Rank Your Favorite Bands' Albums

[Blue J]

Here is how I would do Van Halen, but not in any particular order, and with David Lee Roth, as the lead singer, not their A Different Kind of Truth c.d., and album, and Gary Cherone, as the lead singer, not their Van Halen III c.d., and album.

 

1984 (1984) - House of Pain, and I'll Wait

Diver Down (1982) - Hang 'Em High

Fair Warning (1981) - Hear About It Later

Women and Children First (1980) - Everybody Wants Some!!

Van Halen II (1979) - Outta Love Again

Van Halen (1978) - Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love

Balance (1995) - Feelin', and Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)

For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991) - Pleasure Dome, and the Dream Is Over

OU812 (1988) - Cabo Wabo, and When It's Love

5150 (1986) - Love Walks In

 

Not in any particular order? Isn’t the point of the thread to rank them in your order of preference?

 

Oh.

 

Oops.

 

I wasn't responding to your post?

 

No, I know that...but the one post/ranking I put in this thread, I think I did it wrong, that’s all.

 

Ask me if I care, though! :P

[Nova Carmina]

Gonna try Iron Maiden:

 

My Absolute Favourites:

 

1. Somewhere In Time

2. Powerslave

3. Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son

4. Number Of The Beast

5. Piece Of Mind

6. No Prayer For The Dying

 

Really, really great:

 

7. Iron Maiden

8. A Matter Of Life And Death

9. Killers

10. The Final Frontier

11. Dance Of Death

12. The Book Of Souls

14. Brave New World

 

Not great, some decent stuff that translates better live:

 

15. X Factor

16. Fear Of The Dark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shit:

 

17. Virtual XI

 

Excellent top grouping! But Fear of the Dark so low?

[GeddyLeeRoth]

After Rush, a very close second-favorite band would be Iron Maiden.

 

1. The Number Of The Beast--Hallowed Be They Name

2. Piece Of Mind--Revelations

3. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son--The Clairvoyant

4. Powerslave--Aces High

5. Killers--Murders In The Rue Morgue

6. Somewhere In Time--Caught Somewhere In Time

7. Iron Maiden--Phantom Of The Opera

8. Brave New World--Brave New World

9. The Final Frontier--The Talisman

10. The Book Of Souls--The Red And The Black

11. Dance Of Death--Paschendale

12. No Prayer For The Dying--Tail Gunner

13. A Matter Of Life And Death--Lord Of Light

14. Fear Of The Dark--Fear Of The Dark

15. The X Factor--Sign Of The Cross

16. Virtual XI--The Clansman

Edited January 3, 2020 by GeddyLeeRoth

[GeddyLeeRoth]

Gonna try Iron Maiden:

 

My Absolute Favourites:

 

1. Somewhere In Time

2. Powerslave

3. Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son

4. Number Of The Beast

5. Piece Of Mind

6. No Prayer For The Dying

 

Really, really great:

 

7. Iron Maiden

8. A Matter Of Life And Death

9. Killers

10. The Final Frontier

11. Dance Of Death

12. The Book Of Souls

14. Brave New World

 

Not great, some decent stuff that translates better live:

 

15. X Factor

16. Fear Of The Dark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shit:

 

17. Virtual XI

 

Excellent top grouping! But Fear of the Dark so low?

I love your hierarchy, especially the props you showed No Prayer For The Dying (its no NOB, but it's their most under-rated album). And I agree, Fear Of The Dark is their weakest non-Blaze album. Actually, the song writing on X Factor is better, but Blaze doesn't hold a candle to Bruce Almighty.

