Ace Frehley - Remembering the 'Space-Ace'

 Post #408

Ace Frehley, the founding lead guitarist from KISS, and most prolific ex-member in terms of a solo recording career, passed away in October of 2025. His death shocked the rock music world. He was in the process of recording anew album of cover songs: Origins Vol.3. Whether any recordings from this project will ever be released is unknown. 

Ace Frehley leaves behind a legacy of a legendary rock musician. Firstly as a founding member of the theatrical rock group KISS, and secondly as a persistent, prolific solo artist. Most people will probably know him as the lead guitarist, and occasional vocalist, of KISS. 

During his tenure in KISS, Ace provided all the lead guitar solos and was a contributing songwriter on almost every KISS album from 1974 until 1981. In 1978 KISS made history as the first band to have all 4 members release solo albums simultaneously. Ace's solo album was the most successful, and can be seen as the true start of his solo career, which he began in earnest following his departure from KISS in 1982.

He released 3 albums from 1987 -1989, then had a hiatus until reuniting with KISS in 1996. He recorded and toured with KISS until 2002, when he again left the band and resumed his career as a solo artist. From 2009 through 2024 he would release 6 more albums: 4 original albums and 2 albums of cover songs: Origins Vol 1 & 2. It is worth noting that on the 'Origins' albums he re-recorded several KISS songs, singing the lead vocals on each. Several of these selections are songs he wrote in their early days, but would let the other 3 members of KISS sing vocals on the official recordings. Ace was not confident in his vocal abilities until later years.

For a thorough overview of Ace's best songs, from those he sang lead vocals on in KISS to each of his solo albums from 1987- 2024, check out this playlist on Spotify: Ace Frehley- The Space-Ace's Best.

If you are a collector of rare music, then you may want to track down the following songs by Ace:

-Cherokee Boogie

-One Plus One

-Take me to the City

Rest in peace, Ace.

Scorpions: The Early Years (1972-1977)

 Post #397

The Scorpions are best known for their international hits released during the 1980's as part of the 'Hair-Metal' era of mainstream heavy metal. In fact, during this era many fans of their music, myself included, were unaware that they had several albums that pre-dated their Mercury Records 'debut' album Lovedrive. It was only about a decade later, in the mid 90's, when the internet provided a means of discovery for these early works by the Scorpions. Prior to that, you'd have to know a specialty retailer that sold 'imported' albums of international bands.

So, this post is intended for those more casual fans that may now be eager to discover this early era of the Scorpions. We'll go back to a time when they were not an established 'Hair Band', but rather a mid-'70's rock band exhibiting a different pallet of sounds and styles than they're known for today. Sometimes more bluesy, other times more psychedelic, and occasionally flirting with a progressive-rock vibe, the Scorpions were definitely more experimental in their formative years. Check out some of these tracks for the more vintage sound of Scorpions!

Lonesome Crow (1972)

-I'm Goin' Mad

-In Search of the Peace of Mind

-Action

Fly To The Rainbow (1973)

-Speedy's Coming

-Fly People Fly

-They Need a Million (Check out the lead vocals by Rudolph Schenker ;-)

-Far Away

In Trance (1975)

-In Trance

-Dark Lady

-Robot Man

Virgin Killer (1976)

-Catch Your Train

-Virgin Killer

-In Your Park

Taken By Force (1977)

-Steamrock Fever

-He's a Woman - She's a Man

-We'll Burn the Sky

-The Riot of Your Time

All of these tracks (and a couple extras) can be enjoyed in this Spotify Playlist

Happyheadbanger's Van Halen playlist-Remembering Eddie (1955 -2020)

 Post #389

Eddie Van Halen...

That name has meant so much for generations of music fans and musicians for such a long time. Eddie's name-sake band Van Halen, have been in the fabric of pop-culture practically since they first hit the scene in the late 1970's. Eddie's innovative and flashy playing style caught on almost faster than his fingers on the fretboard! With their debut album releasing in 1978 the timing was perfect for inspiring the next decade of rock guitarists, and Eddie was certainly a key influence on the 1980's 'Hair Metal' era. I wrote another post, years ago, 'The Lost Disciples of Eddie Van Halen', about some of the lesser-known guitarists from this era.

Growing up in the 1980's, it sometimes seemed that Eddie Van Halen was everywhere. There were several popular movies that made reference to Van Halen, and some to Eddie specifically. I'll never forget in Back to the Future, where Marty McFly uses a cassette tape labeled 'Edward Van Halen' to convince his teen-aged future-father George to take Loraine to the dance, or else he would 'melt his brain'.

Then, in the 90's, the movie The Wedding Singer, set as an 80's throw-back romantic comedy, incorporated the mid-80's break-up of Van Halen into the film's plot.

But my favorite pop-culture reference to Eddie Van Halen has to be in the opening scene of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure where Bill and Ted have an extended, circular debate about how to get Eddie to join their band, Wyld Stallyns. There are certainly many, many more of these references in our TV, Film and other media- Eddie was truly a cultural icon!

Here is the clip from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure:

When I heard the news that Eddie Van Halen had passed away on October 6th of 2020, I felt the loss of this phenomenal artist, who had graced rock and roll's legacy with his unique and inspiring sounds for decades. 

So at a time when all the radio stations, or streaming services, will continue to play the best-known songs by Van Halen, I will take a moment and give you a deeper sampling of the artistry of Van Halen- my personal favorites. These tracks dig a few layers deeper than those you may be familiar with. Of course I'll probably have some picks here that overlap with the staple-hits, but hopefully I can also guide you to some songs you may have forgotten, or overlooked, or truly never heard before. And if you should make new favorites of some of these, then I have helped you better appreciate one artist's talent, and the mark they leave on this world will have grown by another degree.

