If you aren't aware that Reza Mills from Clean Sheets and Sleeping Shaman has been breaking down the decades with me to uncover our top 5 songs in pivotal anniversaries for these years, then you uare missing out. You should check out our insights here...
Here I am taking my top 5 choices and expanding them into the top 10 albums of 1985, and also ranking them in order of their impact and staying power, so here are my top 10 albums of 1985. Be sure to check out the episode above for a more in-depth look at the top 5 here.
10-Megadeth- "Killing is my Business and Business is Good."
The debut of Mustaine's post-Metallica project feels like he picked up where "Kill'em All " left off.
9-Anthrax -' Spreading the Disease"
They were beginning to hit their stride when it came to blending thrash with hooky classic metal songwriting
8-Ratt- "Invasion of Your Privacy."
One of the most endearing albums from the hair metal era, which stands the test of time.
7-Sting -" Dream of the Blue Turtles."
His solo debut is wonderfully bleak in its lyrical outlet and jazz overlay.
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6-Slayer - "Hell Awaits"
Their most underrated album, considering that it opened the doors for a darker, heavier style of music to be born.
5-Dio-"Sacred Heart."
He peaked in the 80s with this magical album, setting himself apart from metal trends.
4-the Cure "Head On the Door."
Not their darkest album, but Smith's songwriting continued t o explore new colors of sound.
3-Tom Waits - "Rain Dogs."
Not sure he even knew the 80s were even going on a this album sounds like it came from a dive bar at the edge of time.
2-Kate Bush-"Hounds of Love"
She did new wave on her terms and retained all the ethereal magic that she was known for.
1-The Smiths -"Meat is Murder."
Lyrically brilliant and perfectly written, this iconic album still stands alone.
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Now we are in the top 10, where I really had to be honest with myself; in what we are doing here which is focusing not only on technical vocal ability, in terms of range and power, as well as their dynamics, phrasing and the overall character of their voice. Can they emote from different places? How well does their voice hold up live? . How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers. There are also not going to be any Bob Dylan like singers, who are better songwriters than vocalists.
Pop singers, are far and few between, with; a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these do their own thing, the few paying tribute to other artists made enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors often trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey after listening to their vocal coach rather than developing their own style, it is also not going to fly. Some of these might have been ignored by mainstream music media, now at the top 10, I am sure it makes sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.
10-Sade
When I saw Sade in 1993 for "Love Deluxe" I was blown away. She shed a great deal of the restraint she uses in the studio and showed the real power she has. I also came up with the theory she might also be a siren who uses her voice to drain people sexually like a succubus.
9-Freddie Mercury
He is not the only operatic singer in the top 10. Sure he was powerful live, sometimes his health in the last tours of the 80s caused his voice to wane from what they did in the studio, but no one can say he is anything less than amazing. Brian May and Roger Taylor deserve a foot note in his entry as the held their own harmonizing with him and both took over the mic at times.
8-Prince
Hard to say if he was a better guitarist or singer, since he was always flawless at both every time I saw him live. He had a great scream and impressive notes in his lower register for a little guy. He made songs about masturbation and god sound equally sexual.
7-Elvis
I used to be obsessed with watching VHS tapes of his Vegas residency. I collected them. Even at his most fucked up, forgetting the words and laughing at himself moments, he hit every fucking note .He did not have to write his own songs, because as soon as he sang a song it was his no matter if George Harrison or Frank Sinatra sang the original.
6-Elizabeth Fraser
I do not think the guardians of the realm she was from meant for her to sing live. The results were always bizarre, so going off the recorded work she created, she was not singing for our mortal ears were were just lucky enough to hear her.
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5 David Bowie
When Bowie left this Earth, some one in my mental health support circle told me, I did not need to fall into a deep depression , because Bowie was only meant to bring the music down from the cosmos to the people then get beamed back up. His voice was a reflection of that sentiment.
4-Robert Plant
When it comes to rock of the harder variety then it is clear Plant is the last man standing. Zep was not a metal band, but he delivered his vocals with the kind of bombast that would inspire generations of metal singers to come. That just happened to only be one aspect of who he was as a singer.
3-Roy Orbison
How did Roy beat out Robert Plant? Well I am sure Plant would agree he should bow out in favor of Roy. In 1961, there was little in the way of effects and he did not have a Jimmy Page experimenting with mic placement and what hall way of the castle he should sing in. He just stepped up to the mic and poured himself into every note. One of the most powerful voices ever.
2-Kate Bush
Do yourself a favor and watch her show at the Hammersmith. She not only knocks out notes fit for a top tier soprano but she does it while dancing ballet, because it was no big deal .She would be number one if I had not witnessed the fury of the top singer in person, Kate I only have her legacy to pine after.
1-Lisa Gerrard
I have seen more than my fair share of actual opera. When I went to see Dead Can Dance, the first notes Lisa uttered were more powerful than ny singer of any opera I had ever witnessed. Not to mention the sublime breadth of range her work in the studio has touched upon. Dead Can Dance might not be a rock band in the sense that most of the songs they cover are 400 years old, but there are rock elements and rock bands have been inspired by them. She is a force of nature.
