Thursday, April 30, 2015

769. Accept / Metal Heart. 1985. 3.5/5

30 years ago Accept came to the party to follow up what had been somewhat of a breakthrough album for them in Balls to the Wall. This was their next release, an album that makes some subtle changes to the makeup, but perhaps somewhat strangely they appear to go in more than one direction.

The producer Dieter Dierks was brought in to do the album, who had been involved with producing the Scorpions albums in the past. It is therefore no real surprise that you can hear that Scorpions influence again seeping into Accept's music, this time not necessarily from following in their fellow Germans footsteps, but in a stylistic way in the recording studio. Not hugely, and not overpoweringly, but there are nuances there to be picked up on. It has been said that there was a push to try and change the sound of this album to a more commercial side of metal, in order to try and crack the American market. If that is the case, I really think it is minimal. They may have changed the songs styles such that the guitars are not such a crunching heavy riffs, but everything else seems to be in order. "Screaming for a Love-Bite" is a song where the case could certainly be made for a change in direction. It sounds like a single, and was subsequently released as the second from the album, after "Midnight Mover". This is looking for a market, trying to hook in people through its repeated chorus line, and while I think the song is OK I think it turns out to be one of the weaker ones on the album. Such is the way generational changes can come across. "Midnight Mover" too does have a softening chorus, looking to be the radio song that it was released as a single for. To me though, it is only the chorus that changes in its style for this purpose, the rest of the song is pure Accept. Maybe I've got it wrong, that there was no intent to make this more commercial friendly. maybe this is just a progression. No matter, both songs are still fine to listen to.
The songs are probably even faster than on Balls to the Wall, which to me makes them more endearing to their heavy metal roots rather than trying to unshackle them. "Up to the Limit" and "Wrong is Right" show this off perfectly, rushing along at speed with squealing guitars and Udo's distinctive vocals. Great songs.
I love how the first time my daughter, who is learning to play the piano, heard "Metal Heart" which kicks off the album, she immediately recognised the theme of "Fur Elise" in the riff and solo of the song. It's a nice insert, and because that tune is so recognisable it draws in the interest of those who may not necessarily be Accept fans, and at least induces them to have a listen.
Some of the songs seem to have choruses that are reminiscent of AC/DC, looking for that anthemic quality so the listener will chant along and be all the more memorable. "Dogs on Leads" is an example of this, and while the song overall is good, sometimes it can just grate a little too much. "Living For Tonite" also possesses that almost-anthemic quality. However, "Bound to Fail" is a great closing track, and leads out with a Queen-like guitar solo to finish the album.

Metal Heart has a lot to like about it. The production is slicker, the songs are strong, the musicianship is top class. I still like this album a lot, and yet there is something that just deprives it of something that - for me at least - doesn't allow it to jump into a higher category in regards to rating. And it may well just be as simple as the fact that, if I had this in my teenage years when it was released, it would probably be a classic to my ears. The fact that I didn't find Accept until much later means their albums don't have that starry eyed love that other albums from that era have for me, because I actually had them at the time and I have grown up with them. That should not stop anyone from taking on this album, because it still holds up wonderfully well today, and is one of the best that Accept has released.

Rating:  Who knows when the new game starts.  3.5/5


Wednesday, April 29, 2015

768. Blitzkrieg / A Time of Changes. 1985. 3.5/5

Back in 1981, Blitzkrieg released a demo with three songs on it - "Blitzkrieg", "Inferno" and "Armageddon". To listen to this at the time, you would have thought that here was a band worth following, and would be looking forward to their debut album with anticipation. Then, the band breaks up and goes their separate ways, and you would have thought what a shame that was, as they really appeared to have something. Four years later, and with a few different members, the band comes together again, and record the album that should have been made four years previously.
And you know? It shows. The production on this album in 1985 is probably a lot better than it would have been had it been recorded back in 1981. But the major problem for this album, and the reformed band, is that by 1985, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was well and truly over, and the real opportunity for this band to make a name for itself had passed. Metal had changed in those four years, to the point that Def Leppard had gone big with their version of hard rock, and Iron Maiden had gone big from their version of melodic heavy metal... and just about every other band of that era had been left behind or disbanded. To bring this album to the public some four years after they should have meant that it was never going to receive the plaudits or following that it deserved to have from those heady days of 1981. Add to this the problem that the new and improved versions of their songs, while still good versions here on this album, couldn't match the original versions that appeared on Demo Tape and Buried Alive / Blitzkrieg and Blitzed Alive!. In retrospect from the modern day looking back on an era that was just slightly before my time as a music lover and headbanger, I can still get the best out of this, but it is obvious that a trick was missed when the four years passed between the prime time for release and the actual time of release.

Opening with the instrumental "Ragnarok", the album moves swiftly into the core of Blitzkrieg's known repertoire with "Inferno" followed by "Blitzkrieg", two fast paced songs driven by the drums and the vocals of Brian Ross. "Pull the Trigger" is actually a song by the band Satan, with whom Ross had gone to sing for when Blitzkrieg broke up. It hadn't appeared on their album, and Ross decided to play it here. It fits in well and becomes a comfortable part of the album. This is followed by the other previously available song "Armageddon", which goes through about three different time changes throughout the song. At one point it sounds like Ross wants to be Rob Halford and the song wants to be Judas Priest. Similarities end very quickly, but it is still one of their best songs here. "Take a Look Around" drops back into a darker metal song not so reliant on Ross' soaring vocals as the guitaring of Jim Sirroto and Mick Proctor. "Hell to Pay", with dubbed live crowd noise ala Dio's "King of Rock and Roll", ups the tempo again, with the fast paced 2/4 timing and anthemic chorus and great guitar solos making this one of the best songs on the album. "Vikings" is followed by the lengthy "A Time of Changes", one that again seems to crush three different songs into one, such is the changes in the flow of the song. I guess the title does somewhat give that away. The album concludes with "Saviour" in a cacophony of crashing drums of squealing guitars.

Taken on its merits and compensating for the fact that it is from a different era, this is a better than average album from a band that had significant talent at the time. Judging it against other fellow NWoBHM alumni, who also followed the path of recording their debut album sometime after the iron had been even slightly warm, I believe this to be on a par with Holocaust's The Nightcomers, but not quite up to Sweet Savage's Killing Time. All three are excellent albums from band's from the era of NWoBHM. It's just that only one of them was actually recorded during a time that could be considered to be within the confines of that era. Blitzkrieg is still active, and has released further albums, but it wasn't for another ten years after this that their next album was released. Probably a lost opportunity.

Rating:  Save us from fate, save us from hate, save ourselves before it's too late.  3.5/5


Tuesday, April 28, 2015

767. Metallica / 1983-03-05: The Stone, San Francisco, CA, USA [Cliff's 1st Show] [Bootleg]. 5/5

The availability of, and ability to track down, bootleg recordings of bands in recent years has increased remarkably with the advent of the internet and other various modes of recording and distributing such albums. Nowadays practically every concert played is recorded by someone, and the sharing becomes more widespread.
There are some real gems that can crop up from days past, ones that still hold up years later, ones that have recorded a piece of history. Some of these pieces of history can also be pieces of crap, depending on the quality of the recording, or the quality of the performance involved. This bootleg has the best of both, which is fortunate, as it marks a big moment in the history of Metallica. The band had just parted ways with original bass guitarist Ron McGovney, and had found a new guy named Cliff Burton to take his place. His first show with the band was on 5th March 1983 at The Stone in San Francisco, and the band had brought in their open air reel-to-reel to record the show. From that came this bootleg.

This really is a superb bootleg. It is raw, and it captures the band in their ultimate rawness. It's interesting to hear the vocals especially. They aren't note-perfect, which to be honest is refreshing given they were yet to release a studio album. You can hear early indications as to why James's voice eventually blew out, even from this point in time. Dave Mustaine takes the lead on the opening tracks "The Mechanix" and "Phantom Lord", both of which he helped to compose, before handing over lead vocal duties to James. The setlist is terrific, and the band doesn't sound all that different from the one that eventually led to the studio. Filling out the set came the band's three favourite cover songs, "Am I Evil" (with Mustaine's guitar cutting in and out during the solo) and "Blitzkrieg", both of which eventually made the B side of the single for Creeping Death, and "The Prince". Here you can also hear for the first time Cliff Burton's bass solo, which on the album was entitled "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth". What an amazing sound he gets out of that bass guitar, and it's just amazing to hear it here for the first time with this band.

This show was just two months before the band entered the studio to record their debut album Kill 'Em All. Everything that ended up on that album appears here in their live setting, except for "Hit the Lights", and of course the re-working and re-naming of "The Mechanix" to become "The Four Horsemen". It was also just one month before the sacking of Dave Mustaine as lead guitarist, and the hiring of Kirk Hammett as his replacement. As such, it is one of the few bootlegs around that has this quartet performing. Have a listen to this, and then pull out Kill 'Em All and notice the differences. Apart from Kirk's solo's, there really isn't that much!

Rating:  Whoever thought she'd be better, at turning a screw than me.  5/5


Listen to the complete show here!

