Hard Rock Music Time Machine – 6/29/17

THE YEAR…1982

Each Thursday, Hard Rock Music Time Machine takes a journey back in time to feature a variety of songs that date back as far as the ’70s.

In addition to appearing on the embedded YouTube playlist below, all songs featured on Hard Rock Music Time Machine can be listened to individually by clicking on the hyper-linked song titles above each review.
 

 

ADAM WALDMAN – (Publisher, Hard Rock Daddy)

IRON MAIDEN – “Hallowed By Thy Name” (1982)

Many years of my youth blend together at this point, but some stand out because of memorable music moments.  In 1982, I went to my first concert (The Who’s “Farewell” Tour) at Shea Stadium.  As much as I remember 1982 for my first concert, the year stands out just as much for a few concerts that I wasn’t able to attend.  The first was Rainbow (with Scorpions opening).  The other was one of the greatest tours in the history of metal – Judas Priest with Iron Maiden opening!  In retrospect, 35 years later, this was a tour with two bands that would not only stand the test of time, but still be leaders in the genre.

My introduction to Iron Maiden was seeing “Run To The Hills” on MTV.  It wasn’t long before I fell in love with the entire Number Of The Beast album.  The band’s debut with Bruce Dickinson at the helm remains a favorite to this day.  There simply is no filler from the first song to the last.  Interestingly, side two of the album is more popular than side one.

The album closes with the epic, 7-minute plus masterpiece, “Hallowed Be Thy Name.”  From the haunting intro, to the thunderous, relentless pace, the song features everything that you love about Maiden.  The signature galloping rhythm of Steve Harris (bass) and Clive Burr (drums), combined with the dual guitar assault of Dave Murray and Adrian Smith, lays the perfect foundation for Dickinson to deliver a powerful story from the perspective of a death row prisoner in his final moments before execution.  This is arguably the best album closer of all-time.
 

 
JUDAS PRIEST – “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” (1982)

As I mentioned above, I didn’t get the opportunity to attend the Judas Priest / Iron Maiden tour in 1982, but it’s not hard to envision how incredible it must have been.  Imagine being on the adrenaline-pumping roller coaster ride that is Iron Maiden, and trying to catch your breath from the excitement.  As the ride is about to end, instead of coming to a halt, you immediately start to descend into another drop, and the ride continues with Judas Priest.

By 1982, I had already been a fan of Priest from their previous album (Point Of Entry).  Like most Priest fans, I was blown away from the first note of the follow-up album, Screaming For Vengeance (another album with no filler).  Although it is the most popular song on the album, and one that has reached fans way beyond the metal genre because of its inclusion in video games, “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” remains my favorite track off of the album.

In my youth, it was the perfect fist-pumping, arena anthem of rebellion.  As I listen to the song these days, it serves more as a rallying cry to seize the day, grab the world by the balls, and reach for the stars.  It’s hard to think of another song from my formative years that has not only remained as relevant, but become even more so as the message is seen through an entirely different lens.
 

 

 

 ANDY CHEUNG – HRD Music Scout

MISFITS – “Astro Zombies” (1982)

The Misfits injected their brand of campy, B-horror imagery into a burgeoning punk scene with their 1982 classic album Walk Among Us.  “Astro Zombies,” one of the more popular tunes off that album, reeks of the cheesy horror world domination by alien zombies that they are known for singing about.  Despite this, the band’s aggression became popular among punk rockers of the ‘80s, and they have become one of the biggest influences in hardcore punk.  Their blend of rockabilly and horror punk propelled them into the spotlight, and their influence can be heard in numerous punk and heavy metal bands.  Artists from every sub-genre of rock (from Metallica to AFI to The Ataris) have covered Misfits’ songs at some point in their careers.  Their branding has become so iconic, that even people who have never heard a Misfits song recognize the Crimson Ghost logo.  The Misfits had reunited briefly last year for a few festival shows, but it seems that the original lineup of the band will remain nothing more than a fan’s dream.

 

VENOM – “Black Metal” (1982)

One of the most influential bands in the thrash and black metal genres is England’s Venom.  In fact, it can be argued that the band founded the genre black metal by using it as their album title.  Venom’s beginnings saw them take influences from the likes of Black Sabbath and made their own lyrics more evil and darker than Sabbath’s.  Their legacy helped shape modern extreme and thrash metal bands such as Slayer and Megadeth.  By incorporating speed and macabre subject matter, especially satanic inferences, Venom paved the way for modern metal.
 

 

 

ROB DELL’AQUILA – HRD Music Scout

SCORPIONS – “No One Like You” (1982)

In 1981, Guitarist Rudolf Schenker had finished writing the material for Blackout, the Scorpions’ eighth album, but there was a problem…vocalist Klaus Meine was losing his voice.  Demos of some of the songs were even recorded with a replacement, Don Dokken. However, after successful surgery on his vocal chords, Meine was able to return to the recording studio with all the power and range that had made him famous. In 1982, Blackout became the band’s best-selling album to date.  “No One Like You” was the album’s biggest hit, and has remained a concert favorite to this day.

 

VANDENBERG – “Wait” (1982)

Before he finally succumbed to David Coverdale’s overtures to join Whitesnake, Dutch guitar virtuoso Adrian Vandenberg had his own band.  They put out three great albums, but only the ballad “Burning Heart” ever charted.  This rocker comes from the same 1982 eponymous album, and highlights the talent that Coverdale was so eager to collaborate with.