British Steel (Judas Priest)

British Steel
Judas Priest (1980)

Top Tracks: “Breaking the Law”, “Living After Midnight”, “Metal Gods”

Oh hell yes. So, metal is an interesting genre within the scope of rock. It’s said (and I agree) that you really don’t get metal as we know it without Black Sabbath, but the direction of the genre was cemented with the presence of Judas Priest. They been around for about ten years before they exploded into the mainstream with British Steel, an album that would become a benchmark for metal for decades. Side note: I got to interview Glenn Tipton a number of years ago and it was super exciting to me despite talking to rock stars all the time for my work (June 2020).

Crimes of Passion (Pat Benatar)

Crimes of Passion
Pat Benatar (1980)

Top Tracks: “Hit Me with Your Best Shot”, “You Better Run”, “Treat Me Right”

I absolutely loved this album, which was one of the very first I bought myself when I got my own stereo system in my room (the other two were Tattoo You and Out of the Blue, also on this list). That separation between albums I’d familiarized via my parents versus things that were new and part of my own generation is important. Pat’s voice was fucking awesome and I enjoyed the hard rock/pop vibe of her early stuff (June 2020).