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

Top Ten - 1983

Here we go... the best year in rock and roll! Nine of the top ten albums topped a 90.00 rating (rounding up, of course), and 36 of the 68 albums listed topped an 80.00 rating. And just look at the top six: each and every one a classic metal album! It was good to be a metalhead in '83.



Top Ten - 1983
96.37 -- Queensrÿche - Queensrÿche (EP)
93.73 -- Black Sabbath - Born Again
91.90 -- Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind
91.78 -- Krokus - Headhunter
91.46 -- Fastway - Fastway
90.45 -- Saxon - Power and the Glory
89.81 -- Acid - Maniac
89.71 -- Jaguar - Power Games
89.64 -- Anvil - Forged In Fire
89.28 -- Silver Mountain - Shakin' Brains

Other 1983 releases:
88.91 -- Motörhead - Another Perfect Day
87.21 -- Savatage - Sirens
86.95 -- Metallica - Kill 'Em All
86.60 -- Oz - Fire in the Brain
86.55 -- Pretty Maids - Pretty Maids
85.90 -- Robin Trower - Back It Up
85.55 -- Savage - Loose 'n' Lethal
85.54 -- Blackfoot - Siogo
85.22 -- Zebra - Zebra
84.41 -- Killer Dwarfs - The Killer Dwarfs
84.29 -- Accept - Restless and Wild
83.86 -- Mercyful Fate - Melissa
83.43 -- Manilla Road - Crystal Logic
83.41 -- Kiss - Lick It Up
83.38 -- The Rods - In the Raw
83.30 -- Y&T - Mean Streak
83.28 -- Thin Lizzy - Thunder and Lightning
82.25 -- Mötley Crüe - Shout at the Devil
82.10 -- Chateaux - Chained and Desperate
82.00 -- Dio - Holy Diver
81.47 -- ZZ Top - Eliminator
80.49 -- Twisted Sister - You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll
80.09 -- Molly Hatchet - No Guts No Glory
79.91 -- Rainbow - Bent Out of Shape
79.84 -- Ozzy Osbourne - Bark at the Moon
78.85 -- Quiet Riot - Metal Health
78.41 -- UFO - Making Contact
77.92 -- Michael Schenker Group - Built to Destroy
77.22 -- Manowar - Into Glory Ride
77.02 -- Witchfinder General - Friends of Hell
76.81 -- Axe - Nemesis
75.93 -- Highway Chile - Storybook Heroes
75.66 -- Raven - All for One
73.94 -- Waysted - Vices
73.37 -- Dokken - Breaking the Chains
73.12 -- Def Leppard - Pyromania
73.05 -- Alcatrazz - No Parole From Rock 'N Roll
72.84 -- Demon - The Plague
72.35 -- Vandenberg - Heading for a Storm
72.04 -- Torch - Torch
71.93 -- Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood
71.13 -- Quartz - Against All Odds
70.75 -- Axewitch - The Lord of Flies
69.00 -- Alice Cooper - Dada
67.53 -- Styx - Kilroy Was Here
67.45 -- Cozy Powell - Octopuss
67.42 -- AC/DC - Flick of the Switch
66.16 -- Diamond Head - Canterbury
65.58 -- Grand Funk - What's Funk?
63.62 -- Moody Blues - The Present
63.40 -- Uriah Heep - Head First
62.91 -- Heavy Load - Stronger than Evil
62.78 -- Blue Öyster Cult - The Revolution by Night
58.10 -- Kix - Cool Kids
55.98 -- Atomic Rooster - Headline News
51.57 -- Venom - At War with Satan
47.06 -- Pink Floyd - The Final Cut
45.39 -- Foghat - Zig-Zag Walk

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

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)

Top Ten - 1990

I rated 45 albums from 1990, and sadly, it was the last great year for three top metal bands - Black Sabbath, Scorpions and Judas Priest. Never again would these bands crack the top ten. Kinda sad, but there's still hope that they'll once again find some of that past metal magic.



