514. Duran Duran - Rio (1982)
















Track Listing

1. Rio
2. My Own Way
3. Lonely In Your Nightmare
4. Hungry Like The Wolf
5. Hold Back The Rain
6. New Religion
7. Last Chance On The Stairway
8. Save A Prayer
9. Chauffeur

Review

No album is more emblematic of the 80s than Rio by Duran Duran, from the amazing cover to the three smash hits and era defining videos, it would probably be one of the first albums that anyone would think of when thinking of the 80s. And there is good reason for this.

This is probably one of the most perfect pieces of Pop ever produced, and the album is successful in many different ways, its music is some of the catchiest to come out of the 80s, but it isn't simple or simplistic. The songs are actually pretty complex pieces, with so many layers of sound to them that they are eternally fascinating. This is exhilarating music, it makes you happy, makes you dance and doesn't challenge you in the least, hard to make common denominator music so well.

Of course the lyrics are mostly nonsensical, but all the same they will stick with you, both because of their weirdness and because they just sound good. It is not the meaning that takes precedence here. If ever there was a decade where style won over content it was the 80s and content is indeed sacrificed in the altar of style here, but in an amazingly successful way. Pretty much the perfect pop album.

Track Highlights

1. Save A Prayer
2. Rio
3. Hungry Like The Wolf
4. The Chauffeur

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The North American version was released on Capitol's Harvest Records label, with rather poor sound quality, and didn't do well at first. EMI in Britain had promoted Duran Duran as a New Romantic band, but that genre was barely known in the United States, and Capitol was at a loss about how to sell the band.

The band, however, had their own plans and ambitions for promotion. They reunited with director Russell Mulcahy (who had directed the music video for their first single, "Planet Earth"), and planned the release of a full length video album -- eleven videos for the best songs off of the Duran Duran and Rio albums. The band travelled to Sri Lanka and Antigua between tour dates to film the memorable videos for the singles "Rio", "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Save A Prayer", as well as the lesser-known "Lonely In Your Nightmare" and "Waiting for the Nightboat" -- the latter a creepy zombiefest set on a deserted island.

While filming the tropical videos, guitarist Andy Taylor contracted malaria and was hospitalized on his return to England. This forced the delay of Duran Duran's European tour, and the record company decided to hold the release of the third single until the band was ready to promote it again.

Save a Prayer:

513. Iron Maiden - Number Of The Beast (1982)
















Track Listing

1. Invaders
2. Children Of The Damned
3. Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue
5. The Number Of The Beast
6. Run To The Hills
7. Gangland
8. Total Eclipse
9. Hallowed Be Thy Name

Review

Ah, another Metal album, but if you are to compare it to Venom, for example, this is a sublime work of art. If you are to compare it to most other good music, it isn't. But we really need to compare like with like, and my general dislike for Metal does give me a bias here.

This is a pretty fun album, but it is also a supremely kitsch one, and much of the fun you derive from the album is completely unintentional, Dickinson's theatrical voice style for example is not meant to sound ridiculous, and it does. But that does not affect the album adversely, it adds to its kitschiness.

That is no to say there aren't great tracks here, and a definite highlight is Run to the Hills, a great metal anthem. Generally the album is too self-important to be taken that seriously, there is almost always an element of masturbation to metal music, with the possible exception being Motorhead, but Iron Maiden do it in the best possible way. It still is the best possible way of doing something bad, however.

Track Highlights

1. Run to the Hills
2. Number Of The Beast
3.The Prisoner
4. 22 Acacia Avenue


Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Even though Iron Maiden were on the brink of worldwide superstardom after their breakthrough second album, Killers, vocalist Paul Di'Anno left the band at the conclusion of its 1981 world tour. The Number of the Beast is thus vocalist Bruce Dickinson's debut album with the band.

The album made UK Number 1, with the single "Run to the Hills" reaching number 7 and the title track reaching number 18.

On the Billboard Music Charts, "Hallowed Be Thy Name" hit number 50 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The album peaked at number 33 and number 150 on the Pop Albums and Billboard Top 200, respectively and went Gold in the U.S. in 1983 and Platinum a few years later.

The album was also the centre of much controversy, particularly in America, due to the lyrics of the title track and the cover art. It was widely panned by mainstream media upon its release, including Rolling Stone, who claimed that it "blusters along aimlessly, proving again that bad music is hell."

Since this album (and its tour Beast on the Road), "The Beast" has become something of a nickname for the band and possibly Eddie, as suggested by albums such as Best of the Beast (which featured a 'best of Eddie' mural on the cover), Beast over Hammersmith, and the DVD Visions of the Beast.

This album is the only one to feature song writing by drummer Clive Burr. This is one of several reasons why the album was so different from previous ones other than the obvious change in lead singer. It was the first album with writing by Adrian Smith (see below track listing for details), and the first to feature writing by the 'new' Steve Harris (his older style had been written for different musicians, and in a different time) - the entire writing system was different. However, it is one of the few albums not to feature a Dave Murray song.

