Stereoboard Look Back On The Albums That Celebrate Anniversaries This "Apocalyptic" Year (Feature)
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Written by Heather McDaid
Time flies when you’re having fun, or so they say, and when you look back on the releases of some of your favourite bands, it’s fair to question “Where has the time gone?” So, with 2012 said to be the year of the apocalypse (we’ll run with it for argument’s sake), there’s no finer time to look back on the albums that celebrate decades of anniversaries in this apocalyptic year.
40th Anniversary
Looking back to 1972, there’s a fair few notable releases. Michael Jackson may have still been working with the Jackson 5, but 1972 saw him release his solo debut ‘Got To Be There’, selling over 3.2 million copies over the years. Almost unheard of with Michael Jackson’s music nowadays, but the record peaked at a mere #14 in the charts back then.
A far cry from ‘Lulu’, Lou Reed also marked his solo debut in the form of a self titled release. It was a mix of new, original recordings and previously unreleased offerings from The Velvet Underground. If #14 for Michael Jackson seemed underwhelming, Loud Reed’s record debuted to a measly #189 in the charts.
Jethro Tull treated fans to their concept album ‘Thick As A Brick’, said to be based on a poem by the fictional youngster Gerald Bostock – in fact, all written by Ian Anderson. The record was an odd release, comprising of one 44 minute track encompassing odd instrumentation for their genre and an intricate progression throughout the piece. In February of this year, Ian Anderson announced that there will be a follow up album, ‘TAAB2 – Whatever Happened to Gerald Bostock?’ It’s said to be a full length concept release that will be worthy of its predecessor.
The Rolling Stones released their 10th British release in this year, which also doubled as their 12th American one. 'Exile on Main St.' originally received a mixed response, but over time the record has been viewed as one of their best and most prominent albums. Comprising of a vast array of musical influences, the album snagged the number 7 spot on Rolling Stone magazine's "500 Greatest albums of all time"
Another prominent release of this year is David Bowie's 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'. Presenting the loose story of rockstar Ziggy Stardust - a human manifestation of an alien being who is involved with promiscuity and drugs – has an underlying message of hope and love. Initially, many critics rated it highly but didn’t believe it had staying power. On the contrary, it stands the test of time.
Shock-rocker Alice Cooper released his acclaimed 'School's Out' too. The title track remains one of his most famous to date and will likely never be dropped from his live set. Reaching #2 on the Billoard charts, Alice proved to have a real formula for success working with his now long-term workmate Bob Ezrin.
1972 also marked the last full album together for The Doors. ‘Full Circle’ was the second offering following frontman Jim Morrison’s death, yet the band never really pushed anything post-Morrison. There wasn’t even an official American release for this record.
30th Anniversary Iron Maiden’s famed release ‘The Number of the Beast’ saw its release in 1982, marking the debut album with Bruce Dickinson on vocals. The record was met with huge commercial and critical success and still – to this date – remains one of the acclaimed albums in metal. In America, however, the album caused the band to face accusations of being Satanists. Small price to pay for one of the most definitive albums in their musical genre... Motorhead’s record ‘Iron Fist’ also marked the debut offering of the line up comprising of Lemmy, Phil Taylor and Eddie Clarke.
1982 also saw The Cure released what is often claimed to be their darkest musical offering. ‘Pornography’ is said to have been recorded by a band “on the brink of collapse” and that while the darkness didn’t necessarily receive overtly favourable reviews across the board, it did chart well. John Doran once described the album’s lyrics “It doesn’t matter if we all die" as the band’s gothic piece de resistance.
Queen released their tenth record in 1982 – ‘Hot Space’. Said to be a turning point in sound for the band, it seemed to alienate fans who were devoutly addicted to their rock sounds. This comprised of a more pop oriented sound, suited for disco. One of the most prominently remembered tracks from that record is ‘Under Pressure’, now a famed duet between Queen and David Bowie.
KISS also marked their tenth release in this year, with ‘Creatures of the Night’ being a distinct attempt to return to their hard rock sound. Their poppier albums were declining in popularity, while they’re 1981 release ‘Music from “The Elder”’ remains one of the band’s worst ever releases and this was the opportunity to return to their most appreciated musical sounds. It never catapulted them up to their previous dizzying heights of fame, but it more than certainly pulled them out of their musical slump.
Aerosmith marked an interesting release in this year. ‘Rock In A Hard Place’ is the only album not to fully feature Joe Perry and Brad Whitford on guitar. The album widely received negative reviews, mainly due to the fact that it appeared to be Aerosmith with stand in guitarists. The absence of Joe and Brad really seemed to be felt on this record. Adam Ant made his solo debut following Adam and the Ants disbanding in the form of ‘Friend of Foe?’ His debut remains one of his most acclaimed offerings, and certainly the most successful.
