Retro Albums of the Year 2010's: 2020

[King Postwhore]

That Cars debut took over the radio for a good year plus.

[MirrorMask]

1978 for me has two monster albums:

1 - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Darkness on the Edge of Town

One of his best acclaimed albums, possibly my favorite overall along with Born to Run (especially thinking of the live versions), the incredibly consistent The Rising and also Magic. A dark pearl, more somber than the previous album just like Awake is darker than Images and Words, and full of legendary songs.

2 - RAINBOW - Long Live Rock n' Roll

It's always hard to decide which one is the best Rainbow album because each of the three Dio albums has absolutely legendary tracks, milestone of the genres to be preserved once the Sun will eat up our planet, and some duds here and there. Needless to say that Long Live Rock n' Roll, Kill the King, Rainbow Eyes and Gates of Babylon are all amazing tracks and this album is a great gem.

Rounding it out we have:

3 - ALICE COOPER - From the Inside

One of his best albums of his early carrer, and one of the most forgotten ones. So many great songs, collection of tales from the mental ward.

4 - JUDAS PRIEST - Stained Class

Not a big fan overall, but speaking of legendary tracks, Beyond the Realms of Death should make several "best song ever" lists.

5 - QUEEN - Jazz


Wikipedia also says that "Killing Machine" by Judas Priest was released in 1978, then the album with the new title Hell Bent for Leather was released as well in 1979. Dunno how to count it.

[hefdaddy42]

No particular order:

Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
Al Di Meola - Casino
Funkadelic - One Nation Under a Groove
Rush - Hemispheres
Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Stranger in Town
Pat Metheny - Pat Metheny Group
Boston - Don't Look Back
Willie Nelson - Stardust
Queen - Jazz
Van Halen - Van Halen
Chick Corea - Friends

[ariich]

1978 was another solid year, especially my top 3!

1. Queen - Jazz
2. Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
3. Rush - Hemispheres
4. The Alan Parsons Project - Pyramid
5. Toto - Toto
6. Lucifer's Friend - Good Time Warrior
7. Gino Vannelli - Brother to Brother
8. Tom Waits - Blue Valentine
9. Area - 1978 gli dei se ne vanno, gli arrabbiati restano!
10. Jeff Wayne - The War of the Worlds

And one more that I quite like:
Yes - Tormato

[TAC]

6. Lucifer's Friend - Good Time Warrior

I have this on vinyl! Such a great band. But this album is a bit lightweight for me.

[ariich]

6. Lucifer's Friend - Good Time Warrior

I have this on vinyl! Such a great band. But this album is a bit lightweight for me.

Yeah definitely. The two albums before it are much better, but this one was still good.

[TAC]

6. Lucifer's Friend - Good Time Warrior

I have this on vinyl! Such a great band. But this album is a bit lightweight for me.

Yeah definitely. The two albums before it are much better, but this one was still good.

One of my all time favorite albums is Mean Machine, when John Lawton returns in 1981. It's NWOBHM-ish.

[ariich]

6. Lucifer's Friend - Good Time Warrior

I have this on vinyl! Such a great band. But this album is a bit lightweight for me.

Yeah definitely. The two albums before it are much better, but this one was still good.

One of my all time favorite albums is Mean Machine, when John Lawton returns in 1981. It's NWOBHM-ish.

Ah interesting, I stopped checking them out after Good Time Warrior being weaker and what I heard of Sneak Me In not interesting me at all.

I'll check out Mean Machine, although it's not on Spotify so will see if I can find another way to hear it. Curious about the more recent ones they seem to have done since Lawton came back yet again. The last two albums seem quite well-rated on RYM.

[TAC]

Mean Machine is on youtube!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUC2AY5NKQk-8vtDMDeGZiSIfCBFd7GWW

I used to crank this when I was a kid.
2:50 of One Way Street To Heartbreak 

[KevShmev]

01 Rush - Hemispheres
02 Van Halen - Van Halen
03 Styx - Pieces of Eight
04 Boston - Don't Look Back
05 Judas Priest - Stained Class
06 Triumph - Just a Game
07 Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door
08 The Cars - The Cars
09 Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three...
10 Trevor Rabin - Trevor Rabin
11 Billy Joel - 52nd Street
12 Journey - Infinity
13 Molly Hatchet - Molly Hatchet
14 Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
15 Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

Wikipedia also says that "Killing Machine" by Judas Priest was released in 1978, then the album with the new title Hell Bent for Leather was released as well in 1979. Dunno how to count it.

It's the same album. Hell Bent for Leather is just the US release version of Killing Machine. It was delayed so as not to compete with Stained Class. The band themselves only ever refer to the album as Killing Machine.

