Payn's Ponderings... Top 10 Essential Albums

[Zaukrie]

Strange I have it shared, and when I log out and click it takes me right to the playlist. Do you have a firewall up or are using a work PC? Are you in the U.S.?

Oregon....no firewall. That was on my phone, let me check the PC....works on the PC no issues. Interesting....

 

[Jacob Lewis]

Like most human beings, I am a person of many moods and many tastes, and I cannot predict which island I will be stranded or that I will be addressed appropriately for my undetermined lengthy stay. These focus lists don't contribute to the overall goal of the thread of trying to ascertain the essential albums of all time and all genres. It's mostly just for fun.

This time, I am continuing my eccentric album lists with Hair Metal albums. What is Hair Metal? Its hard to pinpoint as many musicians straddle the lines or completely ignore them. Some groups evolve and change over the years, while some just experiment with new directions. Hair Metal isn't just a particular sound, its also a look and an attitude. One could even argue that some albums by one band might fit the bill, but other albums don't and that's fine.

One thing to keep in mind is we're talking albums. Not just the ones that had a couple of favorites or well-known songs, but complete albums with tracks that were, as the saying goes, "all thrillers, no fillers". And they had to be albums I owned, or at least heard more than once in its entirety. So here's my picks in no particular order:

Jacob's 10 Essential Hair Metal Albums

1. Extreme - Extreme (self-titled debut)
2. Def Leppard - Pyromania
3. Whitesnake - Whitesnake (self-titled)
4. W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P. (self-titled debut)
5. Skid Row - Skid Row (self-titled debut)
6. Dangerous Toys - Dangerous Toys (self-titled) I would honestly pick any of their first three albums.
7. Bulletboys - Bulletboys (self-titled debut)
8. Love/Hate - Black Out in the Red Room
9. Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
10. Jackyl - Jackyl (self-titled debut)

Bonus Picks:
Once again, I will pick a single greatest hits album and a single soundtrack for the category.

• Greatest Hits: The Best of Both Worlds - Van Halen

There's actually a number of Van Halen albums I could pick for this category, and some I would not. But there is no divide between Roth and Hagar for me. Both frontmen brought a different sound and energy to the group and still remained Van Halen. So this one splits the difference nicely. And if I had to choose one from each singer (and had space on the list), I'd probably pick 1984 and 5150.

• Soundtrack - Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

Honestly, I'm a little hard-pressed to find a soundtrack filled with "hair metal" tracks. The soundtrack from the first movie also qualifies, but the sequel had more familiar tunes by popular bands at the time. At least I can say owned both at one time.

 

[payn]

Like most human beings, I am a person of many moods and many tastes, and I cannot predict which island I will be stranded or that I will be addressed appropriately for my undetermined lengthy stay. These focus lists don't contribute to the overall goal of the thread of trying to ascertain the essential albums of all time and all genres. It's mostly just for fun.

This time, I am continuing my eccentric album lists with Hair Metal albums. What is Hair Metal? Its hard to pinpoint as many musicians straddle the lines or completely ignore them. Some groups evolve and change over the years, while some just experiment with new directions. Hair Metal isn't just a particular sound, its also a look and an attitude. One could even argue that some albums by one band might fit the bill, but other albums don't and that's fine.

One thing to keep in mind is we're talking albums. Not just the ones that had a couple of favorites or well-known songs, but complete albums with tracks that were, as the saying goes, "all thrillers, no fillers". And they had to be albums I owned, or at least heard more than once in its entirety. So here's my picks in no particular order:

Jacob's 10 Essential Hair Metal Albums

1. Extreme - Extreme (self-titled debut)
2. Def Leppard - Pyromania
3. Whitesnake - Whitesnake (self-titled)
4. W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P. (self-titled debut)
5. Skid Row - Skid Row (self-titled debut)
6. Dangerous Toys - Dangerous Toys (self-titled) I would honestly pick any of their first three albums.
7. Bulletboys - Bulletboys (self-titled debut)
8. Love/Hate - Black Out in the Red Room
9. Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
10. Jackyl - Jackyl (self-titled debut)

Bonus Picks:
Once again, I will pick a single greatest hits album and a single soundtrack for the category.

• Greatest Hits: The Best of Both Worlds - Van Halen

There's actually a number of Van Halen albums I could pick for this category, and some I would not. But there is no divide between Roth and Hagar for me. Both frontmen brought a different sound and energy to the group and still remained Van Halen. So this one splits the difference nicely. And if I had to choose one from each singer (and had space on the list), I'd probably pick 1984 and 5150.

• Soundtrack - Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

Honestly, I'm a little hard-pressed to find a soundtrack filled with "hair metal" tracks. The soundtrack from the first movie also qualifies, but the sequel had more familiar tunes by popular bands at the time. At least I can say owned both at one time.

No Dokken?

 

[Jacob Lewis]

No Dokken?

To this day, I still can't get into them. They're just "okay" to me.

 

[payn]

Like most human beings, I am a person of many moods and many tastes, and I cannot predict which island I will be stranded or that I will be addressed appropriately for my undetermined lengthy stay. These focus lists don't contribute to the overall goal of the thread of trying to ascertain the essential albums of all time and all genres. It's mostly just for fun.

This time, I am continuing my eccentric album lists with Hair Metal albums. What is Hair Metal? Its hard to pinpoint as many musicians straddle the lines or completely ignore them. Some groups evolve and change over the years, while some just experiment with new directions. Hair Metal isn't just a particular sound, its also a look and an attitude. One could even argue that some albums by one band might fit the bill, but other albums don't and that's fine.

