This is not your grand-mammie's Metallica album -- no -- this is St. Anger. It is angry as shizzy... a very apt album title.
Not a lot of people like St. Anger. Even I can't say that I really like the album. I enjoy it, on occasion, though. It differs from other Metallica albums because it is a more chord-driven album (I think, I'm no musician, but that's how I'll describe it). It doesn't rely on nifty riffs. In fact, there is not one guitar solo on the entire album. It is that raw -- and is surely a different Metallica.
Actually filmed with "lifers" in San Quentin.
This is a badass album to listen to when working out hardXcore, son. It makes your muscles huge, and makes people afraid of you. I like the songs St. Anger, Sweet Amber, and Some Kind of Monster the most.
This is the continuation of two prior posts: Part 3 of 3. This is it! Numbers 4, 3, 2, and 1!
See the prior posts, numbers 13-10, and 9-5, to get up to speed.
#4.
METALLICA: ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (1988)
Well, you might be able to guess why this album is in the top five for me. It's a cross between heavy metal and social science (broadly defined). Basically, it is America. Well, my America. I mean, seriously, those of you who know me would have no problem guessing that if I ruled America, it would be dominated by heavy metal ... and justice ... for all. Heavy metal begets justice. Duh. For a real-world example, see my ancient post about the effects of heavy metal on communism (obliteration).
The album has been criticized for its production. Particularly, the percussion has no depth, no balls. The guitars come across as weak. These are all recording/mastering issues, which do not reflect the quality of the material that was created for the album. The songs on the album are very good. The opening guitar melody for "...And Justice for All" is very distinct (and unique). The percussion disappoints, when it "kicks in," because of the aforementioned recording issue (the bass drum has an oddly snare-like sound, which should never, ever be the case on a metal album). The album also contains "Blackened," which is heavy, "Harvester of Sorrow," which has some sweet riffs and good time changes (for Metallica), "The Frayed Ends of Sanity," despite having a cheesy song name, is a really good metal-sounding song. It has guttural riffs, complimented by some pussy-ass percussion that had the potential to be amazing. "To Live is to Die" is the only song that sort-of stands out as different, because it slows down at times and extends into protracted guitar riffs that are like mini-solos, which is kind of cool. The best song on the album, though, by far, is "One." This song is deserving of it's entirely own paragraph... so that's what it'll get. [presses "Enter" twice]
"One" by Metallica -- it is probably my favorite song by them (closely rivaled by "Bleeding Me" and "Hero of the Day" from Load (1996)). It tells the story of a young man ravaged by World War I. He goes off to fight the Germans, but ends up being blown up by an artillery shell. His arms and legs are blown off, in addition to his face. However, he is kept alive by the miracles of "modern medicine" in the 1910's. The doctors think he is a vegetable, so they keep him alive, doing tests (none of which are physically painful).
"One" -- an ominously simple name
This music video is excellent, containing
video clips and sound bites from the film described below.
So very very good.
And now the song in violin (or cello? what are they playing?). (Warning: very epic cover)
The thrust of the story is how the man is trying to figure out whether he is alive or dead, sleeping or awake. This is his personal hell. He has no face, therefore he cannot see, no mouth, therefore he cannot speak, and no arms and legs to walk or run away with. He is helpless. He can do nothing. He tries to communicate with the medical staff by tapping his head on his pillow in Morse Code. The medical staff... well, I won't tell you how the story ends. The song is based off of a 1970's anti-war film called Johnny Got His Gun (1971), which was based off of an earlier novel. This movie is the subject of a very early post of mine, probably the first one I made on this blog, actually. (Not sure, but I think I reveal the ending of the movie in that post, so spoiler alert.) It is a favorite film of mine, and the song is one my favorites as well. It blends history, film and heavy metal all in one... no wonder it's so high on the list.
Despite the poor production, the album is excellent. Solid, straight through.
Favorite Lyrics: "I can't remember anything, can't tell if this is true or dream. Deep down inside I feel to scream, this terrible silence stops me . . . oh please god, help me." - One.
Album Cover: What do you think!? Amazing, of course! It has lady justice chained to a stone wall, trying to break free from her bonds. That is epic in any context, but when mixed with metal, it makes me feel uncontrollable urges that I rarely feel otherwise...
