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

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

Top Ten - 1985

Of the 54 albums I rated in 1985, only about 1/3 were by popular bands. This is reflected in the top ten as well, as only Saxon, Mötley Crüe, and Megadeth are the big names there. Not surprisingly, the lack of top talent meant lower ratings, with most bands scoring below 80. 1985 may just be the weakest year in rock and roll.



Top Ten - 1985
89.56 -- Fates Warning - The Spectre Within
87.89 -- Aria - Megalomania
86.42 -- Saxon - Innocence is No Excuse
86.20 -- Manilla Road - Open the Gates
85.90 -- Mötley Crüe - Theatre of Pain
84.93 -- Paul Di'Anno's Battlezone - Fighting Back
84.91 -- Blackmayne - Blackmayne
84.39 -- Overkill - Feel the Fire
84.05 -- Anthem - Anthem
83.91 -- Megadeth - Killing is My Business...and Business is Good!

Other 1985 releases:
83.11 -- Savatage - Power of the Night
82.03 -- Attacker - Battle at Helm's Deep
81.91 -- Ratt - Invasion of Your Privacy
81.86 -- Piledriver - Metal Inquisition
80.79 -- Dio - Sacred Heart
80.69 -- Aerosmith - Done with Mirrors
80.64 -- Rough Cutt - Rough Cutt
80.63 -- Nasty Savage - Nasty Savage
79.89 -- Avenger - Prayers of Steel
77.93 -- Exodus - Bonded by Blood
77.12 -- W.A.S.P. - The Last Command
76.49 -- 220 Volt - Mind Over Muscle
76.05 -- Blitzkrieg - A Time of Changes
75.99 -- Rottweiller - Screams of the Innocent
75.47 -- Ostrogoth - Too Hot
74.42 -- Kix - Midnight Dynamite
74.10 -- Armored Saint - Delirious Nomad
73.12 -- Nightmare - Power of the Universe
73.06 -- Stevie Ray Vaughan - Soul to Soul
72.01 -- Helloïse - Cosmogony
71.62 -- ZZ Top - Afterburner
70.90 -- Dokken - Under Lock and Key
70.77 -- Hawkwind - The Chronicle of the Black Sword
70.43 -- Y&T - Down for the Count
70.38 -- Malice - In the Beginning...
69.82 -- Thor - Only the Strong
69.66 -- Twisted Sister - Come Out and Play
69.51 -- Kiss - Asylum
68.69 -- Running Wild - Branded and Exiled
68.68 -- Bon Jovi - 7800° Fahrenheit
68.42 -- Bow Wow - Cyclone
68.12 -- Krokus - Change of Address
67.79 -- Triumph - The Sport of Kings
66.07 -- AC/DC - Fly On the Wall
65.93 -- Grim Reaper - Fear No Evil
64.30 -- Gravestone - Back to Attack
62.54 -- UFO - Misdemeanor
62.01 -- Rush - Power Windows
61.60 -- Vandenberg - Alibi
61.25 -- Uriah Heep - Equator
59.10 -- Alcatrazz - Disturbing the Peace
58.33 -- Icon - Night of the Crime
58.12 -- Demon - British Standard Approved
52.71 -- Demon - Heart of Our Time

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)

Top Ten - 1991

Looking at the 41 albums in this list, you'll see over 3/4 are metal or metal-related (including an all-metal Top Ten). Not a whole lot going on classic rock-wise. Also, if you look closely, you'll find one of the few Grunge albums (Nirvana's Nevermind) that will appear in this blog.



