All Discussions Tagged 'judas priest' - Classic Rock Bottom2024-03-29T10:33:00Zhttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=judas+priest&feed=yes&xn_auth=noNew Music Corner #324 - Judas Priesttag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2018-03-10:6060463:Topic:1549342018-03-10T13:16:04.000ZScotthttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/Scott
<p>by "dissident aggressor" Scott</p>
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<p>It’s been kind of a Judas Priest week around my place leading up to this new album. And I gotta say, it’s been worth it (like, when has it not been worth it!), I may keep going for a couple more weeks at least! And after 18 studio releases, I may be able to continue well beyond that!</p>
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<p>Anyway, here’s this week’s big release, actually it’s the release of the year so far for me for a few reasons…</p>
<ol>
<li>It’s the only new album…</li>
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<p>by "dissident aggressor" Scott</p>
<p></p>
<p>It’s been kind of a Judas Priest week around my place leading up to this new album. And I gotta say, it’s been worth it (like, when has it not been worth it!), I may keep going for a couple more weeks at least! And after 18 studio releases, I may be able to continue well beyond that!</p>
<p></p>
<p>Anyway, here’s this week’s big release, actually it’s the release of the year so far for me for a few reasons…</p>
<ol>
<li>It’s the only new album I’ve bought in 2018 so far which firmly plants it at #1 in my top ten so far, also it's currently sitting at the top of my 2018's best Heavy Metal albums list as well - the latter of which may stay true all year…</li>
<li>The previewed tracks have been really good. And though I haven’t been all the way through it yet, the reviews are quite impressive, especially if you’re a BangerTV fan... I got nothing but good vibes so far.</li>
<li>Oddly, as I get older (at least the past couple years) my taste in music seems to be becoming harder edged. Kind of the same trajectory that Priest has been on since Painkiller, except they've been on it longer so mine is a type of that trajectory or something kinda-sorta similar, well you get the picture…</li>
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<p>One last thing, I’m breaking with the scientifically proven and patent pending approach to posting New Music by adding two random middle tracks. Hey! the album is 14 tracks long and the first two have already been released so why not!</p>
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<p>One more last thing… Don’t forget to click the album cover to listen and then lets us know what you think!</p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong><font color="orange">Judas Priest</font></strong></span><br/> <strong><font color="red">Firepower</font></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.podsnack.com/sgabbert/avp0da8f" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img width="333" class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273271551?profile=RESIZE_480x480"/></a></p>
<ol>
<li>Firepower</li>
<li>Lightning Strikes</li>
<li>Never The Heroes</li>
<li>Rise From Ruins</li>
<li>Lone Wolf</li>
<li>Sea of Red</li>
</ol>
<p></p> Hidden Treasures - The Softer Side of ... Judas Priesttag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2017-07-26:6060463:Topic:1487342017-07-26T00:13:36.944ZScotthttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/Scott
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273258797?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273258797?profile=original" width="650"></img></a> Remember me? I’ve been a bit pre-occupied with family business as of late and unfortunately that’s not going to change to a point where I can be consistent at posting playlists, but I have time this week and I also have an idea I’ve been working with a bit on the side... I've been on a looooong run of blues and metal music for the past year and I’ve noticed some things, one…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273258797?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273258797?profile=original"/></a>Remember me? I’ve been a bit pre-occupied with family business as of late and unfortunately that’s not going to change to a point where I can be consistent at posting playlists, but I have time this week and I also have an idea I’ve been working with a bit on the side... I've been on a looooong run of blues and metal music for the past year and I’ve noticed some things, one of those being that bands that are known for a certain style are more than just what they’re perceived to be, so this is how I came across the idea to do a post, or maybe more, titled "The Softer Side of ________". Conversely we can also do "The Harder Side of _________". But maybe that'll come up later, anyway it fits the Hidden Treasures MO!<br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> So, there we go, and first up is the softer side of Judas Priest. Yes, they have a softer side and to any fan of the band this will be no surprise at all, but to the casual fan this may be a bit of a surprise, whatever perspective you have coming into this, it will be a fun listen...<br/> <br/> <br/> Enjoy!<br/> <br/> PLAYLIST --> <a href="http://www.podsnack.com/sgabbert/avzu5d11" target="_blank">http://www.podsnack.com/sgabbert/avzu5d11</a><br/></p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>Rocka Rolla</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>1974</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>1 - Run of the Mill</strong></span><br/> <br/> A sketchy and underfocused debut, Rocka Rolla nonetheless begins to delineate the musical territory Judas Priest would explore over the remainder of the decade: frighteningly dark in its effect, tight in its grooves, and capable of expanding to epic song lengths. On the other hand, Rocka Rolla is also murkier, less precise and powerful in its riff attack, and more blues-based; the stylistic debts to Black Sabbath and Deep Purple are obvious at this juncture, although they would become much less apparent on subsequent releases. The compositions alternate between short songs and extended suites; some are decent, but overall they don't establish a real direction and tend to plod aimlessly in many of the longer pieces. Mostly a curiosity for hardcore fans, Rocka Rolla definitely hints at Judas Priest's potential and originality, but doesn't always suggest the quantum leap in vision that would occur with their very next record.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #808000;"><strong>Sin After Sin</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #808000;"><strong>1977</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #808000;"><strong>2 - Last Rose of Summer</strong></span><br/> <br/> Judas Priest's major-label debut Sin After Sin marks their only recording with then-teenage session drummer Simon Phillips, whose technical prowess helps push the band's burgeoning aggression into overdrive. For their part, K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton employ a great deal more of the driving, palm-muted power-chord picking that would provide the basic rhythmic foundation of all but the most extreme heavy metal from here on out. The proggy ballad "Last Rose of Summer" is the biggest departure here, with florid lyrics and "red blood/white snow" imagery that would be fully at home on any goth rock band's most depressing bedsit dirges.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Defenders of the Faith</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>1984</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>3 - Night Comes Down</strong></span><br/> <br/> Eeven if there's a low percentage of signature songs here, there's a remarkably high percentage of hidden gems waiting to be unearthed, making Defenders possibly the most underrated record in Priest's catalog. Musically, it follows the basic blueprint of Screaming for Vengeance, alternating intricate speed rockers with fist-pumping midtempo grooves and balancing moderate musical sophistication with commercial accessibility. It's a craftsmanlike record from a band that had been in the game for a full decade already, but was still vital and exciting, and decidedly not on autopilot (yet).</p>
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<td><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #cc99ff;"><strong>Redeemer of Souls</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #cc99ff;"><strong>2014</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #cc99ff;"><strong>4 - Beginning of the End</strong></span><br/> <br/> The antithesis to 2008's overblown Nostradamus, Redeemer of Souls feels quaint in comparison, eschewing the largely fantasy-driven conceptual style of the ambitious, yet undeniably cumbersome, two-disc set in favor of a more refined, classic rock approach that edges closer to the group's late-'70s offerings like Sin After Sin and Stained Class. New guitarist Richie Faulkner, with his golden mane and tight, controlled riffing, suggests a wax Downing just sprung to life and simply walked out of Madam Tussaud's museum and into the band's rehearsal space, and his tasteful, yet undeniably meaty playing alongside Glenn Tipton goes a long way in helping to restore some of the classic Judas Priest luster, especially on standout cuts like the aforementioned "Dragonaut," the nervy and propulsive "Metalizer," and the rousing title track. Still, this is a band that's well into its fifth decade of being "Hell Bent for Leather"; they've explored, both successfully and occasionally at great cost, nearly every shadowy nook and suspicious looking crevice of the genre, and the album's stalwart yet shopworn 13 tracks reflect that journey. That said, Redeemer of Souls is also the loosest (attitude-wise), leanest (arrangement-wise), and most confident-sounding collection of new material the band has released in ages.</td>
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</table> Hidden Treasures - Last of a Dying Breedtag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2017-01-25:6060463:Topic:1422782017-01-25T00:46:26.586ZScotthttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/Scott
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273255923?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273255923?profile=original" width="650"></img></a> I’ve got an idea!” Read that in your best Captain Kirks voice and then we can get started… <br></br><br></br><br></br> I’m going to spend the next few weeks exploring the state of Classic Rock bands and the future of our favorite music from my perspective. I have been keeping some side notes about newly released music and it struck me that we still have a strong pool or Classic Rock…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273255923?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273255923?profile=original" width="650" class="align-center"/></a>I’ve got an idea!” Read that in your best Captain Kirks voice and then we can get started… <br/><br/><br/> I’m going to spend the next few weeks exploring the state of Classic Rock bands and the future of our favorite music from my perspective. I have been keeping some side notes about newly released music and it struck me that we still have a strong pool or Classic Rock artists who record and tour on a regular basis. I’m not talking about touring bands only, that’s a bigger pool, but those who still gift us with new Classic Rock music! I want to diversify this playlist a bit so you’ll get a nice heavy and melodic mix. Let’s kick this off with a look at some of bands who we might consider as the last of a dying breed…. <br/><br/><br/> Enjoy!<br/><br/><br/> PLAYLIST --> <a href="http://www.podsnack.com/sgabbert/avzuqpnn" target="_blank">http://www.podsnack.com/sgabbert/avzuqpnn</a> <br/><br/><br/></p>
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<td><p><span style="color: #993300;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Accept</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #993300;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Stalingrad</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #993300;" class="font-size-3"><strong>2012</strong></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #993300;" class="font-size-3"><strong>1 - Twist of Fate</strong></span><br/><br/>Accept released their fourteenth studio album Blind Rage on July 18, 2014 and on their world tour, they are playing in Australia for the very first time. Blind Rage became Accept's first album to debut at number one on the charts in their home country. On December 28, 2014, guitarist Herman Frank announced that he has left Accept again. Later that day, Accept announced that drummer Stefan Schwarzmann also left the band. On April 12, Accept announced new guitarist and drummer, respectively Uwe Lulis and Christopher Williams. On June 5, 2015, prior to the band's performance at the South Park festival in Tampere, Finland, bassist Peter Baltes told Kaaos TV that Accept planned to begin work on a new album after the conclusion of the Blind Rage tour. Hoffmann stated that the new album will be released around July or August 2017.</p>
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<td><p><span style="color: #666699;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Judas Priest</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #666699;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Redeemer of Souls [Deluxe Edition]</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #666699;" class="font-size-3"><strong>2014</strong></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #666699;" class="font-size-3"><strong>2 - Snakebite</strong></span><br/><br/>Redeemer of Souls was released on 8 July 2014. It sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart, the band's highest charting position in the US after the double-disc concept album, Nostradamus, debuted at No. 11. This was the band's first top 10 album in the US. The band went on tour in support of the album which ran from 1 October 2014 until 17 December 2015. The Redeemer of Souls Tour led to the sixth live album, 'Battle Cry' released on 25 March 2016 after being recorded at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany on 1 August 2015. In a November 2015 interview with Reverb.com, Richie Faulkner said that the band would start work on a new album in 2016. In April 2016, Loudwire posted a photo showing Halford, Tipton and Faulkner in the studio beginning the process of the album. In an October interview with Mitch Gallagher of Sweetwater Sound, Faulkner stated that the band would begin recording in January 2017 and also said that they would not go on tour until 2018</p>
