Manny's top 25 overlooked metal/hard rock CDS

More comments on Deathcult's selections:

KI$$-Music from the Elder, a great album and like everything else KISS does overblown. It is funny that all these years later this album is finally being seen as somewhat of a classic, plus it is cool that Lou Reed helped out on some of the lyrics.

Motorhead- Stripped down, balls to the wall rock n roll. The title track only should serve as a mission statement for any real rock n roll band.

Fastway- very underlooked classic and hard to believe that is the same David King who now fronts the Flogging Mollys. Of course it is hard to believe that is Fast Eddie Clarke.

UFO-Live- I love UFO but those early years with Mick Bolton on guitar are a band still in their formative stages similar to early Scorpions or Deep Purple, very little indication of what was ahead of them. Interesting choice

Thin Lizzy-Thunder and Lighting- If you your going to go, than go with your boot on, great album and a great swan song from one of the greatest bands in rock history, Bob Dylan himself has called Phil Lynott a genius.

Soundgarden-Louder Than Love- the album they perfected their Led Zeppelin meets modern rock sound, excellent album and a personal favorite.

Judas Priest-Sin After Sin- Classic nuff said.

Vinnie Vincent Invasion-Looking like they invaded Cher's wardrobe, and shamelessly playing over the top, the great lost glam metal album of the 80's.

Spec - Mad props on your love for Rage's MISSING LINK! That is a fantastic album!

Fat Freddy wrote:

Spec - Mad props on your love for Rage's MISSING LINK! That is a fantastic album!

Oh yeah!

I'm not going to attempt to put these in any particular order, the list is just as random as I am. This is part one, I'll add some more later.



Yes' 1969 debut gets lost in the shuffle primarily because Steve Howe hadn't joined the band yet. Instead you get jazz guitarist Peter Banks moonlighting in a rock band, with killer results! The two best tracks on the album are both covers; I See You (The Byrds) is easily one of my favorite Yes performances of all time and their take on Every Little Thing (The Beatles) is truly "out there", applying some of the avant garde jazz esthetic. In addition you also get early classics like Survival plus a song like Harold Land (named after a jazz saxophonist) which has vanished from the minds of most Yes fans.



Thin Lizzy's debut is a perfect snapshot of a group trying a little bit of everything in search of their identity, but unlike many such experiements that fail most of them work on this album and it's a joy to hear Lynott closer to the folk rock setting he was working in prior to forming Lizzy. Many early classics here; The Friendly Ranger At Clontarf Castle has Phil channeling the Hendrix Experience, Honesty Is My Only Excuse is one of his best early ballads, Ray Gun is a straight up fun rocker, Return Of The Farmer's Son hints at the heaviness they would explore later in tracks like Emerald.


Deep Purple (1969) - the last album featuring the original Rod Evans fronted lineup. Another "band in transistion" album as this lineup would dissolve not long after recording and the era of Gillan and Glover was about to begin. One of Purple's more ambitious records, lots of progressive tendencies on display particularly on the classical tinged epic April and other songs like The Painter, Bird Has Flown. Opening track Chasing Shadows is a lost little Deep Purple gem.



A truly odd little masterpiece, not the best band in the world but it's got personality. The track "It's So Nice To Be Stoned" was played at MANY parties I threw during the 80's.



Recorded the same year that John played on Bitches Brew, this is one of the only albums you can hear him play more traditional based jazz guitar, though definitely outward-leaning. The addition of John Surman on Baritone Saxophone adds a perfect compliment to McLaughlin's technical flights.

more later...

detuned wrote:

Deep Purple (1969) - the last album featuring the original Rod Evans fronted lineup. Another "band in transistion" album as this lineup would dissolve not long after recording and the era of Gillan and Glover was about to begin. One of Purple's more ambitious records, lots of progressive tendencies on display particularly on the classical tinged epic April and other songs like The Painter, Bird Has Flown. Opening track Chasing Shadows is a lost little Deep Purple gem.

Oh yeah! Great, great album.

Great choices detuned,

Yes-s/t- A very good album and like other major bands of that era, on their debut they were not ready for prime time, but already the elements that were to make Yes the most successful Prog band of their era in place. Like detuned stated this album would soon be overshadowed by Steve Howe led version of this band.

Thin Lizzy- Very good debut album, it shows Phil Lynott early Van Morrison influence. Very different than the band they would morph into, but a great insight into their early years and already Phil Lynott the poet is shining thru

Deep Purple- The 3rd and final album of the mark I line up. You could hear the swift in power from Jon Lord to Ritchie Blackmore ready to turn them from a pseudo pop/psychedlic act to metal pioneers they were soon to become. Great lost album and line up, poor Rod Evans never stood a chance when he was compared to the legendary Ian Gillan and to some extent David Coverdale. Great choices.

manny wrote:

Ok Deathcult question, I was looking at that Mott the Hopple album you have listed, and than realized that is not Mott the Hopple, or is it Mott the Hopple, never heard of this album if it is Mott the Hopple, and if it is where the heck is Ian Hunter ?

Thats Mott The Hoople's first post Ian Hunter album, Drive On. They shortened their name to Mott at that time

DeathCult wrote:

manny wrote:

Ok Deathcult question, I was looking at that Mott the Hopple album you have listed, and than realized that is not Mott the Hopple, or is it Mott the Hopple, never heard of this album if it is Mott the Hopple, and if it is where the heck is Ian Hunter ?

