bl5150's Top 50.........TOP TEN ...#1

[TAC]

Just kidding J Boy.

Anthrax is the only thing I'm up to speed on in the last update. Great underrated album.

[Lowdz]

Love all of those albums but not heard the Glenmore. Not even a whiff of that  one has ever entered my world but sounds interesting. The cover had me thinking singer-songwiter/ West Coast crap but sounds like I might like it

The HoL is their best and one of the best of the genre.

Love that Lion album. Lock Up Your Daughters was great when Slade did it and its better here.

On Target is excellent.

Spreading The Disease is probably my favourite Thrash album. Madhouse is such a great song and spoke to me in my line of work 

Awesome list so far. Nearly as good as mine! 

[jjrock88]

Those are my favorite releases too from House of Lords and Anthrax!

[wolfking]

I think DD is the only HOL album I don't have on cd.

More to check out. 

[bl5150]

Before I go on I should reiterate something I said in the intro - these #75-#51 slots haven't been ranked and so , to me , there's a couple in this group of 5 that maybe aren't as strong as some of the earlier ones.  In the end though the difference between discs/bands outside the top 25 is in most cases minimal and they all held a Top 50 spot at some point in my deliberations.  When I have ranked (top 50) I have done so more on the basis of their influence in my life rather than my current thoughts , although they are in many cases one and the same.  Hope that confused you as much as it did me.

Anyway ,here's (another) one for ya ...............





#65 Loudness: Soldier of Fortune
Released 1989

This release is pretty much essential for fans of Mike Vescera fronted Malmsteen……I’d rate it as good or better than any of them.   For those not familiar with Loudness they are/were one of Japan’s greatest metal acts and Akira Takasaki was a very highly regarded guitarist – a very strong lead player with a distinctive crunchy rhythm sound .  I haven’t been into anything much they’ve done since this album  , which was the only full album of original material they recorded with American singer Vescera.  .

I do listen to some of the older material with the Japanese vocalist - Lightning Strikes and Thunder In The East were solid albums.  Lock’n’Loll Clazy Nights was always a  cool (and funny) song , as was We Could Be Together which was a bit of a fave of mine. 

Thunder In The East (1985) had been a decent seller in the US for them but the two albums that followed (Lightning Strikes and Hurricane Eyes) flopped and Soldier of Fortune was a last ditch attempt to crack that market with an American singer. Diehard Loudness fans (especially their home fanbase) saw this album as a sellout but for me Vescera made the great music all that much more accessible .  The rockers kick arse and Takasaki’s solo on Lost Without Your Love is one of my all time favourites and one of the best examples of trills I’ve heard….something I used as an example when teaching.

Aside from Running For Cover and Demon Disease which are a bit filler-ish , it’s pretty hard to find a weak track.

Favourites: Lost Without Your Love, Red Light Shooter, Soldier of Fortune (start of the solo is tapped) , You Shook Me



#64 Ricochet: Among The Elements
Released 1996


To me this release sits somewhere between prog rock and prog metal -  it’s too heavy in parts to be prog rock but a bit light on to be prog metal.   Anyway – perhaps imagine a wimpier WDADU and you might get some sort of idea what we’re dealing with.  Let’s just call it prog metal.

This indy release was one of the few bands I discovered playing this style in the mid 90's who were unknown but had quality songs.  It’s also one of the few prog bands at/near the lighter end of the spectrum who can structure a song in a way that appeals to me. The musicianship is pretty good for the time, the songs are very melodic/catchy – unfortunately the only area where it falls down (badly) is in terms of production. It's a shame there wasn't a chance at a follow up like DT had , although they're clearly not in DT's league.

It does sound a bit dated these days so I’m not sure whether anyone here will appreciate it – check out the samples though and see what you think.  It got plenty of listens from me back in the day and there’s barely a trace of it on the internet. It gets its spot more because it captured my imagination a bit back then rather than it being a huge favourite now.  It is very good for a self funded indy release.

Favourite Tracks:  I Can't Follow ,  Holy Bell   , Visions End



#63 C.I.T.A. Act One- Relapse of Reason
Released 1995

        
 CITA stands for Caught In The Act , which was their original band name but they had to ditch that for trademark reasons.  Discovered in the late 80’s by Bobby Barth (Axe) , he guided them through the process of getting  a deal and produced the album – they even feature a track from his band Axe which is Silent Soldiers.  Blob will be pleased to know that it also features a writing contribution from Stan Bush on the song Two Hearts. There really isn’t a total dud of a track on it.

