April’s Picks for a Penny
Sure, we just filed our taxes the other day and April is rapidly dissolving into May but that doesn’t mean that it’s too late to bring you our Picks for a Penny for April. In fact, the time is perfect to bring you five CDs that will have you rockin’ out in your car with the windows down. It’s that time of year and so this month we bring your five penny CDs that sound great while driving around in warm spring temperatures.
Editor’s Note: In the past we’ve posted our picks for a penny and then received E-mails a few days later from readers who noted that the CD is no longer available on Amazon Marketplace for a penny. At the time of this writing, the lowest available price on each of the following releases was one penny. That price may fluctuate as time goes on and there is no guarantee that these albums will always be available for one penny.
Van Halen: 1984
“1984″ is just what it sounds like, an album released by one of the greatest metal bands of all-time in, you guessed it, 1984. Far from Van Halen’s first album, “1984″ is arguably one of their best. The last Van Halen album with the original (and best) lineup, “1984″ proves that synthesizers don’t have to sound cheesy. In fact, Van Halen brilliantly combined screaming guitar solos with rolling synthesizer breaks for an unforgettable album. This is the album everyone knows, packed full with classic songs.
Tracks to check out: “Panama,” “Girl Gone Bad,” “Jump,” “Hot for Teacher,” “Top Jimmy” “Drop Dead Legs,” and “I’ll Wait.”
Tracks to skip: “1984″
Slaughter: Stick it to Ya
Call Slaughter metal or pop metal but whatever you do, don’t forget about the wonders of Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum. They ditched the Vinnie Vincent Invasion and brought in a new rhythm sections to produce one of our favorite hair metal albums of all time. Slaughter and company are in fine form on “Stick it to Ya” which yielded several big hits for a band that often gets lumped in with the likes of bands like Firehouse and White Lion.
“Stick it to Ya” is chock full of memorale songs from the tail end of the hair metal era that will have you breaking out your old stonewashed jeans.
Tracks to check out: “Spend My Life,” “Eye to Eye,” “Up All Night,” “Fly to the Angels,” “Burnin’ Bridges,”"Mad About You,” and “Desperately.”
Tracks to skip: “She Wants More,” “Loaded Gun,” and “Gave Me Your Heart.”
Aerosmith: Big Ones
“Big Ones” is just that: big hits for an even bigger band. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t deny that Aerosmith produced a whole lot of big hits over the years and “Big Ones” brings them all together in one neat package. Sure, since this album has been released there’s been bigger and better compilations put out there but for 1994 “Big Ones” was king.
Tracks to check out: “Walk on Water,” “Love in an Elevator,” “Rag Doll,” “What it Takes,” “Dude (Looks Like A Lady),” “Janie’s Got a Gun,” “Cryin’,” “Amazing,” “Blind Man,” “Deuces are Wild,” “The Other Side,” “Crazy,” “Eat the Rich,” “Angel,” and “Livin’ on the Edge.”
Tracks to skip: NONE. ARE YOU KIDDING?!
Guns N Roses: Appetite for Destruction
Very rarely does a debut album come along that sets the scene for an incredible career. Even more rare does
that album frequently get pegged as one of the greatest albums of all time. But Guns N Roses did it. Not only did “Appetite for Destruction” introduce one of the most influential (and incredible) rock guitarists of all time but it gave us a huge number of songs that would seemingly live on forever. Since its release in 1990, we’re hard pressed to find another album that has rocked harder.
Tracks to check out: “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Nighttrain,” “Out Ta Get Me,” “Mr. Brownstone,” “Paradie City,” “My Michelle,” “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “You’re Crazy,” and “Rocket Queen.”
Tracks to skip: If you MUST skip a track or two, then you could miss “It’s So Easy” and “Think About You.”
Megadeth: Youthanasia
“Youthanasia” could very well be Megadeth’s best album chock full of top-notch melodic metal. Though it was originally met with disappointment from Megadeth fans, “Youthanasia” is a brilliant display of a band that grew musically, introducing more atmospher and “moodiness” into their songs.
Tracks to check out: “Reckoning Day,” “Train of Consequences,” “Elysian Fields, “The Killing Road,” “A Tout Le Monde,” “Addicted to Chaos,” “Youthanasia.”
Tracks to skip: “Family Tree,” and “Victory.”
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