#3.
IRON MAIDEN: BRAVE NEW WORLD (2000)
I wrote an entire post about this album before. It was Iron Maiden's last album to have an "edge" all the way through. This is because it was perfectly produced. It wasn't sanitized, and the songs still have balls.
This is one of those rare albums that make me noticeably happy when it comes on, every time. It specifically reminds me of when I was 17, when I was still playing national tournament paintball, doing my thing, the thing that I love most. I used to be a janitor, when I was 17. I worked at a "classy" grocery store called Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck, NJ. Frequent shoppers were Queen Latifa, Bruce Springsteen, and some player (memory's fading) from the N.Y. Jets circa 2004-ish. Anyways, I remember playing it very loudly in my car on the way to and from work. I seriously never took this CD out of the player for weeks on end. "Ghost of the Navigator" blows me away every time. By far, however, my favorite song is "Blood Brothers." See my prior post about "Blood Brothers" for an explanation of why. The album also contains great songs like "Dream of Mirrors," "Brave New World," "Out of the Silent Planet," "The Thing Line Between Love and Hate," and "The Nomad." I don't dislike a single song on this album.
The album opens up with "Wicker Man," which is probably the most mundane song on the album (but not really mundane at all). I say "mundane" because it is just more of a straight-through rock song, versus the sweeping guitar and vocal melodies, coupled with the solid time changes, which characterize Maiden.
This album is excellently produced. It is not too modern (as in flat sounding), and it isn't quite a rough-cut, so to speak, where you can hear noise, and pretty much everything else you don't want to. It is Maiden's last well-produced album (well, Dance of Death (2003) wasn't done that bad, but Brave New World kind of overshadows that album in my opinion -- Brave New World is Dance of Death's older, more-successful, brother).
The back cover.
(From left to right: Janick Gers, Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson,
Nicko McBrain, Steve Harris, and Dave Murray)
The album just reminds me of another time -- an awesome time in my life.
Favorite Lyrics: I can't pick "favorite" lyrics from this album, because they are all very good, but here are some that I like: "And if you're taking a walk through the garden of life, what did you think you'd expect you would see? Just like a mirror reflecting the moves of your life, and in the river, reflections of me. Just for a second, a glimpse of my father I see. And in a movement he beckons to me. And in a moment the memories are all that remain. And all the wounds are reopening again. We're blood brothers, we're blood brothers!" - Blood Brothers
Album Cover: Pretty good. I like the shade of blueish-purple for some reason. It's always caught my eye. I like Eddie's face kind of being created out of the clouds, and the expansive city, the "brave new world," below.
#2
IRON MAIDEN: NUMBER OF THE BEAST (1982)
Woe to you, oh earth and sea, for the devil sends the beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short. Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number. It's number, is six-hundred and sixty-six. (written from memory) This is the opening to the classic song "Number of the Beast," by Iron effin' Maiden, from the classic album Number of the Beast. This album was the third studio album released by Iron Maiden, and the first one to feature new singer Bruce Dickinson. Well, suffice it to say that this Iron Maiden was completely different, apparently, from the first lineup with frontman Paul Di'Anno. Dickinson added a vocal element to the band, that few bands ever get (for this style of music). He doesn't have the range of some singers (Rob Halford, Freddie Mercury, or Ian Gillan, for example), but he has a powerful quasi-operatic quality, which is pretty damn unique. Plus, he is really fun to watch on stage, pretty much running back and forth non-stop, quite similar to a small dog.
The original music video for "Number of the Beast" --
1980's clothes and all.
For me, this is the pinnacle of 1980's heavy metal. Number of the Beast represents all that is good in the world (ironically, through satanic symbology). This album is when Iron Maiden was still hardcore to the bone. They wrote nasty-as-shit riffs, and just plowed through album after album. As mentioned in the last post in this series, they released Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, and Powerslave, back-to-back, in years 1982, 1983, and 1984, respectively. This is damn impressive, considering the sheer quality of those albums.