[bluefox4000]

Iron Maiden

 

1. Somewhere in Time

2. Piece of Mind

3. Number of the beast

4. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

5. Brave New World

6. A Matter of Life And Death

7. The Book of Souls

8. Iron Maidan

9. No Prayer For the Dying

10. Dance of Death

11. The Final Frontier

12. Powerslave

13. Killers

14. The X Factor

15, Fear of the Dark

16. Virtual XI

 

Mick

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Hm, Madien, let's try it. These are the ones I know:

 

Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son - Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son

Powerslave - 2 Minutes To Midnight

The Number Of The Beast - Hallowed Be Thy Name

Piece Of Mind - To Tame A Land

 

 

The Final Frontier - erm, El Dorado? It's good, but it's not at the level of those four

[Segue Myles]

Gonna try Iron Maiden:

 

My Absolute Favourites:

 

1. Somewhere In Time

2. Powerslave

3. Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son

4. Number Of The Beast

5. Piece Of Mind

6. No Prayer For The Dying

 

Really, really great:

 

7. Iron Maiden

8. A Matter Of Life And Death

9. Killers

10. The Final Frontier

11. Dance Of Death

12. The Book Of Souls

14. Brave New World

 

Not great, some decent stuff that translates better live:

 

15. X Factor

16. Fear Of The Dark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shit:

 

17. Virtual XI

 

Excellent top grouping! But Fear of the Dark so low?

 

I think it's a really poor album. The songs are weak, the performances are weak. The highlights for me are very few, and the title track is superior live.

[Segue Myles]

Gonna try Iron Maiden:

 

My Absolute Favourites:

 

1. Somewhere In Time

2. Powerslave

3. Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son

4. Number Of The Beast

5. Piece Of Mind

6. No Prayer For The Dying

 

Really, really great:

 

7. Iron Maiden

8. A Matter Of Life And Death

9. Killers

10. The Final Frontier

11. Dance Of Death

12. The Book Of Souls

14. Brave New World

 

Not great, some decent stuff that translates better live:

 

15. X Factor

16. Fear Of The Dark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shit:

 

17. Virtual XI

 

Excellent top grouping! But Fear of the Dark so low?

I love your hierarchy, especially the props you showed No Prayer For The Dying (its no NOB, but it's their most under-rated album). And I agree, Fear Of The Dark is their weakest non-Blaze album. Actually, the song writing on X Factor is better, but Blaze doesn't hold a candle to Bruce Almighty.

 

Exactly how I feel. I'd rate X Factor higher if it had a better singer.

[Segue Myles]

Alter Bridge:

 

1. ABIII

2. Walk The Sky

3. Fortress

4. Blackbird

5. The Last Hero

6. One Day Remains

 

I love ever album though lol

[Segue Myles]

Within Temptation:

 

1. The Silent Force

2. The Heart Of Everything

3. Mother Earth

4. Resist

5. The Unforgiving

6. Hydra

7. Enter/The Dance

[Segue Myles]

Gonna try Iron Maiden:

 

My Absolute Favourites:

 

1. Somewhere In Time

2. Powerslave

3. Seventh Son Of The Seventh Son

4. Number Of The Beast

5. Piece Of Mind

6. No Prayer For The Dying

 

Really, really great:

 

7. Iron Maiden

8. A Matter Of Life And Death

9. Killers

10. The Final Frontier

11. Dance Of Death

12. The Book Of Souls

14. Brave New World

 

Not great, some decent stuff that translates better live:

 

15. X Factor

16. Fear Of The Dark

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shit:

 

17. Virtual XI

 

Excellent top grouping! But Fear of the Dark so low?

I love your hierarchy, especially the props you showed No Prayer For The Dying (its no NOB, but it's their most under-rated album). And I agree, Fear Of The Dark is their weakest non-Blaze album. Actually, the song writing on X Factor is better, but Blaze doesn't hold a candle to Bruce Almighty.

 

I love No Prayer For The Dying immensely. It might in another universe be my absolute favourite Iron Maiden album, but in this one, it's top six. I adore it, every last song. But it's definitely a step below the streak of albums that came before it, even if I do find it very refreshing after the bombastic glory of Seventh Son.

 

Eighties Iron Maiden may be my favourite metal band of all time. After No Prayer, even up to recent albums, I hold back from feeling quite as ecstatic because I feel the albums became overlong and the songs overly drawn out. Still great music, but I definitely think that the vinyl era suited them perfectly.

 

I fall in and out of love with Brave New World constantly.

