Hey, Folk’s thanks for checking back in. Here is another 9 pack of albums that I had purchased back in 1984. Are you ready for Part 2?
Let’s Do This!
One of the first albums that actually came out pretty early was the self-titled debut Bon Jovi album. I had seen the adds for the debut in Circus Magazine but it was a fellow student at my High School that said I should check Bon Jovi out. I did and bought it upon his recommendation. It was a decent debut. Nothing to earth-shattering mind you as that would come 2 years later when Slippery When Wet went bonkers worldwide but a decent debut none the less. Roulette and a few others are decent enough tracks.
Canadian Rock was alive and well in my world and thanks to the Canuck Mag Music Express. I read about artists like Lee Aaron who swung a sword and sang a song called Metal Queen. Metal Queen was a decent enough album the only real track being real heavy was the title track, The rest of the album was more of a Pat Benetar type rock n roll. GIve Lee props though as there weren’t many real good female hard rock singers out there but Lee had the voice and well she swung a mean sword!
GIMME A R…..WHATCHA GOT! Helix (from Ladano’s backyard Kitchener, Ontario) basically got the ball rolling and by that selling records with Walkin The Razors Edge. Rock You was the biggie song that pushed this album to Platinum in Canada and also made a serious dent in the U.S charts as well. Touring with Quiet Riot and Whitesnake helped the cause. Helix also was a great live act.
Speaking of Quiet Riot here comes Condition Critical and that title pretty much sums up QR 1984. Dubrow was in a war of words with Vince Neil and even Roth nightly on VH’s 1984 Tour was chirping Dubrow about drinking Ice Tea from a Jack Daniel’s bottle. The press built it up and QR never recovered. Condition Critical at best was maybe half good? Sign of the Times was a great opener but releasing yet another Slade song as a single (Mama Were All Crazee Now ) was a dumb ass move. I was 17 at the time and even I knew that!
PARTY ALL NIGHT LOOOOOOOOONG!
Lee/Lifeson/Peart released the very underrated Grace Under Pressure which is a great album. When talking about RUSH and their studio output you know you are not going to get any two Rush albums sounding alike. Distant Early Warning/AfterImage/ Between The Wheels/Kid Gloves are stellar tracks actually the whole damn thing is stellar. It’s RUSH!
Levine/Emmett/Moore cranked out the brilliant Thunder 7 album. Triumph put out some real quality material and this album shows that in spades. Spellbound and Follow Your Heart are classics but its those other tracks like the Zep tinged Rock Out Roll-On. The prog like Time Goes By are classics as well. Plus Rik Emmett is a beast on the guitar.
In 1984 Sammy Hagar couldn’t drive 55 but he knew the curve of delivering a stellar solo live show that I caught in October of that year with Krokus opening. V.O.A was my first ever Sam purchase and was a decent hard rock album. Hagar had a stellar support cast and it shows on the album. Hell, how could you go wrong with tunes like Dick In The Dirt? Exactly! Course we all know what happened a short time after 1984 rolled into 1985 right?
Iron Maiden released the epic POWERSLAVE in September 1984 and Powerslave ran my life for that month as my homework went on the back burner. I still recall being giddy with excitement when I saw the front and back cover artwork along with something like 51 minutes of music stuffed with Maiden tunes all in one package. Holy Shit! As fans, we hit the Jackpot Folks. Maiden was and still are in 2020 The Best!
Rollin-Rollin-Turnin-Turnin- Do it again!
One album that came onto my radar as a new band(but had been around ) and what would become over the years a game-changer in my world was Hanoi Rocks Two Steps From The Move. Hanoi hailing from Finland went to Toronto to record Two Steps with Bob Ezrin who dialed it all in. Sure Mike Monroe is a dude who looks like a lady on the cover but Micheal had some gruff in that voice of his. Stellar album from the opening tune which is a CCR cover of Up Around The Bend. HighSchool/I Can’t Get it/Cutting Corners and thanks to Hanoi and boys we all learned what Boiler actually meant! The crazy thing is I bought Two Steps in October 84 and by December 84 these guys were finished. I’m not going down that road as it has been written a million times over but man what a phenomenal crafted rock album.
Thanks for reading Folk’s Part 3 will be up in a few days.
Damn 1984 was a great year. So much good stuff. Looking forward to part 3
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Thanks, Pal! One more to go! Then onto 1985!
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Nice call on Hanoi Rocks, Deke – I remember they made an appearance in your top 15 a few years ago!
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You have a great memory Geoff! Wow!
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Back to Mystery City’s on the 1001 list – right where it should be!
