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

This was a TOUGH countdown, because there were many intangibles, and sooo many great artists who should have had their day in the sun...but I gave you my list. These artists were ones that I struggled with every time I had to decide who to put next on the countdown...I'll cover them quickly and in one posting...

Harem Scarem- Human Nature
If there was a band that was completely ignored by the record execs, it was this band. Easily the greatest band to come from Canada (besides RUSH), HS looked too much like a glam band when they came out, but weren't. I am going to take a little liberty here, and give you a little extra taste of a band that should be HUGE.They are very progressive, and guitarist Pete Lesperance, could easily be one of the top ten..creative, talented, and incredible live..turn it up..... for you guitar enthusiasts out there...SeeSaw...

and the live version of the awesome title track..the harmonies are incredible, especially for a metal band....12 albums since their start, they have NEVER released a bad album...

Hanoi Rocks-two steps from the move
The ORIGINAL glam rockers- around since 1979, and direct products of T-Rex, Mott the Hoople, David Bowie,the Rolling Stones, and Sweet. The band was,by all acounts, destined for super stardom, until tragically-their drummer, Razzle, was killed in a car accident involving Vince Neil of Motley Crue (Vince served prison time for the incident). The rest of the band fell apart..singer Michael Monroe tried to carry on solo, but didn't have any success state-side. They have since reunited, and are touring the entire world, (except the US of course). Known for their live performances, look them up on youtube, and then ask yourselves why our record company execs tossed them aside?

House of Lords- Sahara
easily one of the greatest gathering of musicians in AOR history, House of Lords had moderate success with this album, but was never given the airtime they deserved. An INCREDIBLE sounding live band, House of Lords continues to tour the rest of the world to this day, and seeing them live is an experience not soon forgotten...

Warrant- Dog Eat Dog
The album achieved "gold" status in the United States, but was significantly less successful in a commercial sense than the band's first two albums. It is, nonetheless, regarded by most critics as Warrant's strongest record, and a favorite among many devoted fans, including myself. The tone and style of the album could be said to be the last stage of the glam metal style during the 80s, when they were actually starting to expand their musical abilities, and "get serious". This may have been their greatest recording. Unfortunately, like Winger, Warrant was one of the bands intentionally destroyed for the sake of grunge..

Blue Murder...
What can you say about the guitarist/songwriter responsible for the success of Whitesnake? John Sykes and David Coverdale stopped getting along just before WS hit it big in the states with "Still of the Night". This album shows very clearly, who was the brains and talent (other than vocally) behind Whitesnake. It is unfortunate, that the marketing folks in the record industry chose not to sell him as the SNAKE in Whitesnake, but rather, made him start over at the beginning while David Coverdale rode his incredible songs to international stardom


Morrissey...Viva Hate
Morrissey is the perfect example of an enigma. I have been listening to him for years. I was first turned into a fan when his band The Smiths released "Louder than Bombs" in the 80's. In my opinion, the songwriting is as great as the Beatles, and the lyrics that Morrissey creates are poetic-on the level of Jim Morrison. It is simply incredible to follow a man's thought process, personal reflection and inner turmoil for twenty years because he dictates his life in his songs. You actually feel like you know the man personally, grow up as he grows up, face challenges as he does... and that is what GREAT song writing is all about- it becomes spiritual. One of his earlier songs about shyness personally helped me climb that wall in my own psyche when I was in high school. Is he straight? Is he gay? Is he Liberal? Is he Conservative? No one really knows, including Morrissey himself, which is what makes him one of the most fascinating personalities-and talented musicians of the last 20+ years. If you want to be intellectually challenged, as well as have some great pop/rock to listen to..pick up ANYTHING by Morrissey...coming from a metalhead, this says alot. He is the Ultimate Enigma.

Sublime...40 ounces to freedom...
Love 'em or Hate 'em, Sublime actually created a new style of music- the first since the Punk explosion of the late 70's. They were all decent musicians, but the heart of their genius was within their late, great, singer/songwriter- Bradley Nowell. Brad visited Jamaica with his father in the mid-80's, went to Trenchtown, and the Bob Marley museum, and was forever changed- basically he arrived there a punk-rocker, and left there inspired. Fusing the fast rythm and rebellion of punk with the clean and extremely melodic Reggae of Marley- he combined the two for a masterful creation that has spawned an entire industry since his tragic death in 1996. Sublime's follow-up self-titled album has since gone 5x platinum. This is the one that started it all...