any other hard rock band's crowning achievement
933663
yes, it is definatly a generic heavy rock album. lacking the complexities and diversity of zep's previous efforts. lacking the keyboards too. forgivable due to the sucky situation it was recorded. polar oppisite of In Through The Out Door, which is a synth-happy, diverse album.
achille's last sand- geat. a classic. zeppelin's most metallic song. what's with all the hype about the drum's though? bonzo kicked major ass on In My Time of Dying (from Physical Grafiti).
for your life- so so
royal orleans- forgetable.
nobody's faultbut mine-great. a clssic. plant saves the day with his harmonica! it's kind o a shame that many of zep's greatest tune's were rip offs of blues artists.
candy store rock- has a cool sound, but the lyrics are lame
hots on for nowhere- very catchy
tea for one- OH THE AGONY! MAKE IT STOP! when i first heard this song i thought i was an aternate take of Since I've Been Loving You, which is an awesome song by the way. this song, on the other hand, is best defined by the lyrics, because the minutes feel like hours. you'll feel like you've been listening to a song for 9 hours, and it still hasn't gone anywhere yet. i thought it was a general rule for zeppelin to get rid of any song that sounded exactly like another.
like i said, this would've been any other hard rock band's crowning achievement. this album is great for what it is, but it does not match led zeppelin's classic 6 albums. when compared to zoso, this one is so so. when on it's own, it sits on a throne.
this along with In Through The Out door, and Coda round out zeppelin's stinky albums.
970758
Nazareth was on a winning streak since the release of their third album, the great 'Razamanaz', in 1973. Deep Purple's Roger Glover had been the producer since that but when guitarist Manuel Charlton decided to take the job on 'Hair Of The Dog', he really hit that bit higher, by adding more power and giving it more punch while keeping the rawness required for this hard rock bonanza.

All seven cuts that make up the original album are consummate killers. And there's a lot here to keep it burning high, as the music is varied and inspired with an immediate feel to it. The title track along with 'Miss Misery' and 'Changin' Times' are powerful examples of how this band could rock, while Crazy Horse's 'Beggar's Day' is a gem. Also, the blues of 'Guilty' and 'Whiskey Drinkin' Woman' gets me every time, then the slow-(s)paced closer 'Please Don't Judas Me' brings it all to a great finale. Just great musicianship from the Scottish lads!

This SALVO reissue is a very welcome upgrade to this rock'n'roll masterpiece. Unsurpassed sound as well as important bonus cuts, great  packaging and booklet make this a comprehensive feast for the avid fan/listener.
2022257
This album was what got me into hard rock... Almost every song on
this is fab!!!! It contains some of the greatest songs KISS ever
did, tho' producer BOB EZRIN had a hand in writing 7 of the al-
bum's 9 songs. The orchestral arrangements, the choir and the
keyboards add to the group's sound instead of detract from it.
( I didn't realize BOB EZRIN borrowed the main guitar riff from
GREAT EXPECTATIONS from BEETHOVEN until I watched the
movie THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE!)This album also featured PAUL
STANLEY'S best singing up to that point, especially on FLAMING
YOUTH and KING OF THE NIGHTTIME WORLD, where his voice had never
sounded so strong and powerful. It also features some nifty gui-
tar playing, particularly on DETROIT ROCK CITY. The guitar solo
for that song is phenomenal, in ACE's and PAUL's selection of
notes. PETER CRISS, too, does some of his best drumming on this
song. GOD OF THUNDER was probably the scariest thing KISS ever
wrote up to that point, with it's heavy guitar riff, pounding drums,SIMMON's MONSTER VOCALS and the eerie sound effects,
( and BOB EZRIN's kids running around in space helmets, sounding
like little munchkins!)In some ways, it's kind of funny, also! GREAT EXPECTATIONS is a great song, with
the orchestral arrangements, choir and SIMMON's almost sweet
sounding vocals being in complete contrast with his naughty ly-
rics! FLAMING YOUTH is a hard rock classic, as is SWEET PAIN and
the very catchy SHOUT IT OUT LOUD. And, of course, we can't for-
get about BETH, which was CRISS's first song contribution to the
band(tho' he had alot of help writing it!) It became a HUGE HIT
for KISS and deservedly so, for it really IS a great little
ballad.
 DESTROYER is one of the best hard rock( or dare I say and I do
dare), PROGRESSIVE hard rock albums of the 70's and one of the best
KISS albums ever!
108670
Vol. 4 is in my opinion the pinnacle of Sabbath's total achievement, their greatest album and one of the greatest heavy rock albums ever. I love all of the Ozzy era albums, especially the first 6, but 4 does it for me best. This record proved that Sabbath were exceptional musicians as well as THE heaviest band of their time. The opener "Wheels of Confusion" is an absolute monster! Geezer's lyrics and Ozzy's voice never sounded better and Iommi lays down another sledgehammer assault on our senses, easily one of their triumphs!. "Snowblind", "Tommorrow's Dream" and "Under the Sun" continue the aural onslaught, but "Supernaut" deserves special recognition along with "Confusion" as the best song from 4. Easily Bill Ward's finest hour as a drummer, he never sounded so good. Showing a softer side and a new complection to their sound are the classic ballad "Changes" and Tony's acoustic piece "Laguna Sunrise" which was a tribute to sunny L.A. where this beast was germninated. The band's notorious cocaine intake was also indulged upon during these heady times. Fortunately like many great bands of their era, chemically intake had yet to interfere with creative genius, although strains were beginning to show in the band's interealationship. Just as their fellow countrymen Led Zeppelin created their momument to Rock on their 4 album, so the Messieurs Butler, Iommi, Osbourne and Ward acheived immortality with theirs. As great as "Paranoid" and "Master of Reality" are, Vol. 4 is Black Sabbath's magnum opus.
3516229
This is pure hard rock at it's best. If you never heard

