Top 5 of 1980!!

I'm certainly having a busy spring, putting out all these articles.  There's just so many different bands and albums I want to get to, partially because of all these Top 5 pieces, and I'm enjoying the ride.  However, let's stay on track with this one, which was not easy to decide, let me tell you.  Even for my Anniversary Article, I talked about how good this year was, and in reviewing this year, that feeling has only gotten stronger!

The first, second, and third came together pretty quickly for me, but for fourth and fifth, it was a struggle.  With Rush, Journey, Ozzy, and Saxon all in the mix, providing solid albums, I had to do a lot of relistening to decide who would make it and who wouldn't!  However, the biggest heartache has to go to Def Leppard's debut album.  So many good, clever songs with catchy leads and choruses, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to squeeze into a very packed Top 5.  So what made it?  Keep reading!

5. Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell

I remember when I first reviewed this album, I was impressed.  Dio's time with Black Sabbath was pretty unique, blending the iconic singer's flair for the dramatic with Tony Iommi's massive riffing, making for a very memorable album.  Listening to it again, there were all these little moments that really elevate this album beyond the ones that didn't make the cut.  It's just those last few songs that keep it from getting even higher.

4. Judas Priest - British Steel

When I first listened to this album, I was actually not that impressed.  Sure, the two big singles were great, but I felt that the rest of the album was just okay.  Going back to it now for this article, I have no idea what I was thinking.  This is front-to-back solid, classic Priest to a T, with plenty of great, catchy songs and riffs.  

3. AC/DC - Back in Black

Of course this album is up here.  You know it's great, so I won't bother with the details.  As tragic as the passing of Bon Scott was, you can't deny that the band bounced back well.  We all still hear most (if not all) of these songs on the radio, and for good reason.  Catchy, memorable, hard-hitting, no-frills rock and roll by musicians who have mastered their craft.

2. The Alan Parsons Project - The Turn of a Friendly Card

So here's where the nostalgia kicks in.  I've mentioned before that I grew up on this band, so they were going to rank high, no matter what.  Here, we have them focusing on the themes of gambling and its consequences, while still giving a very solid set of catchy songs that have been ingrained into my DNA.  The basslines in particular are strong, and the album never seems to lose its luster after these years, thanks to the brilliant production of Parsons himself.  The only reason it isn't number 1 is because my favorite band also put an album.

1. Yes - Drama

Drama is certainly an odd album, considering the circumstances.  Bringing the Buggles on board certainly changed up their sound, bringing new wave sensibilities to their classic prog style.  The result is a very crisp album with some fresh new synths from Geoff Downes, and a mind-blowing rhythm performance from Alan White and Chris Squire.  The album wasn't a hit at first, but over the years, Yes fans have come to accept this dark horse in the catalog, and frankly, it's one of my favorites.  I promise Yes won't always come out on top with these lists, but when they release albums like this, I can't help myself!

Retro Reviews - April 2025 Part Two!!

I thought about changing things up with a different article, but I was just such in a mood for more classic releases that I figured I'd just write up another one!  I've also realized that there are a lot of albums from 1985 that I want to talk about, so getting a head start on those seemed like a good idea.  Get out some patches for your denim jacket, because it's time for some classic metal!!

Manilla Road - Invasion

It's hard to talk about the US power metal scene of the 80s without bringing up this band.  Between these guys, Omen, Riot, and Manowar, they created a style that may not have been the biggest during the decade, but certainly cemented a legacy that would inspire others around the world.  However, when Manilla Road got started, they were much more in the vein of heavy space rock.

My immediate thoughts is that this is like a blend of southern-friend rock with some early Rush.  I admit Mark Shelton's gruff vocals help lend the band that southern sound, but it works for the kind of stuff they're doing.  Much of the riffing is on the noodly side, making me think of Alex Lifeson in particular, but the songs focus on jams more than organized sections or transitions.  Scott Park's bass in particular has a tendency to drone on a rhythm or groove, letting Shelton go nuts on guitar, and the atmosphere they create is not bad.  The production can be a bit rough, making the band sound muted at times, but otherwise, this album coasts along pretty well, as I was banging my head through most of it.