The sound is big and bombastic with big vocal harmonies and strong elements of early Bon Jovi , Def Leppard, Loverboy and even some occasional progressive bits and pieces. Unfortunately the lead guitarist is just okay but if you were a fan of Bon Jovi’s rock style and quickly got sick of them around/after Keep The Faith then this is certainly worth a listen. They even make use of the talk box guitar on a track or two.

Looking back now it is a bit too close to Bon Jovi at times but I used it in the same way as I did SIAM to replace the turds that Queensryche were releasing.  However you look at it , it’s a quality release that’s very good for the style it is (very 80's).

Favourite Tracks:    These Eyes , Stand or Fall   , Through The Years



#62 Vinnie Moore: Meltdown
Released 1991


Along with Lowdz I was responsible for keeping the Shrapnel record label afloat in the 80’s and enjoyed plenty of the shredders who knew how to craft a song……guys like Macalpine, Becker, Saraceno, Housholder etc……..  I picked this up second hand for $5 unheard (along with Tyketto’s debut) which was one of my better music shopping gambles as both are classics. 

I already had Vinnie Moore’s early albums – I was a fan but was getting a little over the whole neo-classical thing by then - and Meltdown was just the tonic. It was one of the few examples where  a neo-classical shredder managed to successfully “crossover” a bit and do a good shred rock album that grooves a bit and I rate it as his best (and one of the best albums of its kind) to this day.

Favourite Tracks: Deep Sea,  Cinema,  Last Chance  The whole album is there - I have linked to spots in that whole album listing



#61 Glenn Hughes: From Now On
Released: 1994



This is an absolutely fantastic sounding album – easily one of the best in my collection in terms of production.  Following Glenn’s drug/alcohol problems in the mid 80’s and getting booted from Sabbath , he performed guest spots on some fantastic albums (Phenomena and Norum) as he began to re-establish himself in the early 90’s but this was his real comeback as a solo artist and what an album!

 It is more on the AOR/bluesy rock side but it’s just an amazing sounding album with a fantastic band that includes the very tasteful Thomas Larsson on guitar and Michaeli/Leven/Haugland  from Europe covering keys/bass/drums. Hughes also used some great songwriting  collaborators (Bruce Gowdy, Richard Baker,Jean Beauvoir,Pat Thrall, Mel Galley).

Pretty much all of the material he recorded after this I can live without – he has an amazing voice but seems to feel the need to be Mr Funkadelic and/or endlessly scream his head off but when he (rarely) uses his voice to best effect he is one of the best.  Highly recommended for a more relaxed listen than most of the albums on this list and IMHO a bona fide AOR classic.

It also features a cool re-record of the Deep Purple classic Burn

Favourite Tracks: The Only One, From Now On , Burn , Into The Void


There's plenty of 80's style rock in these runners up , but rest assured there's a higher weighting of metal in the Top 50. 

I might take a break from this pace tomorrow and resume Tuesday.

[King Postwhore]

  Lock’n’Loll Clazy Nights

[BlobVanDam]

I've been meaning to check out that Glenn Hughes album for a little while, but those samples didn't do much for me (aside from Burn, but that doesn't really count ). Might still check it out at some point.

I checked out that Loudness album on Spotify a while back and recall liking it. I listened to some others too. I can't remember exactly what, but I liked it. I tend to forget about things when I only have them on Spotify, so I'll have to revisit it.

[jjrock88]

Brent, have you heard Mike Vescera's main band, Obsession.  Awesome band, classic 80's metal all the way.

[bl5150]

Brent, have you heard Mike Vescera's main band, Obsession.  Awesome band, classic 80's metal all the way.

I have Methods of Madness but not the stuff done in the 2000's+

[jingle.boy]

You're fucking killing me dude.  I still haven't checked out update the first update, now I got a dozen or so to checkout.

Just checking now how much of these are on Grooveshark, or if it would be better to use Spotify to build a playlist.

[bl5150]

Changed my mind  ................I want to get these runners up done and dusted . The pace is killing me too Chad so I want it outta da way     Once I get to the Top 50 I'll slow it down.