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<td><p><span style="color: #ff9900;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Pat Travers</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #ff9900;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Retro Rocket</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #ff9900;" class="font-size-3"><strong>2015</strong></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #ff9900;" class="font-size-3"><strong>3 - Searching For A Clue</strong></span><br/><br/>Travers has not been able to regain the level of commercial success he once had, despite a very large and loyal fan base who call themselves "Hammer Heads". He tours regularly in the U.S. and has made several trips to Europe in the last decade as well. In 2001 he was part of the "Voices of Classic Rock" tour, and had a minor hit with Leslie West from the band Mountain called "Rock Forever". In 2004 he started a project with the veteran drummer Carmine Appice and started touring the U.S.A.; as of now there are 3 albums released. Travers recorded cover tunes from bands such as Led Zeppelin, Montrose, Queen, and Trapeze under the album name P.T. Power Trio 2, and they toured Europe in November 2006. The Pat Travers Band put out the album "Fidelis" in late 2009. In July 2013, The Pat Travers Band put out new album "CAN DO" released by Frontiers Records, a major label based in Italy for numerous artists in the field of classic rock. The CAN DO album was supported by PTB tours of the U.S., the U.K., and Europe during the later half of 2013. In January 2015, Frontiers Records released Pat Travers Band Live at the Iridium NYC, recorded in February 2012, featuring Jon Paris playing blues harp on "If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day" and "Spoonful".</p>
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<td><span style="color: #ff99cc;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Toto</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #ff99cc;" class="font-size-3"><strong>XIV</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #ff99cc;" class="font-size-3"><strong>2015</strong></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #ff99cc;" class="font-size-3"><strong>4 - 21st Century Blues</strong></span><br/><br/>Toto released their fourteenth studio album and their first in nine years titled Toto XIV in March 2015. To promote the newly finished project, the band started a world tour running with an extensive European headline arena tour including appearances at key festivals, along with a North American tour to follow in the summer of 2015 and Asia later that year. Toto are currently in the studio remastering their 11 Sony studio albums. Steve Lukather: "It is all from the ORIGINAL album mixes but Re-shaped EQ wise but NO compression added at all!!! We are hearing subtle parts that were buried in the old mixes on the early albums. Remember we had to mix for Vinyl back then and there were sonic rules we HAD to deal with that were a drag. many treats/surprises will be in there as well, some great liner notes on all 11 SONY albums and photos and personal stuff... and it is like we re-mixed the early stuff, the first 3 albums, but we didn't! It's SO clear and hi fi! This was an amazing experience. NO compression was added!!! It has inspired us to write the NEW music we start on January 9th till March. Many surprises and 'treats' will be included. Out 2018 but we will tour 2017 as well. Some festivals in Europe and then the USA. A surprise is coming there as well. It is all working us up to the 40th anniversary in 2018. 2 year world tour to follow.”</td>
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</table> Hidden Treasures - Darktoberfest Part IItag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2015-10-20:6060463:Topic:1234162015-10-20T13:18:10.183ZScotthttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/Scott
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273208719?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273208719?profile=original" width="650"></img></a> So this week we go a bit darker... But also you get 4 albums that have yet to make an appearance on CRB! So that's kind of a two-for-one! But beware, were getting pretty dark around here! Darktoberfest continues with an assault to your very soul...<br></br><br></br><br></br> Listen at your own risk!<br></br><br></br><br></br> PLAYLIST -->…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273208719?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273208719?profile=original"/></a>So this week we go a bit darker... But also you get 4 albums that have yet to make an appearance on CRB! So that's kind of a two-for-one! But beware, were getting pretty dark around here! Darktoberfest continues with an assault to your very soul...<br/><br/><br/> Listen at your own risk!<br/><br/><br/> PLAYLIST --> <a href="http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1c3wcpk" target="_blank">http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1c3wcpk</a> <br/><br/><br/></p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>The Pineapple Thief</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>10 Stories Down</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>2005</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>1 - Wretched Soul</strong></span><br/><br/>Founder Bruce Soord started "The Pineapple Thief" as an outlet for his music back in 1999. Bruce released the debut Abducting the Unicorn on Cyclops records, which created enough interest to establish a small but loyal fan base. Soord returned to the Dining Room studios to work on the second album 137. During this time, several major labels started to take an interest, causing a delay in the release which arrived over two years after the debut. However it was probably the third album, Variations on a Dream that gave TPT the boost they needed, reaching out to yet more people all over the world, by which point TPT were consistently the top sellers on their label, Cyclops. After this release in the spring of 2002 Bruce decided to form a band to take his music to the fans. The band consisted of his close musical friends - former university band mate Jon Sykes on bass, Wayne Higgins on guitars, Matt O'Leary on keyboards and Keith Harrison on drums. As a full band, they released 12 Stories Down in 2004, but Bruce Soord was unhappy with the final sound and re-recorded, remixed and changed some of the tracks before the release of 10 Stories Down in 2005.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #339966;"><strong>Kerry Livgren</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #339966;"><strong>Seeds of Change</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #339966;"><strong>1980</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #339966;"><strong>2 - Mask of the Great Deceiver</strong></span><br/><br/>In 1980, Livgren released his first solo album, Seeds of Change. The album features several members of Kansas, along with Ambrosia singer David Pack and noted heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio, who sang on the tracks "To Live for the King" and "Mask of the Great Deceiver." Dio, who was between stints as singer for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and Black Sabbath, later proved somewhat controversial among Livgren's evangelical Christian fans, as Black Sabbath and Dio were then perceived as "satanic" by many Christians. Dio said in an interview that he did not consider the album to be a "Christian" album and had performed on it as a favor to Livgren. After Dio left Black Sabbath in 1983, he said in a summer 1983 interview in Hit Parader magazine that he had considered working with Livgren again.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #99ccff;"><strong>Spocks Beard</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #99ccff;"><strong>Snow</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #99ccff;"><strong>2002</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #99ccff;"><strong>3 - Devil's Got My Throat</strong></span><br/><br/>While concept albums have been done on much loftier notions, they seem to falter under their own weight, or the light of actual history. Here, Neal and Alan Morse, and their bandmates, use a much more subjective fantasy story, and create a spiritual, physical, ideological, and emotional set of circumstances that follow their protagonist through 26 songs. Musically, Snow is a wonder, it's full of nuance and texture, taut dynamics and lush arrangements, that are all, seemingly, of a piece,. While some Spock's Beard fans might have a hard time with the softer, gentler side of the band that is evidenced here, it would be tough to argue that this change of direction was both necessary and warranted. Spock's Beard has been pushing at their own boundaries for a while now, and with Snow, they shatter them and enter into the very promise of what progressive rock is always supposed to deliver: discovering some heretofore unknown sonic territory via the individual and collective focus of creating through the applied effort of one's best musical efforts. Snow is an allegory, it is an archetypal story that is ambitious in scope and redemptive in result, and is a thoroughly rewarding -- if challenging -- listen.</p>
