The Yearly Metal Project (With a Twist - See inside): 1982

I've really enjoyed reading this thread, so thanks to all the contributors ;)

It finally prompted me to buy Argus by Wishbone Ash just yesterday. I have only played it once, but I thought it was great on the first listen.

Interesting to note that one of the live bonus tracks was a song called 'The Pilgrim' :)

Oh, and also there is a riff on Argus (I think on the song 'Warrior', but will have to re listen to be sure) that is VERY similar to the riff on The Aftermath (or vice versa!)

Edit: yes, it is the opening riff to 'Warrior'
 
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Pulling out my maple leaf flag here again with the hard rock act April Wine, and my first taste of three lead guitars adding harmonies and trading solos:

 
They were on my shortlist, guess I forgot to put them in the post.
 
Looking forward to listening to them! Heard one Saga album from the 90s and was impressed.
 
JudasMyGuide said:
The production might not be the best, but I find myself enjoying the album the most (or I did when I last listened to Aerosmith, which has been quite a while, actually). Might be because I've already overplayed both Rocks and Toys, never liked the first two albums and there's not that much else to pick from. Apart from the fact I'm possibly the only person in the world who likes Get a Grip. Yes, you read that right. :D
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I LOVE Get a Grip.
 
Mosh said:
One thing I really like about Kiss Alive II is that it's all different from the first Alive, there are no repeated songs. It shows that, at least early on, Kiss was more than just a spectacle that didn't really care about the actual music, repackaging the same songs over and over again.

What I don't understand is their decision to have the fourth side be mediocre studio tracks. It's not like there was a shortage of material. There are enough songs from the last three albums missing from this set to fill it up. Take Me and Do You Love Me in particular are awesome live and nowhere to be found on this album.
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Mediocre? I love Rocket Ride. Agree with you that Alive II is better than Alive and I also admire them for not repeating tracks
 
mckindog said:
Pulling out my maple leaf flag here again with the hard rock act April Wine, and my first taste of three lead guitars adding harmonies and trading solos:
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April Wine had some great songs. That "Harder ... Faster" album (technically it came out in 1979, but close enough) was one of their best; it also had a cover of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man" and my favorite of theirs, "I Like To Rock" -- which wasn't the most clever lyrically, but had a great riff and guitar lead work, and a pretty clever outro, overlaying the riffs of "Day Tripper" and "Satisfaction" with the song's bass line.

 
Mosh said:
So without further ado, here are the albums I've selected for 1970:
1970:
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath/Paranoid
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold the World
Deep Purple - In Rock
Hawkwind - Hawkwind
Led Zeppelin - III
Sir Lord Baltimore - Kingdom Come
Uriah Heep - Very 'eavy... Very 'umble
Wishbone Ash - Wishbone Ash
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Good list. One suggested addition: Humble Pie's self-titled album. It wasn't all proto-metal -- there was some country, blues-rock, and soul type songs on it too -- but there were some real hard rockers on it too. Great guitar work from a young Peter Frampton, and Steve Marriott's vocals which laid the template for a lot of high, soulful metal vocals every bit as much as Robert Plant. (Frampton and bassist Greg Ridley also contributed lead vox throughout, often trading verses within the same song.) A couple of standout tunes:




This one isn't as hard-edged, but it's my favorite off that album - moody, soulful, and with lovely interplay of guitar and Hammond organ.

 
Something interesting stories about the last Sabbath album with Ozzy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Say_Die!
Didn't know they called it Never Say Die knowing that it was going to be the last album with that incarnation of the band.

This thread has been especially good for rediscovering the original Sabbath albums. Appropriate since the first Sabbath album is what prompted me to do this. I've come to appreciate some of the deeper cuts a bit more and have a better idea of what I like and dislike from this period. Here's how I would rank the albums:

1: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
2: Paranoid
3: Sabotage
4: Vol 4
5: Black Sabbath
6: Master of Reality
7: Never Say Die!
8: Technical Ecstasy

Never Say Die is one of the weakest Sabbath albums, only slightly better than the one that came before it. To me it sounds like a band that is in need of some sort of change. There is no clear direction in the music and the production is pretty bad at times. I do like the title track, Shockwave, and Air Dance. It's more of a mixed bag than Technical Ecstasy, so there's more on there to enjoy but also more to dislike. Weird album and unfortunate that such a legendary lineup had to end this way.
 