Enjoy these recommended Van Halen tracks:

-Out the Window (Edward Van Halen- from his score for the film The Wild Life)

-Mine All Mine

-Atomic Punk

-Hear About It Later

-Judgement Day

-Dirty Water Dog (Here is a favorite from the overlooked Van Halen III album)

-Somebody Get Me a Doctor

-Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)

-Up For Breakfast

-In a Simple Rhyme

-Unchained

-Top Jimmy

-Inside

-Cathedral

-Humans Being

-In 'N' Out (Don't assume this is innuendo, the lyrics are about financial strife)

-Blood and Fire

-Me Wise Magic

Last but not least, I saw this video soon after Eddie's passing. It became an instant tribute to the legend, and features several rock celebrities. The guitarist of Satchel of Steel Panther. Here's the cover of "Unchained".

Books that Rock: Alice Cooper- Golf Monster ('07), with Life and Crimes Box Set

Post #388

Alice Cooper is a living legend and the original 'shock rocker'. His career has spanned over 5 decades, and he continues to record new music and tour. His career in music has had him cross paths with everyone from Rob Zombie, to Megadeth, to Paul McCartney, to Elvis Presley, to Frank Zappa and Pink Floyd... to name just a few.

As I finally got around to reading his '07 autobiography, Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict, I found it to be one of the most enjoyable rock musicians' biographies I've read in a long time! I had fun going back and listening to several albums as I read through the stories behind them, appreciating the new perspective gained by having Alice's own insight into them fresh in my mind.

While the book does follow his music career from his high school beginnings with The Spiders, all the way up to his late 1990's releases, he also gives several very thorough tips and instructions and analogies about golf, it's similarities to music, the unending challenges the sport presents, and numerous tips on how to improve your own game. He puts chapters on golf in between those on life and music. The chapters of the book alternate in this fashion pretty regularly. If you are not interested in golf, or even interested enough in Alice's obsession with golf, then you'll probably be bored with almost half of this book. But I recommend giving it a fair chance, as Alice does tie the two parts of his life together quite nicely by the end.

Now, as you're reading through these reminiscences you can also treat yourself to a thorough sampling of the songs from Alice Cooper while you read, or at the very least, in between chapters. The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper is a 4 disc box set released in 1999, soon after his album The Last Temptation. While this biography was published years after the box set, in 2007, the majority of the discussion about his music career only goes up to The Last Temptation. That album was a significant statement for Alice on several levels. You'll have to read the book to find out those reasons yourself.;-) He mentions the albums Brutal Planet (2000) and Dragontown (2001) only in passing. No further music projects are mentioned, although in closing Alice does say that he continues to record music and/or tour every year. He says he'll keep doing it for as long as he can...

God bless you Alice! As a fan, I can only look forward to hearing your next album, seeing your next tour, and if I'm fortunate enough for our paths to ever cross, I wouldn't say no to a round of golf! My game has nothing to do but improve!

Recommended Alice Cooper tracks:
-Why Don't You Love Me? (The Spiders-1965)
-I'm Eighteen (1970)
-Elected (Alice mentions that John Lennon once said it was his favorite Alice Cooper song. 1972)
-Cold Ethyl (1975)
-Teenage Frankenstein (1986)
-Poison (This was the song that introduced me to Alice Cooper when I was a teen myself. I can never get enough of this one! 1989)
-Stolen Prayer (An especially treasured favorite of mine, featuring guest vocals by Chris Cornell. 1994)
-Brutal Planet (2000)
-Disgraceland (2001)
-School's Out/Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 (Hollywood Vampires-2015. This rerecorded version reflects the manner in which Alice has performed this song live in concert for years. I love it to death!)
-My Dead Drunk Friends (Hollywood Vampires-2015)

Happy Headbanging!

The Heavy Metal Box

Post #258
When it comes to compilation/mix collections I'm usually skeptical, and it takes a well planned and efficiently executed collection of music to truly gain my interest. One such collection that I believe successfully achieved its goal, if not exceeded it, is The Heavy Metal Box.

Covering the history of heavy metal music from its primordial age in the late 60's up until the twilight of metal's golden era at the dawn of the 1990's (before grunge and alternative rock threatened the fan-base of metal), this 4-disc box set is a thorough representation of the first 20-25 years of the heavy metal phenomenon. I was able to check this collection out at my local library, and I am so glad that I did. True there were many bands here I was very familiar with, like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth. However there were also many bands included that I never had a chance to listen to before, like Hawkwind, Angel Witch, Rose Tattoo, Tygers of Pan Tang, Venom, and Metal Church. My perspective on the evolution of heavy metal is all the better because I checked out this collection. You should at least take a listen to any of these songs you are unfamiliar with...

Disc 1 (1967-1980)

Iron Butterfly-In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

Blue Cheer-Summertime Blues

Uriah Heep-Easy Livin'

Deep Purple-Highway Star
Alice Cooper-Billion Dollar Babies
Hawkwind-Lost Johnny
Montrose-Bad Motor Scooter
Rush-Working Man
Rainbow-Man on the Silver Mountain
Kiss-Detroit Rock City
Judas Priest-The Ripper
Ted Nugent-Cat Scratch Fever
UFO-Lights Out
Blue Oyster Cult-Godzilla
Girlschool-Demolition Boys
Angel Witch-White Witch
Iron Maiden-The Phantom of the Opera
Black Sabbath-Neon Knights

Disc 2 (1980-1983)
Motorhead-Ace of Spades
Diamond Head-Am I Evil?
Rose Tattoo-Nice Boys
Michael Schenker Group-Attack of the Mad Axeman
Saxon-Denim and Leather
Blitzkrieg-Blitzkrieg
Tygers of Pan Tang-Gangland
Venom-Witching Hour
Judas Priest-You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Iron Maiden-The Number of the Beast
Raven-Star War
Fastway-Say What You Will
Mercyful Fate-Black Funeral
W.A.S.P.-Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)
Y&T-Mean Streak
Dio-Holy Diver
Queensryche-Queen of the Reich
Metallica-Whiplash