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<td><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Judas Priest</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Painkiller</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>1990</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>4 - A Touch of Evil</strong></span><br/><br/>It's a startling statement of musical purpose that arrived seemingly out of nowhere, heralding a comeback that rivals George Foreman's. Once the leanest, meanest, darkest metal band on the planet, Priest were clearly giving up on the mainstream and instead embracing the thrash and speed metal underground they'd helped spawn. Not only do they come to terms with it here, they teach those whippersnappers a thing or two, marrying furious instrumental pyrotechnics to an unerring sense of songcraft. Spurred on by Travis' jazz-trained double bass assault, Painkiller never once lets up, slowing down only for the elegant menace of the prog-tinged "A Touch of Evil," and without an unmemorable tune in the bunch.</td>
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</table> Hidden Treasures - Yet even Deeper into Spacetag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2015-05-13:6060463:Topic:1175022015-05-13T01:50:01.336ZScotthttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/Scott
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273187641?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273187641?profile=original" width="650"></img></a> Star Date: 5.12.15<br></br><br></br><br></br> Due to the overwhelming success of this series I'm extending it another week!! I can't begin to tell you how happy it makes me to hear such rave reviews and encore requests! So this week were in space yet again, songs about the vast space out there or at least have titles that might suggest something like that!<br></br><br></br><br></br> No need to keep…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273187641?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273187641?profile=original" width="650" class="align-center"/></a>Star Date: 5.12.15<br/><br/><br/> Due to the overwhelming success of this series I'm extending it another week!! I can't begin to tell you how happy it makes me to hear such rave reviews and encore requests! So this week were in space yet again, songs about the vast space out there or at least have titles that might suggest something like that!<br/><br/><br/> No need to keep my audience waiting! Lets get to it!<br/><br/><br/> PLAYLIST --> <a href="http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/av7k57ro" target="_blank">http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/av7k57ro</a> <br/><br/><br/></p>
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<td><p><span style="color: #ff00ff;" class="font-size-3"><strong>White Zombie</strong></span><br/> <span style="color: #ff00ff;" class="font-size-3"><strong>La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #ff00ff;" class="font-size-3"><strong>1992</strong></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #ff00ff;" class="font-size-3"><strong>1 - Starface</strong></span><br/><br/>The album's sound is a mix of groove metal and heavy metal with multiple B-movie samples. Rob Zombie explained he "wanted to keep a groovable dance element in the music", a trait which is often absent in metal music. Contrary to rumors, a "Devil Music Volume Two" was never planned for recording or release. Almost every song on the album made an appearance on the 1994 video game Way of the Warrior.</p>
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<td><p><span style="color: #339966;" class="font-size-3"><strong>The Michael Schenker Group</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #339966;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Built To Destroy</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #339966;" class="font-size-3"><strong>1983</strong></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #339966;" class="font-size-3"><strong>2 - Red Sky</strong></span><br/><br/>Built to Destroy is the fourth album by the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). Gary Barden returned to the group on vocals following the departure of Graham Bonnet amidst tensions with Michael Schenker. This was the band's final studio album prior to their disbanding, and Schenker moving on to form the McAuley Schenker Group with vocalist Robin McAuley. New material released under the Michael Schenker Group name would not appear for over a decade. The song "Captain Nemo" is the theme song for Eddie Trunk's radio shows Friday Night Rocks on WAXQ and Trunk Nation on XM Radio's Hair Nation Channel.</p>
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<td><p><span style="color: #99cc00;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Judas Priest</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #99cc00;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Sin After Sin</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #99cc00;" class="font-size-3"><strong>1977</strong></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #99cc00;" class="font-size-3"><strong>3 - Starbreaker</strong></span><br/><br/>Judas Priest's major-label debut Sin After Sin marks their only recording with then-teenage session drummer Simon Phillips, whose technical prowess helps push the band's burgeoning aggression into overdrive. For their part, K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton employ a great deal more of the driving, palm-muted power-chord picking that would provide the basic rhythmic foundation of all but the most extreme heavy metal from here on out. Sin After Sin finds Priest still experimenting with their range, and thus ends up as perhaps their most varied outing.</p>
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<td><span style="color: #ccffcc;" class="font-size-3"><strong>Queen + Paul Rodgers</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #ccffcc;" class="font-size-3"><strong>The Cosmos Rocks</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #ccffcc;" class="font-size-3"><strong>2008</strong></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #ccffcc;" class="font-size-3"><strong>4 - Cosmos Rockin'</strong></span><br/><br/>Rodgers effectively rules the roost, helping steer The Cosmos Rocks far, far away from the meticulous, grandiose sonic sculptures of Queen at the height of their reign and toward a humble boogie. At its best, this can sound a bit like a second-rate Bad Company, at its worst it feels like Free -- not quite like Queen, but not necessarily unenjoyable either, thanks in part to a Brian May who seems, frankly, thrilled to play new songs again.</td>