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That is aweosme! Another great one. Kim Mitchell is playing live on Facebok right now
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Another great 9 and only a few I bought. Can’t wait to see how you close out the year. Bring it on!
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Thanks Buddy. Saturday is the final 1984 Post. Than I got to work on 1985!
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Well I know what I’ll be doing Saturday morning.
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Thanks for the support!
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Of course. Always!
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Further proof 1984 was the golden year for heavy metal and you haven’t even got to two of my favourite albums from that year. I also saw Krokus with Sammy in November 1984, what a great show that was!
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Sure was MetalMan. When that ligght truss came down and Sammy went up total show stopper.
So good
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I also remember someone writing in to a metal mag asking, “If I killed Slade, would Quiet Riot die too?” I agree, in 1984, Quiet Riot went one Slade song too far.
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HAHA. That’s funny. Mama’s Boy’s did a cover of Mama Were All Crazee Now that came out at the exact same time as QR.
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A lot to unpack here Deke. You know i like my years in review.
In Australia, Quiet Riot and Maiden had peoples attention. Maiden was building it while QR was blowing it.
It was years later that I would hear the rest and I still haven’t heard Lee Aaron’s album.
And Hanoi Rocks, so quickly they came and so quickly they left. But they got zero promotion in Australia.
Helix and Triumph also got zero promotion in Australia. And Jovi for the debut got nothing as well. Jovi literally hit our shores and airwaves with “You Give Love A Bad Name”.
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Jovi which we all know went worldwide in 86. I like the fact that you say who did what and who did nothing in regards to Australia. Not too many bands have cracked down under but good on The Tea Party for busting through.
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Awesome again. Your history blows me away. Live the imagery of drinking ice tea from the whiskey bottle. Haha. GUP is a classic. I think I shared a fun story about that album in one of my last concert reviews. Otherwise, maybe I’ll review it sometime!
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For sure do a review a GUP. Such an underrated masterpiece.
‘You know how that Rabbit feels”
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100 percent agree
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I saw Triumph open for someone…Rik Emmett blew me away as a guitar player.
What gets me about Slade and Quiet Riot is a decade before Slade couldn’t get anywhere in America. I’m glad Quiet Riot got Slade noticed. Slade was probably too British for America back then but the songs were pretty close.
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I think I recall Slade getting a shot wiht that one tune Run Runaway back when 1984 haha.
I remember seeing the video and going “Fuck they are old!” But at the time they had more hair than Dubrow did in QR!
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I know man…yea their hey day was in the mid seventies…some good glam rock and just good old rock and roll…. LOL yea they did.
I latched on to the Beatles when I was 8 in 1975…hell I know more about 60s and 70s bands than my own generation.
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The Beatles I got into around 1987 when there CDs were coming out. 33 years ago today…lol
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I remember that well. The only format I haven’t bought by them are 8-Track tapes….I bought everything else.
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Nice I need to start on a couple of there albums for sure.
When I hit 50 I got back into vinyl big time. Some dudes by motercylces,fast cars or fast women lol
I went the safe route and that was vinyl.
I’m up to about 350 records now many are used so I able to acquire a bunch at a decent price.
My wife liked that choice as well haha.
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My 19 year old started to get into the Beatles, Hendrix, Who, Stones…and wanting Vinyl. I couldn’t agree more so we are building a collection up again. I lost most of mine moving in my 20s.
Yes…the price is much better at used stores.
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Thats awesome and some great parenting there!
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It gives me hope man…I didn’t push him because I knew if I did…it would go sideways. Many of his friends like that stuff also. I guess they have no one to pick from these days.
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Nice as he can carry on the tradition of vinyl. Aweosme stuff.
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Rush and Triumph. Yeah, guess it was a good year for prog rock power trios 😉
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No kidding Jeff. Two Toronto Power Trio’s!
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Helix were HUUUUGE in this backyard. Like I didn’t know they weren’t as big as Maiden or Van Halen. It wasn’t obvious from our perspective. They were in the magazines, on TV, on T-shirts, so it seemed like they were massive to me!
Flash forward 20+ years and I’m standing in Vollmer’s kitchen meeting his wife and taking the tour of the house!
Class A people, the Vollmers. Lynda is so cool.
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That’s cool Mikey. Great story and thats how I dicovered your blog was the vollmer interview
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All that hard rock crammed into one year! What a beautiful time.
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Check out the comment my buddy DaHeff said that in 1984 I was buying an album every 12 days on average! haha
Rock N Roll Junkie.
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Geez… We’re extremely lucky to get 12 a year now.
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Lol No kidding Kev.
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