Number of the Beast contains some of the best songs that Iron Maiden made. The album starts off with "Invaders," which could be called average by Maiden's standards. But the album immediately goes into "Children of the Damned," which is a slower, more percussion-driven song. It is a heavier song, setting the stage for the rest of the album, closing out with the classic fast-paced squealy guitars. Next comes "Prisoner," inspired by the British television show of the same name. The song opens with the memorable lines "Who is number 1?" "You are number 6." "I am not a number, I am a free man!" It next goes into "22 Acacia Avenue," which has the nastiest opening riff on the album. Next is "Number of the Beast," described supra. Next is "Run to the Hills," an Iron Maiden classic, likely their best known song, and which they use to close out most of their live shows. The song is about American Indians fighting the white man, and retreating into the hills. So good. Next is "Ganglands," the weakest song on the album, and is the only one I usually skip when listening. But it's okay, because they sandwich "Ganglands" in between two great songs, because the album closes out with the very very epic song "Hallowed be Thy Name." This song opens with a man sitting in a cold prison cell, awaiting his trip to the gallows. And builds and builds and builds until it ends with Bruce Dickinson howling "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, hallowed be thy name!" over and over again. It is certainly an amazing ending to an album, leaving you wanting more.
Later releases also included the song "Total Eclipse," which was excluded from the original album, probably for length reasons. It is a very good song, but I don't really know what it's about. It has some nice lyrics though.
Favorite Lyrics: "I'm waiting in my cold cell, when the bell begins to chime. Reflecting on my past life, and it doesn't have much time. 'Cause at 5 o'clock, they take me to the gallows pole. The sands of time, for me, are running low........ohhhh!" - Hallowed be Thy Name
Album Cover: Memorable, but otherwise average. It has the band's mascot, Eddie, being the puppet master for the devil, which is kind of funny. It has a unique color pattern, which is cool.
#1
BLACK SABBATH: HEAVEN AND HELL (1980)
Sing me a song, you're a singer! That's right folks, the intersection of Ronnie James Dio and Black Sabbath produced a few hellishly awesome albums, one being Heaven and Hell (the other two being Mob Rules (1981)and Dehumanizer (1992). Dehumanizer was surprisingly good, too, considering it was a one-off (ish)).
Rarely do you have two legends cross paths. Even more rarely do you have two legends cross paths and achieve something so mind-blowingly awesome. Contra Ian Gillan and Black Sabbath; David Bowie and Queen.
This album was the first Black Sabbath album after Ozzy Osbourne left the band in 1979, to go off on his highly successful solo career as the "prince of darkness" (giving us classic songs like "Crazy Train" and "Bark at the Moon"). People thought metal was dead, or on the decline. Sabbath was (and is, in many ways) the hallmark of metal. Without Sabbath, what was left? Much was riding on how Black Sabbath handled its vacancy at vocals. Enter Ronnie James Dio. Dio had been in Elf and Rainbow, two modestly successful hard rock bands in their own right (playing with the likes of Ritchie Blackmore, star guitarist of Deep Purple). Dio secured his place in the great halls of metal by joining Sabbath.
The song "Heaven and Hell"
Video from (probably) 1980.
Dio's time in Sabbath marked a departure from the style most associated with Ozzy. As Tony Iommi (Sabbath's legendary guitarist) said, paraphrasing, "Ozzy sang with the chords, while Dio sang across the chords." It's too much work to explain this, and it is only tangential, but those of you who are fans know what I'm talking about. Singing across the chords gave Dio more freedom, and let the power of his vocals really show. Iommi picked up the intensity of his guitar riffs, and the overall pace of the songs increased when Dio joined the band. Clearly, Black Sabbath was entering the 1980's.
Heaven and Hell was forged out of this backdrop. They lucked out, and scored an awesome album, even with the departure of Ozzy Osbourne -- a legend. Heaven and Hell has some awesome songs. My favorites are "Children of the Sea," "Lady Evil," "Neon Knights," "Die Young," "Lonely is the Word," and of course, "Heaven and Hell." Everything on that album is awesome: excellent percussion, excellent bass lines (simple and elegant), harsh, heavy, yet simple, guitar riffs (except for the solo, which is un-simple), garnished with the most powerful voice in hard rock and heavy metal history.
Dio wrote very symbolically. His lyrics conjured hardcore imagery in your mind. He sang about demons, wizards, kings and queens. His songs are about angels, fools, ships, and long voyages on the ocean. He paints pictures with his words. Sure, they are cheesy and not "hip," but I think that's the point -- it's just music, have fun with it.
