I am Ukrainian but for the last 5 years I have been living in Spain. As nobody speaks English here, I started seeking the ways to improve my English listening skills, and that's how I found several RUclips channels including Sea of Tranquility. And little by little it has become an important part of my life - I discovered (and re-discovered) some classic bands, and I also discuss some videos with my 10-year old son as I want him to have a good taste. I was born and raised in Soviet Union and those days it was very difficult to find any good music, and I could tell you many stories about how we managed to get vinyls and cassettes while living behind the iron curtain. So, thank you very much Pete for all your efforts, especially for great videos with these 3 guys.
Agreed. This is his best show with the Martin popoff series being his second best series. I hope he never cancels either series. Jeff young is also another outstanding guest.
Couldn't agree more, nothing I enjoy more than winding down the night with a beer watching these guys shoot from the lip and have an awesome time doing it, it's as good as going to the local pub for me and that is saying something...legends in the making
You guys make my day! Im 15 right now, and what stops all the online classes and assignments from making me crazy is calling my friends and watching your channel pete! Wish you the best
The combo is amazing. Nick and Ryan are the perfect counterbalance. Ryan, the hardcore metal fan with a tiny toy dog? Come on! Nick the straight guy, sticking to the facts, never outta line. And Alo, putting up covers of star wars bestiality. Genius combo.
Time for a martini and the Hollywood, or Hudson Valley, Squares. Great entertainment once again and all four shine in their own way yet together, you make gold. Nick’s classic line “I like Star Wars so...I can only tell you about fake stuff that doesn’t exist” was one of the many toppers. But so many other laughs than just that. Already looking forward to the next show. Thanks guys, for the laughs and entertainment yet always facts about the music, too.
Love this group by the way, can't wait to hear more discussions. I like how everybody has their own opinion and nobody is rude or disrespectful when they disagree with each other, very professional atmosphere. I'd love to hear the four of you tell stories about how you got into specific bands.
Nope. You are on point. Southern Rock in general has not held up well. We all salute Skynyrd and how Rossington has carried the torch but the following gens are just not picking it up. At a Maiden show last summer the group next to us was really poo pooing Southern Rock.
When Ebay became the rage, I ordered a used version of Yes' Relayer. Relayer has my favorite album cover by Roger Dean. Imagine my disappointment when I opened the case to find a disc labeled "Errol Garner - Concert by the Sea". Curious, I played part of the album, and it sounded like elevator music to me when I was expecting classic Yes. Ugh!! Of course, this was before I got into jazz. About 10 years later, I had gotten into Miles, Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Monk, and Art Blakey. I remembered this Error Garner disc, pulled it out, and played it. It has become one of my favorite jazz albums. So the story has a very happy ending. I still have not gotten the Relayer disc, but I often look at the cover.
Rush - Roll the Bones ** Very Cool Cover, Bad Album...Go Look! Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy- **OK , its an OK Album, & Some people dont like the cover. But I Like the cover Better than the Album** ZZ - Top - Afterburner Bitch - Be My Slave All Iron Maiden After Powerslave-- ** Sorry , I know Maiden is Beloved, But The music went Downhill & the Cover Art stayed Cool.
I've probably played Technical Ecstasy twice. Once when I first got it, then put it away. A few years ago I read a review online about underrated albums. The person writing it kept saying to go back and listen to it with an open mind. Nope, it didn't get better with age. Edit: I loved Iron Maiden up through Seventh Son. It was different, but at it's core still a strong Maiden album. Maybe I'm more forgiving of bands when they are trying something new. But so much after that is a shadow of what was once a monster of a band. They had some good songs here and there, but I can't think of a good album.
I really, genuinely like Technical Ecstasy. I do hate Never Say Die though. I'd definitely put No Prayer For The Dying & Fear Of The Dark &, yeah, basically everything thereafter on this list.
I have to put on this one 'Bat Out of Hell' by Meatloaf - got it when it came out and I was 16 got home played it once and never again until a few years ago, my tastes in music have changed some and I can appreciate the who's who of talent on the record ... so it took 44 years to actually grow on me as listenable.
I’m not going to deny it. It’s a decent album. It’s not bad. I just don’t understand why it was and continues to be SO. DAMN. POPULAR. It’s got sales of around 40 MILLION copies. And I just can’t for the life of me understand why. Like I said, it’s not bad, but none of it stands out as amazing, innovative, iconic, or memorable. Plus also, notice how it’s sold all these albums but you almost NEVER hear anything off it on the radio
Damn Pete! I'm in the minority. 'The Astonishing' is one of my favorite DT albums. I was also unemployed at the time, so I forced myself to dig into the story and the music. Also, I love the Peter Criss solo album. Just shows that we're all a little different. Great topic. Keep them coming.
Ryan Sessions - I’m with you. The Astonishing is without doubt one of the strongest DT albums. I really don’t understand the negativity surrounding it. Maybe that makes me like it more... :-)
Agreed! The Astonishing is absolutely great! It's my 3rd favorite DT album after Secenes From a Memory and Black Clouds & Silving Linings. And yes, I also dig the Peter Criss album 😎
Tristan Witthöft - Yep I’d agree with you there. Occasionally The Astonishing takes the top spot and sometimes it’s Scenes... 😁 I think some folk just don’t get The Astonishing or perhaps because it’s lengthy don’t give it a chance or do repeated listens... Either way it’s a masterpiece in my view. And I’m with you on the Peter Criss album. 😁
Hey Pete, just so you know, I personally like it when you bring others on. Sorry you had to do that one rant. I don't remember all your names but I look forward to seeing you and others again!
This topic could probably be revisited, but with the same guys...I usually remember the best picks when it's too late, lol. My picks, Yes, either "The Ladder" or "Fly From Here."
I remember an amazing album cover which was a rocket but looks like an old cathedral blasting off. The band was called Rameses the album Space Hymns.. The band mainly consisted of members of what would become 10cc. The music was .....well... not as good as the artwork which was by Roger Dean.
