The Numbers of the Beast...

I originally posted these numbers on September 30. As they increase, I'll re-post them. To date, I've rated:

• 712 bands
• 2,316 albums
• 23,283 songs

(Original posted numbers: 626 bands, 2,059 albums and 20,657 songs)

As always, if you have a question about ratings for a particular band, album or song, post a comment here or in the chat box and I'll get back to you.

Top Ten (+15) - The 1980s

The top ten lists from the 1980s included 243 bands and 595 albums. Now that I'm at the end, I know you've all been waiting for this, so without further ado, here are my top 25* albums from that decade. It's a pretty damn impressive list, with every album topping a 90 rating (without rounding up).

*Yes, there are indeed 26 albums listed here; there was a tie for 25th place.

Three bands -- Gillan, Iron Maiden, and Queensrÿche -- show up more than once. I was surprised that some of my favorite bands, including the Scorpions, Savatage, Black Sabbath, Metal Church, MSG and others only have one album listed here. But I wasn't surprised that 24 of the 26 albums were from 1980 - 1984. That was a special time in rock and metal history, and the strength of diversity of the music was evident.



Top 25 Albums:
96.37 -- Queensrÿche - Queensrÿche (EP) (1983)
94.86 -- Iron Maiden - Powerslave (1984)
93.73 -- Black Sabbath - Born Again (1983)
93.02 -- Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
91.90 -- Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind (1983)
91.79 -- Michael Schenker Group - Assault Attack (1982)
91.78 -- Krokus - Headhunter (1983)
91.76 -- Metal Church - Blessing In Disguise (1989)
91.64 -- Savatage - The Dungeons are Calling (1984)
91.46 -- Fastway - Fastway (1983)
91.40 -- Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (1982)
91.22 -- Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry (1984)
91.11 -- Gillan - Glory Road (1980)
90.86 -- Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)
90.73 -- Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2 (1988)
90.64 -- Gillan - Future Shock (1981)
90.57 -- Gillan - Double Trouble (1981)
90.54 -- Scorpions - Love at First Sting (1984)
90.51 -- Anvil - Metal On Metal (1982)
90.48 -- Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations (1981)
90.45 -- Saxon - Power and the Glory (1983)
90.36 -- Riot - Restless Breed (1982)
90.33 -- Kix - Kix (1981)
90.27 -- More - Blood & Thunder (1982)
90.22 -- Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman (1981)
90.22 -- Def Leppard - On Through the Night (1980)
89.96 -- Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (1980)

Top Ten - 1980

1980 was an important year in rock and metal. Looking through the 60 albums below, you'll find many bands' first albums, including Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, MSG, and others. Also notable is Ian Gillan's two-year stint not just in the top spot, but at #1 here, and #1 and #2 the following year.



Top Ten - 1980
91.11 -- Gillan - Glory Road
90.22 -- Def Leppard - On Through the Night
89.96 -- Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
89.62 -- Manilla Road - Invasion
89.07 -- Warrior - Let Battle Commence
88.74 -- Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law
87.83 -- Tygers of Pan Tang - Wild Cat
86.21 -- Robin Trower - Victims of the Fury
86.04 -- Krokus - Metal Rendez-vous
85.23 -- AC/DC - Back In Black

