Hibees bounce Top albums - The Countdown

[HaarlemShuffler]

#151 - Band on The Run - Wings

Band on the Run is the third studio album by the British–American rock band Paul McCartney and Wings.

Although sales were modest initially, its commercial performance was aided by two hit singles – "Jet" and "Band on the Run" – such that it became the top-selling studio album of 1974 in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Critic Reviews:

"Paul McCartney finally hits on all cylinders in his post-Beatles career with Band on the Run."

"McCartney's penchant for sophisticated, nuanced arrangements and irrepressibly catchy melodic hooks is up to the caliber he displayed in the Beatles, far surpassing the first two Wings releases."

I'll be honest, I couldnae afford many lp's as a teenager byt somehow I ended up wi this and played fúk out if it.

As I got older I appreciated that there were dodgy bits that a bit of Lennon edge would've filed off.

Very clean production helped me get interested in recording and dubbing before 4-trax were available to the masses.

 

[Braehead Cabbage]

#154 - S&M 2 - Metallica

S&M2 is a live album by American heavy metal band Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony. It is a follow-up to S&M, a live collaborative album released in 1999. Like S&M, the album was recorded during a live performance.

Critics generally praised the album as a worthy successor of S&M.

Critic Reviews:

"It is a poignant tribute to Burton, but also a “classical” reimagining of Metallica’s music that goes beyond the most obvious possibilities of what such a fusion might mean."

"S&M2 stands as a tribute both to Metallica’s growing confidence as players and composers, and an absolute vindication of their decision to revisit one of their most inspired creative outings. Within our world, they remain utterly fearless and inarguably peerless."

Scott Pingels version of Cliffs bass solo genuinely gives me goosebumps.
The San Francisco symphony playing Ecstasy of Gold is a thing of beauty.
The symphony works much better on this album and at times is simply stunning.
I know most on here dislike metal but this album shows it musical depth.and the quality of Metallicas song writing and ability as musicians

 

[Two Headed Boy]

Scott Pingels version of Cliffs based solo genuinely gives me goosebumps.
The San Francisco symphony playing Ecstasy of Gold is a thing of beauty.
The symphony works much better on this album and at times is simply stunning.
I know most on here dislike metal but this album shows it musical depth.and the quality of Metallicas song writing and ability as musicians

I like a bit of metal. 80s thrash/crossover stuff in particular.

Metallica are the only ones I could imagine playing with an orchestra.

 

[FTJT]

I like a bit of metal. 80s thrash/crossover stuff in particular.

Metallica are the only ones I could imagine playing with an orchestra.

I reckon Judas Priest could give it a proper go

 

[Braehead Cabbage]

I reckon Judas Priest could give it a proper go

Maiden,Machine head and Helloween would work.

 

[Two Headed Boy]

Maiden,Machine head and Helloween would work.

I want Stormtroopers of Death with the London Philharmonic.

 

[Braehead Cabbage]

I want Stormtroopers of Death with the London Philharmonic.

The ballad of jimi hendrix would be interesting

 

[Two Headed Boy]

The ballad of jimi hendrix would be interesting

I used to play bass in a thrash band in my youth that did our own spin on that. "The Ballad of Rabbie Burns". Three seconds of Scotland the Brave followed by a holler of "Hoots Mon'! Yer Deed!"

 

[Hibee Kev]

Any votes for Tubular Bells? Wasn’t on my list but it’s a thing of beauty:

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#150 - II - Led Zepplin

Led Zeppelin II is the imaginatively titled second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin.

The album was written on tour, during periods of a couple of hours in between concerts, a studio was booked and the recording process begun, necessarily resulting in spontaneity and urgency, which is reflected in the sound.

The album exhibited the band's evolving musical style of blues-derived material and their guitar riff-based sound. It has been described as the band's heaviest album.

Critic Reviews:

"Every track on this record is musically brilliant, and in the span of just a few months it’s amazing how much Page had enriched the band’s sound."

"Led Zeppelin II provided the blueprint for all the heavy metal bands that followed it."

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#149 - Synchronicity - The Police

Synchronicity is the fifth and final studio album by The Police. The band's most successful release, the album includes the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", and "Synchronicity II".

Like many great albums, Synchronicity was born out of struggle and strife. During recording singer Sting and drummer Stewart Copeland came to blows with each other, and sound engineer Hugh Padgham nearly quit the project. The song "Every Breath You Take" was originally attempted with the live method, but due to many failed takes the song had to be assembled entirely from overdubs - even all the drum parts were recorded separately.

Critic Reviews:

"It's a wonder that Synchronicity didn't sink beneath the weight of its own publicity. But quality wins every time, and luckily Sting and co were still capable of delivering the goods."

"The music contains a plethora of rhythms, from reggae, blues, and African to straight up pop/rock, while the theme is about things past or ending and the scope migrates from the global to the personal."

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#148 - Born Innocent - The Proclaimers

Born Innocent is the fifth studio album by top Hibs lads The Proclaimers.

Born Innocent was produced by Edwyn Collins, frontman of Scottish post-punk band Orange Juice, and encapsulated a variety of styles being described as "raw folk punk", blended with a "soulful, retro feel".

Critic Reviews:

"Never a dull moment, Born Innocent continues, in true Proclaimers fashion, to hypnotize the ear… at times lulling the listener into submission, and other times working them into a frenzy of emotion."

"Appreciation of this record - and in fact their entire catalogue - essentially boils down to whether you can cope with those two astounding voices. If you need your country rock sung by a deep-throat West Virginian or New York radio announcer, then mayhap their Scottish lilt ain't for you - but it's your loss, dude."