R.I.P. Dio. 1942-2010.
Favorite Lyrics: [For you, Sharkmann:] "Sing me a song, you're a singer. Do me a wrong, you're a bringer of evil. The devil is never a maker, the less that you give, you're a taker. So it's on and on and on, it's heaven and hell, oh well." and "The world is full of kings and queens, who blind your eyes and steal your dreams, it's heaven and hell, oh well." - Heaven and Hell
Album Cover: Probably my favorite album cover of all. I bet Number of the Beast would be my favorite album of all time if it had a better cover. Basically, in this case, the album cover is the tie-breaker, and the grammy goes to Heaven and Hell hands-down. It has three angels, wearing awesomely gray robes, smoking cigarettes and gambling. The art is simple, and says a lot about people -- the duality of man, I suppose. This makes the message transcend the music... almost. >;-)
Honorable Mentions: Appetite for Destruction (Guns N Roses), Iron Maiden (Iron Maiden), Piece of Mind (Iron Maiden), Powerslave (Iron Maiden), British Steel (Judas Priest), Sin After Sin (Judas Priest), Load (Metallica).
Fin.
Post comments below, and please follow this sexy-ass blog. It goes to eleven.
This is the continuation of a prior post: Part 2 of 3.
See the prior post, numbers 13-10, to get up to speed.
#9. METALLICA: RIDE THE LIGHTNING (1984) For those metal fans, all I have to say is "Fade to Black" and you'd know the greatness to which I am referring: Ride the Lightning. This is one of those under-heralded albums that you turn on, and as a metal fan you're like: "Damn that song is on this album too?" And the majesty keeps delivering with "Creeping Death," "The Call of Ktulu," and "For Whom the Bells Tolls," amongst many others. This was Metallica's second album, the transition album between their extremely thrashy first album Kill 'Em All (1983), and their more classic sound beginning on Master of Puppets (1986). It's a raw album, without being raw for raw's sake. Metallica wasn't trying hard to be cool (like one could say about Kill 'Em All), they were just playing badass music, and it comes across on the album.
Favorite Lyrics: "Stranger now, are his eyes, to this mystery, he hears the silence so loud. Crack of dawn, all is gone, except the will to be. Now they see what will be, blinded eyes to see, for whom the bell tolls, time marches on." - For Whom the Bell Tolls
Album Cover: Average/good. The lightning is cool, I guess.
#8.
ARCADE FIRE: THE SUBURBS (2010)
Sooo good. As I said in my post about Arcade Fire awhile back, they are just awesome. Balanced, their music is well balanced. The Suburbs moved Arcade Fire back into the folksy feel that I love, after their slight/sort-of departure into the rock sphere with Neon Bible (2007) -- which, don't get me wrong, was a very good album in its own right. This album is solid, straight through, with only one exception. The song "Month of May" could go to hell for all I care. The lyrics are all literal and matter of fact: "Gunna' make a record in the month of May." I guess they took it too literally when people say to write about what you know. It's like, uhhh... okay. Tell me something personal, and I'll appreciate it more than a narrative. It's like putting "It is your birthday." on a banner instead of "Happy Birthday!" See The Office. But anyways, I love this album very very much. I lucked out and was able to see them for their live recording for the Unstaged series posted to Youtube. I especially love the songs "We Used to Wait" and "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)."
Omg! I was at this show!
Favorite Lyrics: "So can you understand? Why I want a daughter while I'm still young. I wanna hold her hand and show her some beauty, before this damage is done." - The Suburbs
Album Cover: Good. A car parked looking at the side of a suburban home. Gets the point across. I like the colors.
