Personal Best-Of's For 2014

[Jon]

Do you have a "Best Of" list for 2014?

Do you think your list trumps every other list?

Well, then. Now you have the chance to post your list to show everyone else what you (rightly) believe are the highlights of 2014!

Go ahead and post them below. If someone makes fun of your list, just know that you're right and they're wrong.

If you want to post a list about something other than music, go right ahead. Just don't post anything silly.

Enjoy!

[Niels (Mod)]

Well, then it should be something, not appearing on the coming official "Best off-list" in CRB.

Top 3 movies 2014:

1. Interstellar

2. Captain america: The Winther Soldier

3. X-Men: Days Of Future Past

 

Top 3 books 2014:

1. Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page

2 Love Becomes A Funeral Pyre: The Doors - By Mick Wall

3 Rocks: Joe Perry

 

Top 3 Television series 2014:

1. Breaking Bad (Well, I saw the final season in 2014)

2. The Walking Dead

3. True Detective

 

Best magazines in 2014:

1. Classic Rock Magazine

2. UNCUT

3. Prog Magazine

 

That's it for now.

[Jon]

You can post your music list if you want.

[Niels (Mod)]

Hmm, okay then. But first another top 3 list regarding books, since 2014 was a "book-year" for me (I think, I've bought 30-35 books, mainly regarding Classic Rock, and many of them coffee-table books:

Top 3 over books I bought in 2014 (books that I've meant to buy for years now, and this year I did. I mean pretty "rare" and expensive books bought through EBay or Amazon (as used books):

1. The Photographer's Led Zeppelin - By Ross Halfin
2. KISSTORY
3. Reputation Is A Fragile Thing - The Story About Cheap Trick

So you want my top 10, then, eh? Here it comes:

1. The Third Day - North Atlantic Oscilliation
2. Lullaby….And The Seaseless Roar - Robert Plant
3. Songs From November - Neal Morse
4. Distant Satellites - Anathema
5. Pale Communion - Opeth
6. Z2 - Devin Townsend Project
7. Great Western Valkyrie - Rival Sons
8. Second Nature - Flying Colors

9. Royal Blood - Royal Blood

10. Rock Or Bust - AC/DC

Honorable mentions, or whatever you call it:

Casualties Of Cool - Devin Townsend

Going Back Home - Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltrey

Augustines - Augustines

Hypnotic Eye - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Sonic Highways - Foo Fighters

Some other stuff:

Best Prog Album

1. Opeth - Pale Communion

2. Anathema - Distant Satellites

3. Devin Townsend Project - Z2

Best Male Vocalist

1. Mikael Åkerfelt - Opeth

2. Vincent Cavanagh - Anathema

3. Robert Plant

Best Song

1. A Stolen Kiss - Plant

2. Wires - North Atlantic Oscilliation

3. Love Shot An Arrow - Neal Morse

Best Prog Song

1. Crystallized - Haken

2. Ariel - Anathema

3. Eternal Rains Will Come - Opeth

As the bright reader will notice: I'm not sure which album is the best: Anathema's or Opeth's.

[TageRyche]

Neils, we have nothing in common on our album list. The only one I even own on your list is my most disappointing release.

[Niels (Mod)]

And I know, which album that is. I'm surprised that you and others feel that Plant's album is so dissapointing. I think, it's his best for years. It's as good as "Raising Sand". I just love the sound of "Lullaby..". Maybe it's because I didn't expect much after the (for me) dissapointing "Band Of Joy" from 2010. Even my favorite song in 2014 is from this album: "A Stolen Kiss". I'm certainly not alone in this opinion, since the album appears in top 3 in my two favorite magazines of 2014-albums: Classic Rock Magazine and UNCUT Magazine.

Not that, that make my opinion right, because I think it's nice, that we have such different taste in music, so I might get a few good ideas, checking all of your top 10 lists (just like yesterday, regarding the "Big Wreck"-album, that I checked, since Jon had it as no.2). Maybe you guys should check out some of the albums on my list as well. Just sayin'. 

[TageRyche]

I might check out the Rival Sons and AC/DC albums.

[RJhog (Admin)]

I personally don't care for the Rival Sons album and will not purchase another of their albums.  I think the distortion thing, carried to the extreme, is just irritating as hell.  I think they have pretty good songs and would be more interested in their music minus the constant distortion.

As for Plant, it's far from the worst for me, but I think some of his rave reviews are simply because he's Robert Plant.  Same with Dylan and McCartney.  They get awesome reviews because of who they are.  That's simply my opinion, of course.

