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ROCK AND ROLL! => All Them Other Guys => Topic started by: Zzzptm on November 20, 2023, 11:37:28 AM
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I've always been a fan of top 10 lists!
There are many a band that has a brilliant first album and then falls flat on the second, or doesn't quite get there... so what are your choices for the 10 best sophomore albums from a given lineup?
Because some bands didn't hit a "classic" lineup with the first crew in the band, I leave this open so later lineups that actually got traction would be able to participate - Deep Purple Mk 2 and Iron Maiden with Bruce Dickinson, for example. At the same time, I wouldn't want to have revolving-door groups taken out if the core band members are still in it - one could argue that with Blackmore, Dio, and Powell, Rainbow had some consistency from Rising to LLRNR, so maybe that latter album could be considered. Maybe not, if you'd rather be strict on lineups - considering Powerslave the follow-up to Piece of Mind because of Nicko McBrain on drums, as opposed to Piece of Mind being the follow-up to Number of the Beast.
If we've already nominated an album for a top 10 solo album, make it an honorable mention or slot it in the lineup, but get 10 albums besides the ones we just rated.
Live albums not for consideration: In Rock is not the follow-up to Concerto for Group and Orchestra. Fireball is the proper second album for DP Mk 2.
Albums I think would be in the running off the top of my head would be Fireball, Paranoid, Mob Rules or Dehumanizer (depending on how you feel about the drummer), Piece of Mind or Powerslave (again, drummer issues...), Long Live Rock and Roll or Rising (again, judgment call), Passion Play, Grand Funk, We're an American Band, Toys in the Attic, Straight Shooter, Rumours, Canned Wheat, Led Zeppelin II, Caress of Steel, Tyranny and Mutation, Ride the Lightning, Bomber, Wheels of Steel, Van Halen II, OU812... that's just off the top of my head, any second album is fair game.
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That'll take some thinking about!
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I'm thinking of going through my favorite bands, finding where they had a stable lineup for 2 or more albums, listing those second albums, and then probably giving them a spin so I know where they land in the rankings. We might want to discuss this so we don't overlook some of the good stuff that's tricky to remember all of.
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Hmmm...
I think this is a fun one BUT I also think that it would be bit too tricky to start including different line-ups here.. Where do you draw the line? One person changes does that then re-start the counter again?
I think if we were to talk about sophomore album I think they just honestly need to be the second albums by those bands....but then again there are bands like Deep Purple and Iron Maiden who kind of really got going with the second line-up...But in Maiden's case I don't really think Burr or McBrain would make a difference...
Anthrax would be another where it would be rather easy to exclude the first album...One could also argue that Judas Priest only really got a stable line up going with Dave Holland...
But honestly I'd be okay just listing second albums...with ONE exeption and that would ofcourse be Deep Purple.
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I have been thinking about this and I think we could even do TWO lists here...
One with starting from the beginning and then the second one featuring a certain line up...I have a feeling that we'd be able to fill both lists with relative ease....
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Can do with that!
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Alright. I'll kick things off then starting with the band specific ones first once we finish with that we can do the line up specific ones...
#10
Hammerfall - Legacy Of Kings
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cb/Legacy_Of_Kings.jpg)
Hammerfall's first album Glory To The Brave was the band kind of finding their way but on their second album they hit the nail on the head and created one of the best power metal albums of all time. Songs like Heeding The Call, The Title Track, Let The Hammer Fall and even the ballad At The End Of The Rainbow are all solid songs. Joacim Cans' vocals soar like no other and the guitars of Oscar Dronjak and Stefan Elmgren rival that of any guitar duo out there atleast in the power metal genre. The Swedes certainly knocked it out of the park with this one!
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Had to finish up my rankings...
And yes, original bands first, later lineups... later!
My honorable mentions go out to:
Bad Company - Straight Shooter
Black Sky Giant - Planet Terror
Saxon - Wheels of Steel
Megadeth - Peace Sells
Mos Generator - Songs for Future Gods
1000 Mods - Vultures
Dio - Last in Line
Metal Church - The Dark
Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
I like those, but I like these other 10 more... :D
My Number Ten is...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/Steely_Dan-Countdown_to_Ecstacy.jpg)
Steely Dan's Countdown to Ecstasy. Clean, slick, portend of things to come. From the opening track, Bodhisattva, to the ending King of the World, we have a solid performance from Fagen-Becker & Friends. My personal favorite track from the album is side 2's closer, Your Gold Teeth. By getting rid of that one singer that didn't fit stylistically, the band found its groove with this album and kept it strong for the rest of the 70s.
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Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
Good idea for a thread, Z except...'Toys' is Aerosmith's 3rd album, not their sophomore effort.
I'll think about which albums would be on my list...
Ted
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I'm a little busy at the moment. I'll catch up with my choices when I have a little more time, hopefully next week!
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Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
Good idea for a thread, Z except...'Toys' is Aerosmith's 3rd album, not their sophomore effort.
I'll think about which albums would be on my list...
Ted
You're right! It's Get Your Wings that's their second one! Well, I like that as well, not as much as Toys, but still a solid work. Swap out the honorable mention and act like it was a typo... :whistling:
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I'm a little busy at the moment. I'll catch up with my choices when I have a little more time, hopefully next week!
We're in no rush here...
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Hey KDC, how's it looking? :)
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I'm good to start from Sunday (basically busy Friday and Saturday). Feel free to start when you want to and if necessary I'll catch up.
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Just to clarify, we are...
1) looking for the greatest 2nd albums from a band or artist?
2) that could also include a second album after a significant change in personnel? *
3) I presume it doesn't matter if the 1st album is as good or better just that the 2nd is great?
* I'll probably just stick to a change in vocalist
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Starting with 2nd albums overall, then we go into 2nd albums after personnel changes. And 1st albums don't count. Yep.
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Yes we'll be making two seperate lists....one for bands overall and then ones after line up changes...that should be interesting.
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Ok, I've had to knock out a couple of choices as they either had more early albums than I realised before the second album or I miss remembered the order that the albums came out (so that does away with Yes and ELP!)
Look for me to post my first choice sometime this evening!
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#10
New Model Army - No Rest for the Wicked - 1985
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/NMA_no_rest.jpg)
While the debut had some good songs it was a very raw album, showing a band finding their feet in the music business. And while this isn't their greatest album it is such a great statement of intent and sets the foundations for the albums that follow.
Best Tracks: Frightened, My Country, Not Rest and Drag it Down
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#9
MEGADETH - PEACE SELLS....BUT WHO's BUYING
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/40/Megadeth_-_Peace_Sells..._But_Who%27s_Buying-.jpg)
The first album was great but bit lacking in production and it was clear Dave and company were still looking to find their actual sound.