While it isn't quite metal, the album does have a lot of good energy, especially on "Cat and Mouse," but there are times where the spacy-ness gets a little carried away, like on "Far Side of the Sun."  Meanwhile, "Centurian War Games" goes completely acoustic with a folky vibe, like something Uriah Heep would record in the early 70s, and "The Empire" is a thirteen-minute closer that goes back and forth between energetic rock and spacy interludes.  It's a rough album, but they clearly had big ideas from the start, so I can see this setting the foundation for the epicness to come.

Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law

Not just content with releasing one great metal album in 1980, these Brits went back to the studio to push out another.  While the first one definitely had a lot of Motörhead influence, with Strong Arm of the Law, they leaned into a bluesier style, making them sound much more like AC/DC.  Still, this is some pretty solid rockin' stuff as Saxon settles into their style more.

The same lineup provides much of the same charm, with Oliver and Quinn providing some chunky riffs and even trading solos at times.  Gill and Dawson remain a decent rhythm section, though I don't know if they're as dynamic this time around.  However, Biff Byford remains a timeless singer, ringing out those notes with style (though I do wish he was a tad louder in the mix).  

"Heavy Metal Thunder" is an immediate standout, and it's followed by "To Hell and Back Again," which keeps things moving forward.  Singing about the plane-flying thrill of "20,000 Feet" adds a bit more aggression on the album.  The rest of the tracks aren't bad, but lack maybe a bit of the punch that Wheels of Steel had, which makes this a bit of a let down.  Overall, it's a decent chunk of classic metal, showing how vibrant the NWOBHM scene had become.

Warlock - Hellbound

Let's start my 1985 pile of reviews with a legend.  Doro Pesch has been the Metal Queen since the 80s (despite what Lee Aaron might claim), and she started with a band called Warlock.  I've listened to their first album Burning the Witches, and it was alright.  The songwriting was a little rough, and the lyrics were pretty cliched, but they played with good energy, and Doro's voice was immediately iconic.  (For what it's worth, I've also listened to Doro's Fear No Evil, which was pretty fun, but otherwise I'm pretty new to this singer's history.)  As for Warlock's second outing, the production gets a very nice boost in quality, but the songwriting remains clunky and filled with 80s metal clichés (which isn't a bad thing). 

Right off, the album starts with a big chord, a cheering crowd, then into some fierce, speedy chugging for "Hellbound."  It's a great, high energy start to the album, and the later track "Time to Die" right there with it.  But the rest of the songs tend to settle into a typical, mid-tempo style.  There's nothing wrong with that, but it gives the album a bit of an identity crisis, as if they couldn't decide to be an 80s glam metal or more of a speed metal band like Running Wild.  "Earthshaker Rock" in particular shifts back and forth between these two styles rather awkwardly, though it ends in a nice speedfest.  For what it's worth, the band is playing their hearts out, full of energetic playing and Doro's soaring voice.

There really is a lot to like on here.  If you don't mind some messy songwriting, it's easy to get lost in the thrill and passion of what they're playing.  I liked the opener "Hellbound," and I thought "Out of Control" had some interesting glam metal storytelling.  The vocal harmonies on "Time to Die" also stood out to me as something pretty cool.  Overall, it's a fun album, but I don't know if it will find its way into my upcoming Top 5 list.

Accept - Metal Heart

Yup, I'm still making my way through this discography as well.  After the breakout success of Balls to the Wall, the band decided to lean in more of a pop metal style for their follow up in order to keep a good thing going.  While they retain much of their iconic sound, the songs do suffer a little in the songwriting department.

As for the lineup, Herman Frank steps out, so the band brings back Jörg Fischer, who sticks around for a good while after.  Nevertheless, some of the songs are business as usual, such as the title track, "Up to the Limit" and "Dogs on Leads."  However, they really lean into a more MTV-savvy, glam metal style for many of the other tracks, with some mixed results.  "Midnight Mover" and "Living for Tonite" aren't bad, as they are, but "Screaming for a Love-Bite" and "Too High to Get It Right" are filler and don't leave much of an impression.  The band then gets a bit jazzy with "Teach Us to Survive."  There's some interesting drumming and a neat swing groove, both otherwise, the track does the album no favors.  Fortunately, things end well enough with "Bound to Fail," with it's triumphant riffing and doomed lyrics.