In the wasteland of the 90's there were so many bands I wanted to like..... Me to. I kept trying not to be that older guy that didn't like new stuff just because it wasn't what I was used to. But a lot of it was bad, and even most of the good stuff was instantly forgettable. Kind of like going to Burger King when you are hungry. It works for the time, but not at the top of the must return to list.
Hey guys, Amorphis is finnish, that's not Thor's hammer, I believe that supposed to be the holy symbol of Ukko, the main god of the old (pagan) finnish pantheon. Also, lots of the lyrics of Amorphis are "taken" from the Kalevala, the old finnish heroic epic (that inspired - for example - Tolkien in the Silmarils), so they aren't about the Norse mythos / pantheon.
I agree that most, if not all of the Roger Dean album covers are great. Hypgnosis though, on the other hand, were responsible for some of the worst arty farty nonsense album covers in the 70s
5- Youthanasia - Megadeth (metal goes pop ... a couple of great songs, but alot of fillers ... beginning of the downfall ... but the cover is just wow) 4- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Iron Maiden (too much keybords, but wow what a cover) 3- Equinox - Styx (I guess Sweet Madame Blue is kinda okay, but the cover is awesome) 2- Chinese Democraty - Guns & Roses (good cover, album = no comments) 1- The Wedding album - John Lennon and Yoko Ono ( I have the box set because I have a Beatles collection ... I tried listening to it once ... never got to finish it ... as the first 2 Lennon single albums: Two Virgins and Life with Lions)
Dream theater always have fantastic album covers! Images and words, change of seasons, awake, scenes from a memory, a dramatic turn of events... All of them fantastic! :) I agree though that The Astonishing isn't a very good album :)
I could be wrong, but I think a lot of the songs won't ever be played live again... I don't even see them doing an anniversary tour of the album 20-25 years from now. Big flop in my opinion, kinda ruined their momentum. Think Petrucci really wanted to cash-in on the Game Of Thrones hype.
Rush's "Test For Echo" (okay, not a "bad" album, but it is definitely Rush's most "meh" album, and it's my personal second-least favorite, behind "Caress of Steel") and Queensryche's "Q2K" are the two biggest examples I can think off the top of my head
Rush would be my pick for great band, usually average album covers. Moving Pictures is great, Hemispheres is a good cover and Fly by Night stands out but other than....very average covers.
As soon as I read the title I thought of Operation Mindcrime II .... great album cover, suckers you in to thinking you might get a little bit of the magic of Mindcrime I but nope, forgettable song after forgettable; just one big turkey of an album
What about Kansas' covers like the first album, Song for America, Masque, Leftoverture, PoKR, and Monolith? And the 2 new albums have kick-ass covers too.
The Hudson Valley Squares have to do a roundup of albums that you all bought just for the cover and ended up loving the albums! (For me, that would be Powerslave.)
The guys are total dicks. My friend's band opened for them and the Sword guys went on and trashed them. Probably because my friend's band blew them off the stage. Hipster idiots. Even the crowd was annoyed.
This one was hard for some reason. Slaughter - Stick it To Ya. The girl on the cover and the photography concept was totally hot. But the album as a whole hasn't held up well. The two hits Up All Night and Fly to the Angels are decent songs I suppose but "never need to hear them again". Then there are 3-4 album tracks most of which became live staples and are good, but that is offset by the rest of the album which are throwaway, cringe-inducing tracks. Grip Inc - Nemesis. Better album cover than the debut. Maybe not excellent art, but at least there was something to it. But much worse music. They were experimenting and trying to do epic metal stuff that totally flopped. Petra - Back to the Street. A very brightly colored, sci-fi album cover but the music on the record didn't jive with the art. It took awhile for Schlitt and Petra to mesh together and as a result it's a very uneven record, with "Shakin the House" being the big high point. Anthrax - Volume 8: The Threat is Real. It's a very eye-catching record with the 8-ball on the cover and the movie-poster styling. But the music is pretty ordinary, doesn't stand out. Paradise Lost - Lost Paradise. The album art on this their debut was interesting, a graphic novel feel to it. But I've had a hard time getting into their first two albums, they really didn't discover their sound until "Shades of God" and especially "Icon".
The girl on the cover is Laurie Carr, Playboy playmate of the month in December 1986 and former Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby's ex wife. She was also on the cover of Slaughter - Stick It Live.
I still like slaughter, but definitely a period piece. 2 years later in 92, it sounded old as hell. Anything hair metal was dated almost immediately after. Their 1997 CD had a glam 70s style, and a great tune "American pie"
I really like Unleashed's Warriors album cover, but really dislike the album. But as much as I like early Death Metal a lot of death metal bands don't live up to their album covers. Also Slayer's Christ Illusion. Dave Lombardo was back and they got the artist who did a lot of their classic era albums but then I didn't, and still don't, like the album. Judas Priest - Ram It Down. Candlemass - Dactylis Glomerata. The did a take on the classic first Candlemass album, but the album sucked. But it was never intended to be a Candlemass album, Leif turned it into a a Candlemass album to get himself out of debt.
There must be something I don't understand about RUclips, but how can they be "out of time"? It's not like it's a radio show which is being broadcast within a certain time slot. Can someone enlighten me on this?
I enjoyed Chinese Democracy, it was the best thing they had done since Appetite for Destruction. Well, best thing Axl had done anyway. Perhaps underwhelming after the long wait for it, but its not a bad record.
Very cool show, but I was expecting more something along the line of Chris Alo's albums selection. Basically, picking up an album at a music store/convention from a band you never heard of, but the cover made you believe the music would be killer. For instance, for me in this category, there was a US band called Dissection (mid- to late 80s) - their first album, Slaughter - Strappado, Bulldozer - The Day of Wrath (very badly produced), Laaz Rocket (same as Chris), Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raid (although it grew a little bit on me - Celtic Frost was great), Omen - Battle Cry and I know there were a few others expecting heavy thrash, but turned out to be a dud. Always looking for your Monday night's shows.