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</table> Album of the Week #251 - Judas Priest - British Steeltag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2015-04-16:6060463:Topic:1162882015-04-16T21:48:35.447ZScotthttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/Scott
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273189473?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273189473?profile=original" width="650"></img></a></p>
<p>Time for another Album of the Week post and since were in a “Best album an artist ever released” theme this month, I've discovered a big gap in the AOTW history… <br></br> <br></br> <br></br> Jon and RJ threw out some ideas, like Jefferson Starships “Earth”, and via RJ’s Hidden Treasure post, I got the notion of posting Bryan Adams “Cuts Like a Knife”. Both most worthy of the…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273189473?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273189473?profile=original" width="650" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>Time for another Album of the Week post and since were in a “Best album an artist ever released” theme this month, I've discovered a big gap in the AOTW history… <br/> <br/> <br/> Jon and RJ threw out some ideas, like Jefferson Starships “Earth”, and via RJ’s Hidden Treasure post, I got the notion of posting Bryan Adams “Cuts Like a Knife”. Both most worthy of the spotlight and both certainly reflect those artists best efforts. But a quick cross-reference of what Jon’s been listening to knocked them both off of the short list… <br/> <br/> <br/> So, back to fixing this gap… My absolute favorite Judas Priest has to be “British Steel”, but only by a hair... I was introduced to the band by the hearing of “Hell Bent for Leather”, which I later learned was titled “Killing Machine” in other countries. I am also a big fan of Point of Entry, which I think is criminally underrated and unfairly criticized. It’s a stellar album! And I know there’s a big Screaming for Vengeance contingent which will make a great case for JP’s best as well. Stop and think about these 4 albums, all released back to back to back to back. A band at its absolute peak, and topping the last release over and over. How many bands do this? So, it was definitely hard for me to choose British Steel over Hell Bent for Leather and Point of Entry, they are all so good! But ultimately I had to appeal to what I have played more of, I simply know British Steel top to bottom, and note for note more vividly than the others. So that’s how we got here to this week post. <br/> <br/> <br/> Click the album cover and Enjoy…</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br/> <a href="http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a13ao8m9" target="_blank"><img width="400" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273189639?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="400" class="align-center"/></a><br/> <strong>Artist: Judas Priest</strong><br/> <strong>Genre: Hard Rock (technically its NWOBHM, just ask Jon)</strong><br/> <strong>Nationality: British</strong><br/> <strong>Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Member: hahahahahahahahaha…</strong> <br/> <strong>Album: British Steel</strong><br/> <strong>Producer: Tom Allom</strong><br/> <strong>Release Date: 1980</strong><br/> <strong>Running Time: 36:10</strong><br/> <strong>RIAA Certification: Platinum</strong><br/> <strong>Peak Billboard Chart Position: 4 (UK), 34 (US)</strong><br/> <strong>Singles: Breaking The Law, Living After Midnight, United</strong><br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <strong>Side One…</strong><br/> 1. "Rapid Fire" (Track 2 on original US releases) 4:08<br/> 2. "Metal Gods" (Track 3 on original US releases) 4:00<br/> 3. "Breaking the Law" (Track 1 on original US releases) 2:35<br/> 4. "Grinder" 3:58<br/> 5. "United" 3:35</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br/> <strong>Side Two…</strong><br/> 6. "You Don't Have to Be Old to Be Wise" (Track 7 on original US releases) 5:04<br/> 7. "Living After Midnight" (Track 6 on original US releases) 3:31<br/> 8. "The Rage" 4:44<br/> 9. "Steeler" 4:30</p> Hidden Treasures - March Metal Madness (Early Metal)tag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2015-03-04:6060463:Topic:1149242015-03-04T03:05:56.530ZScotthttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/Scott
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273202005?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273202005?profile=original" width="650"></img></a> March Metal Madness...<br></br> <br></br> <br></br> A month of SHT dedicated to Heavy Metal. Why not! Lets take a stroll through this genre and see where it leads us. So theres no better place to start than at the beginning.<br></br> <br></br> <br></br> Developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock,…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273202005?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273202005?profile=original"/></a>March Metal Madness...<br/> <br/> <br/> A month of SHT dedicated to Heavy Metal. Why not! Lets take a stroll through this genre and see where it leads us. So theres no better place to start than at the beginning.<br/> <br/> <br/> Developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and the United States. With roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified distortion, extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall loudness.<br/> <br/> <br/> Did you catch that last part about loudness? Now you know what to do...<br/> <br/> <br/> PLAYLIST --> <a href="http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a19frmf5" target="_blank">http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a19frmf5</a></p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Led Zeppelin</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Led Zeppelin</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>1969</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>1 - How Many More Times</strong></span><br/> <br/> Led Zeppelin had a fully formed, distinctive sound from the outset, as their eponymous debut illustrates. Taking the heavy, distorted electric blues of Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Cream to an extreme, Zeppelin created a majestic, powerful brand of guitar rock constructed around simple, memorable riffs and lumbering rhythms. But the key to the group's attack was subtlety: it wasn't just an onslaught of guitar noise, it was shaded and textured, filled with alternating dynamics and tempos. As Led Zeppelin proves, the group was capable of such multi-layered music from the start. Although the extended psychedelic blues of "Dazed and Confused," "You Shook Me," and "I Can't Quit You Baby" often gather the most attention, the remainder of the album is a better indication of what would come later.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff00ff;"><strong>Black Sabbath</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff00ff;"><strong>Black Sabbath</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff00ff;"><strong>1970</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff00ff;"><strong>2 - N.I.B.