Top 15 albums that should be considered classics(but for some reason aren't?!?!)

#6 Lillian Axe "Love and War"

Lillian Axe was, and is New Orleans' greatest contribution to hard rock music. Guitar god Stevie Blaze had his pick of some of the greatest musicians in the U.S.A., and he assembled this band in 1985. MCA records picked them up in 1987 as an experimental band. They released a self-titled album which had NO airplay, but was a masterpiece. "Love and War" was the album that was supposed to put them over the top, but rumor has it that one of the band members rejected advances by a male record company executive, and they were quickly thrown under the bus..which one, I'm not sure (check out the picture, and see if you can figure it out). They were ultimatley dropped by MCA Records.
Lillian Axe is still around, and quite frankly, my favorite album of theirs (and one of my favorites of all time) is "Poetic Justice", released after "Love and War" and LONG after the MCA incident. "True Believer" SHOULD be up there with "Here I Go Again" and "Wait" from White Lion, but unfortunately, the politics behind the scenes prohibited the song from even being promoted. A few stations such as our local metal station KBPI, gave it moderate airplay, but it never reached the mainstream market. I love every album from this band, but the one that stuck out in my mind as truly groundbreaking was "Love and War", which went out of print six months after it was released. The first and only video from this band was "Show A Little Love"- a great song, but quite frankly, as a regular viewer of "the Headbangers Ball", I never saw...here it is

Another would-be classic is "Dianna",which they still play live to this day, but as I mentioned earlier, they were pretty much black-listed. Here is the album version....
Here is an acoustic version of what SHOULD be a greatest hit..."True Believer"..

Stevie Blaze is one of the greatest guitarists in hard rock, rivaling John Petrucci of Dream Theater in his technical mastery...although this isn't the greatest version of the National Anthem I have have heard, I'm sorry.... this KILLS, Hendrix's version...

Top 15 albums that should be considered classics(but for some reason aren't?!?!)

#7 Enuff Z Nuff Strength

What can be said about Donnie Vie and Chip "Z" Nuff, except that, they got screwed-they should be legends-the record industry killed the goose with the golden egg, and that goose was Enuff Z Nuff. As two of the most talented songwriters to come out of the 80's, Chip and Donnie crafted music in the Beatles-style of writing. Every song was different,creative, and interesting. Enuff Z Nuff got trapped in the glam look, when in actuality, nothing about them fit the genre. They were unfairly crucified by Beavis and Butthead and thrown in the trash-heap of the 80's, when in actuality, they should have been considered Alternative. Alternative in the sense of experimental songwriting and populist lyrics, not in the sloppy, noisy, grunge movement.
A live version of their underground hit "baby loves you" from Strength..

And a promotional video for Strenght, entitled "Mothers Eyes"

a heart-warming thanksgiving story....Thanksgiving with a Space Alien

http://www.thepeoplescube.com/red/viewtopic.php?t=980&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&sid=50c010f1b46b649c90300f3d87b450a9

Top 15 albums that should be considered classics(but for some reason aren't?!?!)

#8
Badlands
Right at the end of the 80's glam music heyday, a superstar band was born. Jake E. Lee (who was Ozzy Osbourne's replacement for the late Randy Rhodes) joined forces with legendary singer Ray Gillen (Black Sabbath) and Eric Singer (Kiss) to form Badlands. Everything about this self-titled album screamed platinum record sales- Everything except for the actual number of records it sold. Badlands had a unique, if not nostalgic 70's sound, except ALOT heavier. The former Ozzy shredder laid down some of the rawest, most intense guitar heard in that era, and it was highlighted by one of the strongest rock voices in the world. Ray Gillen was rivaled only by David Coverdale of Whitesnake in terms of the strength, quality, and sheer emotion his voice added to every song. "Dreams in the Dark" was the first single from this album, and had decent rotation on MTV...



