Top Ten - 1988

1988 was a strong year in metal, with four of the 47 bands rated achieving or topping a 90.00 rating (if you round up). Queensrÿche's powerhouse album Operation: Mindcrime easily ruled supreme that year, which is particularly impressive considering Helloween also released their excellent Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2.



Top Ten - 1988
93.02 -- Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime
90.73 -- Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2
89.59 -- Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today
88.99 -- Attacker - Second Coming
88.74 -- Apocalypse - Apocalypse
87.90 -- Kingdom Come - Kingdom Come
87.63 -- Riot - Thundersteel
87.57 -- Cinderella - Long Cold Winter
86.78 -- Anthem - Gypsy Ways
86.61 -- Blue Öyster Cult - Imaginos

Other 1989 releases:
86.24 -- Fates Warning - No Exit
86.14 -- Dark Quarterer - Etruscan Prophecy
86.02 -- W.A.S.P. - The Headless Children
85.13 -- Crimson Glory - Transcendence
84.95 -- Metallica - …And Justice for All
84.04 -- Liege Lord - Master Control
83.75 -- Kix - Blow My Fuse
81.74 -- Iron Maiden - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
80.88 -- Girlschool - Take a Bite
80.62 -- Heretic - Breaking Point
80.29 -- Skid Row - Skid Row
80.22 -- Judas Priest - Ram it Down
79.70 -- Rage - Perfect Man
79.23 -- AC/DC - Blow Up Your Video
78.51 -- Running Wild - Port Royal
78.40 -- Vixen - Vixen
75.44 -- Blind Guardian - Battalions of Fear
75.33 -- Anvil - Pound for Pound
75.19 -- Scorpions - Savage Amusement
74.43 -- Saxon - Destiny
74.16 -- Megadeth - So Far, So Good...So What!
74.04 -- Hurricane - Over the Edge
73.25 -- Bow Wow - Vibe
68.01 -- Masters of Reality - Masters of Reality
67.96 -- Poison - Open Up and Say...Ahh!
67.55 -- Ted Nugent - If You Can't Lick 'Em...Lick 'Em
66.94 -- Ratt - Reach for the Sky
66.72 -- Bon Jovi - New Jersey
65.81 -- Steeler - Undercover Animal
64.73 -- Jeff Healey Band - See the Light
64.01 -- Hawkwind - Xenon Codex
63.05 -- Van Halen - OU812
59.60 -- Angel Dust - To Dust You Will Decay
58.96 -- Manilla Road - Out of the Abyss
57.96 -- UFO - Ain't Misbehavin'
56.01 -- Silver Mountain - Roses & Champagne
52.57 -- Manowar - Kings of Metal

To Cry You A Song - The Worst Metal Album Ever Made

I've put together some fun (and admittedly different) compilations, but I figured it was time to switch things up a bit. So what I have for you today is the worst metal compilation I could scrape together. This was actually easy to do as only 32 songs out of the 22,000+ I've listened to received the lowest rating. Of those 32 songs, some were from non-metal bands and so didn't belong here. I also included only one song from each band (some had more than one awful song), which further reduced the possibilities. I then removed a few fringe-metal bands, and voila!, The Worst Metal Album Ever Made.

I kept the CD under 60 minutes, but that was probably more due to self-preservation as I couldn't really stomach another 20 minutes worth of this crap.

To be fair, I haven't actually listened to any of these songs since the first time I heard them, so one or two may not be as bad as I originally thought. On the other hand, there's way freakin' way my tastes have changed that much, so what I thought was shit then is most likely still shit now.

Before I list the tracks, I need to warn you: I am not responsible for any physical or mental conditions suffered while listening to this disc, including, but not limited to: bleeding from the ears, nose, eyes, or gums; fainting; rashes; uncontrolled flatulence; vomiting; explosive diarrhea; or temporary insanity.

Shit Tracks:
1. Venom - Aaaaaaarrghh (2:24)

2. Manowar - The Warrior's Prayer (4:20)

3. Seventh Seal - The Unicorn (5:41)

4. Vigilante - Disharmonic Memories (6:59)

5. Max Webster - Let Go the Line (3:33)

6. Guns 'n' Roses - My World (1:22)

7. Civilization One - 16 (4:36)

8. Def Leppard - All Night (3:38)

9. Empire - Maximum (3:54)

10. Krokus - Move It On (3:28)

11. Metallica - Purify (5:14)

12. Mötley Crüe - Glitter (5:00)

13. Slayer - Born of the Fire (3:07)

14. Wizard - Fuck Your Ass (2:06)

Albums:

Don't even worry about it.