Top Ten - 1990:
93.55 -- Megadeth - Rust in Peace
90.85 -- Black Sabbath - Tyr
90.04 -- Blind Guardian - Tales from the Twilight World
89.52 -- Warrior Soul - Last Decade Dead Century
89.16 -- Jeff Healey Band - Hell to Pay
87.85 -- Anthem - No Smoke without Fire
87.68 -- Scorpions - Crazy World
86.73 -- Judas Priest - Painkiller
84.90 -- Rage - Reflections of a Shadow
82.93 -- Artillery - By Inheritance

Other 1990 releases:
82.49 -- Iron Maiden - No Prayer for the Dying
82.33 -- Riot - The Privilege of Power
82.23 -- Manilla Road - Courts of Chaos
82.23 -- Deep Purple - Slaves and Masters
82.12 -- Desperado - Bloodied but Unbowed
81.78 -- Lynch Mob - Wicked Sensation
81.17 -- Queensrÿche - Empire
81.16 -- Elixir - Lethal Potion
80.20 -- Sanctuary - Into the Mirror Black
80.12 -- Testament - Souls of Black
79.71 -- Warrant - Cherry Pie
79.48 -- Reverend - World Won't Miss You
78.50 -- AC/DC - The Razor's Edge
77.76 -- Bow Wow - Mountain Top
77.74 -- Extreme - Extreme II: Pornograffitti
77.39 -- Damn Yankees - Damn Yankees
75.61 -- Spread Eagle - Spread Eagle
72.87 -- Pat Travers Band - School of Hard Knocks
72.21 -- Ratt - Detonator
72.16 -- ZZ Top - Recycler
69.95 -- Dio - Lock Up the Wolves
69.90 -- Blues Traveler - Blues Traveler
69.88 -- Yngwie Malmsteen - Eclipse
69.45 -- Vixen - Rev It Up
69.02 -- Pantera - Cowboys from Hell
68.72 -- Slaughter - Stick It to Ya
68.40 -- Blackfoot - Medicine Man
67.96 -- Hawkwind - Space Bandits
67.40 -- Bruce Dickinson - Tattooed Millionaire
67.27 -- Morgana Lefay - Symphony of the Damned
65.63 -- Pretty Maids - Jump the Gun
63.37 -- Styx - Edge of the Century
58.31 -- Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss
57.20 -- Axxis - Axxis II
54.66 -- Eric Johnson - Ah Via Musicom

Black Sabbath discography

Like most bands that have been around a while, their albums range in quality. But even the worst Black Sabbath albums have merit, and if you're a fan, there's no doubt that you should own them all.

Born Again (1983) - 93.73

Ian Gillan's only album as vocalist is... wait... What? Ian Gillan? From Deep Purple? Although this sounds like an odd pairing (in fact, the deal was sealed after everyone had a bit too much to drink one night), if you ignore the atrocious cover and not-so-good production and focus instead on the sinister guitar riffs and solos, the godly metal shrieks, and the face-bashing rhythm section, you'll find Black Sabbath at their head-banging best! Recommendation: Buy immediately!

Favorite tracks: Trashed, Zero the Hero, Digital Bitch

Paranoid (1970) - 91.47

Paranoid. War Pigs. Iron Man. Electric Funeral. Fairies Wear Boots. The second album is still a metal classic almost 40 years after it was released. 'Nuff said! Recommendation: Buy immediately!

Favorite tracks: Paranoid, War Pigs, Iron Man

Tyr (1990) - 90.85

Criminally underrated. There's not a bad song to be found here. It's easily the best Black Sabbath album recorded in the past 20 years. Tony Martin's vocals won't remind you of Ozzy or Dio, but he more than holds his own on this excellent album. Recommendation: Buy immediately!

Favorite tracks: Anno Mundi, The Sabbath Stones, Valhalla

Master of Reality (1971) - 90.52
The third album is a "master" piece of early metal. The only weak spot is Orchid, but because it's only a minute and a half long, I can't hold that against the album. By the way, did you know that the coughing at the beginning of Sweet Leaf is Tony Iommi after he took a drag on a joint? Recommendation: Buy immediately!

Favorite tracks: Sweet Leaf, Children of the Grave

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973) - 90.18

The rating here is actually misleading as just one song, Fluff, caused it to be much lower than it could have been. A higher song rating would have made this album no worse than my second favorite, and quite possibly my favorite. Every other song is very good to excellent. Recommendation: Buy immediately!

Favorite tracks: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabbra Cadabra, Killing Yourself to Live

Heaven and Hell (1980) - 89.96

Exit Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward, enter Ronnie James Dio and Vinnie Appice. Dio and Appice brought new blood to a stagnant band and helped them record their best album since Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Not a bad song to be found on this excellent album. Recommendation: Worth buying.

Favorite tracks: Neon Knights, Lady Evil, Heaven & Hell

Sabotage (1975) - 89.92

An excellent follow-up to Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. A consistently great album with standout track Symptom of the Universe. Look for the 23-second track Blow On A Jug tacked on to the end of The Writ, which features Ozzy and Bill Ward messing around in the studio. Recommendation: Worth buying.