[Segue Myles]

Toto:

 

1. Fahrenheit

2. Isolation

3. Mindfields

4. IV

5. Toto

6. Tambu

7. The Seventh One

8. Turn Back

9. XIV

10. Falling In Between

11. Kingdom Of Desire

12. Hydra

 

[Rutlefan]

I'll try The Church, a largely overlooked band these days (at least outside of Australia) but top five band for me. They have a several odd releases of b-sides, outtakes, remixes which I'm not addressing, though a few, like the fantastic Back with Two Beasts (Uninvited Like the Clouds outtakes), are indispensable for Church fans.

 

1. Further/Deeper (2014) ... Layored and complex, they hit a grand slam late in career with the debut of new guitarist after the exit of founding member Marty Willson-Piper; Marty is amazing but band needed a reboot.

2. Priest=Aura (1992) ... Heavy and epic, was the end of the The Church's original arc; they appeared to have run their course but ended it with an album the band feels is their best.

3. After Everything Now This (2002) ... Moody and atmospheric, their Darkside of the Moon. Following the excellent Hologram of Baal, The Church was making great albums again.

4. Hologram of Baal (1998) ... The band's first reboot (of two, ultimately) after a couple meandering albums featuring incomplete versions of the original lineup. First album self-produced by The Church and featuring mixing and recording of recently-added drummer Tim Powles. A winning formula going forward.

5. Starfish (1988) ... Their commercial peak, and generally considered their artistic peak of their early period (through Priest=Aura) if not of their career. "Under the Milky Way" can still be heard on Sirius XM and in Bed, Bath & Beyond.

6. Heyday (1985) ... A masterpiece featuring the distinctive (sometimes orchestral) jangle rock of their early sound front and center. Making them a darling of the college rock crowd, it announced them as a band to be taken very seriously.

 

7. Man Woman Life Death Infinity (2017) ... A very solid effort which at times lives up to the excellence of Further/Deeper but lacks its predecessor's consistency.

8. Forget Yourself (2003) ... The much more elemental follow-up to the complexly-produced After Everything..., was recorded live in the studio.

9. Seance (1983) ... A band evolving but maybe fast enough. Much like The Blurred Crusade but with a little more pop punch. The follow-up Heyday would see them leap from indie/new wave alternative to high vis college rock.

10. The Blurred Crusade (1982) ... A departure from the new wave rock of their debut; possessed a textured and catchy surrealism which would largely define the band's style through through the '80s.

11. Of Skins and Heart (1981) ... A fantastic debut. New Wave guitar rock/power pop.

12. Untitled #23 (2009) ... It has its moments and is overall pretty solid with a darkly minimalistic feel but is showing the weariness of a band that seems to have run its course. The next album, Further/Deeper, my #1, is a needed reboot.

13. Uninvited, Like the Clouds (2006) ... A professional but largely uninspired product; not bad but like Forget Yourself with more polish and less originality.

 

14. Sometime Anywhere (1994) ... The best of their bad albums. Maybe this isn't bad but is just too quizzical by half. To the uninitiated would provide a very misleading first impression of the band. With the departure of guitarist Peter Koppes and still missing their original drummer they were down to bassist/singer Steve Kilbey and guitarist Marty Willson-Piper. For whatever reason they decided to lean towards a more electronica feel than their traditional guitar-centered sound, an odd choice in the mid-'90s. Nevertheless, the album was critically well-received though another commercial failure (like the fantastic Priest=Aura which preceded it). Was eventually re-released with a second disc of extra material which rounds things out well, making the longer release well worth having despite the overall feel of being not quite up to standards.

15. Gold Afternoon Fix (1990) .... Their follow-up to 1988's critical and commercial success Starfish. The studio leaned on them hard to give them another Starfish; recording in LA (which they didn't like, the studio wanted them close) they felt the pressure, took a lot of drugs, and produced a weak gruel that superficially sounded like Starfish but lacked almost all of its artistic merit and freshness. At least it's stronger, darker moments would inspire the approach for the night and day better follow-up, Priest=Aura. If Gold Afternoon Fix is an example of how drugs can depress artistic achievement, Priest=Aura might be the opposite. The mesmerizing "Paradox" is a sort of tortured love song to heroine.

