Anniversary Series - 1984!

I have to tell you that this is probably one of my favorite years.  So many good albums came out this year that it will be tough to condense it down into one article, but I've tried.  Metal is really growing, not only with the popularity with the pop stuff, but thrash also slowly building in the background.  Meanwhile, rock music was taking a bit of a backseat, but there were still some very good releases this year.

Things start off massive with Van Halen's 1984, dominating the charts with songs like "Panama," "Jump," and "I'll Wait."  It may have startled some fans with the synth riffs, but the songs won pretty much everyone over.  And right after that, Judas Priest shows up with Defenders of the Faith, a solid follow up to the massive Screaming For Vengeance.  Other big albums at the start of the year include Whitesnake's Slide It In, Saxon's Crusader, Europe's Wings of Tomorrow, and Scorpions' Love at First Sting, with the titanic hits "Rock You Like a Hurricane," and "Big City Nights."

This year would also feature a lot of debut albums, with some albums being better than others.  Bon Jovi's self-titled debut only shows hints of their future successes, Grave Digger's Heavy Metal Breakdown barely holds together, and even celebrated thrashers Anthrax started with the uneven Fistful of Metal.  However, the good debuts include Lee Aaron's Metal Queen, Savatage's The Dungeons Are Calling, Queensrÿche's The Warning, Autograph's Sign in Please, and Ratt's Out of the Cellar, blowing up radios with their big hit "Round and Round."  The rest of that album is quite good, too.

Metal continues to evolve as the year goes on.  We have some early efforts in doom metal with Trouble's Pslam 9, and Saint Vitus' debut, ensuring that Sabbath-y slow, ominous riffs wouldn't go out of style.  Cirith Ungol would have their own take on epicness with King of the Dead.  Yngwie J. Malmsteen, after trying to make it with Steeler and Alcatrazz, introduces the world to neo-classical metal with Rising Force.  Of course, the big winner is thrash metal, featuring two massive albums: Metal Church's self-titled debut, and Metallica's Ride the Lightning.  Both are excellent examples of blending melody with aggression, making them some of my favorites.

Metal would continue to dominate the year as it goes on.  Twisted Sister told us "We're Not Gonna Take It" on Stay Hungry, Dio would sing about the Last in Line, and Iron Maiden would cement their metal supremacy with Powerslave, going on a massive world tour.  Manowar would end up releasing two albums this year: Hail to England and Sign of the Hammer.  Towards the end of the year, Dokken put out Tooth and Nail, expanding their sound into their own brand of pop metal.

With all this metal going on, what about rock?  Well, like I said, it was in the background, occasionally popping out with some good songs.  .38 Special started the year with Tour de Force, Queen got experimental with The Works, Rush continued their synth-based sound on Grace Under Pressure, Steve Perry went solo with Street Talk, and Bill Squier showed Signs of Life.  The big story, however, was Deep Purple's Mark II reunion, recording Perfect Strangers, which is an interesting blend of 70s and 80s styles.  

As the year came to a close, there were more big albums.  The Alan Parsons Project would release two this year, Ammonia Avenue and Vulture Culture, which would be their last two efforts to follow the mainstream popularity of Eye in the Sky.  Then, at the very end, Foreigner would come back with Agent Provocateur and the big ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is." While rock may have been fading at the time, it certainly wasn't going out without a fight!

As you can see, this was a massive year.  Be sure to check out the playlist below for more awesome music, and if you think there's still something I may have missed, let me know in the comments below.  I know 1984 is a year I keep coming back to, and maybe when I come around on these Anniversary Articles again, I'll have even more to talk about!  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Anniversary Series - 1979!

Wow, this has been a rough month!  I wanted to get some articles out before now, but I guess life had other plans.  Still, I am determined to do these Anniversary Articles, as they provide a fun summary to write up.  As it turns out, 1979 is a pretty solid year.  Melodic rock was really starting to take off, and we have the early signs of NWOBHM movement.  Let's get into it!

The year starts off strong with a lot of big names.  Scorpions was "Loving You Sunday Morning," Journey gave us some "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," Van Halen wanted to "Dance the Night Away," and Supertramp was having Breakfast in America.  That album was a big one for them, as the title track, "The Logical Song," "Goodbye Stranger," and "Take the Long Way Home" would be big hits for them.