Disc 3 (1984-1986)
Scorpions-Rock You Like a Hurricane
Quiet Riot-Metal Health
Dokken-Into the Fire
Accept-Balls to the Wall
Ratt-Round and Round
Twisted Sister-I Wanna Rock
Hanoi Rocks-The Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Spinal Tap-Big Bottom
Krokus-Midnite Maniac
Yngwie Malmsteen-I'll See the Light, Tonight
Loudness-Crazy Nights
Cinderella-Shake Me
Metal Church-Watch the Children Pray
Stryper-To Hell With The Devil
Helloween-A Little Time
Overkill-Wrecking Crew
Anthrax-Caught in a Mosh
Megadeth-Peace Sells

Disc 4 (1987-1991)
Whitesnake-Still of the Night
Great White-Rock Me
Faster Pussycat-Bathroom Wall
Lita Ford-Kiss Me Deadly
Manowar-Hail and Kill
Testament-Trial By Fire
King Diamond-Welcome Home
Slayer-South Of Heaven
Metallica-One
Living Colour-Cult of Personality
Skid Row-Youth Gone Wild
Pantera-Cowboys from Hell
Prong-Beg to Differ
Sepultura-Dead Embryonic Cells

You can see there is quite a bit of diversity in this collection. Although it is sequenced in chronological order, the diversity becomes most apparent towards the end (discs 3 and 4). You can literally hear the progression, solidification, and diversification of heavy metal from a single genre of music at its inception to a multi-headed monster at the dawn of the 90's. During the 80's metal branched in 2 distinct directions: mainstream radio-friendly 'glam' or 'hair' metal, and the more underground 'thrash' or 'speed' metal. The former focused on higher-pitched vocals, and catchy, lighter melodies; the latter focused on power, aggression, and heavier darker moods.

In the end it is all still METAL! If you are a new fan of heavy metal music, do yourself a favor and listen to this collection to see, hear, and understand where metal came from!

Black Sabbath: The 70's

Post #244
[Poll Winner: Favorite Metal Band from the '70s]
When it comes to the origins of modern heavy metal music, there are some bands that are always in the conversation. Black Sabbath is one such band. Trying to imagine how metal would have evolved if Tony Iommi had never suggested to his band-mates, "You know, we should write music that's scary" is a hypothetical statement that may cause many fans of metal to worry. Thankfully, he did, and Black Sabbath became the cornerstone for countless other bands to be inspired by. Their focus on the darker side of things set them apart from any of their contemporaries. Many of their early albums from the 1970's remain essential influences for the majority of heavy metal bands starting out today.

Black Sabbath ('70)

A debut album like no other in the history of heavy metal music. Many even go so far as to say that this is where real metal music began! Distinguishing themselves from any other blues-rock band or psychedelic-hippie band with their dark, demonic, heavy tones and ominously haunting lyrics of doom and destruction, Black Sabbath became an instant novelty in the world of heavy rock music. This first album sold way beyond the record company's expectations, and set the stage for a new era of music...

Essential tracks:
-Black Sabbath
-The Wizard
-N.I.B.
-Wicked World

Paranoid ('70)

Black Sabbath's second album, Paranoid, has remained a true classic among classics. You would be hard pressed to find a more influential album in heavy metal music. Every track is exceptional, and over half the album is included in almost every Sabbath concert set-list or compilation album. Most Black Sabbath songs retained on hard rock radio play-lists are from this album. This is Black Sabbath's best. From a time in their career where they had confidence from the success of their debut, many songs in their repertoire from constant gigging, and as clear a state of mind as they ever had, this album is where the planets aligned for Black Sabbath. Even when they needed one more song because the record was too short, they improvised the title track 'Paranoid' in a matter of minutes- and it has proven to be their best known hit to this day.

Every track on Paranoid is worth listening to. Here they are:
-War Pigs/Luke's Wall
-Paranoid
-Planet Caravan (An atypically soft and mellow song, but still loved by many Sabbath fans)
-Iron Man
-Electric Funeral
-Hand of Doom
-Rat Salad (A drum solo by Bill Ward is the prominent segment of this song.)
-Jack the Stripper/Fairies Wear Boots

Master of Reality ('71)

While Paranoid may be the 'best' Black Sabbath album when consulting the majority of fans, Master of Reality has always been my personal favorite. In many ways it is very similar to Paranoid. It has the same amount of low-end heavy tones, lyrics full of cautionary tales of near-future catastrophes, and some of Tony Iommi's most classic metal riffs.

This album, together with the previous two, represents the end of Sabbath's initial phase of creativity. As their career would progress from here, the band quickly got more and more heavily into drug and alcohol abuse. Simultaneously they would begin to experiment with their sound and style, both in terms of composition and recording techniques. For many fans, these first 3 albums are an era of Black Sabbath that is priceless in its originality, and can perhaps never be equaled again.

Check out my top picks from Master of Reality:
-Sweet Leaf
-After Forever
-Children of the Grave (Perhaps my all-time favorite Sabbath song!)
-Into the Void (A post-apocalyptic cautionary tale of life after a nuclear holocaust, when mankind must venture into outer space to find a new habitable planet.)

Volume 4 ('72)

By the time Sabbath got to Vol.4 they had been introduced to the drug culture and international touring. Although some of these experiences led to some high-energy music, they also began to add stress to the cohesiveness of the band. If signs of the band's eventual break up could have been seen early, they probably began to manifest shortly after this album.