But with this album they became a force to be reckoned with! Songs like the iconic title track, Wake Up Dead, The Conjuring and the absolutely suberb Devil's Island showcase Dave's masterful song writing. This album can be proudly presented as one of Thrash Metal's best albums of all time.
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(I'm going to visit Megadeth in my next list...)
My number 9 entry is...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/Blue_Oyster_Cult-Tyranny_and_Mutation.jpg)
Tyranny and Mutation, an amazing album from BOC. Their first had production issues, some poor song choices, typical first-album issues. But THIS one! Wow! The Red and The Black, OD'd on Life Itself, Hot Rails to Hell... and those are just the first three songs! One of the best early metal albums made, fits in snugly with the next album from the band, Secret Treaties.
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#9
Metallica - Ride The Lightning
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f4/Ridetl.png)
To be honest, this could have been higher! But I'm just including the albums as I confirm they were indeed the bands second album. I've had to cut another two albums from my list today!.
Anyway this would always have been on my list, I've always known it's their second album! It is such an improvement over the first album (ok KEA is musically fine, but the vocals are ghastly!). Best tracks on here: For Whom the Bell Tolls, Fade to Black and their all time top 3 song Creeping Death.
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I'm gonna go with another Big Four band and album
#8
ANTHRAX - SPREADING THE DISEASE
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1f/Spreading_The_Disease.jpg)
The first album was musically sound and suitably thrashy BUT the vocals of Neil Turbin were quite bad...but Anthrax truly hit the jackpot when they found Joey Belladonna as a replacement. His talent was light years above Turbin's and his vocals soared the band to whole new hights. And this album is full of thrash metal classics. A.I.R. , Lone Justice, Madhouse, Aftershock and Medusa just to name a couple.
I was considering putting Anthrax on my second list but eventhough Among The Living is a masterpiece I think the difference between the first album and this is far greater than the difference between this and Among...all thanks to mr. Joey Belladonna!
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My number 8 is...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/28/Nantucketsleighride.jpg)
Thundering opening with "Don't Look Around" and then straight into a moody, dark piece - the title track, after a short instrumental interlude. The title track itself would grow to massive lengths in concert jams, but it's just as formidable in the 5:49 it gets on the album here. The rest of the album is strong, American-flavored progressive hard rock. The folk influences that give it the proggy feel are American in nature, or Scottish/English/Irish transplants to America that may have not made it to the musical vocabulary of British prog bands but were most certainly in plenitude here in the states. A few tracks took some getting used to for me, but I enjoy them all. The final track, "The Great Train Robbery" has this wonderful slide guitar intro and some of Leslie West's best studio guitar work. On stage, the guy was even more amazing... but this album is a smash, start to finish.
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#8
Rain - Radio Silence
(https://www.dvdland.it/222404-large_default/rain-radio-silence-cd.jpg)
The second album by modern prog band Rain. This only came out this year and I'm not quite sure who to compare them to!
Best tracks are - Something New, Radio Silence, Solid State, Bring it Back
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#7
ICED EARTH - NIGHT OF THE STORMRIDER
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/42/Iced_Earth_-_1991_-_Night_of_the_Stormrider_%28original%29.jpg)
Iced Earth's debut was musically sound but the vocals of Gene Adam were...well questionable to say it politely...and he was quickly ejected and a singer of totally different caliber joined the band in John Greely. John Schaffer also delivers the goods both on guitar and on the song writing department. The concept of the album is great and the lyrics are very good. This remained the band's best album until the magnificent THE GLORIOUS BURDEN that was released over a decade later. It was a shame that Greely did not survive the turmoil of the band's ever changing line ups as he surely had the vocal abilities to keep the band going strong.
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My Number Seven (7) is...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/57/Back_in_the_USA.jpg)
Barely half an hour, it's still an incredible disc. But don't take my word for it! Here's a celebrity endorsement:
"In a time of terrible manufactured music, Back in the USA was rock 'n' roll, untreated… I used to sit and listen to that album for hours: listen to it through, then put it straight back on again. It was the kind of album you could do that with, particularly the odd songs like 'Human Being Lawnmower'. It was impossible to see the structure of that song for a while. You'd think, 'Fuck it, what's going on there?' Then you'd sit and work it out… My favourite track off that MC5 album would have to be Chuck Berry's 'Back in the U.S.A.'." – Lemmy, Motörhead
These guys take Little Richard's Tutti Frutti and actually do a masterclass with it, as well as Back in the USA, as Lemmy alludes to. High School and American Ruse are other standout tracks. Millions know the MC5 for Kick Out the Jams, and that's cool. But those who know them for Back in the USA got something really special, there. Best album from the MC5.
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#7
The Stranglers - No More Heroes
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f6/Stranglers_-_No_More_Heroes_album_cover.jpg)
I'm not suggesting this is better than their debut album (Rattus Norvegicus), but this is a very good follow-up none-the-less. This album has more of the pub-rock feel to it, but they were never that "punk" anyway, they were better song writers than that.
Best Tracks on the album: Bitching, Dead Ringer, Dagenham Dave, Something Better Change, No More Heroes. My copy also the b-side 5 Minutes which is also excellent!
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My number six (6) is...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/64/Black_Sabbath_-_Paranoid.jpg)
This second platter from Black Sabbath truly stands the test of time. It just does. One of the finest progressive hard rock albums made. Also a metal album, because that's how it was back in the early 70s. You took the one with the other. :smug:
And while people were still figuring out the whole metal thing, this was one of the albums where, if your band wanted to be a metal band, you and your mates would study carefully and try to sound just like it. This album put Black Sabbath firmly on the map and, when bands had really heavy track for the next few years, the critics would say, "Sounds like Black Sabbath on this one..." This is the album they were comparing it to. When Funkadelic pulled out all the stops and went full heavy on their track Super Stupid, this is the album it got compared to. And, given how Maggot Brain (the album with that track) itself is a watershed monument turning point colossal milestone of an album itself, that speaks to how important Paranoid is as a touchstone for other bands' development.
Also, it rocks, dude! :headbanger:
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^^^
Well how about that!
#6
BLACK SABBATH - PARANOID
(https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5c0ae1293c8c4c2dad96daef/1:1/w_450%2Cc_limit/paranoid.jpg)
Black Sabbath's debut was ground breaking in a lot of ways and it was also a SUBERB album... And they took almost everything that made it suberb and just amped it up for the follow up which was supposed to be called War Pigs thus the cover but was changed by the record company to Paranoid (a simple track they threw together in 30 minutes because they needed an extra track)....the fact that the cover art and title made no sense only made the album more special I suppose.
Even though some of the tracks have lost a bit of their speciality over the years being over played at every show by every line up there is still so much power and presense on this album that it is hard to even comprehend.