#7 IRON MAIDEN: LIVE AFTER DEATH (1985) This is the live album of live albums. It is the only live album I would ever consider putting on a list of favorite albums. I am biased, of course, because it is Iron Maiden, the greatest band in existence after Wyld Stallyn, of course. So, Live After Death, is a sick album. It was released in 1985 arguably at Iron Maiden's peak. They had just released the holy trio of albums -- Number of the Beast (1982), Piece of Mind (1983) and Powerslave (1984). They released these consecutively, while touring on the most epic of tours ever, the WORLD SLAVERY TOUR. Haha! So evil! Then, what do they decide to do? Oh I don't know, release a live album of the most epic material they will ever create!! "What do you do when a bird shits on you?" The Rime of the Ancient Mariner! Hallowed be Thy Name! Running Free! Run to the Hills! The Trooper! Powerslave! Number of the Beast! I literally can't name all of the awesomeness that poured out of this album, because my fingers would start to bleed. They (my fingers) would surely hate me, and I still need them for law school, and other things. Needless to say, the vinyl with a sleeve in good condition would be an excellent gift for me at some point (this is directed at all of my single hot-chick friends who want to impress me -- but only the blonde ones). This album came out when Iron Maiden was selling out stadiums three nights in a row... oh the 80's, where art thou? (Note to self: IN THE PAST... *tear* ) The quality of this live recording is unmatched by any live recording I've heard since.
Favorite Lyrics: "She came to me with a serpent's kiss, as the eye of the sun rose on her lips, moonlight catches silver tears that I cry. So we lay in a black embrace, and the seed is sown in a holy place, and I watched and I waited for the dawn." - Revelations (on Piece of Mind)
Album Cover: Very good. "Eddie" is busting up from hell, probably breaking from some badass metal chains or something. Either way, he is making the metal hands (indicating that epic qualities in the abstract are abound), and the metal face (indicating that Jesus is shredding on an electric axe somewhere in the universe). Love it. Whenever I see it, I smile, like seeing really short short-shorts on a girl that should be wearing normal-sized-girl pants.
#6 JUDAS PRIEST: SAD WINGS OF DESTINY (1976)
Okay, well after rating Live After Death so highly, I'm rethinking the placement of this album on the scale -- it is surely deserving of "favorite" status, but maybe a little lower on the list. Oh well, too lazy now, forge ahead. Sad Wings of Destiny is the first album on the list that doesn't have that one bastard step-child of a song. Suburbs had "Month of May," Ride the Lightning had "Trapped Under Ice," just like Use Your Illusion II had "Shotgun Blues." But this masterpiece, flows, and I mean dayum it flows. A lot of the songs lead into one another. It is crafted by the master guitarist artisans K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton -- the true founders of the dual guitar battle. It punches you in the face out of the gate with "Victim of Changes," easily one of Priest's best songs, and a true metal legend of a song. (Victim of Changes is probably one of my favorite songs.) The album then immediately cuts into "The Ripper" based on Jack the Ripper, of English lore/reality, a great percussion-driven beat machine. Next, it softens into "Dreamer Deceiver," and lets you catch your breath, with, frankly, some quite beautiful vocal melodies, and soft acoustic. But! Don't fear, it transitions into its faster pace cousin, delivering on the electric guitar in "Deceiver." Then Priest, does WHAT!?!?, they drop some piano on your fat stank ass with the "Prelude" to "Tyrant," another classic priest anthem. It rolls through "Epitaph" and "Genocide," great stand-alone songs, closing out with "Island of Domination," a perfect album closer with high pitch Halford vocals, and some very "riffy" guitar bits (for the 70's). This is not a hardcore album by any means, but it is very very good. It is pure and honest to the proto-metal sound of the late 1970's. Sad Wings was Priest's second album, released in 1976.
Favorite Lyrics: "Once she was wonderful, once she was fine, once she was beautiful, once she was mine. Now change has come over her body, she doesn't see me anymore. Now change has come over her body, she doesn't see me anymore. Changes, victim of change." - Victim of Changes
Album Cover: Great! I love the angel's spread wings, trying to protect himself from the flames. It encapsulates epic ideas, like battles on ethereal plains... or something? Or maybe its a stone angel, immune to flame? Who knows, it looks badass, and this is a blog about badass stuff... and me.
