Best Album Ever Survivor: Somewhere In Time wins

[mckindog]

Welcome to the Maidenfans Best Album Ever Survivor.

I’ve picked albums from each of the past 40-plus years from the hard rock/prog/metal genre — chosen from a combination of reading this board and surfing the net for best album lists. More than 200 albums total, they’ve been split into 18 groups based on release date and we will face them off using the traditional Survivor formula.

The top two in each group, plus 15-20 wildcards move on to the playoffs to meet Maiden’s 15 albums. Then we’ll continue whittling away until we select the forum’s favourite.

Here are the groups:

Spoiler

1970 and earlier
Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin2
Beatles — Abbey Road
Jimi Hendrix — Are You Experienced
MC5 — Kick Out The Jams
Cream — Disraeli Gears
King Crimson — Court of the Crimson King
Black Sabbath — Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath — Paranoid
Deep Purple — In Rock
Voted in: Sgt. Peppers, The Doors, Stand Up
Advancing: In Rock (5), Paranoid (2)
1971-72
Black Sabbath — Master of Reality
Pink Floyd — Meddle
Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin IV
Who — Who's Next
Jethro Tull — Aqualung
Emerson Lake and Palmer — Tarkus
Yes — Fragile
Black Sabbath — Volume 4
Deep Purple — Machine Head
Jethro Tull — Thick as a Brick
Wishbone Ash — Argus
Queen — Queen II
Uriah Heep — Demons and Wizards
Voted in: Ziggy Stardust, Sticky Fingers, The Inner Mounting Flame
Advancing: Machine Head (1), Master of Reality (2)
D1973-74
Black Sabbath — Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Pink Floyd — Dark Side of the Moon
Led Zeppelin — House of the Holy
Blue Oyster Cult — Tyranny and Mutation
Kiss — Kiss
Rush — Rush
Genesis — Selling England By the Pound
Alice Cooper — Billion Dollar Babies
Montrose — Montrose
Queen — Sheer Heart Attack
Blue OysterCult — Secret Treaties
Genesis — Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Thin Lizzy — Fighting
Deep Purple — Burn
Advancing: Dark Side of the Moon (4), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (6)
1975-76
Kiss — Destroyer
Pink Floyd — Wish You Were Here
Queen — A Night at the Opera
Led Zeppelin — Physical Graffiti
Aerosmith — Toys in the Attic
Thin Lizzy — Jailbreak
Judas Priest — Sad Wings of Destiny
Rush — 2112
Rainbow — Rising
Queen — A Day At The Races
Blue Oyster Cult — Agents of Fortune
Voted in: Godbluff, Still Life, Born to Run, Sabotage
Advancing: A Night at the Opera (2), Rising (2), Sad Wings of Destiny (1)
A 1977-78
AC/DC — Let There Be Rock
Pink Floyd — Animals
Judas Priest — Sin After Sin
Rush — A Farewell to King
UFO — Lights Out
Blue Oyster Cult — Spectres
Rainbow — Long Live Rock n Roll
Rush — Hemispheres
Judas Priest — Stained Class
Van Halen — Van Halen
Thin Lizzy — Bad Reputation
Voted in: Rumours, Dire Straits