Other 1980 releases:
85.05 -- Budgie - Power Supply
84.83 -- Michael Schenker Group - The Michael Schenker Group
84.55 -- Quartz - Stand Up and Fight
84.47 -- Samson - Head On
84.38 -- Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
84.25 -- Ted Nugent - Scream Dream
84.21 -- Triumph - Progressions of Power
83.48 -- Motörhead - Ace of Spades
82.95 -- The Rods - Rock Hard
82.84 -- Killer - Ready for Hell
82.23 -- White Spirit - White Spirit
82.23 -- Chevy - The Taker
82.17 -- Samson - Survivors
81.84 -- Fist - Turn the Hell On
81.53 -- Saxon - Wheels of Steel
81.02 -- Molly Hatchet - Beatin' the Odds
80.60 -- Rush - Permanent Waves
80.57 -- Gamma - Gamma 2
80.50 -- Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
80.14 -- Girlschool - Demolition
80.04 -- Angel Witch - Angel Witch
79.93 -- Scorpions - Animal Magnetism
78.82 -- Queen - The Game
78.49 -- Judas Priest - British Steel
75.42 -- Atomic Rooster - Atomic Rooster
75.36 -- Thin Lizzy - Chinatown
74.94 -- Whitesnake - Ready an' Willing
74.62 -- Van Halen - Women and Children First
74.57 -- UFO - No Place to Run
73.52 -- Max Webster - Universal Juveniles
72.74 -- 707 - 707
72.46 -- Heart - Bebe le Strange
72.27 -- Witchfynde - Stagefright
72.05 -- Blackfoot - Tomcattin'
71.58 -- Uriah Heep - Conquest
71.39 -- Crack the Sky - White Music
71.05 -- Hawkwind - Levitation
70.68 -- Pete Townshend - Empty Glass
70.58 -- Blue Öyster Cult - Cultosaurus Erectus
70.09 -- Winterhawk - Dog Soldier
68.79 -- Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Chance
68.04 -- Pat Travers Band - Crash and Burn
65.44 -- Foghat - Tight Shoes
65.15 -- Bow Wow - Glorious Road
61.53 -- Sweet - Waters Edge
60.17 -- Jethro Tull - A
59.17 -- Alice Cooper - Flush the Fashion
58.93 -- Queen - Flash Gordon
51.41 -- Touch - Touch
46.24 -- Kiss - Unmasked
62.80 -- Hawkwind - Church Of Hawkwind
62.50 -- Van Halen - Diver Down
61.10 -- Venom - Black Metal
59.50 -- Pete Townshend - All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
55.66 -- Alice Cooper - Zipper Catches Skin
52.96 -- Foghat - In the Mood for Something Rude
50.14 -- Queen - Hot Space

One Hundred and Five Degrees...

Sometimes things fall neatly into place. Whether by luck, chance, or fate, sometimes things just work out. In this case, I've been thinking of adding a new regular feature to this blog, and I finally figured out what to do. I currently have four on-going topics* (plus these annoying interludes), but none of the topics focus on individual albums.

*Shameless plug #1: Check out my Long Way To Go... post for details.

The plan is to discuss in detail (you know, actually review) an album, where I'll provide insight into the individual song ratings and show you how I determined the album rating. I'll focus on albums with a rating of 90 or better (if you round up). I won't do them in order; instead, I'll pick whichever album I feel like discussing at the time, but eventually I'll get to them all.

So, you may be wondering, how does the "sometimes things fall neatly into place" thing fit in here? First, check out the post title* again. Now, I want you to guess how many albums I've given a 90 rating or better? (I don't think you need to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out.)

*In keeping with tradition, the title of this (interlude) post is indeed a song. It's by Leafhound, a semi-obscure early 70s hard rock band that reformed in 2007 and released a new album. Both the song and album are rather good, too.

One last thing... I posted my Top 50 albums in the You Wanted the Best... post (shameless plug #2), so you can see a little preview of some of the albums to be reviewed. In the meantime, if you want a review for a specific album, just let me know.

To Cry You A Song - Random Songs

What? A To Cry You A Song post with no theme? Tell me it ain't so! I know how much you like them, but don't worry, I haven't abandoned the concept; I just wanted to create a disc of Desert Island songs without the limitations of a theme. For this particular disc, I'm thinking that at least some of the songs below have escaped your notice, and this is a good way to highlight them.

I have more themes in mind (and trust me, they're just as lame as the previous ones), but I'll also continue with these posts (which technically could be considered a theme, so there!) as the spirit moves me. And although I may have already listed some of the songs in the Rock Island storyline, others will be new and just as worthy of recognition.