16. Magician Among the Spirits (1996) ... Still basically the two-member lineup of Sometime Anywhere but at least Koppes guested on a few tracks. Still, the album is completely uninspired with the exception of "Comedown." Even the band mostly disowns the album.

 

Edit: Moved Man Woman... from 11 to 7. Albums from The Church usually have to grow on me to fully appreciate and I'm sure this will continue to improve with age.

Edited January 4, 2020 by Rutlefan

[Segue Myles]

I'll try The Church, a largely overlooked band these days (at least outside of Australia) but top five band for me. They have a several odd releases of b-sides, outtakes, remixes which I'm not addressing, though a few, like the fantastic Back with Two Beasts (Uninvited Like the Clouds outtakes), are indispensable for Church fans.

 

1. Further/Deeper (2014) ... Layored and complex, hit a grand slam late in career with the debut of new guitarist after the exit of founding member Marty Willson-Piper; Marty is amazing but band needed a reboot.

2. Priest=Aura (1992) ... Heavy and epic, was the end of the The Church's original arc; they appeared to have run their course but ended it with an album the band feels is their best.

3. After Everything Now This (2002) ... Moody, their Darkside of the Moon. Following the excellent Hologram of Baal, The Church was making great albums again.

4. Hologram of Baal (1998) ... The band's first reboot (ot two, ultimately) after a couple meandering albums featuring incomplete versions of the original lineup. First album featuring mixing and recording of recently-added drummer Tim Powles.

5. Starfish (1988) ... Their commercial peak, and generally considered their artistic peak of their early period (through Priest=Aura) if not of their career. "Under the Milky Way" can still be heard on Sirius XM and in Bed, Bath & Beyond.

6. Heyday (1985) ... A masterpiece of their distinctive early jangle rock sound. It announced them as a band to be taken very seriously.

 

7. Forget Yourself (2003) ... The much more elemental follow-up to the complexly-produced After Everything..., was recorded live in the studio.

8. Seance (1983) ... Much like The Blurred Crusade but with a little more pop punch.

9. The Blurred Crusade (1982) ... A departure from the new wave rock of their debut; possessed a textured and catchy surrealism which would largely define the band's style through through the '80s.

10. Of Skins and Heart (1981) ... A fantastic debut.

11. Man Woman Life Death Infinity (2017) ... A few moments that live up to the excellence of Further/Deeper but lacks its predecessor's consistency.

12. Untitled #23 (2009) ... It has its moments and is overall pretty solid but is showing the weariness of a band that seems to have run its course. The next album, Further/Deeper, my #1, is a needed reboot.

13. Uninvited, Like the Clouds (2006) ... A professional but largely uninspired product; not bad but like Forget Yourself with more polish and less originality.

 

14. Sometime Anywhere (1994) ... The best of their bad albums. Maybe this isn't bad but is just too quizzical by half. To the uninitiated would provide a very misleading first impression of the band. With the departure of guitarist Peter Koppes and still missing their original drummer they were down to bassist/singer Steve Kilbey and guitarist Marty Willson-Piper. For whatever reason they decided to lean towards a more electronica feel than their traditional guitar-centered sound, an odd choice in the mid-'90s. Nevertheless, the album was critically well-received though another commercial failure (like the fantastic Priest=Aura which preceded it). Was eventually re-released with a second disc of extra material which rounds things out well, making the longer release well worth having despite the overall feel of being not quite up to standards.

15. Gold Afternoon Fix (1990) .... Their follow-up to 1988's critical and commercial success Starfish. The studio leaned on them hard to give them another Starfish; recording in LA (which they didn't like, the studio wanted them close) they felt the pressure, took a lot of drugs, and produced a weak gruel that superficially sounded like Starfish but lacked almost all of its artistic merit and freshness. At least it's stronger, darker moments would inspire the approach for the night and day better follow-up, Priest=Aura. If Gold Afternoon Fix is an example of how drugs can depress artistic achievement, Priest=Aura might be the opposite. The mesmerizing "Paradox" is a sort of tortured love song to heroine.

16. Magician Among the Spirits (1996) ... Still basically the two-member lineup of Sometime Anywhere but at least Koppes guested on a few tracks. Still, the album is completely uninspired with the exception of "Comedown." Even the band mostly disowns the album.

