First off I went ahead and listened to the debut, 2nd and 3rd Metal Church LPs… here is my simplified thought package: I expected a thrash band and there is some of that and I loved the riffs and the style there on the speedy thrash side. But I didn’t research and I had forgotten they also had some power metal and more traditional metal sounds as well, and I didn’t like that. Didn’t like the vocals and the whole old school metal theatrics. So my experience was middle positive. Liked the debut the most.
Exactly why I recommended it! Metal Church are a great bridge from Thrash to Old School Metal! I think they will probably age on you well! But mostly, thanks for giving them a shot!!!
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As for your write up on British Steel, excellent write up. Agreed as far as I recall. Will be listening to it again soon. For some reason Screaming for Vengeance is all time 5/5, 😈😈😈😈😈 album… but British steel sticks in my craw from recollection. Surely there shouldn’t be such a wide gap in my mind with regards those two. So yeah British steel needs a new relisten.
But there is! They are very different sounding albums which is actually pretty cool. I prefer Screaming For Vengeance as well. And Killing Machine to British Steel. But all three are awesome!
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Final note: I am working on a BIG overhaul of my 1980s chart and man, 1986-1989 is way way way WAAAAY more interesting to me in terms of metal. So if you ever start talking about that era and IN PARTICULAR 1988-1989, I will be excited. Those were the years of Death and Grind and early Black metal taking the stage along with some of the most cutting edge and heavy thrash. Way more my wheel house. Also some sick industrial sludge shit appearing in the late 80s.
I'll get there at some point, Mercury! lol. BUT, try to listen to at least one new album from each year I cover until I get to the later 80s! For this year and knowing you a bit, I'd recommend ...
I have no reason why. Just something about him irks me. I’m a judgmental prick, ok. But, the way he willed this album into existence earns my unending respect. Because this is an incredible return to form (Draw The Line was a disappointment) despite some dicey circumstances with the band pretty much broken up at this point. For my money, the last great Aerosmith album. They return to their roots (see Romanelli's great recent post regarding their debut) somewhat with just some great hard-nosed blues. The guitar tone on "Chiquita" gives AC/DC a run for the money. Just classic Aerosmith throughout with a smashing Shangri-Las cover, "Remember (Walking in the Sand)," to boot. Consistent and great sounding guitar tone from Perry throughout. Just great, hard hitting 70s blues rock. Great to see one of the best and biggest hard rock bands of the 70s end on a high note.
Without question Aerosmith's essential albums are the trilogy of Get Your Wings, Toys In The Attic, and Rocks. But, if you want more, this and their Self-Titled debut are both Highly Recommended!
Cheesiest live album title ever? Yes! Quite possibly yes! The perfect encapsulation of both late 70s hard rock and UFO? Absofuckinglutely! You can't get more 70s than the double live LP of hard rock excess and this is one of the best. It goes toe to toe with the other classics of the period such as Kiss - Alive! and Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous. In a way, this is the excess that the NWOBHM had to topple.
For many, this will be the sole UFO they ever purchase/download/stream (pick your decade). And that's not a bad call! It's a perfect introduction to these rock n’ roll lifers. A legendary set that's particularly sensual and full bodied. Michael Schenker's solos are just fantastic. And it's all taped in the Midwest where I now live which is pretty cool. As I've discussed before, I prefer their mid-70s run of Phenomenon, Force It and No Heavy Petting, BUT Strangers In The Night works as both a decent greatest hits package and a blistering live set. Highly Recommended!
On Van Halen II, Van Halen double down on putting on a show that only they could make. Part Vaudeville. Part 60s Girl Group. All showmanship. Monumentous pizzazz. Inane, effervescent, goofy yet lovable. Diamond Dave’s charisma drips snakeoil with a knowing wink from every groove of the record. It'd probably be annoying on its own, but Eddie’s creative & ingenious intros, solos and textures keep you grounded and hooked for what’s coming next. They were Ying & Yang. They were Rock & Roll. And we will never see their like again.