A challenging list to come up with: Manowar - The Lord of Steel Megadeth - Youthanasia Slayer - Repentless There has to be more but these were the first ones I came across that fit the criteria. A lot of albums I dislike have poor artwork apparently haha
I like Youthanasia, but Repentless is the only Slayer album I ever sold....I was conflicted doing it too. But I don't like Christ Illusion neither, and those are the two albums that were pretty much written by Kerry.
@@Gregbaltzer That's fair. I suppose in fairness I wasn't anticipating Repentless to be a great album by any stretch, particularly when I heard that Holt was only contributing solos. I like Christ Illusion, but it has a couple of stinker tracks. I do like it more than World Painted Blood though. Youthanasia for me is one of my least favourite Megadeth albums, but the artwork is really cool. They have worse albums, like Risk or Cryptic Writings, but they have poor album covers.
@@dimeraRaven Strangely enough World Painted Blood is my favorite Slayer album of the 2000s, though I can't tell you the last time i actually listened to it. And I think Americon should have been left as a B side to some movie sound track. It feels out of place. I listen to 2000s Sodom more than 2000s Slayer. The only Megadeth album I'm a huge fan of after Youthanasia is Endgame, and to a lesser extent United Abominations. I actually had high hopes for Repentless because I really enjoyed the title track, but then I heard the rest of the album. Pride And Prejudice would be the other track I like.
@@Gregbaltzer I can't tell you the last time I listened to anything off WPB or Repentless. I love the intro riff for Hate Worldwide but then the song just falls off for me. 2000's Sodom is damn good, same with Destruction. For me Destruction post-2000 is better than 80's Destruction, I'll listen to The Antichrist over any of their 80s era stuff. I agree with you on Megadeth, I absolutely love Endgame and I love the first half of United Abominations, but the second half of the album I never listen to.
I wish I had something to add (other than The Astonishing, which is pretty obvious), but there isn't anything I can honestly think of for this topic. I don't heartily dislike a large amount of things, and I generally have a strongly developed sense when it comes to spending money on things that I enjoy, and avoiding expenditure on things that I don't. Got a good chuckle when Pete brought up Yes. I haven't bought anything from them in years. The Peter Criss thing cracked me up, too!
1. Black Sabbath - Never Say Die 2. Rush - Test for Echo 3. Motley Crue - Theater of Pain 4. Van Halen - Balance 5. Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Witchcurse - Heavy Metal Poisoning Cirith Ungol - King of the Dead Judas Priest - Nostradamus Queensryche - American Soldier Quiet Riot - QR III Poison - Native Tongue Black Sabbath - Forbidden Omen - Escape to Nowhere Steel Panther - Heavy Metal Rules Gene Simmons - Gene Simmons '78 Bad albums, great album covers
The Hollywood Squares episodes are easily my favorites on this channel. I love all the guests especially Chris Alo. I love the topic because I have bought albums in the past that had awesome album covers but horrible songs on them. For me it is rare, but it has happened to me in the past. I bought Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell album on cassette tape back in the late 80's as a little kid expecting an extremely heavy album. I was so disappointed when I listened to it and it was not even Heavy Metal or even Hard Rock. The album cover looked so Heavy Metal to me when I first saw it .
I really enjoy these segments. Very entertaining and I enjoy the kinship. This particular segments choices I found to be obscure, but keep up the good work.
Hate to say it being one of my favorite bands BUT you can take any of the album covers from UFO from the seventies....I know the award winning company Hipgnosis designed these but they are just ridiculous...the only one that is somewhat passable is the banned Force It vinyl cover..... Edit: Saw the title and posted my comment....probably should have watched the video first 🤔 So I guess my comment will be the opposite......bad covers for GREAT albums....
I'd say any Cirith Ungol album... I know there are fans but I can't stand the singer. I've tried hard. Also Asia has some really good covers but the music, while not horrible is so soft and boring. Laaz Rockit is very underrated. Not a massive fan of their cover art though, so that was a weird take.
The Rods ‘Wild Dogs’ coming up? 2nd,- ALL the NWOBHM albums were hitting the stores, Creem Magazine made Magnum (in an utterly backhanded compliment sort of way) sound like they would resemble Dio’s last two albums with a far gruffer vocalist, and the best of the lot. Instead, I got Magnum (Chase The Dragon and The Eleventh Hour, to be specific ), who I turned out to love. But it took years to accept that NWOBHM is nowhere to be found in their sound. Throw Praying Mantis and Shiva into that. SO much different than what you get. You hit a home run with Peter Criss.
inmyhouse11 it’s good, and those double bass Fibes drums on the back. Maybe if I had got it when I wanted it (82?). But 30 years later, it just seemed a lot different than what I thought it would be like.
Oh hell , I’ve got every MM album and I still don’t know if I like him ! There’s something about MM that draws me in and I think Antichrist and the following two are great , the rest somewhat hit and miss . Don’t think I’d ever pay to see him though because if he’s off he’s terrible
Hi, nice show. As I do not know many of these covers, it would be good that on everyone the bands name would be said, so obe can follow the discussoon :)
Why is there a 10 minute warning? Is there a limit to how long these videos need to be? I don't post videos on RUclips so I'm kinda of clueless on that.
Pete please try to give another chance to Nostradamus after all these years. I'm pretty sure that your opinion will change substantially, for example on tracks like Persecution, Messenger Of Death, Conquest, Pestilence, the Title Track and the final epic Future Of Mankind
Chris is a huge guest. He' s funny but always his insights are very interesting. I love the last album he shared. And the Peter Chris album has a cool cover but the music is horrible, pop, boring, a real crap. Great show Pete !!!
best quote - "i'm not a huge GWAR fan, i've seen 'em 10 times"......wtf ? i haven't even seen bands i f'n LOVE 10 times ! NEED to find that last album Chris mentioned - that cover was f'n awesome...
Ryan Skow, - as you mentioned one from Poland, I have few great albums from Poland, here's one. Look for a band called Svann, the album Granica Czerni I Bieli from 2003. Say heavy rock into metal prog, gothic at times, amazing melodic killer guitars, fast ones and also moody pieces (title track). Fantastic album, they don't sing in english but I suspect you may love it, or possibly it will definitely grow on. My polish is very limited, but I adore this one.