Thats Mott The Hoople's first post Ian Hunter album, Drive On. They shortened their name to Mott at that time

Did Ian have ownership of the name "Hoople"? Maybe they could have went with "Mott the Poople" or something. On second thought, just shortening it to Mott was a good idea. I don't think the public was ready for a band with "poop" in their name.

By the way, what album is this...



I don't recognize it and you don't have any description.

MG that's Mott the Hoople's classic second record Mad Shadows (1970).....my favourite song from the record Thunderback Ram is a proto punk/metal classic.......

manny wrote:

rattpoison the reason " Kings and Queens' sounds so cliche because every hair metal band of the 80's not only ripped off this song but also raided the entire Aerosmith catalog for song ideas, riffs, and even stealing bits of the bands image.

I never owned that Iggy Pop album, I am aware of it, and I love the title track which I have on some cheesy comp album entitled " Rude and Nude: The Best of Iggy Pop'

I never heard or even knew that album existed from the Brian Jonestown Massacre but I will be on lookout for it, the only album I heard from these guys ( the title escapes me ) is great.

I mean Heavy Metal cliche as in the kinda cheesy epic Dungeon N' Dragon's thing it has going on.....it's more at home on Dio record then an Aerosmith record.....which might be a godsend to alot of people on this board but it ain't really my thing.

It's the same problem i have with Angel Of Death on Thin Lizzy's Renegade. That epic gothic Metal imagery and music both songs have got going on.

Get Kill City straight away.....you'll love it.

This is my fave song of the BJM's Their Satanic Majesties Second Request, just stunning.......

Anenome
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=StV9lElcvAY

Cross Purposes is very good. The whole Martin era is very good and overlooked.

Dada is GREAT. A true Alice classic.

Creatures of the Night is great as well, but I don't think it's overlooked. Unless we're talking about initial reaction because I think it's become one of their signature albums.

Metal Misfit, I am referring to the time that 'Creatures of the Night " was released, and I believe you are correct, alot of fans have gone back and revisted that album have placed it as a classic KISS album. At the time it was released it was a commerical failure and than "Lick It Up' was released and went plantium and for years that album was ignored by fans and critics, overshadowed by a series of successful albums in the 80's.

They even released it on vinyl with a new cover, that featured them without their make up, and it finally went plantium sometime in the mid 80's.

Quote :

They even released it on vinyl with a new cover,
that featured them without their make up, and it finally went plantium
sometime in the mid 80's.

I was Baby Spec at the time but that's how I remember it going down. People still had a sour taste in their mouths from "The Elder" and didn't embrace "Creatures" until the success of "Lick It Up".

manny wrote:

Metal Misfit, I am referring to the time that 'Creatures of the Night " was released, and I believe you are correct, alot of fans have gone back and revisted that album have placed it as a classic KISS album. At the time it was released it was a commerical failure and than "Lick It Up' was released and went plantium and for years that album was ignored by fans and critics, overshadowed by a series of successful albums in the 80's.

They even released it on vinyl with a new cover, that featured them without their make up, and it finally went plantium sometime in the mid 80's.

Nope, it finally went Platinum in 94 i think

It took it 12 years for 'Creatures" to go platinum, that must be a record of some sort.

manny wrote:

It took it 12 years for 'Creatures" to go platinum, that must be a record of some sort.

John Coltrane's A Love Supreme didn't go platinum until 1996, that's 32 years.

You have to be kidding John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme' is considered a jazz classic and album that helped change music, it took it 32 years to go platinum !!!!

Jazz albums in the "classic era" between 1954 & 1970, generally sold less than 50,000 copies. Except for a few mainstream artists (Miles, Brubeck, Monk, Coltrane and many vocalists) on major labels, most of the classic jazz albums were released by small independents without any major promotional machines behind them. Constant touring and word of mouth was the only way to get publicity, the mainstream press had 0% interest in promoting jazz.

Last year Herbie Hancock won a grammy for best album, that's the first Grammy given to a jazz album since Stan Getz got one in 1964!

The Grammy's have been out of touch since 1955, almost as bad as the rock n roll hall of shame.

manny wrote:

The Grammy's have been out of touch since 1955, almost as bad as the rock n roll hall of shame.

Very true.

I will go with...

ICON- Night Of The Crime Big departure from the debut and when it first hit the streets, I was like "what the..." The debut was "metal" but this is melodic hard rock done right. Good catchy songs with a slice of cheese here and there that showcased what a fine vocalist Stephen Clifford was. They should of got busy allowing the guitars to blast out more, being they had a talented duo of exceptional players that complimented one another in style and technique.

Q5-Steel The Light From the remnants of another great band (TKO) , we get a record that had some variety of sorts.
The singer had good range and the music went from the sequenced epic of the title track, raunchy uptempo stuff, catchy hook laden tunes, to the usual melodramatic ballad.
This is a good thing to crank while driving for a stretch on the interstate.

Mott's "Drive On" and White Witch have always been on my play list, although I like White Witch's second better than the first.

You hit a home run by listing M.S.G.-Built To Destroy Schenker rules!!!!! Life, without having this album in your collection, is incomplete!!!

Love Is For Suckers and Innuendo are both great albums! 10/10

Although you have a handful of albums that I feel should indeed be overlooked , there are many I would agree deverseve more respect. Definitely Queen's Innuendo, The Who by Numbers, and Megadeth's So Far, So Good need a second listen.