Badlands was one of those rare bands that would actually sound BETTER live than on record. The closest band to the Badlands sound was probably Tesla, and just like Tesla, they didn't believe in using alot of special effects, and they had the talent to make it sound great anyhow... check out the very Zeppelin-ish "High Wire"...killer guitar intro, and the late, great Ray Gillen at his best. R.I.P.



Rock 'n' Roll lost one of it's greatest voices when Ray died suddenly in 1993 from AIDS.

Top 15 albums that should be considered classics(but for some reason aren't?!?!)

#9 KIX "Midnight Dynamite"
This is the "biggest little band in the world". Having been around since the late 70's, Kix is the band that put out perfection and energy, and got nothing back in return. Their follow-up album "Blow My Fuse" did have some success with the song, "don't close your eyes", but "Midnight Dynamite" was the one that should have made them HUGE...Kix was a very AC/DCish band, but with a little more grit and alot more talent. My personal favorite off of this album was "Cold Shower"....

Kix has been, and always will be known for their live performances. Here is a classic KIX song "Loco-Emotion", live circa 1983....

Top 15 albums that should be considered classics(but for some reason aren't?!?!)

#10
King's X
Gretchen Goes to Nebraska

King's X is a legendary band amongst musicians, but among the general public...King's who? This, their 2nd album, was a defining moment in Rock history. Whether they are given credit or not, King's X was the first alternative rock band to also showcase incredible musicianship. In the Alt/Rock world, you rarely get both. This album has been said to have influenced bands like Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Pearl Jam. The latter's singer Eddie Vedder once described the Seattle Sound as "a bunch of bands trying to copy King's X but failing miserably".

It just so happens that one of my favorite songs of all time also happens to be a King's X song. My old band used to cover this song before it was fashionable to love King's X, and I must say, we did a decent job of it. One of the great tragedies in Rock music history is that, although they met with a little success with the "Faith, Hope, and Love" album..one of the greatest 3 piece bands ever, will never achieve the success they deserve.
Check out "Over My Head"


Another memorable tune from this album is "Summerland"..see it here

Top 15 albums that should be considered classics(but for some reason aren't?!?!)

#11 Giuffria,
Silk and Steel
Giuffria started out as a promotional vehicle for superstar keyboard player Greg Giuffria (of the 70's band "Angel"). "Silk and Steel" was the 2nd album by this band who's only hit up until then was a keyboard-laden song called "A Call to Your Heart". After the "Silk and Steel" tour was over, much of the band, including its namesake Greg Giuffria, formed the incredible "House of Lords"- who's story is for later.But first they left behind this album, which has some of the best-written, catchy, and masterfully performed songs of its day...

Check out "I Must Be Dreaming"...

and their one and only hit "Call to your heart"...

Top 15 albums that should be considered classics(but for some reason aren't?!?)

#12 Crimson Glory- Strange and Beautiful

Crimson Glory was one of those bands that was just TOO good. Much like Queensryche, they appealed to an advanced musical audience. Strange was their 3rd album, and it was also their most commercially appealing. Combining the progressive metal they were know for, with melodic taste worthy of radio airplay, Strange and Beautiful was one of the most complete metal albums of its generation. This 1991 release was one of the many brilliant albums that was pushed to the side by radio stations in favor of the grunge movement. From Strange and Beautiful, a more commercial song....


and a a little closer to the progressive style they were known for....yes those are metalic masks they are wearing, that was their gimic in the beginning, as if they needed one..

Top 15 albums that should be considered classics(but for some reason aren't?!?!)