#60 Roxus : Nightstreet
Released 1992


It’s time for a bit of local Aussie talent – these guys lived about 40 mins drive from me and were well known around the traps as a solid band.  Things started to really get cooking for them when local music identity Molly Meldrum signed them to his label , they had a hit single with Where Are You Now (penned by the famous Randalls and demoed up by James Christian at one point)  and things looked great for them.

In what will become an obvious pattern (if it’s not already) this was released in 1992 and joined the graveyard of great rock albums swamped by Cobain and Co.    Juno Roxas later released a shite solo album and tried to break the US (worked with Jeff Paris) but it all came to nothing.  I have some demos he did with Paris and they’re good without being anything great.

This album is essential for fans of “hair metal”/"cock rock"………..if you like Danger Danger etc…..this album has everything you want.  Strong vocals , solid musicians and well written songs for the most part.

Favourite Tracks:  Rock'n'Roll Nights , Midnight Love, Stand Back



#59 The Storm: The Storm 
Released 1991

 What do you get when you combine one of the best rock/AOR singers on the planet (Kevin Chalfant)with 3 ex members of Journey (Rollie, Smith and Valory), Josh Ramos (Hardline etc..) on guitar and a Bob Marlette/Beau Hill production??  Two of the best AOR albums ever.

Up until today this listing was for the second of those albums (Eye of the Storm) but , to be quite frank, after listening to it earlier today I struggled with the wimpiness LOL.   This list is weighted towards my current taste if there's doubt and so, even though the debut is a bit less consistent  , I have switched to that because at least the more upbeat tracks rock a bit.

My tolerance to this sort of sappy stuff is diminishing but if I ever feel like a fix of that sort of thing then both of these albums are really fantastic . I love Chalfant’s voice, the playing and production are absolutely top notch and both albums got plenty of airtime back in the day.

Eye of The Storm (the second album) is just a bit ballad heavy for me at the moment but it’s about as good as it gets in that department.

Favourite Tracks : You Keep Me Waiting , You're Gonna Miss Me



#58 Eyes: Windows of the Soul
Released 1994

Gawd - more wimpy stuff but if I'm in the mood it might as well be one of my favourite rock singers doing it. I really enjoy it when rock/metal singers with the required flexibility add their power to more commercial material.  Only the best (Soto, Free etc...) can do it well.

If you asked me which singer appears on more discs than any other in my collection , my best guess would be Jeff Scott Soto.  I really went nuts there for a while in the 90’s tracking down everything he’d appeared on.  My first exposure to him was on Malmsteen’s debut and I’m sure I described him as “the worst singer I’ve ever heard on a major release”.  I then purchased the follow up Marching Out and after a good listen I checked the notes to find out who the new vocalist was and goddamn – Jeff Scott Soto!  What an amazing improvement.

Jump forward a few years and a local band manager who had taken me under his wing  recommended that I check out the debut by a band called Talisman , which I soon did .  I was floored by how good it was and enquired as to who was singing – Jeff Scott Soto LOL………..a much smoother sounding vocal than on the Malmsteen stuff and from there I went nuts getting all his stuff which was rather expensive as he’s Mr Everywhereman.

 Anyway………….one of his many bands was Eyes (where he took over from James Christian prior to releasing anything)   -  the debut is often cited as a bit of a melodic rock/hair band classic and it certainly is a good album.   This album , although it was released after the s/t debut, was actually recorded prior and is basically what the debut was GOING to be before a change in direction. Windows of the Soul is much softer, more AOR but IMO is a more consistent album that’s aged much better and contains quite possibly JSS’s best vocal performance- just smooth power from start to finish in what is a testament to his flexibility across different styles.  When I’m in the mood for some more laid back commercial rock , this fits the bill nicely. The last track (It's All Over - appropriate) rocks a bit and is a favourite – other highlights include the opener Cheyenne and Love Lies  (the big vocal note JSS hits near the end is one of those moments I rewind and repeat quite a bit).

Favourite Tracks: Cheyenne , It's All Over , Love Lies , Don't Turn Around

Don't Turn Around was on both albums.




No 57;  David Lee Roth : A Little Ain’t Enough
Released 1991


If the pattern’s not hitting you yet (great albums released early 90’s just before/as grunge hit and which were commercial flops) then it will     Dave’s star was certainly fading by this stage (the peak being the massive hype around the US festival gig when he was in Van Halen) but it still “made gold’..

