Lowdz' Top 50 albums- No time to rest yet, I will hold this one on high

[Lowdz]

And the list so far

50 Vain- No Respect
49 Ten- Spellbound
48 Lillian Axe- Poetic Justice
47 Tony Macalpine – Maximum Security
46 Paul gilbert- Flying Dog
45 Michael Lee Firkins
44 WASP- Crimson Idol
43 Alcatrazz- No Parole For Rock 'n' Roll
42 Alice Cooper- Hey Stoopid
41  Winger- Pull

40 Kane Roberts- Saints & Sinners
39 Van Halen- fair Warning
38 Avantasia- The Scarecrow
37 Gary Moore- We Want Moore
36 Q5- Steel The Light
35 Dokken- Back For The Attack
34 Paganini- Accardo/Dutoit- The Six Violin Concerti
33 Extreme- pornograffitti
32 Jason Becker- Perpetual Burn
31 Phantom's Opera- Act IV

30 Flying In A Blue Dream
29 Magnum- On A Storyteller's Night
28 David Lee Roth- Eat 'em And Smile
27 Marillion- Clutching At Straws
26 Survivor- Vital Signs
25 Yngwie Malmsteen- Concerto Suite In Eb Minor
24 Iron Maiden- Killers
23 Y&T- Mean Streak
22 Judas Priest- Unleashed In The East
21 Europe- Prisoners In Paradise

20 Royal Hunt- Fear
19 Vicious Rumors- Digital Dictator
18 KISS Alive II
17 DIO - Last In Line
16 Danger Danger- Screw It!
15 Marty Friedman- Introduction
14 Yngwie Odyssey
13 Vinnie Vincent- Invasion
12 Vinnie Moore- Mind's Eye
11 Strangers In The Night

[BlobVanDam]

To go back a bit, I just got Europe - Prisoners In Paradise, and I like it. I think this will definitely grow on me.
I don't know what it is, but albums from 1991/92 by '80s bands always seem to reeeeeally hit the spot with me.

Yeah, I think they were maturing at that point maybe? Then most started to jump onto the grunge bandwagon and lost me.

Yep, I think that's exactly it. And then it just hit a wall. I would have loved to hear what those bands would have done if they were able to continue down that path.

New Jersey
I find the best tracks of NJ have dated more than the best of Slippery When Wet, but I'm ok with dated! I'm still mostly stuck on Lay Your Hands On Me and Bad Medicine though. I'm mostly a "hits" person with Bon Jovi.

[Lowdz]

To go back a bit, I just got Europe - Prisoners In Paradise, and I like it. I think this will definitely grow on me.
I don't know what it is, but albums from 1991/92 by '80s bands always seem to reeeeeally hit the spot with me.

Yeah, I think they were maturing at that point maybe? Then most started to jump onto the grunge bandwagon and lost me.

Yep, I think that's exactly it. And then it just hit a wall. I would have loved to hear what those bands would have done if they were able to continue down that path.

New Jersey
I find the best tracks of NJ have dated more than the best of Slippery When Wet, but I'm ok with dated! I'm still mostly stuck on Lay Your Hands On Me and Bad Medicine though. I'm mostly a "hits" person with Bon Jovi.

Two great tracks even after all these years. The only track that I don't like is Homebound train- that's a skipper.

[wolfking]

Pink Cream are a very underrated band, that album is cool, but Paul, you seriously had never heard My Sharona?

Can't stand Bon Jovi really to be honest, which is odd considering my musical taste.

[Lowdz]

Pink Cream are a very underrated band, that album is cool, but Paul, you seriously had never heard My Sharona?

Can't stand Bon Jovi really to be honest, which is odd considering my musical taste.

No, I'd never heard it. I think it was a much bigger hit in Oz than here. I knew it was a cover as soon as I heard it  just by the style- but no, never heard it before.

[wolfking]

That's cool, it was a massive hit over here, didn't realise it wasn't as big overseas.

[Lowdz]

8 Paul Stanley (1978)



For me, Paul Stanley is the heart and soul of KISS, and certainly the songwriting talent. His 1978 solo album is the best KISS album of the lot. A melodic rock masterclass. It's more grown up and mature than the stuff KISS were playing at the time, deeper and less bubblegum. Bob Kulick puts in an excellent performance, but Stanley is the star (child lol). These are some of his best songs and best vocals. No filler here either, every song serves a purpose and fills a role.