Run To The Hills:

512. Associates - Sulk (1982)

















Track Listing

1. Arrogance Gave Him Up
2. No
3. Bap De La Bap
4. Gloomy Sunday
5. Nude Spoons
6. Skipping
7. It's Better This Way
8. Party Fears Two
9. Club Country
10. nothinginsomethingparticular

Review

I should like this album, and intellectually I do, but then it doesn't appeal tremendously at a more basic level. This album brings together sounds similar to three of my favourite bands/artists, there something of the gothyness of Bauhaus, there is clearly a lot of Sparks, particularly in the vocal delivery and there is a peppering of David Bowie.

But there is a spark missing here, it's just that ineffable something that turns the very good into the great, Mozart had it while Haydn lacked it for example. And the Associates lack it sadly, the music is really good, it just isn't great and I cannot for the life of me understand why.

The production work here is really is something, and the album mentions the greatest Portuguese explorer (Vasco da Gama) by name, and that makes it immediately good. One of the problems with the album might be its lack of focus, a slightly more coherent album would have been great, as it is, it is good.

Track Highlights

1. Bap de la Bap
2. Nude Spoons
3. Country Club
4. Party Fears Two

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The are numerous stories about the recording sessions for this album, some of which are true. For instance, Mackenzie allegedly proposed that he and Alan Rankine arrive with fish tied to their lapels, for "creative enhancement"; hired drums were filled with water, destroying them; and the studio was once decorated with helium-filled balloons.


Thank you youtube, Nude Spoons:

511. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska (1982)
















Track Listing

1. Nebraska
2. Atlantic City
3. Mansion On The Hill
4. Johnny 99
5. Highway Patrolman
6. State Trooper
7. Used Cars
8. Open All Night
9. My Father's House
10. Reason To Believe

Review

What a great album. Springsteen recorded some demos of songs for his next album, then he went into the studiio and recorded them with the E Street Band, and then they figured: "this sounds better in the demos, let's put them out", and so they did. And what a great decision that was.

Springsteen often relies on the epic power of his great backing band to make his songs work, but here none of that happens, he makes the simplest of albums, with just 4 track mixing, as that was what he had at home, mostly using acoustic guitar and harmonica, in a very Neil Young/ Bob Dylan way, and he is so successful with it that you can easily compare him to those two giants. And then you even have a track, State Trooper, heavily influenced by Suicide... not the most obvious of Springsteen influences.

Nebraska hasn't got one bad, mediocre or good track, they are all excellent. It is also, probably the most pessimistic Springsteen album, and the simplicity of the arrangements suits that perfectly, making for one of his most personal and touching albums. You can tell that this is a guy singing his songs at home, it isn't a studio production and that makes it a very intimate experience, showing Springsteen's talents as a lyricist and musician to their fullest. Highly Recommended.

Track Highlights

1. Atlantic City
2. Highway Patrolman
3. State Trooper
4. Used Cars

Final Grade

10/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

In 1989, Nebraska was ranked #43 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s. In 2003, the album was ranked number 224 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Pitchfork Media listed it the 60th greatest album of the 1980s.

This is not the album version, but it is also a good one, the album version is also on youtube, but embedding is disabled:

510. Venom - Black Metal (1982)
















Track Listing

1. Black Metal
2. To Hell and Back
3. Buried Alive
4. Raise the Dead
5. Teacher's Pet
6. Leave Me in Hell
7. Sacrifice
8. Heaven's on Fire
9. Countess Bathory
10. Don't Burn the Witch
11. At War with Satan

Review

This was awful. Ok it is an important album, it gave the name to the whole Black Metal genre. Now imagine Ozzie Osborne and Lemmy had a retarded child and this is what it would sound like. I know I am going to come up against some reader out there that fucking loves this, but I don't care.

The lyrics are actually quite funny, unfortunately it is in a quite unintended way and that just makes the album even sadder. And the "playing" that goes on here... they try to compensate for knowing only a couple of chords by playing it fast, but it really does not solve the problem as it makes the singer keep going on the same monotone.

This is a thoroughly shit album, none of it is smart, particularly innovative (Motorhead played it better, Black Sabbath wrote better lyrics) or even appealing in anyway. You will laugh at the lyrics especially if you get the occult references, seeing as they know fuck all about what they are singing about. Shit.

Track Highlights

1. Countess Bathory

Final Grade

4/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

In 2005 it was voted the 68th best British album of all time by Kerrang! readers.

HAHAHAHAHAhahahaha

In his Black Flag tour diary, singer Henry Rollins wrote about a 1986 performance when Black Flag opened for Venom. He opines that Venom were hilarious, with mediocre playing and a stage performance focused on appearances rather than music; Rollins asserted that the musicians used portable fans to keep their hair flowing while on stage. Rollins wrote, "It was like seeing Spinal Tap ... I expected them to go into 'Sex Farm' at any second." Rollins writes that he and some tourmates drew magic marker pentagrams on their hands to flash at Venom and offer “Hail Satan” salutes. For their final number, Venom asked the audience to chant what Rollins thought was “Black Funky Metal”, which briefly made Rollins suspect that he had overlooked Venom's sense of humor, until he realized Venom was actually saying “Black Fucking Metal.” Venom reportedly laughed off Rollins’ comments saying "Henry didn't have the balls to speak to us back then, he hid backstage, but now he mouths off behind our backs. His band were useless and that's why he writes books now. He even got the date of the show wrong. Go write some more books and we'll keep making music."

Countess Bathory: