Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers and more

Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers and more

What started out as a quick post on Facebook to engage Sleaze Roxx readers evolved into a fascinating look at what albums have made an impact over the years on Sleaze Roxx readers.

Back on March 2, 2016, I posted the following message on Sleaze Roxx’s Facebook page: “Here are the rules: list 12 albums that have stayed with you, but only 1 per band/artist. Don’t take too long and don’t think too hard. No compilations. Below are mine off the top of my head. What are yours? Olivier” before setting out my top 12 albums without putting too much thought in it.

If there was any doubt that Sleaze Roxx readers love the ’80s era of hard rock / heavy metal, this “survey” puts those doubts to rest. The most popular albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers were all released back in the 1980s. You should note that I used the results from the aforementioned Sleaze Roxx Facebook post but also the results from the people (mostly Sleaze Roxx writers) that I initially invited to take part in this survey on my own Facebook page. As I started to compile the results, one thing that became clear was that certain bands were being penalized for having too many great albums since one rule in the survey stipulated you could only pick one album per artist. Accordingly, I decided to also rank the artists and/or bands that received the most mentions in the survey and that had the most albums named in the survey. Finally, I have included some miscellaneous stats at the end for your reading pleasure!

Olivier

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Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers

01. MÖTLEY CRÜE – Shout At The Devil – 32% of votes
Released on September 26, 1983

Def Leppard, Quiet Riot and Van Halen may have been the first hair metal bands to breakthrough to platinum success many times over but it is Mötley Crüe‘s Shout At The Devil album which has resonated the most with Sleaze Roxx readers. Mötley Crüe embodied so many things at the same time during that era including heavy theatrics, wild partying and debauchery, California cool, an anti-establishment attitude, and heavy yet accessible songs. From start to finish, Shout At The Devil is simply an exceptional and even underrated album. While there is no doubt that the videos for “Looks That Kill” and “Too Young To Fall In Love” appear a bit dated at this time, the songs themselves have stood the test of time with the ultimate anthem “Shout At The Devil” leading the way.

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02. GUNS N’ ROSES – Appetite For Destruction – 28% of votes
Released on July 21, 1987

Often touted as one of the best albums of all-time and having sold about 30 million copies worldwide, it is no surprise to see Guns N’ Roses‘ debut album Appetite For Destruction near the top of the albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers over the years. It was the right place at the right time for singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and company who came in with sleazier attitude filled music while a lot of the better known bands like Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot and even Judas Priest were glamming up and experimenting with synthesizers. It wasn’t until “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was released as a single that Guns N’ Roses became a household name and the hottest band in the world. Nothing can truly equip you for that kind of success and the group’s new found wealth coupled with various band members’ substance and alcohol abuse issues along with Rose‘s quirky behaviour meant that the Appetite For Destruction line-up would only last one full-length album with Rose being the only man standing years later.

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03. RATT – Out Of The Cellar – 21% of votes
Released in March 1984

Riding high on the strength of the catchy yet gritty single “Round And Round” and the fun video accompanying it, Ratt rose to stardom with their debut full-length album Out Of The Cellar. The album spawned a huge wave of hair / glam metal bands. Unlike some of their counterparts, Ratt were never able to reach the success that they achieved with their breakthrough album and while the group soldiered on, each release seemed to make a less little impact each time. Out Of The Cellar is one seamless listening pleasure with better known tracks such as “Wanted Man” and of course “Round And Round” but as well underrated tracks such as “She Wants Money” and “Scene Of The Crime.” Sleaze Roxx readers have not forgotten what a great album that Out Of The Cellar is and how it set the benchmark for many bands to come.

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04. MÖTLEY CRÜE – Dr. Feelgood – 17% of votes (two way tie)
Released on September 1, 1989

Imagine just how much Mötley Crüe would have dominated this survey had Sleaze Roxx readers not had to choose between Shout At The Devil and Dr. Feelgood. To put things in perspective, if you combine the votes that were cast for Shout At The Devil and Dr. Feelgood, it means that just about 50% of Sleaze Roxx readers chose one out of those two Mötley Crüe albums as having stayed with them over the years, which is a truly remarkable feat. While Shout At the Devil really introduced the world to Mötley Crüe, it was Dr. Feelgood that was the group’s pinnacle and arguably strongest album. Probably the most telling aspect in that regard is the veteran sleaze rockers were still playing five out of the 11 songs off Dr. Feelgood on their recent farewell tour. Despite Mötley Crüe having released two studio albums between Shout At The Devil and Dr. Feelgood, it is the latter that has sold the most to the tune of over six million copies in the U.S. alone.

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04. SKID ROW – Skid Row – 17% of votes (two way tie)
Released on January 24, 1989

Skid Row‘s self-titled debut album has to be considered one of the best hair metal debut albums of all-time. The brilliant songwriting duo of bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarist Dave “The Snake” Sabo coupled with singer Sebastian Bach‘s charisma and amazing vocal pipes produced an exciting album with some very memorable anthems including “18 And Life” and “Youth Gone Wild.” The fact that both Skid Row and their now former lead singer Bach still each play five tracks from the album live more than twenty seven years later speaks volumes on how good the songs are. With over 5 million copies sold in the United States alone, Skid Row is unfortunately the pinnacle for the band but what a pinnacle that was!

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06. DEF LEPPARD – Pyromania – 13% of votes (two way tie)
Released on January 20, 1983

The oldest album on the “Top 12 Albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers” list is none other than Def Leppard‘s Pyromania, which was the band’s first of two albums to reach Diamond certification by the RIAA for selling over ten million copies in the United States alone. Prior to the release of their groundbreaking album Hysteria, Def Leppard were or least qualified as a heavy metal band that was lumped in with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. Pyromania was the group’s ultimate heavy metal album which has so many standout tracks as evidenced by how many still creep up into Def Leppard‘s live shows including the video hits “Foolin'”, “Photograph” and “Rock Of Ages.” Speaking of only the hit singles from Pyromania would not do it justice as the album is rock solid from the barnburner opening track “Rock Rock (Till You Drop)” to the moody album closer “Billy’s Got A Gun.”

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06. QUEENSRŸCHE – Operation: Mindcrime – 13% of votes (two way tie)
Released on May 3, 1988

Who would have thought that the story of a recovering drug addict who becomes disillusioned with the corrupt society of his time and reluctantly becomes involved with a revolutionary group as an assassin of political leaders would be the idea behind a heavy metal band’s concept album? To take it one step further, who would have thought that such a story would be arguably be the basis for the most memorable album from a heavy metal band with sixteen albums under its belt? While many people seemingly think that Queensrÿche‘s 1990 album Empire was the group’s best record, Sleaze Roxx readers have overwhelming chosen Operation: Mindcrime as that group’s album that stayed with them over the years and accordingly had the most impact on them. If you consider that Queensrÿche‘s Operation: Livecrime also garnered some votes, Operation: Mindcrime could well have ranked even higher than tied for the sixth spot on this survey.

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08. DOKKEN – Under Lock And Key – 12% of votes (two way tie)
Released on November 22, 1985

Say what you will about Don Dokken‘s voice these days and the fact that rumours keep surfacing that the classic Dokken line-up will reunite once more time for who knows how long, when the classic line-up of singer Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer “Wild” Mick Brown were together in the mid to late ’80s, they produced some of the best hair metal albums of all-time. Just a few months ago, Sleaze Roxx reviewed Under Lock And Key in honour of the 30th year anniversary of its release and stated: “Under Lock And Key is the Dokken album that has something for everyone. Scorching rockers? “Lightnin’ Strikes Again” and in particular “Til The Livin’ End” deliver in spades. Mid-tempo rockers oozing with melody? “Unchain The Night” and “The Hunter” are some of the best in the business. Beautiful ballads? I’ll give the nod only to “Will The Sun Rise” for this one. All-time classics? “In My Dreams” and “It’s Not Love” are amazing catchy songs filled with almost perfect vocal harmonies with the former Dokken‘s signature song as far as I am concerned.”

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08. W.A.S.P. – W.A.S.P. – 12% of votes (two way tie)
Released on August 17, 1984

There is nothing like starting out of the gates with all guns blazing and that was certainly the case for W.A.S.P. who followed up their controversial debut single “Animal (Fuck Like A Beast)” with one of the strongest debut albums of all-time. The shock rock group’s debut self-titled album is often cited as one of the top three all-time favorite albums by artists interviewed by Sleaze Roxx (such as ex-Wolfchild vocalist Kim Hogberg and ex-Midnight Malice singer Caleb Beal) so it’s no surprise that it would figure in the top 10 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers over the years. W.A.S.P.‘s self-titled album was like a big fuck you to establishment and the perfect soundtrack for every male adolescent wanting to buck authority and get brainwashed into thinking that women were arguably more or less simply sex playmates for males. At the end of the day, the most likely main reason why W.A.S.P. still resonates with so many Sleaze Roxx readers is simply that the songs on the album are just so damn good! You simply can’t go wrong with tracks such as “I Wanna Be Somebody”, “The Flame” and “On Your Knees.”

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10. DEF LEPPARD – Hysteria – 11% of votes (three way tie)
Released on August 3, 1987

How do you successfully top a Diamond certified selling album (10 million copies sold in the US alone)? Def Leppard are likely the only hard rock or heavy metal band to be able to tell you having sold even more copies of their follow up album Hysteria (12 million copies sold in the US and 10 million sold in Canada) than their immensely popular Pyromania album. In the process, the British hard rockers also completely reinvented their sound transitioning successfully from a heavy metal band to a mainstream hard rock outfit — an identity that the group still has to this day. With so many albums sold between Pyromania and Hysteria, it is no surprise that Def Leppard have those two albums figuring among the Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. And that is without even mentioning yet that Def Leppard were able to successfully overcome and stay with their drummer Rick Allen who tragically lost one of his arms in a car accident between the release of the group’s two best known albums.

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10. METALLICA – Ride The Lightning – 11% of votes (three way tie)
Released on July 27, 1984

In some ways, seeing one of Metallica‘s albums in the Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers is surprising given that my predecessor Skid never gave that much coverage to “thrash” bands on Sleaze Roxx. At the same time, there is nothing surprising about seeing one of the biggest metal bands ever chart in such a poll since Metallica broke all the boundaries for thrash metal bands while successfully taking their brand of metal to the mainstream public. While I would have thought that Metallica‘s self-titled or “Black” album would get the nod, it is actually the metal giant’s pre-mainstream thrash masterpiece Ride The Lightning that got the most votes as the Metallica album that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. Not surprisingly, songs such as “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, “Creeping Death” and the gorgeous “ballad” “Fade To Black” still figure prominently in Metallica‘s live set to this day.

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10. POISON – Open Up And Say… Ahh! – 11% of votes (three way tie)
Released on May 3, 1988

Say what you will about Bret Michaels, Poison have left their undeniable mark and that includes in the minds of many Sleaze Roxx readers. Poison‘s biggest selling and sophomore album Open Up And Say… Ahh! is exceptional for all the great songs that are on it. “Nothin’ But A Good Time” and “Fallen Angel” are simply songs that have stood the test of time and it seems that everyone still loves “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” no matter how many times that Michaels re-records it or sucks the mileage out of the song. Another measure of just how good that Poison‘s songs are from Open Up And Say… Ahh! is that Michaels has a successful solo career touring the United States over and over while primarily playing Poison hits including four tracks from that album (the last one being “Your Mama Don’t Dance”) on any given night. However, to restrict Open Up And Say.. Ahh! to the four aforementioned songs is unfair given that the entire album rocks from start to finish.

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Top 12 bands that have released albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers

01. MÖTLEY CRÜE – 63%

The one band that has stood head and shoulders above the rest in the Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers is Mötley Crüe. A whopping 63% of the people that responded chose a Mötley Crüe album as one of the Top 12 albums that have stayed with them over the years. To put things into perspective, that is 21% more or one third more than the closest challenger for this criteria. With Mötley Crüe having recently retired from ever touring again together, their music will certainly live on in the hearts of Sleaze Roxx readers. Not only did the Crüe land the #1 (Shout At The Devil) and #4 (Dr. Feelgood) albums in the above-mentioned survey but their debut album Too Fast For Love was ooohhh so close to landing in the Top 12 albums for this survey!

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02. KISS – 42%

Although KISS did not place one of their records in the Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers, a big reason for that is that KISS‘ resume of albums is simply too vast and with too many quality albums for people to choose from. Accordingly, it is no surprise that KISS landed the number two spot when it comes to the percentage of Sleaze Roxx respondents that chose a KISS album among their Top 12 for this survey. For those who are curious, KISS‘ 1975 breakthrough album Destroyer with the hit single “Beth” and their 1982 comeback album Creatures Of The Night with the standout “I Love It Loud” were the two highest charting albums for KISS in this survey followed closely by their classic live album Alive! KISS might be known for their theatrics but their music is just as important to their success. Whether KISS ever release another studio album remains to be seen but they have definitely left their mark musically speaking.