Personally I don't mind The Sword:Used Future, they could've trimmed 5 songs and it doesn't have an immediate impact. But it did hit me after repeated listens like some creeper weed.
Warzone from Slayer is my ringtone for my phone ... but I agree for the rest of the album ;) I just love the look on people's face when I receive a call hahahaha!
Great show, guys. Laugh out loud stuff. One that springs to mind for me which no doubt many will love: Keeper of the Seven Keys by Helloween. Great artwork and purchased because of it. At the time mid 80s), heavily in to metal and a lot of stuff ......, travelling home on the bus excited just looking at the cover......, but the Michael guy singing? Was like nails down a chalk board for me. Terrible.
My list, before watching the whole video: Yngwie Malmsteen- War To End All Wars Asia- Aqua Iron Maiden- Virtual XI Loudness- On The Prowl Helloween- Gambling With The Devil Yes- Heaven And Earth U.D.O.- No Limits Saxon- Metalhead
To eliminate glare when showing the cd (album) covers in these videos, it's a good idea to remove the sleeves from the cases.... just a thought. Rock On!
I know many love "Asia" but for myself outside of the cool Roger Dean sleeve. That group & album were a total disappointment. If it's been already mentioned, please excuse.
my vote would be sabbath 'cross purposes'...i thought it was there best cover since heaven and hell...not their best album though...and p.s...i loved that peter criss album when it came out and it's still my favorite solo kiss album...to each their own...of course you guys need to do a part two...peace...rocky
I love "Crusader", but i remember that even they abjured from this album, just for what you say: the producer tried them to sound "americanized". Still, i love it. I got it in vinyl
I am Ukrainian but for the last 5 years I have been living in Spain. As nobody speaks English here, I started seeking the ways to improve my English listening skills, and that's how I found several RUclips channels including Sea of Tranquility. And little by little it has become an important part of my life - I discovered (and re-discovered) some classic bands, and I also discuss some videos with my 10-year old son as I want him to have a good taste. I was born and raised in Soviet Union and those days it was very difficult to find any good music, and I could tell you many stories about how we managed to get vinyls and cassettes while living behind the iron curtain. So, thank you very much Pete for all your efforts, especially for great videos with these 3 guys.
Pete you’ve caught lightning in a bottle with this group and these evening shows. Very entertaining keep them coming!!!!
Agreed. This is his best show with the Martin popoff series being his second best series. I hope he never cancels either series.
Jeff young is also another outstanding guest.
C. Kay Actually Martin is far and away my favorite guest host. His passion and knowledge and his eloquent manner of presentation always impresses me.
Agreed, this is easily my favorite on the channel. Great work with these as always Pete, keep em coming
Yes you’ve got a winning formula for sure. I look forward to these every week.
Ryan needs to sort out his broadband though!
Couldn't agree more, nothing I enjoy more than winding down the night with a beer watching these guys shoot from the lip and have an awesome time doing it, it's as good as going to the local pub for me and that is saying something...legends in the making
You guys make my day! Im 15 right now, and what stops all the online classes and assignments from making me crazy is calling my friends and watching your channel pete! Wish you the best
I wish I would've had access to Pete's knowledge at 15. Let these guys show you the way. ✌🏼♥️🎵🎶
Same!
Chris Alo is a legendary guest ! He’s the best !
Yeah the guy is absolutley hilarious!!
Chris is awesome but these guys together is a perfect match
The combo is amazing. Nick and Ryan are the perfect counterbalance. Ryan, the hardcore metal fan with a tiny toy dog? Come on! Nick the straight guy, sticking to the facts, never outta line. And Alo, putting up covers of star wars bestiality. Genius combo.
Agreed 100%
Agree.
Request: Skeletons In The Closet - three albums you’re ashamed to admit you own, a guilty pleasures sort of thing.
Ooohhh...I like this one!!!
@@seaoftranquilityprog That is A great Idea!!! Bands or Albums you like that would surprise People...
Ill start my Disco List right Now!!!
That would be cool. I'd like to hear these guys talk about something other than death metal
Great idea! Pete's done something like this, but having the group do it would be fun.
Time for a martini and the Hollywood, or Hudson Valley, Squares. Great entertainment once again and all four shine in their own way yet together, you make gold. Nick’s classic line “I like Star Wars so...I can only tell you about fake stuff that doesn’t exist” was one of the many toppers. But so many other laughs than just that. Already looking forward to the next show. Thanks guys, for the laughs and entertainment yet always facts about the music, too.
Love this group by the way, can't wait to hear more discussions. I like how everybody has their own opinion and nobody is rude or disrespectful when they disagree with each other, very professional atmosphere.
I'd love to hear the four of you tell stories about how you got into specific bands.
I’ll probably catch crap for this but pretty much any Molly Hatchet album.
Love Frazetta. Hate Hatchet
I like Molly Hatchet but I get the frustration lol... Southern rock with metal covers
Nope. You are on point. Southern Rock in general has not held up well. We all salute Skynyrd and how Rossington has carried the torch but the following gens are just not picking it up. At a Maiden show last summer the group next to us was really poo pooing Southern Rock.
I totally agree with you. Their covers are amazing. Their music not so much.
Gabriel Larrubia Exactly. The covers don’t match the music.
When Ebay became the rage, I ordered a used version of Yes' Relayer. Relayer has my favorite album cover by Roger Dean. Imagine my disappointment when I opened the case to find a disc labeled "Errol Garner - Concert by the Sea". Curious, I played part of the album, and it sounded like elevator music to me when I was expecting classic Yes. Ugh!! Of course, this was before I got into jazz. About 10 years later, I had gotten into Miles, Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Monk, and Art Blakey. I remembered this Error Garner disc, pulled it out, and played it. It has become one of my favorite jazz albums. So the story has a very happy ending. I still have not gotten the Relayer disc, but I often look at the cover.