Advancing: Sin After Sin (2)
G1979-80
AC/DC — Back in Black
Thin Lizzy — Black Rose
Black Sabbath — Heaven and Hell
Pink Floyd — The Wall
AC/DC — Highway to Hell
Scorpions — Lovedrive
Judas Priest — British Steel
Rush — Permanent Waves
Motorhead — Ace of Spades
Ozzy Osbourne — Blizzard of Ozz
Van Halen — Women and Children First
1981-82
Black Sabbath — Mob Rules
AC/DC — For Those About to Rock
Van Halen — Fair Warning
Rush — Moving Pictures
Blue Oyster Cult — Fire of Unknown Origin
Ozzy Osbourne — Diary of a Madman
Judas Priest — Screaming For Vengeance
Rush — Signals
Scorpions — Blackout
Venom — Black Metal
Accept — Restless and Wild
Advancing: Moving Pictures (1), Screaming For Vengeance (1)
1983-84
Metallica — Kill ‘Em All
Dio — Holy Diver
Accept — Balls to the Wall
Motley Crue — Shout at the Devil
Def Leppard — Pyromania
Metallica — Ride the Lightning
Van Halen — 1984
Judas Priest — Defenders of the Faith
Dio — Last in Line
Rush — Grace Under Pressure
Scorpions — Love at First Sting
Queensryche — The Warning
Advancing: Defenders (1) Lightning (2)
Voted in: Born in the USA, Script For A Jester's Tear, Synchronicity,War
1985-86
Dio — Sacred Heart
Metallica — Master of Puppets
Megadeth — Peace Sells But Who's Buying
Van Halen — 5150
Slayer — Reign of Blood
Wasp — Last Command
Judas — Priest Turbo
Rush — Power Windows
Helloween — Walls of Jericho
Bon Jovi — Slippery When Wet
Queensryche — Rage For Order
Voted in: Epicus Doomicus Metallicus
Advancing: Peace Sells (3), Master of Puppets (2)
B 1987-88
Guns and Roses — Appetite for Destruction
Helloween — Keeper of the Seven Keys 1
Helloween — Keeper of the Seven Keys 2
Anthrax — Among the Living
Dio — Dream Evil
Def Leppard — Hysteria
Testament — The Legacy
Savatage — Hall of the Mountain King
Metallica — And Justice For All
Slayer — South of Heaven
Queensryche — Operation Mindcrime
Manowar — Kings of Metal
Megadeth — So Far So Good So What
Advancing: Appetite For Destruction (1), Operation Mindcrime (2)
E1989-90
Black Sabbath — Headless Cross
The Cult — Sonic Temple
AC/DC — The Razor's Edge
Judas Priest — Painkiller
Megadeth — Rust in Peace
Blind Guardian — Tales From the Twilight World
Slayer — Seasons in the Abyss
Queensryche — Empire
Pantera— Cowboys From Hell
Motley Crue — Dr. Feelgood
Nine Inch Nails — Pretty Hate Machine
Bruce Dickinson — Tattooed Millionaire
Adrian Smith And Project — Silver and Gold

Advancing: Painkiller (0)
1991-92
Metallica — The Black Album
Van Halen — For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Guns and Roses — Use Your Illusion
Red Hot Chili Peppers — Blood Sugar Sex Magic
Iced Earth — Night of the Stormrider
Nirvana — Nevermind
Dream Theater— Images and Words
Megadeth — Countdown to Extinction
Alice in Chains — Dirt
Pantera — Vulgar Display of Power
Rage Against the Machine — Rage Against the Machine
Ozzy Osbourne — No More Tears
Soundgarden — Badmotorfinger
WASP — Crimson Idol
Voted in: Slave to the Grind, Innuendo, Ten
Advancing: Night of the Stormrider (7), Images and Words (5)
1993-94
Rush — Counterparts
My Dying Bride — Turn Loose the Swans
Anthrax — Sound of White Noise
Tool — Undertow
Dream Theater — Awake
Soundgarden — Superunknown
Nine Inch Nails — The Downward Spiral
Offspring — Smash
Megadeth — Youthanasia
Bruce Dickinson — Balls to Picasso
Smashing Pumpkins — Siamese Dream
Advancing: Balls to Picasso (6) Superunknown (7)
C1995-96
Bruce Dickinson — Skunkworks
Psycho Motel — State of Mind
Saxon — Dogs of War
Sepultura — Roots
Iced Earth — The Dark Saga
Rage Against the Machine — Evil Empire
Gamma Ray — Land of the Free
Blind Guardian — Imaginations from the Other Side
My Dying Bride — Angel and the Dark River
Iced Earth — Burnt Offerings
White Zombie — Astro Creep 2000
Smashing Pumpkins — Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Death — Symbolic
Metallica Load
Advancing: State of Mind (6), Burnt Offerings (6)
1997-99
Bruce Dickinson — Accident of Birth
Bruce Dickinson — Chemical Wedding
Saxon — Unleash The Beast
Foofighters — Colour and the Shape
Psycho Motel — Welcome to the World
Hammerfall — Glory to the Brave
Blind Guardian — Nightfall in Middle Earth
Queens of the Stone Age — Queens of the Stone Age
Iced Earth — Something Wicked This Way Comes
Metallica — Reload
Metallica — Garage Inc.
Red Hot Chili Peppers — Californication
Dream Theatre — Scenes From a Memory
Opeth — Still Life
Foofighters — Nothing Left To Lose
Voted in: Jugulator, OK Computer
Advancing: Accident of Birth (2), Chemical Wedding (1)
F2000-2004
Halford — Resurrection
Dio — Magica
Dio — Killing the Dragon
Dio — Master of the Moon
Iced Earth — Horror Show
Opeth — Blackwater Park
System of a Down — Toxicity
Avenged Sevenfold — Awaking the Fallen
Mastodon — Leviathan
Lamb of God — Ashes of the Wake
Rush — Vapour Trails
Audioslave — Audioslave
Porcupine Tree— In Absentia
2005-2008
Deadwing — Porcupine Tree
Foofighters — Echoes, Silence Patience and Grace
Judas Priest — Angel of Retribution
Dream Theatre — Octavarium
Avenged Sevenfold — City of Evil
Opeth — Ghost Reveries
Audioslave — Out of Exile
Judas Priest — Nostradamus
Coheed and Cambria — No World For Tomorrow
Red Hot Chili Peppers — Stadium Arcadium
Rush — Snakes and Arrows
AC/DC — Black Ice
Guns and Roses — Chinese Democracy
Metallica— Death Magnetic
Opeth — Watershed
Bruce Dickinson — Tyranny of Souls
Advancing: Tyranny of Souls (4), Watershed (6)
2009-2012
Van Halen — A Different Kind of Truth
Halford — Made of Metal
Primal Rock Rebellion — Awoken Broken
Rush — Clockwork Angels
Baroness — Yellow and Green
Anthrax — Worship Music
Mastodon — The Hunter
Chickenfoot — 3
Saxon — A Call to Arms
Dream Theater — Black Clouds and Silver Linings
Heaven and Hell — The Devil You Know
Foofighters — Wasting Light
Chickenfoot— Chickenfoot
Avenged Sevenfold — Nightmare
Dream Theatre — A Dramatic Turn of Events
Soungarden — King Animal
Steve Harris — British Lion
Voted in : A Dramatic Turn Of Events
Advancing: Clockwork Angels (5), Awoken Broken (7)

