Happy 1982

In the Year-a-Month project, it's 1982. My original list has only four albums on it this month, but I did a little swapping and editing. And Amazon, for unknown reasons, seems to think that shipping me CDs is less expensive than downloading me some data. So I could only listen to samples of Judas Priest and Accept; the full albums will have to wait for Super Saver Shipping to arrive.

Ted Nugent: Nugent - There are a few songs by Ted Nugent that have rocked so hard that they have made me react positively to him whenever I heard him announced on the radio. But I'm coming to realize that those songs are the exceptions rather than the rule. This album's uninspired name (don't confuse it with the 1975 debut album, Ted Nugent) is indicative of the music within. Ted seems to be phoning it in on this one, so I'm skipping it entirely.

Judas Priest: Screaming for Vengeance - from what I've read, this album marked the high point in Judas Priest's U.S. popularity. The album went double-platinum here, the only Priest album to reach that distinction. It seems to be a fan favorite, too: out of 165 reviews on Amazon, 127 of them are a full 5-stars. Review titles are things like: "Best Ever!", "Metal Gods", and "Back when metal was still metal".  I can't wait to hear it...

Iron Maiden: The Number of the Beast - Bruce Dickinson has arrived!  His iconic British Heavy Metal voice takes center stage on the very first track. Nevertheless, Bruce drops in pretty neatly to replace Paul Di'Anno, and overall, the band sound hasn't really changed that much since the first two albums. I'm listening to The Number of the Beast as I write this blog entry, and I keep having to take breaks for head-banging.

Accept: Restless and Wild - The opening track of this album, "Fast as a Shark", is considered among the first speed metal songs.  It just barely beat out the grand masters, Metallica, who released Kill 'Em All a year later, beginning the biggest heavy metal dynasty of all time.  You won't see Metallica next month, though, because all their albums already inhabit my shelves.  In any case, I'm looking forward to hearing this early speed metal example along with the rest of the album when it arrives.

Motörhead: Motörhead - Wait a minute, this album is from 1977, not 1982! What gives? Somehow, Motörhead managed to get forgotten when I was putting together my band list. Since my Amazon order for Screaming for Vengeance and Restless & Wild didn't qualify for Super Saver Shipping, I figured now would be a good time to start rectifying that oversight. This album isn't available for MP3 download at all, so I'm buying it without any preview. The anticipation is killing me.