The TAC Top 50! v. Old guys talking about music!

[kirksnosehair]

heh, that's my favorite Tesla album - nice choice, TAC 

[wkiml]

Love Tesla but The Great Radio Controversy is my favorite album of theirs

Hammerfall and the similiar power metal bands just never really clicked with me, the always came off as second rate Helloweens too me

[TAC]

Hammerfall and the similiar power metal bands just never really clicked with me, the always came off as second rate Helloweens too me

I understand that Bill. They are like an 80's metal cover band that does originals, if you follow me. There are certainly a lot of misses in their catalog, but they have tons of songs that really hit the spot.

[wkiml]

Hammerfall and the similiar power metal bands just never really clicked with me, the always came off as second rate Helloweens too me

I understand that Bill. They are like an 80's metal cover band that does originals, if you follow me. There are certainly a lot of misses in their catalog, but they have tons of songs that really hit the spot.

I'll check out this particular album...need to go into it with an open mind

[TAC]

Check out Warriors Of Faith. About halfway through they go into full blown Accept mode. Heeding The Call has a wicked Keepers era Helloween's feel to it and that is just fine with me!

[Lowdz]

Hammerfall- not heard this one, just have Renegade and found that to be "alright".

Renegade has some great songs on it, but is definitely hurt by the production, especially the lack of life in the drums. Legacy Of Kings is much stronger sounding.

Anders Johanssen wasn't it? Not a great drummer.

Re Tesla, I prefer TGRC to MR- but only just. That debut blew me away at the time. Went downhill after Psychotic Supper, though BAN has some good songs.

[TAC]

The drummer on Legacy Of Kings is Patrik Rafling. He is definitely a lot more exciting that Anders Johansson.

The first 4 Tesla albums are all great, I actually rank TGRC as my least fave of the four!

[TAC]

Ok, one more tonight. I am off tomorrow so there will definitly be more updates!

40- The Sweet- Desolation Boulevard



I wore this CD out in high school. Such an important album  which has had songs covered off of it by Pat Benatar, Saxon, Ace Frehley, and obviously the many incarnations of Ballroom Blitz. Shocking this album does not get the airplay it deserves on classic rock radio. The Sweet would be at the forefront of the glam movement, but Desolation Boulevard is fairly heavy, as is the follow up, Give Us A Wink, which is also an excellent album.

Fave tracks- No You Don't, Set Me Free, I Wanna Be Committed

[Lowdz]

The drummer on Legacy Of Kings is Patrik Rafling. He is definitely a lot more exciting that Anders Johansson.

The first 4 Tesla albums are all great, I actually rank TGRC as my least fave of the four!

i know what you mean cos when I first got TGRC it didn't click straight away- my least favourite tracks were the first couple so that didn't help. Love it now though.

[TAC]

My favorite Tesla track is Paradise. I also used to play Yesterdaze Gone on my radio show in college. And the beginning to Lady Luck is awesome!

[King Postwhore]

Tesla's first 3 albums are gold in my eyes. 

[Big Hath]

interesting that Ballroom Blitz was not on the European release of Desolation Boulevard

[jjrock88]

I don't have alot of material from Hammerfall or Tesla, but really enjoy what I've heard.

[Cyclopssss]

Whoa, The Sweet! Now that's an interesting choice! Great band, indeed sadly overlooked in music history.

[Zydar]

I recall dad having that Sweet LP when I was younger, I listened to Fox On The Run many times. I might have it lying around somewhere.

[Lowdz]

The Sweet wrote some great songs- they just sound better when covered by other bands. Love Fox On The Run.

[wolfking]

I never got into Sweet, but I actually really appreciate the work that I'm familiar with.

[TAC]

39- Armored Saint- Symbol Of Salvation (1991)



Released 4 years after 1987's Raising Fear, the band battled back from the tragic death of founding member, guitarist Dave Prichard, who passed away at the age of 26 from Luekemia. Having seen Armored Saint with Dave in the 80's a number of times, this was a great live band. Their studio albums didn't always translate the energy this band had. But the production on Symbol would far surpass anything they had done before. This was a make or break album for the band, and unfortunately, after the touring cycle, John Bush would go on to join Anthrax and Joey Vera would also move on to other things, most notably Fates Warning. Dave Prichard had a hand in writing much of the material. In fact the last time I saw them in 1989, they would feature two of the album's tracks, Reign Of Fire and Spineless.

Fave tracks: Hanging Judge, Burning Question, Tainted Past

38- Flotsam & Jetsam- No Place For Disgrace (1988) and When The Storm Comes Down (1990)


This is the first time in my countdown that I will be pairing up albums by the same band. It is because I basically like them equally, and the are both important cogs in my record collection.
Flotsam & Jetsam are probably best known for being Jason Newsted's band before he joined Metallica. Jason played on F&J's debut, Doomsday For The Deceiver.  No Place For Disgrace would be the follow up and When The Storm Comes Down is their 3rd album. Both feature Troy Gregory on bass. Troy also picked up a lot of the songwriting slack left behind by Jason.
What you have here is some great classic thrash with clean, higher pitched vocals done by the very underrated Eric Knutson. Troy Gregory would leave for Prong after Storm, but F&J peaked with these two albums. Both get regular spins from me today.

No Place Fave tracks- NE Terror, Dreams Of Death, Misguided Fortune, PAAB
Storm Fave tracks-EMTEK, The Master Sleeps, Burned Device

[jingle.boy]

Tesla... MR is fantastic.  Like Paul and others have mentioned, I give TGRC a slight edge to it.  Paul... trye Forever More.  It's a really good album.