[EPICVIEW]

01 Rush - Hemispheres
02 Van Halen - Van Halen
03 Styx - Pieces of Eight
04 Boston - Don't Look Back
05 Judas Priest - Stained Class
06 Triumph - Just a Game
07 Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door
08 The Cars - The Cars
09 Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three...
10 Trevor Rabin - Trevor Rabin
11 Billy Joel - 52nd Street
12 Journey - Infinity
13 Molly Hatchet - Molly Hatchet
14 Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
15 Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

I like this list

[EPICVIEW]

1978
1) Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
2) VH- VH
3) Boston - Dont Look Back
4) Cheap Trick - Live at Budokan
5) The Cars- The Cars
6) The Ramones- Road to Ruin
7) Judas Priest- Stained Class
8) Angel - White Hot
9) Black Sabbath- Never Say Die
10) Elvis Costello- This Years Model

[Dedalus]

1978:

01. Hemispheres (Rush)

[KevShmev]

01 Rush - Hemispheres
02 Van Halen - Van Halen
03 Styx - Pieces of Eight
04 Boston - Don't Look Back
05 Judas Priest - Stained Class
06 Triumph - Just a Game
07 Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door
08 The Cars - The Cars
09 Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three...
10 Trevor Rabin - Trevor Rabin
11 Billy Joel - 52nd Street
12 Journey - Infinity
13 Molly Hatchet - Molly Hatchet
14 Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
15 Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

I like this list

 

The pisser is that there are many great songs from 1978 that were on albums that I am not overly fond of in general:

Lady and Reminiscing by Little River Band

Fat Bottomed Girls, Bicycle Race and Don't Stop Me Now all by Queen

Driver's Seat by Sniff 'n' The Tears

Mistral Wind by Heart

September by Earth, Wind and Fire

Roll with the Changes by REO Speedwagon

Surrender by Cheap Trick

Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty

What a Fool Believes by the Doobie Bros

Who Do You Love? by George Thorogood (the one song of his I really like)

Heavy Horses by Jethro Tull

Narnia by Steve Hackett

And of course one of the greatest songs of all-time (dead serious):

Heart of Glass by Blondie

[Stadler]

Reminiscing by Little River Band

One of my favorite songs ever.

[Dedalus]

01 Rush - Hemispheres
02 Van Halen - Van Halen
03 Styx - Pieces of Eight
04 Boston - Don't Look Back
05 Judas Priest - Stained Class
06 Triumph - Just a Game
07 Led Zeppelin - In Through the Out Door
08 The Cars - The Cars
09 Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three...
10 Trevor Rabin - Trevor Rabin
11 Billy Joel - 52nd Street
12 Journey - Infinity
13 Molly Hatchet - Molly Hatchet
14 Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food
15 Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town

Released August 1979

[KevShmev]

Damn. Not sure why or how that got indexed with the wrong year in my iTunes.

Reminiscing by Little River Band

One of my favorite songs ever.

Great song.  Little River Band is one of those bands that has like 10-12 killer songs...and that's it.  I tried some of their albums to see if any of those deep cuts were good, but none connected with me. But most of their hits are money.

[TAC]

For me..

1. UFO-Obsession
2. Rush-Hemispheres
3. KISS-Ace Frehley
4. KISS-Paul Stanley
5. Alice Cooper-From The Inside
6. Van Halen-s/t
7. AC/DC-If You Want Blood
8. AC/DC-Powerage
9. Blondie-Parallel Lines
10. Scorpions-Tokyo Tapes
11. Black Sabbath-Never Say Die
12. Rainbow-Long Live Rock And Roll
13. Triumph-Just A Game
14. Gary Moore-Back On The Streets
15. Judas Priest-Stained Class
16. Boston-Don't Look Back
17. Thin Lizzy-Live And Dangerous
18. Molly Hatchet-s/t
19. Styx-Pieces Of Eight
20. Ted Nugent-Double Live Gonzo
21. Yesterday & Today-Struck Down

[Dedalus]

For me..

1. UFO-Obsession
2. Rush-Hemispheres
3. KISS-Ace Frehley
4. KISS-Paul Stanley
5. Alice Cooper-From The Inside
6. Van Halen-s/t
7. AC/DC-If You Want Blood
8. AC/DC-Powerage
9. Blondie-Parallel Lines
10. Scorpions-Tokyo Tapes
11. Black Sabbath-Never Say Die
12. Rainbow-Long Live Rock And Roll
13. Triumph-Just A Game
14. Gary Moore-Back On The Streets
15. Judas Priest-Stained Class
16. Boston-Don't Look Back
17. Thin Lizzy-Live And Dangerous
18. Molly Hatchet-s/t
19. Styx-Pieces Of Eight
20. Ted Nugent-Double Live Gonzo
21. Yesterday & Today-Struck Down

It's a really good album...

[TAC]

I actually find it kind of progressive in parts.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I actually find it kind of progressive in parts.

[King Postwhore]

 

I find all kind of ass kicking. It's a fantastic album.

[TAC]

I actually find it kind of progressive in parts.

 

[Dream Team]

Tim, nice call on Parallel Lines. Was just listening to it a couple days ago  .

[TAC]

That's a great album. The three album run of Plastic Letters-Parallel Lines-Eat To The Beat is fantastic. Eat To The Beat is my favorite of the bunch easily though.

[WildRanger]

My top 10 from 1978:

1. Rush - Hemispheres
2. Van Halen - Van Halen
3. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town (favorite album by Boss)
4. Judas Priest - Stained Class
5. Blondie - Parallel Lines
6. Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
7. Scorpions - Taken by Force
8. The Cars - The Cars
9. Dire Straits - Dire Straits
10. AC/DC - Powerage

Honorable mention: Elvis Costello - This Year's Model

[WildRanger]

'78 was a good year.

