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| Accept: Balls To The Walls (1984, Lark Inl) True heavy metal. While not insanely popular here in America ("Balls" peaked at 74) the title track is one of the true metal anthems of all time. The rest of the album isn't much unless you're a metal head. Accept are part of the German wing of heavy metal, sharing their era with Motorhead and the Scorpions, to name a few. One thing that makes them memorable, however. Frontman Udo Dirkschneider has a tortured scream of a voice that would make the hair stand up on your neck. Listen to the album and you'll hear what I mean. |
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| Accept: "Eat The Heat" (1989, Epic) An excellent example of buying a record for one song. "Generation Clash" has almost everything you need in a metal song but the lyrics are hokey for the most part. Accept are an example of a band with a specific sound, and that sound is invested in Udo's vocals. Change that and it isn't Accept anymore, just some band. That's what happened here. Udo had left, the vocalist here is David Reece and while he does a decent singing job, rare is the band that can change a lead singer and still keep it together. |
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| Aerosmith: Permanent Vacation (1987, Geffen) The Toxic Twins de-toxified. Aerosmith's second album under the Geffen flag has shipped in excess of five million copies and spawned such favorites as "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Rag Doll" but the band really shines on "Hangman Jury" a bluesy cut with a memorable rocking-chair intro. The Bad Boys from Boston proved that they didn't need the drugs to party but a full detox was yet to come... |
| Aerosmith: Pump (1989, Geffen) This was the second rock concert I went to and the memories stay to this day. When I was in high school, "Pump" was played so much I must have worn it out at least once and it's a miracle I still have functioning vocal cords. "Janie's Got A Gun" and "Love In An Elevator" are the two breakout singles but the whole album, from start to finish, is a keeper and will last forever |
| Aerosmith: "Get A Grip" (1993, Geffen) Okay, not the greatest, but certainly not the worst either. There are some departures here and also the trademark humor that made the band famous. The videos were standouts too. "Cryin", "Amazing", and "Crazy" all sport both Steven Tyler's daughter, Liv (Lord of the Rings, Armageddon) and Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, True Crime) and are true standout songs. For a bit of a laugh, catch "Eat The Rich", an agreeable look at snooty attitude. |
| Aerosmith: "Toys In The Attic" (1975, Columbia) Two words to sum it up: "Sweet Emotion". One of the most recognized rock songs of the 'modern' era, this was its first appearance. "Walk This Way", inspired by a quote from "Rocky Horror" fav Riff Raff, also debuted here. The album showcases some of Aerosmith's best at a time when they were about to go straight into the shitter. Their drug use and excess are legendary and sometimes overshadow wonderful double entendres like "Big Ten Inch Record" (it is about the...ahem...record) and classics ("Toys In The Attic") alike. |
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| Aerosmith: "Greatest Hits" (1980, Columbia) An example of record company exploitation at its finest, "Greatest Hits" is the stuff recording industry horror stories are written about. By 1980 the drugs, booze, and hard livin' had taken their toll. Joe Perry had left and been replaced and Columbia, needing something to keep the faith, released this. It wouldn't be the first time. Columbia later released two live albums after the band had gone to Geffen, simply to make money off the name. However, "Greatest Hits" is a solid Aerosmith primer for the novice. |
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| Alice In Chains: "Dirt" (1992, Columbia) |
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