Saxon or 80's british metal start here. This is like a

greatest hits live album. I bought this after seeing

them in concert and I was blown away. I only have

2 other albums by them but this is by far the best...

Every song just kicks *** and I highly recommend it!!!!
1249213
Hard rock 80's metal at the best.  Too bad that this band was just a blink at the end of the 80's, maybe they were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

They played damn good and this cd is as fun as any Motley, Poison or Ratt cd is.

I don't know too much about this band. As long as I know they are from East Europe and they changed the vocalist before this album went out.  I know that this is the most "easylistening" cd that they released , too.  Some son of #/&%$ stole my cd collection 5 years ago and I used to have a live album which is much more harder than this.

The songs are straight and they don't try to be perfect, they are just fun.  Rock in the western world has a great sound to start any concert, Screwed blue'n'tattoed is great, Stranger than paradise is the best song in the cd (they even made a video), very much like a Bon Leppard song, Heroes die young is very similar to any Great White song and the (let's not forget the ballad) slow song for the cd is This time is as good as any Winger or Poison ballad.

If you like to hear something new that is a little bit old, stop looking, this is it.

Highlighths: Stranger than paradise, Rock in the western world, Heroes Die Young.
Lowlights: Maybe that the band couldn't last long enough to make it.
2760472
Amazing band, not getting anywhere near the credit they deserve for being an important element of the 1960's American music scene. An innocent victim of a turbulent time in the 60's, this group still managed to produce this gem. Any late 1960's collection is incomplete without this addition. Perhaps with attention to a more mature audience, this band would today rank up there with the Stones. As is, this is nontheless an awesome period piece of a gentler, more optomistic time in this country's long lost past.
262375
I actually bought this on Cassette back in 1985 upon it's release. I had never heard of them,as Camden,Arkansas is not exactly a metal haven for unknown bands. I was blown away with the first listen! Icon was much more polished than several of the "Big Name" metal bands of that time. I'm not sure why they never made it,but what a shame. I now have all of their CD's (4 in all)including the 1984 Live Bootleg,which should be for diehard fans only,but "Night of The Crime" should rank at the top of any true Hard Rock/Metal fans wish list. Also,check out their debut cd because it is a little more heavy,but still very good.if you enjoy music like Icon,be sure to check out anything by Black'n'Blue,as they were also underappreciated. This cd by Icon is a true "unknown" classic! Enjoy!
531644
Top Rock Bands come along once in a generation. For me it was Led Zeppelin, but this band is right up there with the best of all time.

The title of the Album is no accident:

