80s Classic Albums (Featuring: King Crimson)

[jammindude]

Another Robert John "Mutt" Lange album.   That guy just OWNED the 80's.   

Foreigner is a guilty pleasure for me.   I find so much of their stuff completely derivative...but I enjoy some of it anyway.   I've always loved Urgent and Juke Box Hero.  Not so much Waiting for a Girl Like You.   

Never actually picked up most of their stuff because there was always songs I liked mixed with songs I hated.   Even the first album.   Loved Long Way From Home...DETESTED Cold as Ice.      The only album that I ever owned and liked pretty much throughout was Double Vision. 

Can't deny this is a classic. 

[bl5150]

Classic album ,but like most Foreigner albums it has a few fillers.  The gap between their best and worst on any one album is often bigger than most, mostly because their best is awesome .  Lou Gramm just has one of those timeless voices (top 10 of all time for me in AOR/melodic rock) and Mick Jones is a great writer.

4 isn't among my favourite Foreigner albums but the best few tracks are great as always.  I find that their most consistent albums are the lesser known ones.

[hefdaddy42]

Foreigner has always been a band I've enjoyed stuff by, but never was a band I loved or went through phases where I just had to listen to nothing but them for days. 

This.  Lou Gramm had a phenomenal voice, and I've certainly liked a lot of their songs, but never enough to dig deeper and listen to complete albums.

They are "OK".

[BlobVanDam]

I like most of the Foreigner hits (not so much from 4), but I haven't found them to be a strong album band.

[KevShmev]

I saw the Behind the Music on them a while back and some of the chatter on there was how Mick Jones was one of the best songwriters and guitarists ever, yet never got his due, and all I could think was, "Let's get serious."   I mean, he wrote some good songs and played well, but one of the best ever in either regard?  No freaking way.

[King Postwhore]

I say he's a fantastic song smith and a very good producer but an average guitarist.

[KevShmev]

Not to shortchange Foreigner by featuring another album again so quickly, but we can always discuss both at the same time here.

This one comes recommended by jammindude:



Hey look, there's Tawny Kitaen again. I remember "Round for Round" being a big hit back in '84, and I also remember my brother Mark and I always stupidly arguing over who saw the video first, like it really mattered.   I was actually a much bigger fan of "Wanted Man" back then, and I remember years later hearing "Back for More" for the first time in forever and realizing then what a Rob Halford-wannabe Stephen Pearcy was (I was not familiar with Judas Priest till the 90s).  None of those songs really are ones I revisit much anymore.  I can't say I have ever heard all of Out of the Cellar, but it definitely put Ratt on the map in a big way.

[jammindude]

For me...as hair metal goes...this is one of the best.    This was one of those albums where almost all 10 tracks spent a period of time being my "favorite" from the entire album.     Other than maybe Kix's Midnite Dynamite (a cult classic, and a far better album than its more popular follow up Blow My Fuse) I can't think of a single hair metal album that is "all killer, no filler" as much as this album.   

Lack of Communication is probably my all time favorite.   But Scene of the Crime, You're In Trouble, In Your Direction and I'm Insane are all completely kick ass songs.   Take those and the three hits and that's nearly the entire album.   

[bl5150]

Really strong album but somewhat surprised to see it mentioned here.  I was going to just assume it was another album that was much bigger in the US than elsewhere and I checked Wikipedia and (if you can believe them) this album and Ratt in general charted higher in Australia. The concept of Ratt having more than one Top 10 album in Australia (4) is mindblowing to me....I would've been surprised with one making Top 100.  I never once heard them on the radio outside of dedicated underground metal stations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratt_discography

Anyway.......good choice as far as I am concerned JD.  As you say , all the tracks are worthy. Also one of the few albums I have on vinyl from those days.

It seems the band is done for now - although Blotzer is touring his Ratt cover band with a singer that is damn good and sounds miles better than Pearcy.  I checked out a vid for a laugh and was pleasantly surprised.

[hefdaddy42]

Never liked Ratt.

[TAC]

I bought Out Of The Cellar when it came out. Round And Round is a great song, I'll give it that, but in that song, you don't rally hear how bad Pearcy SUCKS! He singlehandedly brings down the album. I think I might've still gotten Invasion, but he has to be one of, if not my least favorite 80's singer. No fucking talent whatsoever.

And I believe this band was  way more talented and capable of playing better music than what whey did.

[jjrock88]

very good album; one of the defining 80s hair metal albums

[Lowdz]

A great slice of 80s hair metal. De martini is a great player. Always loved his tone. Great band let down by a shit singer. Saw them at donington monsters of Rock in 84 and he ruined the set with what some optimistically call singing. Axel rose sang better live.

This may be their most consistent album but I liked them all up to detonator to some degree. The rhythm tone on invasion is class and just how I want to sound.

I have soft spot for the latter day self titled but I'm in a minority there.

[jammindude]

Weird...while I will admit that SP was mostly a talentless hack that I've NEVER heard a single decent live performance from...I thought his studio sound was pretty cool.  I thought his raspy, gravelly howl was perfect for the blues based DeMartini riffs.    They could have done better, but it just seemed to fit for me. 

You want a hair metal singer that truly CAN'T SING??   Tom Keifer from Cinderella.  That guy is terrible.  He sounded like off-key Steven Pearcy to my ears...  And I still like some of their stuff in spite of him.   

[hefdaddy42]

Nah, Kiefer had a great, distinctive voice.

[King Postwhore]

Kiefier's "regular" singing voice like on Coming Home was more appealing to me.


I liked this Ratt album when it was out but over time I haven't spun it much.