Random Tracks:
1. Silent Force - Infatuator (4:46)
2. Cornerstone - Once Upon Our Yesterdays (6:00)
3. Feinstein - Rebelution (4:57)
4. Kamelot - Center of the Universe (5:27)
5. Tad Morose - Anubis (3:53)
6. Thy Majestie - The Siege of Paris (6:22)
7. Anthem - The Man with No Name (4:46)
8. Force of Evil - Hell on Earth (3:29)
9. Overlorde - Metallic Madness (3:46)
10. Bow Wow - Fallen Angel (5:11)
11. Jaguar - Eighties (3:49)
12. Masterplan - Enlighten Me (4:37)
13. Brainstorm - Hollow Hideaway (4:25)
14. Uriah Heep - Overload (5:59)
15. David Shankle Group - Asylum God (4:09)
16. Mägo de Oz - Réquiem (8:10)
Disc time: 79:46

Albums:
Silent Force - Infatuator (2001)
Cornerstone - Once Upon Our Yesterdays (2004)
Feinstein - Third Wish (2004)
Kamelot - Epica (2003)
Tad Morose - Modus Vivendi (2004)
Thy Majestie - Jeanne d’Arc (2005)
Anthem - Seven Hills (2001)
Force of Evil - Force of Evil (2004)
Overlorde - Return of the Snow Giant (2004)
Bow Wow - Era (2005)
Jaguar - Run Ragged (2003)
Masterplan - Masterplan (2003)
Brainstorm - Metus Mortis (2001)
Uriah Heep - Wake the Sleeper (2008)
David Shankle Group - Hellborn (2007)
Mägo de Oz - La Leyenda de la Mancha (1998)

Top Ten - 1981

After his initial foray into jazz rock, Ian Gillan renamed his band to Gillan and returned to a hard rock sound. 1981 was a high point as he took the top two spots with the excellent Future Shock and Double Trouble albums. NWOBHM bands also started coming on strong, placing four bands placed in the top ten. I rated 67 albums from that year.



Top Ten - 1981
90.64 -- Gillan - Future Shock
90.57 -- Gillan - Double Trouble
90.48 -- Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations
90.33 -- Kix - Kix
90.22 -- Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman
89.60 -- Killer - Wall of Sound
88.46 -- More - Warhead
88.37 -- Gaskin - End of the World
86.00 -- Riot - Fire Down Under
85.84 -- Y&T - Earthshaker

Other 1981 releases:
85.32 -- Anvil - Hard'n'Heavy
85.30 -- Triumph - Allied Forces
85.28 -- Holocaust - The Nightcomers
84.66 -- Iron Maiden - Killers
84.23 -- April Wine - The Nature of the Beast
83.54 -- Tygers of Pan Tang - Spellbound
83.37 -- Rush - Moving Pictures
82.66 -- Rainbow - Difficult to Cure
82.62 -- Danny Joe Brown - Danny Joe Brown and the Danny Joe Brown Band
82.42 -- Robin Trower - B.L.T.
82.18 -- The Rods - The Rods
81.75 -- Mötley Crüe - Too Fast for Love
81.74 -- Peter Frampton - Breaking All the Rules
81.56 -- Saxon - Denim and Leather
81.31 -- Fist - Back with A Vengeance
80.60 -- Grand Funk - Grand Funk Lives!
80.52 -- Demon - Night of the Demon
80.43 -- Warning - Warning
80.29 -- Michael Schenker Group - MSG
80.05 -- Krokus - Hardware
79.25 -- Budgie - Nightflight
79.15 -- Lucifer's Friend - Mean Machine
79.05 -- Blackfoot - Marauder
78.59 -- Def Leppard - High 'n' Dry
78.30 -- Billy Squier - Don't Say No
77.95 -- Vardis - The World's Insane
77.89 -- Raven - Rock Until You Drop
77.63 -- Cirith Ungol - Frost and Fire
77.34 -- Venom - Welcome to Hell
77.12 -- UFO - The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent
77.09 -- Heavy Load - Metal Conquest
76.27 -- Molly Hatchet - Take No Prisoners
76.17 -- Neil Young - Re-ac-tor
76.17 -- Styx - Paradise Theater
75.47 -- Manilla Road - Mark of the Beast
75.34 -- Whitesnake - Come an' Get It
74.60 -- Pat Travers Band - Radio Active
74.34 -- Hawkwind - Sonic Attack
74.25 -- Graham Bonnet - Line Up
73.97 -- The Who - Face Dances
72.14 -- Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies
71.88 -- Samson - Shock Tactics
71.58 -- Blue Öyster Cult - Fire of Unknown Origin
71.30 -- Black Sabbath - Mob Rules
71.02 -- Van Halen - Fair Warning
69.74 -- ZZ Top - El Loco
69.53 -- Accept - Breaker
69.20 -- Judas Priest - Point of Entry
68.02 -- Cozy Powell - Tilt
67.29 -- Thin Lizzy - Renegade
65.20 -- Kiss - Music from "The Elder"
64.64 -- Foghat - Girls to Chat & Boys to Bounce
64.58 -- Moody Blues - Long Distance Voyager
64.20 -- Foreigner - 4
63.81 -- Bow Wow - Hard Dog
62.40 -- AC/DC - For Those About to Rock
56.07 -- Alice Cooper - Special Forces