Favorite track: Symptom of the Universe

Headless Cross (1989) - 88.33

Another Tony Martin album, and again he delivers. A solid album with no weak tracks, save the intro song Gates of Hell. Listen for the Brian May guitar solo on When Death Calls. Recommendation: Worth buying.

Favorite tracks: Headless Cross, When Death Calls

Black Sabbath (1970) - 88.31 (US version); 88.25 (UK version)

Black Sabbath began as a heavy blues-rock band called Earth, but soon renamed themselves after the title of a 1963 Italian horror film. The difference in the two ratings is due to the inclusion of a different track on the US album versus the UK album (Wicked World instead of Evil Woman). Recommendation: Worth buying.

Favorite track: The Wizard

Vol. 4 (1972) - 84.25

Another solid release. The slightly lower score is the result of a few weak tracks that keep this album from being on par with those released before and after. Recommendation: Worth buying.

Favorite track: Supernaut

Eternal Idol (1987) - 83.24

The band line-up and recording of this album is a bit of a jumbled mess. There were quite a few personnel changes during the recording of this album, including vocals, which featured Ray Gillen on the original demos. But Gillen left the band before the album was finished, and they brought in Tony Martin (who they wanted previously but was unavailable) to re-record the vocals. The result is a pretty solid album overall. Recommendation: Worth buying.

Favorite track: The Shining

The Devil You Know (2009) - 81.17

Tired of waiting for Ozzy to record with the band, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler reunited with ex-bandmates Ronnie James Dio and Vinnie Appice to record this album. Yeah, technically they're now called Heaven and Hell, but that's just a (legal) formality. It's still a Black Sabbath album, and a pretty good one at that. Recommendation: Worth buying.

Favorite Song: Fear

Seventh Star (1986) - 79.87

This was originally recorded as a Tony Iommi solo album, but the record company pressured him into calling it a Black Sabbath album. Glenn Hughes sang on the album, but was fired early on the tour and was replaced by Ray Gillen. Although it was never released on CD in the U.S., it's decent enough to spend the extra money on. Recommendation: Worth buying.

Favorite tracks: In for the Kill

Dehumanizer (1992) - 78.92

I'll be honest... I had pretty much forgotten about this album prior to the Heaven and Hell reunion tour. But during the concert, they played the song "I," and I was blown away. I didn't remember the song being that good. I was wrong. The album's not bad, but the song kicks ass. Recommendation: Worth buying.

Favorite Tracks: I, TV Crimes

Cross Purposes (1994) - 74.14

Tony Martin returns, but this time the results aren't as impressive. A few above average songs are balanced by a few below-average songs, resulting in a pretty average album. Recommendation: Listen before you buy.

Favorite tracks: none

Mob Rules (1981) - 71.30

The second album featuring Dio on vocals. It has some strong tracks, but it's not nearly as good as Heaven and Hell. Cool cover painting by fantasy artist Greg Hildebrandt. Recommendation: Listen before you buy.

Favorite track: The Mob Rules

Forbidden (1995) - 68.74

Tony Martin is again on vocals, but the magic of his previous albums is nowhere to be found on this release. Consistently weak, with only Shaking Off the Chains being a decent track. Recommendation: Listen before you buy.

Favorite tracks: none

Technical Ecstasy (1976) - 67.59

The beginning of the end with Ozzy. Personal (i.e., drug) issues were causing problems within the band, and the results showed. A pretty weak effort overall. Recommendation: Listen before you buy.

Favorite track: Dirty Women

Never Say Die (1978) - 65.39

The final Ozzy album. The problems were too much to ignore and a change was needed. Perhaps the album title and song were meant to inspire hope among the band and the fans, but even though the song rocked hard, it was too little, too late. Recommendation: Listen before you buy.

Favorite track: Never Say Die

Crap Track: Break Out

(Thanks to the website www.black-sabbath.com for some of the trivia posted here.)

Rock Island - Chapter Six

You and Ann Marie are exploring the island when suddenly you spot a cruise ship through the palm trees. You both run to the beach. Although the ship is far away, sounds from the loudspeaker carry across the ocean (you hear Cruise Director Julie McCoy paging someone named Gopher to the bridge). Unfortunately, the ship is cruising away from the island and no one sees or hears you. Dejected (but not terribly so), you sit on the beach and watch the ship sail away.

