The Lost Soul's 50 favorite albums #40-36

#40. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John (1973)

Despite it being a double album, I think all the songs on here are great. (Yes, even Jamaica Jerk-Off!) The first side of the first record was of course the big hit, and is also MY favorite part. I still find Bennie and the Jets to be trying in large doses though.

Best Songs - Funeral For A Friend (Love Lies Bleeding), This Song Has No Title, and Roy Rogers.

#39. Heaven and Hell - Black Sabbath (1980)

...and here we are with Dio again! Now, I gotta say, I like Dio-fronted Sabbath more than Ozzy-fronted. It's a completely different style and sound. Dio made the band sound more like Rainbow, which is a great thing. The lyrics turned towards sorcery and such over women, which is what the last few Sabbath albums before this had been about. A great turnaround and a perfect album.

Best Songs - Die Young, Heaven & Hell, Wishing Well (hard to choose really)

#38. Somewhere Out In Space - Gamma Ray (1997)
It was hard to choose between Gamma Ray albums. They are probably my favorite power metal group. Their problem is that some of their albums don't flow together as well as they should. This one does. It's a pretty long album, but it's still one I play a lot. Every song is space themed. I wish they'd play more songs from it in concert, especially Shine On/Rising Star.

Best Songs - Beyond The Black Hole, Pray, and Shine On/Rising Star

#37. Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy (1976)

Thin Lizzy is another one of those bands that I got into within the last five years. This was the first album I got. I had heard that they'd inspired my favorite group, Iron Maiden. Well, the whole album is fantastic. Not one weak song in the whole bunch. Again, it's short and lends itself to repeated listenings all the way through. It includes their only American hit, The Boys Are Back in Town, but I prefer The Cowboy Song.

Best Songs - Jailbreak, Cowboy Song, and Emerald

#36. Van Halen - Van Halen (1977)

It's a classic for a reason in this case. Hard enough to almost be metal at parts, but not so much that the mainstream radio didn't like it. It also was the premier of the great Eddie Van Halen. It's known mainly for the first three tracks, which admittedly show off the band very well, but the rest of the album is just as good, if not better. This was one of the first bands and albums I got into that my dad didn't like first when I was 15, so it's very special to me.

Best Songs - Ice Cream Man, I'm The One, and Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love