Best tracks- Tonight You Belong To Me, Wouldn't You Like To Know Me, Hold Me Touch Me, Goodbye

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ_jeXJwR_s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p9Hl0YP6Mk


This was the hardest choice of the lot. It had to be a Rush album, but which one? They were one of the first bands I was seriously into and I love everything from FBN to Counterparts in varying degrees, so which album goes here? After alot of soulsearching it is... Had to post this quick before I changed my mind again.

Rush- Power Windows (1985)



A surprise maybe? It is the only Rush album that I love every track. every other Rush album has at least one track that I don't like.Big money suffers a bit from over familiarity but I still love the song. I love the production (rare for Rush- I've been disappointed in the sound of so many of their albums)- hats off to Peter Collins. I love the lyrics. It has their best balance between guitars and keys in the 80s. There are bigger highs on many of their albums but for consistency this is the one. Shorter songs but so much crafted into them. I wore the grooves out of the vinyl. And no reggae! Bonus.

Best tracks- Grand Designs, Manhattan Project, Marathon, Emotion Detector, Middletown Dreams, Mystic Rhythms

[wolfking]

Again, not a Kiss fan.

Power Windows is definitely top 3 Rush.  I never really gave it much of a chance at first, but after I gave it some time, it's incredible.  Great landscape of sounds, and great 80's feel throughout, great songs too.

[Lowdz]

Again, not a Kiss fan.

Power Windows is definitely top 3 Rush.  I never really gave it much of a chance at first, but after I gave it some time, it's incredible.  Great landscape of sounds, and great 80's feel throughout, great songs too.

Have you tried this album Kade? It's not as bubblegum as KISS on the whole.

[TAC]

Again, not a Kiss fan.

Power Windows is definitely top 3 Rush.  I never really gave it much of a chance at first, but after I gave it some time, it's incredible.  Great landscape of sounds, and great 80's feel throughout, great songs too.

Have you tried this album Kade? It's not as bubblegum as KISS on the whole.

Wolf would love Tonight You Belong To Me and Together As One and Goodbye.

[jjrock88]

Two very good albums, but surprised to see them ranked so high. Tonight you belong to me is an outstanding track. Was this a big hit for Paul?

[Pols Voice]

Now I've heard TWO albums from your list (Clutching at Straws and Power Windows). Yeah!!

Power Windows has some good songs, but it's not one my favorites.

[wolfking]

Again, not a Kiss fan.

Power Windows is definitely top 3 Rush.  I never really gave it much of a chance at first, but after I gave it some time, it's incredible.  Great landscape of sounds, and great 80's feel throughout, great songs too.

Have you tried this album Kade? It's not as bubblegum as KISS on the whole.

Again, not a Kiss fan.

Power Windows is definitely top 3 Rush.  I never really gave it much of a chance at first, but after I gave it some time, it's incredible.  Great landscape of sounds, and great 80's feel throughout, great songs too.

Have you tried this album Kade? It's not as bubblegum as KISS on the whole.

Wolf would love Tonight You Belong To Me and Together As One and Goodbye.

Hmm...never tired it, to be honest I switch off anything Kiss related, but you guys have me intrigued.  I'll sample some tunes tonight.

[Cedar redaC]

Power Windows is fantastic!

[Ruba]

Power Windows hasn't yet opened to me, but I'm ready to give it more chances.

[Mladen]

Power Windows is definitely top 3 Rush.  I never really gave it much of a chance at first, but after I gave it some time, it's incredible.  Great landscape of sounds, and great 80's feel throughout, great songs too.

All of this. Great pick. 

[Lowdz]

OK, things are getting serious now. I'll slow it down a bit with one album a night. These are the creme de la creme.

6 Rainbow- Rising (1976)



A bona fide classic and the blueprint for every heavy metal band that came after. This is Richie Blackmore's magnum opus. A few good tracks on the debut RB's Rainbow didn't hint at what was to follow. Two epic tracks are the backbone of this album. Stargazer should need no introduction, but I actually prefer A Light In The Black with it's incessant soloing between guitar and keys, all with The Voice adding the magic dust. There is magic in this album. The shorter songs are almost overshadowed but all are great rock songs that stand in their own right. The band is a who's who of greatness- Blackmore, Dio, Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain, Tony Carey. Rainbow soon moved away from this style but many others came after. None managed to match this masterwork.