</strong></span><br/> <br/> Black Sabbath's debut album is the birth of heavy metal as we now know it. Compatriots like Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, and Deep Purple were already setting new standards for volume and heaviness in the realms of psychedelia, blues-rock, and prog rock. Yet of these metal pioneers, Sabbath are the only one whose sound today remains instantly recognizable as heavy metal, even after decades of evolution in the genre. Circumstance certainly played some role in the birth of this musical revolution -- the sonic ugliness reflecting the bleak industrial nightmare of Birmingham; guitarist Tony Iommi's loss of two fingertips, which required him to play slower and to slacken the strings by tuning his guitar down, thus creating Sabbath's signature style. These qualities set the band apart, but they weren't wholly why this debut album transcends its clear roots in blues-rock and psychedelia to become something more. Sabbath's genius was finding the hidden malevolence in the blues, and then bludgeoning the listener over the head with it.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>Deep Purple</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>In Rock</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>1970</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #3366ff;"><strong>3 - Flight Of The Rat</strong></span><br/> <br/> The cacophony of sound (spearheaded by Ritchie Blackmore's blistering guitar solo) introducing opener "Speed King" made it immediately obvious that the band was no longer fooling around, but the slightly less intense "Bloodsucker" did afford stunned listeners a chance to catch their breaths before the band launched into the album's epic, ten-minute tour de force, "Child in Time." In what still stands as arguably his single greatest performance, singer Ian Gillan led his bandmates on a series of hypnotizing crescendos, from the song's gentle beginning through to its ear-shattering climax and then back again for an even more intense encore that brought the original vinyl album's seismic first side to a close. Side two opened with the searing power chords of "Flight of the Rat" -- another example of the band's new take-no-prisoners hard rock stance, though at nearly eight minutes, it too found room for some extended soloing from Blackmore and Lord.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #00ccff;"><strong>Uriah Heep</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #00ccff;"><strong>Demons and Wizards</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #00ccff;"><strong>1972</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #00ccff;"><strong>4 - Circle Of Hands</strong></span><br/> <br/> This is the album that solidified Uriah Heep's reputation as a master of gothic-inflected heavy metal. From short, sharp rock songs to lengthy, musically dense epics, Demons and Wizards finds Uriah Heep covering all the bases with style and power. The album's approach is set with its lead-off track, "The Wizard": it starts as a simple acoustic tune but soon builds into a stately rocker that surges forth on a Wall of Sound built from thick guitar riffs, churchy organ, and operatic vocal harmonies. Other highlights include "Traveller in Time," a fantasy-themed rocker built on thick wah-wah guitar riffs, and "Circle of Hands," a stately power ballad with a gospel-meets-heavy metal feel to it.</p>
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<td><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong>Judas Priest</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong>Sad Wings Of Destiny</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong>1976</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong>5 - Genocide</strong></span><br/> <br/> The year 1976 was crucial for the evolution of heavy metal, as landmark albums like Rainbow's Rising and Scorpions' Virgin Killer began to reshape the genre. Perhaps none was quite as important as Judas Priest's sophomore effort, Sad Wings of Destiny, which simultaneously took heavy metal to new depths of darkness and new heights of technical precision. Building on the hard prog of bands like Queen and Wishbone Ash, plus the twin-guitar innovations of the latter and Thin Lizzy, Sad Wings fused these new influences with the gothic doom of Black Sabbath, the classical precision of Deep Purple, and the tight riffery of the more compact Led Zeppelin tunes.</td>
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</table> CRB TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2014 COUNTDOWN - NUMBER 7tag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2014-12-21:6060463:Topic:1116922014-12-21T13:43:11.279ZRJhog (Admin)https://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/JeffHogland
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273191925?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273191925?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="500"></img></a></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">"The addition of new guitarist Richie Faulkner proves to pay immediate dividends for Judas Priest as he blends seamlessly with Glenn Tipton. At the same time, he helps provide a sense of renewed energy that helps the band continue pressing their claim to the throne of the Metal Gods.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The…</span></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273191925?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="500" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273191925?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="500" class="align-center"/></a></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">"The addition of new guitarist Richie Faulkner proves to pay immediate dividends for Judas Priest as he blends seamlessly with Glenn Tipton. At the same time, he helps provide a sense of renewed energy that helps the band continue pressing their claim to the throne of the Metal Gods.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The frenetic pacing of songs like "Tears of Blood", "Metalizer" and "Battle Cry" keep the blood pumping. Meanwhile, cuts like "Never Forget", "Down In Flames" and "Sword of Damocles" feature varied tempos and allow for Rob Halford to once again shine both vocally and lyrically.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">This album made me think of the saying "When you come at the king, best not miss". The exceptional performances of<em>Redeemer of Souls</em> amply demonstrates why other bands will continue to miss their shot at the throne so long as Judas Priest is around."</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">---TageRyche</span></p> Hidden Treasures - The Abysstag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2014-10-28:6060463:Topic:1103432014-10-28T00:12:10.831ZScotthttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/Scott
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273196749?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273196749?profile=original" width="650"></img></a> As promised, we are continuing to sprial down into the Abyss. So with Halloween looming, his week were looking at death. What else would be better? <br></br><br></br><br></br> There are 6 tracks posted this week (though only 5 mentioned below), the first track is mood setter so hit the play button and sit back, look behind you though, who knows what's listening with you!! …<br></br><br></br><br></br></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273196749?