It's Time to Pick the Best Albums of 2009 - Your Input Needed
Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 12:01AM It's almost December...and that means we're nearing the end of the year. I usually just post a list of my selections for the best album of the year. This year, I thought it would be cool to ask you to email me your lists of the best albums from 2009. So here's what you do: email your choices for what you think are the ten best releases of 2009. They don't all have to be glam - just whatever you think is best. Email your lists to allyson@bringbackglam.com by December 14, 2009 at 11:59 pm EST. I'll compile all the lists and tally the top vote getters. I'll publish our list of the best albums of 2009 one day during the last week of the year.
I'm pretty sure I already know the top choice for the number one slot...but it will be interesting to see if we're thinking along the same lines. Get to work!
If you don't email your list, your choices will not be counted!
Reader Comments (28)
Your Thanksgiving Bird wasn't the only Turkey being roasted yesterday! How about me! You guy's had me in the Cauldron all day stewing in my Rock'n'Roll Stew of a brain about all the unbelievable suggestions you guyz have just killed me with.
But Metalboy! can take it! A one-two to my steel chin and another to my iron rib cage! Anything for the cause of Rock & Roll! And especially Metal! And my fave, Glam Metal!
Now I'm rested and re-tuned, thanks to you boyz!
How the h*ll did I space out some of your suggestions and how the h*ck did I never here of some of the ones for 2009, especially. You've outdone yourself and definitely outdone Metalboy! So done! Stick a fork in it, done! Simply phenomenal!
And I may only be 5 ft. tall, but I know enough to see and hear awesome recommendations like the one's you have added to here.
Whoa! Talk about Thanksgiving! Thanks to MK who served up the best thing I've chewed on all evening (if not, all year). And I'm not talking about the crow he made me eat instead of Turkey, I mean Gunfire 76!
Absolutely, unequivocally stunning and my instant hands down current fave and has my vote for The Best Album of 2009! I listened to it twice already beginning around midnight and I'm on the third listen now. Let' put it this way, my jaw had to be rewelded after listening to the first 3 songs!
MK, also glad you like Last Vegas and Steel Panther, too, but Steel Panther, as good as it is, really is the Spinal Tap of the new century, whereas The Last Vegas and some of the others, particularly Gunfire 76, tho they still have humor and fun as part of their schtick, they are not about being a parody of 80's Metal. As cool as it is, I don't think "Feel The Steel" should be #1 for that reason, even tho I know now, it's inevitable that it will be picked as # 1.
It's like the once legit boxer who eventually resigns himself to becoming a WWF Pro Wrestler, a clown, as he knows this is how he can survive, yet still be in the spotlight. As a parody of himself.
Same goes with us, the Metal Fan in today's world of Pop Music.
The only way for us to survive as Metal Fans is to get behind a parody, Steel Panther. Look, it's an incredible album, don't get me wrong. I get the joke but that doesn't mean I have to take it! And this is coming from someone who's watched "Spinal Tap" something close to 80 times. So, for me, "Feel The Steel"'s gonna stay at #5, for now, at any rate. I may even change my mind. But for now, I know better, until I start believin' the hype, too. I haven't sent my list to Al yet. I'm still thinkin' on it.
But, hey!, I would definitely vote Steel Panther "#1 Comedy Album". Alas, for now, tho, I've resigned myself to the fact it'll be #1 on "The Top 10 Albums of 2009" lists of just about everyone because people usually just jump on the bandwagon of a sure winner, rather than truly look at it's true merit.
And true merit not only lies in the music of a band like Gunfire '76 but in their lyrics. These our real stories. They are like real street poems. Then listen to the words of Steel Panther. Need I say more.
It's like the difference between meeting a really hot chick on the street who turns out to be really funny and smart and cool and hip and all of that stuff and yet still maintains some kind of mystery that keeps you listening to her. And then there's the cheap tart you meet on the street, the one who's crude jokes are funny but lack anything deep so you act like you're listening to her, because you know in all likelyhood, it'll help you get lucky if you do.
The other one, the mysterious chick, you might get lucky with, but you find yourself generally listening to her, regardless, because you know she's got the real goods, not the one night stand routine.
Think about it, really. Are you gonna be listening to Steel Panther 2 years from now? Probably not. It's a one shot at best. Gunfire 76? Yep. And they'll probably keep slugging away in the bars and clubs no matter what happens.