Heavy metal gets some interesting releases this year, featuring the debut albums of both Accept and Saxon, as well as Motorhead's iconic double-bass kicking on Overkill.  Judas Priest released a classic live album with Unleashed in the East, Iron Maiden was working on their Soundhouse Tapes, and Motorhead would return later in the year with Bomber.  While I do think the next year would be where metal really takes off, this year was certainly a sign of things to come.

Meanwhile, the summer really heated up with a lot of massive hits.  The Electric Light Orchestra released "Don't Bring Me Down," Foreigner sang about "Head Games," Rainbow switched out Dio for Graham Bonnet to get Down to Earth, the Eagles went for The Long Run, and AC/DC drove down the Highway to Hell, which is easily the best album they did with Bon Scott.

As the year winded down, some of the high points included Styx's ballad "Babe," Molly Hatchet's "Flirtin' with Disaster," ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses," and .38 Special's "Rockin' Into the Night."  However, the big album that would cap the year off is Pink Floyd's The Wall.  Powered by iconic hits like "Another Brick in the Wall Part Two," "Run Like Hell," and "Comfortably Numb," this psychological rock opera would put Pink Floyd back on top of the world, despite the band falling apart inside.  

That wraps up another year.  Check out the playlist below for more tracks, and let me know in the comments below if you think I've missed something.  I'll certainly do better next month for articles, as I've slowly been pulling some things together.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Anniversary Series - 1978!

It's time for another article to celebrate an iconic year in rock history.  1978 is definitely a dynamic year.  While competing with the explosion of disco (which I actually don't mind, honestly), bands found all kinds of new ways to rock.  Between the growing arena rock scene, the fading prog rock scene, and metal at a pivotal turning point, the year provides all kinds of exciting music!

The year started off with Journey introducing the world to the voice of Steve Perry with Infinity.  Bolstered by the big hits "Lights" and "Wheel in the Sky," the band evolved from their jazz-fusion roots into the rock radio scene with confidence.  Hard rock would continue to dominate the first part of the year, with AC/DC putting out Powerage, Joe Walsh's eclectic "Life's Been Good," and Van Halen's debut "erupting" on the scene, providing the hits "Ain't Talking  'Bout Love" and their cover of "You Really Got Me," and essentially rewriting the electric guitar playbook for at least 10 years.

Moving into the spring, the rock parade continues with The Cars iconic debut album, Dire Straits releasing "Sultans of Swing," and Rainbow proclaiming Long Live Rock 'n' Roll, with "Kill the King" and "Gates of Babylon" continuing to show the strengths of the Dio and Blackmore combination.  However, the biggest album was Foreigner's Double Vision, which had three massive hits in "Hot Blooded," "Blue Morning, Blue Day," and "Double Vision," all of which are classic rock station staples to this day.

Progressive rock would go through quite the transition this year.  Genesis would morph their streamlined sound into something more poppy and accessible, finding success with "Follow You Follow Me."  Yes would also release a stripped down effort with Tormato, strange album art and all.  However, concept albums were not lacking.  The Alan Parsons Project would look to Egypt for ideas with their concept album Pyramid, and Jeff Wayne would unleash his version of The War of the Worlds.  In the midst of all this, Rush put out Hemispheres, being one of the few bands at the time willing to push deeper into their sound.

Heavy metal was also going through changes.  Despite the confident title, Black Sabbath's Never Say Die! sounded like a last, desperate gasp for the genre.  However, Judas Priest carried on unperturbed, as they released two albums within the calendar year.  Stained Glass provided the "Exciter," while Killing Machine inspired metalheads the world over to be "Hell Bent for Leather."  The power of these releases would help to inspire the rebirth that is the New Wave of British Heavy Metal to suddenly pick up in the subsequent years.

Wrapping things up, the rest of the year featured some great, anthemic rockers.  The Who showed their veteran strength by demanding "Who Are You," Toto debuted their self-titled album and asked us to "Hold the Line," Boston followed up their incredible first album with Don't Look Back, and Styx released Pieces of Eight, a solid follow-up to The Grand Illusion.  Featuring big hits like "Blue Collar Man," "Queen of Spades," and the iconic "Renegade," they rocked stadiums and jukeboxes across the country, and continue to do so on classic rock stations around the world along with Foreigner.

