Album Review: Somewhere Back in Time: The Best of 1980-1989 - Iron Maiden

Somewhere Back in Time is a compilation album of Iron Maiden's best songs of the 80s this album contains 15 tracks some of which are live, one of these "tracks" is also just a fifty second speech by Winston Churchill which kicks the album off. The 15 tracks on this album are, 1. Churchill's Speech 2. Aces High(Live) 3. 2 Minutes to Midnight 4. The Trooper 5. Wasted Years 6. Children of the Damned 7. The Number of the Beast 8. Run to the Hills 9. Phantom of the Opera(Live) 10. The Evil That Men Do 11. Wrathchild(Live) 12. Can I Play With Madness 13. Powerslave 14. Hallowed be Thy Name 15. Iron Maiden(Live)

The songs that I most enjoyed or found interesting were The Trooper, The Number of the Beast, Run to the Hills, Powerslave and Hollowed be Thy Name which I found had a very diferent sound to it(in a good way). On the other hand there were some songs that I found were dragged on for a bit too long such as 2 Minutes to Midnight which is good but only for a little while.

The band sounds great on this album Bruce Dickinson's vocals can reach very high pitches and can soar even above the guitars in the songs and songs like Run to the Hills showcase the incredible drumming on this album. The guitar playing on some of these songs is also fantastic and there are some great solos. I can't recall hearing the bass and rhythm guitars past all the crazy guitars and vocals so I won't comment on them.

This album was released to get younger fans listen to some of Maiden's older material and also to allow fans to listen to the songs beeing played on the tour all on one disc. I think it does a great job of doing this because it certainly got me more interested in the band. (This is a Metal album so don't pick it up if your not into heavy music) 8/10

Classic Album Review: Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction

"Appetite for Destruction" was Guns N' Roses' first full studio album, it contained twelve tracks and was released in 1987. 1.Welcome to the Jungle 2.It's so Easy 3.Nightrain 4.Out Ta Get Me 5. Mr. Brownstone 6. Paradise City 7. My Michelle 8. Think About You 9. Sweet Child O' Mine 10. You're Crazy 11. Anything Goes 12. Rocket Queen

Four of these songs were singles they are Sweet Child O' Mine which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Nightrain at #93, Paradise City at #5 and Welcome to the Jungle at #7. The album also peaked at the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100.

The overall sound of this album is absolutely fantastic, Axl Rose's vocals are great they have an awesome range and have a nice musical raspiness. Slash's guitars are also great and it's a good thing because they had to be re-recorded because he didn't have a suitable guitar at the time, the solos sound very very good and will have you wanting to air guitar at times. Izzy's rhythm complements Slash's lead very well and their chemistry shows. Duff and Steven Adler keep the beat very well and will have you tapping whatever limbs you have free when you're listening to the entire album.

I could not recommend this album more you owe it to yourslef to pick this one up if you are a fan of hard rock, 80s music or just rock in general. 10/10

Classic Album Review: Aerosmith- Toys in the Attic

Toys in the Attic was released on April 7, 1975 and was Aerosmith's third album and third gold album. The tracks on Toys in the Attic are: 1. Toys in the Attic 2. Uncle Salty 3. Adam's Apple 4. Walk This Way 5. Big Ten Inch Record 6. Sweet Emotion 7. No More, No More 8. Round and Round 9. You See Me Crying.

The singles off the album were Sweet Emotion and Walk This Way. Sweet Emotion peaked at 36 on the Billboard Pop Singles in 1975. Walk This Way peaked at 10 two years later in 1977.

As expected Steven Tyler's vocals are very strong and distinguishable on Toys in the Attic. Joe F*ckin' Perry's guitar solos are great. Some of the more notable solos are on Walk This Way and Round and Round. Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer are very tight and Brad Whitford's rhythm guitar is solid.

If you do not already own this classic Aerosmith album and you are a rock music fan you definitely need to pick this one up. 9.5/10