My All Time Fave Albums Pt. 5

I'm starting to realize that I have quite a few albums I would consider as "Desert Island" platters, so this blog is gonna go on for a while :)  I'm going to mix things up a bit today and go with not one, but two albums, and maybe just a bit more obscure.  KISS, Priest, Maiden, Motorhead are all obvious choices for myself (and most hard rockers), so I'm going to go with a couple under the radar picks today.

First up, New York's own: The legendary Riot.  First thing people say to me, unless they are actually familiar with Riot, is "You mean Quiet Riot". No, I mean R, I, O, T. All of the early stuff is pure gold, even the couple they did with Rhett Forrester are pretty awesome, but every self deserving metalhead needs a copy of their 1981 classic, Fire Down Under.

Words cannot describe how I feel about this record.  It is one of the greatest American hard rock records of all time.  I didn't discover it until much later after it's release (I remember thinking Riot's album covers looked dumb), anyway never judge a book but it's cover.  The power and ferocity of this album is what hits me most.  Sort of a punk energy with NWOBHM sensibilities.  Great songs, great guitar work, and excellent vocals by the late Guy Speranza.  The first two albums, Rock City and Narita are brilliant in their own right, but it all comes together on Fire Down Under.

The record opens with the stomper, Swords and Tequila, grabs on and doesn't let go.  The title track and Outlaw are two of my faves. Altar Of The King and No Lies from the 2nd side show some variation, and the talent that lies within. Truly, there is not a bad tune on the album.

For an album I discovered probably 7 years after it's release, it has been on my fave list since, and I have become a big fan of the stuff up to Born In America.

The name Riot has carried on with guitarist Mark Reale being the only original member.  They continue to play shows and keep the faith.  In 1981, they stood on top of the mountain. Thank you Riot for producing some of the most legendary music ever to come out of the US.

Next up, I'm I'm gonna cross the pond ,and yap about Japan's greatest metal export, Loudness, and their 1985 classic Thunder In The East.  TITE was really Loudness' introduction to North America.  They had already released 4 albums in their homeland, all sung in Japanese and available only as imports to the rest of the world.  I've since discovered these albums and have all become an important part of my collection, as well as KICKING MY ASS!  1985 brought the monster that is Thunder In The East.  First off, If you're a guitarist, you are probably (or should be!) familiar with the stylings of Akira Takasaki.  One of the greatest players of all time, and really doesn't get the credit he deserves on this side of the pond.

There was a group of us in high school who got into Loudness big time because of this album.  I have tons of memories of blasting tunes like Heavy Chains, Like Hell, and the fantastic single, Crazy Nights.  I still listen to this record on a regular basis (I am doing so right now).

The album was produced by Max Norman, who at the time was THE producer for metal.  He did a ton of stuff in the 80's including Ozzy, Coney Hatch, Grim Reaper, Lizzy Borden and Megadeth.  His stamp is all over this record with the killer guitar tones, and attention to a crisp and clean recording.  Outside of Takasaki's playing, Minoru Niihara's vocals are definitely a highlight.  One of the most underrated metal vocalists ever.  So yeah, you could say I like Loudness alot.  If you have never checked out any of their earlier stuff, hunt down a copy of the live album, Live - Loud - Alive from '83.  In the meantime check out some live stuff from my fave album.  Hebi-metaru!!

My All Time Fave Albums Pt.4

I realized with this blog I've been leaning towards the albums that turned me on to Metal.  The music that came from the early 80's in the world of hard rock was truly a golden era, and probably the best era for music ever. I'm going to continue with that theme for a while and keep picking the albums that really shaped my musical tastes.  Some you'll know, some a little obscure, but they are all great...Trust me.

There are not too many albums I have spun more that this one. I grew up a huge fan of KISS, and always loved a band with a cool image to go along with the music.One look at the inner gatefold of this record, and I was hooked.  Makeup, heels, blood, fire...it was KISS on 10. Motley Crue's 1983 Shout At The Devil, is one of my all time faves to this day.

I don't remember if I had heard their debut at this point, but this record turned me into a big fan of the band.  When I was in Grade 9, my brother and two friends did a fantastic airband for a parents luncheon at school.  Needless to say there were a few looks when we came out with our makeup, plywood guitars, some of our mothers clothing (!) and a backdrop complete with pentagrams.  We did Looks That Kill, and that continues to be my fave tune on the album.  The photo to the right was pasted in my locker for the whole year.  As far as I was concerned (and still am to an extent) this is what a band should look like.  Awesome photo.

About the music...

Well, in my mind there is not really a weak moment on the album. Side 1 may be the best recorded  side in the bands history: In The Beginning/Shout At The Devil, Looks That Kill, Bastard, God Bless The Children Of The Beast(Mick's guitar piece that is strangely reminicent of Brian May's guitar double tracking), and the Beatle's cover Helter Skelter.  Side 2 kicks off with the ultra quick Red Hot (still trying to get the drums right on this one), Too Toung To Fall In Love, Knock 'em Dead Kid (one of their best tracks ever), Ten Seconds To Love, and the closer, Danger.

Motley stayed true to their Glam roots, but also showed their metal influences on this one. This record pretty much opened the floodgates for all of the L.A. bands that were to be signed in the next few years. This is Motley Crue at their best, they never did anything as good as this again, IMO. I like most of their catalog, and I've seen them live many times over the years, but in 1983/1984 they were at the top of their game.  Here is a link to their performance at the US Festival in '83, before the record was released. Shout At The Devil!! 

Thanks for listening to me go on, I'll be back soon with some more classics and memories!

My All Time Fave Albums Pt. 3

I'm going out on limb a bit with this one, because sometimes the albums that I personally like the best are not necessarily considered their best work. Case in point: Judas Priest's 1981 record, Point Of Entry.