Don't know much of the other albums listed so far.  Like I said in RJ's list, it's amazing what a 2 year age difference makes in terms of forming a musical base.  I really started my musical journey in '85 or so, just as the glam craze took hold.  Never really got back to the pure rock 'n' roll based 70s bands/albums of Aerosmith, Halen, Kiss etc ...  Not that I don't like them, just that they never captured my full listening attention.

[TAC]

Like I said in RJ's list, it's amazing what a 2 year age difference makes in terms of forming a musical base.  I really started my musical journey in '85 or so, just as the glam craze took hold.  Never really got back to the pure rock 'n' roll based 70s bands/albums of Aerosmith, Halen, Kiss etc ...  Not that I don't like them, just that they never captured my full listening attention.

That's an interesting point. Yes, a lot changed from the early 80's to the mid 80's. It was great to see that transition unfold as it happened.

[kirksnosehair]

My favorite Tesla track is Paradise. I also used to play Yesterdaze Gone on my radio show in college. And the beginning to Lady Luck is awesome!

"....walked up to her and said 'how do you do?' and she said 'I don't'"   

[wkiml]

Big  on the Flots   again I prefer Doomsday, but than again, my listening when I was younger production never really played a big part (even today I can honestly say that) I prefer the rawer sound anyway.....

[TAC]

Big  on the Flots   again I prefer Doomsday, but than again, my listening when I was younger production never really played a big part (even today I can honestly say that) I prefer the rawer sound anyway.....

Yeah I know you're a Doomsday guy. I like it too. I saw them on that tour, after Jason left, and that's what got me into them.

[El Barto]

Like I said in RJ's list, it's amazing what a 2 year age difference makes in terms of forming a musical base.  I really started my musical journey in '85 or so, just as the glam craze took hold.  Never really got back to the pure rock 'n' roll based 70s bands/albums of Aerosmith, Halen, Kiss etc ...  Not that I don't like them, just that they never captured my full listening attention.

That's an interesting point. Yes, a lot changed from the early 80's to the mid 80's. It was great to see that transition unfold as it happened.

Yeah, that is interesting.  Similar thing with me, but after all those late 70's metal bands got me into that kind of music, I started getting into thrash, and therefore despising the hair metal scene from the later 80's. 

[TAC]

Don't know much of the other albums listed so far.  Like I said in RJ's list, it's amazing what a 2 year age difference makes in terms of forming a musical base.  I really started my musical journey in '85 or so, just as the glam craze took hold.  Never really got back to the pure rock 'n' roll based 70s bands/albums of Aerosmith, Halen, Kiss etc ...  Not that I don't like them, just that they never captured my full listening attention.

Another thought I had on this point is that the classic bands was all we had to listen to on the radio before I had a record collection of my own to listen to.  There was a big shift in music from 1982-1984, and if radio became a real influence on what you liked, there was a definitely line drawn in the sand as the great 70's bands flared out. UFO, Thin Lizzy, Kiss for a time, Aerosmith, etc.
Actually what is amazing about Judas Priest is not only did they survive the transition, but actually flourished.

[jjrock88]

Is this the first time Armored Saint has been mentioned in a list? I'm a huge fan! Just like Y&T, Armored Saint is criminally underated.

[Big Hath]

Is this the first time Armored Saint has been mentioned in a list?

yes it is

[TAC]

Is this the first time Armored Saint has been mentioned in a list?

yes it is

I thought about pairing Raising Fear with Symbol, ut decided against it. I love Raising Fear, but really, SOS is better. Perhaps not quite as heavy.
They were criminally underrated. You really had to see them to appreciate them. I kind of ignored them, myself. I remember the Grim reaper/Armored Saint/Helloween tour in 87. We went to a signing and I walked right by the Armored Saint table to see Helloween. After the Helloween set, we figured we'd watch the first song or two of Armored Saint. By the time they were done, I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Never had I seen so much energy come from a band, and specifically one guy, John Bush.

[Scorpion]

A lot of stuff that I don't know here, but both Armored Sait and F&J sound as though I could enjoy them.

I like your write-ups, btw.

[TAC]

A lot of stuff that I don't know here, but both Armored Sait and F&J sound as though I could enjoy them.

I like your write-ups, btw.

Thank you, I wish I had more time to devote to the write ups, but I will just have to settle on few thoughts and memories.

wkiml would recommend F&J's Doomsday ( with Newsted) but I prefer No Place. Just sample my rec's.
With Armored Saint, I would actually have you start with Raising Fear before moving on to SOS.

[Ruba]

Armored Saint! I'm not really familiar with them, but they sound reeeeally good.

[TAC]

Flotsam & Jetsam
September 6, 1988
The Living Room
Providence, RI



Armored Saint
Various dates
The Living Room
Providence, RI




John Bush during a cover of NIB on top of the stacks.


A gruesome pic of me. I was probably 19 or 20 there. A little too much 
But John Bush was all bad ass!


yes, that IS a Bon Jovi shirt!

[jjrock88]

Grim Reaper is another unknown gem of a band.  Helloween/Armored Saint/Grim Reaper; that sounds like a killer show!!

[TAC]

Grim Reaper was the headliner. We actually stayed for the first song of their set, but ended up leaving. Honestly, we hadn't planned on staying after Helloween, and certainly not for Armored Saint's full set!
September 24th, 1987.

[jjrock88]

Grim Reaper was the headliner. We actually stayed for the first song of their set, but ended up leaving. Honestly, we hadn't planned on staying after Helloween, and certainly not for Armored Saint's full set!
September 24th, 1987.

Interesting.  I would have figured that Helloween would have been the headliner and Grim Reaper would have opened. 

What do you think of the disc, "March of the Saint".  That just might be my favorite from Armored Saint.  I originally bought it because I thought the album cover was cool.