[Cyclopssss]

I actually really liked Ratt. And this is one of their best albums. But I actually loved Invasion of your privacy with the hit ´you´re in love´ and the selftitled album more, with songs like ´you think you´re tough´and ´Back for more´ more. <

Plus, without RATT, I would´ve never known who the hell Tawny Kitaen was! 

[KevShmev]

I am going to cheat a little again and feature an album that is technically not from the 80s...



Despite being released in March of 1990, Violator very much sounds like an 80s record, and I was surprised when it turned out not to be an 80s record, as I always thought it was from 1988 or so.  That aside, I was never a big fan of this band back in the day, but I finally heard this record a few years ago and thought it was okay, but gave it a few more whirls here and there over time, and grew to really like it.  Depeche Mode is not my favorite electronic pop band - I like the Pet Shop Boys waaaay more - but this is a darn good record, and certainly a classic.

[bl5150]

I can't say that I have even heard of Depeche Mode but the mention of the Pet Shop Boys - with whom I am familar ,in the same way I am familiar with The Proclaimers (reluctantly) probably gives me a good indicator of my odds of success 

I still need to check out that Yes album properly though.

[hefdaddy42]

Depeche Mode is one of those bands whom I really enjoy when I am actually listening to them, but I am never in the mood to actually listen to them.

[King Postwhore]

I appreciate their craft, the artistry and their showmanship live but I never got into their music.  Very influential though.

[Lowdz]

Not for me.
I am very narrow minded In my musical taste an d DM are nowhere near it.

[jammindude]

Violator is without question their defining album in most ways.   But if you wanted to pick an "80's Classic", Some Great Reward, Black Celebration and Music for the Masses would all qualify.   

I'm only mild on DM (although I have a good friend who thinks they can do no wrong) although with their similarities to The Cure, I would think I'd be more into them.   I do own Black Celebration (my personal fav) but I don't think I've heard Violator all the way through.   I should fix that.

[bosk1]

Good album.  I spun this a LOT when it came out.  But while I normally don't do this, I HAVE TO be "that guy" this time and say that you picked the wrong album, Kev.  The obvious choice should have been Music For The Masses.  Yeah, it wasn't as successful as Violator.  But it did give them their first real hit single and launch them into the mainstream.  Plus, it actually IS an '80s album. 

[?]

Great album! Probably DM's best, although Songs of Faith & Devotion comes really close. Enjoy the Silence, World in My Eyes, Halo and Waiting for the Night =

[jammindude]

Good album.  I spun this a LOT when it came out.  But while I normally don't do this, I HAVE TO be "that guy" this time and say that you picked the wrong album, Kev.  The obvious choice should have been Music For The Masses.  Yeah, it wasn't as successful as Violator.  But it did give them their first real hit single and launch them into the mainstream.  Plus, it actually IS an '80s album.

People are People was on Some Great Reward, and that was a pretty big single.

[Outcrier]

Depeche Mode at their peak. World In My Eyes, Personal Jesus, Policy of Truth, Halo and, especially, Enjoy The Silence, one of the best songs ever 

Hey Kev, since you mentioned them, could feature Actually (or Behaviour if you wanna cheat again ) by Pet Shop Boys next?

[bosk1]

Good album.  I spun this a LOT when it came out.  But while I normally don't do this, I HAVE TO be "that guy" this time and say that you picked the wrong album, Kev.  The obvious choice should have been Music For The Masses.  Yeah, it wasn't as successful as Violator.  But it did give them their first real hit single and launch them into the mainstream.  Plus, it actually IS an '80s album.

People are People was on Some Great Reward, and that was a pretty big single.

Okay, good point.

[Calvin6s]

Wasn't really into Depeche Mode at the time this album came out.  But I revisited them later.  Only have a best of from them though.  So I think the only two songs I have from this album are Personal Jesus and Enjoy the Silence.  I like Enjoy the Silence more.  If I recall, the music video was a guy walking around with a lawn chair or something in a crown and royal cape.

[erwinrafael]

How about some love for Somebody?

[KevShmev]

Good album.  I spun this a LOT when it came out.  But while I normally don't do this, I HAVE TO be "that guy" this time and say that you picked the wrong album, Kev.  The obvious choice should have been Music For The Masses.  Yeah, it wasn't as successful as Violator.  But it did give them their first real hit single and launch them into the mainstream.  Plus, it actually IS an '80s album.

Bah.

Hey Kev, since you mentioned them, could feature Actually (or Behaviour if you wanna cheat again ) by Pet Shop Boys next?

Soon.  I don't want to feature two albums in a row by a subgenre that doesn't get featured that much already.  Trying to mix it up here.

[bosk1]

Good album.  I spun this a LOT when it came out.  But while I normally don't do this, I HAVE TO be "that guy" this time and say that you picked the wrong album, Kev.  The obvious choice should have been Music For The Masses.  Yeah, it wasn't as successful as Violator.  But it did give them their first real hit single and launch them into the mainstream.  Plus, it actually IS an '80s album.

Bah.

I KNOW!  I KNOW!  SORRY! 

[KevShmev]

The first full length vinyl I ever owned.

One of the greatest albums ever.

A sonic masterpiece.

The Police going out on top.

It's so deep
It's so wide
You're inside
Synchronicity

Synchronicity.

 

[King Postwhore]

It was a whole other level for them. They ditched the reggae but it wasn't a certain style they went for.  Way ahead of it's time.

[jingle.boy]

This one was something special.  Side 2 was flawless.  Love the how Sync I and Sync II are so different, yet both amazing.  Synchronicity II is by far my favorite Police song.