Classic albums: the 1980’s

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Black Sabbath‘s second life started with this albumHeaven And Hell (Vertigo, 1980). Ronnie James Dio‘s powerful vocals combined with Iommi ‘s riffs make it an almost unbeatable hard rock classic (review).

 

AC/DC Back in Black

AC/DC also needed a new singer on their 8th album Back In Black (Atlantic, 1980), because the charismatic Bon Scott had died. The album sold 50 million worldwide – the ultimate proof for the universal appeal of this uncomplicated and powerful rock machine (review).

 

Saxon - Wheels of Steel

Saxon‘s 2th album, Wheels Of Steel (Carrere, 1980) (reviews), and 3th album, Strong Arm Of The Law (Carrere, 1980) (review) are genre defining metal albums. The heavy yet accessible songs are prime NWOBHM.

 

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Foreigner – 4 (Atlantic, 1981)

Y & T – Earthshaker (A&M, 1981)

Journey – Escape (CBS, 1981)

Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast (EMI, 1982)

Hughes/Thrall – Hughes/Thrall (Epic, 1982)

Bryan Adams – Cuts Like A Knife (A&M, 1983)

Metallica – Kill ‘em All (Roadrunner, 1983)

Van Halen – 1984 (WB, 1984)

Survivor – Vital Signs (Scotti Bros, 1984)

Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet (Mercury, 1986)

David Lee Roth – Eat ‘em And Smile (WEA, 1986)

Joe Satriani – Surfing With The Alien (Relativity, 1987)

Whitesnake – 1987 (EMI, 1987)

Guns N Roses – Appetite For Destruction (Geffen, 1987)

Def Leppard – Hysteria (Vertigo, 1987)

Living Colour – Vivid (Epic, 1988)

TNT – Intuition (Phonogram, 1989)

The year 1980 in Rock History: Essential Albums (Vol. 1)

With this post we start a new series, that focuses on specific years in the history of melodic hard rock.

For each year there will be two sections. One for the albums that made it big. These ‘essential’ albums, in the sense that aspirant fans should know them, are the high roads of rock history. The second section will cover albums that should have made it big on the basis of their quality, but didn’t. These albums, that clearly deserve a wider audience, present the roads less travelled. This section will bring you music that remained hidden for too long. You’re guaranteed to be surprised with some stunning melodies.

In this post the first part of section 1, the essential albums of 1980.

Episode 1: The Next Step for some Established Bands

At the end of the 1970s quite few bands already had established themselves as main representatives of the hard rock.… Read the rest