#10 Welcome To My Nightmare - Alice Cooper (1975)
I first heard this album when I was around ten or so. My dad picked it up on cassette and it scared me. Now that doesn't mean much as I was a scaredy cat as a kid, and I mean big time. However, the song Steven on here is still kinda creepy, but the rest of it is just really fun. The stage show for the concert that followed was unparalleled back then too, with giant spiders, a cyclops, skeletons performing burlesque... This was the start of making Alice family friendly, stageshow wise. All the songs here are great and Vincent Price has a monologue on this a full 7 years before Michael Jackson had the idea!
Best songs: The Black Widow, Steven, and The Department of Youth.
#9. Bat Out of Hell - Meat Loaf (1977)
I think I heard it described by Meat Loaf himself as "the soundtrack to an X-Rated Disney movie." It's not really what I think of when I hear it. I think of it as if Wagner did a Disney movie soundtrack. It's so over the top with different styles presenting themselves through the album, I just can't help but love it. Meat's voice was never better, and it had one of the first successful promo videos, seen below.
Best songs: Bat Out of Hell, For Cryin' Out Loud, and You Took The Words Right Outta My Mouth.
#8. Rising - Rainbow (1977)
Yep, another mid-late 70s album. After guitarist Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple, he made Rainbow, which was for the first 3 albums, the architecture for early 80s metal. Sadly it's hard to find material from this album's tour on the internet, and there were no music videos made. It includes probably my favorite swords and sorcery song, Stargazer, which I guess just didn't work right live due to the orchestra and choir originally used on the album. I'd heavily suggest hearing the album though.
Best songs: Tarot Woman, Stargazer, and A Light In The Dark.
#7. Bad Reputation - Thin Lizzy (1977)
The third 1977 album in a row... Musta been the last great year for rock music. Anyways, I consider this the quintessential Thin Lizzy album. It's epic whilst being unpretentious and best of all it's a good starter to the Thin Lizzy sound. From the bombastic opening of Soldier of Fortune to the God-pleading closer of Dear Lord, it's perfect. It includes one of their more popular singles with the title track, of which I included the music video of below.
Best songs: Soldier of Fortune, Southbound, and That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart.
#6. Somewhere In Time - Iron Maiden (1986)
This was not always my favorite Maiden album. WHen I first heard it, I found the album hard to get into. Why? Because it's not like the albums that came before it. There's guitar synths, it's dark, it's more serious. However, about four years ago, this became my favorite. All the songs are great... not a lesser one in the bunch. It's got the rousing single Wasted Years, the galloping Sea of Madness, and my two favorites... The slow galloping Stranger In A Strange Land (best guitar solo ever), and the epic history lesson of Alexander The Great. I've included the video for Stranger In A Strange Land below.
Best songs: Sea of Madness, Stranger In A Strange Land, and Alexander The Great.
#5. One Way Ticket to Hell... And Back - The Darkness (2005)
I am fully aware that this is probably the odd one out of the top 10. Most people prefer Permission to Land or hate The Darkness period. I love The Darkness. Why do I consider this album superior? It's catchier, it's more Queen-like, and has a much more varied style to it. The first album was great, but this one is more fun with less unnecessary bad language.
Best songs: One Way Ticket, Hazel Eyes, and Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time.
#4. Leftoverture - Kansas (1976)
Yes, this is the one with Carry on Wayward Son on it. That is probably my least favorite song on the album, though it's still great. The album takes you on a philosophical journey as only Kansas (at the time) could. It's amazing the album was so popular as it had no real radio friendly tunes. Sure, the songs are catchy, but the catchier ones are longer than the less catchy ones. My favorite thing about the album is the last two songs. Cheyenne Anthem has this odd keyboard interlude in it that reminds me of the Bobby's World theme. The last song is called Magnum Opus, which is mainly instrumental and weird as hell. Lots of time and direction changes.
Best songs: The Wall, Cheyenne Anthem, and Magnum Opus.
#3. Tales of Mystery and Imagination - The Alan Parsons Project (1975)
Wow, I think I first heard this album when I was 4 or 5. My dad had the record of it, which like Welcome To My Nightmare scared me. I have no idea why really. The artwork wasn't that great. The music can be creepy though, even when not comprehending the words to the songs, which are based on Edgar Allan Poe stories. This was the first Alan Parsons album, and the first use of the vocoder on a record. The album was re-released in the 80s with added guitar solos and spoken word intros by Orson Welles which were originally set to be included in the original release. Sadly, no music videos were made for this album.
Best songs: The Tell-Tale Heart, (The System of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether, and The Fall of The House of Usher.
#2. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac (1977)
Some more 1977 for ya. This is usually considered one of, if not the best, pop albums of all time. I'm inclined to agree. Every song on this album is played on the radio today, if you listen for it. An album written whilst the band was going through personal turmoils. (When all the band is having love affairs with each other, what do you expect?) These issues planted themselves in the lyrics of the songs like The Chain, You Make Loving Fun and I Don't Wanna Know... But really all I can think as I look at this video is "who ever thought afros looked good on white men?!"
Best songs: The Chain, I Don't Wanna Know and Gold Dust Woman.
#1. Running on Empty - Jackson Browne (1977)
Yep, it's official, 1977 was the best year for pop rock. Another album I've liked for a good long while. Written whilst on the road, literally recording part of the album on the tour bus and in hotel rooms, it's the best road album ever made most likely. It's soulful and warm, but also dark and full of longing (and all that pretentious crap). Every song on here is equally as great as the song before it.
Best songs: All of em.
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