Some say this is the album that created heavy metal...a statement that is hard to argue with...
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It is in my Top 10, I haven't finalised positions yet, so I might as well get it out of the way now....
#6
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
We know what the cover looks like!
Take what Zs and Charger said... and I can't really add anything to it! It's an Iconic album.
Best Tracks: War Pigs, Hand of Doom and Fairies Wear Boots
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WHOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAA
IT GOT RANKED
6
6
6
:shock:
:geezer: :bill: :tony: :ozzy:
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Now that's EVIL!
#5
BENEDICTUM - SEASONS OF TRAGEDY
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b7/Benedictum_-_Seasons_of_Tragedy.jpg)
Benedictum put out one hell of a debut album in 2006 with Uncreation which was a great old school really heavy heavy metal album. Their second outing saw the band experiment bit more and put out some more complex songs like the epic title track which runs over 10 minutes! Shell Shock, Beast In The Field, Within The Solace and the Accept cover Balls To The Wall demonstrate the vocal excellence of lead lady Veronica Freeman. The guitar mastermind Pete Wells again pushes out killer riffs like there's no tomorrow! Veronica also shows her softer side with a brilliant version of Rainbow's classic Catch The Rainbow featuring Jeff Pilson and Craig Coldy on bass and guitar!
Absolutely suberb album from a suberb band that never made it like they should have!
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My number five (5) goes over to the world of classic soul...
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_792452-T2/images/I/71OtBpcvPBL._UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg)
This is bending things a bit, as they had a few other albums before 1972 that were pretty much records to have on hand at shows for interested buyers. They went nowhere. But after signing with Philadelphia International Records, the O'Jays finally got nationally-released albums with proper label support, getting a super smash with Back Stabbers. As a follow-up, Ship Ahoy took things to the next level, with a much darker tone throughout the album. That shouldn't be surprising, as it was a concept album about slavery - which is why their epic track "For the Love of Money" is so powerful as part of the mix with the other tracks. As a standalone, yeah, it's a tough tune with a killer bass line. With the context of the rest of the album, it's one of the best songs about evil and its enticing temptations ever recorded. There's still room for love and hope - Put Your Hands Together and Now That We Found Love burn brightly those flames - but there's still a tinge at the edges that we seek for such things in a world of hurt, pain, and injustice.
I tend to like songs that represent a grappling with reality, as it's a struggle that resonates with me. And while I greatly enjoy metal songs about the possibility of nuclear war, this album that confronts the actuality of human slavery is far more chilling and thought-provoking to me. It's on the same level as songs about drug abuse, but in this case, it's the choices of others that apply the harshest impact, not one's own choices. Ship Ahoy is a masterwork of an album.
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#5
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/Ozzy_Osbourne_Diary_of_a_Madman.jpg)
As good as the debut is I always preferred Diary of a Madman. I felt it was a little more refined and more thoughtful! He never really hit these heights again.
Best tracks: Over the Mountain, Tonight, S.AT.O. and the title track
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#4
WOLFSBANE - DOWN FALL THE GOOD GUYS
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9c/Wolfsbane_down_fall_the_good_guys.jpg)
Wolfsbane blasted to the world with a great debut in form of Live Fast, Die Fast and especially their suberb EP All Hell Is Breaking Loose At Little Kathy Wilson's Place but it's with their second album that they really hit the jackpot! Tracks like You Load Me Down, Black Lagoon, Cathode Ray Clinic and especially the brilliant Temple Of Rock smashed through the heavy metal community and the energetic preformances of especially the lead singer Blaze Bayley caught the eye of one Steve Harris and soon they were asked to support Iron Maiden and reportedly in some places blew Maiden (who were on the decline at the time) off the stage!
Suberb album of fast heavy metal with a humoristical edge that was/is always present in the band!
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One more funk and soul album before I head back into metallic territory... my #4 is...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ca/ParliamentChocolateCityalbumcover.jpg)
Chocolate City is not a concept album, just a concept song to go with that album wrapper. It's a celebration of life, no matter how tough it may be for those living it. Lots of fun funk on this platter. Title track rocks out, second track Ride On gonna make you DANCE, sucka!, and the party just keeps on going. And in that partying, there's some lyrics to think about. My favorite couplet is from Ride On: "It ain't what you know, it's what you feel / It ain't about being right, it's about being real"
This is Parliament just before they launched the mothership, and it's all coming together with the multiple voices and duplicate instruments creating some amazing layers. There's a drum machine to go along with two or more drummers, it's insane. Good horn work from the Brecker Brothers, anticipating their joining with Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley on the next album for even more brassy fire.
This is one of those albums that once I start, I gotta finish. I was thinking of just playing a bit of each song as I typed this up, but, nope. I'm only on track 4, Side Effects, after a great ride thru track 3, Together, and this ride gonna keep going. Long pauses between typing as I just take it all in... :D
Upbeat funk all the way through side one with What Comes Funky putting a dip in my hip and some glide in my stride. Awwwww yeaaaaaah
Side Two starts off with the eccentric Let Me Be, which is where people comparing George Clinton to Frank Zappa REALLY starts to click. That's right, this song is some Zappa-level crazy and it's GOOD. These cats got their unlistenable stuff out of their veins on earlier Funkadelic experimentations, so now it's all good from here on out until they build up a tolerance to all the drugs they're doing.
Back to the fun funk with If It Don't Fit Don't Force It, which is some good advice in the title right there. Things go a little cold with I Misjudged You, a slower psychedelic piece that has more of that Zappa feel to it. But we end with the massive party song Big Footin' that is as awesome a closer as anything out there.
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Well my original No. 4 was scuppered by the fact that I now realise it was their 3rd album... bummer!
#4
Tony Martin - Scream
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fc/TonyMartin_Scream_Cover.jpg)
I'm not familiar with Martin's debut solo album (except for the song Jerusalem). but this basically goes to show that he could produce good songs without help of established artists. Except for some guests he plays all the instruments.
Best Tracks: Raising Hell, I'm Gonna Live For Ever, Scream, Surely Love is Dead, The Kids of Today
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^^^
Surprising but great choice there! I actually totally forgot about that album! It's a belter so I am bit ashamed of myself now leaving that out. :(
#3
JON OLIVA'S PAIN - MANIACAL RENDERINGS
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Maniacal_Renderings.jpg)
This was also a contender in the solo albums category but since Jon always insisted this was a proper band I left it out but here it is proudly in the top 3! This album was the start of a 3 album journey that featured quite a bit of music from Jon's late brother Criss. Riffs, solo bits, interludes everything he found that were recorded..some dating back all the way to the Avatar days. This is a suberb album from start to finish. It kicks off with a something of a sequel to the Savatage classic Hall Of The Mountain King called Through The Eyes Of The King which features an incredible riff...that leads to the epic title track which has to be THE best JOP song. This album captures both sides of Jon, the belting heavy metal side and the softer ballady side perfectly. No weak tracks here!