You Wanted the Best...

Recently I cautioned against getting too wrapped up in the ratings numbers. After all, an album rated 91.18 is not significantly different from an 87.27. The point is, both are excellent albums.

So, while writing this post on my top-rated albums (those above 90.00), what did I do? That's right... I fell into my own trap. Of the 2,200 albums I rated, only 99 received a rating of 90.00 or higher (this includes albums I rounded up from 89.51 - 89.99).

While looking over the albums that just missed the cut, I decided there were some that I should re-evaluate. I didn't go crazy and re-evaluate everything that was close to a 90.00 rating; instead, I scanned the 152 albums that were rated 87.00 - 89.49 and chose 21 albums that I knew I liked and thought had a chance to top 90.00 (or at least 89.50) after a minor adjustment or two to the individual song ratings.

As my top 50 list changed, I realized that I wasn't quite finished yet. You see, it's hard to put aside emotional connections to some albums, especially those I bought and listened to as a kid. So I re-evaluated a few newer highly-rated albums as well, looking to move them down the list to below albums I've liked for awhile. (For example, how can I like Wolf's Black Wings album more than Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast? One is really good, but the other is a classic.)

I consider the 90.00 threshold to be the best of the best. Some of the re-evaluated albums deserve to be there, while other albums, although very good, probably shouldn't have been there in the first place. In the end, I re-evaluated 35 albums and made adjustments that I'm happy with. It's interesting to note, however, that the number of albums above an 89.50 rating only increased by seven. Before, there were 99 albums in that group; now there are 106. (FYI, percentage-wise, it works out to just under 5% of the total albums reviewed.)

The updated ratings affected the Top 50, some of the Top Ten lists, and the Deep Purple,  Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden discographies. All lists have been updated accordingly.

I'm reposting the Top 50 here, but if you're curious about what changed, check out the original list in my first post, From the Beginning... (which you should check out anyway if you haven't already, as it explains everything you need to know about how and why this blog came to be).

I'm sure the list of top-rated albums will continue to grow, albeit slowly at this point. I may also tweak the list again at some point (but to be honest, it was a pain in the ass updating the various affected posts). So stay tuned. If anything changes, you'll be the first to know.

Top 50 Albums:

98.14 -- Deep Purple - In Rock (1970)

97.98 -- Rainbow - Rising (1976)

96.37 -- Queensrÿche - Queensrÿche (EP) (1983)
95.70 -- Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972)
94.86 -- Iron Maiden - Powerslave (1984)
94.24 -- Sweet - Give Us A Wink (1976)
93.73 -- Black Sabbath - Born Again (1983)
93.67 -- Ted Nugent - Free-for-All (1976)
93.55 -- Megadeth - Rust In Peace (1990)
93.02 -- Queensrÿche - Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
92.75 -- Scorpions - Lovedrive (1979)
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)
91.67 -- Anthem - Heavy Metal Anthem (2000)
91.64 -- Savatage - The Dungeons are Calling (1984)
91.52 -- Murasaki - Impact (1976)
91.47 -- Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1970)
91.46 -- Fastway - Fastway (1983)
91.45 -- Uriah Heep - Wake the Sleeper (2008)
91.40 -- Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast (1982)
91.28 -- Domine - Stormbringer Ruler (2000)
91.22 -- Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry (1984)
91.18 -- Iced Earth - Something Wicked this Way Comes (1998)
91.18 -- Armored Saint - Symbol of Salvation (1991)
91.16 -- Buffalo - Volcanic Rock (1973)
91.11 -- Gillan - Glory Road (1980)
91.04 -- October 31 - Meet Thy Maker (1999)
91.00 -- Sweet - Desolation Boulevard (US) (1974)
90.97 -- Aria - Armageddon (2006)
90.86 -- Jethro Tull - Aqualung (1971)
90.86 -- Metallica - Ride the Lightning (1984)
90.85 -- Black Sabbath - Tyr (1990)
90.85 -- Metal Church - Light In the Dark (2006)
90.82 -- Elixir - The Idol (2003)
90.80 -- AC/DC - Let there Be Rock (1977)
90.73 -- Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2 (1988)
90.71 -- Deep Purple - Fireball (USA) (1971)
90.64 -- Gillan - Future Shock (1981)
90.57 -- Gillan - Double Trouble (1981)
90.55 -- Saxon - Metalhead (1999)
90.54 -- Scorpions - Love at First Sting (1984)
90.52 -- Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (1971)
90.51 -- Anvil - Metal On Metal (1982)
90.51 -- Gamma Ray - Majestic (2005)
90.49 -- W.A.S.P. - Dying for the World (2002)
90.48 -- Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations (1981)
90.45 -- Saxon - Power and the Glory (1983)
90.41 -- Bow Wow - Era (2005)

