We Are Stars!

I’m sure you’ve heard the USA For Africa charity song from the ’80s that raised money for starving children in Africa called “We Are The Children”.

I know that song was popular but, honestly, I never liked it.

You may not be aware of a much better charity song for African children that was recorded 28 years ago today by some of the biggest names in 80s heavy metal.

On 1985 May 20th, members of Dio, Judas Priest, W.A.S.P., Twisted Sister, Dokken, Queensryche, Quiet Riot, Rough Cutt, Motley Crue, and more got together and called themselves Hear ‘N Aid to record the song “(We Are) Stars “!

“(We Are) Stars“, twenty-eight years old today, is the heavy metal answer to We Are The World.
And it’s much better!

Check it out:

Animetal USA

Have you ever heard of the Japanese heavy metal band “Animetal“?

The Japanese band "Animetal".

They were an extra band made just for fun by members of other established Japanese metal bands. Animetal played heavy metal versions of Japanese anime theme songs.

The artwork of the cover of Animetal's first album (released in the mid-90's).

Animetal disbanded about five years ago…but this year, Marty Friedman (who was the lead guitarist of the American heavy metal band Megadeth but quit that famous band so that he could live in Tokyo with his Japanese wife) helped organize the formation of “Animetal USA“.

"Animetal USA"

Animetal USA consists of Mike Vescera (formally the lead vocalist of the Japanese band “Loudness” for a short time), Chris Impellitteri (of the band “Impellitteri”), Rudy Sarzo (from “Quiet Riot”) and Scott Travis (of “Judas Priest”).

Just like the original “Animetal”, this band sings heavy metal versions of Japanese anime theme songs…but, unlike the Japanese band, only some of their songs are in Japanese—the rest are in English.

They will be releasing their debut album on 2011 October 12 and on October 15, they will perform at this year’s Loudpark Heavy Metal Festival in Saitama, Japan.

The cover artwork for Animetal USA's debut album...due for release on 2011/10/12.

Here is the official video for “Animetal USA“‘s first single…the theme song of the anime 「宇宙戦艦ヤマト」 (“Space Battleship Yamato“):

Is my music collection considered “oldies” now?

In 1986, when I was sixteen years old, if you had asked me my opinion of music that was released twenty-five prior to that (in 1961)…music by artists such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Chuck Berry was popular at that time…I wasn’t interested in that type of music and I probably would of considered it “ancient”.

It’s now 2011 and 1986 is now twenty-five years in the past!
My taste in music hasn’t changed at all. I still listen to the same great albums that I bought in the ’80s.
My I-pod has a number of albums from 1986.

Look at this list of albums that are now twenty-five years old (listed here in order of release). You can’t deny that they’re all excellent…much better than most of the forgettable “music” that is released today:

• Black Sabbath “Seventh Star” 
  
• Ozzy Osbourne “The Ultimate Sin”

• Metallica “Master Of Puppets“

• Van Halen “5150“

• Judas Priest “Turbo”

• AC/DC “Who Made Who“

• Savatage “Fight For The Rock“

• Loudness “Lightning Strikes“

• Great White “Shot In The Dark“

• Iron Maiden “Somewhere In Time“

• W.A.S.P. “Inside The Electric Circus“

• KiLLeR DWaRfS “Stand Tall“

Have you heard any of these albums? What do you think of them?
As for me, even though they’re twenty-five years old now…and nearly every one of these bands have better albums in their catalog (except Metallica—“Master Of Puppets” is legend!…these albums still stand the test of time!

Music Promotion Videos

I mentioned some of my favorite rock ‘n roll albums on an earlier post (Click here to read it).

Here are some of my music videos to some great songs:

KISS “I Love It Loud”

Megadeth “Symphony Of Destruction”

Ozzy Osbourne “Gets Me Through”

Quiet Riot “Cum On Feel The Noize”

Metallica “Nothing Else Matters”

Jackyl “I Stand Alone”

The Japanese band Loudness “This Lonely Heart”

Twisted Sister “We’re Not Gonna Take It”

Judas Priest “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’”

AC/DC “Thunderstruck”

Lordi “Would You Love A Monsterman?”

Scorpions “Rock You Like A Hurricane”

Skid Row “Youth Gone Wild”

A Japanese band named RIZE “Name”

Def Leppard “Rock Of Ages”

Monkey Majik and 吉田兄弟 “Change”

Jackyl

Top 20 Albums

Stuff.co.nz has a so-called list of “MTV’s Greatest Album Ever Top 20” on their site.

Number one on their list is “Thriller” by Michael Jackson!

I not a Michael Jackson fan by a long-shot! I dislike him and his music. I think that “Thriller” album is way over-rated!
Their list also includes albums such as “OK Computer” by Radiohead. They’re even worse than Michael Jackson!