Musically, they began experimenting with different sounds and recording techniques with Vol.4. They would take this experimental approach to music much further in the years ahead, with varying degrees of success. In some cases it became another point of tension between band members. However, at this early stage on Vol.4, they were still simply having fun and making music.

Recommended tracks:
-Changes (A very different kind of ballad from Black Sabbath, and a title apropos to their direction at this stage of their career.)
-Supernaut
-Snowblind
-Under the Sun/ Every Day Comes and Goes

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath ('73)

The last 'great' album from the original Sabbath? It may very well be Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. It contains many concert set-list staples, including the title track and 'Spiral Architect'. Metallica included a cover of 'Sabra Cadabra' on their '98 album of cover tunes: Garage Inc. This album shows Black Sabbath balancing their elements of doom and gloom with their more psychedelic elements in better harmony than on any other album. In the years to come, they would drift a bit further away from their trademark sound, and both their album sales and popularity would fade as a consequence.

Selections from Sabbath Bloody Sabbath:
-Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
-A National Acrobat
-Sabra Cadabra
-Killing Yourself to Live
-Spiral Architect

Sabotage ('75)

This album may not be as good as Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, but it is very similar to it. Aside from the first 3 albums, Sabotage slips in to make my personal 'top-5' list of albums from the original Black Sabbath. Like its predecessor, it contains a balance of some expected heaviness mixed with some of Sabbath's experimental elements.

My recommended tracks from Sabotage:
-Hole in the Sky
-Symptom of the Universe
-Meglomania (This song is a 9-minute-plus epic that starts with a head-trippy, psychedelic verse. Shortly after, it transitions to an intense and heavy tune, powered by a riff that once again shows why Iommi is always in the conversation when it comes to the best writers of metal riffs.)
-Am I Going Insane? (Radio) (More of a mainstream feel for this song. It was successful for Sabbath at the time, but it has not remained a favorite of long-time Sabbath fans.)

Technical Ecstasy ('76)

Although this album is generally accepted to be the 'worst' album by the original Black Sabbath, I would like to take a minute to point out some songs from it that may still be worth listening to. I might also say that an open-minded music fan would still appreciate this album a great deal. Some of the aspects that some would call 'bad', are simply instances where Sabbath were brave enough to try something new: the essential struggle of any professional musician.

Recommended songs:
-Back Street Kids (For what it's worth, this does does have a nice, high-tempo riff, coming close to Sabbath's glory days...)
-You Won't Change Me (A little doomy, a little trippy, this song almost sounds like Black Sabbath trying to be Deep Purple, but it's not bad.)
-Dirty Women (This song was resurrected back in '98 for their double-live Reunion album. Hearing it performed live, you can tell that it really is a pretty good song, built upon another classic Iommi riff)

Never Say Die! ('78)

This album was Ozzy's swan-song  with Black Sabbath (at least until the 1998 reunion, then later in 2011 until present.) The band's cohesion had been deteriorating slowly over the previous years, and things came to a head at some point between Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die! In fact, the album was almost recorded with a different lead singer, but for better or for worse, they recorded and released it shortly prior to the band's official dismissal of Ozzy as their vocalist. In hindsight, the split proved beneficial to both Ozzy's career and Sabbath's.

A couple good tunes from this final recording of the original Black Sabbath:
-Never Say Die!
-Johnny Blade (Synthesizer intro, but then it becomes a heavy tune with lyrics that provide social commentary on violent crime and life on the streets.)
-Shock Wave
-Swinging the Chain (Features lead vocals by drummer Bill Ward.)

Judas Priest: The 70's

Post #206
It is clear that heavy metal music has its roots in the late-60's and early-70's. However, it is truly the 70's where the course of metal music as a genre found its footing and began to branch down different paths of development. One of the most crucial bands in establishing metal's stronghold is Judas Priest. They had two very talented guitarists in KK Downing and Glen Tipton, but even more significant was their one-of-a-kind vocalist- Rob Halford. Halford had a vocal range of about 4 octaves, which is among the widest vocal ranges in metal music. Very early in their career, Judas Priest began making the most of these coveted talents, and helped launch a new era for the heavy metal genre which is still going strong today.

Priest released their debut album, Rocka Rolla, in 1974. Compared to most of the rest of their albums, this one is a little rough around the edges. Perhaps a bit before Priest would truly find their signature sound, this is still an interesting recording. Here you'll find a band existing somewhere between psychedelic rock and the heavy-blues rock from which metal would soon sprout.

My top picks from Rocka Rolla:
-One for the Road
-Rocka Rolla
-Cheater (on the compact disc this is part of medley also featuring- Winter, Deep Freeze, and Winter Retreat)
-Diamonds and Rust (an early version of their Joan Baez cover that would also appear on the Sin After Sin album a few years later, this song was added as a bonus track after remastering in the 80's)

With their second album in '76, Priest delivered a true classic. Sad Wings of Destiny still stands the test of time as a crucial album in the early landscape of heavy metal. No less than 4 tracks from this album have become concert set-list favorites over the years: 'Victim of Changes', 'The Ripper', 'Tyrant' and 'Genocide'. This is the album where Judas Priest really began to find their signature sound.

Sad Wings of Destiny is more than a keystone album for Judas Priest, it has been a major influence to the entire heavy metal genre since its release. Many of today's prominent metal bands still refer to Sad Wings when recounting the days when they discovered a love for heavy music. Particularly thrash metal owes a great deal to this album, for it's where many of the key elements of thrash were first revealed.

My picks from Sad Wings...
-Victim of Changes
-The Ripper
-Deceiver
-Tyrant
-Genocide
-Island of Domination

1977's Sin After Sin was Priest's first album for CBS Records (which would morph into Columbia Records in due time). With support from the record company Judas Priest by now were able to tour in the US, broadening their audience significantly. More importantly, they were carving their own niche as songwriters and had truly begun to pave a significant road for Heavy Metal music. One fact that illustrates this album's significance might be that thrash titan Slayer chose to cover the song 'Dissident Aggressor' from this album. It remains a concert favorite for both bands.

My Picks from Sin After Sin:
-Sinner
-Diamonds and Rust (The famous Joan Baez cover)
-Starbreaker
-Last Rose of Summer (This song shows the softer side of Judas Priest as well as any song they've ever written. Clean, melodic ballad showcases Halford's true vocal talent as well. Perhaps the last song by Priest that really sounds more psychedelic rock than metal.)
-Dissident Aggressor

BONUS TRACKS:
-Race With the Devil
-Jawbreaker (Live)

Stained Class was released in 1978, and this is the album I have come to call my favorite among Judas Priest's work from the 70's. I rank it among my top-5 favorite albums from Priest overall. This album again features many songs that get repeated inclusion in concert set lists and compilation albums. 'Exciter' and 'Stained Class' being the heavier offerings on this album, but to my ears, the most memorable song here is 'Beyond the Realms of Death'.

'Beyond the Realms of Death' was the most unique song Priest had recorded by this point in their career. Primarily driven by melodic guitar phrases, and a somber minor-key tone, the chorus kicks into a heavy riff, and Halford's voice converts from soft vocal melodies to more aggressive screams. This song has even been referenced by Metallica as being a key to their pursuit of the clean/heavy/clean song structures they developed in the mid-80's.

Other notes of significance on Stained Class: It is the first album to feature Les Binks on drums. Binks also is credited as co-writing the aforementioned 'Beyond the Realms of Death' with Halford. It is also the first album to feature the now-classic Judas Priest logo. The album artwork (by Roslav Szaybo), seems to depict the famous head-injury suffered by Phineas Gage in 1848, although the angle of the rod-through-the-head is a little bit off.

My top picks from Stained Class:
-Exciter
-Stained Class
-Saints in Hell
-Beyond the Realms of Death (DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!)
-Heroes End

BONUS TRACKS:
-Fire Burns Below
-Better By You, Better Than Me (Live)

1979 brought Hell Bent for Leather to the metal masses. Judas Priest were growing in popularity with each release at this point. This album is a great example of the band maintaining their grip with accessible, radio-friendly heavy rock, as it contains a few songs that are best described as anthems, while still pushing the edge of heavy metal. 'Rock Forever' and 'Take on the World' are those anthem type of songs. Conversely they still had several songs on the cutting edge of heavy metal, like 'Hell Bent for Leather' and 'Running Wild'. Keep in mind, however, that this was the 1970's, and the only way to achieve success was through radio air-play, so music couldn't get as aggressive as it can today and still survive.

Overall, the direction of this album would be right on par with much of the material Priest would write throughout the 80's, making Hell Bent for Leather a true classic of heavy metal.



My favorite tracks from Hell Bent for Leather:
-Delivering the Goods
-Rock Forever
-Hell Bent for Leather
-The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) (A cover of a Fleetwood Mac song, and Priest make this one their own as well as they did on 'Diamonds and Rust')
-Running Wild
-Before the Dawn (Again, I recommend the softest track on the album. I can't help enjoying a band that maintains their versatility through the years.)

BONUS TRACKS:
-Fight For Your Life
-Riding on the Wind (Live)

By 1979, Judas Priest had been touring the world with growing success for well over 2 years. They chose to close the decade with a live album documenting their well earned status as one of the best new heavy metal bands in the world. Unleashed in the East was that album, and it remains one of the best live albums by any metal band in the 70's.

When the Judas Priest albums were remastered in 2001, 4 bonus tracks were adding to this release. Also recorded live from the same tour, these extra tracks make this album and even greater masterpiece.

My top picks from Unleashed in the East:
-Exciter
-Sinner
-The Ripper
-The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)
-Genocide

BONUS TRACKS:
-Rock Forever
-Delivering the Goods
-Hell Bent for Leather
-Starbreaker

MONTROSE- A Debut of Legends

Post #196

With the recent passing of rock guitar legend Ronnie Montrose in April 2012 the world of rock music lost a talented musician who was very influential to hard rock and heavy metal, particularly in the late 70's and early 80's. As a way of paying tribute to Ronnie, I am finally reviewing his debut album, Montrose.

The debut album from Ronnie Montrose's namesake band Montrose, also happened to be the first recording of another legendary figure in heavy metal: Sammy Hagar. These two future icons were not collaborators for very long, but the music they wrote together in these early years speaks for itself. Ronnie would go on to pursue a jazz-rock fusion style of music, while Sammy Hagar went on to a successful solo career that is still thriving today, not to mention he would spend many years as the lead singer of Van Halen after the initial departure of David Lee Roth.

With Montrose's eponymous debut in '73 the band gave the hard rock genre an album to be reckoned with. The influence from this recording is apparent in many cases where other prominent rock and metal bands have covered the tunes. In a previous post I mentioned how Dave Mustaine of Megadeth once covered the Montrose song 'Bad Motor Scooter' in his early band Panic. In the early 90's, BulletBoys did a cover of 'Rock Candy', and Contraband (an early 90's supergroup of hair metal veterans) covered 'Good Rockin' Tonight'.

The album's first track is a great example of a band making a mission statement apparent with their song title: 'Rock the Nation'. A great hard rock tune, and somewhat prophetic, for these guys would go on to rock the nation for many more years, even if they would do so after parting ways.

I know that some of these songs have appeared on some of Sammy Hagar's hits collections over the years, but there are many others here worth checking out. Here are my favorites from this legendary debut album:
-Rock the Nation
-Bad Motor Scooter
-Space Station #5 (Intro sounds like it could be a Pink Floyd song, then they kick into full-swing and make this song rock!)
-Good Rockin' Tonight
-Rock Candy
-Make It Last  (Again, here is a song with almost prophetic lyrical themes, as Sammy sings about the way he was at earlier stages of his life, and what he hopes to be at future ages... this is a kind of 'slice-of-life' song, with a slow and steady beat...)

Led Zeppelin-IV

Post #134 [Poll Winner: Favorite album from 1971]

1971 was an historic year for rock music. Iconic bands like The Who, Black Sabbath & Led Zeppelin were in their prime, and recording the best music of their careers. Several of the albums that topped the charts for hard-rock music that year, have become recordings of legendry status. Perhaps the most lengendary, the most iconic, and most associated album from 1971 is Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album. Sometimes called 'Zoso', or more often, simply 'Led Zeppelin IV', this album contains several of their best known songs. In particular, the song 'Stairway to Heaven' (which has won a poll on this blog by itself) became such a keystone song for a whole generation. To this day, songs from Led Zeppelin IV are standard plays on any classic rock radio station. The influence that this collection of songs has had on rock and metal music is inmeasurable.
Here is the complete track list for this essential album:

-Black Dog

-Rock And Roll
-The Battle Of Evermore
-Stairway To Heaven
-Misty Mountain Hop
-Four Sticks
-Going to California
-When The Levee Breaks

Judas Priest-Hell Bent For Leather

Post #116 Poll Winner: Favorite Judas Priest album from the 70's.
In the late 70's one of the most important movements in heavy metal developed: the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. One band that was quite instrumental in the development of this style of metal was Judas Priest. Starting as a heavy, blues-based rock band, in much the same was as Black Sabbath did, they took the style to a more technically advanced level.

With the combined talents of Glen Tipton & KK Downing trading guitar solos, along with Rob Halford's amazing vocal range, the heavy metal genre was given a new path down which to grow & develop. Over the course of a few years, multiple British bands took inspiration from Priest's sound and helped further expand this movement within heavy metal.

Hell Bent For Leather (titled Killing Machine in the UK), was released in 1979, and is now viewed as Priest's crowning achievement from that inspiring decade. By this time, Judas Priest had developed a versatile formula, composing songs that were often heavy and fast paced, but also featured some tunes that were more melodic or anthemic. These were elements they would perfect further in the coming 80's.

My top picks from this classic album:
-Delivering the Goods
-Hell Bent for Leather
-Burnin' Up
-The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) [Originally a Fleetwood Mac song, Judas Priest perform it so well that many don't realize it's a cover]
-Running Wild
-Before the Dawn

AC/DC-Highway to Hell

Post #108 Poll Winner: Favorite AC/DC album from the 70's.

AC/DC, one of the preeminent influences of hard rock & heavy metal music, established themselves in the mid-70's. Taking a strong inspiration from early blues & rock and roll bands from the 50's and early 60's, and mixing it with the harder-edged sound of other early-70's era bands like Led Zeppelin and The Who, they quickly became a major force of 70's heavy metal.

With each album, their popularity grew. Within a couple years they were touring outside their native Australia, and had become a global phenomenon. Their music appealed to a whole generation of teens, who craved this old-school rock & roll with a dark side. Their singles became top hits on almost every continent.

They closed out the decade with their best album yet, 'Highway To Hell'. Though they were still a band on the rise, this would be their last album with Bon Scott as their singer. He tragically died in early 1980 at the age of 33 after passing out after a night of heavy drinking. The legacy he left behind is one of the most memorable in heavy-rock music. Your choice of Highway To Hell as your favorite AC/DC album from the 70's is further evidence of that legacy.

Now, here are my favorite tracks I recommend from this album:

-Highway To Hell

-Girls Got Rhythym

-Shot Down In Flames

-If You Want Blood (You've Got It!)

-Night Prowler

Alice Cooper-School's Out

Post #104 Poll Winner: Favorite Alice Cooper album from the 70's.
The 1970's were a formative era for the genre of heavy metal. Several hard rock bands from this time would become primary influences for almost every heavy metal band that has folowed since. This was a time of pioneers. Rock musicians who began making music in the late 60's would slowly begin to emerge from the haze of psychadelic rock and hone in on other elements of style. One such artist would be Alice Cooper.

Alice Cooper became famous early in their career for the theatrical elements of their stage show. Hence, Alice became known as the founder of 'Shock-Rock' (dubbed for the shocking elements of their music and performance). At about the same time, the band started producing some genuine hit songs that helped define the generation.

School's Out is perhaps the best example of Alice Cooper's rock-anthem capabilities. To this day the title track to this classic album is cranked up to 10 for many high-schoolers during summer break. This song gave a generation of teenagers a rally cry in the 70's.

You chose this album as your favorite from Alice in the 70's,
My picks from School's Out:
-School's Out (of course!)
-My Stars
-Public Animal #9

RUSH 2112- A masterful dystopian concept album.

Post #101 Poll Winner: Favorite RUSH album from the 70's.
Hailing from Canada, Rush firmly established themselves as one of hard-rock's most creative bands in the mid-70's. During this era, they became master musicians of progressive rock, composing multi-part, epic rock songs that often took up half the playing time of some of their albums. The album that might be the best example of this style: 2112. For the second time, you have picked Rush's 2112 album as a favorite in reader's poll.

In the mid 70's Rush had really hit their stride. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, & Neil Pert had become a formidable songwriting team. Neil Pert cites his inspiration for the lyrical themes as Ayn Rand, for the philosophies of objectivism & individualism in her novels. Rush had borrowed inspiration from Rand previously with the song "Anthem", inspired by Ayn Rand's novel of the same title.
The story of 2112 is a futuristic vision of society strictly controlled by the Solar Federation. The track 'Discovery' (as part of the epic title track), depicts the discovery of an ancient musical instrument- a guitar. The unnamed protagonist, whose eyes we see the world through, brings this object & the discovery of music before the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx. It is here that the conflict of ideals manifests and is narrated throughout the rest of the album.


Once again let me mention that 2112 is a true masterpiece of 70's hard rock. To be properly appreciated, you must hear it in its entirety. Here is the track listing:
-2112: I-Overture, II-The Temples of Syrinx, III-Discovery, IV-Presentation, V-Oracle: The Dream, VI-Soliloquy, VII-Grand Finale
-A Passage to Bangkok
-Twilight Zone
-Lessons
-Tears
-Something for Nothing

Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti

Post #99 Poll Winner: What's your favorite Led Zeppelin album ('69-'79)?
Led Zeppelin were one of the defining hard rock bands of the 70's. Rising from the ashes of The Yardbirds, Jimmy Page enlisted lead singer Robert Plant, and the formula for this band was established. They gave rock n' roll the heaviest sound it had known, yet still wrote memorable songs year after year.

They were versatile in their songcraft as well, mixing acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, and a variety of song styles over the course of their career. Perhaps no album of theirs captured as much of their versatility as Physical Graffiti did. It was their only double-length studio album. That in itself is testament to their prolific creativity. However, the volume of material included on this release does not subtract from the listening experience. Rather, it makes for the most all-encompasing album from one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti contains many well known classic songs, like the epic 'Kashmir' and the up-tempo 'Trampled Under Foot', but it is probably treasured as much for several of its unreleased songs as for those big hits. Songs like 'The Rover' capture their well-known, heavy-riff, blues-inspired rock; while others like 'In The Light' showcase the best elements of their psychadelic rock sound. As you listen, each song sounds clearly different from the previous. You can't help but respect Led Zeppelin, as they not only make each song work, but make it memorable and lure you to crave more...


My top picks from this epic masterpiece:
-The Rover
-Houses of the Holy
-Trampled Under Foot
-Kashmir
-In The Light
-Ten Years Gone
-Boogie With Stu

Remembering Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010)

Post #95
It is with a heavy heart that I write these thoughts on the late Ronnie James Dio. I'm still wrapping my mind around the fact of his passing. He meant so much to Rock N' Roll & Heavy Metal music, more than many may realize. It was just recently that I learned his music career extended back to the late 50's! How many artists in Heavy Metal can say that?

Dio's career in Heavy Metal was legendary. He had sung for several major bands; including Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his self-titled band Dio. When taken as a whole, Dio's recording career transcended decades and genres as few other artists could ever hope to match. With his return to Black Sabbath in 2006 it seemed his career had come full-circle, as the renewed comraderie inspired the band to change their name to Heaven & Hell, after the first Black Sabbath album on which Dio sang. It seemed they could have continued making music together for many more years, until Ronnie lost his battle with cancer on May 16th.

On a personal level, Dio's music was an integral part of my journey into Heavy Metal music. I've mentioned before how I first became a fan of heavy music in the late 80's, embracing almost any band that is regarded today as 'Hair-Metal'. Bands like Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Poison, Ratt, L.A. Guns, & Whitesnake made up much of my personal music catalog at that time. Ronnie James Dio had been a rocker for many years before the Hair-Metal scene took off, and his music retained elements of classic metal that would lead me back to discover artists like Iron Maiden & Judas Priest later on.

All of his many collaborations have helped Ronnie James Dio remain a relevant and influential force in Heavy Metal throughout the years. Dio has been one of the guiding creative minds of Heavy Metal from his early hard rock band, Elf, in the late 60's, to the newest Heaven & Hell album, The Devil You Know, in 2009. However, he is best known for his work from the 80's.

It was on a compilation cassette where I first discovered Dio. 'Rock 'N' Roll Children' was a Dio track featured on a cassette compilation titled "Slave to the Metal". It was one of my favorite songs on that tape, and I made a point to look further into his music. Eventually I added albums like Sacred Heart and Lock Up The Wolves to my collection. A year or two later I discovered a new radio station that played a lot of metal, and it wasn't long before I heard Dio's all-time classic 'Rainbow in the Dark'.

'Rainbow in the Dark' is built upon a guitar riff regarded by many as one of the best in Heavy Metal. It was the best single from Dio's name-sake band's debut album, Holy Diver. This album as a whole is also revered throughout the Heavy Metal community, so I'll review Dio's iconic Holy Diver album today.

Holy Diver seems to be the album regarded by the majority of Dio fans as his best. If you listen to it from start to finish it is easy to see why. This is an album filled with memorable riffs, catchy melodies, and overall brilliant songwriting. While Dio's band provides a tight musical framework, Ronnie's voice provides powerful emotion and thought provoking lyrics. To hear some of the best songs from Holy Diver listen to these:

-Stand Up And Shout

-Holy Diver

-Straight Through The Heart

-Rainbow In The Dark

-Shame On The Night

To read other reviews of Dio's music on this blog, just click on the 'Dio' tag below.

Coming readers' poll topics...

Post #91
Hello again loyal readers!

I'm just checking in to update you on my next planned series of poll topics for this summer. You may recall last summer the monthly poll topics followed the theme of '80's Heavy Metal Icons', as each month you voted for a favorite album from the 80's by various metal bands. In a similar fashion, this summer's theme will be favorite albums form the 70's! The first band will be the mighty Led Zeppelin (I will include their 1st two albums in the poll, even though they were released in '69), and I'll pick a different 70's hard-rock or metal band for the next few months. I may not include bands from that era if I've already reviewed their 70's material. However if you have a favorite band from that decade you'd like me to include in this series of readers' polls, by all means feel free to suggest them to me. Just leave a comment on this post, or contact me by any means if you know where to find me!

