Mandatory Music and CD

Beauty and the Beat Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine It’s not quite right to say that the Go-Go’s' 1981 debut, Beauty and the Beat, is where new wave caught hold in the U.S., but it’s not quite wrong, either. Prior to this, there had certainly been new wave hits --  Blondie  had been reaching the Top Ten for two years running -- but the Go-Go’s ushered in the era of big, bright stylish pop, spend...

This week Tony and Max are out fighting the power! And so Dave is joined by Tonya Todd and Mike Burton! And they'll be discussing the iconic, important and influential debut album from Rage Against the Machine! Rage Against the Machine's self-titled debut album, released in 1992, exploded onto the music scene with its potent blend of rap, metal, and politically charged lyrics. Produced by...

Rumours is the kind of album that transcends its origins and reputation, entering the realm of legend -- it's an album that simply exists outside of criticism and outside of its time, even if it thoroughly captures its era. Prior to this LP, Fleetwood Mac were moderately successful, but here they turned into a full-fledged phenomenon, with Rumours becoming the biggest-selling pop album to date...

"A Kind of Magic" is a pivotal album in Queen's discography, both for its musical content and its association with the cult classic film "Highlander." Released in 1986, the album captures Queen at a significant moment in their career, showcasing their ability to blend rock, pop, and theatrical elements into a cohesive and engaging sound. The title track, "A Kind of Mag...

Siamese Dream Review by Greg Prato While Gish had placed the Smashing Pumpkins on the "most promising artist" list for many, troubles were threatening to break the band apart. Singer/guitarist/leader Billy Corgan was battling a severe case of writer's block and was in a deep state of depression brought on by a relationship in turmoil; drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was addicted to hard dru...

Everything Will Be Alright in the End Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine   Two songs into Everything Will Be Alright in the End, Rivers Cuomo sings "we belong in the rock world," a repudiation of the big beat experimentation of Raditude, a 2009 record that found Weezer working with such pop producers as Dr. Luke and Butch Walker. Weezer fans eager for Pinkerton, Pt. 2 are often quick to b...

The Number of the Beast Review by Steve Huey Routinely ranked among the greatest heavy metal albums of all time, The Number of the Beast is the birth of Iron Maiden as we know it, a relentless metal machine lifted to soaring new heights by the arrival of erstwhile Samson frontman Bruce Dickinson . Dickinson 's operatic performance here made him an instant metal icon, challenging even Rob Halfo...

Dirt Review by Steve Huey from All Music Dirt is Alice in Chains' major artistic statement and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece. It's a primal, sickening howl from the depths of Layne Staley 's heroin addiction, and one of the most harrowing concept albums ever recorded. Not every song on Dirt is explicitly about heroin, but Jerry Cantrell 's solo-writ...

Misplaced Childhood Review by John Franck After the album-tour-album cycle of Script for a Jester's Tear , Fugazi , and the subsequent Euro-only release of Real to Reel , Marillion retreated to Berlin's Hansa Ton Studios with Rolling Stones producer Chris Kimsey to work on their next opus. Armed with a handful of lyrics born out of a self-confessed acid trip, Fish came up with the elaborat...

The Real Thing Review  by Ned Raggett Starting with the careening "From Out of Nowhere" driven by  Roddy Bottum 's doomy, energetic keyboards, Faith No More rebounded excellently on The Real Thing after  Chuck Mosley 's was fired. Given that the band had nearly finished recording the music and  Mike Patton  was a last minute recruit, he adjusts to the proceedings well. His insane...

Appetite for Destruction Review  by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Guns N' Roses' debut, Appetite for Destruction was a turning point for hard rock in the late '80s -- it was a dirty, dangerous, and mean record in a time when heavy metal meant nothing but a good time. On the surface, Guns N' Roses may appear to celebrate the same things as their peers -- namely, sex, liquor, drugs, and ro...

Hotel California Review by William Ruhlmann The Eagles took 18 months between their fourth and fifth albums, reportedly spending eight months in the studio recording Hotel California. The album was also their first to be made without Bernie Leadon , who had given the band much of its country flavor, and with rock guitarist Joe Walsh . As a result, the album marks a major leap for the Eagles from t...

Paranoid Review by Steve Huey Paranoid was not only Black Sabbath's most popular record (it was a number one smash in the U.K., and "Paranoid" and "Iron Man" both scraped the U.S. charts despite virtually nonexistent radio play), it also stands as one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal albums of all time. Paranoid refined Black Sabbath's signature sound -- crushingly loud, minor-key...

The Lost Boys [Original Soundtrack] Review by Theresa E. LaVeck Joel Schumacher 's 1987 film The Lost Boys capitalized on a temporary lull in horror movies in the late '80s and created a heavily music-video-influenced vampire homage with enough campy humor, heavy metal costumes, and hunky stars to put a fresh spin on the genre. An amusing piece of eye candy spiked by a few creepy moments,...

Review by Steve Huey of All Music Even though Master of Puppets didn't take as gigantic a leap forward as Ride the Lightning , it was the band's greatest achievement, hailed as a masterpiece by critics far outside heavy metal's core audience. It was also a substantial hit, reaching the Top 30 and selling three million copies despite absolutely nonexistent airplay. Instead of a radical reinvention,...

One by One Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine One by One is the most accomplished album Foo Fighters have made, which isn't necessarily the same as the best. Picking up the clean, focused sound and attitude of There Is Nothing Left to Lose , One by One is gleaming hard rock: it may have a shiny production, but hits hard in its rhythm and its impeccably distorted guitars. Dave Grohl 's songs often e...

Review by Steve Huey from All Music: Extreme came into its own on the concept album Pornograffitti, with the  band's strongest set of songs and an intellectual theme revolving around  the struggle for genuine love and romance in a sleazy, decadent society  full of greed and corruption. The band shows a strong desire to  experiment and push the boundaries of the pop-metal format...

Physical Graffiti Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Led Zeppelin returned from a nearly two-year hiatus in 1975 with the double-album Physical Graffiti , their most sprawling and ambitious work. Where Led Zeppelin IV and Houses of the Holy integrated influences on each song, the majority of the tracks on Physical Graffiti are individual stylistic workouts. The highlights are when Zeppelin incorpor...

Max, Tony, and Dave take a trip down memory lane to go back and reminisce about the self-titled debut album from Skid Row! Twitter: https://twitter.com/MandatoryCD Email: MandatoryMusicAndCD@gmail.com