 

Never heard of this band!

[Segue Myles]

Trivium:

 

1. Ascendancy

2. The Crusade

3. Shogun

4. In Waves

5. The Sin And The Sentence

6. Ember To Inferno

7. Silence In The Snow

8. Vengeance Falls

[Rick N. Backer]

AC/DC (the Johnson era)

 

Back in Black (Hells Bells)

For Those About to Rock (For Those About to Rock)

Flick of the Switch (Rising Power)

The Razors Edge (Thunderstruck)

Ballbreaker (The Furor)

Fly on the Wall (Shake Your Foundations)

Black Ice (Big Jack)

Rock or Bust (Sweet Candy)

Stiff Upper Lip (Come and Get It)

Blow Up Your Video (Some Sin for Nuthin)

[Rutlefan]

I'll try The Church, a largely overlooked band these days (at least outside of Australia) but top five band for me. They have a several odd releases of b-sides, outtakes, remixes which I'm not addressing, though a few, like the fantastic Back with Two Beasts (Uninvited Like the Clouds outtakes), are indispensable for Church fans.

 

1. Further/Deeper (2014) ... Layored and complex, hit a grand slam late in career with the debut of new guitarist after the exit of founding member Marty Willson-Piper; Marty is amazing but band needed a reboot.

2. Priest=Aura (1992) ... Heavy and epic, was the end of the The Church's original arc; they appeared to have run their course but ended it with an album the band feels is their best.

3. After Everything Now This (2002) ... Moody, their Darkside of the Moon. Following the excellent Hologram of Baal, The Church was making great albums again.

4. Hologram of Baal (1998) ... The band's first reboot (ot two, ultimately) after a couple meandering albums featuring incomplete versions of the original lineup. First album featuring mixing and recording of recently-added drummer Tim Powles.

5. Starfish (1988) ... Their commercial peak, and generally considered their artistic peak of their early period (through Priest=Aura) if not of their career. "Under the Milky Way" can still be heard on Sirius XM and in Bed, Bath & Beyond.

6. Heyday (1985) ... A masterpiece of their distinctive early jangle rock sound. It announced them as a band to be taken very seriously.

 

7. Forget Yourself (2003) ... The much more elemental follow-up to the complexly-produced After Everything..., was recorded live in the studio.

8. Seance (1983) ... Much like The Blurred Crusade but with a little more pop punch.

9. The Blurred Crusade (1982) ... A departure from the new wave rock of their debut; possessed a textured and catchy surrealism which would largely define the band's style through through the '80s.

10. Of Skins and Heart (1981) ... A fantastic debut.

11. Man Woman Life Death Infinity (2017) ... A few moments that live up to the excellence of Further/Deeper but lacks its predecessor's consistency.

12. Untitled #23 (2009) ... It has its moments and is overall pretty solid but is showing the weariness of a band that seems to have run its course. The next album, Further/Deeper, my #1, is a needed reboot.

13. Uninvited, Like the Clouds (2006) ... A professional but largely uninspired product; not bad but like Forget Yourself with more polish and less originality.

 

14. Sometime Anywhere (1994) ... The best of their bad albums. Maybe this isn't bad but is just too quizzical by half. To the uninitiated would provide a very misleading first impression of the band. With the departure of guitarist Peter Koppes and still missing their original drummer they were down to bassist/singer Steve Kilbey and guitarist Marty Willson-Piper. For whatever reason they decided to lean towards a more electronica feel than their traditional guitar-centered sound, an odd choice in the mid-'90s. Nevertheless, the album was critically well-received though another commercial failure (like the fantastic Priest=Aura which preceded it). Was eventually re-released with a second disc of extra material which rounds things out well, making the longer release well worth having despite the overall feel of being not quite up to standards.