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03. GUNS N’ ROSES – 36%

With an estimated 100 million albums sold worldwide including 50 million in the United States alone, it is no surprise that Guns N’ Roses have left their mark so to speak on Sleaze Roxx readers. What is even more impressive is that if you put aside the covers album Spaghetti Incident and the Axl Rose‘s led GNR album Chinese Democracy, Guns N’ Roses have sold over 66 million copies worldwide of their three full-length studio albums and two of those (Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II) were released on the same day! With Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan all confirmed for a Guns N’ Roses “reunion” tour starting in less than a week, it appears that GNR are ready to reclaim their throne as the kings of sleaze rock. If anything, it appears that Guns N’ Roses are poised to break some records in terms of highest grossing summer tour with VIP tickets selling for up to $2,500 per ticket!

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04. IRON MAIDEN – 34%

Iron Maiden are another group with just too many great albums to choose from which explains why none of their records figured among the Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. While one might think that a classic heavy metal band like Iron Maiden might not appeal to sleaze and hair metal fans, the reality is that Iron Maiden are the one heavy metal band which virtually every hard rock and metal fan can agree upon. With an estimated 80 to 100 million albums sold worldwide and virtually no radio airplay to speak of, Iron Maiden are proof positive that the cream will rise to the top no matter what. The two highest charting Iron Maiden albums for this survey were their classic Live After Death (1985) and surprisingly, their foray into synthesizer land album Somewhere In Time (1986), followed closely by Killers (1981) and Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (1988).

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05. METALLICA – 33%

With over 100 million albums sold worldwide and 60 million albums sold in the United States alone, it is no real surprise that Metallica would figure among the top five bands that have released albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers even if the group does not get that much coverage on Sleaze Roxx. Considering that Metallica have only released nine studio albums, the amount of records that they have sold for their style of music is truly mind boggling. What is just as impressive is that Metallica have five of their nine studio albums figure in the albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. The five studio albums in question are Ride The Lightning (1984), Master Of Puppets (1986), Metallica (1991), Kill ‘Em All (1983) and …And Justice For All (1988).

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06. W.A.S.P. – 30%

Perhaps the most impressive entry in the top 12 bands that have released albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers is W.A.S.P. since the shock rock group has sold a lot less records than the five bands ahead of them in this list. While selling over 12 million albums is still very impressive, it pales in comparison with what bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden and Guns N’ Roses have accomplished yet W.A.S.P. still figure among 30% of Sleaze Roxx respondents in terms of albums that have stayed with them throughout the years. What is also impressive is that W.A.S.P. have five studio albums that garnered votes and not surprisingly, it is their first five albums consisting of (in order of most votes to the least) W.A.S.P. (1984), The Headless Children (1989), Crimson Idol (1992), The Last Command (1985) and Inside The Electric Circus (1986). One could easily argue that W.A.S.P.‘s first five studio albums can stand toe to toe with any other artist’s first five studio albums because those first five W.A.S.P. albums are that good!

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07. DEF LEPPARD – 29% (two way tie)

With two albums (1983’s Pyromania at #6 and 1987’s Hysteria at #10) figuring in the Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers, it is no surprise that Def Leppard would also figure among the top 12 bands in that regard. What is impressive about Def Leppard is that they have charted on the strength of only three studio albums with the third being 1981’s High ‘N’ Dry. Although Def Leppard have continued to release studio albums over the years, it appears that they are still riding high on the strength of the three aforementioned albums and to a lesser extent 1992’s Adrenalize. In any case, Def Leppard have definitely left their mark on Sleaze Roxx readers including with their groundbreaking Hysteria album.

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07. RATT – 29% (two way tie)

It would be unfair to paint Ratt as a one album wonder because they have put out some great albums including 1985’s Invasion Of Your Privacy, 1986’s Dancing Undercover and 2010’s Infestation (the latter which landed the number one album in the Sleaze Roxx Readers’ Top 20 Albums of 2010). And although Ratt had four of their eight studio releases figure among the top albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers, it is mainly on the strength of 1984’s Out Of The Cellar that Ratt figure in the list of top bands that have released albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. The three other Ratt albums that garnered votes with the Sleaze Roxx readers were 1983’s Ratt EP, 1985’s Invasion Of Your Privacy and 1990’s Detonator.