"So tell me some of the songs you have with you," Ann Marie says. Wow, deja vu, you think. You scroll through your MP3 player, reading classic rock song titles aloud:

• Aerosmith - Dream On; Sweet Emotion
• Alice Cooper - School's Out
• Angel - Mirrors  
• Aphrodite's Child - Four Horsemen
• Armageddon - Buzzard
• Atlee - Jesus People
• Atomic Rooster - Vug
• Axe - Rock 'n Roll Party in the Streets
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Let It Ride
• Badlands - Winter's Call; Soul Stealer
• Birth Control - Just Before the Sun Will Rise
• Black Sabbath - Paranoid; Sweet Leaf; Children of the Grave; Supernaut; Sabbath Bloody Sabbath; Symptom of the Universe; Dirty Women; Never Say Die; Neon Knights; Lady Evil; Heaven and Hell; Trashed; Zero the Hero; Digital Bitch; Anno Mundi; I
• Black Spirit - Crazy Times
• Blackfoot - Teenage Idol
• Blue Öyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper; Revenge of Vera Gemini; Take Me Away
• Bow Wow - James in My Casket; Fallen Angel
• Budgie - Zoom Club; Napoleon Bona, Pts. 1 & 2; I Turned to Stone
• Buffalo - Sunrise (Come My Way); Intro: Pound Of Flesh / Shylock
• Captain Beyond - Frozen Over
• Cream - Sunshine of Your Love; White Room
• David Bowie - Golden Years

And once again, with power dwindling, you stop, but unfortunately (or is it fortunately?) there will be another opportunity to finish the list.

Rock Island - Chapter Four

You realize the snobby couple isn't so bad (even though the guy sounds strangely like Mr. Magoo, who you never really cared for). His wife (her name is Dovey) appears to be a bit tipsy more often than not, and more than once you've helped walk her back to her hut, wondering where she hides the alcohol.

"Do you play any instruments?" Ann Marie asks the next day. "Only air guitar," you lamely answer. She laughs (a little too politely, you think), but you recover well after you tell her that Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, The Doors, Cream, Kiss, Led Zeppelin and The Who are on your MP3 player. You also mention you have obscure bands like Buffalo, Captain Beyond, Dust, Toad and Warhorse. She's interested in hearing them. "Maybe being stuck here isn't so bad," you think.

Rock Island - Chapter Two

The huts (three of them: one for you, the Captain and Roy, one for Cinnamon and Ann Marie, and one for the married couple) have been built and all supplies have been scavenged from the wreckage. Roy built other solar-powered items, including a refrigerator/cooler in which to store the fish, ceiling fans (made with palm fronds; quite cooling, actually), and a vacuum cleaner (just because he was bored).

One day, while fishing with Ann Marie, you learn she played bass in a classic rock cover band and rode a Harley Low Rider on weekends (and you thought midwest farm girls were shy and wore pigtails and red checkered shirts). Just the mention of John Entwistle, Jack Bruce or Geezer Butler sends her into a rock monologue that makes you weak in the knees. You mentally check the songs on your MP3 player... The Who? Check. Cream? Check. Black Sabbath? Yeah, you have that covered.

Top Ten (+ 15) - Albums by British Bands

Almost 1/3 of the albums I've rated are by British bands. Because of that (the total is 611, by the way), I'm going to post my top 25 British albums. There are only 13 different bands listed here, a result of a few bands being listed more than once. Black Sabbath leads everyone with four albums, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and Gillan are next with three each, and Saxon, Sweet and Uriah Heep all have two albums in the Top 25. Also interesting is that most albums were recorded in the 70s and 80s, while only 4 were recorded in 1990 or later.

Top 25 Albums:
98.14 -- Deep Purple - In Rock (1970)
97.98 -- Rainbow - Rising (1976)
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)
91.90 -- Iron Maiden - Piece of Mind (1983)
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)
91.11 -- Gillan - Glory Road (1980)
91.00 -- Sweet - Desolation Boulevard (US version) (1974)
90.86 -- Jethro Tull - Aqualung (1971)
90.85 -- Black Sabbath - Tyr (1990)
90.82 -- Elixir - The Idol (2003)
90.71 -- Deep Purple - Fireball (US) (1971)
90.64 -- Gillan - Future Shock (1981)
90.57 -- Gillan - Double Trouble (1981)
90.55 -- Saxon - Metalhead (1999)
90.52 -- Black Sabbath - Master of Reality (1971)
90.48 -- Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations (1981)
90.45 -- Saxon - Power and the Glory (1973)
90.39 -- Uriah Heep - Salisbury (1971)
90.27 -- More - Blood & Thunder (1982)