15. Gold Afternoon Fix (1990) .... Their follow-up to 1988's critical and commercial success Starfish. The studio leaned on them hard to give them another Starfish; recording in LA (which they didn't like, the studio wanted them close) they felt the pressure, took a lot of drugs, and produced a weak gruel that superficially sounded like Starfish but lacked almost all of its artistic merit and freshness. At least it's stronger, darker moments would inspire the approach for the night and day better follow-up, Priest=Aura. If Gold Afternoon Fix is an example of how drugs can depress artistic achievement, Priest=Aura might be the opposite. The mesmerizing "Paradox" is a sort of tortured love song to heroine.

16. Magician Among the Spirits (1996) ... Still basically the two-member lineup of Sometime Anywhere but at least Koppes guested on a few tracks. Still, the album is completely uninspired with the exception of "Comedown." Even the band mostly disowns the album.

 

Never heard of this band!

 

Amazing to me, but not a criticism of you but of the collective taste of the music world .Obviously with well over sixteen releases, including the outtakes and b-sides, there's a ton of material. Here's just a couple samples going from their biggest hit from '88's Starfish to their most recent, thirty years on:

 

http://youtu.be/pWxJEIz7sSA

 

http://youtu.be/eYd6OcfDvh4

Edited January 3, 2020 by Rutlefan

[Nova Carmina]

AC/DC (the Johnson era)

 

Back in Black (Hells Bells)

For Those About to Rock (For Those About to Rock)

Flick of the Switch (Rising Power)

The Razors Edge (Thunderstruck)

Ballbreaker (The Furor)

Fly on the Wall (Shake Your Foundations)

Black Ice (Big Jack)

Rock or Bust (Sweet Candy)

Stiff Upper Lip (Come and Get It)

Blow Up Your Video (Some Sin for Nuthin)

 

This is the correct ranking, yes. :goodone:

 

(I would substitute "Nervous Breakdown" from Flick of the Switch)

[Nova Carmina]

The Drive-by Truckers

 

The Dirty South -- "The Day John Henry Died"

The Big To-Do -- "Drag the Lake Charlie"

American Band -- "Ever South"

Southern Rock Opera -- "Zip City"

A Blessing and a Curse -- "Gravity's Gone"

Decoration Day -- "Sink Hole"

Gangstabilly -- "18 Wheels of Love" (better live, though)

Brighter Than Creation's Dark -- "The Righteous Path"

English Oceans -- "Shit Shots Count"

 

and then

 

Go-Go Boots and Pizza Deliverance in some tie for last

 

Looking forward to the new one that'll be released at the end of this month.

[bluefox4000]

Toto

 

1. Fahrenheit

2. Toto

3. The Seventh One

4. Tambu

5. Turn Back

6. XIV

7. Old is New (it's newly recorded un-released tracks....i'm counting it)

8. IV

9. Falling In Between

10. Kingdom of Desire

11. Hydra

12. Mindfeilds

13. Isolation

14. Through the Looking Glass

 

Mick

[Rick N. Backer]

Black Sabbath - The Dio Era

 

Heaven and Hell - Neon Knights

Mob Rules - The Mob Rules

Dehumanizer - I

The Devil You Know - Rock and Roll Angel

[Rutlefan]

Going obscure (being second to last doesn't mean I don't LZ I isn't fantastic; I basically love them all):

 

Physical Graffiti - Kashmir

IV - Levee

III - That's the Way

Houses of the Holy - Over the Hills

II - Ramble On

In Through the Out Door - Fool in the Rain

Presence - Achilles

I - How Many More Times

Coda - Poor Tom

Edited January 4, 2020 by Rutlefan

[Mithrandir]

Zep

 

PG - The Rover

IV - Stairway

II - Whole

Presence - Tea for one

I - How Many more times

III - Out on the Tiles

ITTOD - Fool on the Rain

HOTH- Song Remains the same

[bluefox4000]

Rush

 

1. Hold your Fire

2. Permaent Waves

3. Signals

4. Hemispheres

5. Caress of Steel

6. Power Windows

7. Presto

8. Moving Pictures

9. Grace Under Pressure

10 Snakes and Arrows

11. 2112

12. Counterparts

13. Rush

14. Fly by Night

15. Farewell to Kings

16. Test for Echo

17. Roll the Bones

18. Vapor Trails

19. Clockwork Angels

 

Mick

[goose]

I'll try The Church, a largely overlooked band these days (at least outside of Australia) but top five band for me. They have a several odd releases of b-sides, outtakes, remixes which I'm not addressing, though a few, like the fantastic Back with Two Beasts (Uninvited Like the Clouds outtakes), are indispensable for Church fans.