#13 GUN Gallus

They could've been..should've been...how can they not be superstars?
GUN was a Scottish band that was signed to A&M Records in 1989 and released the INCREDIBLE album, "Taking on the World", which included the single, "better days". I would have put this album in place of Gallus, but Gallus was so much tighter and perfect. GUN is like a cross between The Cure,The Cult, and Bon Jovi- A little rock, a little dance, a little Alt/rock...basically whatever they were feeling at the time they wrote the song is what came out. The main reason they couldn't break through, is that, in the day of spandex and hairspray, Gun simply didn't look the part. What a shame, because of the three albums I own from them THERE ISN'T A BAD SONG TO BE HEARD. The perfect band that got perfectly ignored...from Gallus..Don't say its over"


Check out the incredibly written and performed first single- "Better Days"... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlMG2eijWy4
and their one and only "lukewarm" hit in the states ...the cover of Cameo's "word up"


Gun has recently entered the studio for another shot at would-be stardom, and if this album is ANYTHING like the 1st three, it will have been worth suffering through the horrible music of the 90's..

Top 15 albums that should be considered Classics (but for some reason aren't?!?)

#14 T-Ride



T-Ride was a California-based heavy metal band whose only album shared the same title. Noted for its wildly complex instrument and vocal arrangements, it featured guitar playing by Geoff Tyson, a top student of Joe Satriani. Songs from the album were used in various motion pictures and television shows including "Luxury Cruiser" in the soundtrack of 1992's Encino Man, "Zombies from Hell" in the movie "Captain Ron" and "Bone Down" in an episode of Baywatch, "Forbidden Paradise-part 2". Drummer/producer Eric Valentine went on to became a multi-platinum selling producer, producing acts like Smashmouth, Queens of the Stone Age, Satriani, Third Eye Blind, LostProphets, Good Charlotte, Nickel Creek, John Fogerty and more.
T-Ride hit the radio in 1991 with the single "Backdoor Romeo" which included an electronic dance groove, topped with shredding guitar, and layered vocals. At the time(along with bands like I Mother Earth), they were considered to be the future of hard rock music. Top musicianship, creativity, and fun- all qualities lacking in the very movement that squelched their careers as rock stars. Having released their debut album at the same time as Nirvana's "Nevermind", T-Ride were direct victims of what I like to call "the Curt Cobain Fart"- a tasteless, talentless, soulless, smelly pile of sonic excrement that did nothing to help the evolution of music,the funk of which still lingers over American radio airwaves to this day. That said..check out the creative groove of "Zombies from Hell"...

Top 15 Albums that should be considered Classics (but for some reason aren't?!)

This next section I'm doing is going to highlight alot of obscure albums. Some of them are from bands you may know, and some of them aren't. For one reason or another, whether its because of the time they were released or because the band itself was too outside the mainstream,they produced an album that should be considered a classic (by popular standards, and not niche-lovers), but isn't. Take it for what it's worth, but alot of would-be legends have been passed over in the last few decades, for no logical reason other than no one bought the album?! Feel free to add your own comments to this- I have pretty outside-the-mainstream tastes, and what I consider great, others say "what planet are you from?" So here you are...

#15 Fishbone, "Give a Monkey a Brain and He'll Swear he's the Center of the Universe"




Fishbone is THE original alternative band,mixing all styles from punk,jazz,rock,and ska since the late 1970's. Their guitarist Kendall Jones was a jack of all trades when it came to musical styles, and this album represents some of the most creative rock music around at the time....check out servitude... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0O1Gmm286E ...unfortunately, the song they are most famous for is a cover of another great band, Sublime...one of my all time favorites.
Fishbone produced an incredible version of the Sublime classic "Date Rape"
That version is not available to put on this site, so here is the live version- ok quality, but you get a good idea of how this band grooves....

At last, some intelligent conversation about America's financial crisis!

In The Know: Should The Government Stop Dumping Money Into A Giant Hole?

It doesn't matter who America's president is, as long as this is going on...

Guess who owns and runs the Port of Los Angeles? Not Us!?!?




We are just digging our own graves at this point in History, and if we aren't careful, we will end up being the short-lived Great Experiment in Democracy

Brad is BACK

one of my top ten guitarists has just released a new album that is almost entirely guitar music (with a couple of songs in there as well). Even if you don't like country music, there is something on it for every guitar enthusiast...(even you Steve Vai fans out there will be impressed)