Monday, April 27, 2015

766. Alice Cooper / Welcome to My Nightmare. 1975. 4/5

It's 40 years since Alice Cooper the band was disbanded, and Alice Cooper the singer released his first solo project, one entitled Welcome to My Nightmare. Written as a concept album cum stage show musical, telling the story of Steven and his nightmares, this is full of iconic songs that have become a part of Alice Cooper folklore, and songs that form a part of the story without ever making a mark on their own. As with many concept albums, the danger lies that there will be songs that are seen more as story fillers rather than songs in their own right, and can therefore get in the way of a album gelling together in the best possible way. For the most part, this album avoids that, though not completely.

It opens with the terrific title track "Welcome to My Nightmare", a great creeping beginning which then explodes into action with wonderful menace from Alice. He runs the gamut of expressions and emotions through this first track, setting up the songs that are to follow. "Devil's Food" is followed by a monologue by Vincent Price before flowing into "The Black Widow", another of the top shelf songs on this album.
"Some Folks" is of a different variety than these opening songs, and would probably work a whole lot better without the prevalent horns that tend to dominate at the wrong times. I like the old western piano style through the song, but the horns just seem a trifle too over the top. From here comes the surprising yet brilliant "Only Women Bleed", a song that has now transcended the ages. Alice again perfectly emotes the song through his vocals, finding the exact level of angst to use in the right parts of the song. It is, and has been for forty years, and amazing performance. The youth anthem "Department of Youth" is another success story for Alice. It seems rather superfluous and perhaps ludicrous that whenever this song comes on I still sing along at the top of my voice, along with Alice's spoken words towards the end of the song as it fades away. Yes, my youth has left me a long time ago, but this song still stays close to my heart.
If I was going to be harsh in judgement, the end of the album doesn't quite maintain the excellence of the first two thirds of the album. Sure, they are a part of the story and therefore concept, but they are the songs I would include in those that are there for the album, but don't really hold up individually as well. Songs such as "Years Ago" and "Escape" are those that I especially feel sit in this category. "Steven" holds its own, with Alice again giving an amazing performance here, backed up by excellently written music that helps Alice convey every emotion felt through the lyrics. "The Awakening" would have been a better way to end the album, but "Escape" is what was chosen, and it just doesn't feel right, changing the whole tempo of the conclusion. I can understand why it is this way, to represent the fact that Steven has escaped his nightmares by waking up, and feeling lighter and happier because of it, but it changes the feel of the album by doing so. It's not a huge deal from my perspective, but it has always been something that bugs me a little.

This has been one of my favourite Alice Cooper albums since I first discovered the man/band, and it has four or five songs here that rank up alongside his best. While it may not be perfect, and may not be to everyone's taste, it is the kind of album that everyone should listen to at least once in their lifetime, for the interesting story it tells, and for the magnificent vocal performance from Alice himself.

Rating:  Welcome to my breakdown, I hope I didn't scare you.  4/5


Friday, April 24, 2015

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Click Here for original Webpage (may be non-existent now)

I've always been interested in this list, so when I found it the other day I thought I'd post it here for all to see.
For interest sake, the titles in bold are the ones I own and/or have heard.

Published in 2005 by Cassell Illustrated. Selected & written by 90 leading international critics, general editor Robert Dimery. In chronological order 1955-2005. Year of release only given here, when considered absolutely necessary. Where there were differences in UK & US (or other) releases for artists, such as the Beatles & the Rolling Stones, the original country of release edition can be taken to be the one listed, unless indicated otherwise. (ie: for the Rolling Stones’ Aftermath & The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night, the UK editions are the ones listed). No compilations were allowed, though, the odd one (The Hives’ Your New Favourite Band, for example) did creep in!

›› The 2008 Edition

1950s

o Sinatra, Frank – In the Wee Small Hours
o Presley, Elvis – Elvis Presley (1956)
o Louvin Brothers – Tragic Songs of Life
o Prima, Louis – Wildest
o Domino, Fats – This is Fats
o Ellington, Duke – At Newport (1956)
o Sinatra, Frank – Songs for Swingin’ Lovers!
o Crickets – Chirping…
o Basie, Count – Atomic Mr Basie
o Monk, Thelonious – Brilliant Corners
o Sabú [Martínez] – Palo Congo
o Davis, Miles – Birth of the Cool
o Machito – Kenya
o Little Richard – Here’s…
o Puente, Tito & His Orchestra – Dance Mania (1958)
o Holiday, Billie – Lady in Satin
o Elliott, Jack – Jack Takes the Floor
o Vaughan, Sarah – At Mister Kelly’s
o Fitzgerald, Ella – Sings the Gershwin Song Book
o Charles, Ray – Genius of… (1959)
o Davis, Miles – Kind of Blue
o Robbins, Marty – Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs
o Brubeck, Dave – Time Out

1960s

o Baez, Joan – Joan Baez (1960)
o Presley, Elvis – Elvis is Back!
o Makeba, Miriam – Miriam Makeba (1960)
o Everly Brothers – A Date with the…
o Smith, Jimmy – Back at the Chicken Shack
o Muddy Waters – At Newport
o Evans, Bill – Sunday at the Village Vanguard
o Charles, Ray - Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music
o Booker T & the MGs – Green Onions
o Getz, Stan & Charlie Byrd – Jazz Samba
o Price, Ray – Night Life
o Beatles – With the…
o Dylan, Bob – Freewheelin’…

o Spector, Phil & Various Artists – A Christmas Gift for You
o Cooke, Sam – Live at the Harlem Square
o Mingus, Charles – Black Saint & the Sinner Lady
o Brown, James – Live at the Apollo (1963)
o Getz, Stan & João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto
o Beatles – A Hard Day’s Night
o Brel, Jacques – Olympia 64
o Burke, Solomon – Rock ‘n’ Soul
o Springfield, Dusty - A Girl Called Dusty
o Rolling Stones – Rolling Stones (1st Album)
o Owens, Buck – I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail
o Lewis, Jerry Lee – Live at the Star Club, Hamburg
o Sonics – Here Are the…
o Dylan, Bob – Bringing it All Back Home
o Redding, Otis – Otis Blue… Sings Soul
o Beach Boys – Today!
o Coltrane, John – A Love Supreme
o King, B.B. – Live at the Regal
o Beatles – Rubber Soul
o Jansch, Bert – Bert Jansch (1st Album)
o Byrds, Mr Tambourine Man
o Dylan, Bob – Highway 61 Revisited
o Who – My Generation
o Beatles – Revolver
o Beach Boys – Pet Sounds

o Neil, Fred – Fred Neil (1st Album)
o Byrds – Fifth Dimension
o Dylan, Bob – Blonde on Blonde
o Monks – Black Monk Time
o Kinks – Face to Face
o Mamas & the Papas – If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
o Revere, Paul & the Raiders – Midnight Ride
o Mothers of Invention – Freak Out!
o Rolling Stones – Aftermath
o Simon & Garfunkel – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme
o 13th Floor Elevators – Psychedelic Sounds of the…
o John Mayall’s Blues Breakers – With Eric Clapton
o Yardbirds – Yardbirds [aka Roger the Engineer] (1st Album)
o Simone, Nina – Wild is the Wind
o Gilberto, Astrud – Beach Samba
o Nico – Chelsea Girl
o Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
o Country Joe & the Fish – Electric Music for the Mind & Body
o Buffalo Springfield – Again
o Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Safe as Milk
o Moby Grape – Moby Grape (1st Album)
o Love – Da Capo
o Beau Brummels – Triangle
o Monkees – Headquarters
o Buckley, Tim – Goodbye & Hello
o Love – Forever Changes
o Cream – Disraeli Gears
o Pink Floyd – Piper at the Gates of Dawn
o Who – Sell Out
o Velvet Underground - & Nico
o Sinatra, Frank - Frank Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
o Doors – Doors (1st Album)
o The Byrds - Younger Than Yesterdayo
o Young Rascals – Groovin’
o Jefferson Airplane – Surrealistic Pillow
o Kinks – Something Else by the…
o Donovan – Sunshine Superman
o Haggard, Merle – I’m a Lonesome Fugitive
o Hendrix, Jimi – Are You Experienced
o Electric Prunes – I Had too Much to Dream (Last Night)
o Lynn, Loretta – Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)
o Sharma, Shivkumar / Brij Bushan Kabra / Hariprasad Chaurasia – Call of the Valley
o Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
o Hendrix, Jimi – Axis: Bold as Love
o Franklin, Aretha – I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
o Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet
o Traffic – Traffic (2nd Album)
o Incredible String Band – Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter
o Kinks – Village Green Preservation Society
o Shankar, Ravi – Sounds of India (1968)
o Mutantes, os – Mutantes, os (1st Album)
o Hendrix, Jimi – Electric Ladyland
o Cohen, Leonard – Songs of…
o Cash, Johnny – At Folsom Prison