I can definitely imagine fans feeling a little betrayed with this one, as their previous few had been some pretty solid heavy metal without compromise.  Still, there were certainly worse records to have come out at this time as the glam took over the decade.  As for Accept, perhaps it's just a victim of its circumstances, but this is definitely a step down, despite that excellent, classically-inspired title track.

Retro Reviews - April 2025!

Well, I hope your Spring has been more stable than mine.  I've already had both snow and hail!  In the mean time, I'm still working through some classic releases, partially to check out some albums for my Top 5 articles.  Here's what I've been jamming lately!

Druid - Toward the Sun

I was in some prog rock community when I saw someone mention this band and how Yes-like they were.  Curious, I figured I'd put it on my list of bands to check out, and now that I'm doing these Top 5 lists, I thought I'd listen to their debut from 1975.  While this band didn't last long, they certainly have the pieces of something interesting, though it's much softer than I was expecting.

I want to say that there's a big Canterbury Scene vibe, as this is largely a very mellow album, similar to some of Yes's softer songs, like "To Be Over."  The rhythm section is solid and jazzy, with bassist Neil Brewer throwing in a few Squire-like melodies.  Andrew McCrorie-Shand puts in a ton of work with his Mellotrons, so if you like that sound, it's here in spades.  However, the vocalist, who simply goes by "Dane," seems to be trying a little too hard to sound like Jon Anderson, stretching his falsetto just a tad too far here and there.  Otherwise, they sound pretty cohesive as a unit, with plenty of nice, pastoral melodies.

That being said, I do wish there was just a bit more rock energy on the album.  There are a few uptempo moments, but it's pretty clear they're more interested in creating atmosphere and space.  Perhaps it's because they're not as technical as Yes, so instead of impressive musicality, we get a handful of songs that just drift along.  I did end up liking the two longer songs at the end the most, "Dawn of Evening" and "Shangri-La," with their expressive dynamics and transitions.  Maybe this will grow on me with more listens, but for now, it's mainly a decent album.

Saxon - Wheels of Steel

Shifting ahead five years, this is the first of two albums this legendary NWOBHM band put out this year (I'll get to the other one soon enough).  While their self-titled debut had some decent ideas, the band clearly hadn't matured into their sound quite yet, mainly being 70s hard rock.  Just a year later, and already I'm hearing more of Saxon's iconic blend of rock and metal.

Things kick off with the uptempo "Motorcycle Man," feeling like they took a few cues from Motörhead, who I learned they were touring with at this time.  "See the Light Shining," "Machine Gun," and "Street Fighting Gang" all have a similar style, and keep the album moving forward.  Meanwhile, their other car-driven speedster "Freeway Mad" made me think of Deep Purple, and "Stand Up and Be Counted" had some nice Thin-Lizzy style guitar harmonies as well as a good, catchy chorus.  I will admit that "747 (Strangers in the Night)" and the title track dragged a little, and "Suzie Hold On" was oddly sentimental, but they were still fine.

Already, I hear the improvement, as the songs are tighter and stronger than the first album.  Biff remains an iconic singer, with Paul Quinn and Graham Oliver really uniting as a guitar duo on this album.  Meanwhile, the rhythm section of Pete Gill and Steve Dawson maintain good energy throughout, ensuring that the album never really loses its steam.  Overall, I liked a lot of this one, as it feels like the band is definitely in their groove at this point.

Motörhead - Ace of Spades

Speaking of which, this legendary band would release their best known album in 1980 as well!  I reviewed Bomber last year, and I thought it was fine, if a bit sluggish.  I know that On Parole came out between these two, but it seems to be largely ignored by the band, so I'll just move ahead to this one.  While it may seem like business as usual for this band, I find this album is more consistent in quality than their earlier ones.