Top Ten - 1991:
91.18 -- Armored Saint - Symbol of Salvation
90.26 -- Metal Church - The Human Factor
88.40 -- Running Wild - Blazon Stone
88.28 -- Aria - Blood for Blood
87.94 -- Warrior Soul - Drugs, God and the New Republic
85.78 -- Galactic Cowboys - Galactic Cowboys
84.40 -- Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears
84.39 -- Bride - Kinetic Faith
83.12 -- Gamma Ray - Sigh No More
82.79 -- Venom - Temples of Ice

Other 1991 releases:
82.37 -- Alice Cooper - Hey Stoopid
82.28 -- Metallica - Metallica
81.61 -- Saxon - Solid Ball of Rock
81.46 -- Iced Earth - Iced Earth
81.44 -- Motörhead - 1916
81.20 -- Krokus - Stampede
79.18 -- Great White - Hooked
78.76 -- Savatage - "Streets" - A Rock Opera
78.61 -- Cirith Ungol - Paradise Lost
78.43 -- Badlands - Voodoo Highway
77.47 -- Skid Row - Slave to the Grind
77.42 -- Helloween - Pink Bubbles Go Ape
77.06 -- Demon - Hold On to the Dream
76.46 -- Van Halen - For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
75.60 -- Crimson Glory - Strange and Beautiful
73.87 -- Pink Cream 69 - One Size Fits All
72.65 -- Kik Tracee - No Rules
72.53 -- Blues Traveler - Travelers and Thieves
72.31 -- Guns 'n' Roses - Use Your Illusion II
71.53 -- Guns 'n' Roses - Use Your Illusion I
71.45 -- Reverend - Play God
71.29 -- Anvil - Worth the Weight
70.87 -- Nirvana - Nevermind
69.22 -- Queen - Innuendo
68.90 -- Uriah Heep - Different World
68.71 -- Fates Warning - Parallels
67.64 -- Praying Mantis - Predator in Disguise
65.99 -- Axel Rudi Pell - Nasty Reputation
65.07 -- Jethro Tull - Catfish Rising
63.68 -- Golden Earring - Bloody Buccaneers
61.33 -- Stevie Ray Vaughan - The Sky is Crying

Top Ten - 1992

Another relatively small list containing only 35 album ratings. As I mentioned in my other mid-90s Top Ten posts, Grunge was ruling the rock scene, which limited albums that appeal to me. Speaking of which, I'm sure many of you noticed (and maybe vehemently disagreed with) my rating of Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power. I've read other reviews of this album -- it's a classic; a 10/10 rating, etc. -- but this style of metal just doesn't work for me.

1992 Top Ten:
89.83 -- Megadeth - Countdown to Extinction
89.64 -- Dream Theater - Images and Words
88.02 -- War Babies - War Babies
87.10 -- Running Wild - Pile of Skulls
86.56 -- Saxon - Forever Free
86.00 -- Iced Earth - Night of the Stormrider
83.81 -- Rage - Trapped!
83.67 -- Demon - Blow Out
83.67 -- Testament - The Ritual
82.90 -- Warrior Soul - Salutations from the Ghetto Nation

Other 1992 releases:
82.49 -- Killers - Murder One
82.43 -- Anthem - Domestic Booty
82.22 -- Damn Yankees - Don't Tread
80.83 -- Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
78.92 -- Black Sabbath - Dehumanizer
78.63 -- Jackyl - Jackyl
78.38 -- Blind Guardian - Somewhere Far Beyond
77.17 -- Yngwie Malmsteen - Fire and Ice
76.11 -- McAuley Schenker Group - MSG
76.06 -- Faith No More - Angel Dust
75.71 -- Cozy Powell - The Drums are Back
75.31 -- Axel Rudi Pell - Eternal Prisoner
74.08 -- Pretty Maids - Sin-Decade
73.52 -- Motörhead - March ör Die
73.15 -- Kiss - Revenge
72.31 -- UFO - High Stakes & Dangerous Men
72.02 -- Wildside - Under the Influence
70.77 -- Stratovarius - Twilight Time
70.72 -- Hardline - Double Eclipse
69.18 -- Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Black Moon
67.24 -- Alice in Chains - Dirt
64.42 -- Manowar - The Triumph of Steel
63.54 -- Def Leppard - Adrenalize
61.83 -- Manilla Road - The Circus Maximus
50.94 -- Pantera - Vulgar Display of Power

Rock Island - Chapter Eleven

There's not much to do on the island. Everyone is bored and tempers are starting to run high. The captain suggests everyone make up a game or activity. Some of the better ideas are golf clubs made from clam shells and bamboo with avocado pit golf balls, a badminton net and rackets (Roy says he can make the rackets, but he suggests you not ask how he makes the birdies), a bowling alley with bamboo lanes and coconut bowling balls, and turtle races.