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Stoner metal shows up on my list at #3...
(https://f4.bcbits.com/img/0000172785_71.jpg)
Psychedelonaut from Wo Fat is a tremendous crusher of an album, as fierce and wild as the cover art promises. When you look at the song lengths, the first reaction might be "are these guys excessively noodling on their recordings?" The answer is no, they are not. Just guitar bass 'n' drums all the way through with solidly blues-based 70s-style metal jamming. Guitar solos that make you want to do your air guitar thang and grooves for dayyyyyys. Strong tracks throughout, my favorite is "Analog Man", a love-letter to old-school studio wizardry. "I'm an Analog Man / I know digital's a scam" :smug:
Tasty stuff from my home town of Dallas, Texas!
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Hmmmm....that's something I am not familiar with at all....I think I'll be hitting the youtube!
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I perhaps should mention that apart from the number 1 most of these choices are interchangeable, it's more as I thought of them!
#3
Marillion - Fugazi
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/19/Marillion_-_Fugazi.jpg)
Their first four albums with Fish on vocals are all extraordinary. But I would rank this third after the debut - Script for a Jesters Tear - and the fourth album - Clutching At Straws. But Fugazi, even being a dificult second album is still full of imagination, musicianship and new prog promise!
Best Tracks: Assassing, Punch & Judy, Fugazi
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In second place on my list...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/Deliriousnomad.JPG)
Armored Saint's epic, Delirious Nomad. I got into them via their Raising Fear album, which was good enough, but finding this one was a real treasure. Band really checked all the boxes and then went for greatness, like a team taking the field and in the first moments of play you know, "Oh yeah, they're gonna win easily". Long Before I Die opened up with that promise and then the greatness continued to flow after that. My favorite side is the first, followed closely by the second. :D
Best tracks? It's like looking at a table full of favorite foods and then picking out the favorites among the favorites. If I could only have two tracks, it would be Long Before I Die and The Laugh. If only one, that's when I get desperate and find a way to cheat by recording the whole thing as a single MP3 or something like that. Awesome awesome ambassador of 80s metal.
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My #2 is going to be the same as my #1 from the Solo albums list so you can read my thoughts from there..
#2
BLAZE BAYLEY - TENTH DIMENSION
(https://www.angrymetalguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/blaze-tenth-dimension-500x500.jpg)
This is just a SUBERB album.
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#2
Geezer - Black Science
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e9/Black_Science_by_GZR.jpg)
Also in my solo album top ten, the second solo album from our favourite bassist and lyricist: Geezer Butler. This was so much more accessible than the debut (although I have played Plastic Planet a couple of times recently and it sounds better than I remember!). His love SciFi growing up comes through here, and being a fan of SF myself may help me appreciate it more.
Best tracks: Mysterons, Area Code 51, Among The Cybermen, Xodiak, Trinity Road
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Time for the number ones...
Here's mine.
After the band released an album that kinda went to a whole lot of nowhere, they regrouped on a different label more supportive of their sound and gave us...
THIS...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d6/Overkill_%28song%29.jpg)
I got this album in 1987, after I moved to an efficiency apartment in Austin, just off campus. I got married right after that, 19 years old, and we celebrated 36 years this last August. But back then, we was young, poor, and going to college. So, of course, we needed metal to make it through those hard times. I had gone to a Half-Price Books & Records on the south side and perused for a while... I found some really dangerous-looking metal and this was in that buy. So was Don't Break the Oath my Mercyful Fate...
OK, so the Mercyful Fate was something I had to shelve, but this one got played over and over and over and over. You all know why. It's awesome.
But after my wife had a nightmare during a nap, I wasn't allowed to play "I'll Be Your Sister" again while she was sleeping. And avoid it if she was awake, it gave her the heebie-jeebies.
A few weeks later, classes started and my wife found a baby kitten to take home. We paid the pet deposit, got a cat box, and brought in a little white kitty. We didn't know what to name her until after we noticed she loved to sit on top of the speaker when this album was playing. So we named the cat Philbert, after the drummer. It was a good time.
I had no idea this album was that good when I got it, but I found out right after I first played it. A true classic, beloved by many.
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#1
Rainbow - Rising
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/RainbowRainbowRising.jpg)
When we first discussed this topic my first thought was Rainbow... Rising. One of the most iconic and greatest albums ever made. The debut was solid and certainly had its moments but this was on a different level.
Best Tracks: Tarot Woman, Starstruck, Light in the Black.... and of course Stargazer
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I might do an "honourable mentions" list tomorrow, and perhaps mention which albums I was aggrieved at not being their second album!
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I was 100% certain ZZZ had screwed up there with Overkill...but no...I have always thought Bomber was the second album then Overkill! :O That's so strange....I'm not sure where I got that impression but it has stuck with me the whole time I've been a Motörhead fan! I am in shock! And had I known this earlier this album would have most certainly been on my list....crazy.
Anyways...
#1.
RAINBOW - RISING
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/68/RainbowRainbowRising.jpg)
KDC said it too, the first thought I had was of this album...there was no possibility #1 could be anything else.
This is pretty much a perfect album....and it is one of THE best albums of all time and Stargazer is one of THE best tracks of all time.
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Because of my ignorance (and poor memory combined) few albums got left out that should have been on the list...although I am not entirely sure which albums I could have cut out to make room for them though!
But they would have been:
Tony Martin - Scream
A stellar album...Tony's first album Back Where I Belong wasn't all that good and most certainly not all that heavy but he surely kicked things up a notch with Scream. And in a true multi-instrumentalist mannor Tony recorded almost all of the instruments himself...and it also featured probably one of the last ever appearances of the late great Cozy Powell on drums whose unused drum track Tony found in his collection of material.
Martin/Mollo - The Cage 2
The second Cage album is a beast. Tracks like Terra Toria, Amore Silenzioso, Theater Of Dreams and Poison Roses are master pieces in their own rights and the version of Dazed And Confused here blows the original out of the water! Tony's vocals are absolutely top notch here and Dario's guitar playing is brilliant. A masterpiece of an album. This one I completely forgot to even consider for my list just like Scream.
GEEZER - Black Science
This I thought of but I still put Hammerfall in it's place mainly because I thought I'd give Hammerfall a fair chance here as no one else would mention it! :)
And then ofcourse
Motörhead - Overkill
For as long as I have been a Motörhead fan I have always arranged my albums Bomber first then Overkill (even did that for my car's music library it starts with Bomber) so I have always thought Overkill was their third album! (Or fourth if you count On Parole as well)...it's kind of crazy that after a relatively weak album in their self titled they managed to hammer out an absolute timeless masterpiece.