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09. DOKKEN – 28% (three way tie)

Dokken would have likely figured a lot higher in the Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers had they continued uninterrupted with the classic line-up of singer Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer “Wild” Mick Brown that released their first four studio albums between 1983 and 1987. While 1985’s Under Lock And Key ended up being Dokken‘s highest charting album for this survey, both 1984’s Tooth And Nail and 1987’s Back For The Attack followed closely behind in terms of votes. Not surprisingly, those three albums were the ones with which Dokken achieved platinum success. One thing is for sure. Dokken‘s output in the 1980s had a huge impact on Sleaze Roxx readers.

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09. SKID ROW – 28% (three way tie)

There is no question that Skid Row figure among the list of top bands that have released albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers on the strength of their self-titled debut album. However, their sophomore record Slave To The Grind released in 1991 also did very well in this poll. With 1995’s Subhuman Race being the only other Skid Row album mentioned in this survey, it is no surprise that it is only the Skid Row albums featuring their former singer Sebastian Bach that have made a truly lasting impact with Sleaze Roxx readers. Of note, Bach did not receive any votes for his solo albums which suggests that the sum is greater than its parts in the case of Skid Row and Bach. Will we ever see the two camps reunite? A golden opportunity seems to have been missed by Skid Row who apparently decided to recently forge ahead with singer ZP Theart rather than reunite with the somewhat unpredictable yet charismatic Bach who was reportedly ready and willing to do so.

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09. VAN HALEN – 28% (three way tie)

Perhaps the most surprising entry in this survey is Van Halen in a three way tie at #9 in the list of top bands that have released albums that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. One would have thought that the group would figure higher on the list with over 75 million albums sold worldwide including two Diamond certified albums (in the United States) to its name with Van Halen and 1984. One possible explanation is that aside from their self-titled debut album, Van Halen‘s albums were somewhat inconsistent in that there were some absolutely stellar and memorable songs mixed in with some — dare we say — filler tracks. Whatever the reason, Van Halen still figure as one of the top bands that have released albums that Sleaze Roxx readers have found memorable.

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12. AC/DC – 26%

Another iconic band that fared rather low in the top bands that released albums that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers is AC/DC. With a whopping 200 million albums sold worldwide and having influenced virtually every band that has been featured on Sleaze Roxx, one would have thought that AC/DC could possibly finish near the top of the list of the bands that had albums that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. It is however understandable that AC/DC did not place one of their albums among the top 12 given that they have so many albums that people likely consider as “classics.” Whether AC/DC have charted well or not in this survey, one thing is for certain. The hard rock group’s simple yet brilliant three chord songs have arguably had the most impact on the groups that have commenced in the last 25 years that are often featured on Sleaze Roxx.

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Top 12 bands with the most albums that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers

01. KISS – 13 albums

KISS might have been unable to chart one of their albums among the top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers but they thoroughly dominated in one impressive category: the most albums by an artist or band that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. With KISS‘ output including 24 studio albums and seven live albums, Sleaze Roxx readers certainly had a lot to choose from. KISS had an incredible 13 albums that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers, which shows that people embraced all of the hard rock group’s incarnations from guitar driven rock (first three albums) to more commercial (Destroyer to Love Gun) to disco (Dynasty and Unmasked) to heavy metal (Creatures Of The Night to Animalize) to keyboards heavy (Crazy Nights) to grunge (Carnival Of Souls). The 13 KISS albums that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers were: 1974’s KISS, 1974’s Hotter Than Hell, 1975’s Alive!, 1976’s Destroyer, 1976’s Rock And Roll Over, 1977’s Alive II, 1979’s Dynasty, 1981’s Music From The Elder, 1982’s Creatures Of The Night, 1984’s Animalize, 1987’s Crazy Nights, 1989’s Hot In The Shade and 1992’s Revenge.

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02. AC/DC – 8 albums (three way tie)

With 18 studio albums (if you count the American release of High Voltage) and four live albums, Sleaze Roxx readers have a lot to choose from when it comes to which AC/DC album that they favour. It is no surprise that AC/DC‘s two highest charting albums in this survey are 1979’s Highway To Hell and 1980’s Back In Black. The other six AC/DC albums that were voted in were High Voltage (the 1975 or 1976 version?), 1978’s Powerage, 1983’s Flick Of The Switch, 1985’s Fly On The Wall, 1988’s Blow Up Your Video and 1992’s AC/DC Live. Although Brian Johnson‘s time with AC/DC appears to have come to an end, it strongly appears that Angus Young and company will at least reschedule their 10 North American tour dates with a guest singer. What appears unlikely is AC/DC releasing another studio album but never say never!

