Hidden Treasures - Head Scratchers

[Scott]

RJ's post of Deep Purples Stormbringer started the thought process for this topic...


Theres always seems to be one album in a bands catalog that causes their fan base to scratch their heads or question the direction of the band. Maybe they tried something different, maybe they were rushed in the studio, who knows. But these albums caused a fuss amongst the fan base of some magnitude. So thats what we're looking at today... 
 
 
Some others came to mind while putting this list together, but I opted for the 3 below, but heres what I passed up on...

• Led Zeppelin - III
• Toto - Turn Back
• Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
• Kiss - Unmasked
• Kiss - The Elder
• Kiss - Asylum
• Kiss - Crazy Nights
• Kiss - Hot In The Shade ...

Just to name a few. Now you chime in... With hindsight being 20/20, what albums left you wondering what they were thinking? Heres the 3 I chose...


PLAYLIST --> http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1mf4jjp

	Queen Hot Space 1982 1 - Body Language 2 - Put Out The Fire Anybody who was a little dismayed by the pop inclinations of The Game would have been totally distressed by Queen's 1982 follow-up, Hot Space, an unabashed pop and dance album. The band that once proudly proclaimed not to use synthesizers on their albums has suddenly, dramatically reversed course, devoting the entire first side of the album to robotic, new wave dance-pop, all driven by drum machines and colored by keyboards, with Brian May's guitar coming in as flavor only on occasion. The second side is better, as it finds the group rocking, but there are still electronic drums. But the album's undeniable saving grace is the concluding "Under Pressure," an utterly majestic, otherworldly duet with David Bowie that recaptures the effortless grace of Queen's mid-'70s peak, but is underscored with a truly affecting melancholy heart that gives it a genuine human warmth unheard in much of their music. Frankly, "Under Pressure" is the only reason most listeners remember this album, which is as much a testament to the song's strength as it is to the rather desultory nature of the rest of Hot Space.
	Def Leppard Slang 1996 3 - Truth? 4 - Slang "The whole thing is potty," David Quantick wrote in Q, "but in a supple and melodic way – even the ballads lack the usual Def Leppard sense of having been written for lead-lined hippos to sing. Slang is the sound of a band doing something fast and interesting, at the exact point in their lives when most bands are taking up golf and inhaling the contents of aquariums in country manors." Q later included the album among its 'best of 1996', describing it as "the work of a huge band, aware that the straight-ahead rock they once plied so enthusiastically is dead and who have embraced the new breed with élan." Slang was the first Def Leppard album to fail to achieve platinum sales in the US. Elsewhere, the album performed better: it placed four singles on the UK charts, and did go platinum in Canada. On the supporting tour the band performed for the first time in Southeast Asia, South Africa and South America.
	Rush Power Windows 1985 5 - Manhattan Project 6 - Territories Like much of the band's '80s output, Power Windows finds Rush juggling their hard-rock heritage with new technology to mixed results. With Alex Lifeson choosing sparse, horn-like guitar bursts over actual crunch, Geddy Lee's synthesizers running rampant, and Neil Peart's crisp, clinical percussion and stark lyrical themes (evoking cold urban landscapes), the result just may be the trio's "coldest" album ever. Still, it does boast its share of important tracks in "Marathon" and "Manhattan Project," while offering an energetic, tongue-in-cheeck hit single in "The Big Money." In an album that rewards patience (repeated listens are the key), the most gripping moments are saved for last, with the beautifully eerie textures of "Mystic Rhythms," a song that was later used as a concert drum solo showcase for Peart.

[RJhog (Admin)]

Queen - I can see your point here.  I can see the extra Head & Shoulders purchases being made now.  But like Jon, I still thought it was a decent/good album.  I totally dig the first 3 songs, more so than Body Language.  But I do like the synth bass or whatever it is.  Put Out The Fire is a cool song too.

Def Leppard - DL wasn't on my radar when this came out.  I had been a fan but the mid to late 90's were not a time that I was following bands I had once loved.  So I'm not sure about the level of head scratching, but I do know that since I have gone back and purchased this album, I totally dig it.  The only bad thing about the first track is that dang distortion.  The sleeper track on this album, for me, is All I Want Is Everything.  I think it's a true hidden gem for DL.  I had a bit of trouble getting Slang to play, but the player finally gave in.  Slang is a bit of a departure, but not totally. The near rap vocals is what makes it kind of weird for a DL song, but you still get some DL quality backing vocals.

Rush - You two know I can't comment on deep issues like whether or not Power Windows was a departure for Rush.  But I find both of these songs and the description written above intriguing because I like cold urban landscapes.  And I do remember liking the song Big Money.  Problem is, I don't own this album.  I really like the frenetic running guitar lick through some of that second track.  Now I kinda wanna buy this album and listen to it.