cygnify

Songs from the Wood is my fav, so definitely my recommendation for next!

 

Stormwatch I quite like too.

 

Not a huge fan of Crest, I prefer Roots to Branches. Not a popular opinion, but it is what I prefer.

HOWEVER, you missed one released in 74 that would be in my top 20 all-time:

 

Frank Zappa - Apostrophe was voted 'best guitar album' of 1974 by Guitar Player Magazine.

 

There is also his stellar live album released in 1974

King Crimson - Red

 

very close call with Relayer & Lamb Lies Down.

 

Also excellent: Crime of the Century, Starless and Bible Black, Queen II, Bridge of Sighs, Sheer Heart Attack, Pretzel Logic,

 

Kansas appears on the scene!

 

HOWEVER, you missed one released in 74 that would be in my top 20 all-time:

I had it in but I took it out. What I do is I open out the 40 options and I put certainties up in the high positions and maybes at the bottom. Then when all the slots are filled (and I get a bit worried) I have to remove some titles to make way for the ones that HAVE to be in. It's usually the ones at the bottom, the maybees that get ousted, occasionally it's an album that I had down as a certainty that goes out.

 

That's cool; obviously you choose different ones than I, or perhaps somebody else, would. I understand. This is fun!

I know you're limited to 40 for the choices - and you are making some judgement calls. One missing from the list that should be on there, IMHO, would be:

 

missed another that I'd rank higher than 80% of the other choices:

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention

King Crimson - Red

 

very close call with Relayer & Lamb Lies Down.

 

Also excellent: Crime of the Century, Starless and Bible Black, Queen II, Bridge of Sighs, Sheer Heart Attack, Pretzel Logic,

 

Kansas appears on the scene!

 

HOWEVER, you missed one released in 74 that would be in my top 20 all-time:

I agree, Neil should have been the cover story.

 

Incredibly heartbreaking article.

Hell of a year indeed. And I thought 69 and 71 were hard..

 

Masterpieces from Genesis, Zeppelin, Krimson, The Who (!!!), Elton John, ELP, Billy Cobham... (Tull was a disappointment.)

 

However, above all: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

Platter for the Plateau is all about PROG for me in 72...

 

Masterpieces from Yes, Tull, ELP, Gentle Giant, Genesis... (and excellent releases from Deep Purple and Allmans)

 

Close to the Edge!

Ridiculously hard. Lots of masterpieces. Led Zep IV, Who’s Next (!!), The Yes Album (!), Fragile (!!!), Meddle (!!), Nursery Cryme, Master Of Reality, Tarkus, Inner Mounting Flame (!!), LA Woman,Aqualung... sheesh

 

went with LedZep IV

For me, it came down between Floyd and VHII and it's hard to imagine just how opposite these albums are. I went with The Wall.

Damn. Black Sabbath. Deep Purple. Tull picking up steam. Genesis, Santana, Derek and the Dominoes, Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP, Gentle Giant. King Crimson attempting to reinvent itself.

 

I went with Zep III.

Oh lord, this is the hardest one for me by far!

 

Could almost choose any album, but these stand out:

Zeppelin I & II

Yes, Tull & Floyd (better works are yet to come!)

The Who - Tommy (amazingly, not even their best work)

Abbey Road, Let it Bleed

Zappa - Hot Rats!

Doors - Soft Parade (much maligned, and underrated!)

Santana

.

.

.

But I went with one of my all-timers: King Crimson "In the Court of the Crimson King"

Went with The White Album... just over Hendrix. Lots of contenders again..

Pretty amazing year! I went with Hendrix. But man, Sgt Peppers, the Doors, Pink Floyd, Cream, The Who, Grateful Dead - lots of contenders.

Gretchen Goes To Nebraska! King's X

 

It was a bit of a dearth year musically (and a shit year personally!) ABWH was in rotation (better in concert!), Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth, SRV, Queen were all good releases. I figured out that I didn't like the new-Marillion without Fish (a trend that holds to this day!)

 

One release that is missed in the poll that was very high in my rotation - Suck on This by Primus! I had heard the opening track very early - with the YYZ intro and called my college radio station to inquire. They had a cassette of this band from SF and gave me an address. I sent out a quick note and was rewarded several weeks later with a pre-release non-official packaging homemade cassette version of Suck on This from the band's management.

Empire, Ah Via Musicom, Rust in Peace (A great surprise comeback), Time's Up, Cowboys from Hell, Pornograffitti, Master Plan, Passion and Warfare were all in my rotation - but not as much as King's X Faith Hope Love. (which isn't in the poll)

 

I went with Passion and Warfare. Shredder album that actually had great dynamics and lots of variety. Chris Frazier killed it on drums; not to mention that dude on guitar too. lol.

 

Judging from several other entries, cheese metal also continued it's march toward the eventual grunge extinction.

Missed King's X - Faith Hope Love

For me, this was a close call between And Justice for All..., Operation Mindcrime, and Vivid. I love King's X, and they appeared on the scene here, but their best was yet to come. DLR cheesed out. I was not into the new Maiden (past their "best by" date!) Megadeth and Malmsteen, were letdowns for me. This list also contains a fair amount of Cheese/Hair Metal that I never liked - and forebodes of the perfect storm that led to the explosion of Grunge in a couple years.

 

I went with Vivid. Saw LC twice that year. Wil Calhoun was a big influence to my playing at the time. I liked the marriage of funk grooves with the heaviness.

Did you skip 1989 entirely? 1988 was part 9, 1990 is part 10. I mean, 89 was a shit year for me personally, but I'm sure there was some decent music released?

Well, my 10-year-old self would have been all about REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity in 1980. I was actually listening to The Wall (released in 79) also through that year. I had a young Aunt that got me into cool music (including Rush!) I like Duke alot, and The Police.

 

Later I would discover The Dregs and YES (Love Drama!) and Peter Gabriel.

 

My top pick among these would be Queen The Game for a combination of what I liked at the time, what still has some pull, nostalgia, and the fact that my favorite Rush album isn't in the poll!

 

Side 1 of The Game is really perfect isn't it?

 

Yes, and side 2 ends really strong with Save Me

Dark Side. More consistent masterpiece.

In 1987, I saw Rush 4 times, Pink Floyd, Yes, Aerosmith (front row), Guns and Roses (front row; featuring a near riot and the worst. live. sound. ever. Axl sounded like a frog!) Whitesnake twice, Heart (front row), Robert Plant (front row), Def Leppard (front row) among many others - my girlfriend's grandmother was a sponsor for a large concert venue near my hometown (Saratoga Perf Art Center) and we got comped front row seats for any show she didn't want (in other words, every rock show!)

 

As for the albums - lots of those I would have picked at the time, but didn't age well for me or weren't my favorites by those artists, so they may have been good, but a bit of a letdown (Pink Fraud!) No denying Appetite - huge influence, packed with good songs. However, I was well on my way to prog-snobdom - firmly immersed in classic Yes, Crimson, Kansas, Rush, Genesis. I was beginning to move out of my metal-phase of Maiden, Metallica, etc. So, my personal favorite from this year would be Marillion Clutching at Straws.

Well, my 10-year-old self would have been all about REO Speedwagon Hi Infidelity in 1980. I was actually listening to The Wall (released in 79) also through that year. I had a young Aunt that got me into cool music (including Rush!) I like Duke alot, and The Police.

 

Later I would discover The Dregs and YES (Love Drama!) and Peter Gabriel.

 

My top pick among these would be Queen The Game for a combination of what I liked at the time, what still has some pull, nostalgia, and the fact that my favorite Rush album isn't in the poll!

Krimson is also a top 5 band for me; thus, I selected Discipline (probably my 4th or 5th Favorite album by them) over Fair Warning (probably my 3rd or 4th fav VH.)