At lunch one day (fish, again; no one wants to eat the turtles), Cinnamon mentions that you haven't finished telling her the songs on your MP3 player. Happily, you finish the list:

• Savatage - Sirens; Midas Knight; Hall of the Mountain King; Gutter Ballet; When the Crowds are Gone; Edge of Thorns; Chance; I Am; Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24); Drive
• Saxon - Princess of the Night; Power and the Glory; Run for Your Lives; Bloodletter; Circle of Light
• Scorpions - The Riot of Your Time; Another Piece of Meat; Can't Get Enough; Lovedrive; The Zoo; Animal Magnetism; Blackout; Can't Live Without You; No One Like You; Rock You Like a Hurricane; Still Loving You; Hit Between the Eyes; Alien Nation; Mind Like a Tree
• Seven Witches - Camelot; Second War in Heaven; Xiled to Infinity and One
• Silent Force - Infatuator
• Silver Mountain - Felo De Se
• Stratovarius - Eternity; Season of Change; Babylon; Infinity; Soul of a Vagabond; Fantasia; Elements; Awaken the Giant
• Suicidal Tendencies - How Will I Laugh Tomorrow
• Symphony X - Sea of Lies; Evolution (The Grand Design)
• Tad Morose - Anubis
• Testament - Alone in the Dark; Electric Crown
• Threshold - Consume to Live; Angels; Turn on Tune In; Ravages of Time; Mission Profile
• Thy Majestie - Wings of Wind; The Siege of Paris
• Tierra Santa - Pegaso
• Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry; I Wanna Rock
• Vanderhoof - Nowhere Train
• W.A.S.P. - L.O.V.E. Machine; Inside the Electric Circus; Headless Children; Kill Your Pretty Face; Shadow Man
• War Babies - Hang Me Up; Blue Tomorrow
• Warrior Soul - I See the Ruins; We Cry Out; The Losers; Trippin' On Ecstasy
• White Spirit - Midnight Chaser
• Whitesnake - Fool for Your Loving; Still of the Night; Judgment Day

You're alone with Cinnamon. She catches you staring at her. And then you hear the captain calling. "I guess I need to go," you say.

Top Ten - 1997

The first thing you may notice about this list of 37 albums is that the Top Ten contains 11 albums (there was a tie for the tenth spot). The second thing you may notice is that the top-rated album is a non-English singing album (but still obviously very good). The third thing is that the scores are relatively low (but there are still many albums worth checking out). Finally, you may notice that some well-known bands released bad or mediocre albums (which you can safely avoid, unless you're a completist).

1997 Top Ten:
88.23 -- Tierra Santa - Medieval
87.32 -- Dickie Peterson - Child of the Darkness
87.24 -- Vanden Plas - The God Thing
86.92 -- Symphony X - The Divine Wings of Tragedy
86.63 -- W.A.S.P. - K.F.D.
86.55 -- Iron Savior - Iron Savior
86.54 -- Stratovarius - Visions
86.39 -- Hammerfall - Glory to the Brave
85.67 -- Bruce Dickinson - Accident of Birth
82.78 -- Saxon - Unleash the Beast
82.78 -- Therion - Theli

