1986. 40 years later.

Not quite up to the level of the previous couple of records that spawned massive hits, but still a solid southern rock album that I owned on cassette. They actually played at Purdue on the tour supporting this record.

Produced by Gene Simmons and featuring 3 songs that were Kiss leftovers and a Patti Smith cover, this was generic mid-80s metal. Gene Simmons produced this and the previous Keel record, but even that wasn't enough to propel them to stardom. When Simmons moved on to other interests after this record, the dream was mostly dead for Keel. I'm sure we blasted this album back in the day. We were mullet-headed teens, after all. But listening i 2026 just makes all its shortcomings stand out.

Speaking of controversial albums, Judas Priest's decision to go glam in 1986 was not universally well received. Back in the day I was on team "no thanks." On a relisten in 2026, I think it was more an issue of execution than concept. Halford's voice is tailor-made for soaring melodies. They could have made a killer glam metal record. Instead, they gave us Turbo.

2 songs that sound like AC/DC. 2 songs that sound like Zeppelin. 2 power ballads. 2 cover tunes.

I have no idea what they were trying to accomplish with this record, but whatever it was, I'm fairly certain they failed. It's almost unlistenable today. Absolutely nothing is going on with this record that would motivate me to ever play it again.

The first Van Hager record. People either loved it or hated it. I was a solo Sammy (and Montrose) fan, so I was on the love it side of the fence. 40 years later, it holds up. In fact, given the state of music today, it actually sounds fresh.

I actually owned Kill 'Em All when it first came out. I played it once or twice and set it aside. 16-year-old Chris wasn't ready for speed metal. 18-year-old Chris got it. The album is still a classic. The songwriting holds up, and in fact, I probably better understand it today than I did when I was 18. Some of the songs seem long just for the sake of being long to my ear today, but it's a minor quibble. It's a record that's still on my playlist 40 years later.

In 1986 you needed one really great tune to make an album succeed. Shot in the Dark is that tune. I owned this on CD and I'm 99% sure that the MP3 album in my music directory is a rip of that CD.

So how does it hold up in 2026? Shot in the Dark is still a fabulous tune. The title track still hits hard too. The rest of the record is fine, but nothing special. 2 good songs and a bunch of okay tunes is how I remember most of Ozzy's output in this phase of his career, so from that POV, it's a standard Ozzy record.

(Rhetorical question) Do the blues ever go out of style?

Another one that I owned on cassette but lost somewhere along the way. I might need to buy this again for the MP3 library.

I don't think I ever owned this. I was, and still am, a fan of Ozzy and Dio led Black Sabbath. Today, this sounds plodding and flat. I suspect I thought the same back in 1986.

I think I had this on cassette. I definitely have not heard this album since the 80s. It is their debut album, and the production is demo album quality. That isn't necessarily bad, as I typically preferred the rawer sound. However, this record suffers from the same issue that all White Lion records did. When they were deciding between rock out and power ballad, they almost always chose power ballad.

I'm fairly certain this got set aside in 1986 and forgotten about quickly.

In 1986 I was a teenage metalhead. But Susanna Hoff's undeniable cuteness could pierce the soul of even the most hardened metalhead, so I was a fan. I still listen to Hoff's solo stuff (she released a fabulous album last year) and The Bangles, so this is not so much a revisit as an acknowledgement that this record still sounds great. They layered their 60s Byrds influences under some 80s sheen, but it is still there. Plus, of course, the Prince-penned Manic Monday leads the album. Definitely one to keep in the playlist.