 

1. Further/Deeper (2014) ... Layored and complex, they hit a grand slam late in career with the debut of new guitarist after the exit of founding member Marty Willson-Piper; Marty is amazing but band needed a reboot.

2. Priest=Aura (1992) ... Heavy and epic, was the end of the The Church's original arc; they appeared to have run their course but ended it with an album the band feels is their best.

3. After Everything Now This (2002) ... Moody and atmospheric, their Darkside of the Moon. Following the excellent Hologram of Baal, The Church was making great albums again.

4. Hologram of Baal (1998) ... The band's first reboot (of two, ultimately) after a couple meandering albums featuring incomplete versions of the original lineup. First album self-produced by The Church and featuring mixing and recording of recently-added drummer Tim Powles. A winning formula going forward.

5. Starfish (1988) ... Their commercial peak, and generally considered their artistic peak of their early period (through Priest=Aura) if not of their career. "Under the Milky Way" can still be heard on Sirius XM and in Bed, Bath & Beyond.

6. Heyday (1985) ... A masterpiece featuring the distinctive (sometimes orchestral) jangle rock of their early sound front and center. Making them a darling of the college rock crowd, it announced them as a band to be taken very seriously.

 

7. Forget Yourself (2003) ... The much more elemental follow-up to the complexly-produced After Everything..., was recorded live in the studio.

8. Seance (1983) ... A band evolving but maybe fast enough. Much like The Blurred Crusade but with a little more pop punch. The follow-up Heyday would see them leap from indie/new wave alternative to high vis college rock.

9. The Blurred Crusade (1982) ... A departure from the new wave rock of their debut; possessed a textured and catchy surrealism which would largely define the band's style through through the '80s.

10. Of Skins and Heart (1981) ... A fantastic debut. New Wave guitar rock/power pop.

11. Man Woman Life Death Infinity (2017) ... A very solid effort with few moments that live up to the excellence of Further/Deeper but lacks its predecessor's consistency.

12. Untitled #23 (2009) ... It has its moments and is overall pretty solid with a darkly minimalistic feel but is showing the weariness of a band that seems to have run its course. The next album, Further/Deeper, my #1, is a needed reboot.

13. Uninvited, Like the Clouds (2006) ... A professional but largely uninspired product; not bad but like Forget Yourself with more polish and less originality.

 

14. Sometime Anywhere (1994) ... The best of their bad albums. Maybe this isn't bad but is just too quizzical by half. To the uninitiated would provide a very misleading first impression of the band. With the departure of guitarist Peter Koppes and still missing their original drummer they were down to bassist/singer Steve Kilbey and guitarist Marty Willson-Piper. For whatever reason they decided to lean towards a more electronica feel than their traditional guitar-centered sound, an odd choice in the mid-'90s. Nevertheless, the album was critically well-received though another commercial failure (like the fantastic Priest=Aura which preceded it). Was eventually re-released with a second disc of extra material which rounds things out well, making the longer release well worth having despite the overall feel of being not quite up to standards.

15. Gold Afternoon Fix (1990) .... Their follow-up to 1988's critical and commercial success Starfish. The studio leaned on them hard to give them another Starfish; recording in LA (which they didn't like, the studio wanted them close) they felt the pressure, took a lot of drugs, and produced a weak gruel that superficially sounded like Starfish but lacked almost all of its artistic merit and freshness. At least it's stronger, darker moments would inspire the approach for the night and day better follow-up, Priest=Aura. If Gold Afternoon Fix is an example of how drugs can depress artistic achievement, Priest=Aura might be the opposite. The mesmerizing "Paradox" is a sort of tortured love song to heroine.

16. Magician Among the Spirits (1996) ... Still basically the two-member lineup of Sometime Anywhere but at least Koppes guested on a few tracks. Still, the album is completely uninspired with the exception of "Comedown." Even the band mostly disowns the album.

^^^ Nice work!