Classic Rock Bottom

It's fun finding an album that you really like while a majority of the band's fans mostly despise that same album. 

To be honest, I was never a big fan of Helloween. I had their first album, listened to it once and that was it for me. Then, a few years ago I bought "Treasure Chest" and double greatest hits album. Still couldn't get into their early stuff, but there was a song on the second disc, "Windmills", that was a total departure from what I thought Helloween was all about.

Then Borders started their going out of business sale and I picked up the 2007 release, "Gambling With The Devil" and kinda liked it. The mini Helloween kick started and I decided to pick up albums with goofy titles like "Rabbit Don't Come Easy" and "Pink Bubbles Go Ape" and liked those as well.

This was one of the albums I wanted mostly due to the total hate. How bad could this album actually be? Are we talking Kiss bad? Adam Lambert bad? I just had to know. 

Luckily for me, I found this album at a local FYE plus it was the Deeeluxe version. i was literally drooling, just waiting for my chance to hear this magnificent opus. 

Mostly absent is the power metal from previous albums. What we have is, well, all over the friggin' board. Metal, ballads, funky stuff, horns, 80's keyboards, an orchestra and, um, more? maybe it's just me, but I never got bored with this album in the slightest.    

Guess it was too much of a departure for some Helloween fans or maybe I'm wrong and this album really sucks, but I don't think that's the case. I think they're wrong because I'm never right wrong.

So sit back and listen to what I firmly believe is a misunderstood album, 1994's "Chameleon" (and pay special attention to "Revolution Now", see if you can spot the oldie but goodie they toss in). 

NOTE: Due to some questionable language, you might not want this playing at a high volume in case those that are easily offended are lurking close by.

Chameleon

1. First Time
2. When The Sinner
3. I Don't Wanna Cry No More
4. Crazy Cat
5. Giants
6. Windmill
7. Revolution Now
8. In The Night
9. Music
10. Step Out Of Hell
11. I Believe
12. Longing

Availability: The deeluxe version is running around $15 unless your local FYE has it for much, much cheaper.     

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Interesting topic you bring up....  Albums fans typically hate that I like...  Heres a few off the top of my head

  • KISS - The Elder
  • Toto - Turn Back
  • ACDC - Fly On The Wall (had to list this for Niels)
  • Styx - Kilroy Was Here

And that hidden classic in Revolution Now was unexpected, but I caught it!

Side two of Fly On The Wall is killer stuff, it's basically a whole side of hidden goodness!

Shame about Kilroy though, if the REAL TRUE CURRENT Styx did that album, it would be a bonafide classik!  ,

Yep...  Niels is wrong!  And Styx is dead to me until DDY come back...

I say you post that whole second side as a SHT list!

Great idea!!!  Niels will love it!

Yay!

What I learned while listening to Helloween...

  • Didn't realize they were still around in the 90's, thought they faded out in the 80;s and just did some new stuff in the last couple years
  • It sounds muffled...  Bad production or recorded in someones basement?
  • So there were some geetar solos done in the 90's!
  • I Dont Wanna Cry No more is real nice tune with exception of the chorus, it goes flat when it could have soared
  • I cant think of any Metal tune that benefited from a horn section...
  • Someone made a decision to include Windmill on this?  Hopefully they were fired for that!
  • Are you Going to San Francisco was a weird tune to work into Revolution Now, but so far that's the best one on here!
  • Step Out of Hell sounds like a bad Dokken song, and that's saying a lot!
  • As Jon predicted, I am confused listening to this, its all over the place.

Looks like my streak of not buying any Helloween music will continue...

You will get 90's guitar solos next week for sure.

I like geetar solos...

I listened to next week's AOTW today and really didn't remember it having guitar all over it.  But it does.

I am totally unfamiliar with Helloween, but I came into this expecting major crap"age".   Not so, this is actually, sans two tunes, a very good album.  

  • Very nice guitar work.
  • Scott was right about Windmill, it totally blows, and so does Crazy Cat (for some reason that song title reminds me of the TV show Friends (Smelly Cat anyone?).
  • The first tune, including the intro, is cool.
  • Some other tracks I really liked are When The Sinner, Giants (but it cut out before the song finished), Music, Step Out Of Hell, I Believe and Longing.  
  • Best track of all was the really long song I Believe.  I hear some early Queensryche in the vocals, or maybe I should say current LaTorre fronted QR. 
  • This was a great way to start off a Monday morning at work.  
  • This is possibly the best LFAOTW post this year.

Surprised nobody has said anything about the special hidden bonus tracks!

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