SCOTTS HIDDEN TREASURES #36 - Mega-Albums Edition

[Scott]

I love the feedback this forum receives, good bad and indifferent.  Often it contains suggestions for bands I should have included, especially when I've themed the play list.  Suggestions frequently refer to mega-bands and mega-albums. 

 

I also take queues from other forums where albums are discussed.  For example, the Rod Stewart Album of the Week totally took me back. I love vintage Rod Stewart, but was surprised to learn which albums of his were the most successful, so were going to lead off with one of his.

 

Anyway, to pull hidden treasures off of albums that are best sellers and remain huge on classic rock radio is not easy.  But that’s exactly what we’re going to try to do with this week’s SHT list.

 

Couple of quick notes...

• All albums in this week’s playlist are all multi-platinum releases.
• I relied on Wikipedia for most of the information below.

 

TITLE: Ain't Love a Bitch
BAND: Rods Stewart
ALBUM: Blondes Have More Fun ... Or Do They?
YEAR: 1978
Went to number one on the Billboard album charts and sold better than 4 million albums. It was to be Stewart's last number one album for 25 years.  Many called it his "Disco" album, but there is really only one disco tinged song on it, the rest of the music is still pretty true to Stewarts style and is really solid..

 

TITLE: Next Time You See Her
BAND: Eric Clapton
ALBUM: Slowhand
YEAR: 1977
Critically and commercially well received, reaching #2 on the Billboard Album Charts, surpassed only by the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. Contains 3 of his most well-known tracks/hits, but also tracks like this one have become staples of Clapton’s to this day.

 

TITLE: Out Of Season
BAND: REO Speedwagon
ALBUM: Hi Fidelity
YEAR: 1980
The album went on to become the biggest selling rock LP of 1981, eventually selling over ten million copies. Six songs from this album hit Billboard charts.

 

 

TITLE: I Need You Tonight
BAND: ZZ Top
ALBUM: Eliminator
YEAR: 1983
This is the band's most successful album, reaching Diamond status.  The album peaked at number 9 on the Billboard 200, number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number 5 on the Australian Albums Charts.  In 1989, it was ranked number 39 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 80's

 

TITLE: Hitch A Ride
BAND: Boston
ALBUM: Boston
YEAR: 1976
Ranks as the second best-selling debut album in U.S. history (after GNR’s Appetite for Destruction) with over 17 million copies sold.  Peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the charts for 132 weeks.  All eight of the songs on the album still receive regular airplay on classic rock radio to this day.

 

TITLE: Nightlife
BAND: Foreigner
ALBUM: 4
YEAR: 1981
The album was originally titled Silent Partners and later was changed to 4.  A #1 album with 2 more #1 singles.  4 is the culmination of the bands efforts to return to roots rock and the continued succession of great rock albums produced by Mutt Lange.

 

TITLE: Top Jimmy
BAND: Van Halen
ALBUM: 1984
YEAR: 1984
The album reached Diamond status in 1999.   "Top Jimmy" is a tribute to James Paul Koncek of the band Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs. Peaked at #2 on the Billboard Magazine album charts (#1 at the time was Thriller).  1984 is the second of two Van Halen albums to have sold 10 million copies in the United States.

 

TITLE: Harmony
BAND: Elton John
ALBUM: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
YEAR: 1973
Often regarded as Elton John's best and most popular album, it has sold 31 million copies.  The album was ranked number 91 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. "Harmony," the closing song on the album's lineup, was considered as a fourth single, but was never issued, as the chart longevity of the album and its singles brought it too close to the upcoming release of "Caribou".

 

TITLE: Billy's Got A Gun
BAND: Def Leppard
ALBUM: Pyromania
YEAR: 1983
It garnered airplay in the US as the B-side of "Rock of Ages". The album charted at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and number 18 on the UK Albums Chart.  In 2004, the album ranked number 384 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2006, Q magazine placed the album at number 35 in its list of "40 Best Albums of the '80s".