Rush - Roll the Bones ** Very Cool Cover, Bad Album...Go Look!
Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstasy- **OK , its an OK Album, & Some people dont like the cover. But I Like the cover Better than the Album**
ZZ - Top - Afterburner
Bitch - Be My Slave
All Iron Maiden After Powerslave-- ** Sorry , I know Maiden is Beloved, But The music went Downhill & the Cover Art stayed Cool.
I've probably played Technical Ecstasy twice. Once when I first got it, then put it away. A few years ago I read a review online about underrated albums. The person writing it kept saying to go back and listen to it with an open mind. Nope, it didn't get better with age.
Edit: I loved Iron Maiden up through Seventh Son. It was different, but at it's core still a strong Maiden album. Maybe I'm more forgiving of bands when they are trying something new. But so much after that is a shadow of what was once a monster of a band. They had some good songs here and there, but I can't think of a good album.
Agree with Roll the bones. The weakest album of Rush, no doubt.
You dont like betsy?
I really, genuinely like Technical Ecstasy. I do hate Never Say Die though.
I'd definitely put No Prayer For The Dying & Fear Of The Dark &, yeah, basically everything thereafter on this list.
Is your avatar a reference to geddy Lee in Rush?
This has quickly become one of my favorite RUclips channels.i love listening to you guys rant about stuff I dig and love.great channel👍
I love the St. Anger artwork, even though I really don’t like the album.
I like the album.
The worst Metallica's album.
FRAN TIC TIC TIC TIC TIC TIC TOK!
I have to put on this one 'Bat Out of Hell' by Meatloaf - got it when it came out and I was 16 got home played it once and never again until a few years ago, my tastes in music have changed some and I can appreciate the who's who of talent on the record ... so it took 44 years to actually grow on me as listenable.
I’m not going to deny it. It’s a decent album. It’s not bad. I just don’t understand why it was and continues to be SO. DAMN. POPULAR. It’s got sales of around 40 MILLION copies. And I just can’t for the life of me understand why. Like I said, it’s not bad, but none of it stands out as amazing, innovative, iconic, or memorable. Plus also, notice how it’s sold all these albums but you almost NEVER hear anything off it on the radio
You stole my thunder. I thought it was heavy metal... was I wrong!
Need to do a Hudson Valley replay,once a week,I watch all you're vids multiple times
i was afraid you had stopped your kinda podcast series, my favorite videos on this channel
Not at all!!
I just discovered this group chat series. Can't stop watching them. Great chemistry and conversation.
Love these four!
Gotta do good album covers for good albums sometime. I can think of tons.
and we will!
Damn Pete! I'm in the minority. 'The Astonishing' is one of my favorite DT albums. I was also unemployed at the time, so I forced myself to dig into the story and the music. Also, I love the Peter Criss solo album. Just shows that we're all a little different. Great topic. Keep them coming.
Hope you're doing better now!
Ryan Sessions - I’m with you. The Astonishing is without doubt one of the strongest DT albums. I really don’t understand the negativity surrounding it. Maybe that makes me like it more... :-)
Agreed! The Astonishing is absolutely great! It's my 3rd favorite DT album after Secenes From a Memory and Black Clouds & Silving Linings. And yes, I also dig the Peter Criss album 😎
Tristan Witthöft - Yep I’d agree with you there. Occasionally The Astonishing takes the top spot and sometimes it’s Scenes... 😁 I think some folk just don’t get The Astonishing or perhaps because it’s lengthy don’t give it a chance or do repeated listens... Either way it’s a masterpiece in my view. And I’m with you on the Peter Criss album. 😁
Hey Pete, just so you know, I personally like it when you bring others on. Sorry you had to do that one rant. I don't remember all your names but I look forward to seeing you and others again!
Good video very entertaining! I like Marylin Mason albums a lot. Antichrist Superstar is a very good album and one of my favorite albums by him.
Abominog by Uriah Heep
Not only I expected heavier stuff but the material wasnt that great
I LOVE that album & artwork!
one of their most regrettable covers
This topic could probably be revisited, but with the same guys...I usually remember the best picks when it's too late, lol. My picks, Yes, either "The Ladder" or "Fly From Here."
I remember an amazing album cover which was a rocket but looks like an old cathedral blasting off. The band was called Rameses the album Space Hymns.. The band mainly consisted of members of what would become 10cc. The music was .....well... not as good as the artwork which was by Roger Dean.
Asia - Alpha
Asia - Astra
Meatloaf - Bat out of hell 2
Boston - Corporate America
Boston - Life, Love and Hope
Boston - Walk On
Love those guys, i'd wait to see you all together again. Great show.
In the wasteland of the 90's there were so many bands I wanted to like.....
Me to. I kept trying not to be that older guy that didn't like new stuff just because it wasn't what I was used to. But a lot of it was bad, and even most of the good stuff was instantly forgettable. Kind of like going to Burger King when you are hungry. It works for the time, but not at the top of the must return to list.
Hey guys, Amorphis is finnish, that's not Thor's hammer, I believe that supposed to be the holy symbol of Ukko, the main god of the old (pagan) finnish pantheon. Also, lots of the lyrics of Amorphis are "taken" from the Kalevala, the old finnish heroic epic (that inspired - for example - Tolkien in the Silmarils), so they aren't about the Norse mythos / pantheon.
Also, Antichrist Superstar from Manson is one of their best, if not THE best record. I respectfully disagree.
Thank you Ken! I was trying to keep it simple, should have been more accurate instead.
The most of Hipgnosis agency and Roger Dean covers are excellent covers.
I agree that most, if not all of the Roger Dean album covers are great. Hypgnosis though, on the other hand, were responsible for some of the worst arty farty nonsense album covers in the 70s
@@Walesktf Eh, sure. But they were also responsible for some of the absolute best, no question. Probably THE best.
@@nectarinedreams7208 I'd love to hear what you think are some of THE best album sleeves designed by Hipgnosis
33:24 Spilled my coffee all over my laptop's screen!!!
