Ehwmatt wrote:Boston debut is definitely a 100%. All 8 songs consistently in rotation to this day on classic rock radio, all great songs, not a filler track on there.
for me, radio airplay has ZERO to do with how good an album is. Promotion had everything to do with airplay, and just because management/label dropped the ball shouldn't affect how good an album is. There's also plenty of albums who made charts somewhere, but weren't even released in other countries. How do you rank that? I know this is twisting your point, but still...
Ehwmatt wrote:Escape has plenty of filler and garbage (open arms)
I'd add Dead or Alive and Lay It Down to that list also. OA is ok, but pales in comparison to Still They Ride/Mother Father.
Ehwmatt wrote:Vital Signs is damn close for me too... an excellent album. If not 100%, a 98%
See, I never viewed Vital Signs as anywhere near the peak of Survivor's career. Sure, some great songs, but Popular Girl might just be their worst song ever. The Search Is Over is ok, but not even close to their best ballad (Ever Since the World Began or Man Against the World blows it out of the water). When Seconds Count was better to me, and Premonition (the Japanese version with the uncut Summer Nights) is their best album.
Now, as far as some of my favorites (some you may have heard, others not)...using the higher scale here
Survivor - Premonition (if you've only heard Vital Signs, this will be an eye-opener! Survivor didn't come close to sounding like this until Too Hot To Sleep. The Japanese version with the uncut Summer Nights is miles better than the US version)
Dare - Out of the Silence (maybe THE aor album...just stunning)
Magnum - On a Storyteller's Night / Wings of Heaven (you either get Magnum or you don't.....if you do, you don't get much better than this)
Cold Chisel - East / Circus Animals (very popular Australian rock band....completely different albums, and both near untouchable. Blues-based hard rock would be the best description, but that would be doing the band a considerable disservice)
near the 99% rating
Richie Sambora - Stranger In This Town....maybe cut River of Love and possibly Rosie. The best Bon Jovi-related album ever, and a tragedy that it didn't get any airplay
Ian Moss - Matchbook....Australian version of Stranger In This Town, but a bit more AOR. A couple of huge hits, and Don Walker is one of the best lyricists ever. Pretty Face is just ok, but the live version with the very extended guitar solo is miles better--and would move this to 100%.
There may be a few more that I've missed...