I know most people who are into music like I am (especially metalheads) have a number of albums that they would point to that shaped their listening habits today. My focus of this blog post is to recall the albums that got me into metal and it's sub genres.
KISS - Alive II (Back in 1980 my mom used to babysit some kids at our house. One day they brought this over on two cassettes and let me borrow it for a while. I remember not listening to the live portions. I was only interested in the studio tracks at the end. Those studio songs are still some of my favorite KISS songs to this day. This album was a small stepping stone for me. I wasn't quite ready for hard rock just yet. It took another three years for that to happen.)
Quiet Riot - Metal Health (This was THE album that got me into metal. In late 83 and 84 I would listen to this endlessly. I loved it and wanted more. I can still listen to Metal Health and get all nostalgic. Saw em live once. RIP Kevin Dubrow.)
Motley Crue - Shout At The Devil (My mom actually bought this for me on vinyl for Easter because I asked for it. Motley Crue quickly became my favorite band. I practically wore the grooves out on this album. Besides most of the Overkill albums there probably isn't an album I've listened to more than Shout At The Devil.)
Ratt - Out Of The Cellar (Yet another huge album from the early/mid 80's. This one got heavy rotation in my cassette deck in 1984. I've even seen Ratt live three times. Lack Of Communication is still one of my all time favorite songs. It rocks! RIP Robbin Crosby.)
Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry (I played the holy hell out of this cassette. During the summer of 1984 I probably watched the We're Not Gonna Take It video 500 times. It never got boring to me.)
Dokken - Tooth & Nail (This to me is a perfect hard rock/metal album. There isn't a weak song on this album imo. I still listen to this album, and all the albums I'm mentioning for that matter. Saw them live once.)
Def Leppard - Pyromania (There are so many great classics on Pyromania. Then of course things went to hell when they released Hysteria which to me is mostly terrible minus a couple of songs. Talk about watered down pop metal. Blah!!)
Tesla - Mechanical Resonance (This is another album that to me is flawless. It's just a great rockin' album full of good memorable songs. Saw them live once.)
Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengeance (Perfection. This is one of the greatest metal albums ever created and easily my favorite Priest album. Electric Eye is Metal personified. I've seen Priest live three times.)
Iron Maiden - Powerslave (I bought this on cassette in 1984 when I was 12 years old with birthday money. I couldn't get enough of 2 Minutes To Midnight. What a great song. What a great band. What a great album. Saw Maiden live once.)
W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P. (Great debut album that they never matched in my opinion. Talk about an album that appealed to angst filled teens and pre-teens.)
Grim Reaper - See You In Hell (I first saw the video for the title track on Mtv late at night and was blown away. Hey I was only 12 so give me a break. Great album though.)
Metallica - Master Of Puppets (I heard the title track on one of our local rock stations and went to the mall that day and bought this on cassette. From 1986 until 1988 Metallica was my favorite band. Then a mighty metal band changed all of that for me.)
OVERKILL - UNDER THE INFLUENCE (Thanks to an ex friend of mine I'm a huge Overkill fan. From the moment SHRED blared from the speakers I was in awe. I was fucking blown away. This album will always have a special play in my heart. It's THE album that made Overkill my favorite band. They still are obviously. I've seen Overkill 14 times live and have met and talked with the band several times and have various things autographed.)
OVERKILL - THE YEARS OF DECAY (This remains my favorite album of all time. This was also the album they were touring for when I first saw them live in December of 1989 with Wolfsbane and Dark Angel opening in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Exodus - Fabulous Disaster (I've seen people in metal circles rag on this one, but those people suck because this is a solid Bay Area Thrash album from start to finish.)
Sacred Reich - The American Way (It actually started with the Surf Nicaragua ep, but that's not a full album. I love the guitar solo on the title track. This is a fine album.)
Part two coming soon....
1 comment:
Dude, you just threw me head first into the land of nostalgia. I got into Rock due to RATT Out of the Cellar. That was such an awesome album. It was followed by many of what you already posted. Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, Cinderella. So many great rock albums.
If it had not been for those bands, I would never have enjoyed other great bands like Ozzy, Poison, Warrant, Firehouse, Skid Row, Guns n Roses, etc.
The good old days of Hair bands. You gotta love it and I feel sorry for anyone who missed those days.
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