20 Favourite albums, Part 3

5 more, 5 to go....

Led Zeppelin - Four Symbols

I thought very hard about not including this album, because it comes up as #1 on all those classic rock lists. But in the end I had to include it here. As for 'Stairway to Heaven', the song has only been spoiled by over-exposure. Just try and remember the first time you heard it.

Marillion - Brave

It's very difficult to choose just one Marillion album; they've done many great ones, including all four they did with Fish, and last year's superb "Anoraknophobia". In the end, I have to choose "Brave", their dark and intense concept album that appeared just after so many fans had written them off after it's blandly commercial predecessor.

Pink Floyd - The Wall

An album which divides Pink Floyd fans; some think this was the beginning of the end for the band. It was reviled by the critics when it first appeared; Sounds notorious punk/indie pseud Dave McCulloch slammed it for containing too many guitar solos and gave it one star. Cloth-eared twit! Whatever I think of Water's semi-autobiographical concept, I still love the music, especially those Dave Gilmour solos that Sounds' critic hated so much.

Queensrÿche - Operation Mindcrime

I know I'm a sucker for concept albums, but 80s metal didn't get better than this. The Seattle-based quintet's finest hour, the concept is about cyberpunkish tale of an assassin drawn into a cult. Very much a product of it's time (Cyberpunk was big in the 80s), but the powerful twin guitar attack and Geoff Tate's distinctive voice passes the test of time.

Rainbow - On Stage

I always felt Ritchie Blackmore was constrained in the studio, and really shone playing live. The late 70s, both with Mk3 Purple and Rainbow saw some of his most ferocious playing. For Blackmore fans, this one is a must-have. It's not just Blackmore who shines here, just listen to the way Ronnie Dio interprets Deep Purple's "Mistreated" and makes the song his own. It wasn't just punk bands that had the energy in 1977!