#5
RUSH: 2112 (1976)
This is a rock album. This album changed a lot of lives, and influenced a lot of musicians in the rock and later metal scenes. Just watch the recent documentary made about RUSH, Behind the Lighted Stage (2010) and you'll see people talking about RUSH you wouldn't have guessed, like Sabastian Bach of Skid Row, Kirk Hammet of Metallica, some dude from Rage Against the Machine (I think), and even Jack Black of Tenacious D. Even if you aren't a RUSH fan you might enjoy it, it's surprisingly well made (for Canadians. haha, just kidding, I love Canadians... well... only the blonde ones). The story behind 2112 is simple (well, the story of the making of the album, not the story ON the album, which is a total mind fuck). RUSH had put out three albums by the time of 2112, RUSH (1974), Fly By Night (1975) and Caress of Steel (1975). The albums got progressively less popular, and were flops on the pop charts. RUSH figured their number was up, so they decided to say fuck you to the studio by putting out one last album, totally whack, with a 21 minute song on one side of the album called "2112." The other side of the album actually contained 4-5 good songs that the studio ultimately used for air-time and promotion. Well, surprise surprise, the album, and the song, 2112, was an epic, and massively popular. It tells the story of a man fighting the priests of the temples of syrinx in the future with his guitar. Whack. But, the music is notable for its complexity, yet simplicity in listening. It is filled with plenty of time changes to keep your interest, and some really good guitar solos and riffs. Neil Peart on the drums is heralded as probably the best living drummer in the world. Their technical mastery easily makes up for the fact that there are only three of them in the band ("the holy triumvirate"): Geddy Lee (vocals and bass), Alex Lifeson (guitar), Neil Peart (drums/percussion). Listen with care.
Favorite Lyrics: "What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it gives forth a sound. It's got wires that vibrate, and make music. What can this thing be, that I've found? See how it sings like a sad heart, and joyously screams out it's pain. Sounds that build high like a mountain, or notes that fall gently like rain." - 2112 [Act III. Discovery]
Album Cover: Memorable. Simple and memorable. I will always remember the star.
Tune in next week, kids, for the final installment of the best albums ever created by humans.
Post comments below, and please follow this sexy-ass blog. It goes to eleven.
I was just browsing the vast internet-tubes in my insomnia and came across this gem on Metallica's website:
From a press release dated 11-18-2010:
[W]e just wanted to address something which happened on the tour the other night regarding a large beachball, a band member's foot and a little girl.
So I immediately, of course, went to Youtube to see what I could find, and sure enough I found a video. (Please note the ridiculously awesome video title immediately below -- like "Kirk Hammett kicks baby" isn't good enough, they had to add "Remix!!!" with exclamation points.)
It wasn't funny until the second half when the video-editor added in sound effects, which actually made it quite hilarious. Am I going to hell?
The video raises some serious questions. Like, well, maybe only two. First, what the hell was that girl doing basically on stage? (super jealous) Second, who cares? I'm just glad to hear that she wasn't hurt at all, and actually remains friends with Kirk (Metallica's guitarist and evil beach-ball kicker) after the accident. Softpedia.com.
This is the compendium of the most epic rock and metal songs ever! No other lists matter. This is the list.
Note: For all of you idiots out there, epic does not necessarily mean badass or cool, or some other quality found in a "good" song. Epic is grand is scope -- it is a song that takes you on a journey.
20) Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas 19) You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth by Meat Loaf 18) Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf 17) I'd Do Anything For Love by Meat Loaf 16) Love, Reign O'er Me by The Who
15) Baba O'Riley by The Who (suggestion made by Eric Sedler)
14) Paradise City by Guns 'N' Roses (suggestion made by Dan Blum and Eric Sedler) 13) One by Metallica 12) Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen 11) Fade to Black by Metallica 10) Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Iron Maiden 9) Civil War by Guns 'N' Roses 8) Mistreated by Ritchie Blackmore/Rainbow 7) Estranged by Guns 'N' Roses 6) Victim of Changes by Judas Priest 5) 2112 by Rush
2112 (The Opening)
As the song is 20+ minutes I just posted the opening part here.
It would have been higher if it played like one song, but instead
it plays more like 5-6 linked songs.
4) Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
Stairway to Heaven
It would have a higher score if it's build-up was shorter.
3) Child in Time by Deep Purple
Child in Time
Epic epic song, it has a good build up and nice crescendo. It would have beat November Rain if Ian Gillan's voice was less squealy.
2) November Rain by Guns 'N' Roses
November Rain
Beautiful/weird music video, and epic Slash playing on guitar. Perfect mix of vocals and piano.
1) Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Free Bird
The studio version is better (with the organ). Only organ beats piano,
just like rock beats scissors, just like the North beat the south.