It's kind of strange that Bomber is so much weaker than Overkill and then again Ace Of Spades is such a vast improvement and another timeless masterpiece.
So this was probably one of my biggest shocks of all time to find out I had been this wrong for so long.
Savatage's Power Of The Night was in my thoughts but honestly it just wasn't strong enough...Side B just doesn't cut it...now if you'd consider The Dungeons Are Calling as their second album (which it truly isn't) then it would have most certainly been on the list.
But those would be my honorable mentions.
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I only really have 1 honourable mention, the rest are the albums I had on my long list but which turned out not to be the bands 2nd album. There are bound to albums (like Motorhead's) which I just haven't thought of!
Honourable Mention
The Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope - This is less punk that the debut and a definite move to later albums like London Calling.
Ineligible Choices
Yes - The Yes Album. I've ignored their earliest material as I understand it's a little different. But although I knew there was an album called Time And A Word I hadn't realised there was a S/T debut!
Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Trilogy. A question of getting the order mixed up, I could have sworn Tarkus came after Trilogy... but I was wrong!
The Damned - Machine Gun Etiquette. I know there is an album after the debut called Music for Pleasure but I was under the impression it wasn't released in the UK, I can now find no evidence to back that up!
The Jam - All Mod Cons. I was quite shocked when I checked, that this wasn't their 2nd album, but like BS they released 3 albums in about a year and a half (mid-77 to late-78)!
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And now we will do the top 10 of a particular lineup, not necessarily the 2nd actual album of a band, but the second one after a major lineup change (new singer, new guitarist, formation of the "classic" lineup, etc.)
I'm ready with my list... KDC and Charger, are you set?
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My list isn't done yet but I can move ahead for sure! I'll think as we go!
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I've got a list ready! It's only got ten at the moment so I hope I haven't made mistakes! My first choice might be controversial!
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All righty then...
My honorable mentions are:
Rumours - second album from the Buckingham-Nicks lineup of Fleetwood Mac. Yes, it's overly-commercialized. But it's also a solid album that delivers a lot of really good songs.
A Passion Play - Jethro Tull's second album with Barrymore Barlow on drums, and although not as strong as Thick as a Brick, it's still one that pops in my head frequently.
The Black Album - The Damned went through a lineup change where Captain Sensible emerged as the new lead guitarist, and this album showed everyone that things were gonna be all right.
And now, my list, which will cover metal, hard rock, fun, soul, and prog...
***
#10 - Ride the Lightning
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f4/Ridetl.png/220px-Ridetl.png)
Fun fact: if John Bush had accepted Hetfield's offer to be the lead singer, it wouldn't be on this list! It would be on the first one, though. What an album! This one and Master of Puppets are why Cliff Burton fans miss him so much. This is the second album from Metallica after Mustaine left and I think it stands with Master of Puppets as their two single best works.
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I'm unlikely to put an artists actual 2nd album on here as I probably would have posted that in the first half of the game!
Anyway... #10
Iron Maiden - Dance of Death
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/Iron_Maiden-Dance_of_Death.jpg)
Maybe a little controversial because this album is a return to an earlier line-up. After Dickinson and Smith had left some albums earlier they both returned for Brave New World and have stayed ever since. The 2nd album with this returning line-up was Dance of Death, one of the more consistent albums since they reformed.
Best Tracks: Rainmaker, Gates of Tomorrow, New Frontier, Passchendaele, Face in the Sand, Age of Innocence
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^^^
That's actually not a bad choice as that has remained Maiden's last really good album! And it is also the second album to feature the line up with 3 guitar players! So it ticks all the boxes!
I'm not sure about Ride The Lightning though.... :)
Well my #10 is
DEATH ANGEL - THE DREAM CALLS FOR BLOOD
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91WljCTz7iL._UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg)
Death Angel returned in 2010 with a new line up and a killer album Relentless Retribution but I think the next two albums they surely knocked it out of the park. The Dream Calls For Blood is a suberb album with a killer artwork (thus the bigger picture!) and the title track is most certainly a modern thrash metal classic. Left For Dead, Son Of The Morning and Caster Of Shame are among the finer tracks on the album.
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My #9...
(https://i.discogs.com/EpQPo_FxfryFUP36jfbGxLgN_u1e5Bo8Y86bts9Cl6s/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:300/w:300/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIzMTMy/MDYtMTMwNDQ1NTMw/OC5qcGVn.jpeg)
After the jazz-rock fusion sound of Ian Gillan Band no longer did it for Gillan, he got a different band together and went into a harder sound. Fun fact: he turned down Blackmore's offer to front Rainbow after dissolving IGB.
Gillan had success with what's now called "The Japanese Album", but needed something different. For the next album, Mr. Universe, he brought in Mick Underwood on drums and Bernie Torme on guitar and everything went in a much more metal direction, right as the NWOBHM kicked off. That did all right and then the band made Glory Road.
This was my first Gillan album, and I loved it. The standout track was No Easy Way followed by Unchain Your Brain. There was a little cheesiness the keyboards for On the Rocks, but all in all it was a great album and I still like to dust it off to this day.
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#9
Hawkwind - Sonic Attack
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/Sonic_Attack_-_Hawkwind.jpg)
The Hawkwind lineup used to change as often as they changed their underwear. However, this was the second album where the core of the band stayed the same for a few albums, the core being Dave Brock, Huw Lloyd-Langton and Harvey Bainbridge. The previous album -- 1980s Levitation -- was quite good, but sounded very much like the old 70s Hawkwind albums. In 1981 they changed label and developed a more "hard rock" sound. They collaborated with SF/Fantasy author Michael Moorcock for the first time and produced a wonderful album.
Best Tracks: Rocky Paths, Virgin of the World-Angel of Death, Living on a Knife Edge
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^ Yes, that is a great album.
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#9
CATHEDRAL - SUPERNATURAL BIRTH MACHINE
(https://i.discogs.com/wocPNVt_SXVmgihgL4nvJaHKRSFbwv8BV7vq4IXWCVk/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTI2NTE0/MzctMTI5NTA0MTUx/Ny5qcGVn.jpeg)
After Adam Lehan left the band Gaz Jennings And Lee Dorrian decided to carry on with a single guitar player as Gaz was more than capable of handling the guitar duties alone and also as such they came closer to the sound of their biggest idol Black Sabbath. With Brian Dixon and Leo Smee joining the fold this would actually be the line up Cathedral would go till the end of the band in 2013.
Carnival Bizarre was a masterpiece and the one that followed surely wasn't any weaker. Adapting some sci-fi oriented lyrical content to go along with their usual doomy religion/horror related topics the mix was absolutely perfect. With Planet Of The Apes inspired Urko's Conquest, Cyclops Revolution, Nightmare Castle, Fireball Demon and the title track Birth Machine 2000 show the band firing at all cylinders of doom and gloom and fast paced heavy metal.