For this part of the game you can vote for as many albums as you want. I’ll eliminate as many songs as I deem necessary to keep the game fair and moving quickly.

Finally, there is a write-in vote option. If you have a particular favourite that’s missing, you can nominate it with a post during or before the appropriate round. If at least three other posters agree, I’ll add it in.

We start with Group A (1970 and earlier) and Group G (1981-82)

 

[Forostar]

I’ll eliminate as many songs albums as I deem necessary to keep the game fair and moving quickly.

Finally, there is a write-in vote option. If you have a particular favourite that’s missing, you can nominate it with a post during or before the appropriate round. If at least three other posters agree, I’ll add it in.

We start with Group A (1970 and earlier) and Group G (1981-82)

If not too late, I would nominate Jethro Tull's second album which I find very consistent. One big train of great songs and therefore (mostprobably) my favourite Tull album:
Jethro Tull - Stand Up (1969)

 

[Mosh]

Cool idea

Led Zeppelin
For Those About To Rock
Mob Rules
Restless And Wild

 

[Forostar]

More nominations:
Wishbone Ash's classic third album:
Wishbone Ash - Argus (1972)

The Who's sixth album, and second rock opera:
The Who - Quadrophenia (1973)

 

[Vap]

Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood would be even better than Stand Up. One of Tull's most consistent albums.

Led Zeppelin
Blackout
Diary Of A Madman
For Those About To Rock
Restless And Wild

 

[Cornfed Hick]

Assuming you are even taking nominations, if Power Windows and all those BOC albums are on the list, then why not The Game and News of the World by Queen? Two of my favorite albums ever.

As for the current group, I vote against MC5, Cream and King Crimson.

 

[Mosh]

I'd nominate Jazz as well.

 

[mckindog]

Hmm... I thought News was on the list.
Must have lost it in translation. I'll second both Queen albums.
Need four write-in votes to add an album.

 

[Vap]

Seconding nominations for Jazz and News.

 

[Cornfed Hick]

May be wearing out my welcome on this, but if the Beatles are on the list, Exile on Main Street should be on here. And, it might even win. Probably my favorite album ever, by anyone. Sticky Fingers probably deserves to be on here too.

A thankless job putting together the initial list, as you get assholes like me questioning omissions. So, thanks for doing this, it looks like a fun poll.

 

[mckindog]

May be wearing out my welcome on this, but if the Beatles are on the list, Exile on Main Street should be on here. And, it might even win. Probably my favorite album ever, by anyone. Sticky Fingers probably deserves to be on here too.

A thankless job putting together the initial list, as you get assholes like me questioning omissions. So, thanks for doing this, it looks like a fun poll.

Didn't include any Stones because I hadn't seen enough love for them on the forum.
But I've seen plenty of Beatles love.

And it was throwing darts in the dark trying to find the best crossover between classic rockers like you and me, and the more modern stuff that NP loves. That's why I added the write-in idea. People can throw an album out there and see if they get enough support.

 

[Forostar]

Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood would be even better than Stand Up. One of Tull's most consistent albums.

Consistent? Nah, it has several lesser songs. Now if you would second my nomination I might change my thoughts, temporarily, muhaha. But honestly, I bet this forum would like Stand Up a lot. If only they'd play it.
Without the bonus tracks it's under 38 minutes and one click away:

Spoiler

 

[Vap]

Stand Up is a very fine album. But is it too late to get it in? we're already doing <=1970 albums.