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Just listened to the BOC live album. A mixed bag, like all of their albums so far. I was not expecting an MC5 cover in the middle of everything. Really cool live versions of Astronomy and Godzilla, Don't Fear the Reaper is on here but doesn't work as well in a live environment as it does on the album.

Also very short for a live album. By now double live albums have become the standard, this one is 38 minutes.
 
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AC/DC - Powerage is HARD rocker! Riff Raff, Down Payment Blues, Sin City (live version is better). Love nonsense lyrics to What's Next To the Moon.

Rush - Hemispheres one of their best. Would love to see pt 5 Cygnus live.

Agree with you about impact and importance of 1st Van Halen
 
The VH album basically set the template for the next dozen years of heavy Americam music.
Every guitarist imitated Eddie. Every singer tried to be Diamond Dave.
 
Apparently they remastered it, listening to the newest version now. Honestly, it's been such a long time since I've listened to this that the differences aren't sticking out to me .

You could probably consider this the greatest debut rock album of all time. Every song is killer and they brought forth a sound that was totally unique. Listening to this in context is really ear opening. It's true that nobody played guitar like that until Eddie came along. Not just the tapping, but the huge sound of the guitar with all the effects and his articulation. Even the opening track, which features no tapping or any real fancy tricks, sounds unlike anything that has been discussed in this thread so far. The last album that totally changed the game like this was probably Black Sabbath. Ironically, Black Sabbath took VH on their very first tour this year. I especially like how the album starts with a relatively reserved (as far as the guitar playing goes) track. It's powerful for sure, but it's not EVH at full force. They ease into it before finally hitting you with Eruption. Very clever tracking.

Definitely the best album of this year.
 
Mosh said:
Apparently they remastered it, listening to the newest version now. Honestly, it's been such a long time since I've listened to this that the differences aren't sticking out to me .

You could probably consider this the greatest debut rock album of all time. Every song is killer and they brought forth a sound that was totally unique. Listening to this in context is really ear opening. It's true that nobody played guitar like that until Eddie came along. Not just the tapping, but the huge sound of the guitar with all the effects and his articulation. Even the opening track, which features no tapping or any real fancy tricks, sounds unlike anything that has been discussed in this thread so far. The last album that totally changed the game like this was probably Black Sabbath. Ironically, Black Sabbath took VH on their very first tour this year. I especially like how the album starts with a relatively reserved (as far as the guitar playing goes) track. It's powerful for sure, but it's not EVH at full force. They ease into it before finally hitting you with Eruption. Very clever tracking.

Definitely the best album of this year.
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Just wish the guitar had been in the right channel, not the left. That way I could hear it the same way I see them, with Eddie on my right.
 
I've never really watched their videos so that isn't an issue for me.

After all the Dream Theater I've been listening to lately, it is weird to hear the guitar on the left though.
 
Honestly didn't really care for it. Would be interested in thoughts from someone who likes it.

Now it's time for the Priest!
 
You're in a for a treat next year with their Overkill and Bomber let me tell you. On Motörhead, the band hadn't truly found their sound, but they were doing what they do best: playing punk splattered rock 'n' roll. Yeah, it's uneven and choppy at worst, but the album has some excellent highs. I'm mainly talking the title track (which is just as good as the live version from No Sleep 'til Hammersmith), White Line Fever, Iron Horse/Born to Lose (a downright classic!!), Keep Us On the Road (one of the band's better ballads), and the nice cover of Train Kept A Rollin'.

I personally love the album and I put it on whenever I want some gritty late 70's punk attitude laced with a little of that prog weirdness that the band never really messed with again (outside of Another Perfect Day and Orgasmatron).
 
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