One of THE best Doom metal albums of the 90s.
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Time for some funk with my #8 selection...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/Isleyslive.jpg)
The Isley Brothers had been around for a long time already when 1973 came along... they had a new label, T-Neck, a new distributor, Epic, and a new band lineup, the 3+3 referring to the older Isley vocalists and their 3 younger instrumentalist bandmates. Live It Up was the second album with that lineup and the first platinum-seller for the Isleys. Slammin' hot tracks and smooth ballads combine for an excellent album with many other artists sampling or covering these jams.
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^^^
Just LOOK at those flares!!! :)
No. 8
Rush - Grace Under Pressure
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/66/Rush_Grace_Under_Pressure.jpg)
Their 10th album but no change of personnel since the 2nd album... WHAT! Have I gone mad (probably, but that's for another topic). BUT this is the second release after they went "synth rock" and lost any trace of their 70s "progressive" output. The last album to have a significant prog content was Moving Pictures in 1981, There is little or no trace of prog on 1982s Signals and thus the second prog free album is Grace Under Pressure.
I prefer this to Signals even though Signals is a mighty fine effort, however Grace... is in my top 3 Rush albums.
Best Tracks: Distant Early Warning, Afterimage, Red Sector A, The Body Electric
In summary, not the second album after a line up change but the second album after a significant change in musical direction.
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Nice twist on the concept!
And yes, those are some mighty might flares!
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Quite interesting KDC....maybe not quite what was intented but a nice twist of the plot!
Mine is bit more traditional.
#8
METAL CHURCH - THE HUMAN FACTOR
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e4/MetalChurchTheHumanFactor.jpg)
The first two MC albums were good but honestly nothing all that special and David Wayne's vocals were nothing special...but then came one MIKE HOWE who's voice was something special. Blessing In Disguise was a change in direction but it's with this album that all the pieces found their rightful places. Nothing but killer tracks here, the title track, In Mourning, In Due Time and especially the SUBERB Date With Poverty are metal classics. I think this is their best album and it deserves to be on this list!
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I swear I'll be more traditional with the rest of my choices. But the change in musical direction seemed as glaring as a change in personnel to me. I would have been happy to have gone with Caress of Steel the second album after Peart joined.
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But the change in musical direction seemed as glaring as a change in personnel to me.
Oh yes absolutely. And most of the time those kinds of glaring changes in direction do not work at all...so to have one that not only works but excells is something special for sure!
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^^ That is an EXCELLENT choice of albums, Charger! That's what I like about these lists, we're not all coming up with the same stuff, and we get some good takes that we didn't come up with ourselves.
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My number 7...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Iron_Maiden_-_Piece_Of_Mind.jpg)
So, Iron Maiden, how are things working out with the new singer? On this album, most excellently!
We know this album well, so know that this is my favorite Maiden album.
But, there's an interesting twist here... my favorite track, "Still Life", is a great rocker about making what could be described as a life-altering discovery about the desirability of something one once was hesitant to embrace. Well, one day, I was listening to Itchycoo Park by The Small Faces and noticed... hey, the singer in the song is going on about how he went down to a landmark location with a water feature and had his mind blown, you gotta try this too... and that's pretty much the same pattern of Still Life, albeit Iron Maiden dress it up with a bit more horror and I don't think at all that Itchycoo Park was inspring them... but, then again, there is quite a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor on the album, so it may well have been something they did and then swore to secrecy on. Probably not, but I like my version enough to consider it as a remote possibility. :)
Fun fact: To Tame a Land was originally titled Dune, but when they asked Frank Herbert's people if it would be OK to use that as the title, the response was, "Frank Herbert doesn't like rock bands, particularly heavy rock bands, and especially bands like Iron Maiden." So they went with To Tame a Land instead...
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^^^
Look for me to include that one later on my list
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#7
MEGADETH - COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/Countdown_album_cover.jpg)
Megadeth has had few line up changes over the years and on most line ups it's actually hard to even find two albums that would be done by the same one! In fact only this and Super Collider fit the bill. And eventhough Super Collider is better than it's reputation it is in no way better than 13! Not even close.
One might argue the same with this one compared to Rust In Peace but actually the difference isn't all that big. Both albums are stellar pieces of work although quite different sounding. RIP was super aggressive thrash beast and CTE bit more mellow traditional heavy metal album with thrash elements. This is also a very even album...not many weak points on it...This Was My Life and Forclosure Of A Dream are the only weaker points on it! The rest are brilliant tracks! Sweating Bullets counts very high on my all time favourite Megadeth tunes.
This and Cryptic Writings were my introductions to Megadeth back in 1997. I still remember playing Carmageddon and having those two albums as my driving over pedestrians soundtrack! Ah...good times.
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^ Love that album, noice choice!
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Almost forgot to post my No. 7 !!!
The Damned - So Who's Paranoid
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d2/So%2C_Who%27s_Paranoid_The_damned.jpg)
(godawful cover!!)
Back when the Damned formed in 1976 they were a four piece comprising Dave Vanian on Vocals, Captain Sensible on Bass, Brian James on Guitar and Rat Scabies on Drums. As Zs has mentioned Brian James left after a couple of albums with Sensible taking on guitar duties and employing a revolving door of Bass players thereafter. But after the 1995 album Not of the Earth Rat Scabies left the band and when they returned for 2001s Grave Disorder they emerged as five piece with Monty Oxymoron on keyboards and Pinch on drums... and the album was fabulous! They followed this album up in 2008 with this album So who's Paranoid, and another great effort (although I marginally prefer Grave Disorder!). A mixture gothic rock, some almost popier tracks and some punkier efforts it's a great mix of styles.
Best Tracks - Under the Wheels, Dr Woofenstein, A Danger To Yourself, Little Miss Disaster and the 14 minute Dark Asteroid recorded as a tribute to Pink Floyd's Sid Barret who had died a couple of years earlier.
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^ This lineup of The Damned has made some great albums, I really loved So, Who's Paranoid - Shallow Diamonds is my favorite track from it.
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#6
NIGHTWISH - IMAGINAERUM
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fi/e/ef/Nightwish_-_Imaginaerum.jpg)
Who would have guessed that Nightwish would make their best work after vocalist Tarja Turunen left with a bang. The band had been evolving through out the years but it was only with Dark Passion Play (the first album with new vocalist Anette Olzon) that they really found their mojo. Bigger songs, bigger production and Tuomas Holopainen's song writing reached whole new hights. But their magnum opus was the 2011 album Imaginaerum. With songs like Storytime, Turn Loose The Mermaids, I Want My Tears Back and especially their greatest song ever, the incredible Scaretale all shine pretty much above anything they'd ever done (maybe with the exeption of Whoever Brings The Night from the previous album and Tutankhamen from their first one). It was unfortunate that this also proved to be the last album of this line up.