With a year of plenty great rock and metal to listen to, this ends up being one of the strongest years I've had to write about.  As always, check out the playlist below for more, and let me know if I've missed anything you think should be mentioned!  Until then, rock on! \m/

Anniversary Series - 1991!

Sorry for the lack of content lately.  At least I was able to put this one together in advance.  It's also fortunate that 1991 is such a big deal in rock music history, providing plenty of material for this anniversary article.  1991 was definitely the end of some eras and the beginnings of others.  It would be hard to think of a year that would come to represent such massive shifts in the rock scene more than this one.  Still, with such change, great music gets made.

Speaking of the end of eras, Queen would experience a pretty major shift.  Releasing Innuendo in February, it would end up being the last record they would record alongside their singer Freddie Mercury before he would pass away later in this year.  Other bands facing the ends of an era would also include Skid Row, as Slave to the Grind would be their last with singer Sebastian Bach, and Europe, whose Strangers in Paradise would be their last album for more than 10 years.

Other bands were coming to a close as well.  Genesis released We Can't Dance, which would end up being their last with Phil Collins (though currently there is talk of another reunion tour, so who knows).  Dire Straits also put out their last album On Every Street, one that I think is very underrated in their catalog.  Rush would also bring a close to their synthesizer-heavy 80s with Roll the Bones, bringing things back to a more streamlined rock sound.

Of course, it was not all doom-and-gloom for rock and metal bands.  Van Halen was still rocking with Sammy Hagar, releasing For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Mr. Big would kickstart their popularity in Japan with the single "To Be With You."  Guns 'n' Roses would finally release their double album Use Your Illusion, Ozzy proved he wasn't slowing down with No More Tears, and Metallica would release their self-titled album, which is still their most popular one to this day.

However, the big change came from the Seattle bands.  While they wouldn't get their big explosion next year, 1991 featured some of their biggest releases.  Not only do you have Pearl Jam's Ten, Temple of the Dog's only album, and Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, but also Nirvana's Nevermind, which would introduce the sound to the rest of nation and turn it into an international phenomenon.  Almost instantly, record labels were dropping anything with an 80s rock sound in favor of this grittier, thicker style.  I don't know if there has ever been such a hard pivot in the rock music  industry before or since.

And that's 1991!  Certainly a year of changes, and the music shows.  A lot of pop metal and melodic rock would fade from popularity, making way for the new alternative rock sound, but good music, nevertheless.  I have a bunch more in the playlist below, and as always, let me know if there's something I've missed!  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Anniversary Series - 1986!

Yup, time for another anniversary article.  1986 is definitely a peculiar year, as rock and metal were evolving in a lot of directions by now.  Still, plenty of great songs and albums came out, so let's take a look.

Starting off, we have Ozzy himself, carrying on his solo career with The Ultimate Sin.  Featuring the big hit "Shot in the Dark" (not to be confused with the Great White album of the same name that also came out this year), it would also be the last Ozzy album to feature the fretwork of Jake E. Lee.  Another big name featuring some lineup changes was Van Halen, giving us 5150 and new singer Sammy Hagar, dividing the fans for many years to come.

However, the big metal shift came with the advent of thrash metal.  After kicking around for a few years, bands starting coming out with monster records that would expand the fanbase as well as metal's diversity of sound.  While I generally don't cover a lot of thrash on this blog, I can't deny the melodic chops of Metallica's Master of Puppets and Megedeth's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying.  These two albums would become thrash classics for the genre, and it's easy to see why.  Proggy elements mixed with fierce riffing and shredding, and some iconic vocal hooks, ensured that these bands meant business.

Of course, pop metal was only getting bigger.  Europe would finally crack the US with their third album The Final Countdown, Poison's debut Look What the Cat Dragged In also did well with the singles "I Want Action" and "Talk Dirty to Me," Ratt followed up their second album Dancing Undercover, Cinderella gave us Night Songs, and Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet would go to #1 thanks to their three massive singles.  Even Judas Priest started to glam it up with Turbo, putting a little color in their classic black leather look.