I distinctly remember buying this on cassette in a bargain bin for $2 only weeks after its release, so I’d risk betting  it didn’t chart well in Australia.   I’ve always been a fan of Dave’s and had really enjoyed the prior two solo efforts – with this one I gave it a few listens and then forgot about it.  Over the years though my appreciation  for it has changed to the point that it’s my favourite DLR solo album.  I still rate Eat ‘Em and Smile highly , but Skyscraper to me hasn’t aged so well.   ALAE on the other hand I think has aged great and (if you can say this about DLR and retain your credibility) I think that has a lot to do with what I see as a big step up in the maturity of the music and what I think is also a huge step up in his lyric writing/story telling.  There’s some real clever lines to be found , as there is on Van Halen’s latest ……………some really cool  stuff in there.

As per usual Dave  put together a fantastic line up and here’s my chance to get Jason Becker a mention in this thread – he does a sterling job ,much better than I expected at the time ( a lot of shredders don’t cross over to this style so well) and that’s even without the tragic health issues he was beginning to deal with.  There’s a great variety of moods with the usual goofy stuff (title track) to the more smoky blues club feel of Tell The Truth , which for some reason always reminds me of “Black Velvet.”  Lady Luck is an awesome commercial rocker, Shoot It features a brass section ( trendy at the time), It’s Showtime is a typical VH style boogie and Last Call has a cool Walk This Way vibe about it.

This is  a hugely under rated album in my book and is sadly the last we would hear from a (relatively) healthy Jason Becker. It’s also the last thing of Dave’s I really rated highly until the most recent VH album (yes, DLR band had it’s moments)

Favourite Tracks: A Little Ain't Enough, Tell The Truth , Baby's On Fire, Lady Luck , Dogtown Shuffle



#56 Shotgun Messiah : s/t
Released : 1989


It’s amazing what I’m capable of putting up with in the vocal department when the music (and in particular the guitar work ) is to my taste.  Yes – even glam metal with average vocals.   And I mean real glam …….the hair, the eyeliner, lyrics about skool roolz and a drummer called Stixx.  I don’t normally take much notice of lyrics but these guys have that down too – you can just imagine the time spent writing timeless stuff like this  “  don't tell me my hair's a disgrace-up yours, get outta my face”    

There’s really only 2 bands I ever took much notice of in this realm – Tigertailz and Shotgun Messiah.   I was always a casual Tigertailz fan (although their stonking, glammed up cover of Creeping Death got almost as much play outta me as the original from Metallica) but  Shotgun Messiah were on another level.   This type of band generally wasn’t known for great musicianship , so Shotgun Messiah are like the Dream Theater of glam metal.  They can really play , especially guitarist Harry Cody  who’s one of those guys who came along a few years too late and unfortunately  faded into obscurity in the early 90’s when grunge toasted everyone in the scene.

 He’s not Petrucci like in terms of technique but he has most of what I like in a guitarist – awesome attack and attitude , a keen sense of melody and he pushes the instrument to its boundaries at times.  Shotgun Messiah produced a second album (Second Coming) which is also very good and featured the very cool Heartbreak Blvd but for me the debut is the most consistent.  One of the tracks I have linked is an instrumental called The Explorer – as you’re listening to that have a think about how many other glam bands could’ve or would’ve attempted anything like that.  Hail the kings of glam metal and one of the great debut albums.

Favourite Tracks:  Nervous , Don’t Care About Nothin' , The Explorer

Useless trivia: The band began in Sweden under the name Kingpin and later moved to LA to try and break big (they did in fact crack #99 on Billboard with this album) . Singer Zinny Zan was earlier in a band called Easy Action along with future Europe guitarist Kee Marcello.  Zinny left for the 2nd album with vocals handled by bassist Tim Skold who later went onto some well know industrial bands and also Marilyn Manson.

[BlobVanDam]

A Little Ain't Enough. It's always been my favourite DLR solo album too. It has stellar production courtesy of Bob Rock, and some great rockers on it. DLR Band is a strong album too. I never much liked the Vai era stuff at all. Actually, I just don't much like Vai at all regardless of who he's playing with.

[King Postwhore]

Holy shit, I just listened to The Storm this week.  I swear it has been about 10 years since i spun it.  I saw them open up for Bryan Adams on the Waking Up The Neighborhood tour.  Great show.