It was a bold choice from the band to go to a totally different direction with Anette compared to the operatic style of Tarja and it proved extremely succesful...so much so in fact that they went with an Anette clone in her replacement Floor Jansen, whose voice is so similar it's hard to hear the difference sometimes.
This is THE best symphoic metal album ever made. Period.
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Got another soul album in my top ten at number 6...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/Be_Altitude-_Respect_Yourself.jpg)
I love this one, start to finish. There's a good deal of entertaining variety on the album, and I'm sure that Led Zeppelin pinched a bit from "I'll Take You There" for their track "Down By the Seaside." For me, the strongest track is the deliberate, purposeful "Respect Yourself" that takes swamp blues to a new level. The Muscle Shoals musicians are in excellent form on this album, and it's a real treat from the Stax catalog.
Oh yeah, it's the second album with the lineup seen on the cover, having replaced one of the singers with the release of the previous album, their first on Stax.
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No. 6
Deep Purple - Fireball
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/Deep_purple_%E2%80%93_fireball.jpg)
You don't need me to tell you guys that this was the second album by the Mk II line-up of Deep Purple. I much prefer this one to In Rock which, of course, had some good stuff on it but had some filler too! :whistling:
They went on to even greater things with Machine Head but that's not really relevant here.
Best Tracks: Fireball, No No No, Anyone's Daughter, Fools
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# 5
SAVATAGE - THE WAKE OF MAGELLAN
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/Wake_of_the_magellan.jpg)
After Criss Oliva's passing Jon and Paul O'Neill worked through their sorrow and created Handful Of Rain...that album pretty much only featured the two of them playing most of the instruments and Zak somewhat reluctantly came to sing. But after that one they got a steady line up together again and released the SUBERB concept album about a war in Yugoslavia called Dead Winter Dead (which also spawned the massive xmas hit Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24) but only once they renamed the band as Trans Siberian Orchestra) But Savatage returned with yet another fantastic concept album The Wake Of Magellan...Musically bit more complex than it's predecessor and features one of their greatest songs ever Hourglass which features some incredible vocals and masterful playing. But honestly the whole album is incredible. Not a single bad track and a fireworks of progressive heavy metal! Album for the ages this one!
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My number five is going with an album that saved my life, so to speak...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bd/Grateful_Dead_-_In_the_Dark.jpg)
Mid-1987, I'm going through a lot of turmoil and needed some help. This album comes out, and it's catchy. I listen in to the lead single, "Touch of Grey" and make a connection. It's helping me over whatever it is I need helping over. A local radio station plays the whole thing one Sunday night and I stay up for it and take it all in - "Throwing Stones" really resonates with me and gives me a smile like I hadn't had in a while. I buy the cassette the next day and discover there's a track on side one that isn't on the LP - "My Brother Esau". Cool. Even better!
So why is this album so much better than the one they put out 6 years prior? Well, that album had songs that were recently written, barely worked on, and just not up to snuff. The Godchaux Era had ended after two disappointing albums and Go to Heaven was barely any better. It was a contractual obligation album, as their contract stipulated another studio release before any more live records could come out. Go to Heaven was banged out and went to the low-mid range of the charts.
In the Dark, however, featured songs that had been worked on in concert for several years, and had been crafted into strong material. I'm glad it came out when it did and I like to play it to remind myself that I got by and I did survive. Thanks, Grateful Dead.
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No. 5
The Stranglers - Suite XVI
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Suite_XVI.jpg)
Baz Warne joined The Stranglers for the previous album 2004s Norfolk Coast he was the guitarist but did do some vocals on that album. On this album he is the main vocalist as Paul Roberts had left. It's not a bad little album by any means and has a couple of all time favourite songs on it ("Relentless" is just one of their best).
Best Tracks: Unbroken, She's Slipping Away, Bless You (Save You, Spare You, Damn You) and Relentless
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Now we're getting to the thick of it here...
#4
IRON MAIDEN - POWERSLAVE
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/fi/e/ed/Powerslave.jpg)
I went a bit different route for my Maiden choice...mainly because I am actually not a big fan of Piece Of Mind part from few select tracks...but with the arrival of Nicko McBrain on drums for that album the classic line up was complete and this is their second outing. And oh boy what an outing it is! One of those truly great albums in the world of heavy metal. There's only one weaker track on this one The Duellists but other than that the album fires on all cylinders including the art! This is Derek Riggs best work and a truly wonderful piece of art! And yet ART! This could be a painting in a museum as far as I'm concerned!
Killer album with killer tracks. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner is still Maiden's best long song they've ever done and have never been able to recapture the magic of it and god knows they've tried.
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Hmm, I have my top 4 sorted and I know which will be No.1... now what order to put the other 3? I shall go with...
No. 4
Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Iron_Maiden_-_Piece_Of_Mind.jpg)
Unlike Charger I rather like Piece of Mind and for a long time was my favourite Maiden album, it's slipped a couple of places now but more because I've come to appreciate a couple albums more than I used to. The second album to be graced with the vocals of Bruce Dickinson it was a big step up from the medium-good Number of the Beast. The change in style on Piece was subtle but important as they developed their Prog Metal formula.
Best tracks: Where Eagles Dare, Revelations, Flight of Icarus, Sun and Steel
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^ Powerslave was also one I considered, but found a way to get PoM on my list. :D Powerslave is an AWESOME album, major props to it!
Next up for me. No, literally, my next album is Next at #4:
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/Journey_Next.jpg)
Yes, Next by Journey.
Before anyone starts running for the barf bucket, look at that band photo: no Steve Perry. :think:
After dropping a redundant guitarist that appeared on the first album, this is the second album from that streamlined lineup. And while Hustler makes me cringe ever so slightly, the rest of the tracks I enjoy so much, I just leave it out whenever I play through the album and I have a wonderful time. It's spacey, proggy, fluid playing that tends towards the heavier side. It's been panned by pop critics for not having Steve Perry on it, but I consider that a blessing, as the material is well-suited for Gregg Rolie's voice and those instrumental jams are exactly what I'm looking for.
After this, though, it's 3 hard rock/metal masterpieces, without dispute. :yes:
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An old friend of mine's older sister was dating a DJ back in the day. He used to give her records, and she'd give them to me. I still have a nice wlp of Next that came to me via that route. Pretty good tunes on that disk!
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And then it's time for the top 3!