In fact, every single album on their list is a waste of vinyl, in my opinion…except one: they have “Appetite For Destruction” by Guns ‘N Roses listed as number three.
“Appetite For Destruction” is a great album!

I couldn’t believe, though, that they put a list of the Top 20 Greatest Albums Ever and included those other nineteen albums!
But after I re-read the article, I noticed it says “…votes were cast by fans asked to choose their favorite album since 1981 from a shortlist of 26 LPs.”

So, their list is basically meaningless (and so wrong!).

That made me do a search for a better list of the best albums of all time.

I found a list of the Best 500 Albums Of All Time.
It’s better…but KISS doesn’t appear of it even once! (And they have that awful Radiohead as number one! Motörhead ♠ or Diamondhead would’ve been better!)

So, I decided I should put online an accurate list of the best albums.

Here it is…the Best Twenty Albums Of All Time:

• KISS (their debut album). Eight out of the ten songs on this album are classics! How many other albums have 80% of the songs that are concert staples for decades?

• AC/DC : Back In Black.

• KISS : Alive II. When I was about eight-years-old, this is the first KISS album I ever saw. It made an impression on me.

• Mötley Crüe : Shout At The Devil. The epitome of ’80s heavy metal.

• Guns ‘N Roses : Appetite For Destruction. The only album from MTV’s list that belongs on a Top 20 list!

• Jackyl (their debut album). The lead singer plays the chainsaw! That’s rock ‘n roll!

• Def Leppard : Pyromania. The last decent album by this band! I saw them in concert after the drummer lost his arm in an accident and began drumming with one arm!

• 

• Megadeth : Countdown To Extinction.

• Metallica (the black album. (Should be titled: “Don’t Tread On Me” because of the cover)). All of Metallica‘s albums up to this one are great! Don’t know what happened to them after they cut their hair though!)

• Ozzy Osbourne : Blizzard Of Ozz. Ozzy is the Godfather of Metal. I love all of his albums…but this one is best!

• Judas Priest : Defenders Of The Faith.

• Queensrÿche : Operation:Mindcrime. This album is a masterpiece! I usually don’t like concept albums…but this is the rare great concept-album!

• Quiet Riot : Metal Health. Every metal-head bought this album in 1983!

• RATT : Out Of The Cellar.

• Black Sabbath : Master Of Reality.  Any Black Sabbath album is great!

• Savatage : Hall Of The Mountain King. By far their best album.

• Scorpions : Love At First Sting.

• Twisted Sister : Stay Hungry. Did you know that they dedicated this 1984 album to Arnold Schwarzenegger?

• Skid Row (their debut album). The song “Youth Gone Wild” is the perfect metal anthem.

• Dangerous Toys (their debut album).

What do you think of my list? Have you ever listened to any of these albums? Do you own them? Do you like them?

Write your own “Top 20 Best Albums” list in the comments section?

Three Day Weekend

昨日 (Yesterday) was 十月十日 (October 10). Until a few years ago, that day used to be 体育の日 (Sports Day). But, along with a few other 祝日 (holidays), it’s been changed to the closest 月曜日 (Monday).

Therefore, this 月曜日 (Monday) (十月十三日 (October 13)) is 体育の日 (Sports Day). So, 今日 (today) is the first day of a 三連休 (three-day weekend).

(You can see my short FAQ post about 体育の日 (Sports Day) here.)

There are many 秋祭 (Autumn Festivals) around 日本 (Japan) this weekend and next. We plan to go to a couple of them.

Today (土曜日 (Saturday)), though, we’re just staying home because our daughters need to study for exams that they’ll will have at school on 火曜日 (Tuesday).

*****
I’m part of “Generation X” (born in the late 1960s – late ’70s). I was in Elementary school in the 1970s and a teenager in the 1980s.
I can remember (vaguely) the election of the US President Jimmy Carter. More vividly I remember when Rubik’s Cube®, Sony Walkman® (that played cassettes), MTV®, “Nightmare On Elm Street“, and Pac-Man® were big.

Growing up I loved Star Wars, The Incredible Hulk (TV show), Knight Rider (I’ve seen an episode of that old show recently…I can’t believe I liked it as a kid!), Evel Knievel, The Fonz, and heavy metal music (some of my favorites were (and still are): KISS (see my post here), Judas Priest, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Motley Crue, and Scorpions).

Recognize any of those? Some things on that list were from the ’70s (until I was ten years old) and others were from the ’80s (when I was eleven years old til high school).

(BTW, all of the band logos above are copyright© of their respective owners. And I got the images from the Hard Rock Hideout website).

My three kids were born between 1993 and 1996. Their generation doesn’t remember a pre-internet or pre-cell phone world. They were too young to understand the “9/11” attacks when they occurred.

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Anyways…what was popular with you when you were growing up? (Write about it in the comments section!)