"In the days of my youth
I was told what it was to be a man
Now I've reached the age
I've tried to do all those things the best I can
No matter how I try
I find my way to do the same old jam"
2317293
I was lucky to have been given this CD and I must say I am impressed. I had to post a review. It is loaded with heady guitar trips, soulful rock grooves, and polished guitar solos over tight rock instrumentation. It is an album that takes you on a satisfying cohesive journey with its impressive vocal polish and creative lyrics. To me this is what classic hard rock is. With unexpected freshness, it is still somewhat reminiscent of classics like, STP or SoundGarden but not just another seminal hard-rock chameleon band. Check it out, it does not disappoint.
2426906
This is one of the finest documents of Hawkwind as they were in their halcyon years. It transcends the limitations of the labels traditionally attached to this band, and is simply a classic album of great rock music performed by a band near the zenith of its form. Frankly, it's as important that you have this in your record collection as it is to have Led Zeppelin IV, Dark Side of the Moon or Disraeli Gears.
2447814
This is the album of theirs that seems the most real to me, the one before they got stuck on top 40 radio and VH-1, not that it was their fault. Though some knock them for sounding like other bands, "My Own Prison" is the proof that they could rock, and craft a moving song as well. Every track is good, but at least four of them are incredible, those are "Torn", "My Own Prison", "What's This Life For", and "One". All very strong. I don't think they quite rank with the original grunge/rock bands from the early 90's, but there's no doubt that they're better than the current selection of groups that they're often associated with.
2422899
This band are true rockers. Heavy metal at it's best. If you want to bang your head get this album or one of there others.
2306350
ZZ Top's Rhythmeen is an undiscovered masterpiece of theirs and rock music in general. This had ZZ Top returning in top for again which they haven't rocked this hard and had an album as heavy since Deguello. Rhythymeen brings back their heavier roots of Tres Homebre and Deguello  but even more so in this case which is arguably their heaviest work to date and it couldn't have worked better. Rhythymeen is an excellent hard rocking opener as well as Black Fly and Vincent Price Blues as some of my personal highlights. If you didn't like their pop-oriented works of the '80s than you'll be pleasantly surprised, no synthesizers here whatsoever which were toned down since Recycler and we saw a change in direction for the band but they found themselves again here. Now don't get me wrong, Eliminator is still a favorite of mine to this day which blended southern rock, hard rock and new wave but Afterburner went too far on the synthesizer that didn't work so well. Afterburner had it's moments but the band had gone too far off from their roots, by 1996 11 years later we got Rhythymeen which is their heaviest and most guitar-driven album of their career which needed an album that really rocked. Rhythymeen really is an underrated album and undiscovered classic from ZZ Top that I couldn't recommend more.
1362589
From what I've heard of Bruce's previous solo albums, they were more hard rock in the vein of Aerosmith or AC/DC than metal. And while they produced some standout songs ("Tears of the Dragon" and "Laughing in the Hiding Bush" established his metal roots; his cover of Bowie's "All the Young Dudes" was simply great), none of them really stood out as an album. "Accident of Birth" has no such problem.
Bruce's amazing vocals and his partnership with guitarist Adrian Smith are the core of this album. Bruce and Adrian working together is natural; aside from Steve Harris, they were Iron Maiden's strongest songwriters. Roy Z more than holds his own as the second guitarist, while Eddie Casillas and David Ingraham prove to be metal's most underrated rhythm section. "Accident of Birth" is the album Iron Maiden should have been making at the time, and reestablished heavy metal for the mid-'90s as a force to be reckoned with. The best part is it would only get better, first with the follow-up, "The Chemical Wedding," and then Bruce and Adrian's reunion with Iron Maiden. The only problem I have with this disc is the accoustic track "Arc of Space" as the album closer. It's a great song, but somehow, it seems as though one of the heavier tracks would have been a better album-ender. Oh well. That does nothing to diminish this album. I can't even list the top tracks; "Dark Side of Aquarius" is my favorite song from this album, but all the others rock just as hard.
1487357
A masterpiece of rock and roll progressive or otherwise. Ian Anderson is a musical genius and he was trying to show us that, while saying he wasn't showing us that. It was taking a chance in 1972 for a commercial rock and roll band, based in the blues to put out an album with ONE song. How did it work? It was number one and is still considered a classic rock masterpiece.

What makes an album progressive? Besides the reasons usually stated like telling a story, or taking chances with sound or musical styles, the main thing is can the band play their instruments. Answer: These guys sure can. This is the best lineup that Ian ever had and every musician on this album is top notch. Martin Barre one of the best guitarist of the rock era, Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond on bass, John Evan on the keys and the incomparable Barriemore Barlow on the drums. A great band indeed.

The lyrics are imaginative and every time I hear them something different stands out. The song really does split into 2 parts, in the old days side 1 and side 2. Side 2 is much more musical than side 1 and John Evan really stands out with great Hammond organ. Martin Barre is excellent throughout and Ian vocals are wonderful as well as his flute playing and acoustic guitar work. Barlow is one of the most underrated drummers and he really adds to the rocking sound of this album.

5 stars all day long and one of the top 10 albums of all time. Take a trip back to 1972 and enjoy the lyrical and musical adventure that is Thick as a Brick.
625286
This CD Rocks! This is the band at their best. The raw intensity was never fully revealed on any other Metallica Albums like this one. With classic tracks Like BATTERY, LEPPER MESSIAH,AND THE EXPLOSIVE ANTHEM MASTER OF  PUPPETS. This is when Metallica were still not popular but they had  something most bands don't have today the abillty to still deliver the good  tunes without ever losing their edge. 14 years later after Master Of  Puppets was released the band is still around bashing out the hits, they  are sensational group who are true to their way of hard rock, I am still a  die had fan of theirs and always will be. This band never cared if they  were popular or radio faverites they just love their music and that`s what  makes them so unique.