Vinyl Albums Gallery & Discography from 1970-1990

Girlschool hit 1982 like a steel-toe boot: "Screaming Blue Murder" pairs NWOBHM bite with big hooks, powered by Nigel Gray’s crisp production and a new bassist in the engine room. Fast, tight, and loud in all the right places, with "Don’t Call It Love" as the instant anthem that sticks.

This album stays on my shelf because the guitars refuse to behave. Brad Gillis and Jeff Watson turn every track into a duel, blending flash, speed, and melodic control without losing the groove. Jack Blades brings the hooks, but it’s the twin-axe attack that gives Midnight Madness its bite. Pure arena hard rock, no filler, no apologies.

I always hear this album like a sugar-rush with teeth. It’s New Wave pop wired straight into punk instinct, all fizzed-up guitars, bratty keyboards, and choruses that dare you not to shout back. Vix drives the whole thing with fearless front-foot vocals, while Jo and Magz keep the grooves twitchy and fast. Nothing sits still, nothing behaves, and that’s exactly why this slab still slaps decades later.

I put this on when I want the room to go soft-focus. This is the Stones leaning into pure psychedelia: hazy grooves, cosmic detours, and that spaced-out, acid-rock atmosphere that feels like it’s floating an inch above the speakers. Jagger sells the weird with confidence, and Brian Jones turns the whole thing into a kaleidoscope with Mellotron fog.

I always come back to “Rainbow - On Stage” when I want hard rock without the studio gloss. This record sounds big, loose, and dangerous, like the band could derail at any second and chooses not to. Dio commands the room with pure lung power, while Blackmore plays sharp, loud, and slightly reckless. Long tracks, molten solos, and crowd noise baked in—this is heavy, riff-driven rock meant to be played loud and unapologetic.

This 12" EP is Helloween arriving loud and early: their inaugural release with "Judas" plus the live blasts "Ride The Sky" and "Guardians." Early pressings came without a barcode (collector alarm bells: yes), while later reissues added one. It’s a lean mid-80s Noise artifact—raw, fast, and historically pivotal.

Need a straight shot of early-’80s hard rock? "Allied Forces" hits with tight crunch and big-chorus swagger. Rik Emmett keeps the guitars sharp and melodic, Gil Moore brings the punch and vocal grit, and the record flips from radio-friendly heat ("Magic Power") to fist-in-the-air grind ("Fight the Good Fight"). The title track throws the big-stadium flag in the ground, then "Say Goodbye" cools the engines. This copy’s inner sleeve seals the vibe with lyrics and live shots.

This is Rory Gallagher in peak live mode: sharp, biting guitar, fat midrange, and zero fake gloss. The band plays tight but never stiff - McAvoy thumps and walks, de'Ath snaps the backbeat, and the groove keeps rolling like a pub-floor boogie. 'Too Much Alcohol' and 'Walk on Hot Coals' come off rough-edged and fearless. The track flow feels like a real gig: build-up, sweat, then that late-hour looseness that makes a 2LP feel necessary.

This album is chanson francaise with pop-rock swagger and a little new-wave sheen: you get groove, but it stays song-first and character-led. Tom Novembre carries it with a half-spoken, half-sung delivery that makes every line land like a punchline with feelings. Choruses stick, verses have attitude, and “Les Nains De 1,80m” is that track you hum all day—then realize you’re still thinking about the lyrics.

Released in 1983, "Undercover" finds the Rolling Stones deliberately swerving away from nostalgia and into darker, street-level territory. The album blends hard-edged rock with flashes of reggae, funk, and early-80s production grit, reflecting a band reacting to punk, New Wave, and a changing musical climate. Songs like "Undercover of the Night" and "Too Much Blood" confront violence, politics, and urban paranoia, making this one of the Stones’ most confrontational and underrated studio statements.

W.A.S.P. - Last Command (Three European Releases)

W.A.S.P.'s 1985 album 'The Last Command,' released as a 12" vinyl LP, is a landmark in the glam metal genre. Led by Blackie Lawless, the band's raw energy, provocative lyrics, and powerful riffs made it a classic

Carnivore’s final statement lands hard on Retaliation, a 1987 12" vinyl LP on Roadrunner Records that captures crossover thrash at its most confrontational. Produced by Alex Perialas and recorded at Systems Two in Brooklyn and Pyramid Sound in Ithaca, the album blends hardcore speed with crushing metal weight. Complete with a printed lyrics sleeve, this Dutch pressing documents the band’s raw, uncompromising sound at the moment it burned out.

Gianna Nannini’s “Puzzle” captures her 1984 breakthrough moment, blending Italian rock attitude with sharp synth-driven production. Produced with Conny Plank, the album balances raw vocals, electronic tension, and stadium-ready hooks, anchored by the era-defining single “Fotoromanza” and wrapped in a striking structured sleeve design.

Manu Dibango’s "Afrijazzy Makossa" captures the 1986 moment when Afro-Jazz, funk, and modern studio power collided. Anchored by the chart-topping "Makossa ’87," the album blends African rhythm with jazz authority, produced by Dibango and Bill Laswell, and recorded in New York with an international, heavyweight lineup.

The censored European edition of "Open Up and Say... Ahh!" captures Poison at their late-’80s commercial peak, blending glam metal hooks with radio-ready production by Tom Werman. This controversial sleeve variant, altered for retail sensitivity, turned censorship into collector fuel and helped cement the album’s status as a defining 1988 hard rock release.

“Best Wishes” is the second full-length album by New York hardcore band Cro-Mags, released in 1989 on Profile Records. The record marks a decisive shift toward a heavier crossover metal sound, slowing the pace and sharpening the riffs while keeping hardcore intensity intact. Darker production, disciplined songwriting, and tracks like “Death Camps” and “Age of Quarrel” make this a pivotal late-’80s hardcore LP.