Motorhead’s South Of Heaven as it were. Motorhead slows thing down a bit after the rip-roaring, bordering on Speed Metal, intensity of Overkill. The lyrics are some of their best. Lemmy sings “Sweet Revenge” like he means it. Good God! I’d hate to be his ex-wife! And how on "Step Down", they channel their own Ted Nugent (who honestly was quite the bad ass until the 80s. Even and up until his 1980 outing Scream Dream.) Not quite on par with Overkill, Motorhead take a bit of a dip here following their genre defining?/smashing?/who-the-hell-cares! Overkill. But, it’s still bloody good y'all and comes… Highly recommended
Boy oh boy do I have some catching up to do. Seems like Rory was killing it for the entire 70s, and I'm just finding out now. d'oh! From a bit of reading and a bit of listening, it sounds like our hero switched gears just a bit in the late 70s from Hard Blues to Hard Rock. It was a subtle shift to be sure, and everything I've heard has been lightning! As soon as I heard this particular album - Top Priority - during my broad sweep of hard rock and heavy metal albums a few months back, I knew that I'd have to circle back. And eventually it even wormed its way into my Top 10! Which says a lot since he's brand new to me. But it's not my fault I'm so clueless! Wink I just don't think he was promoted probably in the States. My friends are pretty clueless about him as well. Maybe he was just too much a bluesman for us American Metal heads? 🤔 Regardless, this is quite the Hard Rock album and a splendid jumping off point to discovering this brilliant Irish axeman.
It doesn’t get more classic Southern Rock than this. It just doesn’t. After checking out Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers, Molly Hatchet is the next best stop. Their first two albums - Molly Hatchet and Flirtin' With Disaster are the motherlode. Two of the best Southern Rock albums of the entire 70s. Talent wise they were loaded with not one, not two, but a THREE-pronged guitar attack. But, their secret sauce were the gravelly, swamp stewed pipes of Danny Joe Brown. And that became pretty bloody obvious when diabetes forced him to take a break from the rigors of being a rock star after this here platter. Molly Hatchet's next release - Beatin' The Odds beat heck all and was a sickly limp noodle without Danny Joe's weathered, whiskey soaked pipes. Stay clear of that weak sauce, kids. But, here Molly Hatchet (and their epic cover art) reign supreme. Highly Recommended!
Kiss had gotten too big. They had oversaturated the market. Literally made action figures of themselves. And then they outright embraced disco. That was the last straw. They were cancelled by cool culture. But the thing is… it worked. Kiss were always a commercial pop band with a a good grasp on the pulse of recent trends. They’re the ones that mainstreamed The New York Dolls to begin with. Not the Ramones. Not the Dictators. Plus, they assimilated some of the best elements of Ace Frehley’s masterful 1978 solo album on this. Far too much fun to be denied, this is a Pop Metal masterpiece.
Legend has it that Halford had a cold on these nights and his vocal were re-recorded in a simulated “live” setting. Who cares! He sounds loose and the entire album has a very casual & relaxed feel to it. Halford just sounds like he owns these songs. They were a band on the rise. The were the undisputed, unquestioned kings of late 70s metal (haven taken that mantle from Black Sabbath.) And they knew it.
Ok! That leaves TWO albums left to round out this Top Ten from 1979. Any takers?!😈 (Plus I'd love to see/hear other people's favorite metal/.hard rock albums of 1979!!!)
Last edited by Repo on 12/04/2021 13:23; edited 2 times in total
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
Edit: also I listened to a few tracks from that album you recommended. Wasn’t feeling it at all at the time. Will return when in the mood a bit more.
Also it cracks me up you are going backwards in time. I will never be fully invested in these lists until 1. I learn me some pre-thrash/death metal era hard rock and metal (non-punk) or 2. You get to a year like 1988 and I can vigorously debate the merits of Napalm Death over say, Iron Maiden or Bathory. Lol. Maybe someday. _________________ -Ryan
or maybe highway to hell? I like that one and its a classic, but I just have never seen you sing ac/dc's praises before. i know they are a classic band for people to roll their eyes at especially amongst us music snobs _________________ -Ryan
Super solid picks, Mercury!!! Black Rose is a really GOOD album , but always felt a little "soft" to me. Especially the single "So Anything You Want To Do" whose melody reminds me a bit too much much of "I'll always Be In Love with You." And "My Sarah" is pretty much Yacht Rock. I enjoy both tracks, but coming on the heels of the ass-kickin', dope-smokin' Bad Reputation, The Lizzy felt a tiny bit neutered this time up. A very good AOR Hard Rock that would definitely make my Top Fifteen of 1979.
ps. I worship the track "Got To Give It Up." Classic Lizzy!!!