[wolfking]

That Roxus album is fantastic, proud to have that cd in my collection.  That DLR is fantastic too, great to always listen to Jason Becker also.

[jingle.boy]

Just kidding J Boy.

Oh, and it's all cool Tim.  I just love that .gif of The Shat, and look for any opportunity to use it. 

Oh, Jesus Christ... four more!!!  I've got that DLR.  Excellent album, but his solid stuff was just too inconsistent for me back in the day.  I should have a relisten to this one.

The Storm cover looks familiar.

[wolfking]

You'd dig Roxus too.

[King Postwhore]

Yeah, I was not fond of the DLR album.  I thought it paled compared to his first two.  No not that silly one he did while in VH.

[bl5150]

You're fucking killing me dude.  I still haven't checked out update the first update, now I got a dozen or so to checkout.

Just checking now how much of these are on Grooveshark, or if it would be better to use Spotify to build a playlist.

A number of them I've had to upload to Youtube myself as they're nowhere to be found on the internet so I'd make use of the links - that's what's taking me a lot of the time so I hope they get used.  A number of them are on Grooveshark but I found the search engine too much of a pain in the arse when it came to individual songs so most of them are Youtube.

I've given myself a migraine (no jokes) and so I'll grant you all a couple of days to catch up on links if you wish and I'll return Tuesday/Wednesday with the last batch of runners up and then on to the main event. Looking forward to any feedback.

[jingle.boy]

You'd dig Roxus too.

I have a feeling I'll dig a lot of this.  I can see the cash flowing out of my wallet already.

You're fucking killing me dude.  I still haven't checked out update the first update, now I got a dozen or so to checkout.

Just checking now how much of these are on Grooveshark, or if it would be better to use Spotify to build a playlist.

A number of them I've had to upload to Youtube myself as they're nowhere to be found on the internet so I'd make use of the links - that's what's taking me a lot of the time so I hope they get used.  A number of them are on Grooveshark but I found the search engine too much of a pain in the arse when it came to individual songs so most of them are Youtube.

So far, the only ones NOT on Grooveshark are Glenn Hughes, Glenmore, Ricochet and CITA.  16/20 ain't bad. It's easier to take the GS links on the go on my iPhone.  I just built a playlist with 42 songs on it.  Mrs.jingle ain't gonna be too happy if I'm sitting at my laptop for all of that.  I can listen as I take the dogs for a walk, or run any errands this way.

[bl5150]

Sounds like a smart way to do it - I'm pretty certain you'll find something to like amongst it all.

[Lowdz]

Found the Glenmore for a reasonable price from Germany via Amazon. 

Good god, where to start?
The only one I've never heard is the Ricochet.

That Vinnie moore album is quality. His first 3 were all so different from one another - the neo -classical one, the fusion-y one and this one the shred rock album (sorta satriani-ish). Great player.
Eyes were great, mainly because of JSS.
The DLR is a great album, only beaten by Eat 'em & Smile. Jason Becker  He would have been an absolute genius.

I have that Shotgun Messiah on vinyl from back in the day. The guitarist does an uncanny impression of Vai but I didn't rate the album at all and have never bothered replacing it.

That Roxus is pretty good, but on the lighter end of my taste.

The Storm is the best Journey album not made by Journey, but I'm not the biggest Journey fan.

I cannot stand Glenn Hughes or his voice so won't be bothering with that one. Even worse that Robert Plant. I'd rather listen to Goran Edman on repeat than one minute of Glenn. And to reply to your previous question, I love Yngwie's Eclipse, despite Goran Edman. He doesn't ruin it but doesn't add anything either.

I have a C.I.T.A album and its pretty good. Not heard this one though.

That Loudness album (and those others you mentioned) are excellent. I like Vescera's voice alot.

[jingle.boy]

Even worse that Robert Plant.

It pains me to say this to you, but it's another Fredo day for you.

[Lowdz]

Even worse that Robert Plant.

It pains me to say this to you, but it's another Fredo day for you.

Is that Canadian for "I've come round to your way of thinking?" 

Not familiar with that phrase. I'm guessing it means I've failed.

[King Postwhore]

Yup.  He's saying your dead to me.  A Godfather reference.

