Pyromania
Artist: Def Leppard
Community Score: 8.32

While Def Leppard had obviously wanted to write big-sounding anthems on their previous records, Pyromania was where the band's vision coalesced and gelled into something more. More than ever before, the band's songs on Pyromania are driven by catchy, shiny melodic hooks instead of heavy guitar riffs, although the latter do pop up once in a... Read More

Bebe le Strange
Artist: Heart
Community Score: 9.33

Heart continued to pass their message over the airwaves with the release of Bebe Le Strange and spawned two smash hits, "Silver Wheels" and the rocking "Even It Up" in the process. Unfortunately, the rest of the disc was a bit of a letdown as Heart began to suffer from that same old same old tradition, but they still sold like hotcakes. ~ James... Read More

Greatest Hits, Vol. 3
Artist: Golden Earring
You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll
Artist: Twisted Sister
Community Score: 7.83

From the solid sales of their independently released debut album, 1982's Under the Blade, New York's Twisted Sister were finally rewarded with a major record label contract, courtesy of Atlantic, who issued their first domestic release, You Can't Stop Rock & Roll, a year later. The album followed the same raw heavy metal direction of their... Read More

The Game
Artist: Queen
Community Score: 8.37

Along with 1975's A Night at the Opera, Queen's 1980 chart-topper The Game is one of their best and most commercially successful records. But The Game was the polar opposite of Opera, composition-wise. Whereas their 1975 classic was completely over the top and bombastic (it included "Bohemian Rhapsody," after all), The Game was full of succinct... Read More

The Principle of Moments
Artist: Robert Plant
Community Score: 9.00
Creatures of the Night
Artist: Kiss
Community Score: 7.61

By 1982's Creatures of the Night, Kiss had finally ditched their plans of becoming "respectable artists" (starting with 1979's Dynasty) and had come to the realization that they were a loud, no-holds-barred heavy metal band. Easily their best since 1977's Love Gun, Creatures of the Night contains very little filler and sounds as if Kiss had been... Read More

Heart Greatest Hits: Live
Artist: Heart
Community Score: 8.00

Released in 1980, just as Heart's first wave of popularity was fading, Heart Greatest Hits: Live contains a side of the group's most popular songs -- such as "Barracuda," "Crazy on You," and "Dreamboat Annie" -- balanced by a side's worth of live tracks, including versions of "Magic Man," "Dog & Butterfly," and "Bebe Le Strange," plus a medley... Read More

Cut
Artist: Golden Earring
Community Score: 5.75

After spending much of the late '70s and the early '80s as a cult band, Golden Earring returned to an international level of popularity in 1982 with the hit single (and popular MTV attraction) "Twilight Zone." This song and seven others are featured on Cut, a solid album that found Golden Earring starting to deviate from the pop/rock formula... Read More

Records
Artist: Foreigner
Community Score: 7.28

Foreigner's most lucrative years came during their first four albums, with their guitar-driven arena rock flair settling in nicely with the rest of the late-'70s music scene. Twelve of Foreigner's 16 Top 40 singles are from a six year span, between 1977 and 1982, which is why Records makes for such an entertaining collection of the band's early... Read More

The First and the Last - STATIK/TOTAL ENERGY
Artist: New Race

This album earned credibility for documenting a unique, one-off event. In 1981, ex-Radio Birdman bassist Warwick Gilbert, guitarist Deniz Tek, and vocalist Rob Younger saluted their influences by joining the Stooges' lead guitarist Ron Asheton and MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson for a six-week blitzkrieg of Australia. The notion made sense, since... Read More