Top Ten - 1982

1982 was a strong year in rock. The 67 albums below are a good mix of top acts and lesser known bands, of heavy metal and classic rock, of bands on their way in and bands on their way out. Oh, and while the top two albums are great, don't ignore the four behind them.



Top Ten - 1982
91.79 -- Michael Schenker Group - Assault Attack
91.40 -- Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
90.51 -- Anvil - Metal On Metal
90.36 -- Riot - Restless Breed
90.27 -- More - Blood & Thunder
88.44 -- Winterhawk - Revival
87.33 -- Triumph - Never Surrender
86.39 -- Baron Rojo - Volumen Brutal (english version)
86.27 -- Rainbow - Straight Between the Eyes
86.17 -- Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance

Other 1982 releases:
85.47 -- Diamond Head - Borrowed Time
85.12 -- Vandenberg - Vandenberg
84.83 -- Scorpions - Blackout
84.21 -- Picture - Diamond Dreamer
83.95 -- Demon - The Unexpected Guest
83.48 -- The Rods - Wild Dogs
83.28 -- E.F. Band - Deep Cut
83.26 -- Manowar - Battle Hymns
82.95 -- Pat Travers Band - Black Pearl
82.80 -- Raven - Wiped Out
82.79 -- Gary Moore - Cooridors of Power
82.78 -- Gillan - Magic
81.76 -- Uriah Heep - Abominog
81.47 -- Asia - Asia
80.18 -- Plasmatics - Coup d'Etat
79.47 -- Motörhead - Iron Fist
79.41 -- Y&T - Black Tiger
78.91 -- Whitesnake - Saints & Sinners
78.84 -- Bow Wow - Warning from Stardust
78.62 -- Axe - Offering
78.46 -- Rush - Signals
78.41 -- Nightwing - Black Summer
77.86 -- Aerosmith - Rock in a Hard Place
77.78 -- Bow Wow - Asian Volcano
76.12 -- Viva - Dealers of the Night
75.75 -- Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Somewhere in Afrika
75.72 -- Santers - Racing Time
75.66 -- Kiss - Creatures of the Night
75.62 -- Night Ranger - Dawn Patrol
74.91 -- Riff Raff - Robot Stud
74.80 -- Gaskin - No Way Out
74.22 -- Ted Nugent - Nugent
74.18 -- Heavy Load - Death Or Glory
73.80 -- Kim Mitchell - Kim Mitchell
72.32 -- UFO - Mechanix
72.31 -- Witchfinder General - Death Penalty
72.17 -- Billy Squier - Emotions in Motion
71.31 -- Jethro Tull - The Broadsword and the Beast
71.08 -- Talas - Sink Your Teeth into That
70.75 -- The Who - It's Hard
70.51 -- Manilla Road - Metal
70.46 -- Sweet - Identity Crisis
70.09 -- Robin Trower - Truce
69.63 -- Samson - Before the Storm
69.54 -- Hawkwind - Choose Your Masques
69.23 -- Budgie - Deliver Us from Evil
68.51 -- Golden Earring - Cut
65.33 -- Krokus - One Vice At A Time
65.00 -- Twisted Sister - Under the Blade
64.06 -- Tygers of Pan Tang - Crazy Nights
62.80 -- Hawkwind - Church of Hawkwind
62.50 -- Van Halen - Diver Down
61.10 -- Venom - Black Metal
59.50 -- Pete Townshend - All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
55.66 -- Alice Cooper - Zipper Catches Skin
52.96 -- Foghat - In the Mood for Something Rude
50.14 -- Queen - Hot Space