Unbiased Reviews by Real People
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Unbiased Reviews by Real People
DJ "Master of Metal"'s list of Classic Heavy Metal AlbumsNov 11, 2005 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line I was a heavy metal disc jockey on my college radio station. These are my top ten heavy metal albums from "back in the day"
When I was in college, I started a heavy metal radio show on my college radio station. My nick was the "Master of Metal". I am happy to say it was our small college radio stations most popular show for the 3 years that I did it (83/84, 84/85, 85/86). So, from back in the day, here is my list of the top ten Classic Heavy Metal Albums (and by classic I mean ones at least 20 years old, so my list can't include some of today's fine metal offerings, not even two years to late Guns N Roses' Appetite for Destruction (1987) or Whitesnake (1987) sorry) So, in order of release, here is my list of the top ten Classic Heavy Metal Albums 1. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (1970) A band called Rat Salad with very talented guitar player Toni Iommi, Geezer Butler on bass, Bill Ward on drums and John Michael Osbourne singing vocals. They decided to go with a satanic theme, changed the name of the band to Black Sabbath and sing songs that sounded wicked. Wicked good in my opinion. (Oh and John Michael decided to use his nickname Ozzy) This album is one that marked the beginnings of heavy metal. The instrumentals alone are worth the purchase of this band's debut album. 2. Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972) One of the bands that started it all. Smoke on the Water, the tale of a recording studio burning down in Montreaux has a permanent place on classic rock stations. Add in every lead footed speeders favorite song Highway Star, and the classic guitar work of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan's vocals and Jon Lords signature organ and keyboards and you have one of the classic albums that started the genre of heavy metal. 3. Van Halen - Van Halen (1978) From the opening horn and deep deep bass notes of Runnin with the Devil Van Halen brothers Alex and Eddie together with Michael Anthony and singer David Lee Roth brought a new vibrant sound to the radios. They helped to make heavy metal popular. Back in high school most everyone owned this debut album that featured a rockin cover of The Kinks You Really Got Me, Ain't talkin bout Love, Little Dreamer and many others. They went on to release 5 more great albums, then they got Hagarfied, ( and who's that other guy, singing in Van Halen ?*) and it all went downhill from there. 4. AC/DC Back in Black (1980) She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean, she was the best damn woman that I had ever seen If you can recite the rest of the lyrics of She Shook me All Night Long, you my friend are a child of the eighties! Anyone and everyone I know who grew up in the decade of big hair and heavy metal knew line for line AC/DCs classic "love ballad" Filled with other fine songs from Hells Bells, to the title cut Back in Black, this album is clearly a top ten classic. Lead singer Brian Johnson proved that the band was indeed Back in Black after the tragic death of former lead singer Bon Scott. Angus Young and his brother Malcolm Young still deliver powerful guitar chords and great leads. 5. Blue Oyster Cult - Cultasaurus Erectus (1980) Before I even knew really began to listen to heavy metal, I used to love a song called Black Blade on long defunct WCOZ. Its powerful vocals, cool special effects and heavy sounds had me hooked before I even knew who it was by. Well it didn't take me long to find it out it was by Blue Oyster Cult. To this day, the ninth release from BOC has been my favorite album by this band. It doesn't contain their classic songs like Don't Fear the Reaper, Godzilla or Burnin for You, but its a great album. 6. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz (1980) and when did Ozzy become an actor?* Ah my first concert ever was in 1986 when Ozzy performed songs from this and his follow up Diary of a Madman. Having quit/been fired from Black Sabbath, Ozzy went out on his own with much more commercial success than his former bandmates. With wunderkind guitarplayer, the late Randy Rhodes, Ozzy tore up the charts with heavy metal hits from I Dont Know, Crazy Train and controversial Suicide Solution (blamed for a teen suicide in a court case, which I'm happy to report Ozzy won). Ozzy went on to become a household name, started the popular OzzFest concerts SHHHARRRRON!!!! and became a poster boy for why you shouldn't do drugs. 7. Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil (1983) when did Motley Crue become classic rock* I remember the first time I listened to this at WBIM my old college radio station. Who were those ugly girls on the front cover. Oh, they're guys. Bringing in the big hair days of heavy metal, Vince Neil on vocals, Mick Mars on guitars, Nikki Sixx on bass, and Pamela Lee Anderson's ex husband Tommy Lee on drums really hit big with their second album. From the opening chords of Shout at the Devil, to classic Crue songs Too Young to Fall in Love, and Ten Seconds to Love and even a cover of The Beatles Helter Skelter, Motley Crue ushered in a new wave of heavy metal. 8. Def Leppard - Pyromania (1983) This band truely brought heavy metal to the main stream. With incredible hooks and a highly polished sound produced by John "Mutt" Lange, songs like Rock Rock til you Drop, Photograph, Foolin, and Rock of Ages became well known by anyone who listened to FM radio 9. The Scorpions - Love at First Sting (1984) Hit songs including Rock you like a Hurricane, Big City Nights and Still Loving You still sound great to me today. With Klause Meine on vocals, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs on lead guitars, Francis Bucholz on bass and Herman Rarebell on Drums,this German bands sonic assaults assure them a place in heavy metal history. 10. Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984) This was not Metallica's debut album, but this and their follow up Master of Puppets certainly established them as a heavy metal band to be reckoned with. They had mastered a controlled precise fast metal sound that would become their trademark. Featuring the late Cliff Burton on Bass, James Hetfield on guitar and vocals, Lars Urich on Drums and Kirk Hammett on lead guitar this album brought us songs like Fight Fire with Fire, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Fade to Black that were harbingers of songs to come. You can trace a lot of Metallica history to the sounds and styles of the songs on this first successful album. As someone that has seen the band four times in concert, I can attest that they have only gotten better! Honorable Mention goes to (You insert YOUR favorite Classic here because I forgot Judas Priest and Iron Maiden! What about Motorhead, Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot! What about Jethro Tull, didn't they win a Grammy for best heavy metal album? how about Great White Snake? or Poison that RATT, Ronnie James Dio, or Rainbow? yes yes yes fine bands all of them, but many come, few are chosen) * lyrics from 1985 by Bowling for Soup quoted under fair use provisions of applicable copyright law.  |
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