o Nyro, Laura – Eli & the Thirteenth Confession
o Franklin, Aretha – Lady Soul
o Blue Cheer – Vincebus Eruptum
o Byrds – Notorious Byrd Brothers
o Big Brother & the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills
o United States of America – United States of America
o Dr John – Gris Gris
o Iron Butterfly – In a Gadda da Vida
o Pretty Things – S.F. Sorrow
o Simon & Garfunkel – Bookends
o Small Faces – Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake
o Band – Music from Big Pink
o Beck, Jeff – Truth
o Veloso, Caetano – Caetano Veloso (1968)
o Walker, Scott – Scott 2
o Zombies – Odessey & Oracle
o Morrison, Van – Astral Weeks
o Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo
o Beatles – Beatles [aka White Album]
o Mothers of Invention – We’re Only in it for the Money
o Young, Neil – Everybody Knows This is Nowhere
o Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica
o Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bayou Country
o Crosby, Stills & Nash – Crosby, Stills & Nash
o Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears (2nd Album)
o Flying Burrito Brothers – Gilded Palace of Sin
o Cash, Johnny – At San Quentin
o Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River
o Beatles – Abbey Road
o Who – Tommy

o Davis, Miles – In a Silent Way
o Bee Gees – Odessa
o Pentangle – Basket of Light
o Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed
o Drake, Nick – Five Leaves Left
o Springfield, Dusty – Dusty in Memphis
o Presley, Elvis – From Elvis in Memphis
o Velvet Underground – Velvet Underground (3rd Album)
o Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails
o Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin (1st Album)
o Band – Band (2nd Album)
o Led Zeppelin – II
o MC5 – Kick Out the Jams
o Temptations – Cloud Nine
o Sly & the Family Stone – Stand!
o Buckley, Tim – Happy Sad
o Chicago Transit Authority [Chicago] - Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
o Fairport Convention – Unhalfbricking
o Youngbloods – Elephant Mountain
o Hayes, Isaac – Hot Buttered Soul
o Grateful Dead – Live/Dead
o Kinks – Arthur: Or the Decline & Fall of the British Empire
o King Crimson – In the Court of the Crimson King
o Cohen, Leonard – Songs from a Room
o Fairport Convention – Liege & Lief
o Walker, Scott – Scott 4
o Stooges – Stooges (1st Album)
o Spence, Alexander ‘Skip’ – Oar
o Zappa, Frank – Hot Rats

1970s

o Creedence Clearwater Revival – Cosmo’s Factory
o Derek & the Dominos – Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs
o Davis, Miles – Bitches Brew
o Spirit – Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus
o Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1st Album)
o Doors – Morrison Hotel
o Carpenters – Close to You

o Still, Stephen – Stephen Stills (1st Album)
o Lennon, John – Plastic Ono Band
o Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Déjà vu
o Black Sabbath – Paranoid
o Young, Neil – After the Gold Rush
o Led Zeppelin – III
o Deep Purple – In Rock

o Morrison, Van – Moondance
o Grateful Dead – American Beauty
o Drake, Nick – Bryter Layter
o Shankar, Ananda – Ananda Shankar (1970)
o Who – Live at Leeds (1st Album)
o Soft Machine – Third
o Stewart, Rod – Gasoline Alley
o Harrison, George – All Things Must Pass
o Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
o Stevens, Cat – Tea for the Tillerman
o Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die
o Stooges – Fun House
o James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
o McCartney, Paul – McCartney (1970)
o Santana – Abraxas
o Barrett, Syd – Madcap Laughs
o Jethro Tull – Aqualung
o Crosby, David – If Only I Could Remember My Name
o Sly & the Family Stone – There’s a Riot Goin’ On
o Gaye, Marvin – What’s Going On
o Yes – Yes Album
o Bee Gees – Trafalgar
o Who – Who’s Next
o King, Carole – Tapestry
o Hayes, Isaac – Shaft: Music from the Soundtrack
o Allman Brothers – At Fillmore East
o Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
o Lennon, John – Imagine
o Beach Boys – Surf’s Up

o Yes – Fragile
o Doors – LA Woman
o Can – Tago Mago
o John, Elton – Madman Across the Water
o Parton, Dolly – Coat of Many Colors
o McLean, Don – American Pie
o Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Tarkus
o Led Zeppelin – IV [aka Untitled / aka Four Symbols]
o Gainsbourg, Serge – Histoire de Melody Nelson
o Stewart, Rod – Every Picture Tells a Story
o Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Pictures at an Exhibition
o Cohen, Leonard – Songs of Love & Hate
o Mitchell, Joni – Blue
o Funkadelic – Maggot Brain
o Joplin, Janis – Pearl
o Kuti, Fela - With Ginger Baker: Live!
o Faces – A Nod is as Good as a Wink… To a Blind Horse
o Flamin’ Groovies – Teenage Head
o Clark, Gene – White Light
o Prine, John – John Prine (1st Album)
o Nilsson, Harry – Nilsson Schmilsson
o T.Rex – Electric Warrior
o Bowie, David – Hunky Dory
o Newman, Randy – Sail Away
o Deep Purple – Machine Head
o Big Star – # 1 Record
o Black Sabbath – Vol 4
o Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill
o Young, Neil – Harvest
o Mayfield, Curtis – Superfly: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
o Slade – Slayed?
o Deep Purple – Made in Japan
o Yes – Close to the Edge
o Reed, Lou – Transformer
o Masekela, Hugh – Home is Where the Music Is
o Nascimento, Milton & Lo Borges – Clube da Esquina (1972)
o Rundgren, Todd – Something/Anything
o Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will the Circle Be Unbroken?
o Wonder, Stevie – Talking Book
o Still, Stephen – Manassas
o T.Rex – Slider
o Ackles, David – American Gothic
o Eagles – Eagles (1st Album)
o Buckley, Tim – Greetings from LA
o Drake, Nick – Pink Moon
o Simon, Paul – Paul Simon (1972)
o Roxy Music – Roxy Music (1st Album)
o Alice Cooper – School’s Out

o Temptations – All Directions
o Bowie, David – Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
o War – World is a Ghetto
o Green, Al – Let’s Stay Together
o Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St
o Lynyrd Skynyrd – Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd
o Incredible Bongo Band – Bongo Rock
o Bowie, David – Aladdin Sane
o King Crimson – Lark’s Tongues in Aspic
o Marley, Bob & the Wailers – Catch a Fire
o Hawkwind – Space Ritual
o Cale, John – Paris 1919
o Can – Future Days
o Reed, Lou – Berlin
o Genesis – Selling England by the Pound
o Gaye, Marvin – Let’s Get it On
o Martyn, John – Solid Air
o Roxy Music – For Your Pleasure
o Faust – IV
o Hancock, Herbie – Head Hunters
o Mott the Hoople – Mott
o Oldfield, Mike – Tubular Bells
o Rundgren, Todd – A Wizard, a True Star
o John, Elton – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
o Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy
o Jennings, Waylon – Honky Tonk Heroes
o Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
o Wonder, Stevie – Innervisions
o ZZ Top – Tres Hombres
o McCartney, Paul & Wings – Band on the Run
o Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Next
o Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies
o Iggy & the Stooges – Raw Power
o Isley Brothers – 3 + 3
o New York Dolls – New York Dolls (1st Album)
o Eno, Brian – Here Come the Warm Jets
o Bad Company – Bad Company (1st Album)
o Genesis – Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
o Otis, Shuggie – Inspiration Information
o Wonder, Stevie – Fullfillingness’ First Finale
o Clapton, Eric – 461 Ocean Boulevard
o Kraftwerk – Autobahn
o Morrison, Van – It’s Too Late to Stop Now
o Mitchell, Joni – Court & Spark
o Queen – II
o Roxy Music – Country Life
o Tangerine Dream – Phaedra
o Sparks – Kimono My House
o Supertramp – Crime of the Century
o Thompson, Richard & Linda – I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight
o Scott-Heron, Gil & Brian Jackson – Winter in America
o Queen – Sheer Heart Attack
o 10cc – Sheet Music
o Young, Neil – On the Beach
o Jones, George – Grand Tour
o Clark, Gene – No Other
o Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic
o Newman, Randy – Good Old Boys
o Marley, Bob & the Wailers – Natty Dread
o Wyatt, Robert – Rock Bottom
o Parsons, Gram – Grievous Angel
o Eno, Brian – Another Green World
o Dictators – Go Girl Crazy!
o Neu! – ‘75
o Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
o Jarrett, Keith – Köln Concert
o Aerosmith – Toys in the Attic
o Bowie, David – Young Americans

o Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey
o Springsteen, Bruce – Born to Run
o Harris, Emmylou – Pieces of the Sky
o Dion – Born to Be With You
o Mitchell, Joni – Hissing of Summer Lawns
o Tom Waits - Nighthawks At The Diner
o Burman, Rahul Dev – Shalimar (Soundtrack)
o Young, Neil – Tonight’s the Night
o Dylan, Bob – Blood on the Tracks
o Smith, Patti – Horses
o Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
o Queen – A Night at the Opera

o Nelson, Willie – Red Headed Stranger
o Earth, Wind & Fire – That’s the Way of the World
o Mayfield, Curtis – There’s No Place Like America Today
o Petty, Tom & the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1st Album)
o Modern Lovers – Modern Lovers [Rec 1972, not released until 1976]
o Bowie, David – Station to Station
o Mitchell, Joni – Hejira
o Boston – Boston (1st Album)
o Eagles – Hotel California
o ABBA – Arrival
o Kiss – Destroyer