Top Ten - 1989

As we go back in time, we start moving away from the Power and Progressive metal bands and back into the realm of traditional metal, NWOBHM, and classic rock bands. There are 45 albums from 1989 listed here.



Top Ten - 1989
91.76 -- Metal Church - Blessing In Disguise
88.77 -- Badlands - Badlands
88.33 -- Black Sabbath - Headless Cross
88.23 -- Faith No More - The Real Thing
87.62 -- Running Wild - Death or Glory
86.25 -- Anthem - Hunting Time
86.05 -- Gamma Ray - Heading for Tomorrow
85.28 -- Cacophony - Go Off!
84.69 -- Blue Murder - Blue Murder
84.14 -- Savatage - Gutter Ballet

Other 1989 releases:
84.01 -- Aria - Play with Fire
83.85 -- Testament - Practice What You Preach
82.27 -- Bride - Silence Is Madness
82.22 -- Fates Warning - Perfect Symmetry
81.54 -- Great White - ...Twice Shy
81.24 -- Dream Theater - When Dream and Day Unite
81.20 -- Whitesnake - Slip of the Tongue
80.64 -- Ozzy Osbourne - No Rest for the Wicked
80.39 -- Aerosmith - Pump
79.08 -- Rage - Secrets in a Weird World
78.51 -- Viper - Theater of Fate
78.48 -- King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
78.28 -- McAuley Schenker Group - Save Yourself
77.27 -- Jethro Tull - Rock Island
76.87 -- Joe Satriani - Flying in a Blue Dream
75.84 -- Ten Years After - About Time
75.58 -- Kiss - Hot In the Shade
74.72 -- Demon - Taking the World by Storm
73.95 -- Alice Cooper - Trash
73.45 -- Bow Wow - Helter Skelter
73.12 -- U.D.O. - Mean Machine
72.91 -- Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Step
72.68 -- Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood
72.41 -- Stratovarius - Fright Night
67.54 -- Triumph - Surveillance
67.16 -- Blind Guardian - Follow the Blind
65.93 -- Pink Cream 69 - Pink Cream 69
65.87 -- Sabbat - Dreamweaver (Reflections of Our Yesterdays)
65.82 -- Axel Rudi Pell - Wild Obsession
64.40 -- Uriah Heep - Raging Silence
63.58 -- Bonham - The Disregard of Timekeeping
62.76 -- Toxik - Think This
58.05 -- Queen - The Miracle
55.81 -- Molly Hatchet - Lightning Strikes Twice
51.94 -- Fastway - On Target

Past and Future Secret...

The letters below form an album title. Can you figure it out? I'll give you a hint... wait... I've already given you a hint in this post. Actually, I've given you two hints already. But I'll tell you what. How about one more hint? I mentioned the album in one of the Top Ten lists I've already posted.

This is actually a pretty simple cipher, once you understand how it works. If you know the answer, post it in the comments or the chat box. Good luck!

tfhlwareiolotgremwhlstitd

To Cry You A Song - Trains

Another unusual theme, but maybe not quite as bad as the To Cry You A Song - Colors post. The songs are a mix of blues rock, hard rock, and metal, but like the other post, it works due to the strength of the high song ratings and the inclusion of six Desert Island songs (marked with an *).

I almost listed the songs in a random order, but as I was looking over the titles, they seemed to form a interesting "story."

Update: This morning I realized I didn't include a train song by Grand Funk Railroad. This was a mistake, as they have three songs that qualify, not to mention that their name alone implies they should be included here. After dismissing the instrumental T.N.U.C.*, I was left with the hit The Loco-Motion or the less popular but better Railroad. This was actually an easy decision. But now I also needed to remove a song and somehow find extra time because Railroad is longer than all but two tracks. After some deliberation, I came up with a solution. I removed the Badlands' track Rumblin' Train (a good song, but not as good as Railroad), and also sacrificed the harmonica intro to Blackfoot's Train, Train. It hurt me to do that, but it was now necessary.

