Albums you forgot about - that you know by heart.

Recently, I listened to two albums for the first time in years and it turns out I know them front to back. Obviously, I listened to these non-stop when they came out in 1986. The albums are Van Halen - 5150 and Tesla - Mechanical Resonance.

I don't consider myself much of a Van Hagar fan, and 5150 is the only Hagar-era album I own, but back in 1986 I wore this tape out in my car/stereo/walkman.

The Tesla album was the same way - wore the tape out in my car deck and on my stereo. I graduated High School in '86, so I am sure I didn't own that many albums and obviously I listened to what I had constantly. I recently purchased the first 3 Tesla albums on CD, and I was reallly surprised at how heavy this album is. I forgot they really ripped it up on this one, but my brain didn't, because I knew all the songs by heart.

Do you have any albums like this?

Guns n' Roses - Appetite
Cinderella - Night Songs, Long Cold Winter
Aerosmith - s/t debut
Faster Pu$$cat - s/t debut and Wake Me When it's Over
Megadeth - So Far, So Good...
Tesla - The Great Radio Controversy
Van Halen - s/t, II, and 1984
Metallica - the first 4
Ozzy - No More Tears
Crue - Shout at the Devil and Too Fast For Love

I could go years (and have, in some cases) without hearing those albums. Pop them in right now and I could sing right along without skipping a beat. They were some of the soundtracks to my younger days.

EDIT: add Motorhead's No Remorse comp. I played the sh*t outta that tape.

Happens all the time. Recently it was Holy Soldier's s/t. When I revisited Fear Not last year I was amazed by how I still had all the lyrics memorized. Tesla's Psychotic Supper was another one. Savatage's Handful of Rain was probably the most profound revisit, leaving me with tears in my eyes.

But then there's the flip side that confounds me: albums that you KNEW by heart but eventually...forgot. When I revisited Countdown to Extinction a couple years ago, I couldn't figure out why none of the songs (save for the singles) were familiar to me, even though I melted that tape in my Walkman back in the day.

Basically every Demon Hunter album up to Storm The Gates of Hell
Stryper-To Hell With The Devil
Bride-Skin for Skin

All were major players when I was a more religious man; but as my musical interests and world views changed, they kinda faded.

Probably this one



Was reeeeally into this when I was about 10! Barely played since I was 12 but i still knew all of the lyrics when I jammed it recently.

Accept, Running Wild and Judas Priest. I listened to them probably way too much.

Quite a few. I love rediscovering albums from my high school days and finding I can sing along to practically every song.

1) SWORD s/t - every word - every air guitar part - etc -
me and my friends partied hard with that release -
even the girlfriends couldn't believe it -
also
2) TKO - so many songs on that one -
but none of my pals got into that one like I did
3) RUNNING WILD " Branded and Exiled " - guitar work is soooo dark and powerful.

For some weird reason I had been re-visiting some new wave stuff I had been into back in the day (late 70's/early 80's). Some stuff I hadn't heard in years, yet it all just came flowing back so easy. Gary Numan, The Cars, Bill Nelson and Kraftwerk.

I'm just starting to scratch the surface with Bill Nelson. The guy puts out a new album about every month these days. For him, recording IS his day job and he spends 8-10 hours a day in his studio.

Talk about dedication... His "Getting the Holy Ghost Across" album is tops as far as vintage material goes!

None that I can think of. But that makes sense, considering it's supposed to be albums I've forgotten I know.

I guess there could be a few. But nowadays I only listen to music I own, so I don't know in what kind of situation would I suddenly be thrust into where I would hear a whole album I've forgotten about and don't own, but know by heart.

I'm this way with Rush 2112, sort of.

I can't say I really ever "forgot about it" but after Rush became more of a proggy keyboard band I pretty much bailed on them.  But every so often when I have no idea what I want to listen to, I'll pop in 2112.  I may not have listened to it for several years but I still know the whole thing by memory.  All the guitar riffs, all the drum fills, all the lyrics (except for "Tears", the second worst thing Rush ever recorded after "Rivendell" IMO; I always skip "Tears").

Pink Floyd's entire catalog is like this for me. I listened to this stuff religiously in high school and now I find I can throw in damn near any one of their albums and still sing every word like I never put them down.

I know SHOUT AT THE DEVIL pretty good also