For me
Ummagumma-Pink Floyd
Masters Of The Moon-Dio
Virtual XI-Iron Maiden
5- Youthanasia - Megadeth (metal goes pop ... a couple of great songs, but alot of fillers ... beginning of the downfall ... but the cover is just wow)
4- Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Iron Maiden (too much keybords, but wow what a cover)
3- Equinox - Styx (I guess Sweet Madame Blue is kinda okay, but the cover is awesome)
2- Chinese Democraty - Guns & Roses (good cover, album = no comments)
1- The Wedding album - John Lennon and Yoko Ono ( I have the box set because I have a Beatles collection ... I tried listening to it once ... never got to finish it ... as the first 2 Lennon single albums: Two Virgins and Life with Lions)
I agree that Dream Theater's "The Astonishing" has cool packaging and mediocre music.
Yeah that’s what I think of first
Dream theater always have fantastic album covers! Images and words, change of seasons, awake, scenes from a memory, a dramatic turn of events... All of them fantastic! :) I agree though that The Astonishing isn't a very good album :)
@@pergustafsson1155 well, there is self titled
I could be wrong, but I think a lot of the songs won't ever be played live again... I don't even see them doing an anniversary tour of the album 20-25 years from now. Big flop in my opinion, kinda ruined their momentum. Think Petrucci really wanted to cash-in on the Game Of Thrones hype.
Sir SpookyBones That one is really cool too! I love all of them.
Diabolus in Musica, love the cover. A few songs I really like, mostly mediocre. Same with Ram it Down.
Rush's "Test For Echo" (okay, not a "bad" album, but it is definitely Rush's most "meh" album, and it's my personal second-least favorite, behind "Caress of Steel") and Queensryche's "Q2K" are the two biggest examples I can think off the top of my head
Rush would be my pick for great band, usually average album covers. Moving Pictures is great, Hemispheres is a good cover and Fly by Night stands out but other than....very average covers.
Even though i love the record, Never Say Die by Black Sabbath
This really has to have the word ‘metal’ in the title
One of my Mom's favorite record was Laurence Welk polka polka polka. It had Sissy and Bobby dancing the polka, I assume.😅
As soon as I read the title I thought of Operation Mindcrime II .... great album cover, suckers you in to thinking you might get a little bit of the magic of Mindcrime I but nope, forgettable song after forgettable; just one big turkey of an album
What about Kansas' covers
like the first album, Song for America, Masque, Leftoverture, PoKR, and Monolith? And the 2 new albums have kick-ass covers too.
The Hudson Valley Squares have to do a roundup of albums that you all bought just for the cover and ended up loving the albums! (For me, that would be Powerslave.)
Spinal Tap - Shark Sandwich
Shit Sandwich
Wow, totally agree with Chris! - The Sword was soo boring live and I was a huge fan. They really lost me after 2012..
The guys are total dicks. My friend's band opened for them and the Sword guys went on and trashed them. Probably because my friend's band blew them off the stage. Hipster idiots. Even the crowd was annoyed.
This one was hard for some reason.
Slaughter - Stick it To Ya. The girl on the cover and the photography concept was totally hot. But the album as a whole hasn't held up well. The two hits Up All Night and Fly to the Angels are decent songs I suppose but "never need to hear them again". Then there are 3-4 album tracks most of which became live staples and are good, but that is offset by the rest of the album which are throwaway, cringe-inducing tracks.
Grip Inc - Nemesis. Better album cover than the debut. Maybe not excellent art, but at least there was something to it. But much worse music. They were experimenting and trying to do epic metal stuff that totally flopped.
Petra - Back to the Street. A very brightly colored, sci-fi album cover but the music on the record didn't jive with the art. It took awhile for Schlitt and Petra to mesh together and as a result it's a very uneven record, with "Shakin the House" being the big high point.
Anthrax - Volume 8: The Threat is Real. It's a very eye-catching record with the 8-ball on the cover and the movie-poster styling. But the music is pretty ordinary, doesn't stand out.
Paradise Lost - Lost Paradise. The album art on this their debut was interesting, a graphic novel feel to it. But I've had a hard time getting into their first two albums, they really didn't discover their sound until "Shades of God" and especially "Icon".
The biggest thing I like about that Slaughter album is Blas Elias' drum playing.
The girl on the cover is Laurie Carr, Playboy playmate of the month in December 1986 and former Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby's ex wife. She was also on the cover of Slaughter - Stick It Live.
I still like slaughter, but definitely a period piece. 2 years later in 92, it sounded old as hell. Anything hair metal was dated almost immediately after. Their 1997 CD had a glam 70s style, and a great tune "American pie"
I really like Unleashed's Warriors album cover, but really dislike the album. But as much as I like early Death Metal a lot of death metal bands don't live up to their album covers. Also Slayer's Christ Illusion. Dave Lombardo was back and they got the artist who did a lot of their classic era albums but then I didn't, and still don't, like the album. Judas Priest - Ram It Down. Candlemass - Dactylis Glomerata. The did a take on the classic first Candlemass album, but the album sucked. But it was never intended to be a Candlemass album, Leif turned it into a a Candlemass album to get himself out of debt.
Good choices, guys! Why not...seems like a no-brainer to me...remove those CD booklets from the jewelcase and avoid the glare? Carry on!
There must be something I don't understand about RUclips, but how can they be "out of time"? It's not like it's a radio show which is being broadcast within a certain time slot. Can someone enlighten me on this?
The free version of Zoom allows you 40 minutes before cutting you off abruptly.
@@rightchordleadership Ah, that makes sense. Thanks for your reply.
Guns n' Roses - Chinese Democracy
Chinese Democracy is a great album
I enjoyed Chinese Democracy, it was the best thing they had done since Appetite for Destruction. Well, best thing Axl had done anyway. Perhaps underwhelming after the long wait for it, but its not a bad record.
@@jimmycampbell78 i like it but i wish they had less producers on it and more hard rockers.
I agree with you, the art work sucks, was that really the best they could have come up with?
Chinese Democracy is an underrated album imo.