Best tracks- All of them. Every note is perfect.

[wolfking]

That album is indeed perfect, what a great pick.  Yngwie's favourite album too I believe.

[wolfking]

Hey, those two Paul Stanley songs were awesome, especially the second one which is similar to Sure Know Something which is a song I have always liked.

Definitely better than regular Kiss, might pick that up.

[FreezingPoint]

This has been an amazing list so far. I agree with many of your opinions and analysis' of the albums. (Is analysis' even a word?)

I'm going to have to check out the albums I haven't heard.

[Lowdz]

Hey, those two Paul Stanley songs were awesome, especially the second one which is similar to Sure Know Something which is a song I have always liked.

Definitely better than regular Kiss, might pick that up.

Good to hear. PS is a great songwriter. His more recent solo album was pretty good too- more modern sounding than you would expect. Not every song was a winner but excellent none the less.

[Lowdz]

This has been an amazing list so far. I agree with many of your opinions and analysis' of the albums. (Is analysis' even a word?)

I'm going to have to check out the albums I haven't heard.

Thanks!

[Prog Snob]

I never heard that Rainbow CD before, but I intend on checking it out now.

[wolfking]

Hey, those two Paul Stanley songs were awesome, especially the second one which is similar to Sure Know Something which is a song I have always liked.

Definitely better than regular Kiss, might pick that up.

Good to hear. PS is a great songwriter. His more recent solo album was pretty good too- more modern sounding than you would expect. Not every song was a winner but excellent none the less.

Just read your wright up again and Bob Kulick is on leads?  Man, he was one of the reasons why I loved Crimson Idol so much.

[BlobVanDam]

Rainbow.
Personally I'd take Long Live Rock n Roll Over It though, and the production on Rising turns me off it a little.

[jjrock88]

This was the album that Dio was showing people what he was made of.  Awesome!

[MoraWintersoul]

Amazing.

[Mladen]

As far as I'm concerned, that album is better than anything else Blackmoore and Dio had done in their other bands. Fantastic stuff, incredible from start to finish. 

[Lowdz]

Rainbow.
Personally I'd take Long Live Rock n Roll Over It though, and the production on Rising turns me off it a little.

I do love LLRnR but for me it doesn't reach the level of Rising. Gates Of Babylon and Kill The King do, and the rest are great songs. There's just something more magical about Rising for me.

[Lowdz]

5 Rage For Order (1986)



I first heard QR on Tommy Vance's Friday rock Show, with Take Hold Of The Flame, and soon tracked down the Warning album. A few years later a mate had a few quid in his pocket and wanted to buy an album, and this was sitting there in the new releases box. I told him how awesome the first album was, he bought Rage and we went back to his place to listen to it. Mark hated it and tbh I was a bit taken aback too. I was disappointed initially and actually bought it off him 'cos I felt a bit guilty having recommended it and he hated it. I stuck with it and it slowly released it's genius. It's so far ahead of it's time the rest still haven't caught up yet. The incidental noises and segues make it a headphone album. The guitars complement each other and intertwine, clean guitars complementing distorted ones, and Geoff was a God instead of the tool he has become. I love the sci-fi feel of it all and the keyboards and samples of the orchestra from The Warning give the tracks an original sound. Big props to Neil Kernon too. Awesome production.

Best tracks- Walk In The Shadows, I Dream In Infared, The Whisper, Surgical Strike, London, I Will Remember, Screaming In Digital

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAYXhc3oJf8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aI7fCwX-NM

[Mladen]

This one is pretty good. 

[wolfking]

A misunderstood album when it comes to earlier Queensryche.  I was also disappointed at first, but you realise how great it actually is, quite stunning in places actually. 

[Dr. DTVT]

Warning, Rage for Order, and O:M is one of the best first three album runs any band has ever had.

[King Postwhore]

I was so enthralled with this album.  After seeing them open for Kiss on the Animalize tour with QR touring for, "The Warning".  This was such a change of concepts and style(Looks).  I really got into this album a ton.

[jjrock88]

Its a weird stunning breathtaking genius strange perfect album.