It would be easy to list 40 or 50 favourite albums, but coming up with just 10 is really difficult. I feel guilty leaving out so many great bands (sorry Led Zeppelin, Mountain, Tool, Tesla, Badlands, COC, Masters Of Reality, Kyuss, Winger, Y&T, Spiritual Beggars, Megadeth, Maiden...), but JT in particular has already listed a few I might have included, which helps a bit. A lot of this is stuff I've liked since I was 15, 16, 17 but I think that's when you're most open and impressionable, so no apologies for that. Here we go, looooong post coming:
Deep Purple - Made In Japan (1972)
Ritchie Blackmore was my first guitar hero. Zeppelin were probably the "better", more talented band, but there was something so funky about Purple. I have a soft spot for Deep Purple Mark III (David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes sharing lead vocals, unbelievable!) but I'm going with Made In Japan because it includes the best-ever version of that song. Blackmore's tone on the solo is just astonishing, and gives me chills every time I hear it (it did again just now!).
Montrose - Montrose (1973)
The no-frills, adrenaline-charged debut from a young hard rock four-piece, led by a hotshot guitarist and a charismatic, blond-haired singer. It's on Warner Bros records, it's produced by Ted Templeman, it can only be one thing - Montrose! "Rock The Nation" and "Rock Candy" are magnificent, but "Make It Last" is astounding. Weird that Sammy went on to join that other band...
Scorpions - Fly To The Rainbow (1974)
There are many brilliant Scorpions albums, but their relatively obscure second album is, honestly, my favourite. There's just something about the slightly awkward, rambling, hippyish, melodic songs that I love. And listening to Ulrich Roth tear through "Drifting Sun" like a neo-classical, Teutonic Jimi Hendrix is awe-inspiring.
Robin Trower - Robin Trower LIVE! (1975)
Robin Trower has always seemed like a reserved sort of guy, but in Stockholm on 3 February 1975 the man was on fire. This whole album bristles with joyful energy. I can honestly say that nothing in the world makes me happier than hearing the opening bars of "Too Rolling Stoned"!
Rush - Permanent Waves (1980)
Moving Pictures is often named as Rush's best album, but Permanent Waves was my first and it's still my favourite. They were just moving away from the fantasy/science fiction lyrics to something more down-to-earth, and the band seemed to be crackling with energy and power, right on top of their game. Fantastic. And I still know all the words!
MSG - The Michael Schenker Group (1980)
Blackmore got me interested, but this, more than any other album, made me want to learn to play the guitar. I didn't get very far with that really, but I still love the record. Schenker was never the greatest of songwriters, but some of the finest melodic hard rock guitar solos ever recorded lie within these grooves.
King's X - Out Of The Silent Planet (1988)
Just as Nirvana were about to take over the world, there were some bloody great new bands taking hard rock in interesting new directions - Living Colour, Warrior Soul, Saigon Kick, Galactic Cowboys and best of all King's X. Combining huge guitar riffs with growling, funky bass, strong melodies and beautiful harmony vocals, they went on to make many great albums but they never bettered the first one - and "Power Of Love" is one of my all-time favourite songs.
Circle Of Soul - Hands Of Faith (1991)
Criminally ignored funky hard rock band with great, great songs and two fine singer/guitarists in Joseph Mastrokalos and Granny Cleveland. I never go more than a couple of weeks without listening to this album. Sadly, they only did one other, One Man's Poison, which is very nearly as good.
Trouble - Manic Frustration (1992)
It's supposed to be cool to like Trouble's first couple of albums, Psalm 9 and The Skull, before they "sold out". Bollocks to that. Great as those albums are, Manic Frustration is 100 times better. Crushing riffs, killer solos but, best of all, utterly fantastic songs. It just couldn't be any better.
Clutch - Slow Hole To China (2002)
Undoubtedly my favourite "new" band, I love the rhythm section and Neil Fallon's genius lyrics. It's pretty much impossible for me to pick a favourite Clutch album, and it may seem like I'm being deliberately obscure, but I'm going to go with the rarities compilation Slow Hole To China because it includes "Guild Of Mute Assassins", quite possibly the finest song (and song title) ever.
