Guns´N´Roses-Your Illusion II (1991)

In 1991, Guns N' Roses made the unusual decision to release two double albums simultaneously, titled "User Your Illusion I & II", which astonished the world with their eclectic and visceral hard rock. With the same lineup as their previous albums, except for original drummer Steve Adler, who was replaced here by Matt Sorum, the rest of the band consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed. On this second volume, highlights include the inspired "Civil War", one of Guns N' Roses' classic tracks, the epic cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", the punk anthem "Shotgun Blues", the grandiose "Breakdown", the heartfelt ballad "Don't Cry" (in a different version than the one on the first volume), and the powerful rock anthem "You Could Be Mine". The subsequent commercial reception of both works resulted in much higher sales for "Use Your Illusion I", figures that currently approach thirty million, compared to the approximately twenty million of "Use Your Illusion II", but it would be the latter that reached the number one spot on both sides of the Atlantic in the charts, while volume one would not go beyond second place.

Iron Maiden-Live After Death (1985)

“Live After Death” was Iron Maiden’s first live album and would ultimately become their most representative live record and a masterpiece of heavy metal. Recorded during the tour following the 1984 album “Powerslave”, dubbed the “World Slavery Tour”, it symbolizes the peak form of a band already considered the most spectacular heavy metal band in the world, faithfully reflecting the power and force they wielded on stage. The tracks on this double album were recorded during several concerts in the United States and England and featured what is considered the band’s most stable, long-lasting, and successful lineup. In addition to bassist Steve Harris, the lineup included vocalist Bruce Dickinson, guitarists Adrian Smith and Dave Murray, and drummer Nicko McBrain. “Live After Death”, from its iconic cover art by renowned illustrator Derek Riggs, reveals a repertoire brimming with pure adrenaline, boasting an explosive arsenal of powerful tracks such as “Aces High”, “2 Minutes to Midnight”, “The Trooper”, “Revelations”, “Flight of Icarus”, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, “The Number of the Beast”, “Hallowed Be Thy Name”, “Sanctuary”, and “Phantom of the Opera”, all true anthems of Iron Maiden and heavy metal in general. The subsequent reception of this double live album was as phenomenal as its content, achieving countless number one hits worldwide and several platinum records for its multi-million sales.

Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers (1984)

Undoubtedly the formation of Deep Purple called Mark II is the most successful and classic group that is formed by Gillan, Backmore, Glover, Paice and Lord. (I say successful and classic, not to be the best, because Coverdale and Hughes also gave great moments to the group at the time.) The Mark II was the cradores parts so fundamental in the discography of the group as In Rock and Machine Head. The success and exhausting tours put paid to the friendship of Blackmore and Gillan and the latter left the group in 1973.
In the following years some of them remained in Purple a time, then came Rainbow, Whitesnake, Gary Moore Band, production records and solo albums. We had to wait until 1984 so that the mythical formation Purple back together to offer a new album. Of course the news was a bombshell and a great joy for the world of rock and heavy metal, even if the disc would be something different for the public to expect issues like Smoke on the Water and Highway Star.
Obviously all the influences of the groups in which musicians Purple had fought were felt somehow apart from that we were in the middle of the 80s, very different in all those distant early 70s.
However, the Deep Purple billed one of the best albums of his career and showed that they still had much to say. A more elegant, leisurely and even dark disk would say for what was the sound Purple. Hard wonderful themes of classic and melodic rock musicians in grace, as always.
The album opens with a whiplash called Knocking at you back door, where we see a Jon Lord in great shape and great Blackmore, I say that this will be the trend of the entire disk. The video also is a small marvel of aesthetic Mad Max where archaeologists of the future are the old instruments of the band.
Under the Gun perfectly continuous the proposal of the first theme, Nobody's Home is one of the best on the disc, more direct and vacilona with intro Synthes very 80's, more like Don Airey (current keyboardist for the band!) And that vacilón pace groovie and Paice with cowbell incl. The Lord only returns to academic as far as execution of Hammond organ is concerned.
Perfect Strangers the song that gives title track, great title loaded with double meanings, is wonderful, with that classic keyboard intro, warm Gillan's voice and some echoes of Led Zep, the lyrics are great too and these phrases Oriental Blackmore found as well, all with the perfect bass / drums of some teachers called Glover and Paice rhythm. Epic!
The pace of A Gypsy's Kiss 100% Blackmore and Gillan enjoying the song and that fantastic butt with those stops just neoclassical house brand that had such an influence at the coming European heavy or power metal.
Wasted Sunsets is a wonderful ballad, the kind that can give us only Blackmore, with riffs that will make you mourn. A subject for even more class this record. Essential.
Running out of disk another issue with neoclassical taste, very Rainbow, as Hungry Daze with references in the letter to the past: "In a dark and sweaty room in 69 tables turning ... We all came out to Montreux but that's another song , You've Heard it all before ... "and the last Responsible Not very modern structure, ahead of its time I would say, great song with a lot of groove.
Great album of return of Deep Purple in the 80, elegant and sober as the album cover, another wonder, were left behind wildest years, but nothing lacking quality and inspiration for this masterpiece of hard rock.