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273196749?profile=original"/></a>As promised, we are continuing to sprial down into the Abyss. So with Halloween looming, his week were looking at death. What else would be better? <br/><br/><br/> There are 6 tracks posted this week (though only 5 mentioned below), the first track is mood setter so hit the play button and sit back, look behind you though, who knows what's listening with you!! <br/><br/><br/> PLAYLIST --> <a href="http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1mf6iim" target="_blank">http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1mf6iim</a> <br/><br/><br/></p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc99;"><strong>Grand Funk Railroad</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc99;"><strong>Born To Die</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc99;"><strong>1976</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc99;"><strong>1 - Born To Die</strong></span><br/><br/>The album's considered to be one of the group's more somber, straying away from the upbeat and cocky attitude that was so prevalent on previous albums and focusing on darker musical and lyrical content concerning death, politics, and personal relationships. The title track was written by Farner in memory of his cousin who had died in a motorcycle accident. Although not steeped in heavy metal riffs or gothic sound effects, this 1976 effort from Grand Funk Railroad creates a mood gloomy enough to rival the darkest moments of Black Sabbath.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #99cc00;"><strong>Thin Lizzy</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #99cc00;"><strong>Renegade</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #99cc00;"><strong>1981</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #99cc00;"><strong>2 - Angel of Death</strong></span><br/><br/>It is widely agreed among Thin Lizzy fans (and by the band themselves) that their 1981 release, Renegade, was their worst. The raw, rocking Lizzy of the past (Jailbreak, Black Rose, etc.) is nowhere to be found here; in its place is a keyboard-heavy rock band with blatant pop leanings and a production too similar to British heavy metal bands of the early '80s. New guitarist Snowy White never truly fit into the band (both musically and visually), and it was never more apparent than on Renegade. As with its predecessor, Chinatown, heavy drug use plagued the sessions, again resulting in an uninspired, unfocused affair (especially evident in Phil Lynott's flat vocals). The six-minute opener, "Angel of Death," doesn't measure up to past Lizzy epics, while the title track fails at trying to pull on the heartstrings with a tale about a misunderstood youth.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Judas Priest</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Stained Glass</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>1978</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>3 - Beyond the Realms of Death</strong></span><br/><br/>Easily one of the most important heavy metal albums ever released, Stained Class marks the peak of Judas Priest's influence, setting the sonic template for the New Wave of British Heavy Metal more than any other single recording. This is the point where Priest put it all together, embracing their identity as the heaviest band on the planet and taking the genre to new heights of power, speed, musicality, and malevolence. Not until Painkiller would the band again be this single-minded in its focus on pure heavy metal. Their blues-rock roots have been virtually obliterated; largely gone, too, are the softer textures and gothic ballads of albums past. The lone exception is the morbid masterpiece "Beyond the Realms of Death," on which the band finally finds a way to integrate the depressive balladry of songs like "Epitaph" and "Last Rose of Summer" into their metal side.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Alice Cooper</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>Goes To Hell</strong></span><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>1976</strong></span><br/><br/><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff6600;"><strong>4 - Go To Hell</strong></span><br/><br/>Following the success of his first solo album, Welcome to My Nightmare, Alice Cooper followed it up with another concept album, Goes to Hell, similar in style to its predecessor. Again, longtime Alice producer Bob Ezrin was on board, and while there are a few highlights, Goes to Hell signaled an Alice era where he pretty much forsook the raw garage rock of his early days (Killer, School's Out) in favor of polished studio glitz. That said, the title track is worthy of any headbanger's time (and remains one of Cooper's most overlooked rock tunes), while "I Never Cry" was another Alice ballad that found a place near the top of the charts.<br/><br/>In 2005 the first track, “Go to Hell”, was featured as the theme song to the sixth episode of Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil titled "Human Sacrifice".</p>
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<td><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>Iron Maiden</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>The Number of the Beast</strong></span><br/><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>1982</strong></span><br/><br/><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>5 - The Number of the Beast</strong></span><br/><br/>In addition to the album's artwork and title, the song was a prominent target of religious groups in the United States who accused Iron Maiden of being a Satanic group. The controversy led to organised burnings of the group's albums as well as several protests during their 1982 tour, although this would only serve to give the band more publicity. Steve Harris has since commented that the accusations made against them were "mad. They completely got the wrong end of the stick. They obviously hadn't read the lyrics. They just wanted to believe all that rubbish about us being Satanists."<br/><br/>On their following album, Piece of Mind, the band placed a backmasked message at the beginning of the song "Still Life," in which the band's drummer, Nicko McBrain, gives a drunken impression of Idi Amin. According to McBrain, the message, in which he says "Don't meddle wid t'ings yo don't understand", was directed at those who had labelled Iron Maiden as devil worshippers, commenting, "We thought, if people were going to be stupid about this sort of thing, we might as well give them something to be really stupid about, you know?"</td>
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</table> Hidden Treasures - Album Openerstag:classic-rock-bottom.ning.com,2014-09-24:6060463:Topic:1090242014-09-24T01:47:14.022ZScotthttps://classic-rock-bottom.ning.com/profile/Scott
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273184767?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273184767?profile=original" width="650"></img></a> I tried this once before and I love the thought behind this, so lets do it again. Besides its been a real long time...</p>
<p><br></br> Were looking at Album Openers. Do you remember driving to the record store, buying the album and the droppng the needle on that opening track once you got back home? You know Side 1 Track 1! These songs were the tunes that set the mood for the…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273184767?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="650" class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1273184767?profile=original"/></a>I tried this once before and I love the thought behind this, so lets do it again. Besides its been a real long time...</p>
<p><br/> Were looking at Album Openers. Do you remember driving to the record store, buying the album and the droppng the needle on that opening track once you got back home? You know Side 1 Track 1! These songs were the tunes that set the mood for the entire album most of the times. And often they were the best the album had to offer, sometimes a hit song and sometimes not, but always one of the best on the album. Here are 5 from the dark recesses of my mind...</p>
<p><br/> Oh - one more thing, since weve been in the 70's for so long, I'm going to steer clear of that decade for at least this week. What are some of your favorite album openers?</p>