 

[Forostar]

I saw a possibility:

If you have a particular favourite that’s missing, you can nominate it with a post during or before the appropriate round. If at least three other posters agree, I’ll add it in.

NP: the BOC album from this round. I am halfway and really like it.

 

[The Flash]

If you ask me, creating the album list beforehand would be a better idea. Creating a thread for it, doing rounds (like 1970's), taking nominations and coming up with the list. This write in voting thing may cause a mess, just my thought, though.

Or maybe a rule on that would be good. For example we're doing 1970 and 1981-82 at the moment and albums of 1977 (News of the World) are in discussions for nomination. I think it would be tough to remember all albums if we're not given a period of time to remember from.

 

[Vap]

I somehow missed that word. I'll second your nomination for Stand Up then. While I think SFTW is superior so getting it in would be a higher priority for me, Stand Up is still up there with the with the best Tull albums (above Aqualung for me - it would fall in the middle of my ratings anyway).

 

[Forostar]

(about Flash's worries) I agree that the same thoughts had crossed my mind; a bit more moderation might be helpful, in one of the forms Flash suggests (or another).

I second Vap's nomination for Jethro Tull - Songs from the Wood (1977).

 

[The Flash]

If the situation doesn't change in the way I talked about, here's my nominations (or more like "putting it out there") then :

1970 and earlier

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
The Doors - The Doors (1967)
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)
Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
Jethro Tull - Stand Up (1969)
King Crimson - Lizard (1970)
Grateful Dead - American Beauty (1970)

1971-72

Van der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts (1971)
Deep Purple - Fireball (1971)
Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself (1971)
Wishbone Ash - Argus (1972)
Yes - Close to the Edge (1972)
Genesis - Foxtrot (1972)

1973-74

The Who - Quadrophenia (1973)
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (1973)
King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973)
King Crimson - Red (1974)
Brian Eno - Here Come the Warm Jets (1974)
Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado (1974)

1975-76

Van der Graaf Generator - Godbluff (1975)
Van der Graaf Generator - Still Life (1976)

1977-78

Queen - News of the World (1977)
Jethro Tull - Songs from the Wood (1977)
Van der Graaf Generator - The Quiet Zone / The Pleasure Dome (1977)
Dire Straits - Dire Straits (1978)
Queen - Jazz (1978)

1979-80

Motörhead - Overkill (1979)
Peter Gabriel - Peter Gabriel III (1980)

1981-82

King Crimson - Discipline (1981)

1983-84

Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear (1983)

1985-86

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (1985)
Marillion - Misplaced Childhood (1985)
Peter Gabriel - So (1986)

1989-90

King's X - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (1989)
Death - Spiritual Healing (1990)

1993-94

Death - Individual Thought Patterns (1993)

1995-96

Opeth - Orchid (1995)
Porcupine Tree - Signify (1996)

1997-99

Death - The Sound of Perseverance (1998)
Testament - The Gathering (1999)
Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream (1999)

2000-2004

Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (2000)
Rammstein - Mutter (2001)
The Strokes - Is This It ? (2001)
Dream Theater - Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)
Muse - Absolution (2003)
Opeth - Damnation (2003)
Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003)

2005-2008

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)
Pelican - The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw (2005)
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006)
Mogwai - Mr. Beast (2006)
Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone (2007)

2009-2012

Opeth - Heritage (2011)

+ A reminder, Tyranny of Souls was released in 2005 so it belongs to 2005-2008 group.

 

[Forostar]

Holy cow. I'll certainly second some of these, later.

Is Dire Straits allowed? Then I'll nominate one myself as well I guess, plus perhaps some other bands' albums.

 

[____no5]

Cool idea, we should spend some more time for nominations before starting though..

I second Stand Up by Tull, Exile on Main St & Sticky Fingers by Stones.. Also I would also like to nominate Let it Bleed.

Other Nominations for the time being:

Doors -the self titled & L.A. Woman
Revolver from the Beatles
The Who -Tommy
Hawkwind -Doremi Fasol Latido & Hall of the Mountain Grill
Sex Pistols -Never Mind The Bollocks
Ramones -self titled
The Stooges -Raw Power
Sonic Youth -Day Dream Nation
Pixies -Surfer Rosa
Tom Waits -Franks Wild Years
Tindersticks -Curtains
...

About other genres like jazz, blues, pop etc I second it if Mosh likes but they'll die immediately so maybe let's not bother. Even Stones, Beatles & Doors are likely short living here. Whatever.