I remember waiting for them as a kid. The good part. That part in some rock n’ roll song that would just take me over the top. The anticipation would build & build then... BANG! Cirith Ungol knows all about it. Waiting for that good part. And they had an idea. A brilliant idea. Let's just make songs chock full to the brim with the good parts! Like a super satisfying ooey-gooey Snickers bar!
Well, kiddies, that’s how you get one of the coolest rock fests in America – Frost & Fire (in Ventura, California) – named after you even when you’ve only sold about six albums and no one outside of inner metal circles have ever even heard of you. In many ways, Cirith Ungol were an indie rock metal band. Having more in common with cult Portland garage rockers Dead Moon than traditional metal bands like Raven and Accept. Their songs brim with creativity and wit. Musically, they channel early Rush at their most metallic. But there’s a manic indie rock creative streak that runs through all their songs. Cool eerie keyboards straight from Goblin here. A gum popping bass line there. Good parts everywhere!
If you’re into underground metal, it really doesn’t get any better than this. And it's easily one of my favorite finds yet on this journey. Essential (E)!
Before you try to sell me some lame-ass tripe posing as steak that Rush isn’t metal, I’ve got three things to say to you: 1) Side 1 of 2112 is one of the top five metal moments of the entire 70s. 2) Geddy Lee was perhaps the third best pure metal vocalist of the 70s (just behind Rob Halford and Dio and right ahead of Klaus Meine. And 3) I don’t give a fuck. Rush easily had the some of the heaviest albums of the 70s, and they are beloved by old, grizzled, my-denim-jacket-no-longer-fits-but-I-keep-it-anyways-because-I-can't-bear-to-get-rid-of-the-patches metalheads, such as myself, everywhere.
Rush’s music can conveniently be broken up into different phases that are bookended by their live albums. While there’s no question that Phase 2 (the Exit Stage Left era) was Rush at their peak, Phase 1 (the All The World's A Stage era) was their heaviest stuff.
And All The World's A Stage live album is the perfect introduction to this metallic hard rock/prog metal phase. Except it’s missing "Necromancer" (from the (mildly) underrated Caress Of Steel). "Necromancer" contains the secret ingredient behind Rage Against The Machine’s formula if you're a nu-metal kid. I’m not kidding. Check it out tag-team style live with "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" (from Fly By Night) If you want to hear just how balls to the wall HEAVY Rush could get...
Rush (Phase 1) Rankings
1. All The World’s A Stage (E)
2. 2112 (E) – "Temple Of Syrinx" is one of the defining metal moments of the 70s
3. Fly By Night (HR)
======================================================================================
4. A Caress Of Steel (R) – "Bastille Day" is essential! Necromancer, & The Fountain of Lamneth are Highly Recommended!
5. Rush – s/t – Rush is still Finding Their Way!
Numbers 1, 2 & 3 are The THREE You Need!!!
Last edited by Repo on 09/06/2020 04:04; edited 5 times in total
baystateoftheartNeil Young as a butternut squashProfile Massachusetts
Here are all the punk albums I've heard from 1977, roughly ranked.
Great
1. Rocket To Russia - Ramones
2. Pink Flag - Wire
3. Marquee Moon - Television
Quite Good
4. Suicide - Suicide
5. Talking Heads: 77 - Talking Heads
6. Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols - Sex Pistols
7. Blank Generation - Richard Hell & The Voidoids
8. The Clash - The Clash
I've never considered it punk, but a lot of people include it in their punk lists. It's probably my favourite 1977 album along with Animals. _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
it literally was one of the founders of synth punk
Yeah but it's not only synth punk, there's some industrial, ambient and electronic too. Besides I don't consider synth punk to be fully punk. I mean it's in the name, but I think it's too far removed from the original "punk". It's not worse or anything, but I don't think it's the same genre. Like punk and post-punk, I'd never put Joy Division on the list of my favourite punk albums. Just my opinion though. _________________ Overall chart Fake overall chart
It was meant to be an insult. Slayer’s babies. But I hoped they owned it. Bandied the smear with pride. Because this is easily one of the best darkened thrash/speed metal albums of the entire 80s!! I’ll certainly take it over Anthrax’s Fistful Of Metal any day of the week.
And yet virtually no one talks about it. Luckily, the few that do, talk LOUDLY. And I just happened to have my ear to the wall. In my searchings and scorings for all things extreme metal. "They" speak of this being perhaps the first first death metal album. It’s not. But it very well may be the third best speed metal album of the 80s. They leap on the shoulders of the two unequivocal best from the genre. Those two towering pillars of Speed From ’83 – Metallica’s Kill 'Em All and Slayer’s Show No Mercy - and somehow make the din even darker. Faster. Gene Hoglan’s drumming is pure sickness, and it’s not surprising he would go on to man the kit for such metal luminaries as Death and Testament among others. If you love early Slayer, give some love to their babies! They had more than arrived. They had ascended!