<p><br/> <br/> PLAYLIST --> <a href="http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1jsrlf5" target="_blank">http://www.podsnack.com/CA69EFD9E8C/a1jsrlf5</a></p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>Giuffria</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>Giuffria</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>1984</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>1 - Do Me Right</strong></span><br/> <br/> Keyboard maestro Gregg Giuffria originally planned to retain the Angel title for his second high-profile cinematic rock show, but the scalding ivories soaring throughout this record prove he's fully in charge, making the Giuffria moniker an apt band name. The long, blond angel always kicks off his projects with some cool keys, and the pulsing prelude to "Do Me Right" overpowers the rest of the song; like much of the album, this track devolves into a standard hair cut with symphonic trappings. Some abrupt occultism flies out of the flip's finale (spookiest cock rock craziness since the rise of Hagar's animal on Three Lock Box). Know now that both Giuffria platters are built around David Glen Eisley's voice, and enjoyment depends on how one takes to his heavy heaving. Plus, typical of this time period, some stuff sears, while some stuff sucks. But wistful weeper "Call to the Heart" rightfully remains Giuffria's crowning achievement and lone chart glory. Poor Giuffria remains a terrain-tethered star who never got off the ground.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>Krokus</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>One Vice At A Time</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>1982</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>1 - Long Stick Goes Boom</strong></span><br/> <br/> The Swiss headbangers didn't start out as headbangers; they were originally a progressive rock outfit along the lines of Yes, Genesis, and ELP. But when the band didn't get anywhere commercially, it decided to cash in on metal's popularity and started emulating AC/DC. Krokus' detractors would argue that One Vice at a Time is the work of a poor man's AC/DC -- and, to be sure, this 1982 LP is formulaic and contrived. But while Krokus wasn't easy to respect or admire, it was easy to like. AC/DC-minded tunes like "Save Me" and "Long Stick Goes Boom" aren't very imaginative, but they're infectious and enjoyable nonetheless. From Krokus' own songs to a cover of the Guess Who's "American Woman," everything on this album is catchy. Is One Vice at a Time derivative and shamelessly unoriginal? Yes. But it's still a fun record and ends up being a very guilty pleasure.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>Accept</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>Balls To The Wall</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>1984</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #c0c0c0;"><strong>1 - Balls To The Wall</strong></span><br/> <br/> Accept's most notorious album, Balls to the Wall was also their biggest commercial success. Following hot upon the heels of their creative breakthrough, Restless and Wild, you'd also be hard pressed to find a more sexually charged record in any musical genre. Its hysterically nonsensical lyrics notwithstanding, the legendary title track remains an irresistible, fist-pumping masterpiece that came to epitomize the modern, slow-marching metal anthem as it became known. And when paired with second single "London Leatherboys," it arguably constitutes the most blatantly homoerotic couplet in the history of heavy metal (eat your heart out, Rob Halford). "Fight It Back" is about as close as the band gets to their old, semi-thrashing ways (taken to the limit the previous year with the maniacal "Fast as a Shark"), and it is the more melodic "Head Over Heels" and semi-ballad "Losing More Than You've Ever Had" that set the tone for Accept's future direction. The album's third undisputed classic, the driving "Love Child," kicks off side two with one of metal's great staccato riffs -- so good, the band revisits it nearly verbatim a few songs later with "Losers and Winners," which is nearly as powerful. And though not quite as celebrated, the remaining tracks are no less potent, especially the slowly building tension heard on the downright lascivious "Turn Me On." The bottom line here is that this, like its predecessor Restless and Wild, is an essential heavy metal album, and any fan worth his salt should own them both.</p>
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<td><p><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong>Rainbow</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong>Right Between The Eyes</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong>1982</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ffcc00;"><strong>1 - Death Alley Driver</strong></span><br/> <br/> Just a record before, Rainbow sounded as if they were verging on Billy Squier territory, but here, they reverse course and deliver a solid, no-frills hard rock record. It isn't just that the material is stronger, though it certainly is, it's that Roger Glover abandoned his smoothed-out, radio-ready production that marred Difficult to Cure. That's not to say that Straight Between the Eyes doesn't sound dated -- Rainbow was a band that was forever tied to its era -- but the album does have a harder-hitting, muscular sound that is more appropriate for the band. Similarly, vocalist Joe Lynn Turner sounds more comfortable with the group, and the entire band just seems to gel, turning even the generic numbers on the album into enjoyable, straight-ahead hard rock. There may not be any specific showcases for Ritchie Blackmore, but his playing is better heard in this setting, where he's not only soloing, he's propelling the band with his powerful riffs.</p>
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<td><span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>Judas Priest</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>Screaming For Vengeance</strong></span><br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>1982</strong></span><br/> <br/> <span class="font-size-3" style="color: #ff9900;"><strong>1 - The Hellion/Electric Eye</strong></span><br/> <br/> Ultimately, Screaming for Vengeance hangs together better than even the undeniable landmark British Steel, both thematically and musically. There's less of a party-down feel here -- the remaining traces of boogie have been ironed out, and the lyrics return to the darkness and menace that gave the band its mystique. Sure, if you stop to read the lyrics, all the references to demons and devils and monsters can look a little gratuitous, but the music here is so strong that there simply aren't any seams showing. Even the occasional filler is more metallic this time around -- in place of trite teenage rebellion, listeners get the S&M-themed "Pain and Pleasure." In fact, "Pain and Pleasure" and "Fever" are the only two songs here that have never shown up on a band retrospective, which ought to tell you that Priest's songwriting here is perhaps the best it's ever been. The midtempo grooves that enlivened British Steel are here in full force on the band's signature tune, "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" (their only American chart single), as well as "Bloodstone," "Devil's Child," and unfairly forgotten single "(Take These) Chains," all uniformly great. But there's a nearly equal emphasis on uptempo headbanging, thanks to the classic "The Hellion/Electric Eye," the terrific album track "Riding on the Wind," and the stupendously high-velocity title cut, which is the closest they ever came to thrash metal (at least in the '80s).</td>
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