Herlast album was the 2011 "50 Words For Snow". With a body of work that reaches back to 1978, While a British icon, she never broke into mainstream America. Part of the reason for this is her one tour in 1979, found her sticking to Europe. Nor will she ever tour America due to her fear of flying. In some ways this creates more of mystique, In fact I was reluctant to listen to the live album she released six years ago from her Hammersmith shows due to not wanting the mystique shattered by an older Bush. Her recorded output even up until the 2005 album "Aeriel" marks her as the greatest female vocalist of all time. She is untouched in range and the personas she takes on within her songs.
In the US she has typically received minimal radio play at best. In fact cover versions of her songs by the likes of Maxwell and Placebo might have graced the air waves more. The artists she influenced are no strangers to radio with Tori Amos, Cold Play, Grimes, Regina Spektor and Sinead O' Connor being numbered among them. The few singles that were brought to people's awareness , like her most recent bump in popularity thanks to Netflix, are not the best representation of who she is and what she does. Granted that is a vast expanse of sound to cover. So as a Kate Bush fan of 30 years, I dig into the songs I have give the most rpeat listens to over the years to compile this list of the Top songs of Kate Bush. Granted it was almost to close to call and some songs like "Watching You Without Me" could have made the cut, but I forced myself to knock this out and go with my heart on this.So with that I give you the Top Ten Greatest Kate Bush songs.
10-"And So Is Love"
Eric Clapton added guitar to this track from her 1993 album "the Red Shoes". She has quite a few songs that work off a subdued simmer, this one is the best of those.
9- "Egypt"
This deeper cut from the 1980 album "Never For Ever" is a reminder that she is the queen of prog rock and capable of matching wits with the likes of King Crimson and Genesis in thisregard.
8-"Hammer Horror"
The lyrics are about a production of the Hunchback and not Hammer Films. It is one of her most stunning vocal performances that show cases the purity of her early days as a soprano, though flexing her range she adds grits in her chest register.
7-"Deeper Understanding"
Lyrically this song is a prophecy of what we would all become. While the song originally appeared on the 1989 album "the Sensual World", but the best version is her 2011 reworking, which has more interesting vocal production and a mix that better suits the song's narrative.
6 "Strange Phenomena"
We have to have at least one of her songs about aliens on here. This vocally stunning ode wishing into the stars and the high strangeness of the world from d perhaps her the Kick Inside
5 "Don't Push Your Foot on the Heart Break"
The most chillingly dynamic song from her 1978 album "Lionheart" she proves she can rock out when she wants to. Which is a shift as this album is more introspective and piano focused, but she weaves her operatic voice into interesting places here.
4- Night of the Swallow"
There is a darkness to most of her song sometimes more hidden under the bounce of fairy wonderment. Here is it romantically tangible. She takes you on another unexpected journey, with the sonic intensity shifting gears as it builds
3- Hello Earth
From her Hounds of Love album, it is another reflective space song. I would say it's her "Rocket Man: but she already covers that song, but she serves wonderment and steaminess as in one song, along with baroque atmosphere.
2- "Waking the Witch"
The experimental sense of theater she is able to capture is what along with her mind glowing vocal range in the same league as David Bowie, in fact Bowie went to see her back during her 22 night residency at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2014.
1- "Get Out Of My House"
From 'the Dreaming" album comes what is arguably her darkest song as well. If goes in places that no one else does, sonically it is pretty heavy for her, she unleashes very emotional screams and touches on almost every element you might want from her. The guitar in this song is really cool as well, the overall arrangement defies conventional songwriting
Over the course of our relationship I have posted on Facebook a song everyday I am 400 miles away from here to countdown the time until I see her again. Yo Now as our lives further merge to a place where the only moment is not when but now.While this is for my wife, thank you gentle reader for coming along and watching our journey together. Since we became more than friends of 20 years , I began making mixes as a way of saying this is who I am , here are the gaps of my life you were not in and now I want you to be in them. Music is our love language. It is a collections of vibrations we share , beats of heart. Now in the last countdown it is only fitting I share my top 7 artists who actually write love songs, so some of my favorites who are more into bleakness or Satan are not present , there will always be time for that but I am never getting this moment again to celebrate where we came from and where we are going . This one is an artist we share a mutual love of.
So I was asked to cast my vote with the rest of the press for Prog Rock Magazine's Orange Amplifier sponsored Prog Rock Awards . It seemed like most of the albums these bands released were from last year, but any ways here is how I voted.
