Classic Rock Bottom

This is not a personal Top 20 from 1985, just 20 albums from that year and a ranking of those 20 albums. Feel free to offer your personal rankings of the albums too!




Album Title: Mechanical Resonance

Artist: Tesla

Release Date: 12/8/86

Billboard: 32

RIAA Certification: Platinum

Billboard Charting Singles:

Little Suzi #91

Notable Deep Cuts:

Every song not listed above

Brief Thoughts: I love this album. It is my favorite Tesla album. There isn’t a weak track on it. Killer guitars. Although they had some great individual songs on subsequent albums, they never bettered this full listening experience in my opinion.

Ranking:

1. Mechanical Resonance

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I did a Cassette Chronicles article on this one.

Rankings:

1. Master of Puppets

2. The Big Prize

3. Rage For Order

4. Mechanical Resonance
5. Inside The Electric Circus

6. The Final Frontier

7. Raised On Radio

Album Title: The Ultimate Sin

Artist: Ozzy Osbourne

Release Date: 2/22/86

Billboard: 6

RIAA Certification: 2 X Platinum

Billboard Charting Singles:

Shot In The Dark #68

Notable Deep Cuts:

The Ultimate Sin
Killer Of Giants
Fool Like You

Brief Thoughts: I like Ozzy, but I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan. I don’t think he is a good singer, but neither am I. I remember Shot in The Dark being all over MTV back then and I have always liked that song. I find it amusing that the lone hit from the album was the final track. The opener is good but the album doesn’t get interesting for me until the last three tracks

Ranking:

1. Eat ‘Em And Smile
2. Mechanical Resonance
3. The Big Prize
4. Master Of Puppets
5. Raised On Radio
6. Rage For Order
7. The Final Frontier
8. The Ultimate Sin
9. Inside The Electric Circus

This was my first Ozzy album. I actually wrote a brief about what I thought of the album here on CRB.

My rankings:

Rankings:

1. Master of Puppets

2. The Big Prize

3. Rage For Order

4. The Ultimate Sin

5. Mechanical Resonance
6. Inside The Electric Circus

7. The Final Frontier

8. Raised On Radio

Album Title: Tuff Enuff

Artist: The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Release Date: 1/86

Billboard: ?

RIAA Certification: ?

Billboard Charting Singles:

Tuff Enuff #10

Notable Deep Cuts:

Two Time My Lovin’
Why Get Up

Brief Thoughts: This band always reminded me of Huey Lewis and the News, just not quite as good. But this album is decent. I actually like the moderate hit Wrap It Up better than the title track. Two Time My Lovin’ and Why Get Up are dang good songs as well.

Ranking:

1. Eat ‘Em And Smile
2. Mechanical Resonance
3. The Big Prize
4. Master Of Puppets
5. Raised On Radio
6. Rage For Order
7. The Final Frontier
8. The Ultimate Sin
9. Inside The Electric Circus
10. Tuff Enuff

Album Title: Strong Persuader

Artist: The Robert Cray Band

Release Date: 11/17/86

Billboard: 13

RIAA Certification: 2 X Platinum

Billboard Charting Singles:

Smoking Gun #22
Right Next Door (Because Of Me) #80

Notable Deep Cuts:

I Guess I Showed Her
Still Around
Foul Play

Brief Thoughts: This album was my introduction to Robert Cray. Smoking Gun was all over MTV and I loved it. And it is still a killer song today. Right Next Door is also an awesome song. Cray is similar to AC/DC in that he has one style and sticks to it. No surprises. Cool album.

Ranking:

1. Eat ‘Em And Smile
2. Mechanical Resonance
3. The Big Prize
4. Master Of Puppets
5. Raised On Radio
6. Rage For Order
7. The Final Frontier
8. Strong Persuader
9. The Ultimate Sin
10. Inside The Electric Circus
11. Tuff Enuff

I've got this on CD, but I've really only listened to it once. I liked it well enough I guess but I really can't say that I did a deep dive on this one. I may have to go back and listen to it this again. But for now, just for having the bare minimum of thoughts on this one my ratings would now be:

1. Master of Puppets

2. The Big Prize

3. Rage For Order

4. The Ultimate Sin

5. Mechanical Resonance
6. Inside The Electric Circus

7. The Final Frontier

8. Raised On Radio

9. Strong Persuader

Album Title: Third Stage

Artist: Boston

Release Date: 9/23/86

Billboard: 1

RIAA Certification: 4 X Platinum

Billboard Charting Singles:

Amanda #1
We’re Ready #9
Can’tcha Say (You Believe In Me)/Still In Love #20

Notable Deep Cuts:

A New World
To Be A Man
Hollyann

Brief Thoughts: Was there ever a more anticipated album than Third Stage? It seemed like 20 years before this arrived. It sold well, but not as well as the two that came before it. But the singles were all good as well as the deep cuts. It seems like it plays through very quickly. Probably the last Boston album that was really good.