[Big Hath]

The Storm is the best Journey album not made by Journey, but I'm not the biggest Journey fan.

idk, Strangeways made a pretty good Journey album

[TAC]

Never heard of many of these bands. I need  a time machine. I never gave the Vescera fronted Loudness a chance. They lost me at that point. Thought it was a flagrant and lame attempt to gain an American audience. I should check it out though.
Their Loud Live Alive is one of the best live albums these ears have ever heard.

I had the DLR on cassette too, and also saw that tour with Jason. God bless him. I have never bothered to get it on CD though.

[Lowdz]

Yup.  He's saying your dead to me.  A Godfather reference.

Ahh. Never seen it.

[jingle.boy]

Yup.  He's saying your dead to me.  A Godfather reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Weaop_aiTg#t=104

[bl5150]

Found the Glenmore for a reasonable price from Germany via Amazon. 

Good god, where to start?
The only one I've never heard is the Ricochet.

That Vinnie moore album is quality. His first 3 were all so different from one another - the neo -classical one, the fusion-y one and this one the shred rock album (sorta satriani-ish). Great player.
Eyes were great, mainly because of JSS.
The DLR is a great album, only beaten by Eat 'em & Smile. Jason Becker  He would have been an absolute genius.

I have that Shotgun Messiah on vinyl from back in the day. The guitarist does an uncanny impression of Vai but I didn't rate the album at all and have never bothered replacing it.

That Roxus is pretty good, but on the lighter end of my taste.

The Storm is the best Journey album not made by Journey, but I'm not the biggest Journey fan.

I cannot stand Glenn Hughes or his voice so won't be bothering with that one. Even worse that Robert Plant. I'd rather listen to Goran Edman on repeat than one minute of Glenn. And to reply to your previous question, I love Yngwie's Eclipse, despite Goran Edman. He doesn't ruin it but doesn't add anything either.

I have a C.I.T.A album and its pretty good. Not heard this one though.

That Loudness album (and those others you mentioned) are excellent. I like Vescera's voice alot.

I take it that you liked the Glenmore then -  certainly one of my favourite "totally unknown" albums in my collection.

I never felt that Cody was a Vai impersonator but I can understand the dislike for the album , as I hinted in my review.  It's really just the guitar playing that gets me through.  The linked tracks are the only ones I listen to these days.

I also understand the hate for Hughes (and Plant  ) but IMO the listed album is one of the few where he does a good job.  But I know what it's like with some artists that just don't do it for you no matter what - the fact he's a total douchebag doesn't help 

Here's the last batch of runners up.  Those who've picked up a few here may want to keep an eye on the 50 honourable mentions still to come - a number of them are actually better than some listed here but were relegated due to less "life impact."    You'll need to do a bit more follow up there as much less info/links will be provided.



#55 Killer Dwarfs: Dirty Weapons

Released 1990

My favourite release from the crazy Canadians - not much to say except it's some really cool melodic rock with a nice Andy Johns production.  Like most of the bands in this list they are pretty much unheard of in Australia (God knows how much time I spent in total tracking this stuff down) but I gather it got a decent amount of airplay in the US and Canada back in the day.  I recall their earlier stuff was really hard to find - albums like Big Deal/Stand Tall regularly went for $100+ on Ebay

Favourite Tracks:  Dirty Weapons , Nothing Gets Nothing , All That We Dream




#54 Fair Warning : s/t
Released 1992

Over time I would say that Fair Warning were probably my favourite German rock band.  They were effectively the band for Zeno Roth (younger brother of Uli) for his Zenology album - also a good one - and when Zeno decided to quit the game the band decided to carry on under the name Fair Warning.   My first album of theirs was Rainmaker which was a lot softer than the debut - over time I gravitated toward the more hard rocking debut and the later album "4".

As per usual this landed at the wrong time but they did make a huge dent in the Japanese market and remain a big act there to this day.

Favourite Tracks:  Hang On , Out On The Run , Take A Look At The Future, Heat Of Emotion




#53 Stryper : Against The Law
Released 1990

More early 90's  and like many releases from around that time , it was the band's last for some time.


