Sorry for the delay, i was a bit occupied during the last couple days.
Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? (1986)Genre: Thrash MetalThis is where Dave Mustaine finally distances him and Megadeth from being just another thrash metal band, showing the middle finger to everyone that thought he was finished after been kicked out of Metallica. Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?, while raw and agressive, brings diversity to the mix instead of being full speed thrash till the end. Most songs here don't follow a simple straight route, they turn around and twist, examples being the kickass opener Wake Up Dead or the epic Good Mourning / Black Friday.
So, in general, a vast improvement in the lyrics and songwriting department is heard and not only because of the man... this time around, Megadeth is Megadeth, not Dave Mustaine and some guys.
While worlds away of being the best musician in terms of playing or singing, Mustaine always had two things playing at his favor: undeniable talent in writing metal riffs/songs and being surrounded by talented musicians. In this case, Chris Poland and Gar Samuelson fits the band perfectly. Poland has a very recognizable way of playing guitar, very melodic and jazzy, which gives some songs here a apocalyptic/evil vibe. Samuelson is a drummer with jazz influences as well. Their contribution to the complexity of the songs here is very important, i even say Peace Sells wouldn't be what it is without these guys working together with Mustaine.
Favorite songs: Good Mourning/Black Friday, My Last Words, Wake Up Dead, Devils IslandThe Cure - Pornography (1982)Genre: Gothic Rock/Post-Punk/Suicide musicI imagine that, for people not into The Cure, listening to any of their earlier albums is a shock as they sound the extreme opposite of the uplifting songs that got them famous worldwide later in their career. After their debut, their mental state was gone from depressive to wanting to die but with a little light in the end of the tunnel due to drugs, alcohol, mental stress and a lot of stuff. Finally, Robert Smith, instead of suicide, choose to channel all he was feeling into making an album. In Pornography, all his despair and lack of hope comes to life in form of music, in a way that any sad person can get depressed or suicidal listening to it due to the bleak atmosphere and Smith's agony all over his lyrics and voice. Other elements are the minimal approach to the compositions and the huge 80's drums, which surprisingly fits well here.
The irony is that, how a band falling apart manages to reach a peak high as Pornography? I mean, the more these guys wants to die, the greater the music gets...
Favorite songs: The Figurehead, A Strange Day, The Hanging Garden, ColdThe Who - Quadrophenia (1973)Genre: Hard Rock/Opera RockWhile making some classics like Sell Out and Tommy, Who's Next was the album where The Who finally transcended into something more. And this "something more", before
losing time, would
take the time to create another masterpiece, this rock opera, one who tells the story of Jimmy, a young man facing the challenges of the adolescent life, going through struggles like rejection, drugs, alcohol and more. The twist is, he has Quadrophenia, a mental disorder where the individual has four different personalities, symbolized by four recorrent themes throughout the album.
Musically, see it this way: if Who's Next is their Images and Words, Quadrophenia is their Scenes from a Memory. Everyone is firing in all cylinders here: Roger Daltrey unleashed his voice in Who's Next, Pete Townshend is rocking as always (still at his songwriting peak) and Entwistle and Moon are some of the finest rock musicians in their respective instruments so, basically, Quadrophenia is where the best Who tells their best story.
Favorite songs: Doctor Jimmy, 5:15, The Real Me, The Punk and the Godfather, The Dirty Jobs, Love Reign O'er Me, Bell Boy