I love watching you guys. Certainly better than anything on Prime Time TV.
Prime time TV sucks- the band Television however are awesome.
Anyone else notice that Nick's Solstice shirt is using the same font as the classic Celtic Frost logo?
I would love it if you guys do a RANT about great albums with bad production
Yes - every album since Union.
And to an extent, including Union. Some good songs on it but it's hard not to use the skip button.
How about a ranking the studio albums of Blind Guardian? Perhaps with a guest who is a big fan?
I enjoy crusader by saxon, that's the album that started my love for the band and the title track is one of my favorite saxon songs
Very cool show, but I was expecting more something along the line of Chris Alo's albums selection. Basically, picking up an album at a music store/convention from a band you never heard of, but the cover made you believe the music would be killer. For instance, for me in this category, there was a US band called Dissection (mid- to late 80s) - their first album, Slaughter - Strappado, Bulldozer - The Day of Wrath (very badly produced), Laaz Rocket (same as Chris), Hellhammer - Apocalyptic Raid (although it grew a little bit on me - Celtic Frost was great), Omen - Battle Cry and I know there were a few others expecting heavy thrash, but turned out to be a dud. Always looking for your Monday night's shows.
A challenging list to come up with:
Manowar - The Lord of Steel
Megadeth - Youthanasia
Slayer - Repentless
There has to be more but these were the first ones I came across that fit the criteria. A lot of albums I dislike have poor artwork apparently haha
I like Youthanasia, but Repentless is the only Slayer album I ever sold....I was conflicted doing it too. But I don't like Christ Illusion neither, and those are the two albums that were pretty much written by Kerry.
@@Gregbaltzer That's fair. I suppose in fairness I wasn't anticipating Repentless to be a great album by any stretch, particularly when I heard that Holt was only contributing solos.
I like Christ Illusion, but it has a couple of stinker tracks. I do like it more than World Painted Blood though.
Youthanasia for me is one of my least favourite Megadeth albums, but the artwork is really cool. They have worse albums, like Risk or Cryptic Writings, but they have poor album covers.
@@dimeraRaven Strangely enough World Painted Blood is my favorite Slayer album of the 2000s, though I can't tell you the last time i actually listened to it. And I think Americon should have been left as a B side to some movie sound track. It feels out of place. I listen to 2000s Sodom more than 2000s Slayer. The only Megadeth album I'm a huge fan of after Youthanasia is Endgame, and to a lesser extent United Abominations. I actually had high hopes for Repentless because I really enjoyed the title track, but then I heard the rest of the album. Pride And Prejudice would be the other track I like.
@@Gregbaltzer I can't tell you the last time I listened to anything off WPB or Repentless. I love the intro riff for Hate Worldwide but then the song just falls off for me.
2000's Sodom is damn good, same with Destruction. For me Destruction post-2000 is better than 80's Destruction, I'll listen to The Antichrist over any of their 80s era stuff.
I agree with you on Megadeth, I absolutely love Endgame and I love the first half of United Abominations, but the second half of the album I never listen to.
Good call on “Youthanasia”. That’s such a dud of an album.
Thank you guys for your RANT- Great Cover Art, But Bad Albums.🎤🎸🎵🥁
As usually / the 1-2-3-4 🤜 PUNCH of you guys is super fun/ super cheerful! Tremendous 👍💯
Thanks for this video tonight. A much needed distraction from real life. You four are great together. Love all your album cover discussions.
I wish I had something to add (other than The Astonishing, which is pretty obvious), but there isn't anything I can honestly think of for this topic. I don't heartily dislike a large amount of things, and I generally have a strongly developed sense when it comes to spending money on things that I enjoy, and avoiding expenditure on things that I don't.
Got a good chuckle when Pete brought up Yes. I haven't bought anything from them in years. The Peter Criss thing cracked me up, too!
1. Black Sabbath - Never Say Die
2. Rush - Test for Echo
3. Motley Crue - Theater of Pain
4. Van Halen - Balance
5. Pink Floyd - A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Theater of pain and AMLOR both have killer covers that deserve better content
Never Say Die is a very good album. That A-side is Sabbath as it's best, B-side partly sucks, though...
In Flames: Siren Charms
DIO: Master of the moon
Dio - Master of the Moon is definitely one of the best album covers of all time . Would have been a good album if Alice in Chains had recorded it
I'm surprised "The X Factor" wasn't on any of the 4 lists.
Wait, you like that cover art?
I remember those stupid pathetic emails from the so called prince or whatever it was lol.
Witchcurse - Heavy Metal Poisoning
Cirith Ungol - King of the Dead
Judas Priest - Nostradamus
Queensryche - American Soldier
Quiet Riot - QR III
Poison - Native Tongue
Black Sabbath - Forbidden
Omen - Escape to Nowhere
Steel Panther - Heavy Metal Rules
Gene Simmons - Gene Simmons '78
Bad albums, great album covers
Laaz Rockit is tight, kinda have to be in the mood though
I liked their debut a lot, but if I remember correctly Know Your Enemy wasn't nearly as good... I haven't heard any of the others either
That LAAZ ROCKIT album is awesome
Video idea:
Argue series: read people's music hot takes from comment section, and all 4 if you argue is if it's a good take or bad take
Excellent idea!
Looking forward to this, this oughta be good😄
The Hollywood Squares episodes are easily my favorites on this channel. I love all the guests especially Chris Alo. I love the topic because I have bought albums in the past that had awesome album covers but horrible songs on them. For me it is rare, but it has happened to me in the past. I bought Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell album on cassette tape back in the late 80's as a little kid expecting an extremely heavy album. I was so disappointed when I listened to it and it was not even Heavy Metal or even Hard Rock. The album cover looked so Heavy Metal to me when I first saw it .
I really enjoy these segments. Very entertaining and I enjoy the kinship. This particular segments choices I found to be obscure, but keep up the good work.
That Laaz Rockit smokes. It's a great 80s US power metal album, before they became more standard bay area thrash. Give it a listen Pete.
