Gazinwales Top 50 Albums - v. #26 bitter metallic side...

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

While I find Asia's first couple albums are OK, with a few good songs on each, I really think their later albums starting with Aura are much better. Especially Silent Nation.

[gazinwales]

Agree with PoA here, the John Payne era is sadly overlooked by many, but there are some glorious albums made mainly by messers Downes and Payne.

[gazinwales]

40.
The Police
Synchronicity
Pop Rock

A&M Records 1983

1   Synchronicity I   3:22
2   Walking In Your Footsteps   3:36
3   O My God   4:02
4   Mother 3:05
5   Miss Gradenko 2:00
6   Synchronicity II   5:05
7   Every Breath You Take 4:14
8   King Of Pain 4:59
9   Wrapped Around Your Finger 5:14
10   Tea In The Sahara 4:19

Band line up

Drums, Percussion – Stewart Copeland
Bass, Vocals – Sting
Guitars - Andy Summers

Growing up in the early 1980's I used to hear The Police a lot on the radio and many of their video's.
Although I liked them, they weren't a band that I'd go out of my way to listen (buying the record or cassette) but enjoyed what I heard
I always though of them as a simple pop band, that was until I started to learn to play guitar. Some of those songs turned out to be not so easy to figure out and play.

I was sucked into this album, by (of course) the massive hit Every Breath You Take' and the mega hype that surrounded this album.
I ended up buying the cassette, because it had an exclusive (at the time) bonus track, that turned out to be one of the albums best songs ('Murder By Numbers')

It wasn't until many years later that I started to fully appreciate the Police, not only as musicians but supreme songwriters.
Not just that the sound of their albums, the production on Synchronicity is just so good, it's almost flawless (something I rarely say as an audio nerd)

One thing that stands out is the drums from SC, the sound is just so crisp and precise, his percussion and just about everything almost inspired me to take up the instrument.
Andy Summer guitars never too much, the sounds, the panning from left to right and vice versa, his deft us of effects is just perfect.
What can I say about Sting? He was always underrated as a bassist, but he really grew on me and on this albums he really shines.

So what about the songs?
Every song is killer apart from the truely horrendous Andy Summers sung 'Mother', but even that has made sense as I got older.
Where a lot of albums tale off towards the end, this one seems to get stronger.

Until recently this was the only Police album in my collection, I splashed out of the Japan version of the The Studio Recordings box set, to which I am just about to dive into.

Every Breath You Take https://youtu.be/OMOGaugKpzs
King Of Pain https://youtu.be/yuOPRfq-q6U
Wrapped Around Your Finger https://youtu.be/hWh5ilLBs-k

[wolfking]

I can't really comment on The Police, but all their hits are great.  Wrapped Around Your Finger might be my fav that I've heard.  That song is amazing.

[gazinwales]

I can't really comment on The Police, but all their hits are great.  Wrapped Around Your Finger might be my fav that I've heard.  That song is amazing.

Follow the link in my post to that song, the live version is amazing.

[DTA]

Miss Gradenko is the best song SC wrote for the band.

[bl5150]

The Police are on the list of bands that I have always rated very highly in terms of songwriting/musicianship but never spent much time listening to.   The one childhood memory I have is that I would always fast forward to the "heavy bit" in EBYT ...................."Since you've gone............"

As a guitarist Andy Summers would be quite under rated - he gets props for playing that Message In A Bottle thing for the whole song

[TAC]

The Police are on the list of bands that I have always rated very highly in terms of songwriting/musicianship but never spent much time listening to.   

Same. Much respect to the band. It's not that I don't like them. I just don't like listening to them.

[Kwyjibo]

I love The Police and this is my favorite, closely followed by Regatta De Blanc. Top-notch musicianship, I especially like the drumming and the way the drums sound. Crisp and clear and groovy.

Every Breath You Take is seriously overplayed (and I don't think it was that great to begin with) but Synchronicity I and II, Miss Gradenko, Walking In Your Footsteps, King Of Pain, Tea In The Sahara are all stellar songs.  Even Mother works for me in its craziness.

[The Walrus]

Not a fan of The Police, but, I've never heard a full album. Will get to this one and report back.

[Lowdz]

Agree with PoA here, the John Payne era is sadly overlooked by many, but there are some glorious albums made mainly by messers Downes and Payne.

