win any awards for originality. While this is quite an understatement, it still does not completely detract from the fact that they write cool songs, and execute them perfectly, and with excellent production value. The sound is so crisp and clear, I wish more bands would have this sound.<br /><br />Stefan Leibing and Henny Wolter play twin leads as well as anyone in the genre, save Smith/Murray and Tipton/Downing. The bass and drums are audible, and while not brilliant, certainly are audible in the mix and add something to the songs. Sure this is formula driven power metal by numbers, but Primal Fear does it well. And on this record, they do it particularly well, and thus Nuclear Fire is number 484.</div>T-_Bonehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01201921941080182904noreply@blogger.com1