Hate to say it being one of my favorite bands BUT you can take any of the album covers from UFO from the seventies....I know the award winning company Hipgnosis designed these but they are just ridiculous...the only one that is somewhat passable is the banned Force It vinyl cover.....
Edit: Saw the title and posted my comment....probably should have watched the video first 🤔 So I guess my comment will be the opposite......bad covers for GREAT albums....
i think u got the concept of this episode switched... its good album covers and bad music
I'd say any Cirith Ungol album... I know there are fans but I can't stand the singer. I've tried hard. Also Asia has some really good covers but the music, while not horrible is so soft and boring. Laaz Rockit is very underrated. Not a massive fan of their cover art though, so that was a weird take.
The Rods ‘Wild Dogs’ coming up?
2nd,- ALL the NWOBHM albums were hitting the stores, Creem Magazine made Magnum (in an utterly backhanded compliment sort of way) sound like they would resemble Dio’s last two albums with a far gruffer vocalist, and the best of the lot. Instead, I got Magnum (Chase The Dragon and The Eleventh Hour, to be specific ), who I turned out to love. But it took years to accept that NWOBHM is nowhere to be found in their sound. Throw Praying Mantis and Shiva into that. SO much different than what you get.
You hit a home run with Peter Criss.
Great album
inmyhouse11 it’s good, and those double bass Fibes drums on the back. Maybe if I had got it when I wanted it (82?). But 30 years later, it just seemed a lot different than what I thought it would be like.
Oh hell , I’ve got every MM album and I still don’t know if I like him ! There’s something about MM that draws me in and I think Antichrist and the following two are great , the rest somewhat hit and miss . Don’t think I’d ever pay to see him though because if he’s off he’s terrible
Megadeth "Super Collider". Awesome album cover for an extremely disappointing album, its one of Megadeth's worst albums.
Hi, nice show. As I do not know many of these covers, it would be good that on everyone the bands name would be said, so obe can follow the discussoon :)
Why is there a 10 minute warning? Is there a limit to how long these videos need to be? I don't post videos on RUclips so I'm kinda of clueless on that.
Zoom meetings have a time limit that you set.
Johnny Utah Thanks, did not know that.
@@claymccoy you are welcome....
The Catholic girls.1983 , the girls on the cover reminded me of the Benny Hill girls so I bought it , took it home and what a suckfest lol
Pete please try to give another chance to Nostradamus after all these years. I'm pretty sure that your opinion will change substantially, for example on tracks like Persecution, Messenger Of Death, Conquest, Pestilence, the Title Track and the final epic Future Of Mankind
Chris is a huge guest. He' s funny but always his insights are very interesting. I love the last album he shared. And the Peter Chris album has a cool cover but the music is horrible, pop, boring, a real crap. Great show Pete !!!
I like Crusader too.
best quote - "i'm not a huge GWAR fan, i've seen 'em 10 times"......wtf ? i haven't even seen bands i f'n LOVE 10 times ! NEED to find that last album Chris mentioned - that cover was f'n awesome...
That cover from 5:25 was originally the book cover of 1982's Best of Horror edited by Karl Edward Wagner.
Ryan Skow, - as you mentioned one from Poland, I have few great albums from Poland, here's one.
Look for a band called Svann, the album Granica Czerni I Bieli from 2003.
Say heavy rock into metal prog, gothic at times, amazing melodic killer guitars, fast ones and also moody pieces (title track).
Fantastic album, they don't sing in english but I suspect you may love it, or possibly it will definitely grow on.
My polish is very limited, but I adore this one.
You know, I liken you four more to the Match Game crew than the Hollywood Squares. Excellent chemistry!
i’d appreciate a list in the description of the stuff y’all recommend
Monolith by Kansas comes to mind; the album was a bit disappointing
It was still proggy though, while not their best, it's worthy. I had a problem with Drastic Measures and Power, way too straight forward for my tastes
@ Ooh alright then - each to their own!
@@dawnpatrol700 Right yeah; it just halted their streak for me personally, as I really love their first 6 albums (incl. the live album).
Chris Alo should have a show of his own! Dude's awesome!
Personally I don't mind The Sword:Used Future, they could've trimmed 5 songs and it doesn't have an immediate impact. But it did hit me after repeated listens like some creeper weed.
Warzone from Slayer is my ringtone for my phone ... but I agree for the rest of the album ;) I just love the look on people's face when I receive a call hahahaha!
Great show, guys. Laugh out loud stuff. One that springs to mind for me which no doubt many will love: Keeper of the Seven Keys by Helloween. Great artwork and purchased because of it. At the time mid 80s), heavily in to metal and a lot of stuff ......, travelling home on the bus excited just looking at the cover......, but the Michael guy singing? Was like nails down a chalk board for me. Terrible.
My list, before watching the whole video:
Yngwie Malmsteen- War To End All Wars
Asia- Aqua
Iron Maiden- Virtual XI
Loudness- On The Prowl
Helloween- Gambling With The Devil
Yes- Heaven And Earth
U.D.O.- No Limits
Saxon- Metalhead
Marilyn Manson is a Kiss fan. He dressed up as Peter Criss when he was a kid.
Totally agree on Heaven and Earth. Should have been called How on Earth? It makes Asia and Starcastle look wildly experimental.
Armored Saint are one of my favourite all time bands, but yes, that is their one album I rarely listen to. Great album cover though. 😃
To eliminate glare when showing the cd (album) covers in these videos, it's a good idea to remove the sleeves from the cases.... just a thought. Rock On!
I know many love "Asia" but for myself outside of the cool Roger Dean sleeve. That group & album were a total disappointment. If it's been already mentioned, please excuse.
my vote would be sabbath 'cross purposes'...i thought it was there best cover since heaven and hell...not their best album though...and p.s...i loved that peter criss album when it came out and it's still my favorite solo kiss album...to each their own...of course you guys need to do a part two...peace...rocky
I love "Crusader", but i remember that even they abjured from this album, just for what you say: the producer tried them to sound "americanized". Still, i love it. I got it in vinyl