To this day Stryper have never put out an album that I think is great from start to finish but this isn’t far from it and is their best IMO......the new one is good too.    The good tracks on this are fantastic and , with a little help from the Skip button I ran this album into the ground for some time.  It was a bit of an unusual time for them –presumably as a reaction to the industry at the time, they significantly toughened up their image and ditched most of the overtly religious stuff which , to be honest, suited me fine.. They also suddenly morphed from yellow and black spandex and makeup to hanging out in a jail cell in trench coats , jeans and beards for the promo pics.  A strypless Stryper.

The whole band put in a great showing here (Oz Fox’s best by a mile) and my favourite song (Caught In The Middle) features a bit of a dream pairing – Sweet on lead vox and Soto on backing vox.   The opening track is an interesting , funky and rather cool version of Earth,Wind and Fire’s Shining Star.

Favourite Tracks: Caught In The Middle, All For One , Two Bodies , Rock The Hell Out Of You, Shining Star

Those who like a good scream - check out Caught In The Middle 3.20 in.............


While we're talking Christian bands - I couldn't fit them into the lists but anyone who likes this sort of stuff should check out a CD called Battle Cries by a band called The Brave. Outside of Stryper , it's probably the most consistent Christian rock CD I have.  Sample:  Running All My Life.           The only other overtly Christian band that I was ever really big into at some point was Holy Soldier.  Plenty of others had their moments (Guardian for one) but that's about it in terms of bands I'd go back to these days.  I'm not religious but good music's good music.



#52 Bonfire: Point Blank
Released: October 1989


Bonfire produced a couple of the best German hard rock albums ever with their 2nd (Fireworks) and 3rd (Point Blank) releases , after which they seemed to lose the plot.   Fireworks had a couple of immense songs on it  but also plenty of filler  – in comparison , and despite the huge number of songs featured here on Point Blank (15 +2 little interludes) , there is little in the way of filler and it benefits from a huge production (almost  too huge at times) from Michael Wagener.

At about the same time as this release they also had the song Sword and Stone featured on the pretty awesome Shocker movie soundtrack…this track was actually written by Stanley/Kulick/Child and demoed up for KISS’ s Crazy Nights but never made the cut.

Point Blank contains everything from AOR-ish ballads through to heavy rockers in a similar vein to what you might expect from Pretty Maids. All band members put on a good show but Angel Schleiffer (who didn’t play on the prior album) on lead guitar is particularly good. I don't think I've ever heard so many artificial harmonics on the one disc. 

I recall going on a huge hunt for this album , doing the rounds of various stores after school –at the time of release it was not available as a cassette (all my music was in this format at the time) and so I actually had to get this imported from Europe on vinyl – my first vinyl purchase-  and then take it to someone to dub it onto tape for me.  And it was worth all the trouble. The best stuff on this album (see links)  is some of the best Scandi rock/metal ever put on tape and the rest, at worst , is still pretty good.

Favourite Tracks:  Waste No Time , Never Surrender , Say Goodbye , Know Right Now , Tony's Roulette

Above links are to the relevant parts of the same full album listing.



#51 Chicago : Chicago 17
Released: 1984

We might as well totally wimp out before starting the more metal-heavy Top 50

        
 Chicago are a pretty damn amazing band - they must hold all sorts of records.

I can't imagine there'd be too many bands, if any, with the balls to begin their career with three double albums of fusion in the space of two years.  God knows how many singers they've used over the years but most of them have been fantastic. They had 5 consecutive number one albums , 21 top 10 singles and  25 of their 34 albums have gone platinum.  They charted better than any other American band during the 70's, are second only to The Beach Boys in terms of overall chart success and  were the first American band to chart in the top 40 in five consecutive decades.

This was a unique one for me - I was brought up on a diet of Chicago from a very young age as my father was a fan .  I can remember all the songs we played but I cannot find any official compilation that contains all those songs which leads me to believe that the "album" I grew up listening to was either some unofficial Australian compilation or a home made job put together by my dad.    Over the years I've picked up a number of their studio albums covering their various eras - the more loose , improvisational early stuff to the more focused jazz rock of Chicago V , right through to the mostly balladesque 80's material.

On paper I really shouldn't like any of it - none of it is really to my normal taste but they have a knack for writing melodies that grab my ear - even the wimpiest of ballads such as If You leave Me Now are firm favourites with me. Perhaps I was brainwashed by my dad 

For the purposes of this list it was a matter of selecting an album that best represents the material I grew up on.  The early material contained some fantastic stuff but also plenty  that was a bit too progressive for me - it was more a combination of the jazzy rock and big ballads that caught my ear ...........I really loved the signature horn section either way.
 