Hemispheres - Rush
Long Live Rock and Roll - Rainbow
Heaven Tonight - Cheap Trick
The Cars - The Cars
Stained Class - Priest
Macho Man - The Village People
City To City - Gerry Rafferty (I don't care for the album, much, but it has "Baker Street" on it.)
Van Halen - Van Halen
U.K. - U.K.
Heart - Magazine
David Gilmour - David Gilmour (I LOVE this album)
Obsession - UFO
Parallel Lines - Blondie
Outlandos d'Amour - The Police
Don't Look Back - Boston
Love Beach - ELP
Three of the four Kiss solo albums

Are you a fan of This Year's Model (Costello)?

[WildRanger]

1 - JUDAS PRIEST - Sad Wings of Destiny

Possibly the first heavy metal album.

First heavy metal album when Paranoid was released 6 years earlier?

Hold on to your hats boys, because I'm going to agree with Wildranger.....

While it's all subjective and widely debated, I too believe Paranoid to be the very first metal album.

Eh, either Sad Wings or Stained Class is considered the first MODERN metal album, with all traces of the blues finally removed (thankfully).

Stained Class is the first pure metal album. Sad Wings has some bluesy elements.

[HOF]

My 7 from 1978:

1. Steve Hackett - Please Don’t Touch
2. Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three
3. Rush - Hemispheres
4. Kaipa - Solo
5. Journey - Infinity
6. Camel - Breathless
7. Peter Gabriel - Scratch

Edit: somehow left off Journey.

[Dream Team]

That's a great album. The three album run of Plastic Letters-Parallel Lines-Eat To The Beat is fantastic. Eat To The Beat is my favorite of the bunch easily though.

Listened to the first 4 today. My order of preference is Parallel-ETTB-B-Plastic. Besides Debbie Harry being awesome, I’ve always loved Clem Burke’s drumming.

[TAC]

I don't really rate the first album. I should give it a spin. I just remember it being a bit weaker. The only ones I rebought on CD were the three I mentioned.

And hell yes, Clem Burke is awesome. He was the original drummer at the wrong gig.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

1978

1. Rush - Hemispheres
2. Judas Priest - Stained Class
3. Journey - Infinity
4. The Cars - The Cars
5. David Gilmour - David Gilmour
6. Dire Straits - Dire Straits
7. Kate Bush - The Kick Inside
8. Rainbow - Long Live Rock n Roll
9. Styx - Pieces of Eight
10. The Police - Outlados d'Amour
11. The Walker Brother - Nite Flights
12. Judas Priest - Killing Machine
13. Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses
14. Heart - Dog & Butterfly
15. Talking Heads - More Song About Buildings and Food
16. Saga - Saga
17. Genesis - ...and Then There Were Three
18. Van Halen - Van Halen
19. Queen - Jazz
20. Kate Bush - Lionheart

[Zoom E]

1978

Van Halen - Van Halen
UFO - Obsession
Scorpions - Tokyo Tapes
Judas Priest - Hell Bent for Leather
Heart - Dog and Butterfly

Catching up on 71 - 77

1977

Scorpions - Taken by Force
UFO - Lights Out
Queen - News of the World
Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation
Heart - Little Queen

1976

Scorpions - Virgin Killer
UFO - No Heavy Petting
Rainbow - Rising
Judas Priest - Sad Wings of Destiny
Rush - 2112

1975

Scorpions - In Trance
UFO - Force It
Black Sabbath - Sabotage
Queen - A Night at the Opera
Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic

1974

UFO - Phenomenon
Scorpions - Fly to the Rainbow
Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
Rush - Rush
Deep Purple - Burn

1973

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Elton John - Goodbye Yellowbrick Road
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy
Billy Joes - Piano Man

1972

Deep Purple - Machine Head
Black Sabbath - Vol. 4
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
Yes - Close to the Edge

1971

Led Zeppelin IV
David Bowie - Hunky Dory
Yes - Fragile
Deep Purple - Fireball
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality

[Stadler]

'78 was a good year.

Hemispheres - Rush
Long Live Rock and Roll - Rainbow
Heaven Tonight - Cheap Trick
The Cars - The Cars
Stained Class - Priest
Macho Man - The Village People
City To City - Gerry Rafferty (I don't care for the album, much, but it has "Baker Street" on it.)
Van Halen - Van Halen
U.K. - U.K.
Heart - Magazine
David Gilmour - David Gilmour (I LOVE this album)
Obsession - UFO
Parallel Lines - Blondie
Outlandos d'Amour - The Police
Don't Look Back - Boston
Love Beach - ELP
Three of the four Kiss solo albums

Are you a fan of This Year's Model (Costello)?

I had a friend in high school that was big into Elvis (and all that sort of genre; Squeeze, Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds) and I never really warmed to it then.  I LOVE Squeeze now, and I've come to appreciate Elvis's artistry, but it's not a go to record for me.  On that album, "Pump It Up" is a great song, as is "This Year's Girl".