# 3
BLAZE BAYLEY - PROMISE & TERROR
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/75/Blaze_Bayley_-_Promise_and_Terror.jpg)
After some hiatus (and getting royally screwed over by the record company SPV) Blaze returned in 2007 with a new line up (and his own record company) and a much heavier almost thrash metal sound with The Man Who Would Not Die but then tragedy struck again as Blaze was getting ready to record the follow up his wife and manager and all around great person Debbie suddenly passed away from a brain aneurysm...but Blaze recovered from the loss and channeled his sorrow into what became an absolutely fantastic album Promise & Terror. The final four tracks of the album are a short concept about the passing of Debbie and how he finally became comfortable in darkness. Those four songs alone would have been worthy for this position but adding tracks like Madness & Sorrow, Watching The Night Sky, 1633 and City Of Bones truly make this album a masterpiece.
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No. 3
Iced Earth - Framing Armageddon
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/Framing_Armageddon_Iced_Earth.jpg)
This 2007 album is the second album to feature Tim "Ripper" Owens on vocals after the departure of Matt Barlow. His first appearance was on 2004s magnificent The Glorious Burden. Framing Armageddon is part 1 of The Something Wicked This Way Comes story, an expansion of the trilogy of songs that first appeared on the Something Wicked album that came out in 1998 with Barlow on vocals. Sadly Ripper would be replaced by the returning Barlow and part 2 (The Crucible of Man) was a substantial disappointment.
Best tracks: Setian Massacre, Ten Thousand Strong, Framing Armageddon, When Worlds Collide
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Holy mackerel KDC! And damnit all to hell that I forgot to include that one!
Hell of an album! Eventhough Tim and I are long time buddies I still managed to leave that one out! The Clouding is my favourite track on that one! Other than that I agree with everything you say. And I have to add it was a real shit move from Jon to fire Tim over an email at christmas....and yes Crucible wasn't even in the same league as this album.
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^^^
I like the Clouding too, in fact I can't think of a track on it I don't like!!
It is easy to forget stuff, I was struggling to get 10 albums together which weren't just a bands second album and then I suddenly realised I was missing an obvious album a couple of days ago and that's at my #2!
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My #3...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/79/King_of_the_Road_%28album%29.jpg)
Fu Manchu's King of the Road.
Just listen to the opening track guitar fade-in erupting with a sudden explosion of drums, bass, and everything turned up to 11... "Hell on Wheels" shows the world that heavy rock is alive and well and living in desert metal.
I found this some years ago as I was looking around for new heavy rock that wasn't death/black metal or screamo or stuff like that. There were some bands that were loud and heavy, but just not good. Saw a recommendation for Kyuss, but the vocalist for that band just kept pissing me off with his delivery. Loved the band except for that dude. Next band to check out was one that shared a bit of history with Kyuss, Fu Manchu. This was the first album of theirs I tried out and WOW. This one did the trick, all right! And it was the second with a major lineup change, so I could include it in this list!
After this one, I dug around more, found Wo Fat and then Mos Generator... and when the vocalist/guitarist for Mos Generator had such an affinity for mid-period Black Sabbath, I decided to look up the old Black Sabbath mailing list, found it had become forums, and signed on to see how things were. And that's how this album was one of the moving parts that put me in your midst every now and again on these forums. :smug:
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#2
DEEP PURPLE - FIREBALL
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/Deep_purple_%E2%80%93_fireball.jpg)
Purple had a rocky start but once they found a guy called Ian Gillan things fell into place and things got goooood! Their second outing Fireball had a bit of a different sound to In Rock but it worked brilliantly. The title track was fast and furious and the epical Fools started off really soft before exploding into a proto-heavy metal tune! Anyone's Daughter was a real oddball of a song written tongue firmly in cheek which made it excellent! No One Came was the first ever rap metal song, but better. No weak points on this album...
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No. 2
Yes - Close to the Edge
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/09/Yes-close.jpg)
Back in the 70s Yes were the biggest prog band in the world, and the central core of Anderson, Howe and Squire were ever presents, and Bruford (69-71) and White (72 onwards) were on drums. But keyboards seemed to change regularly and the second to take the seat was Rick Wakeman, probably the best known of their ivory twiddlers, who joined for the great album Fragile in '71.
Close to the Edge followed in '72 and there is a very good reason why this one winds its way to the top of the lists of best prog albums, it's amazing, the four musicians are right at the top of their game, and Anderson has rarely sounded better. Only 3 songs on the album, the side long title track followed on side 2 by two lengthy songs And You and I and what is quite possibly my favourite Yes song Siberian Khatru.
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#2
DEEP PURPLE - FIREBALL
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7e/Deep_purple_%E2%80%93_fireball.jpg)
Purple had a rocky start but once they found a guy called Ian Gillan things fell into place and things got goooood! Their second outing Fireball had a bit of a different sound to In Rock but it worked brilliantly. The title track was fast and furious and the epical Fools started off really soft before exploding into a proto-heavy metal tune! Anyone's Daughter was a real oddball of a song written tongue firmly in cheek which made it excellent! No One Came was the first ever rap metal song, but better. No weak points on this album...
Ditto. Literally, ditto. Even the same image link. :smug:
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I have a sneaking suspicion that No.1 might appear on more than 1 of our lists!
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Then I'll get the drop on you guys! Merry Christmas means we do two today!
Number One for me is...
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/SabbathMob.jpg)
2nd album from Black Sabbath after getting a replacement for Ozzy... and WOW what a replacement Dio was! OK, so the drummer is also different on this one, but it's the singer I'm looking at here. I love this album, start to finish, bottom to top, back to front, just about any way you present it.
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^^^
It's also one of the greatest album covers too.
But to steel a phrase from Zs...
"Ditto. Literally, ditto."
But just to add I marginally prefer this to Heaven and Hell but also prefer Dehumanizer, but there are miniscule amounts between them.
Best Tracks: Turn Up The Night, Sign of the Southern Cross, Country Girl, Falling Off the Edge of the World
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Well okay then! Sign me up to the Mob train!
#1
BLACK SABBATH - THE MOB RULES
The BEST album of THE BEST line up of THE BEST Band! Simple as that.
Not a single weak song on it. The Sign Of The Southern Cross is an absolute masterpiece. There are very few album in the whole history that even come close to this one....it really is THAT good.
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Mobby Rulesmas, everyone! :D
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I was wondering about what to do next, a couple of ideas that sprung to mind were:
10 great songs from acts we otherwise don't care about
Best 10 4th track off of an acts 4th album.
I was thinking about female singers but I'm not sure what form it would take.
Anyone got other ideas?
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I like your, "10 great songs from acts we otherwise don't care about," or some variation thereof.
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That could work I think...I am not sure though that I can find 10 songs from 10 different bands but there might be some bands that would have 2 songs...that would require a lot of thinking.