The album kicks off with the title track and probably their most iconic song.  I remember first hearing it as the intro music to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (which probably dates me quite a bit!), and its infectious energy makes it absolutely timeless.  The rest of the album is some pretty typical rocking from the trio, with lots of chunky, straight-ahead riffs and Lemmy's iconic crooning.  Other than the title track, the stand-outs for me were "Live to Win," "Fire, Fire," and "The Hammer," but overall I can see why this album is their most successful.  While it's not perfect (as the lyrics do get pretty sleazy at times), it has a lot of drive and power, making it very influential on a lot of other bands and a landmark album in heavy metal history.

Iron Savior - Dark Assault

In between all the classic rock I've been listening to, I figured I'd break things up with catching up on Iron Savior's discography.  The next album in my journey ends up being the last with Kai Hansen, so his influence seems particularly prominent, as many of the songs definitely have a Gamma Ray feel to me.  Still, this is same solid, chunky power metal that I've come to love and expect from these Germans.

While not all the songs stick to the Iron Savior story, they do tell the tale of a new threat called the Shadow, causing the Earthlings and Atlanteans to work together to face them, even if it means taking a suicide mission to close the gate they came from.  In the meantime, the titular super computer star ship works out its philosophical crisis and comes back to help humanity fight them off.  Certainly an epic sci-fi tale worthy of some melodramatic power metal.

The album starts off a little odd, as the opening track "Never Say Die" starts with a muted tone, but things kick into gear soon enough.  The energy continues with highlights like "Seek and Destroy," "I've Been to Hell," "Predators," and "Firing the Guns," the last of which features some laser-heavy special effects.  I will say it does get a little cheesy towards the end, with "Back into the Light" making me think of Queen's theatrics, and "After the War" is a power ballad, leaning pretty hard on some synthesized strings.  Then they have a few decent covers to wrap things up (at least on the Japanese version).  While Hansen's Gamma Ray style is very prominent, I can also hear the band slowly developing their own sound, and the album brings the story to a solid close, at least as a trilogy.  Of course, things may change with the next album, which I'm looking forward to.  While I don't know if I love this one like I do their most recent albums, but I'm definitely enjoying the origins of this band and their storytelling.

April Fools! Weird Al Rocks the 90s!

Well, I had planned to do this article last year, following up from my first one, but totally dropped the ball as the concept slipped my mind entirely.  Better late than never, in any case.  Picking up with his soundtrack to UHF, we'll be mostly focusing on his 90s albums.  Rock music wasn't as much of a focus for him during this decade, as pop music drifted around a lot of genres by then.  Still, there's plenty of curious rock songs through the years that still put a smile on my face.

After his second Michael Jackson parody was a big success, Weird Al turned to making a movie in an attempt to parody film and television.  While it flopped in the box office, it's become a cult classic, and honestly is a pretty good representation of his style of humor.  Certainly a fun film, at the very least.  However, the official soundtrack was more like one of his typical albums, only featuring a few songs from the movie, as well as some of the kooky commercials as little audio skits.

When it comes to rock music, the title track is a solid stand out.  Rather than be a parody of anything specific, it's just a fun rock song with a very catchy riff.  It's probably my favorite song on the album. They also take the opportunity to write another goofy sci-fi film song with "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet Near Mars" and the polka medley this time is a collection of Rolling Stones songs.  "Generic Blues" ends up being a fun dose of dark humor, making a big deal about minor annoyances, but supposedly, B.B. King said it was one of the best blues songs he'd heard.  However, the highest profile rock song is a curious parody of Dire Straits, taking their big MTV hit and replacing the lyrics with those of the Beverly Hillbillies theme song.  While it fits well with the themes of his movie, the song isn't one of his better efforts, in my opinion.

The failure of his movie left Weird Al scrambling, and when Michael Jackson understandably declined to let him parody his next hit "Black and White," the musical king of comedy felt that perhaps his time was over.  Fortunately, with the arrival of Nirvana and the explosion of grunge, he found his next target, even going so far as to parody the Nevermind cover.  "Smells Like Nirvana" was a massive hit for him, and its easy to see why, making fun of the Cobain's mumbled lyrics while maintaining the apathetic tone of the original.  It's been a staple of his live shows ever since.