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#147 - Walk Among Us - Misfits

Walk Among Us is the debut album by the American punk rock band Misfits.

Often recognized as the pioneers of the horror punk subgenre, blending punk and other musical influences with horror film themes and imagery, Misfits wilfully violated many of punk's "rules" at the time with Walk Among Us. Critics noted that the album's b-movie schtick and nihilistic tone was utterly devoid of political confrontation or social uplift.

Critic Reviews:

"This album is a work of feverish imagination, but it's in no way escapist. When Danzig sings of butchering people and keeping their body parts, the names Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy were sending chills down the spine of a nation. Neither glorifying nor condemning, Misfits simply distilled the anxieties of the early '80s into a putrid elixir.""

"The Misfit's debut album Walk Among Us is a very strong album with few flaws... and in my opinion essential to any fan of punk."

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#146 - Wolves in Wolves Clothing - NoFX

Wolves in Wolves' Clothing is the tenth studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX.

The album sticks to the snotty skate-punk style NOFX are known for, but it does continue to shed their apolitical reputation (started on previous album The War on Errorism) to strike a blow for the oft-ignored centrist America.

Critic Reviews:

"With Wolves, the second album from the "political" NOFX, the band has narrowed its focus substantially to the point where it would be reasonable to describe one dominant theme: the disastrous consequence of giving governance to the most extreme of religious people."

"Like buddies Rancid, NOFX are not-so-secretly pop-virtuosos, playing not just fast but without any kind of discernible effort-- as if there were no gear they couldn't kick into-- and delivering signature napalm time-changes on cue."

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#145 - Bright Lights - Duster Bennett

Anthony "Duster" Bennett was a British blues singer and musician from London. He remained popular on the local blues club scene until his tragic death in a car crash in 1976 aged only 29.

Bright Lights was recorded live on the 15th of April 1969 at the Angel Hotel in Godalming. It is mostly covers with a few of his mates dropping in for cameos and Duster’s future wife Stella Sutton joining him on lead vocals for ‘Bright Lights Big City’.

Critic Reviews:

"Keeping time on a kick drum and hi-hat while churning out a ragged, arresting rhythm on guitar and interjecting wild, horn-like harmonica figures between his vocal lines, Bennett projects an immediate, combustible energy that is impossible to ignore."

"It turns out that Britain's best bluesman in the so-called white blues boom of the 1960s wasn't Eric Clapton, Peter Green, John Mayall, Eric Burden, Stevie Winwood or any of the other obvious contenders. It was Tony Bennett, or Tony "Duster" Bennett to be exact."

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#144 - Singles, Singles, Singles - The Damned

Singles, Singles, Singles is wait for it.... a singles compilation by punk rock group The Damned.

Fittingly for this entry, the Damned were the first punk rock band from the United Kingdom to release a single, "New Rose" (1976).

Note: As is common with these comps, I could find no critic reviews or Spotify link for this one, so here is another singles compilation from The Damned instead.

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#143 - Super Ape - Lee Perry and the Upsetters

Super Ape is a dub studio album produced and engineered by Lee "Scratch" Perry, credited to his studio band The Upsetters.

In Jamaica, the album was released under the name Scratch the Super Ape in July 1976 on Perry's own Upsetter label. The Jamaican version had a different track order than the international version that was released in August the same year on Island Records

Critic Reviews:

"In 1976, the Upsetters released perhaps one of the best Roots Reggae/Dub albums of all time."

"A classic dub album that sounds so richly of the earth you can practically smell the soil."

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#142 - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 - Aphex Twin

Selected Ambient Works 85–92 is the debut studio album by Aphex Twin, the pseudonym of British electronic musician Richard D. James.

Selected Ambient Works was reputedly recorded between 1985 and 1992 (beginning when James was fourteen) using homemade equipment constructed from standard synthesisers as well as drum machines. The album draws from the club rhythms of techno and acid house, but adds subtle melodic elements

Critic reviews:

"Despite its somewhat primitive origins, the final product remains among the most interesting ever created with a keyboard and a computer."

"This landmark recording is one of the essential building blocks of any electronica collection."

 

[Two Headed Boy]

#141 - The Cutter and the Clan - Runrig

The Cutter and the Clan is the fifth album by Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig. It was the band's breakthrough album, taking them from cottage industry to the international stage. It was also the first Runrig album to feature keyboard player Pete Wishart - forming the "classic" line-up of the band through what would be their most commercially successful period.

The song "An Ubhal as Àirde" became the first and only Scottish Gaelic language song to reach the UK Top 20, reaching #18 in 1995.

Critic Reviews:

"In their writing there is a sense of place, tradition, a love of your homeland... You can feel the heart in their playing."

"A perfect synthesis of two vastly different musical elements - loud, stadium rock music and haunting Gaelic folk."

 

[Jack K]

#144 - Singles, Singles, Singles - The Damned

Singles, Singles, Singles is wait for it.... a singles compilation by punk rock group The Damned.

Fittingly for this entry, the Damned were the first punk rock band from the United Kingdom to release a single, "New Rose" (1976).

Note: As is common with these comps, I could find no critic reviews or Spotify link for this one, so here is another singles compilation from The Damned instead.

Nice "Hard Days Night" pastiche cover art but an uber poor Damned compilation

I have this 2 CD comp which covers all the bases

The Damned - Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976-1987 Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic

Discover Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976-1987 by The Damned released in 2002. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.

www.allmusic.com