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02. BLACK SABBATH – 8 albums (three way tie)

It’s about time that Black Sabbath figure in this survey. The fact that most of the heavy metal pioneer’s most popular albums date back to the 1970s likely is the main reason why Black Sabbath did not chart any better in this poll. Nevertheless, there were many Black Sabbath albums that were chosen by Sleaze Roxx readers as having stayed with them over the years. Unlike most of the bands that charted for this survey, there was no clear cut favorite album when it came to Black Sabbath. The eight Black Sabbath albums voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers were: 1970’s Paranoid, 1971’s Master Of Reality, 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, 1975’s Sabotage, 1980’s Heaven And Hell, 1981’s Mob Rules, 1983’s Born Again and 1990’s Tyr.

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02. JUDAS PRIEST – 8 albums (three way tie)

Another veteran heavy metal band that had yet to be mentioned in this survey is Judas Priest but with 17 studio albums, six live albums and over 40 million albums sold worldwide, it is no surprise that the Priest would rank highly when it came time for the most albums by one band that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. 1982’s Screaming For Vengeance and 1990’s Painkiller obtained the most votes out of Judas Priest‘s albums. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the title track for each of those two albums is one of the heaviest tracks that Priest ever recorded. The other Judas Priest albums voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers were: 1977’s Sin After Sin, 1978’s Stained Class, 1978’s Hell Bent For Leather, 1979’s Unleashed In The East, 1980’s British Steel and 1981’s Point Of Entry. Clearly, Sleaze Roxx readers prefer the Priest‘s earlier albums up to the point where the band broke through with “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.”

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05. IRON MAIDEN – 7 albums (three way tie)

Seeing Iron Maiden near the top of the most albums by one band that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers is no surprise. Seeing that no Sleaze Roxx reader chose an Iron Maiden album older than 1988’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is somewhat surprising given that arguably, the leaders of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement have come up with some strong albums since that time including 2000’s Brave New World and 2002’s live album Rock In Rio. The Iron Maiden albums that were voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers were: 1981’s Killers, 1982’s Number Of The Beast, 1983’s Piece Of Mind, 1984’s Powerslave, 1985’s Live After Death, 1986’s Somewhere In Time and 1988’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son.

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05. OZZY OSBOURNE – 7 albums (three way tie)

If you combine the Black Sabbath albums that feature Ozzy Osbourne as their frontman with Osbourne‘s solo albums that were voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers, Osbourne would rank number two in terms of most albums by one artist that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. Osbourne has had a very impressive solo career following his time fronting one of the premier heavy metal bands of all-time. Of note, Osbourne has only released 11 studio albums and that includes one album full of covers. Osbourne‘s albums that were voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers are: 1981’s Blizzard Of Ozz, 1982’s Diary Of A Madman, 1986’s The Ultimate Sin, 1987’s Tribute, 1988’s No Rest For The Wicked, 1991’s No More Tears and 1995’s Ozzmosis.

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05. SCORPIONS – 7 albums (three way tie)

Yet another veteran heavy metal band that is finally getting its just due in this survey is the Scorpions. With 18 studio albums, six live albums and over 75 million albums sold worldwide, the Scorpions would not be denied. Surprisingly, it is the German rockers’ 1979 album Lovedrive, which received the most votes out of any Scorpions album but song for song, it is an impressive album. Despite having released seven studio albums and four live albums in the last 25 years, the other Scorpions albums that were voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers date back more than 25 years and are: 1978’s Tokyo Tapes, 1980’s Animal Magnetism, 1982’s Blackout, 1984’s Love At First Sting, 1985’s World Wide Live and 1990’s Crazy World.

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08. ALICE COOPER – 6 albums (four way tie)

It is not surprising to see Alice Cooper having a large amount of his albums having stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers over the years. With 26 studio albums, numerous live albums and over 50 million albums sold worldwide, Alice Cooper was virtually a shoo in to make this list. It is however very surprising that none of the albums from the actual Alice Cooper band such as 1971’s Love It To Death, 1971’s Killer, 1972’s School’s Out and 1973’s Billion Dollar Babies garnered any votes. In fact, it is one of Cooper‘s “comeback” albums (1989’s Trash) that received the most votes from Sleaze Roxx readers. The other Alice Cooper albums that were voted in for the purposes of this survey are: 1975’s Welcome To My Nightmare, 1977’s Lace And Whiskey, 1978’s From The Inside, 1986’s Constrictor and 1991’s Hey Stoopid. Alice Cooper has continued to release studio albums over the years and his 2005 album Dirty Diamonds reached the #4 spot on Sleaze Roxx’s Top Ten Albums of 2005.