 

TITLE: Lord Is It Mine
BAND: Supertramp
ALBUM: Breakfast In America
YEAR: 1979
By 1990, it had sold in excess of 18 million copies worldwide. In 1987 music critic Joel Whitburn ranked Breakfast in America the 4th greatest album of all time. Breakfast In America won the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Recording Package, beating out albums by Talking Heads and Led Zeppelin.  #1 on Billboard's Pop Albums Chart for six weeks in the spring and summer of 1979. The album also hit #1 in Norway, Austria, Canada and Australia, also reaching #3 in the UK.

 

 

So what do you think?  Did we uncover anything at all?  Or were you pleasantly surprised?

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HERES YOUR LINK...

http://www.podsnack.com/playlists/dfb5072a67bd849dac526e314a373853

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[RJhog (Admin)]

Just some quick feedback, 'cause I'll be listening to this on Monday or Tuesday at work.  I love the look of this playlist and I am looking forward to hearing it.  I would have picked different songs on only two albums, Pyromania (I would have gone with Die Hard The Hunter) and Hi Infidelity (I would have gone with Someone Tonight).  I love your pick from 1984.  And lastly, the Boston debut, in reality, doesn't have a hidden gem.  Like your last sentence in the description says, all eight songs are still played on the radio.

[Scott]

Agree with you on the Boston note.  I debated keeping it in the mix, but it underscored how difficult it is to pick hidden treasure tracks of these types of records.  And so its a poster child of sorts for why this weeks list was put together...

 

Also could have went with your Def Leppard choice but opted for Billy when I read it was the B-side to Rock of Ages.  I thought that gave it an edge in Hidden Treasure value.

 

And I will agree to disagree on the REO suggestion, while I love Someone Tonight,  I prefer Out of Season as the hidden treasure here.   (hehe)

[Jon]

See, if it was ME, I would have went with "Child Of Vision" by Supertramp. And I did on one of those IMHO listes (which nobody has still figured out).  

 

And what in the blue hell is a treasurte???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

EXPLAIN YOURSELF!

[Scott]

[Niels (Mod)]

Looks great. I'l listen at work probably tomorrow. "Billy's got a gun" is my favorite track on Pyromania. Q-magazine had it placed at 35th place on a top-40 list over 80's albums, huh?! Probably a couple of Madonna-albums or even Dolly Parton-albums on that list as well!! 

[Scott]

How come we only speak about Dolly Parton when we talk about things that come in two's?  Just curious...

[RJhog (Admin)]

I'd say her career peaked at about 48 inches???

[Scott]

[Niels (Mod)]

I had forgot about the AWESOME guitarsolo from Billy Gibbons!!

The new Classic Rock Magazine has a cover-story on Van Halen's 1984. I probably would have picked "Girl gone bad".

A good pick from "yellow Brick road"!! Even though it's a double-album, there's only one weak track on that album: "Jamaica jerk off".

Steve Clark allmost destroyed my hearing on my left ear in 1983. I saw a concert on the Pyromania-tour, in a rather small place in Copenhagen. There were about 200 people but it was absolutely FILLED up!! When Clarke played a guitar-solo a few feets from me, something in my ear went "WEEEEEEEEHHH", and kept that for 14 days. The doctor asked me, if someone had shot a gun near my ear!!

I enjoyed this playlist very much!!

[RJhog (Admin)]

I listened this morning.  This is a good playlist Scott.  The only song I don't like is the Rod Stewart tune.  I actually like the disco song that's so famous from that album better.

 

As far as my earlier comment on REO, I really like the song you picked as well.  I just like Someone Tonight off of an album that's full of great songs.   I really don't think you could have gone wrong with any of the unknown songs from Hi Infidelity. 

[Jon]

Nice playlist, Scott.

 

Probably would have been better if you picked the songs that we liked more though

 

And included a picture of Dolly.

[RJhog (Admin)]

I like to think of her as DDolly!