o Rush – 2112
o Ben, Jorge – África Brasil
o Armatrading, Joan – Joan Armatrading (1st Album)
o Aerosmith – Rocks
o Parliament – Mothership Connection
o Penguin Café Orchestra – Music from the Penguin Café
o Jarre, Jean Michel – Oxygene
o Ramones – Ramones (1st Album)
o Kuti, Fela – Zombie
o Tosh, Peter – Legalize It
o Wonder, Stevie – Songs in the Key of Life
o Frampton, Peter – Frampton Comes Alive
o Eno, Brian – Before & After Science
o Kraftwerk – Trans-Europe Express
o Joel, Billy – Stranger, the
o Marley, Bob & the Wailers – Exodus
o Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue
o Weather Report – Heavy Weather
o Muddy Waters – Hard Again
o Stranglers – Rattus Norvegicus
o Clash – Clash (1st Album)
o Bowie, David – Low
o Steely Dan – Aja
o Wire – Pink Flag
o Martyn, John – One World
o Talking Heads – 77
o Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
o Bowie, David – ‘Heroes’

o Wilson, Dennis – Pacific Ocean Blue
o Suicide – Suicide (1st Album)
o Iggy Pop – Idiot, the
o Gabriel, Peter – Peter Gabriel (I)
o Television – Marquee Moon
o Meat Loaf – Bat Out of Hell
o Costello, Elvis – My Aim is True
o Iggy Pop – Lust for Life
o Dury, Ian – New Boots & Panties!!
o Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the…
o Pere Ubu – Modern Dance
o Kraftwerk – Man Machine
o Blondie – Parallel Lines
o Regina, Elís – Vento de Maio
o Pere Ubu – Dub Housing
o Only Ones – Only Ones (1st Album)
o Costello, Elvis – This Year’s Model
o Jam – All Mod Cons
o Ely, Joe – Honky Tonk Masquerade
o Adverts – Crossing the Red Sea with the…
o Big Star – Third (aka Sister Lovers)
o Residents – Duck Stab/Buster & Glen
o Public Image Ltd – Public Image
o Magazine – Real Life
o Springsteen, Bruce – Darkness on the Edge of Town
o Funkadelic – One Nation Under a Groove
o Throbbing Gristle – DOA: Third & Final Report
o Thin Lizzy – Live & Dangerous
o Talking Heads – More Songs About Buildings & Food
o Buzzcocks – Another Music in a Different Kitchen
o Van Halen – Van Halen (1st Album)
o Colón, Willie & Rubén Blades – Siembra
o Cars – Cars (1st Album)
o Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
o Dire Straits – Dire Straits (1st Album)
o Saints – Eternally Yours
o Gaye, Marvin – Here, My Dear
o Nelson, Willie – Stardust
o Chic – C’est Chic
o X-ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents
o Eno, Brian – Ambient 1: Music for Airports
o Siouxsie & the Banshees – Scream, the
o AC/DC – Highway to Hell
o Sister Sledge – We Are Family
o Crusaders – Street Life
o Germs – GI
o B52s – B52s (1st Album)
o Czukay, Holger – Movies
o Police – Reggatta de Blanc
o Fall – Live at the Witch Trials
o Talking Heads – Fear of Music
o Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures
o Chic – Risqué
o Undertones – Undertones (1st Album)
o Clash – London Calling
o Japan – Quiet Life
o Faithfull, Marianne – Broken English
o Slits – Cut
o Costello, Elvis – Armed Forces
o Young, Neil – Rust Never Sleeps
o Gang of Four – Entertainment!
o Cheap Trick – At Budokan
o Fleetwood Mac – Tusk
o Pink Floyd – Wall, the
o Public Image Ltd – Metal Box
o Jackson, Michael – Off the Wall
o Damned – Machine Gun Etiquette
o Numan, Gary – Pleasure Principle
o Specials – Specials (1st Album)

1980s

o Adam & the Ants – Kings of the Wild Frontier
o Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
o AC/DC – Back in Black

o Cramps – Songs the Lord Taught Us
o Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
o Gabriel, Peter – Peter Gabriel (III)
o Soft Boys – Underwater Moonlight
o Cure – Seventeen Seconds
o Echo & the Bunnymen – Crocodiles
o Motörhead – Ace of Spades
o Killing Joke – Killing Joke (1st Album)
o Judas Priest – British Steel
o Circle Jerks – Group Sex
o Talking Heads – Remain in Light
o Joy Division – Closer
o Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden (1st Album)

o Undertones – Hypnotised
o Jam – Sound Affects
o Waits, Tom – Heartattack & Vine
o UB40 – Signing Off
o Teardrop Explodes – Kilimanjaro
o Specials – More Specials
o Winwood, Steve – Arc of a Diver
o Pretenders – Pretenders (1st Album)
o Einstürzende Neubauten – Kollaps
o Siouxsie & the Banshees – Juju
o Heaven 17 – Penthouse & Pavement
o Go-Gos – Beauty & the Beat
o Motörhead – No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith
o Soft Cell – Non Stop Erotic Cabaret

o Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – Architecture & Morality
o Eno, Brian & David Byrne – My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
o Black Flag – Damaged
o X – Wild Gift
o Psychedelic Furs – Talk, Talk, Talk
o Human League – Dare
o Gun Club – Fire of Love
o Bauhaus – Mask
o Womack, Bobby – Poet
o Tom Tom Club – Tom Tom Club (1st Album)
o Rush – Moving Pictures
o ABBA – Visitors
o ABC – Lexicon of Love
o Prince – 1999
o Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five – Message, the
o Costello, Elvis – Imperial Bedroom
o Cure – Pornography
o Dexys Midnight Runners – Too Rye Ay
o Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84)
o Madness – Rise & Fall
o Fagen, Donald – Nightfly
o Haircut One Hundred – Pelican West
o Bush, Kate – Dreaming, the
o Orange Juice – Rip it Up
o Jackson, Michael – Thriller
o Birthday Party – Junkyard
o Venom – Black Metal
o Springsteen, Bruce – Nebraska
o Associates – Sulk
o Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast
o Duran Duran – Rio
o Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes (1st Album)

o McLaren, Malcolm – Duck Rock
o Def Leppard – Pyromania
o REM – Murmur

o The The – Soul Mining
o Waits, Tom – Swordfishtrombones
o Blue Nile – A Walk Across the Rooftops
o Hanoi Rocks – Back to Mystery City
o Lauper, Cyndi – She’s So Unusual
o Simon, Paul – Hearts & Bones
o Echo & the Bunnymen – Porcupine
o ZZ Top – Eliminator
o Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
o U2 – War
o Police – Synchronicity

o Meat Puppets – II
o Culture Club – Colour by Numbers
o Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Welcome to the Pleasuredome

o Run DMC – Run DMC (1984)
o Sade – Diamond Life
o Cocteau Twins – Treasure
o Minor Threat – Out of Step
o Van Halen – 1984
o Prince – Purple Rain