Ranking:

1. Eat ‘Em And Smile
2. Mechanical Resonance
3. The Big Prize
4. Master Of Puppets
5. Raised On Radio
6. Third Stage
7. Rage For Order
8. The Final Frontier
9. Strong Persuader
10. The Ultimate Sin
11. Inside The Electric Circus
12. Tuff Enuff

Album Title: Fore!

Artist: Huey Lewis & The News

Release Date: 9/20/86

Billboard: 1

RIAA Certification: 3 X Platinum

Billboard Charting Singles:

Stuck With You #1
Hip To Be Square #3
Jacob’s Ladder #1
I Know What I Like #9
Doing It All For My Baby #6

Notable Deep Cuts:

Whole Lotta Lovin’
I Never Walk Alone
Forest For The Trees
Naturally
Simple As That

Brief Thoughts: Fore! followed Sports. They are both incredible albums. There isn’t a bad song on this album. And this band was different than the other bands that I liked at the time. If I had to pick a favorite track I would go with Jacob’s Ladder. But this is a no skip disc for sure.

Ranking:

1. Eat ‘Em And Smile
2. Mechanical Resonance
3. Fore!
4. The Big Prize
5. Master Of Puppets
6. Raised On Radio
7. Third Stage
8. Rage For Order
9. The Final Frontier
10. Strong Persuader
11. The Ultimate Sin
12. Inside The Electric Circus
13. Tuff Enuff

I wrote briefly about this when I bought it on CD a couple years back. I loved tracks 1-6, but thought tracks 7-10 were a step below those first six songs.

My rankings:

1. Master of Puppets

2. The Big Prize

3. Rage For Order

4. The Ultimate Sin

5. Mechanical Resonance
6. Inside The Electric Circus

7. Fore!

8. The Final Frontier

9. Raised On Radio

10. Strong Persuader

Album Title: 5150

Artist: Van Halen

Release Date: 3/24/86

Billboard: 1

RIAA Certification: 6 X Platinum

Billboard Charting Singles:

Why Can’t This Be Love #3
Dreams #22
Love Walks In #22

Notable Deep Cuts:

Good Enough
Get Up
5150

Brief Thoughts: Van Halen’s 1986 offering, their first with Sammy Hagar, is my favorite of the Van Hagar albums. It rocks melodically and hard. Sammy is a great singer but he lacks Dave’s charisma and delivery, my personal opinion of course. I didn’t list Summer Nights or Best Of Both Worlds because they are often heard on the radio despite the facts that they didn’t chart. Both are good. The only song that isn’t all that good is Inside. It seems like it would have been more suited for Dave.

Ranking:

1. Eat ‘Em And Smile
2. Mechanical Resonance
3. Fore!
4. The Big Prize
5. 5150
6. Master Of Puppets
7. Raised On Radio
8. Third Stage
9. Rage For Order
10. The Final Frontier
11. Strong Persuader
12. The Ultimate Sin
13. Inside The Electric Circus
14. Tuff Enuff

I have this on cassette (looking to upgrade to CD) and I do like it a lot.

Rankings:

1. Master of Puppets

2. The Big Prize

3. Rage For Order

4. The Ultimate Sin

5. Mechanical Resonance

6. 5150
7. Inside The Electric Circus

8. Fore!

9. The Final Frontier

10. Raised On Radio

11. Strong Persuader

Album Title: Trilogy

Artist: Yngwie J. Malmsteen

Release Date: 11/4/86

Billboard: 44

RIAA Certification: N/A

Billboard Charting Singles:

N/A

Notable Deep Cuts:

You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget
Liar
Queen In Love

Brief Thoughts: I am not a huge fan of pure shredding. I typically prefer melodic playing, like that of Neal Schon. But there is no argument as far as Malmsteen’s ability. You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget and Queen In Love received substantial airplay on MTV. You may not remember that, but I will never forget it. They are both excellent songs. Nothing bad at all here, but those two songs stand above the others for me.

Ranking:

1. Eat ‘Em And Smile
2. Mechanical Resonance
3. Fore!
4. The Big Prize
5. 5150
6. Master Of Puppets
7. Raised On Radio
8. Third Stage
9. Rage For Order
10. The Final Frontier
11. Strong Persuader
12. Trilogy
13. The Ultimate Sin
14. Inside The Electric Circus
15. Tuff Enuff

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