"Limelight Award"...up and coming bands
Maybeshewill
MoeTar
Bend Sinister
Fuzzy Nautilus
Dream The Electric Sleep
Perfect Beings
A Formal Horse
Heights
The Physics House Band
Sumer
I voted for ... A Formal Horse
"Vanguard Award" ...break out artists so more established than previous category
Nominees
And so I Watch You From Afar
Solstafir
Soen
Nordic Giants
Lonely Robot
Native Construct
Pubic Service Broadcasting
Purson
Iamthemorning
Trojan Horse
I voted for ... Purson
"Anthem Award" ...the best song
Nominees
Vennart- "Operate"
Von Hertz Brothers - "Hold Me Up"
Dave Kerzner - "Stranded'
Big Big Train - "Wassail"
John Lodge - "In My Mind"
Tin Spirits - "Summer Now"
Steve Hackett - "Love Song to a Vampire"
Mew - "Satellites"
Public Service Broadcasting - "Gagarin"
Christina Booth - "The Light"
I voted for ...Mew - "Satellites"
Live Event
Nominees
HrH Prog 3
Muse at Download
Devin Townsend at Royal Albert Hall
RoS Fest
Cropredy
The Enid Present the Bridge
Marillion Weekends
Anathema Cathedral tour
King Crimson Us Tour
Kate Bush - Before the Dawn Tour
I voted for ... Kate Bush - Before the Dawn Tour
Album of the Year
Nominees
Periphery - "Juggernaut"
Sweet Billy Pilgrim- " Motorcade Amnesiacs"
Flying Colors - "Second Nature"
Opeth - "Pale Communion"
the Pineapple Theif - "Magnolia"
Amplifier - "Mystoria"
Night Wish -"Endless Forms Most Beautiful"
Pink Floyd -"The Endless River"
Steven Wilson - "Hand Can Not Erase"
Beardfish -" 4626 Comfort Zone"
I voted for ... Pink Floyd "the Endless River"
Band/Artist of the Year
the nominees
Opeth
King Crimson
Flying Colors
Threshold
Between the Buried and Me
Steven Wilson
Pink Floyd
Steve Hackett
Von Hertzen Brothers
Kate Bush
... since Kate Bush and King Crimson only toured and did not release new music I voted for ...Pink Floyd
"The Storm Thorgerson Grand Design Award " ...for album covers
Nominees
Pink Floyd- "The Endless River"
Soft Machine - "Live 1970"
Hawkwind -"This is Your Captain Speaking"
Jethro Tull -" Minstrel in the Gallery"
Anthony Philips - "Harvest of the Heart"
King Crimson - " Starless"
Steve Wilson - "Hand.Can Not. Erase"
Rush- 'R40"
Yes - "Progeny"
Bill Nelson " Noise Candy"
I voted for ... Yes
This used to be a popular little thing around here I did once a week, then went in and out of the habit so rather than making promises and saying it's back for good, I'm doing it this week. The drill is I press shuffle on the ole iPod and review the first ten songs that pop up.
"Christ Denied" by Deicide...I was on the fence with post-Once Upon the Christ Deicide, but they do seem to have their moments. It's well played, and the interplay between the bass and drums has always carried a more Motorhead like steamroller effect than that of other death metal bands and is one of the elements that has to be in place to really capture their sound. Some of the more slickly produced albums mixed this out. This song has it so it works for .
"Big Sky" by Kate Bush...Hounds of Love might be one of her most popular albums and for good reason it does have a big Peter Gabriel feel to it. This song is almost too happy, but the album is on here, some times I am in more of a mood to this song than others, right now I am impartial to it.
"Cantara" by Dead Can Dance...Sure this is great for what it is, t cool for rituals and ambiance, but they have other songs that are more like songs than this one. Not Lisa's best song but even then she pulls off more than most female singers aside from Kate Bush can do. Live she had one of the most powerful voices I have ever heard.
"Stairs-Uncertain Journey" by Christian Death...One of the great Rozz Williams moments, has every element that makes them great. Lyrically one of their strongest songs, I use to chant to myself in high school... "Satan be, satan be, satan be". What a hook.
"Wall of Death"by Prodigy... Here is one I haven't gotten around to reviewing. I have not given this album much time and it's the first time hearing this song. The synths are very thick and Nine Inch Nails like. They do have a fair amount of reptition in what they do. This song is like industrial cotton candy.
"Amnesia" by Swans... This one has a similar exotic feel as the Christian Death song. It is hard pressed to say that any off of "To Be Kind" or any of their current post-hippie fest live material holds up to this kind of song writing. There that had to be said.
"Black Oceans" by Crowhurst... Recently reviewed so you know most of my thoughts on this one. Not something I am hitting repeat on incessantly , but I am glad when it does pop up. The darkness drips of the angular slither of this one.
"Five Years" by David Bowie... Ziggy Stardust is a perfect album so there are no songs on it that can be argued against. "I never thought I'd meet so many people" is my favorite line for some way, perhaps it's how he backs off of it.
"Quiero, Quieras" by Forget Cassettes...This goes back to a time when indie rock actually rocked. Why can't there be more of this? This chick has more balls than a dozen of todays indie rock bands. Having the drummer from And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Our Dead doesn't hurt.
"Pagans" by Protomartyr ...I was supposed to go see these guys last night , but the though of havin to sit through the opening bands and leave the house was too much. But this is a great record.
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