o Replacements – Let it Be
o Style Council – Café Bleu
o Turner, Tina – Private Dancer
o Echo & the Bunnymen – Ocean Rain
o Minutemen – Double Nickels on the Dime
o Cole, Lloyd & the Commotions – Rattlesnakes
o N’Dour, Youssou – Immigrés
o Springsteen, Bruce – Born in the USA
o Fall – This Nation’s Saving Grace
o Ibrahim, Abdullah – Water from an Ancient Well
o Aha – Hunting High & Low
o Tears for Fears – Songs from the Big Chair
o Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms
o Prefab Sprout – Steve McQueen (aka Two Wheels Good)
o Mekons – Fear & Whiskey
o Big Black – Atomizer
o Vega, Suzanne – Suzanne Vega (1st Album)
o Pogues – Rum, Sodomy & the Lash
o Bush, Kate – Hounds of Love
o Smiths – Meat is Murder
o Waits, Tom – Rain Dogs
o Jesus & Mary Chain – Psychocandy
o New Order – Low Life
o Simply Red – Picture Book
o Dexys Midnight Runners – Don’t Stand Me Down
o Scritti Politti – Cupid & Psyche 85
o Costello, Elvis – Blood & Chocolate
o Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force – Planet Rock: The Album
o Beastie Boys – Licensed to Ill
o Metallica – Master of Puppets
o The The – Infected
o Griffith, Nanci – Last of the True Believers
o Bragg, Billy – Talking with the Taxman About Poetry
o Talk Talk – Colour of Spring
o Megadeth – Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?
o Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet
o Sonic Youth – Evol
o Slayer – Reign in Blood
o Throwing Muses – Throwing Muses (1986)
o Simon, Paul – Graceland
o Run DMC – Raising Hell
o XTC – Skylarking
o Earle, Steve – Guitar Town
o Bad Brains – I Against I
o Baker, Anita – Rapture
o Smiths – Queen is Dead
o Gabriel, Peter – So
o Anthrax – Among the Living
o Dinosaur Jr – You’re Living All Over Me
o Parton, Dolly with Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris – Trio
o Def Leppard – Hysteria
o REM – Document
o Prince – Sign ‘O’ the Times
o Cult – Electric
o Depeche Mode – Music for the Masses
o Sisters of Mercy – Floodland
o Michael, George – Faith
o Hüsker Dü – Warehouse: Songs & Stories
o Butthole Surfers – Locust Abortion Technician
o Piazzolla, Astor & Gary Burton – New Tango
o Smiths – Strangeways Here We Come
o Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction
o Jesus & Mary Chain – Darklands
o Ladysmith Black Mambazo – Shaka Zulu
o Laibach – Opus Dei
o Napalm Death – Scum
o Sonic Youth – Sister
o Triffids – Calenture
o Jackson, Michael – Bad
o Pet Shop Boys – Actually
o U2 – Joshua Tree
o D’Arby, Terence Trent – Introducing the Hardline According to…
o Pogues – If I Should Fall from Grace with God
o Cohen, Leonard – I’m Your Man
o Waterboys – Fisherman’s Blues
o Fishbone – Truth & Soul
o Everything But the Girl – Idlewild
o Living Colour - Vivid
o Mudhoney – Superfuzz Bigmuff
o REM – Green
o Happy Mondays – Bummed
o Go Betweens – 16 Lovers Lane
o Cowboy Junkies – Trinity Session
o Chapman, Tracy – Tracy Chapman (1st Album)
o My Bloody Valentine – Isn’t Anything
o Pixies – Surfer Rosa
o Metallica – And Justice for All
o Dinosaur Jr – Bug
o Krause, Dagmar – Tank Battles
o lang, k.d. – Shadowland
o American Music Club – California
o Morrissey – Viva Hate
o Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
o Sugarcubes – Life’s Too Good
o Yoakam, Dwight – Beuenas Noches from a Lonely Roomn
o Jane’s Addiction – Nothing’s Shocking
o Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
o Faith No More – Real Thing
o Kravtiz, Lenny – Let Love Rule
o Hooker, John Lee – Healer, the
o New Order – Technique
o Madonna – Like a Prayer
o Queen Latifah – All Hail the Queen
o Spacemen 3 – Playing with Fire
o fIREHOSE – fROMOHIO
o Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique
o Young Gods – Eau Rouge, l’
o Zorn, John – Spy vs Spy: Music of Ornette Coleman
o Stone Roses – Stone Roses (1st Album)
o Cherry, Neneh – Raw Like Sushi
o Maal, Baaba & Mansour Seck – Djam Leelii
o Bush, Kate – Sensual World
o Cure – Disintegration
o 808 State – 808:90
o Coldcut – What’s That Noise?
o Adamson, Barry – Moss Side Story
o Aerosmith – Pump
o Pixies – Doolittle
o Raitt, Bonnie – Nick of Time
o Fugazi – Repeater
o Soul II Soul – Club Classics: Vol One
o De La Soul – 3 Feet High & Rising
o Jackson, Janet – Rhythm Nation 1814
o Jungle Brothers – Done by the Forces of Nature
o NWA – Straight Outta Compton

1990s

o Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas
o Shamen – En-Tact
o Deee Lite – World Clique
o La’s – La’s
o Black Crowes – Shake Your Money Maker
o Depeche Mode – Violator
o Pixies – Bossanova
o Megadeth – Rust in Peace
o Digital Underground – Sex Packets
o Pet Shop Boys – Behaviour
o Happy Mondays – Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches
o Michael, George – Listen Without Prejudice: Vol 1
o Young, Neil – Ragged Glory
o Ice Cube – AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted
o Jane’s Addiction – Ritual de lo Habitual
o LL Cool J – Mama Said Knock You Out
o Public Enemy – Fear of a Black Planet
o O’Connor, Sinéad – I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
o Tribe Called Quest, a – People’s Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm
o Sonic Youth – Goo
o Ride – Nowhere
o My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
o Nirvana – Nevermind
o Crowded House – Woodface
o Cypress Hill – Cypress Hill (1st Album)
o Cope, Julian – Peggy Suicide
o Gang Starr – Step in the Arena
o MC Solaar - Qui Sème le Vent Récolte le Tempo
o Jah Wobble – Rising Above Bedlam
o Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik
o Ice T – OG: Original Gangster
o Mudhoney – Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge
o Public Enemy – Apocalypse 91… Enemy Strikes Back
o Tribe Called Quest, a – Low End Theory
o Pearl Jam – Ten
o Saint Etienne – Foxbase Alpha
o Sepultura – Arise
o Slint – Spiderland
o U2 – Achtung Baby
o KLF – White Room
o Massive Attack – Blue Lines
o Primal Scream – Screamadelica
o Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque
o Metallica – Metallica [aka Black Album]
o Pavement – Slanted & Enchanted
o Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92
o Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life of…
o Olomidé, Koffi – Haut de Gamme: Koweït, Rive Gauche
o Morrissey – Your Arsenal
o Maal, Baaba – Lam Toro
o Lemonheads – It’s a Shame About Ray
o Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (1st Album)
o Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy – Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury
o lang, k.d. – Ingénue
o Dr Dre – Chronic, the
o REM – Automatic for the People
o Pharcyde – Bizarre Ride II the…
o Spiritualized – Lazer Guided Melodies
o Sugar – Copper Blue
o Waits, Tom – Bone Machine
o Sonic Youth – Dirty
o Stereo MCs – Connected
o Ministry – Psalm 69 (Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs)
o Amos, Tori – Little Earthquakes
o Ice Cube – Predator
o Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
o Alice in Chains – Dirt
o Cave, Nick & the Bad Seeds – Henry’s Dream, by…
o Khan, Nusrat Fateh Ali – Devotional Songs
o Harvey, P.J. – Dry
o Suede – Suede (1st Album)
o Weller, Paul – Wild Wood
o Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
o Auteurs – New Wave
o Phair, Liz – Exile in Guyville
o Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen
o Mann, Aimee – Whatever
o Grant Lee Buffalo – Fuzzy
o Nirvana – In Utero
o Jamiroquai – Emergency on Planet Earth
o Pet Shop Boys – Very
o Harvey, P.J. – Rid of Me
o Blur – Modern Life is Rubbish
o Crow, Sheryl – Tuesday Night Music Club
o Fall – Infotainment Scan
o Wu Tang Clan – Enter the Wu Tang (36 Chambers)
o Björk – Debut
o Orbital – Orbital [aka Brown Album]
o Snoop Doggy Dogg – Doggystyle
o Sebadoh – Bubble & Scrape
o Boo Radleys – Giant Steps
o Orbit, William – Strange Cargo: III
o Method Man – Tical
o Black, Frank – Teenager of the Year
o Girls Against Boys – Venus Luxure No 1 Baby
o Jeru the Damaja – Sun Rises in the East
o Pavement – Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
o Portishead – Dummy
o Sabres of Paradise – Haunted Dancehall
o Nas – Illmatic
o Beastie Boys – Ill Communication
o Costello, Elvis – Brutal Youth
o Morrissey – Vauxhall & I
o TLC – CrazySexyCool
o Oasis – Definitely Maybe
o Soundgarden – Superunknown
o Offspring – Smash
o Drive Like Jehu – Yank Crime
o Blur – Parklife
o G Love & Special Sauce - G Love & Special Sauce (1994)
o Touré, Ali Farka – Talking Timbuktu
o Hole – Live Through This
o Massive Attack – Protection
o Manic Street Preachers – Holy Bible
o Suede – Dog Man Star
o Notorious BIG – Ready to Die
o Buckley, Jeff – Grace
o Orbital – Snivilisation
o Nirvana – MTV Unplugged in New York
o Nine Inch Nails – Downward Spiral
o Prodigy – Music for the Jilted Generation
o Green Day – Dookie
o Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters (1st Album)
o Garbage – Garbage (1st Album)
o Nightmares on Wax – Smokers Delight
o Tricky – Maxinquaye
o Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx
o Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness
o Rocket from the Crypt – Scream, Dracula, Scream
o Chemical Brothers – Exit Planet Dust
o 2Pac – Me Against the World
o Elastica – Elastica (1st Album)
o Supergrass – I Should Coco
o Radiohead – Bends, the
o Guided by Voices – Alien Lanes
o Kuti, Femi – Femi Kuti (1995)
o Verve – A Northern Soul
o Genius GZA – Liquid Swords
o Pulp – Different Class
o Leftfield – Leftism
o D’Angelo – Brown Sugar
o Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
o Goldie – Timeless
o Morissette, Alanis – Jagged Little Pill
o Screaming Trees – Dust
o Super Furry Animals – Fuzzy Logic
o Fatboy Slim – Better Living Through Chemistry
o Dr Octagon – Dr Octagonecologyst
o Stereolab – Emperor Tomato Ketchup
o Tortoise – Millions Now Living Will Never Die
o Beck – Odelay
o Belle & Sebastian – Tigermilk
o DJ Shadow – Endtroducing
o Eels – Beautiful Freak
o Divine Comedy – Casanova
o Apple, Fiona – Tidal
o Wilco – Being There
o Sepultura – Roots
o Adamson, Barry – Oedipus Schmoedipus
o Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Come Find Yourself
o Maxwell – Urban Hang Suite
o Charlatans – Tellin’ Stories
o Manic Street Preachers – Everything Must Go
o Everything But the Girl – Walking Wounded
o Cave, Nick & the Bad Seeds – Murder Ballads
o Bukem, LTJ – Logical Progression
o Underworld – Second Toughest in the Infants
o Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Now I Got Worry
o Cardigans – First Band on the Moon
o Marilyn Manson – Antichrist Superstar
o Fugees – Score, the
o Ash – 1977
o Belle & Sebastian – If You’re Feeling Sinister
o Blur – Blur (1997)
o Radiohead – OK Computer
o Quaye, Finley – Maverick a Strike
o Elliott, Missy Misdemeanor – Supa Dupa Fly
o Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole
o Primal Scream – Vanishing Point
o Wyatt, Robert – Shleep
o Holmes, David – Let’s Get Killed
o Sleater Kinney – Dig Me Out
o Prodigy – Fat of the Land
o Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club (1997)
o Cave, Nick & the Bad Seeds – Boatman’s Call
o Divine Comedy – A Short Album About Love
o Cornershop – When I was Born for the 7th Time
o Daft Punk – Homework
o Williams, Robbie – Life Thru a Lens
o Carey, Mariah – Butterfly
o Supergrass – In it for the Money
o Dylan, Bob – Time Out of Mind
o Size, Roni & Reprazent – New Forms
o Smith, Elliott – Either/Or
o Verve – Urban Hymns
o Spiritualized – Ladies & Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space
o Dandy Warhols – Dandy Warhols (1997)
o Dylan, Bob – Bootleg Series Vol 4: Live 1966 [rec: 1966 at Free Trade Hall, Manchester]
o Chao, Manu – Clandestino
o Bragg, Billy & Wilco – Mermaid Avenue
o Turbonegro – Apocalypse Dudes
o Fatboy Slim – You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby
o Gray, David – White Ladder
o Williams, Lucinda – Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
o Pulp – This is Hardcore
o Madonna – Ray of Light
o Hill, Lauryn – Miseducation of…
o Hole – Celebrity Skin
o Mercury Rev – Deserter’s Songs
o System of a Down - System of a Down (1st Album)
o Queen of the Stone Age - Queen of the Stone Age (1st Album)
o Air – Moon Safari
o Singh, Talvin – OK
o Korn – Follow the Leader
o Khalèd, (Cheb) – Kenza
o Kid Rock – Devil Without a Cause
o Boards of Canada – Music Has the Right to Children
o Suba - São Paulo Confessions
o XTC – Apple Venus: Volume 1
o Skunk Anansie – Post Orgasmic Chill
o Incubus – Make Yourself
o Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs
o Travis – Man Who
o Slipknot – Slipknot (1st Album)
o Orton, Beth – Central Reservation
o Sawhney, Nitin – Beyond Skin
o Death in Vegas – Contino Sessions
o Moby – Play
o Flaming Lips – Soft Bulletin
o Rhymes Digitales, les – Darkdancer
o Tigre, le – Tigre, le (1999)
o Eminem – Slim Shady LP
o Spears, Britney – Baby One More Time
o Metallica – S&M
o Bonnie Prince Billy – I See a Darkness
o Shack – HMS Fable
o Basement Jaxx – Remedy
o Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
o Sigur Rós – Ágætis Byrjun