As for the rest of the album, there are a few interesting rock songs, all style parodies instead making fun of a given song.  "Trigger Happy" is a curious take on surf rock and guns.  "I Was Only Kidding" is a very sarcastic, heavy song that I think gets close to Megadeth in some ways.  (I think it would be rather fun if Dave Mustaine covered that song in his snarling style!)  "Airline Amy" and "When I Was Your Age" are more typical, but fun, rock songs, and while "You Don't Love Me Anymore" was just a spoof of acoustic ballads in general, the music video ended up being a poke at Extreme's "More Than Words."  The standard polka medley even has some Metallica, Warrant, and Mötley Crüe.  While the Nirvana song dominates the popularity of this album, the rest of the songs prove that Weird Al had plenty of gas in the tank, allowing him to carry on through this decade.

Now that he was in the swing of things again, he didn't hesitate, putting out Alapalooza the following year, the title riffing on the Lollapalooza festival that had just started.  While the main song was more about parodying the Jurassic Park movie with a symphonic pop song from the 60s, there was still plenty of rock to be had.  The shift to alternative rock is certainly felt, with a pair of Red Hot Chili Peppers hits turned into a song about the Flinstones and a style parody of REM called "Frank's 2000" TV." 

However, the big rock songs include a strange parody of Aerosmith's "Living on the Edge" about spoiled food that's now "Living in the Fridge," and a fun style-parody of AC/DC titled "Young, Dumb, and Ugly."  "She Never Told Me She Was a Mime" is another solid rocker, with an amusing premise.  (You think he would have noticed.)  But the best song on the album, in my opinion, is a full polka version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."  Instead of doing a medley songs, Weird Al and his band do the whole song in his bouncy style and getting plenty of work out of his accordion.  Obviously, Queen would have given him permission (as that's how Weird Al does things), but I would like to have been a fly on the wall when the esteemed classic rock band heard the thing the first time.

After a few more years, Weird Al would follow up with Bad Hair Day, featuring one of his most famous (and controversial) parodies with "Amish Paradise," even making fun of Coolio's hair on the cover.  As for the rock stuff, he's followed the trend of the expanding alternative rock scene, including parodies of U2 and Soul Asylum, and even naming his polka medley "The Alternative Polka," covering bands from R.E.M. and Nine Inch Nails to Foo Fighters and Soundgarden.  He also did a style parody of grunge with "Calling In Sick," which ends up being a solid track full of thick guitars and lazy angst.  The album ends with one of his starkest bits of morbid humor with "The Night Santa Went Crazy," a crazier holiday single than "Christmas at Ground Zero."

Beyond that, though, there really isn't much that really fits in with the kind of stuff I cover on my blog.  Still, this is a fun album, and one of his most popular for good reason.

From here, he would only get bigger.  For his next album, he was able to time "The Saga Begins," a song about Star Wars Episode I, in time with that movie's theatrical release.  Parodying "American Pie" by Don McLean and getting the music video up on MTV as the movie was delighting and disappointing audiences around the world, it was a massive success.  However, the rest of the album, while quite good, again doesn't really match my blog very well.  Much of it is either pop, hip-hop, or alternative rock, including The Offspring, Barenaked Ladies, Nine-Inch Nails, and ska bands like Mighty Mighty Bosstones, with the polka medley catching artists such as Smash Mouth, Matchbox Twenty, Third Eye Blind, and Marilyn Manson.  Still, I admit that, because this album came out right when I was starting to become a fan, I listened to this a lot through my high school years.

However, this album is topped off with a kind of modern prog masterpiece in "Albuquerque."  Not necessarily making fun of any particular artist (though Wikipedia lists a few), this is a straight-ahead hard rock number that goes for over 11 minutes, and is a blast to listen to all the way through!  The bizarre topic changes as part of an ongoing adventure may make it a little hard to follow, but it's peak Weird Al comedy with a very catchy chorus.  And yes, he has played it New Mexico.  While this album would be another big success, ensuring his continued relevance, it's hard to say much about it, even as a joke for a rock and metal music blog.

And I know this will only get harder as I continue, but I do want to complete his album discography with one more article.  I have enjoyed going back over his albums, though, picking through to find rock moments to talk about.  Weird Al is a staple of any good musical library, and I won't hear otherwise!