Today if I was to grab a Chicago album to play it would like either be Chicago 19 or Chicago 17......both fantastic sounding records.    Chicago 19 is possibly their rockiest material and has some great songs - even some nice guitar solos - and is the most obvious choice given my taste.  It seems to divide Chicago fans down the middle as it really loses a lot of what made Chicago Chicago but I think taken on its own merits it's a wonderful album. However a big part of the signature Chicago sound that I grew up with was the voice of Peter Cetera and although Jason Scheff does a good job on 19 it's not quite the same.   I feel that 17 also retains some hints of their jazzy past better than say 16 (has more "oomph" too) .........with We Can Stop The Hurtin' it's also a bit of a throwback to the social commentary seen in some of their earlier lyrics. I'm also a big fan of the Cetera/Champlin combo we have on tracks like Hard Habit To Break. So 17 gets the nod.

Favourite tracks:  Hard Habit To Break, We Can Stop The Hurtin] , Remember The Feeling, You're The Inspiration


I actually posted all that by mistake - meant to hit preview   Will add links later and resume with the Top 50 in the next day or two.

[Big Hath]

#51 Chicago : Chicago 17
Released: 1984
Favourite tracks:  Hard Habit To Break, We Can Stop The Hurtin , Remember The Feeling, You're The Inspiration

Yes!

Remember the Feeling is such a great track, but hey, the entire album is great as far as I'm concerned.  Once In A Lifetime is also a huge favorite of mine.  And I'm sure I've said it a thousand times, but Chicago 17 is one of the best sounding albums that has ever been recorded.  The production and cleanness of sound is phenomenal.

[wolfking]

I thought I had a pretty good knowledge and range of music until you came on here Brent. 

I have only heard Fair Warning's later stuff, which is pretty decent.  Never really got into Stryper, Chicago or Bonfire.

[jjrock88]

My favorite release from Killer Dwarfs too- awesome release

Great disc from Stryper too.  I think No More Hell to Pay is Strypers best release overall.

[jingle.boy]

Got through the first 2 updates.

Great White - meh... something about Russel's voice is hit and miss for me, and the tracks you listed were a miss.  Heavy?  Sure.  But I'd hardly say this could compare to be as 'metal' as Crue... who's current release would've been Shout at the Devil.

Wildside... this scratched me where I itch.  Nice and melodic and heavy.  Nice guitar tone.  "Blind Melon and various assorted shite".  Quoted for truth.

Megadeth... I just never got them, or this album.    Still to this day, the 'big 5' (surprised Pantera isn't in that group?) of thrash do nothing for me.

Glory... really nice.  Will investigate

Balance of Power ... this too was freakin hawt.  Almost progressive rock in it's nature.  I suspect this will be purchase worthy.

Bangalore Choir ... "damn solid album of  heavy rock with the obligatory ballad or two."  Isn't this the basic formula for glam/hair metal?  Really nice set of tracks you suggested.  Man, 1992 was a great year for glam/hair metal, wasn't it?  Just when it should've been at it's peak, the industry changed lanes without signalling.

Glenmore was pretty good.  Given there's a ton of new stuff on your list for me already, and invariably a shit-ton more to come, I'll pass on trying to hunt this one down.

Lion/BMR... ok, didn't wow me.

Anthrax... was better than Megadeth, but not something I'd go out of my way to revisit


Just skimming through the above... no favorite tracks from Bonfire?

[bl5150]

Just skimming through the above... no favorite tracks from Bonfire?

I actually posted all that by mistake - meant to hit preview   Will add links later and resume with the Top 50 in the next day or two.

That included proof reading and adding links  ............will get to it right away 

Re Great White...............fair enough but tbh I never found Shout At The Devil all that heavy.  Take another couple of tracks from the Great White (I didn't necessarily list the heaviest as my faves) like Street Killer and Down On Your Knees and I'd class those as heavy as Crue and sound a damn side better in the production too.

I knew you'd love the Wildside  ..........and Balance of Power. 

[bl5150]

Bangalore Choir ... "damn solid album of  heavy rock with the obligatory ballad or two."  Isn't this the basic formula for glam/hair metal? 

Yep - that's what "obligatory" means