Ah, Lovedrive. One of my favorite album covers as a kid. It's like a Garbage Pail Kid masterpiece. I have mixed feelings on this one. It's easily some of the best AOR metal of 1979, BUT it's also madly inconsistent.( Just check out the Lynyrd Skynyrd inspired "Always Somewhere" or reggae-inflected "Is There Anybody There?") They were still trying to find their footing (& identity) after the departure of Uli Jon Roth. An identity they would find and perfect with Animal Magnetism just one short year later. This would also make my Top Fifteen of 1979.
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Edit: also I listened to a few tracks from that album you recommended. Wasn’t feeling it at all at the time. Will return when in the mood a bit more.
OMG. Really?! I think it will catch with you in time. Just soooooi good. For 1979, I give you, dearest Mercury...'
Also it cracks me up you are going backwards in time. I will never be fully invested in these lists until 1. I learn me some pre-thrash/death metal era hard rock and metal (non-punk) or 2. You get to a year like 1988 and I can vigorously debate the merits of Napalm Death over say, Iron Maiden or Bathory. Lol. Maybe someday.
Hmmm... How about we compromise and go for 1985 next? Could u invest in that a bit? There's some killer EXTREME metal albums from 1985. There's no way I can jump from 1980 straight to 1988, but 1985 (or 1984) is a good midway point.
or maybe highway to hell? I like that one and its a classic, but I just have never seen you sing ac/dc's praises before. i know they are a classic band for people to roll their eyes at especially amongst us music snobs
😈😈😈
Now we're getting hot, brother. I WORSHIP at the altar of 70s AC/DC. Fuck those music snobs. REMEMBER, I was just championing Kiss! lol.
That leaves one more!!! Who can get it? 😈
MercuryTurn your back on the pay-you-back last callProfile St. Louis
looking forward to finding out the top 2. I have never heard or effectively never heard lovedrive (i don't remember it) but Black Rose is solid, agree its not top tier top 3 or 4 Lizzy.
1985 works. Also, honestly I can wait. I'll take these other years as educational. 1984 was cool, 1985 was more so, 1986, even more so, 1987 about the same, 1988 the best and 1989 right there with 1988, that is my knee jerk idea on those years for metal. I am not a fan of power metal, old school heavy metal, most hard rock, etc. So basically the more Thrash and the more of thrash's babies and offspring and the more thrash gets weird and extreme in a given year is my index for how much I like the year. 1985 has arguably the first death metal album that I know of - halfway there at least - and that is cool. _________________ -Ryan
Bon Scott, AC/DC's legendary 70s vocalist, was not a prude. He may not have been an intellectual, but he was awake enough to embrace some good honest paganism and its honeypot of goodness. Sex is good. Girls are hot. Stinky girls are even hotter. The kind of guy who gets a little jolt of pleasure just remembering the feel of his girl's ass crack. Sliding his finger in the stink and all. Squirm if you like, but really good sex is a bit dirty. Stinky. And that was 70s AC/DC in a nutshell. Nasty, filthy, dirty boys and proud of it. No band was as bad ass as AC/DC in the 70s. A giant middle finger to middle class niceties. We forget that because they outlived their youth. They became just another product. Perhaps they needed Bon Scott to keep them real. Because more than just a vocalist, Scott kept them grounded. They needed his impish delight. His cheekiness. So raise a toast with me to Bon Scott. And to sex. Filthy, dirty heavenly sex. Amen.
Speaking of Badass. Philthy Animal Taylor's drums open up the album coming for your throat. But it was a trick. You've been ambushed, sucka. Because there's Fast Eddy Clark with a dagger of a riff coming straight for your gut, slicing up your entails, and laughing in your face. "No Class", you say? Well, we don't care. Your lame ass 70s Dadrock died right here. Its blood & guts spilt out all over the sun baked pavement. And NO, we ain't got "No Remorse." Because motherfuckin' Motorhead just took the Bad Ass crown of Metal, and those guys weren't evah looking back. No remorse! No class! Let the Extreme Metal wars begin!
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Repo
Mercury