Budgie-Never Turn Your Back On A Friend (1973)

Typically, and in a way is normal, we usually think of the legendary Black Sabbath when the interminable debate about who were the parents, so to speak, of the Metal scene emerges.
As I said, for sure both experts and laymen, Black Sabbath has always been typical and less risky response, or at least that's what I thought a while back. Only so far, that years ago, I discovered these Welsh, formed in Cardiff, back in the days of '67. Indeed, when even the gods Led Zeppelin had downloaded its first cartridge.
After four formative years, it was in 1971 (Black Sabbath and carried his self-titled album and the legendary 'Paranoid' behind) when Budgie stuck his face (or peak, rather) at the Hard Rock / Proto-Heavy international arena, his work also titled first 'Budgie' and with MCA label would release all their classic albums (1971-1975). From the beginning, the parakeets monopolize cover all their LPs. Not in vain, "he budgie" is short for budgerigar, parakeet English
The following year, he would 'Squawk' second work of Cardiff returning to leave clear what these people played. Indeed, one need only a couple of minutes to notice the similarity of the characteristic sound Welsh Black Sabbath, namely guitars ultra heavys (perhaps less slow and macabre that Iommi), a rhythm section bass / drums absolutely heavy and devastating, and a sharp and super melodic counterpoint voice. In fact Osbourne records and Burke Shelley, are quite similar, although the Welsh tends to blues giving their notes a deeper tone.
1973 was the year Budgie definitely catapulted to the status of cult band in the British underground. While they did not give the big leap across the Atlantic, as would the Sabbath itself, reaching the mega-stardom incontestable worldwide, the Welsh had already formed a reputation and a legion of fans in Las Islas , far more than considerable.
It was that same year when Budgie and overwhelming 'Turn Your Back On A Friend' would leave their legacy for the rest of time.
From cutting open the plastic, 'Breadfan', until the last record groove, Budgie expressed their clear desire to write the most thunderous music ever written. Obviously, looking back and comparing this code of his music seems the most ordinary, but the correct analysis is obtained contextualizing the work at the time, and 35 years ago this was the most heavy that you could pull a face logically his two little calm ignoring issues such as ethereal 'You Know I'll Always Love You' and the catchy 'Riding My Nightmare'. Until the end of its most glorious days, Budgie always would reserve a place in your drives for calmer issues like these, always reaping brilliant results, which vaguely resemble gems like 'Planet Caravan' or never valued 'Solitude' the excellent 'Master of Reality '; My favorite album of Birmingham.
As I said, 'Breadfan' is the cut that opens fire and if in case any of you did not know, this issue belongs exclusively to Budgie and not Metallica, who were the ones who made famous the issue worldwide sadly. Sadly I say, by the fact that they were not the real perpetrators of these subjects who received the heat from the press and public acclaim. Nothing to reproach Hetfield & cia, but it would be unfair to ignore the fact that versionear bands like Budgie, Diamond Head, Savage, Sweet Savage, Holocaust or Blitzkrieg, he greatly helped Metallica on their first gigs back in 1982-83.
'Breadfan' is a true anthem of Hard Rock / Heavy '70s and in it traces more Budgie classic sound characteristics are revealed; The super-sharp riffing of Tony Bourge cutting into slices everything that gets in his way, the dynamics of undervalued percussion Ray Phillips, and in the center of the shed Burke Shelley dividing to right and left with his voice and his unrepentant under crushing. With all due respect to the teacher Geezer Butler, here I do dare say that slightly exceeds Budgie Sabbath.
'Baby Please Do not Go' explodes with Shelley galloping bass and guitars Bourge messing very heeled coupon in the back. It is true that Budgie drink a lot of the bases of Black Sabbath, but with a very own style and ineffably devastating; Check the change of pace (1:35) and do not say nothing at (4:22) where low Shelley takes all ahead.
The third theme 'You Know I'll Always Love You' in the vein of 'Planet Caravan' (as already mentioned before) gives us a break two minutes and takes us to a place that only music is capable of moving. Indeed, the theme is excellent.
'You're the Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk' (How great the title) opens with a riff full battery Bill Ward plan, until (1:43) three parakeets Cardiff which open fire anti-aircraft battery. Honestly, if you are not able to see the magic bass Shelley, you do not know it it gives me, because it really is a hatchet man. The only running Bourge from (3:34) to almost the end of the song, accompanied by the grinding rhythm section formed by the binomial Shelley / Phillips is simply from another galaxy. Completely overwhelming. It is one of those moments that make you smile it was impossible to put into words what you're hearing. Call registry change in the voice of Shelley at the end of the topic!
'In the Grip of A Tyrefitter's Hand' is started again with one of those trademark riffs. The cadence of the subject is extremely contagious and again the bass lines of Shelley lead the rest of the band until the end of the topic on the Sabbath 100% plan.
'Riding My Nightmare' is another number in a little calm plan, and is the prelude to the longest track (10:25) and closes the album, 'Parents'. Again, it goes without saying that the subject stands instrumental parameters of a 'normal' group but the letters are what really attracts attention. It is true that without his musical genius, hard Sabbath they had become what they are, but despite that, it would also be foolish not to emphasize the high degree of influence that also had their outbursts and the controversy that always left their He passed. Many times, through his lyrics, macabre and grotesque and near the forbidden. In this sense, we can say that Budgie never chose this path, opting for another no less orthodox and closer to the orbit of the psychedelic '70s. This is reflected in the titles of many d their jobs, with predominantly more 'white' theme and lighthearted compared to emerging Pen Ozzy.
The lyrics to 'Parents' (Padres) reflect the generation gap of young late' 60s with their parents and do so in a very melancholy and bitter way. When you have a band playing to full their compositional, creative and letrísticas capabilities, you can ask some more ...
In short, we are facing one of the greatest achievements in the history of the genre, and out of what are the big three, namely, 'Paranoid' 'Sad Wings of Destiny' and 'Iron Maiden', this' Never Turn your Back on a Friend 'is not doing anything big fourth