2000s

o Doves – Lost Souls
o Air – Virgin Suicides: Original Motion Picture Score
o Adams, Ryan – Heartbreaker
o Gilberto, Bebel – Tanto Tempo
o Cole, MJ – Sincere
o Harris, Emmylou – Red Dirt Girl
o Limp Bizkit – Chocolate Starfish & the Hot Dog Flavored Water
o Radiohead – Kid A
o U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind
o Linkin Park – Hybrid Theory
o Smith, Elliott – Figure 8
o Badly Drawn Boy – Hour of Bewilderbeast
o Harvey, P.J. – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea
o Badu, Erykah – Mama’s Gun
o Coldplay – Parachutes
o Common – Like Water for Chocolate
o Ladd, Mike – Welcome to the Afterfuture
o Red Snapper – Our Aim is to Satisfy
o Eminem – Marshall Mathers LP
o Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain
o Giant Sand – Chore of Enchantment
o Lambchop – Nixon
o Lemper, Ute – Punishing Kiss
o Madonna – Music
o Avalanches – Since I Left You
o OutKast – Stankonia
o Radiohead – Amnesiac
o Silver Jews – Bright Flight
o Björk – Vespertine
o Gorillaz – Gorillaz (1st Album)
o Adams, Ryan – Gold
o Destiny’s Child – Survivor
o Strokes – Is This It
o Welch, Gillian – Time (The Revelator)
o Gotan Project – Revancha del Tango, la
o White Stripes – White Blood Cells
o Beta Band – Hot Shots II
o Jay Z – Blueprint
o Röyksopp – Melody AM
o Drive-By Truckers – Southern Rock Opera
o Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World
o Jurassic 5 – Power in Numbers
o Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
o Ms Dynamite – A Little Deeper
o Bees – Sunshine Hit Me
o Jones, Norah – Come Away with Me
o Coldplay – A Rush of Blood to the Head
o Coral – Coral (2002)
o Cash, Johnny – American IV: Man Comes Around
o Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
o Doves – Last Broadcast
o Elliott, Missy – Under Construction
o Springsteen, Bruce – Rising, the
o Aguilera, Christina – Stripped
o Roots – Phrenology
o Beck – Sea Change
o Timberlake, Justin – Justified
o Vines – Highly Evolved
o Hives – Your New Favourite Band
o Radiohead – Hail to the Thief
o Winehouse, Amy – Frank
o Calexico – Feast of Wire
o Darkness – Permission to Land
o White Stripes – Elephant
o Dizzee Rascal – Boy in da Corner
o Kings of Leon – Youth & Young Manhood
o Thrills – So Much for the City
o Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell
o OutKast – Speakerboxxx/Love Below
o 50 Cent – Get Rich or Die Tryin’
o Mars Volta – Deloused in the Comatorium
o Lightning Bolt – Wonderful Rainbow
o Wainwright, Rufus – Want One
o Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters (1st Album)
o Morrissey – You Are the Quarry
o Björk – Medúlla
o Mylo – Destroy Rock & Roll
o Wilson, Brian – SMiLE
o Icarus Line – Penance Soirée
o Arcade Fire – Funeral
o Banhart, Devendra – Rejoicing in the Hands
o Cave, Nick & the Bad Seeds – Abattoir Blues/Lyre of Orpheus
o Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand (1st Album)
o N*E*R*D – Fly or Die
o Beta Band – Heroes to Zeros
o Ozamatli – Street Signs
o Libertines – Libertines (1st Album)
o West, kanYe – College Dropout
o Green, Cee-Lo – Is the Soul Machine
o TV on the Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
o Liars – They Were Wrong, So We Drowned
o Streets – A Grand Don’t Come for Free
o Wainwright, Rufus – Want Two
o Zutons – Who Killed the Zutons?
o Killers – Hot Fuss
o Kings of Leon – Aha Shake Heartbreak
o MIA (UK) – Arular
o Beck – Guero
o White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan

765. Machine Head / Burn My Eyes. 1994. 3.5/5

Machine Head came along at a time when grunge was still a leading influence in the music world, and there were some defining changes in the metal genre that came to pass almost directly due to this. Sepultura had also begun to eke its influence out in the world, while Pantera's new sound was gaining an audience. Throw in a little Slayer just to keep things moving, and you have a recipe for the kind of things that must have been ingredients into what became machine Head's debut album, Burn My Eyes.

Whatever you may wish to try and define this album as - groove metal, grunge metal, thrash metal... or perhaps just metal? - this was a pretty impressive debut album for Robb Flynn and the lads. It has a different base than what they have moved into since this album, but I really think it holds up well today, 20 years on. It's strength comes from the strong drumming, a really solid back base that locks in brilliantly with the bass guitar to make that rhythm section the basis of everything on the album. From here, the twin guitars of Flynn and Logan Mader can do their work, not only riffing hard through each song together,  but then allowing each to bust out and do their best in their soloing. Add to this Flynn's hard as nails vocals and uncompromising lyrical content and you have a really good album, one that measures its aggression with its format. This is raw, and it holds its own because of it.
Personally I really like the way the music is written and played on this album. Many think it improves in later releases, but the raw aggression here appeals to my taste. The social commentary of the lyrics is also just terrific. They have weaved the commentary of the LA riots from 1992 into the excellent "Real Eyes, Realize, Real Lies" such that it becomes a part of the song. The terrific opening song "Davidian" references the Waco siege. Meanwhile "Death Church" (a slightly controversial song title in some quarters) follows many other institutions by slighting the money-spinning and money-making antics of some modern churches. Other great songs include "The Rage to Overcome", "Blood for Blood" and "I'm Your God Now".

Overall this is a great start. It doesn't suit everyone's tastes, but for those that remember the way the metal world began to bend to bend and shape in the early 1990's, this is an indication of how that can be done well.

Rating:  Let freedom ring with a shotgun blast.  3.5/5


Thursday, April 23, 2015

764. Led Zeppelin / Led Zeppelin. 1969. 3/5

Rising from the ashes of The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin's first album shows glimpses of their initial influences as well as what their music was going to develop into.