Steel Panther might make it big, but in a Blue Man Group kinda way. With a permanent gig in Las Vegas. Heck, their already playin' there in a regular Friday gig at Hard Rock or wherever in Vegas, as it is. But hey, that might be your kinda band and your kinda gig.
But not me. Yep, though I like Steel Panther, and I like 'em a lot, and probably even better, if they played The Comedy Store in L.A., I'd probably go see 'em ...nope... you'll find me in a joint where Gunfire 76 is playin' like Jaxx, a real Rcck and Roll club where it's not only your sweat rollin' down your face, but probably the band's too, comin' off of 'em from the stage like some kind of Unholy Water rebaptising you back into the world of real Rock'n'Roll. A Rock and Roll Baptism!
Here's another quick example that could prove to be the litmus test for ya. My ex lead guitarist went to the M3 show at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, at the beginning of last summer. He was watchin' Steel Panther for a couple of songs but split just after less than 10 minutes to get back to the main stage to jockey for his seats well ahead for Warrant or Dokken or even Kix, who is right up there as maybe the best of the legends still touring today. If it had been Gunfire 76 up there instead of Steel Panther, I probably woulda waited 'til the last possible moment before heading back to the main stage. Or, you know what, I might have just blown off going back and just stuck around for Gunfire 76, had they been playin' instead of Steel Panther.
Because I know I would feel like I was really seeing something. Something that could just change the destiny of Rock and Roll, not some temporary footnote sideshow comedy troupe routine. C'mon, think about it. They're whole schtick was designed for Perma-Show in Vegas and they most likely will wind up there permanently sooner than we think.
Slaughter? Nah. Gunfire 76? H*ll yeah!
In politics they joke, "Vote often and Vote Early".
And I say, when it comes to this decision, "Vote once and Vote Late". And vote for who you think is truly best, not for someone just because everyone else says their the best.
In the meantime, let's keep the discussion going, if you all are still into it. We've been yeilding a lot of great stuff here.
Acknowledgements: MK, what can I say? "Gunfire 76", that's what! And I appreciate your candor and all of your other rec's. Kenny O, always respect your opinion, bro. I still can't get over Paul Laine. Appreciate your other sugs also. Snoot, did you ever call it with yours. Vain, especially. Wished I saw 'em back in the day...
...I'm pretty sure I saw an ad in the Village Voice back in the day for a gig at the Cat Club in NYC, but I had to go to L.A. suddenly and missed 'em. I did catch D.A.D. there, tho, when "No Fuel For The Pilgrims" came out. I definitely feel like they will be the 1989 list.
Glen, thanks for all the rec's. Usually I'm a little leery of bands like Rhino Bucket, who seem like they are most likely just putting out the same album over and over now, just like they did back in the day, but hey, now that I see it's you recommending 'em, I'm gonna give it a twirl...
Same with all of your others. Already have Chickenscratch and Law and Order. In fact, back in the day, I think I originally got that last one cuz a buddy of mine shot the cover. He shot a lot of Rock stuff including Van Halen, "Balance" and Steelheart and Kik Tracee, too, among others. I just picked up Law and Order's second one on someone's rec here, too!
Look, I realize some of you might disagree with me on Steel Panther, but I do hope you find my position on 'em somewhat valid. I'd like to hear otherwise, and why, also, if you don't agree.
Right now I'm going through all my Albums and figuring out others from '89 we might have overlooked.
I realize without you guys, I could not have generated any of these lists completely. Which brings me to this...
Why don't you guys take a stab at a list, or maybe even just a few.
MK. You, in particular must have two great lists in your head. I'd especially kill to see the one for 2009 to see what else you would regard as, and I quote, "good straight up rock". How about your list? And '89, too, if you have some. Care to show your cards?
Keep postin' for both areas, if your into it, guyz! You guyz are Metal Killerz! It's a good thing Metalboy! can fly. Even if his woven steel cable cape does get a little heavy sometimes. I'm usually flyin' from one of Al's posts to the next, as you will see if you jump around, too!
p.s. Already, I reminded myself about 69 Eyes, "Back in Blood" and Zan Clan for '09 and XYZ's S/T for '89 and I really wanna keep rollin' right up until deadline. And I hope you might consider doing the same. It would be great to see further comments posted up here right up until the very end.