Metal certainly dominated things by this point of the 80s, but rock was still going strong, in it's own way.  AC/DC found success with the single "Who Made Who," Journey was able to work with Steve Perry's health to release Raised on Radio, Genesis continued their pop success with Invisible Touch, and Queen mixed up their sound even more with A Kind of Magic.  Even Boston was finally able to work out their legal troubles and released Third Stage, featuring the big track "Amanda."

Rock was certainly in a lot of different places by 1986, leading to greater diversification later on, and you can find more of that in the playlist I've provided below.  As always, let me know if I've missed something.  Until then, rock on!  \m/

Last Played - January 2019

I know I've been putting out a lot of articles about new music, I'm still working my way through the backlog of great rock and metal of the past.  Let's turn it up for the January edition of Last Played!

Van Halen - 1984

Can you believe this classic is 35 years old now?  It’s kind of crazy to think what a huge impact this album had back in the day, mostly through some huge hits like “Panama” and the MTV favorite “Hot For Teacher,” as well as Eddie Van Halen’s increased use of synthesizers, most noticeably on “Jump” and “I’ll Wait.”

As for the rest of the album, it’s pretty standard Van Halen: good riffs and good times.  They really had the right combination of heavy guitars and incredible accessibility, and shows what good songwriters they were.  As it would turn out, it was also the last album with David Lee Roth for quite some time, as he decided to go solo.

Caravan - If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You

So one Sunday, I had a pretty big headache and decided I was in the mood for something kind of mellow.  I wanted to give a shot to one of the Canterbury scene prog rock bands, known for their chill brand of jazz-fusion rock.  I ended up choosing this one, and it turned out to be a pretty solid chunk of music.

While I don’t know if there was any particular stand-out to this album (though the “For Richard/Warlock” section was a pretty neat jam), the whole album occupies this groove-laden level of quality all the way through, making it a rather pleasant listen.  There’s also this element of quiet hope, as the band can feel they’re on the edge of a breakthrough in their career.  A pretty neat, jazzy, uplifting little album.

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

A definitely classic, I mostly relistened to this to help me get in the mood for The Big Three Article I wrote earlier.  I personally think this is Pink Floyd’s best album, as it has all the members firing on all cylinders.  The lyrics are thoughtful, the synths grand and textured, and Gilmour’s solos remain powerful and emotive, even all these years later.

The main reason I like this over Dark Side of the Moon, is that while Dark Side is a great album to listen through as a whole, the individual songs are a little more mixed.  Wish You Were Here does both: works as a full album and as individual songs, even with “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” split up.  A beautiful masterpiece of mood and melody.

Kamelot - Siége Perilous

Named after the infamous empty seat at the round table of King Arthur’s court, we have Kamelot’s first album featuring the epic voice of Roy Kahn, and the difference is quite noticeable.  However, many of the progressive elements from the band’s previous albums are still hanging around, making this one an album of transition into the power metal sound they would become known for.

As such, it’s a clunky album.  “Millennium” stands out with its high-speed energy and riffing, while “Rhydin” and “Irea” provide good, epic numbers that foreshadow the band’s output in the 2000s.  Everything else is just okay, but slightly better than the previous two albums.

Europe - Prisoners in Paradise

Still riding the wave from their success from The Final Countdown, we have Europe’s final album before they went on hiatus for the 90s, and just in time, as it would seem.  Released at the dawn of the grunge wave, this album is a last stand of shiny, glossy, anthemic 80s style pop metal right before the style was abandoned by record labels across the world.

So what do we have here?  Mostly, it’s an album of arena-ready rockers, with a bit of a blues-y vibe, wearing their Whitesnake influence on their sleeves for this one.  Not much of it really stands out, but it’s decent while it’s on, with “Seventh Sign” and “Girl From Lebanon” being the closest they come to their classic mid-80s style, and the opener “All or Nothing” kicking things off well.  While they’ve always had a radio-friendly sound, this one feels particularly thin compared to their better known albums.

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Well, that's it for the moment.  Looking ahead to February, I'm seeing a lot of new albums I want to listen to, ranging from the epicness of Dream Theater and Avantasia, to the Herman Frank album I won't shut up about!  I don't know I'll give each one their own article or if I'll end up grouping them together, but I'm pretty excited for what's coming!