My Fave Albums Of All Time Pt.18

Well, it's been awhile... I didn't mean to go for so long without posting, but I have been pretty busy and have not been inspired enough to write anything, so now I'm back.  I'll try to be more regular with my posts.  I did get some feedback from friends telling me it's time to do some more, so here we go.  This album is a blast from the past, and was a fave in High School in our little circle of metalheads...this one is for you, Steve.

 A band you don't hear too much of outside of hard rock circles, they have a string of brilliant records that all started with the debut from 1984, W.A.S.P.

In 1984, metal was truly at it's commercial peak, and Los Angeles was a hotbed for new acts being signed to major labels. W.A.S.P. had been going for a few years, and had already built a reputation for their live shows (we'll get to that in a bit). As I've mentioned before, I always loved a band with an image, and here was a band that had elements of KISS, Alice Cooper and early Motley, with a touch of horror...but they also had the songs, and that is why I love this record.  I remember picking up the cassette of this, and their first 12 inch single, Animal (F#@k Like A Beast) at WEM in the fall of 1984.

One of the things that set W.A.S.P. apart for me, other than the visual aspect, was lead vocalist Blackie Lawless.  That voice, or maybe a roar if you will, was the soundtrack to many Friday nights.

The album is full of  great hard rock, and contains two of their most famous songs in I Wanna Be Somebody and L.O.V.E. Machine.  But it's the deep tracks such as my fave, The Flame, and full out crusher, Hellion, that really light up this album.  Add to that, the infamous stage show that included a torture rack, fire and smoke, and throwing raw meat into the audience, and you have a recipe for controversy and album sales. And we all loved it.

The debut record will always be my fave, but the band did go on to do a string of great albums including the follow up, The Last Command, as well as Inside The Electric Circus, The Headless Children and The Crimson Idol, all of which I highly recommend.  Here is a video of some classic W.A.S.P.  I'll be back sooner than later with another great record from my (and probably your) past. Horns Up!