Count me as a fan of the Payne era. It’s a different band but quality

[romdrums]

Synchronicity is the missing 80's Rush album.   

My favorite of The Police records by far.  Their songwriting goes to another level here from their previous records.  If it wasn't for Mother, this would be a 5 star, perfect album.

[NoseofNicko]

I actually like Mother.

[Max Kuehnau]

my favourite Police album (that one and Ghost In The Machine, although I love them all, there will be an installment about them and all their albums on my thread as well. Btw, you should have bought this one here: https://www.amazon.com/Message-Box-Police/dp/B000002G23/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=16O0OL34Y5NRI&keywords=the+police+message+in+a+box&qid=1578431340&s=music&sprefix=the+police+mess%2Cpopular%2C150&sr=1-1 as this is the only box set that is nearly complete. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. Sounds better too IMHO)

[gazinwales]

I know about Message In A Box, I could have bought that years ago when it came out.
I prefer the one album per CD and the Japan SHM-CD box set was only US$7 more than the price in your link

[jingle.boy]

I know about Message In A Box, I could have bought that years ago when it came out.
I prefer the one album per CD and the Japan SHM-CD box set was only US$7 more than the price in your link

Bumpity bump, bump, bump.

[The Walrus]

I know about Message In A Box, I could have bought that years ago when it came out.
I prefer the one album per CD and the Japan SHM-CD box set was only US$7 more than the price in your link

Bumpity bump, bump, bump.

 

?

[gazinwales]

Yup I know, I know time to get this going again...

[a51502112]

I got the Message in a Box set when it came out. What's great is all the demos & rarities that are included.
"Fallout" with Copeland on guitar and original GTRist Henri Padovani on lead.

[gazinwales]

39.
Judas Priest
Defenders Of The Faith
Metal

CBS Records 1984

1   Freewheel Burning   4:24
2.Jawbreaker   3:26
3. Rock Hard Ride Free   5:34
4. The Sentinel   5:04
5. Love Bites   4:47
6. Eat Me Alive   3:34
7. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll   4:05
8. Night Comes Down   3:58
9. Heavy Duty   2:25
10. Defenders Of The Faith

Band line up

Rob Halford – vocals
K. K. Downing – guitars
Glenn Tipton – guitars
Ian Hill – bass
Dave Holland – drums

1984 was my year of discovery for metal, I was in high school hanging out with a load of fellow metal heads and this album dropped.

While I orginally owned this on cassette tape, which I actually wore out through playing over and over again.

After ignoring Priest for many years, I lost interest when Rob Halford left the band, but after reading his new book 'Confess' I decided to re-boot the JP catalogue
going back and re-discovering all those great albums.

With so many strong albums, I chose this one for two reasons, no filler and the aggressive music and lyrics.
That said the albums production does sound a little dated and the drums are either triggered or most likely programmed.

Halford has admitted that some of his lyrics during his alcohol and drug fuelled days are not the best, but on here he literally goes for the throat
with some face tearing in your face ditties, that over the years have revealed themselves as Halfords sexuality came out ('Jawbreaker' and 'Eat Me Alive')
Interesting that this album also contains somewhat of a rarity in JP repertoire, ballad in 'Night Comes Down' which really shows how good Rob's voice is.
Katatonia would cover this song many years later on their 'Fall Of Hearts' album.

For it's time and even now to an extant, this is a seriously heavy record, but still has great melodies and for me at least has stood the test of time.

[The Walrus]

Not a Priest fan in the least, but I gotta say their album art certainly stands out from the rest of the crowd. Very unique style.

[T-ski]

Happy to see this thread again.

[The Realm]

Love this album - one of my very fav Priest records. Definitely has stood the test of time, I still listen to it regularly. I kind of also think for people that aren't Priest fans but want to give Priest a go, it is a good album to start with. A classic.

[wolfking]

Top 3 Priest album.  It's almost perfect.  Night Comes Down is classic in my book and so underrated.  The rest of the album just rips.

So happy to see this continuing Gaz.

[jingle.boy]

JP fell into that category of bands that was just a little bit *too* heavy for my tastes in the mid-80s, and then I never went back to discover them.  I'm mostly an A-list and B-list 'best-of' fan for them... I just don't have the wherewithal to go back and hitup their entire discog.  Several DTFrs contributed to helping me put together a 35-song best-of playlist.  So that's about where I sit with them - six tracks coming from this album.