Many songs on the album are cover versions, especially the very noticeable blues tracks. "You Shook Me" is complete, unadulterated, blues, written by Willie Dixon. No need to try and work out what the basis of this track is in the scheme of things. Apart from the higher pitched vocals on offer here, and the keyboards that make their appearance, it could have come from any blues record from the previous twenty years or so. You've got the slow beat of the drums, the blues riffling guitar, along with those keys and the harmonica as well. And it sometimes feels like it drags out a lot longer than those six minutes too. Still, it fits in well in the scheme of the album as a whole, and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb at least. Read the same for "I Can't Quit You Baby", also written by Dixon, and showing all the same symptoms of blues. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is a reworking of the original Anne Bredon folk song, which is improved by being more up-tempo and with Plant's vocals crying over the top.
Some of it such as "Black Mountain Side" sounds like hippy music with guitars and bongos, the kind of stuff I was forced to go and listen to during my university days when I was courting a girl who loved this stuff (nope, I do not), but which then comes crashing into "Communication Breakdown" which is just so much better. The same for me in regards to "I Can't Quit You Baby" into "So Many More Times". The slower blues number can sometimes lose my interest, but once the album moves into the last song on the album it jumps back into action.

This could have been a disastrous album if not for Robert Plant's vocals. There are so many quiet places throughout, where only the slow and almost unnoticeable drum beat and a turned down guitar leave the vocals open to any slight wavering or cock up. But that just never happens. Plant's voice is just magnificent, and makes those slow silent times become alive. The album shows glimpses of Bonham's hard hitting drum work, but focuses mainly on the lesser extravagant slow tom beating, which is nicely settled in rhythm by John Paul Jones bass guitar. The same with Jimmy Page's guitaring, which shows great technique in the blues and slower songs without really showcasing his greater talent.

I have never been the greatest Led Zeppelin fan, though I appreciate their faster heavier work more than the majority of what it on show here. Like many other albums of its type, I can still put this album on and listen to it without prejudice, and enjoy the skills being shown. Plant's vocals can draw anyone in such as the display on Led Zeppelin. But apart from the second half of "Dazed and Confused" and "Communication Breakdown", I can't say that I love anything else that is one this album. It's more of a there-it-is-so-listen kind of appreciation.

Rating:  I'm having a nervous breakdown, Drive me insane!  3/5.


Wednesday, April 22, 2015

763. Black Sabbath / Paranoid. 1970. 5/5

When it comes to reviewing an album such as Paranoid, an album that is one of, if not, the MOST influential albums of all time in the heavy metal music genre, it can be seen to be a lost cause. This album must have been dissected, discussed and detailed hundreds of thousands of times over the past four decades and more, in a positive fashion, in a negative reaction, and even in an ambivalent way. Nothing that I write here will be new. Anything I add will have been said before more times than one could imagine. And the opposite will have been just as furiously debated as well. In the end, all I can do is put down my thoughts and my rating regardless of its originality or circumstance, and add it to the sea that makes up the populous thoughts of this album.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Paranoid for me has always been that, as influential as it has been on the sound that became heavy metal, not all of this album could be categorised as heavy metal. "Planet Caravan" is the best example of this, utilising a much slower pace and gentle music, bongos in the background rather than Bill Ward's usual pounding drums, and Ozzy's very downplayed vocals. There's nothing metal about this track, and yet it is still very much a part of the Black Sabbath sound. The band may have built up its reputation as they progressed over the 1970's, but their influences still came from the 1960's, and the experimentation that bands such as The Beatles used in their music, and the way that bands such as The Yardbirds and The Who and Jethro Tull went about their music. The band themselves apparently had their doubts about putting this song on the album. In many ways, it emphasises the brilliance of the heavier songs on the album rather than detracting from them.

The songs on the album are strong, forthright and eternal. There are songs on this album that are known by people of all ages, no matter what type of music they enjoy and listen to themselves. "War Pigs" often has some sections of society up in arms and proclaiming the evil of the band for the final line of the song ("Satan laughing spreads his wings"), without listening to the song and realising it is preaching against the warmongers of the world rather than being a song about the devil. Ozzy's vocals are at heir best here, not overreaching themselves as they did do on other releases, but reaching highs and emoting through the different ranges required of the songs on display, especially impressive when all he has in support at times are Bill's hi-hats.
"Paranoid" was famously written as an afterthought, when a final song was required to fill out the album. Various quotes range from this taking anywhere between five minutes and two hours to flesh out, but given it produced the bands' only top ten single, it is still a remarkable achievement. Tony's riff is still one of the most renown of all time, with anyone who picks up a guitar being able to play it. Sometimes simple is more memorable. Though I like "Paranoid" it isn't one of my favourite Sabbath tracks. There are so many other brilliant tracks to choose from, but it is always a crowd favourite.
No punters, "Iron Man" is not about the famous Marvel Comics superhero, but rather Geezer Butler's anti-hero who sees the Apocalypse, and then creates it. Dominated by yet another brilliant Iommi riff, the lead break is also a star attraction, with some magnificent drumming from Bill Ward. At times it sounds like he has six arms such is the flurry of tom hitting going on, while Geezer's bass just rumbles underneath in perfect synchronisation. As much as I like "Electric Funeral", the lyrics and music plod along quite a bit during the verses, while Ozzy's vocals show no great inventiveness in the way they are sung, sticking closely to the melody lines as played by the guitar. The song's intensity is lifted by the bridge following this, which improves the song immediately.
"Hand of Doom" is almost three songs in itself, such are the silent breaks between different parts of the song. If you didn't know the song, you could be forgiven for thinking they were separate songs. Great song with powerful images, another hallmark of Geezer's lyrical contributions. The intriguingly titled "Rat Salad" is an instrumental dominated by the solo drum breaks by Bill, which was apparently inspired by the gigs the band played in Europe when they had to perform several slots every day, of which one would be entirely filled by a Ward drum solo. This then moves into "Fairies Wear Boots", which sounds like a hippy flower power song on acid that has been tuned down to get the maximum heavy grunt out of it. I love this song, always have, both musically and lyrically. It's still great fun to sing to.

It may not seem to be a perfect album, given the differences in some of the songs, and they way some of them have been approached. But this is an album on which "War Pigs", "Paranoid", "Iron Man", "Hand of Doom" and "Fairies Wear Boots" have become legendary, and most of these have heavily influenced the genre and so many bands, metal and otherwise. For me, from this "Mark I" era of Black Sabbath, I think there is a split hair between Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath as their finest album. Legendary or not, influential or not, this is one of my favourites, and one that everyone should listen to at least once in their lifetime.

Rating:  Running as fast as they can, Iron Man lives again!  5/5


Tuesday, April 21, 2015

762. AC/DC / Rock or Bust. 2014. 3.5/5

Releasing just their fourth album in the past 24 years hasn't affected AC/DC's popularity worldwide, nor has it changed their style. As always, this either bothers you to the point that you can't listen to what is on the album, or it makes you feel warm and fuzzy, and you sink into it like a comfortable pair of shoes. There is a change of some description however. It's old man's easy listening rock now. The real trademark energy that used to punctuate their songs and performances has now settled back into stuff these guys could be playing in dressing gowns and armchairs.
That's not meant to be a cheap shot either - I mean, they ARE all old now, and you can't keep doing what you used to forever. Malcolm Young's retirement due to illness is the best indication of that.

But there used to be riffs and solos from Angus that transcended songs and albums, ones that immediately made you recognise the song as soon as you heard it. There's none of that here. The songs are tight and held together by the infinite and endless 4/4 beat on Phil Rudd's drums along with Cliff Williams' bass guitar. Stevie Young does a serviceable job on rhythm guitar, filling in his uncle's shoes. Brian Johnson's vocals are as recognisable as ever, with lyrics that cover the usual AC/DC song subjects. There is nothing out of place here, but there is nothing that is a breakout song, busting out of the speakers to take a hold of you. It isn't as though there is a lack of energy here, it's just that it is a slow fissure that is spread throughout the whole album, not changing all the way through. In the past there would be explosions of energy, making you look up and take notice of the song or riff or solo. Here it is more of a levelling situation, letting that tempo sit all the way through the album, hardly missing a beat along the way.

This album sits comfortably between the way I feel about Blow Up Your Video and The Razors Edge. Both of those albums start off with the money shots, the singles that was the momentum to those albums' sales. But whereas with Blow Up Your Video the rest of the album disappointed me and left me feeling unfulfilled, there are some great other tracks on The Razors Edge that keep me coming back for more. Here on Rock or Bust, there is no doubt that the opening two songs are where the promotion of the album comes to. "Rock or Bust"  is the title track and second single to be released, which followed the initial release of the second song on the album "Play Ball" which preceded the release of the album proper. Both are catchy enough to have already been used in sports promotions worldwide, so you know you are getting good album coverage when that occurs. Following these two songs, you have a collection of songs that follow the same formula as AC/DC songs do. Sometimes, as on Blow Up Your Video they don't really work, unable to keep the interest of the listener. For me at least, the remainder of Rock or Bust is closer to The Razor's Edge. There is enough here to keep you listening and rocking along, even if it is in an easy listening kind of atmosphere. They may not be outstanding, and they may not be memorable for anything out of the ordinary, but as a package they are still great to listen to.