Other 1997 releases:
82.34 -- Axel Rudi Pell - Magic
81.69 -- Threshold - Extinct Instinct
81.15 -- Metallica - Reload
80.38 -- Megadeth - Cryptic Writings
79.89 -- Mogg/Way - Edge of the World
79.39 -- Tad Morose - A Mended Rhyme
77.85 -- Judas Priest - Jugulator
76.70 -- Gamma Ray - Somewhere Out in Space
75.97 -- Andi Deris - Come In from the Rain
74.43 -- Pretty Maids - Spooked
73.78 -- Aerosmith - Nine Lives
73.77 -- Glenn Tipton - Edge of the World
73.46 -- Edguy - Kingdom of Madness
69.61 -- Anvil - Absolutely No Alternative
69.14 -- Yngwie Malmsteen - Facing the Animal
69.10 -- Nightwish - Angels Fall First
68.86 -- Queensrÿche - Hear in the Now Frontier
67.11 -- Dream Theater - Falling into Infinity
66.72 -- Wizard - Battle of Metal
66.56 -- Dokken - Shadowlife
62.11 -- Brainstorm -- Hungry
61.64 -- Fates Warning - A Pleasant Shade of Grey
61.54 -- Hawkwind - Distant Horizons
60.59 -- Saviour Machine - Legend I
58.98 -- Kiss - Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
47.66 -- Mötley Crüe - Generation Swine

Top Ten - 1999

Power and traditional metal bands topped the list in 1999. I rated 51 albums involving many well-known bands. The results varied, from the not-so-good to excellent.

1999 Top Ten:
91.04 -- October 31 - Meet Thy Maker
90.55 -- Saxon - Metalhead
89.56 -- Crimson Glory - Astronomica
89.13 -- W.A.S.P. - Helldorado
89.12 -- Seven Witches - Second War in Heaven
89.12 -- Wuthering Heights - Within
88.96 -- Lefay - Symphony Of the Damned
88.38 -- Metal Church - Masterpeace
86.08 -- Metalium - Millenium Metal
85.99 -- Dream Theater - Scenes from a Memory

Other 1999 releases:
85.47 -- Angel Dust - Bleed
85.31 -- Riot - Sons of Society
85.09 -- Tierra Santa - Legendario
84.99 -- Gamma Ray - Power Plant
83.49 -- Krokus - Round 13
83.29 -- Pretty Maids - Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing
82.63 -- Sonata Arctica - Ecliptica
82.51 -- Edguy - Theater of Salvation
82.20 -- Yngwie Malmsteen - Alchemy
81.12 -- Iron Savior - Interlude
80.40 -- Grave Digger - Excalibur
80.34 -- Vanden Plas - Far Off Grace
79.81 -- Mogg/Way - Chocolate Box
79.39 -- Wizard - Bound by Metal
79.28 -- Badlands - Dusk
78.26 -- Pink Cream 69 - Electrified
77.45 -- Mob Rules - Savage Land
77.36 -- Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe
77.15 -- Dokken - Erase the Slate
75.61 -- Dario Mollo / Tony Martin - Cage
75.56 -- Megadeth - Risk
75.33 -- Styx - Brave New World
75.19 -- Rage - Ghost
74.95 -- Queensrÿche - Q2K
73.65 -- Lefay - The Seventh Seal
72.02 -- Uriah Heep - Sonic Origami
70.03 -- Dark Moor - Shadowland
69.90 -- Michael Schenker Group - The Unforgiven
68.90 -- Blackmore's Night - Under a Violet Moon
68.66 -- George Thorogood & the Destroyers - Half a Boy/Half a Man
68.12 -- Demons & Wizards - Demons & Wizards
67.11 -- Symphorce - Truth to Promises
65.28 -- Jethro Tull - J-Tull Dot Com
64.52 -- Ratt - Ratt
63.68 -- Power Symphony - Evillot
59.51 -- Andi Deris - Done by Mirrors
58.98 -- Liquid Tension Experiment - Liquid Tension Experiment 2
57.94 -- ZZ Top - XXX
57.94 -- Scorpions - Eye II Eye
52.71 -- Def Leppard - Euphoria
47.44 -- Morgana Lefay - Morgana Lefay

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)