[The Walrus]

JP fell into that category of bands that was just a little bit *too* heavy for my tastes in the mid-80s, and then I never went back to discover them.  I'm mostly an A-list and B-list 'best-of' fan for them... I just don't have the wherewithal to go back and hitup their entire discog.  Several DTFrs contributed to helping me put together a 35-song best-of playlist.  So that's about where I sit with them - six tracks coming from this album.

6? C'mon man, you might as well hit the other four! That's like watching all the Marvel movies but calling it quits right after Black Panther.

[wolfking]

JP fell into that category of bands that was just a little bit *too* heavy for my tastes in the mid-80s, and then I never went back to discover them.  I'm mostly an A-list and B-list 'best-of' fan for them... I just don't have the wherewithal to go back and hitup their entire discog.  Several DTFrs contributed to helping me put together a 35-song best-of playlist.  So that's about where I sit with them - six tracks coming from this album.

6 tracks must mean it's a damn fine album.

[jingle.boy]

JP fell into that category of bands that was just a little bit *too* heavy for my tastes in the mid-80s, and then I never went back to discover them.  I'm mostly an A-list and B-list 'best-of' fan for them... I just don't have the wherewithal to go back and hitup their entire discog.  Several DTFrs contributed to helping me put together a 35-song best-of playlist.  So that's about where I sit with them - six tracks coming from this album.

6 tracks must mean it's a damn fine album.

Exactly that.  And yes, I have listened to the whole album, and it's very good.  But as I said, I wasn't hitting the whole discog start-to-finish.  I have listened to full JP albums for certain, but when it comes to what I saved and go back to, it's the 'best-of' list the Hard Rock / Classic Metal crew gave me.

[wolfking]

JP fell into that category of bands that was just a little bit *too* heavy for my tastes in the mid-80s, and then I never went back to discover them.  I'm mostly an A-list and B-list 'best-of' fan for them... I just don't have the wherewithal to go back and hitup their entire discog.  Several DTFrs contributed to helping me put together a 35-song best-of playlist.  So that's about where I sit with them - six tracks coming from this album.

6 tracks must mean it's a damn fine album.

Exactly that.  And yes, I have listened to the whole album, and it's very good.  But as I said, I wasn't hitting the whole discog start-to-finish.  I have listened to full JP albums for certain, but when it comes to what I saved and go back to, it's the 'best-of' list the Hard Rock / Classic Metal crew gave me.

Priest are a band that have a lot of different sounding albums so unless you are a diehard fan, it's easy to see people just picking particular albums over some others.  Liking certain albums from them doesn't mean you'd like everything they have done kind of thing.

[TAC]

Top 3 Priest album.  It's almost perfect. 

So happy to see this continuing Gaz.

YES 

[gazinwales]

Thanks for the kind words, the rest will follow shortly, hope to do at least one per week 

[wolfking]

Thanks for the kind words, the rest will follow shortly, hope to do at least one per week 

Don't worry, you'll be hearing about it if you don't. 

[v_clortho]

The Sentinel alone makes this a great album.

[TAC]

Thanks for the kind words, the rest will follow shortly, hope to do at least one per week 

Hopefully they'll be consecutive weeks.

[Stadler]

I was a pretty hard core Priest fan in high school - first concert, we played "Living After Midnight" in my high school band - but I fell out of favor with them after Turbo and Painkiller.   They didn' t really hold up over time for me; so much of the 80's metal (Priest, Scorpions) seemed so cheesy and contrived after delving into prog and later, prog metal (like Dream Theater).  But I've since gone back, and there's a lot of good stuff in that catalogue and this is one of them.   I'm not sure there's one skippable song on this record; sometimes I'll brush over "Freewheel Burning", because of all the falsetto singing, and "Defenders Of The Faith" because I'm sort of past "pledging allegiance to metal flag" bullcrap.   But Sentinel is an AMAZING track, and may be my favorite Priest song ever.   This is one of the recotds I go back to more than most in the catalogue, and has stood the test of time pretty well.

(Honestly, it's almost embarrassing how much of the lyrical content went right past me at that time.   And I was a teenage boy!!!)