The Pentangle-Basket Of Light (1969)

The Pentangle were one of the first English bands to fuse British folk with jazz and blues, at a time when the term "prog-folk" didn't yet exist, when they released their debut album. Founded in the mid-sixties by two of the greatest guitarists in acoustic folk, John Renbourn and Bert Jansch, both already had significant solo careers before joining forces for this project. Folk singer Jacqui McShee, who had already collaborated with Renbourn on his first album, also joined them, and along with former members of the Alexis Korner Blues Band, Terry Cox (drums) and bassist Danny Thompson, completed the lineup of The Pentangle. In 1968, their first album arrived, a masterful blend of jazz and folk fused with elements of blues. That same year, their second album, "Sweet Child", was released a double LP containing studio and live tracks, notably Charlie Mingus's compositions "Haitian Fight Song" and "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat". A year later came the album we're discussing here, "Basket of Light", their masterpiece, where they achieved the perfect balance between traditional folk songs and their jazz and blues style, all infused with medieval musical influences, resulting in a more cohesive sound than "Sweet Child". An album that, starting with its famous cover, which shows the band performing in a packed Royal Albert Hall, arrived at the height of their popularity. “Basket of Light” opens with one of the group's signature songs, “Light Flight”, a complex piece on which McShee lends his superb vocals. The traditional “Once I Had a Sweetheart” showcases Renbourn's virtuosity on the sitar, while “Spring Time Promises” is another elaborate composition, this time featuring Jansch on lead vocals. After the traditional jazzy “Like Wake-Up Call”, arranged for three voices, comes the somber “Hunting Song”, another popular composition, which gives way to the bluesy “Trian Song”, a superb piece with a development between accelerated and slowed rhythms, featuring McShee's vocals. Meanwhile, “Sally Go Round The Roses”, a composition by Phil Spector, is the most cheerful track with a style closer to funk, ending with the medieval “The Cuckoo” and “House Carpenter”, thus closing an album of great timeless beauty and one of the masterpieces of British jazz-folk-blues of all time.