There is every chance that this will be AC/DC's final album. But then again I've probably thought that of their last three or four albums. If it does become their last release, we can at least be happy that they ended it on their own terms, delivering an album that does very little different to what they have in the last two or three decades, and still delivering songs that have that foot-tapping, head-bobbing capability.

Rating:  Listen, drinks all around I'm in the mood.  3.5/5



Monday, April 20, 2015

761. HammerFall / (r)Evolution. 2014. 2.5/5

Over the years the evolving nature of HammerFall's music has slowly taken shape, from the speed driven power metal of their early albums to the more mid-range tempo selection of writing almost in deference to contemporary heavy metal in recent times. One may even suggest that their music has "matured" over the years, from the brash young speed based band that began during the 1990's to the better produced, planned and involved writing and recording that is prominent throughout (r)Evolution. Indeed, the music has evolved light years since those first albums to what has been presented here. Whether it also involved a revolution is of course open to interpretation.
I admit that I have had some problems with HammerFall's recent albums. Well, let's face it, after Renegade I could pretty much have given every album a miss. But I keep coming back, as I do with other bands of this ilk, in the hope that they will surprise and produce another album that will sit comfortably up there with their best. You know, Glory to the Brave on speed with modern production. Surely that's not too much to ask, is it? But you aren't going to get that, because they have moved into this aforementioned mid-tempo music, which can work at its best here, but isn't what lured me into HammerFall in the first place.

There are some good tunes here. I have been putting this album on and letting it play through about a dozen times now, and it hasn't annoyed me to the point that I have to stop it or skip along songs. However, nor have I found anything on here so outstanding that I replay a song three or four times because it is so enjoyable. I enjoy the opening track "Hector's Hymn", and parts of "Live Life Loud". "Ex Inferis" is just so slow, a plodding track that just isn't heavy or imposing enough to carry the way it is played. The tempo feels so wrong when it still wants to sound like a power metal song. Two styles that don't mix, without a hook to make it impressive. "Winter is Coming" wants to be a ballad and therefore stabs at my heart with a dagger. On the plus side are the faster paced "We Won't Back Down" and "Origins" which come closer to their older work than most songs on this album do.

The musicianship is polished, clean and continues to improve as it morphs into this same-but-different direction. Joacim Cans vocals continue to impress. He is still the shining light of this band, and no matter what the song may be like, his vocals improve it. Unfortunately, the writing partnership between himself and guitarist Oscar Dronjak has again failed to find enough hooks and catches to make this album stand out significantly from their past five albums. The positive I guess is that this is more listenable than those recent albums, but after 15 years of waiting for their next big effort, I do believe that it is time to accept that this is the best we can expect from the modern HammerFall, and to either accept that fact or move on.

Rating:  We're haunted by fire, our spirit is now set to burn  2.5/5


Friday, April 17, 2015

760. Sweet Savage / Killing Time. 1996. 4/5

Back in the 1980's I had a man-crush on Vivian Campbell. I loved his guitaring and song writing in Dio, and was crushed when he left that group before I could see them live in 1986. I followed his other bands leading up to his incarceration with Def Leppard. I had also heard that he had been in a band called Sweet Savage before he joined Dio, and tried to find any material I could of theirs. I was basically unsuccessful, with the only song I could find being one called "Eye of the Storm" which was on the Lars Ulrich-inspired NWoBHM '79 Revisited release. It has only been in later years, with the appearance of the internet and better research abilities that I have tracked down the few early Sweet Savage recordings by their original line-up, including Campbell, leader and bass guitarist/vocalist Ray Haller, guitarist Trev Fleming and drummer David Bates. They are all brilliant, and despite Vivian's defection to Dio you can't help but wonder how Sweet Savage did not manage to break through into mainstream metal ranks as well.

Fast forward to 1996, and Metallica has brought Sweet Savage back into the public eye by recording a cover version of "Killing Time" for their The Unforgiven / Killing Time single. Suddenly there are others like me searching out material that, for the most part, does not exist. So they put the band back together again, with the exception of the Leppard-ed Vivian Campbell, who was replaced by Simon McBride, and recorded this album, which became their debut album some 17 years after they first started playing together.
The material for the album consisted of songs from the very beginning of the band, re-recorded with the current lineup, as well as songs from their time that were reworked or completed renovated in the recording process. And you can easily split it up into three divisions or categories, just on listening alone.

Firstly, there are the songs that have been written by the current lineup for this release. "Welcome to the Real World", "Thunder", "Parody of Wisdom" and "Why" are those four songs, and whether it is the fact that they were written at this time for this album, or they had been previous ideas that were redone for this album, there is a noticeable difference between these songs and the others on the album. The second grouping are songs that were originally written in the period following Campbell's departure from the band, and Ian Wilson's arrival as his replacement. "D.U.D." and "Reach Out" are those two songs, and both have a faster pace than those first four songs mentioned, with a catchy snatch of lyrics and a punchy riff. Thirdly, there are the songs that came from the original line-up, and were the ones that caught the imagination of punters when they first came on the scene. Those songs, "Killing Time", "Vengeance", "Eye of the Storm", "Prospector of Greed", "The Raid" and "Ground Zero", are the groundbreakers here, the eye catching, ear-pricking, fast paced, head banging, guitar driven songs that are the source of Sweet Savage's power. The difference between the songs in this section and the first section is like chalk and cheese. Those first songs are fine, but of a slower pace generally, written with another guitarist in a different era, and that is truly noticeable. The speed of the songs, and the flying fingers in the solos, are the dead giveaways in the songs from that final section. While the original versions with Vivian playing are superior simply because of his guitar playing (compare the original versions of "Eye of the Storm" and "Killing Time" with the two on this album, and you will know exactly what I mean), these versions still shine through in an era where song writing is still an art form many cannot reproduce.

What a shame this album didn't eventuate in 1982 instead of 1996. Who knows what could have happened if it had. Perhaps Sweet Savage would still have gone the way of other NWoBHM bands, getting that initial release out but still fading into obscurity. This album is still terrific despite the time that had disappeared in between their emergence and their reappearance, and finally allowed fans of several generations to appreciate the music that they would otherwise have never had the ability to do so.

Rating:  The sound of gunfire echoes through the night.  4/5


Full album on YouTube

Thursday, April 16, 2015

759. Holocaust / The Nightcomers. 1981. 3.5/5

From the moment I first put this on, there was little doubt that it came from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era,  when young heavy metal bands were trying to force their way out of the pack to gain attention, back in the late 70's and early 80's. Holocaust's story is similar to most of that vintage. They fought to get a record deal, they were able to get some of their music published before the band split apart, only to be reformed by one member who continued on with the name.

Listening to the album today, there are the mixed reactions to many albums of this vintage. There are songs here that are almost groundbreaking, carrying the elements that could see them being the forebearers of leading the band to fame and fortune. There are also the songs that could possibly be described as average fodder, filling the gaps (or falling between the cracks perhaps) where the better songs leave off. The production appears surprisingly good for the era it was recorded, which helps to elevate the good songs to a decent level.
"Smokin' Valves" has a strange meshing of sounds, to me it's almost a crossover between the styles of Alice Cooper and Gary Moore. It is reasonable enough once you get used to it, but certainly strange to start with. Gary Lettice's vocals are not one of the big strengths of this album. They aren't terrible, but they do seem to stick to the one register and stay there for the length of the album. Very one dimensional, which can get a tad disillusioning after awhile. This is especially so during "Mavrock", where the monotonal moaning seems to stretch out each note of the song, elongating a process that doesn't improve a song that is already overblown by incessant guitar and drums being played almost in freeform exploration rather than uniform song writing. "Cryin' Shame" sounds like an AC/DC backbeat musically, without the attitude that the vocals require to make it a serviceable song.

The highlights of the album include "Death or Glory", a punchy metal song with good solo breaks and riffs, and "Heavy Metal Mania" which duplicates the feeling of a real breakthrough heavy metal song with great drum work and terrific guitaring styles throughout, with anthemic vocals and lyrics. These two songs are where Holocaust show the diversity they required to be a standout, it's just that after these two songs the rest of the album doesn't do enough to stand out from the pack. Interestingly enough, both of these songs were solely written by John Mortimer, who was to push onwards with Holocaust on his own following this album.
This album has obvious influences in later work from other bands. Listen to the end of "The Nightcomers" and tell me you don't hear Cliff Burton playing the end of  "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth". Uncanny, or a tribute? That Metallica later covered another Holocaust song is probably answer enough. Gamma Ray has also covered two songs from this album. The band has continued to the present day with John Mortimer as the sole surviving member, which shows that the longevity was there as well. For me, this album shows the promise of the time, mixed with the issues of creating an album with more than just a few highlights. In the long run, perhaps this is more of a monument of the time and era than a shining light to act as a beacon for those that came after this release.

Rating:  I've got heavy metal music in my blood  3.5/5


Holocaust - Death or Glory - on YouTube

Holocaust - Heavy Metal Mania - on YouTube