Favorites

This is just a very small partial sampling of some of Eddie’s favorite CD’s and by no means represents a complete list. More will be added in time with Eddie’s comments posted as well.

 

UFO: Strangers In The Night UFO: Strangers In The Night
One of my favorite albums of all time from a band who’s music holds up better than any band I discovered as a kid. Includes what may be my favorite song of all time “Love To Love”. The best songs, performed with all new energy, and by all acounts it’s really LIVE! The greatest melodic hard rock band ever!
Def Leppard: High & Dry
When they were still a proud to be loud hard rock band. A young band finding it’s stride and crushing riffs and songs. Still the best CD ever from Def Lep. The reason why they still play half of it at times live.
Guns & Roses: Appetite For Destruction
Changed everything. Top to bottom not a bad song and an album that captures the sleeze of the LA rock world at the time. Kiss: Alive After three studio albums that had some great songs but not great production.
Kiss: Alive!
Alive takes Kiss material to a new place and shows the power of the band on stage (even if it’s not that live!). Kiss at this point was one of the rare bands that had all 4 members totally equal in contribution and popularity. Outside of the Eagles and Beatles few bands can equal the appeal of Kiss in this era. A true band at the time at the top of their game!
Motley Crue: Too Fast For Love
First album still the best to me. Elements of rock, glam, metal and power pop.
Metallica: Master Of Puppets
The Black Album may be the most popular, but this is still Metallica’s best moment. The band made the jump to a major label with this album and also had a major leap forward in playing, writing and more.
Icon: Night Of The Crime
After a brutally heavy debut that I also love, the band changed their approach and created a melodic hard rock masterpiece. A shame nobody knew!
Overkill: Taking Over
A thrash classic.
Rainbow: Rising Stargazer!
Enough said!! Dio singing incredible, the man in black in top form, the late great Cozy Powell. Cool cover by Ken Kelly.
Riot: Fire Down Under
One of the all time great hard rock albums that flew under the radar. Bad cover, but that’s the ONLY thing bad about this gem. Flawless hard rock.
TT Quick: Metal Of Honor
Another one that should have been huge and very ahead of it’s time. Incredible guitar from Dave DePietro, who taught a young kid names Zakk Wylde in NJ around the time of this CD!
Scorpions: Lovedrive
Still some of the best material from this incredible enduring band. Michael Schenker on guitar, great songs.
Montrose: Montrose
Sammy Hagar’s first band. Incredible songs, super influential. A blueprint for many bands, Maiden covered stuff by them to name just one.
Soul Asylum: Let Your Dim Light Shine
Not a metal album but a phenomenal band and Dave Pirner is an amazing songwriter.
Tesla: The Great Radio Controversy
Many great albums from this band but this might be the best. Heavy, melodic, great playing and a killer ballad in Love Song.
Triumph: Allied Forces
Powerful album from Canada’s other trio. Rik Emmett smoking on guitar.
Dio: Holy Diver
One of the all time great singers with killer guitar work from Vivian Campbell, drumming from Vinnie Appice and production which still sounds great. After several great bands Dio shows what he can do on his own in a bog way!
Van Halen: Van Halen
Almost any Roth era album can fill this slot, but this was beyond ground breaking and still sounds amazing. Eddie VH’s playing is still astonishing after 30 years.
Judas Priest: Screaming For Vengeance
Priest at their peak. Production, songs, playing, outstanding. Gems like Devils Child and Bloodstone should not be overlooked.
Iron Maiden: Killers
Different band with DiAnno. The punk edge brings Maiden to a unique mix of sounds and the band is hungry and it shows.
Iron Maiden: Number Of The Beast
Replace DiAnno with Dickinson and become even bigger, better and more dynamic. Songs from this album still the highlight of the live set.
Black Sabbath: Heaven & Hell
Took Sabbath a whole new audience and introduced a singer that opened the songwriting to a whole new level.
UFO: Mechanix
The Paul Chapman era on guitar is as good as the Schenker era for me. Melodic hard rock does not get better. The one, two, three punch of Let It Rain, We Belong To The Night and Do It All For You is incredible.
Buckcherry: 15
Justice! A band that should have been huge first time around and was written off roars back with the best straight up hard rock album in years. Better yet, it connected and was a huge success.
Rush: Permanent Waves
My favorite Rush CD. The perfect balance between hard rock, prog and epics. Great performance and production. The last CD before the keyboards came in on a large level.
Aerosmith: Rocks
Many would say Toys In The Attic but this one topped it for me. Home Tonight one of the great Aero ballads that should have been huge. Not a bad song!
Blue Murder: Blue Murder
John Sykes unleashes a monster album after his split from Whitesnake. Everyone knew he could play unreal guitar but who knew he could belt it out vocally like this. Unreal!
AC/DC: Highway To Hell
Bon goes out with the best AC/DC album, and even though Back In Black is the biggest ever, you wonder what it would have been like with Bon, at least I do.
Anthrax: Spreading The Disease
Pioneering thrash merging incredible vocals, not something thrash was known for.
Bon Jovi: New Jersey
The first sign of the bands songwriting taking a huge step foward. Great hard rocking anthem to my home state from the only 80’s band that spawned the hair metal movement, and was succesful in evolving beyond it.
Skid Row: Slave To The Grind
Most bands would have gotten softer after the success of the first album, Skids got heavier, and better. Honorable mention to this albums follow up Subhuman Race. Underground metal masterpiece and even heavier!
Billy Squier: Don’t Say No
Massively underated songwriter. Great songs and production. His hits were never his best songs.
Y&T: Black Tiger
Dave Meniketti remains a master of vocals and guitar. Winds Of Change, enough said!
Ozzy Osbourne: Blizzard Of Oz
Of course it’s all about Randy, but let’s not forget about the playing and writing of Lee Kerslake and Bob Daisley. BEWARE, hard to believe but the current versions of these CDs (Blizzard and Diary) have rerecorded bass and drums. STAY AWAY, look for the originals!
Led Zeppelin: II
Nothing needs to be said!
Raspberries: Starting Over
Amazing power pop. Berries get angry!
Bryan Adams: Cuts Like A Knife
Great songs, great album. Not hard rock but Eric Carr did co-write a song!
Paul Stanley: Paul Stanley

Of the four Kiss solo albums from 1978 this one if my favorite. Ace’s is a very close second, but the power of these songs and Paul’s vocals put this over the top. Raw in your face with crashing power chords and a real live feel. One of the greatest under the radar hard rock albums ever!
Cheap Trick: At BudokanGet the expanded 2 CD complete show special edition. Great songs, some of the best live screams ever recorded!