Happy Head-banging!
JB

Black Sabbath-Paranoid

Post #88-Poll winner: Favorite Ozzy-Era Sabbath Album
Black Sabbath are often credited as being the first true heavy metal band. Regardless of when and where 'heavy metal' began, Black Sabbath were certainly the heaviest band of their era. And they were certainly the first band to write songs as dark and demonic as 'Black Sabbath' or 'War Pigs'.

Rising from seemingly nowhere, their sound, tone, and doom-themed lyrics caught on surprisingly quickly. Shortly after they were signed to a record label they began to crank out albums year after year, following the simplest of formulas: heavy riff, dark or psychadelic lyrics, drums, bass, and a catchy vocal melody. It may not sound like much, but they mastered it quickly.

So adept they became at their new-found style of heavy-blues rock that their 2nd album, Paranoid, has become know as their Masterpiece, and a cornerstone in the foundation of the roots of the entire heavy metal genre. The title track/single was almost an accidental success. After they recorded their track-list for their second album, the producer barged in and said the album was too short on minutes. They needed one more song...

Brainstorming, and improvising on the spot, the four guys went to work. Starting with Tony Iommi's catchy guitar riff and flowing from there, they had the track cut less than 12 hours later. They called it 'Paranoid', and the record company liked it so much they changed the name of the album to match! Today it's often called their best song, and always used as a concert encore, whether you're seeing Black Sabbath or Ozzy.

Other highlights from this classic album:

-War Pigs

-Planet Caravan

-Iron Man

-Hand of Doom

-Fairies Wear Boots

Aerosmith-Toys in the Attic

Post #50 [Poll winner: Favorite Aerosmith album of the 70's]
For Aerosmith, the "Toys In The Attic" album, released in 1975, defined the band for the 70's. To this day it is often regarded as their best album. This album features 2 of the band's biggest hits of all time: "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way". However, anyone who's heard this album in its entirety knows there's a great deal more where those two came from.

There are quite a few good stories behind this album and its songs too. If you read Aerosmith's biography "Walk This Way" you'll see what I mean. Here are a couple of my favorite details: the title of the song "Walk This Way" was inspired from a classic scene in the comedic movie "Young Frankenstein" where Igor says "Walk this way..." and the other characters proceed to follow him... hunching their backs to walk like he does. Also, the original lyrics for "Walk This Way" were forgotten in a taxi cab by vocalist Steven Tyler on the day he went to the studio to record the song. The intriquing fact is that the version of the song we all know is composed of the lyrics he improvised in the studio that day.

"Toys in the Attic" truly represents Aerosmith at their best in the 70's. As a creative team, this album was their most balanced effort from that era, with Tom Hamilton (bass) making significant writing contributions on several songs- including "Sweet Emotion" & "Walk This Way". Now, I encourage you to go out & listen to this album anew, and rediscover Aerosmith's best effort from the 70's.

For a little direction, I recommend the following songs:
-Toys in the Attic
-Uncle Salty
-No More No More
-Sweet Emotion

A Quick Look at Alice Cooper.

Post #42 [Poll winner: Vincent Furnier is the real name of which heavy metal icon?]
Alice Cooper: the original Shock-Rocker, was once a regular guy by the name of Vincent Furnier. After he started a rock band in the late 60's he wanted to give it a name that sounded nice, but contrasted with the band's "shock-the-people" approach to their stage show. "Alice Cooper" could be the lady who lives down the street, but this band made a new image for that name. Vincent actually took the name for himself (or at least his character in the band). When the band broke up in the early 80's, Alice continued seamlessly on with a solo career.

He's had his share of ups and downs, but over the years Alice Cooper has made a fair amount of memorable rock and metal music. Weather he was protesting war or domestic violence in the 70's, providing songs to 80's horror movie soundtracks, or in more recent years embracing the influence of nu-metal, there will always be a few good tunes by Alice Copper to bang your head to.

If you're new to Alice Cooper you might want to look for one of these hit collections (also my specific recommendations):
Alice Cooper's Greatest Hits
-I'm Eighteen
-School's Out
-Billion Dollar Babies
-No More Mr. Nice Guy


Alice Cooper-Classicks
-Poison
-Hey Stoopid
-Feed My Frankenstein
-Stolen Prayer


And a couple spooky songs just in time for Halloween from the Constrictor album...
-Teenage Frankenstein
-He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)

Rush-2112, a True Rock Gem from 1976...

Post #37
In 1976, many rock bands seemed to be inspired to create some of their best work of the times. As I mentioned a few posts ago, there were numerous rock albums notable for having some of the best work of many bands' careers. I thought it the ideal topic for a truly challenging reader's poll, and it was a tight race down to the finish. That being said I was still a bit surprised to see that Rush's 2112 came out on top.

2112 didn't particularly have any of Rush's biggest hits from the 70's, but it did carry the most cohesive concept of any other music released that year. On this album, Rush tell a story set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic, Star-Trek-ish setting, where a "Solar Federation" has supreme control over all knowledge and has humanity living an extremely sheltered existence. If it were told in a novel format it would fit right in with similar stories by the likes of Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, and Orson Scott Card.

2112 chronicles the story of a person who discovers an ancient, mysterious thing- a guitar. Compelled to share this wondrous thing with the rest of humanity, he brings it before the high priests, who promptly discourage the idea, saying it was a part of what led to the destruction of the "ancient race". The ensuing struggle between authority and the inherent belief that the music is right is told through the music of "2112". The main plot of the concept is mainly told in the multi-part title-track, and the remaining songs seem to connect to the theme in vague, generic terms.

All-in-all this a well-executed musical project, and even in the thick of grandiose concepts told through rock music, this album ranks up with some of the best.

From "2112" I recommend:
-2112 (specifically parts I, II, & III)
-The Twilight Zone
-Something for Nothing