Released in 1982, “4 aka Security” marks the moment Peter Gabriel fully locks into rhythm, tension, and early digital experimentation. Built around tribal percussion, Fairlight textures, and controlled studio precision, the album feels physical and unsettling rather than melodic or polite. Tracks like “The Rhythm of the Heat” and “Shock the Monkey” balance experimental ambition with real impact, making this German Charisma pressing a key document of early-80s progressive rock evolution.

Released in 1986, Deep in the Heart of Nowhere is Bob Geldof’s first full solo statement after the Boomtown Rats era. Produced by Rupert Hine, it blends mid-80s British pop-rock polish with restless, inward songwriting. Tracks like This Is the World Calling and Love Like a Rocket anchor an album that feels personal, controlled, and deliberately serious on vinyl.

This EP always feels like Metallica slamming the door on overthinking. Dropping the needle here, everything snaps back to basics: speed, grit, and zero polish. Jason Newsted steps in with raw intent, locking in tight while the band rips through covers that shaped their DNA. No epic structures, no studio shine — just loud amps, punk nerve, and that unmistakable thrash bite that still hits hard decades later.

“Space Metal” is a double LP compilation capturing UFO’s formative hard rock years before their late-70s breakthrough. Drawing from the albums “UFO 1,” “Flying,” and the Japanese-only live release “UFO Lands in Tokyo,” it blends extended space-rock jams with blues-rooted heaviness. Issued in 1976, it documents a band still stretching songs live and shaping the sound that would soon define them.

This album always feels like a turning point to me. TRUST sound disciplined, focused, and dangerously confident, riding that early-80s metal tension without slipping into excess. Bernie Bonvoisin’s voice stays front and center, sharp and confrontational, while the band keeps everything lean and muscular. It’s heavy metal rooted in reality — no gloss, no bullshit, just pressure and conviction pressed into vinyl.

Released in 1992, “Countdown to Extinction” captures Megadeth at the exact moment thrash metal learned how to hit hard without tripping over itself. Produced by Dave Mustaine and Max Norman, the album tightens the band’s sound into sharp, disciplined songs while keeping the paranoia and bite intact. More focused and accessible than earlier releases, it became both a critical and commercial breakthrough.

By 1978 the rock world was splintering, and this record sounds like The Runaways choosing survival over shock. The songs are leaner, tougher, and built to last beyond headlines. Joan Jett’s presence anchors the album, while Lita Ford pushes the guitar tone closer to real hard rock territory. It’s not reckless anymore — it’s focused, streetwise, and quietly defiant.

“Terrible Certainty” captures KREATOR at the point where raw Teutonic thrash hardened into precision weaponry. Recorded at Hannover’s Horus Studio and produced by Roy “Macaroni” Rowland, this 1987 album delivers disciplined speed, razor-sharp riffing, and Mille Petrozza’s commanding vocals, cementing the band’s status beyond the underground.

Woodstock 1969 in Bethel, New York was three days of mud, volume, and “peace & music” that somehow mutated into a cultural monument. Woodstock Two (1971, Atlantic) is the official 2LP aftershock: 16 performances plus festival ambience, from Jimi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane to CSN&Y, Joan Baez, Melanie, Mountain and Canned Heat.

1979 US 12" maxi-single on Capitol (Cat. 8511) where Sammy Hagar takes on the Otis Redding and Steve Cropper classic with a late-’70s rock sheen. A fun collector curveball: big sleeve, bold credits, and that unexpected mood-shift away from pure hard rock.

Éxitos is a greatest hits collection from Willie Colón, capturing the energy and brilliance of his groundbreaking salsa career. Featuring classic tracks from his work with Héctor Lavoe and solo hits alike, the album offers a vibrant journey through Colón’s golden years and the sound that defined a generation of Latin music lovers.

WOW is Wendy O. Williams’ 1984 solo debut, produced by Gene Simmons and released on Roadrunner Records. The album shifts away from the Plasmatics’ anarchic chaos toward a tighter heavy metal and hard rock sound, driven by sharp guitar riffs, punchy production, and Wendy’s unmistakably aggressive vocals. A confrontational, no-frills record built for volume, attitude, and pure impact.

Aphrodite's Child’s 1972 double LP “666” is a landmark progressive rock concept album built around apocalyptic biblical imagery. Blending psychedelic rock, proto-synth textures, spoken passages, and avant-garde experimentation, it pushed far beyond conventional song structures. Featuring Vangelis at his most daring, the album became a cult classic and a cornerstone of early 1970s European prog.

Released in 1981, Concrete captures 999 at a turning point where early UK punk urgency hardens into something heavier and more controlled. Produced by Vic Maile, the album trades youthful chaos for grit and tension, with tracks like “So Greedy” and “Obsessed” pushing tight riffs and disciplined rhythms. A solid Albion Records UK pressing that shows punk growing muscle without losing bite.

A feral snapshot of Slayer at the moment they stopped warming up and started burning cities. This limited blue vinyl pairs the raw, chaotic violence of the “Live Undead” EP with the studio brutality of “Haunting the Chapel,” capturing the band just before thrash metal fully detonated. Fast, ugly, and gloriously unpolished, this release documents Slayer’s transition from underground menace to genre-defining force.

Dropping the needle on “Hunted” still feels like catching the NWOBHM scene mid-sprint. This record plays lean and hungry, with riffs that don’t hang around and vocals that sound like they’re chasing the beat rather than polishing it. Steve MacKay’s delivery keeps everything street-level, while the twin-guitar attack drives straight ahead with no glam padding. This is proper pub-metal energy, pressed before the scene cooled and moved on.