Submitting our lists should be thought of like we are the judges of The World Heavyweight Boxing Championship, not as phony WWF stooges voting whichever way Vince McMahon wants us to.
Vote your hearts. Tho Metalboy! has a heart that looks like the one on the cover of Accept, "Metal Heart" and it beats mercury blood, I can still feel that I should genuinely and honestly look at the real contenders. The legit artists. The ones like Gunfire 76 or, say, The Charm City Devils, as examples of bands that are sweatin' it out for real in the bars and clubs from city to city, coast to coast, with holes in their boots and blisters on their fingers from playin' their a*sses off. Sweatin' real rock and roll sweat, not the fake stuff. even Not the goofball comedy troupe with the cheap jokes. Yeah, their funny. And I realize, look, I've got the likes of Pretty Boy Floyd and Motley Crue -- who at the point of releasing "Dr. Feelgood" had become a parody of themselves -- right at the top of my list for '89. But there is some merit to those albums. For one, they both are from back in the day, where Steel Panther is a nostalgia trip to back in the day.
So, true legit Rock and Roll merit is what bands like Gunfire '76 and I'd say, tho not Metal, but definitely Rock & Roll of the highest order, "Them Crooked Vultures" share. Real Rock & Roll. Kudos for MK calling it like he did in his first comment. It woke my Metal a*s up, that's for sure. Once I heard about half of Gunfire 76, I realized I have to reassess my whole approach to creating this "Best of 2009" List. I'm gonna wait 'til the last minute to send it to Al, as well. The one in my earlier post sure would work great as a flaming rolled up piece of paper that could light the fire under the Cauldron so we can keep the fire stoked and the comments coming. Cheerz and Jeerz, kidz!
Cheers
Glad you came back! You and I can stoke the flames under the Cauldron 'til the others smell the Molten Metal Stew and awaken from their tryptophan stupor.
Yes! I've been following the band, Big Cock, since like '06, when I stumbled on some of their vids on YouTube. B*lls out Rock & Roll, literally!
I've got a couple of older cuts on my iTunes. And I just went searchin' for a particular video by them (or so I thought) that I thought was funny as h*ll when I saw it but can't seem to find it.
Their great vids such as "Real Man" and "Built for Speed" aside, I'm wonderin' if you might be familiar with this video description that is either one of their vids or maybe you'll recognize it and figure out who's it is.
At one point during this particular video, and I'm thinkin' if it is them, it's an earlier vid... 2006 or '07, if that's possible... anyway, at one point we see this mean lookin' Eric Bana as "Chopper" kinda lookin' dude with reflective sunglasses being led from jail to the gallows or somethin' and as he's being led past the band, he stops behind the lead guitarist and fingers the frets of his guitar from over the guitarist's shoulders for the lead guitar part and then stops as he continues being led by the cops somewhere.
I know, call me crazy for bringin' this up like this, but I thought if anyone could solve this mystery, It would be you, based on what I already sense about the capabilities of your memory.
Dude, been listenin' to Gunfire 76 and told all the boyz to buy it. It's so killer! LIke you said about Big C*ck, a great album from start to finish. And you know how many of those there are out there today.
Out of the 3000 Glam Metal songs on my iTunes, maybe 99% of 'em are not comprising whole albums. Meaning I've only got like 5 albums out of all those songs where I have the entire album of a particular band, i.e. Accept "Metal Heart", Dirty Looks S/T, Shotgun Messiah "Second Coming" and a just a very few others I can't remember at this exact time except my latest addition, thanks to you again, my friend, Gunfire 76!
Just can't get enough of that album, I'm tellin' ya!
I'll get back on here too with some more 89's as well. It's a fun topic, too. And I'm just waitin' for more great suggestions from Metal Monsters like yourself, as well as others, for more 2009 possibilities.
Look forward to seeing (and then hearing) the stuff from your lists.
I'm ready to rock!
p.s. I had so many 88's and '08's, we can't list that are so great, but still the years in discussion really have provided us with just fantastioc stuff, we can still have incredible lists. Can't wait to see your lists and some of the other's lists on here, too! Until then my friend... Oh, and let me know if you figure out that video mystery. It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen and I'm dyin' to see it again. Rock On!