*By the way, if you've ever wondered what this song title means, read the letters backwards.

Anyway, without further ado, here it is, the new and improved TCYAS - Trains CD:

Train Tracks (a purely unintentional, and admittedly awful, pun):

1. Grand Funk Railroad - Railroad (6:07)
2. Scorpions - Catch Your Train (3:38)*

3. Ten Years After - Standing at the Station (7:11)*

4. Vanderhoof - Nowhere Train (5:09)*

5. Blackfoot - Train, Train (3:32)

6. Saxon - Princess of the Night (4:01)*

7. Aerosmith - Train Kept A-Rollin' (5:33)

8. Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train (4:58)

9. Bow Wow - Get On Our Train (5:07)

10. Deep Purple - Slow Train (5:36)

11. Foghat - Jump that Train (5:16)

12. Mogg/Way - Gravy Train (4:55)

13. Savoy Brown - Hellbound Train (9:07)*

14. George Thorogood - Hellbound Train (4:56)*

15. Armored Saint - Last Train Home (5:18)

Disc length - 79:48

Albums:
Grand Funk Railroad - We're An American Band (1973)
Scorpions - Virgin Killer (1976)
Ten Years After - Rock & Roll Music to the World (1972)
Vanderhoof - A Blur in Time (2002)

Blackfoot - Strikes (1979)

Saxon - Denim and Leather (1981)

Aerosmith - Get Your Wings (1974)

Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz (1980)

Bow Wow - Signal Fire (1977)

Deep Purple - Fireball (25th Anniversary Edition) (1971)

Foghat - The Return of the Boogie Men (1994)

Badlands - Badlands (1989)

Mogg/Way - Edge of the World (1997)

Savoy Brown - Hellbound Train (1972)

George Thorogood - Half a Boy/Half a Man (1999)

Armored Saint - Symbol of Salvation (1991)

Top Ten (+15) - The 1990s

Now that I've finished posting my ratings for albums released during the 90s, I want to wrap it all up with a post of the top 25 releases of the decade. The posts from 1990 - 1999 included 382 albums released by 170 bands (low numbers when compared to the decades before and after, but ones that I'm sure will increase in time).

What surprised me most about this list is that only two bands -- Running Wild and Metal Church -- had more than one album here, while some bands that I like a lot (such as Megadeth, Dream Theater, Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarius, and others) had only one or even none.

Should this list change, I'll be sure to let you know. In the meantime, I'll continue with ratings from the 1980s, and will also post my top ten from 2009 and the best of the 2000s soon after the year ends. Stay tuned!

Top 25 Albums:

93.55 -- Megadeth - Rust in Peace (1990)

91.18 -- Iced Earth - Something Wicked this Way Comes (1998)

91.18 -- Armored Saint - Symbol of Salvation (1991)

91.04 -- October 31 - Meet thy Maker (1999)

90.85 -- Black Sabbath - Tyr (1990)

90.55 -- Saxon - Metalhead (1999)

90.28 -- Rage - The Missing Link (1993)

90.18 -- Saviour Machine - Saviour Machine I (1993)

90.04 -- Blind Guardian - Tales from the Twilight World (1990)

89.74 -- Helloween - Better than Raw (1998)

89.64 -- Dream Theater - Images and Words (1992)

89.52 -- Running Wild - Black Hand Inn (1994)

89.52 -- Warrior Soul - Last Decade Dead Century (1990)

89.18 -- Mägo de Oz - La Leyenda de la Mancha (1998)

89.16 -- Jeff Healey Band - Hell to Pay (1990)

89.13 -- W.A.S.P. - Helldorado (1999)

89.12 -- Seven Witches - Second War in Heaven (1999)

89.12 -- Wuthering Heights - Within (1999)

88.96 -- Lefay - Symphony of the Damned (1999)

88.59 -- Molly Hatchet - Silent Reign of Heroes (1998)

88.57 -- Savatage - Dead Winter Dead (1995)

88.40 -- Running Wild - Blazon Stone (1991)

88.38 -- Metal Church - Masterpeace (1999)

88.29 -- Metal Church - The Human Factor (1991)

88.28 -- Aria - Blood for Blood (1991)