This album, along with the compilation The Best Of Judas Priest, was my introduction to Priest, and the beginning of being a serious JP fan.  POE gets alot of flak for being a little more commercial, a little more geared towards American audiences and not being as heavy as the albums preceding it. And I get that. This is a record that was the follow up to the masterful British Steel.  Not to mention their incredible output from the 70's, with albums like Stained Class, Sad Wings, and Hell Bent for Leather. However, this is a JP album I love, and I'm sharing the love :)

 So I'm a little nostalgic when it comes to Point Of Entry, but IMOHO this record contains 4 of Priest's best tunes:  The cool rocker; Heading Out On They Highway, the rifftastic; Hot Rockin', and two of the coolest tunes ever in Desert Plains and Solar Angels (which opened every show on the 1981 tour).  Similar to how Rush bridged two points in their career with Permanent Waves, this was the bridge between the heavy hard rock of their 70's work, with the full on Metal assault that was to come following this album.

I am a huge fan of JP, and could have picked just about any of their albums as a fave, but this is the one that brings back the memories.  These guys (along with Maiden, Scorpions and AC/DC) were my stepping stone into the world of Heavy Metal, a love affair that continues to this day.  So sit back and enjoy a brilliant track from this album, brought to you by Messrs Halford, Downing, Tipton, Hill and Holland.  I'll be back with more of my faves next time! Cheers!

My All Time Fave Albums Pt.2

Hello Chicago! Will you please welcome from England...U...F...O...!!  And so it begins, one of the greatest live albums off all time, by one of the most underrated bands in rock history.  UFO's 1979 classic live opus, Strangers In The Night.

I remember getting this 8 track from a friend in Junior High School.  I knew them from the track Only You Can Rock Me ,which I had on some cheesy K-Tel compilation.  I played it to death on an old console stereo.  I'm glad my buddy gave me the 8 Track because they have been one of my fave bands ever since.

A live document that has stood the test of time, SITN is a shining example of live albums should sound, and how a band that is brilliant in the studio can be absolutely on fire in a live setting.  If you are unfamiliar with this record, stop what you are doing and get a copy NOW.

As with all of the records that are most important to me, you never tire of them, and often discover little things every time you spin them.  This record is a showcase for some of UFO's best tracks at the time, and for the guitar wizardry of Michael Schenker.  Schenker left the band apparently during the mixing of this record, so there are no overdubs in regards to his playing.  You can talk about Page, Clapton, Beck all you want, but Michael Schenker's playing is truly moving and one of the reasons UFO are one of the best acts of all time.  Throw in the classic voice of Phil Mogg and the bass boogie of Pete Way, and you have a masterpiece.

The tracklist of this album never lets up, and is just one great tune after another.  From the opening riff of Natural Thing, through Love To Love, to Lights Out, and finishing off with the crowd pleaser, Shoot Shoot, this album will always be special to me and a reminder of how great UFO were (are).

I purchased the remaster of this album a few years back, and they have added some bonus tracks and changed up the tracking order (so that it matched the set that would actually be played at the time).  Sonically it's brilliant, but hunt down the original if you can find it (when they kick off with Natural Thing, it's goosebumps everytime).

For me, UFO did not make a bad record between 1974's Phenomenon and 1983's Making Contact.  They are one of my fave bands, and I'll listen to them until forever.  SITN is a good place to start for those unfamiliar with the bands stuff.  You'll thank me later. Long Live UFO!

My All Time Fave Albums Pt.1

To kick off my blog, I've decided I'm gonna talk about my fave albums.  These are the albums that have changed my life musically, and in a lot of ways emotionally  This is my religion.  Those albums that you never tire of, and could listen to at any time. The ones that take you to a time and place that you never forget.  Most of the records come from my fave artists of all time as well, and eventually I'll tackle that and share with you too.

So to start off, I'm going with Rush's 1980 masterpiece Permanent Waves.

The very first album by any artist to be released in the 80's (release date: Jan 1,1980), Permanent Waves is an album for me that encompasses all that is brilliant about my fave band.  It is the bridge between the classic prog style of albums such as A Farewell To Kings and Hemishperes, to the more modern approach they would adopt on such devastating albums as Moving Pictures and Signals.  This album has the perfect combination of  hard rock singles (The Spirit Of Radio, Freewill), deep tracks (Entre Nous, Different Strings) and amazing epics (Jacobs Ladder, Natual Science).

This album was not my introduction to Rush, (that title goes to a battered old  vinyl copy of All The Worlds A Stage), but to this day remains a constant in my listening rotation.

I was 11 years old and was already into bands such as KISS (still a fave), Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, and Queen.  I loved my live Rush album, so I put together enough cash to buy PW.  A life changing moment.  These guys had the power of KISS, the eclectic variety of Queen, with musicianship I was not familiar with.  I have vivid memories of pouring over the lyrics and liner notes on hot summer days, with the album blasting out of my little portable record player.  I had no idea what most of the lyrics were about, but there was something there ,and it has stuck with me to this day...except I understand what the lyrics mean now...

My favorite tracks have varied a bit over the years.  I never tire of The Spirit Of Radio or Freewill (which has Alex's best solo ever IMO). Entre Nous has always been near the top, so brilliant!  As I've gotten older the one that floors me every time is Jacobs Ladder.  So much atmosphere and mood, a great and heavy track.  A showstopper live.

I was too young to have gone to the tour when it passed through my neck of the woods in March of 1980, and is a show I always wish I could have seen.

Oh well, there's always the boots.

;)

Thanks for reading, I'll be back with more awesome albums and random thoughts!

Cheers!