Most Mentions 1) Guns 'N' Roses (with 4 songs) 2) Meat Loaf (with 3) 3) Ritchie Blackmore (with 2 (1 in Deep Purple, 1 in Rainbow)) 4) The Who (with 2) 5) Metallica (with 2)
If you think your list is better -- don't care -- suck it.
Notable Mentions: 21st Century Schizoid Man (King Crimson), The Ballad of Billy the Kid (Billy Joel), Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden), Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath), Rainbow in the Dark (Dio), Paradise by the Dashboard Light (Meat Loaf), Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin), The End (The Doors).
Metallica's first album Kill 'Em All has always been a mixed bag for me. It's pretty much the definition of thrash metal. It's got a dichotomy though, it's a pretty good album overall, but with that said, there are some songs on that album that I have a hard time listening to.
Metallica's Kill 'Em All (1983)
First, you have songs like Seek and Destroy, No Remorse, The Four Horseman, and Hit the Lights, which are just epic straight through head banging delight.
Seek and Destroy at Tushino Airfield. (funny because bassist Jason Newsted sings the first part, very terribly)
And then you have some less-than-critically acclaimed songs, which just kind of rail on the guitar for a couple of minutes, claiming to be a song. Songs such as Metal Militia, Phantom Lord, Whiplash, Motorbreath, fall into this category -- the category of "we-are-trying-too-hard-to-be-like-a-more-badass-version-of-Motorhead."
Don't get me wrong, I can still listen to these songs, and I love Metallica, and Kill 'Em All, but you'll find me skipping them more often than not.
Once upon a time, there was a bear. This great big bear would drink lots of vodka, wear wife-beaters, and work in the widget factories. This bear was the Soviet Union. It was the greatest hypocrisy of the 20th Century. And that's why Heavy Metal smashed the bear, because it sucked.
Much has been written about the fall of the Soviet Union. Why did it fall? When exactly? Was it the fall of the Berlin Wall, when the communist bloc broke off, or when Gorbachev officially resigned?
Yo, the answer is obvious. After conducting some research, the date is clear. The Soviet Union officially ended on September 28, 1991. This was the greatest day in Russian history. This was the "Monsters of Rock" concert.
Metallica visiting Russians right after the August Coup
and then their Opening Song, Enter Sandman
Five bands met at Tushino Airfield outside Moscow on that date to do two things: 1) to rock the freggin' socks off some vodka swillin' freedom lovers, and 2) to take down the Soviet Union with the force of their epic-ness.
The bands that played were (from opening to closing): Pantera, E.S.T. (Russian band), The Black Crowes, Metallica, and AC/DC. It is believed that this was one of the biggest rock shows of all time -- with about 1.6 million people in attendance.
As myth has it, Gorbachev gave this as one of his final orders before abdicating the premiership. Of course Gorbachev was a huge metal fan. He was a badass dude, who was known to wear KISS makeup to cover the funky skin discoloration on his big ol' noggin'.
Gorbachev c. 1987
After giving the order to allow metal into the hearts and minds of the Russian people, the hardline communist party members were upset. They were unwilling to allow Gorbachev to have his Metalstroika. The hardliners organized loyal military commanders and their units, and rolled into Moscow to take Gorbachev down before the new democratic government could enter at the end of the year 1991. Needless to say, thousands of metal heads, as well as merely average Russians, rushed to the Soviet premier's defense -- knowing that not only freedom was at stake, but also the future of metal in the Eastern hemisphere. These brave vodka swillers stood down the tanks, and many people were killed. In the end, the hardliners backed off and eventually gave up, realizing the futility of their efforts. This eventually became what is now known as the August Coup -- the communist hardliners' last ditch effort at holding together the Soviet Union.
The August Coup was defeated largely due to heavy metal.
One month later at Tushino Airfield outside of Moscow, the five aforementioned bands joined forces in solidarity to oppose any lingering communist sentiment. This was the final battle, which put Russia finally into the freedom category. As you may know, Russia has slipped backwards towards its old habits in recent years, particularly since KGB hardliner Putin took control. We should call for another Monsters of Rock at Tushino. While freedom may not be free, it certainly is metal.
For the full video of the Monsters of Rock concert at Tushino Airfield, click here. I think Metallica starts at around 27-30ish mins in.
