Albums of my life: 1986
This is the third part of my Albums of my life series and this time we are in 1986.
In this series I am ranking albums that are most important to me for each year since I was born. I won't rank them by how good I think they are and neither will I include albums that I never really listened too even though they might be excellent.
First, I'll start with...
Honourable Mentions
Die Ärzte - Die Ärzte: Berlin, we have a problem. While I love most songs on this album, I never really listened to this album specifically, neither did I ever have it as CD. Most of the songs I know from compilations and live albums. So I made a decision: I will include compilations and live albums in my lists because some of them were really important to me.
Iron Maiden - Somewhere in Time fantastic album, I ranked it #4 of all Iron Maiden albums (see here)
Judas Priest - Turbo fantastic album, very underrated. But not one I consider very important for me personally.
Now on to the list. This is where it gets very metal.
4. Motörhead - Orgasmatron
)
This was a split decision. While Somwehere in Time and Turbo didn't make the cut, Orgasmatron does. It's not my favourite Motörhead album but there are 2 songs on it I really love (the others are still great, of course) which are Doctor Rock and Orgasmatron. These songs alone justify ranking this album.
3. Slayer - Reign in Blood
)
It is October 2006, we are sitting in the "Partykeller" (party cellar, Austrian thing) in the house of a friends parents. We are heavily "vorglühen" (drinking at home somewhere before you go out, also an Austrian thing). My cousin takes over the DJ job, plugs in his iPod and blasts Raining Blood and Angel of Death.
Sweet sweet memories.
2. Metallica - Master of Puppets
Master of Puppets is a giant of an album and even though I was introduced to Metallica with stuff from Load, Reload and St. Anger I soon found MoP to be their best album.
The solo of the title track is a piece of art alone. Not because it is technically the best or most sophisticated, but because of the emotions it transports to the listener. And then there's Battery which might as well be my favourite Metallica song.
Master of Puppets is a masterpiece.
1. Queen - A Kind of Magic
This can't be a surprise if you know me. But A Kind of Magic isn't just my #1 because it's a Queen album, there's more too it.
I wrote already that my cousins had most of the Queen albums on vinyl. And whenever my brother and I visited them we were blasting Queen on their self made gigantic speakers and boy was this awesome.
Now I specifically remember a very very young Thomas being impressed by the artwork. I loved and still love the cartoonish superhero style, the booklet had more of it.
As you also might know this album features songs from the movie Highlander which I wasn't allowed to watch back then. But my brother was and he would tell me what happens in the movie during which song. In the song Gimme the Prize there's one part with a skit form the movie, it goes like this:
The Krugan:
I have something to say:
It's better to burn out than to fade away
There can be only one
Then you hear the Krugan raise his sword with a loud roar, preparing to deliver the final blow. And according to my brother, at that very moment, Connor MacLeod decapitates Krugan with a surprise blow.
I have no idea if it is even happening like this in the movie, young Thomas believed his brother. And I only watched the Highlander once and it's so long ago, I can't remember. I guess I should watch it again.
One Vision, A Kind of Magic, Gimme the Price, Princes of the Universe, Don’t Lose Your Head, ... I just love this album.