A-side: This is the first extreme metal album that I have reviewed for 1985. There is a bunch more that I have deemed essential from this pivotal year which I will get to over the coming weeks. Unlike in years' past, I'm not sure how the extreme metal rankings for 1985 will fall out. So I'll just rank them as I go. \m/
B-side: Next up => Class of '77 HOF. Thanks to all who have ranked so far! Helps out a lot!!
it literally was one of the founders of synth punk
Where's your list?!?! 😉
So... I'm throwing a Class of '77 Punk Party this Saturday night (so I won't be able to watch my Celtics until Sunday!) with a small group of family & friends who are in my bubble and here's some lists so far for the big event...
Alex
Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Blank Generation
Tony
1. Talking Heads - '77
2. Television - Marque Moon
3. Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Blank Generation
4. The Clash - The Clash
5. The Ramones - Rocket To Russia
Julie
-Pre-Teenage Jesus ( released 1979 but recorded 1977)
-Suicide by Suicide (1977)
-All Bagged Up by The Bags (recordings from 1977-1980)
Richard Hell & The Voidoids- Blank Generation
Wire- Pink Flag
Television- Marquee Moon
The Damned- Damned Damned Damned
Vibrators- Pure Mania
Ramones- Leave Home
Eddie & The Hot Rods- Life On The Line
The Saints- I'm Stranded
The Sex Pistols- Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols
The Clash The Clash
Really too difficult to rank and boil these down, but I guess this works for me. I hadn't listened to The Saints in awhile, and I forgot how great that one is. And, I think it's kind of silly to not have The Clash or Sex Pistols on there, so they get the last two spots.
I remember waiting for them as a kid. The good part. That part in some rock n’ roll song that would just take me over the top. The anticipation would build & build then... BANG! Cirith Ungol knows all about it. Waiting for that good part. And they had an idea. A brilliant idea. Let's just make songs chock full to the brim with the good parts! Like a super satisfying ooey-gooey Snickers bar!
Well, kiddies, that’s how you get one of the coolest rock fests in America – Frost & Fire (in Ventura, California) – named after you even when you’ve only sold about six albums and no one outside of inner metal circles have ever even heard of you. In many ways, Cirith Ungol were an indie rock metal band. Having more in common with cult Portland garage rockers Dead Moon than traditional metal bands like Raven and Accept. Their songs brim with creativity and wit. Musically, they channel early Rush at their most metallic. But there’s a manic indie rock creative streak that runs through all their songs. Cool eerie keyboards straight from Goblin here. A gum popping bass line there. Good parts everywhere!
If you’re into underground metal, it really doesn’t get any better than this. And it's easily one of my favorite finds yet on this journey. Essential (E)!
Before you try to sell me some lame-ass tripe posing as steak that Rush isn’t metal, I’ve got three things to say to you: 1) Side 1 of 2112 is one of the top five metal moments of the entire 70s. 2) Geddy Lee was perhaps the third best pure metal vocalist of the 70s (just behind Rob Halford and Dio and right ahead of Klaus Meine. And 3) I don’t give a fuck. Rush easily had the some of the heaviest albums of the 70s, and they are beloved by old, grizzled, my-denim-jacket-no-longer-fits-but-I-keep-it-anyways-because-I-can't-bear-to-get-rid-of-the-patches metalheads, such as myself, everywhere.
Rush’s music can conveniently be broken up into different phases that are bookended by their live albums. While there’s no question that Phase 2 (the Exit Stage Left era) was Rush at their peak, Phase 1 (the All The World's A Stage era) was their heaviest stuff.
And All The World's A Stage live album is the perfect introduction to this metallic hard rock/prog metal phase. Except it’s missing "Necromancer" (from the (mildly) underrated Caress Of Steel). "Necromancer" contains the secret ingredient behind Rage Against The Machine’s formula if you're a nu-metal kid. I’m not kidding. Check it out tag-team style live with "By-Tor & The Snow Dog" (from Fly By Night) If you want to hear just how balls to the wall HEAVY Rush could get...
Rush (Phase 1) Rankings
1. All The World’s A Stage (E)
2. 2112 (E) – "Temple Of Syrinx" is one of the defining metal moments of the 70s
3. Fly By Night (HR)
======================================================================================
4. A Caress Of Steel (R) – "Bastille Day" is essential! Necromancer, & The Fountain of Lamneth are Highly Recommended!
5. Rush – s/t – Rush is still Finding Their Way!
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LedZep
Repo
baystateoftheart
mickilennial
Tha1ChiefRocka
