As an impressionable teenager, circa 1988, I became a huge metal and hard rock fan. Eventually I broadened my musical horizons, but you never forget your first musical love. Several records I discovered during that phase are in the Wellington collection, waiting to be discovered by any budding metalhead who might happen to be reading!
Operation Mindcrime / Queensrÿche
Queensryche hit paydirt both critically and commercially with a concept album about an addict named Nikki who is brainwashed into committing assassinations by a shadowy underground movement. Refreshingly, the story actually makes sense, and the bands anthemic pomp metal sounds great, especially on the 11-minute epic “Suite Sister Mary” and the dramatic closer “Eyes of a Stranger”.
Powerslave / Iron Maiden
Heavy, melodramatic and just the right side of silly, Powerslave is arguably the high point of Maidens great eighties run. The record begins with the awesome one-two punch of “Aces High” and “2 Minutes to Midnight” and doesn’t let up for a second till the end. Other highlights include the title track and “The Duellists”, and it all comes to a climax with a 14-minute adaption of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Also, one of the all-time great album covers.
Hysteria / Def Leppard
You couldn’t escape this record in 1988, and with good reason. Its making was plagued with delays and almost derailed when drummer Rick Allen lost an arm in a car accident. But with the help of legendary producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange, the Leps persevered and created a pop-metal masterpiece. This is a record strategically designed to be a hit, overflowing with irresistible hooks and choruses punched up to maximum effectiveness by Langes grandiose, layered production. The hits (most notably “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, “Love Bites”, “Armageddon It”, and “Hysteria”) still hold up but album tracks such as “Gods of War” and “Don’t Shoot Shot Gun” should absolutely not be overlooked!
…And justice for all / Metallica
Metallica’s rebounded from the untimely death of bassist Cliff Burton with this dark, heavy and complex album. The antiwar ballad “One” remains incredibly powerful and haunting (assisted by a superb video) while the full-on attack of “Eye of the Beholder”, “Harvester of Sorrow” and “Blackened” showed their mastery of speed metal. In some respects, the end of an era, as the band would move in a more accessible direction with 1991s Metallica (AKA The Black Album), this still stands as one of their finest works.
Holy diver / Dio
After stints fronting Rainbow and Black Sabbath, one of metals all-time great voices Ronnie James Dio stepped out on his own and produced a debut that he would never top (though he would still make some excellent records). From the scorching opener “Stand Up and Shout,” to the sinister closer “Shame on the Night” there simply isn’t a weak track here. A classic.
The razor’s edge / AC/DC
This 1990 release was the veteran Aussie bands strongest effort in a while. “Thunderstruck” would become a hit single, and seemingly a fixture on sports movie soundtracks everywhere. Elsewhere, highlights include the menacing title track and stomping party anthem “Are You Ready?”
The real thing [deluxe] / Faith No More
San Franciso based oddballs Faith No More were a metal band only under the loosest definition but it’s my list! On their third album everything came together in an intoxicating mix of metal, funk, prog, general weirdness and frontman Mike Patton’s lyrical flights of fancy. The sound produced is remarkably cohesive and briefly turned the band into stars. With a perversity typical of their career, they followed it up with the aggressive and inaccessible Angel Dust. But that’s another story….
Trash / Cooper, Alice
After a fairly lean 80’s, the shock-rock pioneer hooked up with songwriter Desmond Child (Dianne Warren and Joan Jett also made contributions to the songwriting), added a clutch of famous friends/fans as guests (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Steven Tyler) and produced this hugely enjoyable effort. The single “Poison” became a worldwide hit and remains one of Coopers most recognisable songs to this day. Other hits included “Bed of Nails”, “House of Fire” and fantastic power ballad “Only My Heart Talkin.'”
Pump / Aerosmith
Cooper was not the only veteran hard rock act to come roaring back to life in the late 80’s. Aerosmith would continue the comeback begun with Permanent Vacation on Pump. Produced by Bruce Fairbairn the album features a harder, more stripped-down sound than its predecessor, but the newly sober band is firing on all cylinders in both the songwriting and performance department. Pump spawned four major hits in “Love in an Elevator”, “Jamie’s Got a Gun”, “What It Takes” and “The Other Side” and took the band to heights they hadn’t experienced since the late 70’s; continuing a run that would arguably eclipse that period. In a nice bonus, the copy held in Wellington Libraries is a 2-in-1 set that pairs Pump with Permanent Vacation, which is equally worth checking out.
Too fast for love / Mötley Crüe
Initially released on their own Leathur label, before being remixed and reissued by Elektra records, this is where it all started for the notorious LA quartet. A perfect mix of glam metal hooks and punk attitude, Too Fast for Love is lean, hungry and dirty, perfectly reflecting the band itself. As much as the songwriting and musicianship would improve on subsequent albums, Crue never really sounded this vital again.