The AC/DC is good.  

[Jon]

Top 15 Albums

1. Space Elevator--Space Elevator

2. Big Wreck--Ghosts

3. Threshold--For The Journey

4. Uriah Heep--Outsider

5. The Pretty Reckless--Going To Hell

6. Wishbone Ash--Blue Horizon

7. Billy Idol--Kings And Queens Of The Underground

8. Judas Priest--Redeemer Of Souls

9. Accept--Blind Rage

10. AC/DC--Rock Or Bust

11. Rival Sons--Great Western Valkyrie

12. Chicago--Now: XXXVI

13. Night Ranger--High Road

14. Opeth--Pale Communion

15. The Tea Party--The Ocean At The End

Best Original Rock Album

1. Space Elevator--Space Elevator

2. Big Wreck--Ghosts

3. Threshold--For The Journey

Best Original Rock Album (Classic Artist - At Least 25 Years Since First Album)

1. Uriah Heep--Outsider

2. Wishbone Ash--Blue Horizon

3. Billy Idol--Kings & Queens Of The Underground

Best Comeback Album (At Least 10 Years Since Last Non-Covers Studio Album)

1. The Tea Party--The Ocean At The End

Best Metal Album

1. Judas Priest--Redeemer Of Souls

2. Accept--Blind Rage

3. AC/DC--Rock Or Bust

Best Prog Album

1. Threshold--For The Journey

2. Uriah Heep--Outsider

3. Opeth--Pale Communion

Best Melodic Album

1. Space Elevator--Space Elevator

2. Chicago--Now: XXXVI

3. Night Ranger--High Road

Best Debut Album

1. Space Elevator--Space Elevator

2. KXM--KXM

Badassery Album Of The Year (formerly known as Best Underrated/Hidden Album)

1. Prince And 3RDEYEGIRL--PLECTRUMELECTRUM

2. Tea Party--The Ocean At The End

3. Amplifier--Mystoria

Best Album Cover

1. Uriah Heep--Outsider

2. Threshold--For The Journey

3. Big Wreck--Ghosts

Best Male Vocalist

1. Ian Thornley (Big Wreck)

2. Bernie Shaw (Uriah Heep)

3. Jeff Martin (The Tea Party)

Best Female Vocalist

1. The Duchess (Space Elevator)

2. Stevie Nicks

3. Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless)

Best Guitarist (can be multiple if in same band)

1. Andy Powell/Muddy Manninen (Wishbone Ash)

2. David Young (Space Elevator)

3. Wolf Hoffman/Herman Frank (Accept)

Best Keyboardist

1. Phil Lanzon (Uriah Heep)

2. Richard West (Threshold)

3. Elliott Ware (Space Elevator)

Best Drummer

1. Martin Axenrot (Opeth)

2. Carl Palmer (Asia)

3. Brian Greene (Space Elevator)

Best Bassist

1. Neil Murray (Space Elevator)

2. Jack Blades (Night Ranger)

3. John Wetton (Asia)

Best Song

1. Ghosts (Big Wreck)

2. We Are The Losers (Space Elevator)

3. Is Anyone Gonna Help Me? (Uriah Heep)

Best Metal Song

1. Sweet Candy (AC/DC)

2. March Of The Damned (Judas Priest)

3. Final Journey (Accept)

Best Prog Song

1. Unforgiven (Threshold)

2. Let It Slide (Saga)

3. Valkyrie (Asia)

Best Album Production

1. Opeth--Pale Communion

2. Devin Townsend Project--D2

3. Space Elevator--Space Elevator

Best Reissue/Archival Release (may be multiple albums if for the same band)

1. Roger Taylor--The Lot

2. Wings--Wings At The Speed Of Sound/Venus And Mars

3. The Kinks--Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround (50th Anniversary set)

[TageRyche]

Jon,

We have four albums in common on your best of list.

[Jon]

I am going to guess Priest, Heep, Accept and Night Ranger even though part of me wants to say AC/DC.

[Niels (Mod)]

Hmm, that'll probably teach me to pay more attention to NMC. I'm listening to Big Wreck right now, since I couldn't remember, if I'd heard it.....and it's great. I don't mind this being album of the year in CRB, as I kind of expect it does. It could very well had ended in my.....top 5, if I had payed more attention. I guess, I will listen to Treshold now :-)

[RJhog (Admin)]

Best Vocalists: Ian Thornley (by a mile)