1982 also marked Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ being released into the world. In little over a year, the album became the highest selling album of all time. It is said to have sold between 65 and 110 million copies worldwide and embodies one of the most iconic eras in the late musician’s legacy.
20th Anniversary
While Green Day really took on the world with their 1994 release ‘Dookie’, its ’92 predecessor really has its story to tell. Marking the last album the band made on an independent label and the first with the current line-up ‘Kerplunk’ was the record that gained such a level of popularity that the big record labels started to take notice. The album has sold upwards of a million copies worldwide.
This year also saw Def Leppard release their first album following the death of Steve Clark. 'Adrenalize' proved a huge hit by snagging the number one spot on both sides of the Atlantic. The band had said it wouldn't take four years for the album, but following Steve's personal battles with addiction they found themselves giving him leaves of absense and putting the album on hold repeatedly. However, in the end the band produced a great album.
Black Sabbath’s ‘Dehumanizer’ marked a lot of first in terms of line-up. It was the first album in over a decade featuring Vinny Appice on drums and Dio on vocals; it also marked the return of Geezer Butler after almost a decade away. This album remains one of the heaviest works the band have produced.
1992 also marked The Prodigy’s musical debut, taking the world on with their release ‘Experience’. While it only peaked at #12 in the charts, the album was met favourably. It is not their biggest or best release by far, but it certainly should be noted due to them going onto become such an unshakable musical force.
Another notable debut in 1992 came in the form of Rage Against The Machine’s self-titled release. While it only hit #45 in the American charts, it did snag #1 on their Heartseekers chart. The album features a number of the band’s most prolific songs, including ‘Killing In The Name’, ‘Know Your Enemy’ and ‘Bombtrack’. It also features in Rolling Stone Magzine’s greatest albums all time, coming in at 368.
‘Broken’ is Nine Inch Nails’ 1992 EP that is noted as a Grammy-winning release. Over half of the offering found themselves censored due to their content as the band took inspiration from considerably heavier outlets. Their number ‘Wish’ won them the best metal performance at the Grammys the following year.
10th Anniversary
Finch's definitive debut 'What It Is To Burn' was debuted ten years ago, with Glassjaw's Daryl Palumbo appeaering on two songs. Overall, the record received a positive response and the record possesses any of Finch's most acclaimed tracks.
2002 also saw Scottish rockers Idlewild release their third record 'The Remote Part', which remains the band's most successful release. The offering snagged #3 on the UK album chart, only being pipped by Oasis and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and has since been certified gold.
This year also saw a string of debuts from acclaimed American bands who now run in the same circles. Taking Back Sunday released their record ‘Tell All Your Friends’, The Used released their self-titled offering and My Chemical Romance released their famed ‘I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love’. These three bands went onto become synonymous with each other, being the alternative magazine poster boys of the mid-noughties. All three remain highly appreciated today, although relatively different to their musical debuts of ten years ago.
New Found Glory also released one of their most commercially appreciated offerings ‘Sticks and Stones’. Including tracks like ‘My Friends Over You’ and ‘Head on Collision’, the offering truly remains one of the most pivotal in the band’s back catalogue. Good Charlotte also released one of their most famed releases this year: ‘The Young and the Hopeless’. It includes three of their defining tracks: ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’, ‘The Anthem’ and ‘Girls and Boys’. Both bands have changed over the years, but still appreciate that these records play host to some of their defining works.
‘Alive or Just Breathing’ marked the last Killswitch Engage album to feature Jesse Leach on vocals. He had since been replaced y Howard Jones, but Jesse has once again rejoined the band. What better gift to fans to celebrate this album’s tenth anniversary than to have the singer rejoin the band?
This is, of course, an overview. Thousands of albums were releases in just the four years covered and, even then, each month could probably warrant its own feature, let alone each year. A lot of definitive records for various bands were released in years that will celebrated a decade anniversary this year, but there are countless others just as worthy of mention that were missed out.
If there’s one thing you take from this, it’s to go back and re-listen to all the albums from your past that you’ve slowly grown out of. The wave of nostalgia is pretty crazy and – let’s face it – who doesn’t like to relive their younger years, even if it’s for the span of one album?
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Iron Maiden’s famed release ‘The Number of the Beast’ saw its release in 1982, marking the debut album with Bruce Dickinson on vocals. The record was met with huge commercial and critical success and still – to this date – remains one of the acclaimed albums in metal. In America, however, the album caused the band to face accusations of being Satanists. Small price to pay for one of the most definitive albums in their musical genre... Motorhead’s record ‘Iron Fist’ also marked the debut offering of the line up comprising of Lemmy, Phil Taylor and Eddie Clarke. 