One thing to keep in mind is we're talking albums. Not just the ones that had a couple of favorites or well-known songs, but complete albums with tracks that were, as the saying goes, "all thrillers, no fillers". And they had to be albums I owned, or at least heard more than once in its entirety. So here's my picks in no particular order:

Jacob's 10 Essential Hair Metal Albums

1. Extreme - Extreme (self-titled debut)
2. Def Leppard - Pyromania
3. Whitesnake - Whitesnake (self-titled)
4. W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P. (self-titled debut)
5. Skid Row - Skid Row (self-titled debut)
6. Dangerous Toys - Dangerous Toys (self-titled) I would honestly pick any of their first three albums.
7. Bulletboys - Bulletboys (self-titled debut)
8. Love/Hate - Black Out in the Red Room
9. Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
10. Jackyl - Jackyl (self-titled debut)

Bonus Picks:
Once again, I will pick a single greatest hits album and a single soundtrack for the category.

• Greatest Hits: The Best of Both Worlds - Van Halen

There's actually a number of Van Halen albums I could pick for this category, and some I would not. But there is no divide between Roth and Hagar for me. Both frontmen brought a different sound and energy to the group and still remained Van Halen. So this one splits the difference nicely. And if I had to choose one from each singer (and had space on the list), I'd probably pick 1984 and 5150.

• Soundtrack - Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

Honestly, I'm a little hard-pressed to find a soundtrack filled with "hair metal" tracks. The soundtrack from the first movie also qualifies, but the sequel had more familiar tunes by popular bands at the time. At least I can say owned both at one time.

The hair metal era just doesn't draw a lot of sentimentality out of me. I do like thinking a lot about early Soundgarden and Alice in Chains and hearing them make the leap from hair metal to grundge tho.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

The hair metal era just doesn't draw a lot of sentimentality out of me. I do like thinking a lot about early Soundgarden and Alice in Chains and hearing them make the leap from hair metal to grundge tho.

I'll get there eventually. Still got classic rock, hard rock, power metal, thrash metal, etc....

 

[payn]

I'll get there eventually. Still got classic rock, hard rock, power metal, thrash metal, etc....

I do love the glam rock era. I think the hair metal has a few things going against it. Mostly for me it was the MTV commercialization. It just felt samey and I suppose the beginning of the "brand" era. In contrast I think rap/hip-hop was going through a renaissance (and complete 180 from hair metal) and just eclipsed my attention at the time for that style of music.

 

[Jacob Lewis]

I do love the glam rock era. I think the hair metal has a few things going against it. Mostly for me it was the MTV commercialization. It just felt samey and I suppose the beginning of the "brand" era. In contrast I think rap/hip-hop was going through a renaissance (and complete 180 from hair metal) and just eclipsed my attention at the time for that style of music.

I'd love to see that list from you and then we can compare notes!

 

[payn]

I'd love to see that list from you and then we can compare notes!

I mean it really goes back to glam rock. This is where you got the long hair and makeup. The acts embraced feminine and even gay culture and put out some great bumpin tracks and albums (Bowie, T-Rex, Roxy Music, NY Dolls, etc...). Then, along comes K.I.S.S with the satanic panic edge brand. "They wear makeup... but also leather and I just bet they smoke cigs. No way these guys are gay!" Then, comes Motely Crew, Poisson, R.A.T.T, etc... The songs all become about gettin chicks (girls, girls, girls, bangin them in my old man's Ford..) a backlash of hyper machismo. Late in the 80's a shift towards more emo cultural awareness started to grow with Soundgarden and Alice and Chains putting out stuff we didnt have since Black Sabbath. Grundge would soon follow.

Hip hop and rap on the other hand was born out of social awareness and modern urban living. Jazz influenced, but from folks who didnt have the instrumental education or access. Technology and ingenuity allowed folks to make this modern music. It was very niche though and the burbs where extremely resistant. Enter Sugarhill Gang, Fat Boys, and The Beastie Boys. Samples from some of the most culturally neutral music and songs about chicks, food, and being foolish made the style more palatable.

Once there was a foot in the door for hip-hop and rap, you got some outliers going. 2live Crew with their blatantly promiscuously misogynist sample tracks and N.W.A plus Public Enemy with their punk style criticism of American democracy gave hip-hop a forbidden edge that made K.I.S.S just look downright silly. Beasties though, would really break the mold and show how strong sample choice and a lean on jazz instrumentals would show a new path forward. A marriage of social consciousness and pop sensibility began to pour out in the 90's. Now you had acts like De La Soul, Diggable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Pharcyde. Finally, that urban African American sound and style would grow and prosper. For a time anyway, eventually the forbidden edge of 2-Live Crew, NWA, and Body Count would give way to Gansta Rap and so on.

With all styles of American music you have a sort of cyclical process. Trend setters and cultural icons grow out of necessity to give voice to the voiceless. Eventually, it becomes exploited and enters a commercial brand era. So, on and so forth. No music style is immune to it and they all seem to fall victim of the cycle. One thing is for sure though, we can all agree a special place in hell exists for the person who invented Autotune...

 

[R_J_K75]

I do like thinking a lot about early Soundgarden and Alice in Chains and hearing them make the leap from hair metal to grundge tho.

Alice In Chains definitely started as a glam metal band, as did Pantera, which they've admitted, but Soundgarden was never glam or hair metal. The song Big Dumb Sex was making fun of how vapid that whole scene was.