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08. VAN HALEN – 6 albums (four way tie)

David Lee Roth versus Sammy Hagar — the eternal debate among Van Halen fans continues. Roth clearly got the upper end over Hagar when it comes to Van Halen albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers over the years. While the Hagar fronted Van Halen albums 5150 (1986) and Balance (1995) were voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers, the four Van Halen albums featuring Roth — 1978’s Van Halen, 1980’s Women And Children First, 1981’s Fair Warning and 1984’s aptly named 1984 — all received more votes than any of the Hagar led records. What is truly impressive is that Van Halen only released 12 studio albums and two live albums so they have placed 50% of their studio albums in this survey (tied with Whitesnake), which is a ratio only bettered by Ozzy Osbourne as a solo artist and Metallica.

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08. W.A.S.P. – 6 albums (four way tie)

There is no doubt that W.A.S.P. have not sold as many albums as the other bands that have the most albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. Yet here is W.A.S.P. among some of the greatest and longest lasting hard rock and heavy metal bands / artists and tied with the legendary Alice Cooper, the mighty Van Halen and Whitesnake for six albums placed on this survey. The six W.A.S.P. albums that were voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers were 1984’s W.A.S.P., 1985’s The Last Command, 1986’s Inside The Electric Circus, 1987’s Live… In The Raw, 1989’s The Headless Children and 1992’s The Crimson Idol. While W.A.S.P. are the only group to have their first five studio albums voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers, the shock rock group has released 10 studio albums since that time, which do not appear to have resonated as strongly with any Sleaze Roxx readers although last year’s Golgotha did finish at #2 in the Sleaze Roxx Readers’ Top 20 Albums of 2015.

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08. WHITESNAKE – 6 albums (four way tie)

Quality over quantity. Whitesnake may date back all the way to 1978 yet the group has only released 12 studio albums in its 38 year history. Clearly, Whitesnake‘s leader, founder and frontman David Coverdale is more concerned about quality than quantity and Sleaze Roxx readers apparently agree with him. Although it is Whitesnake‘s ’70s and ’80s era albums that were voted in as having stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers over the years, Good To be Bad (2008) reached the #3 spot on the Sleaze Roxx Readers’ Top 20 Albums of 2008 while Forevermore (2011) reached the top spot on the Sleaze Roxx Readers’ Top 20 Albums of 2011! The six Whitesnake albums that were voted in by Sleaze Roxx readers for this survey are: 1979’s Lovehunter, 1980’s Ready An’ Willing, 1980’s Live… In The Heart Of The City, 1984’s Slide It In, 1987’s Whitesnake and 1989’s Slip Of The Tongue.

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Miscellaneous facts and statistics

• There is no question that albums released in the 1980s have dominated the Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. The top vote getters for albums released in other eras are: for the 1960s, Led Zeppelin‘s Led Zeppelin II (1969); for the 1970s, Van Halen‘s Van Halen (1978); for the 1990s, Megadeth‘s Rust In Peace (1990); and, for the 2000s onwards, Crashdiet‘s Generation Wild (2010).

• The most recent album to feature on the Top 12 albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers is Nordic Union‘s self-titled debut album which was released on January 29, 2016.

• There were 240 different bands or artists mentioned in this survey with names starting with every letter of the alphabet except for the letter “X”.

• There were 446 different albums named in this survey.

• It seems that the majority of Sleaze Roxx readers and I (the site’s new editor) are pretty much on the same page with four of my top 12 albums (Mötley Crüe‘s Shout At The Devil, Guns N’ Roses‘ Appetite For Destruction, Ratt‘s Out Of The Cellar and W.A.S.P.‘s self-titled album) figuring on the lists of top albums that have stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers. The other albums rounding out my top 12 were: Twisted Sister‘s Stay Hungry, Van Halen‘s 1984, Scorpions‘ World Wide Live, Wolfchild‘s Wolfchild, Diemonds‘ The Bad Pack, Shock‘s Once Denied, Iron Maiden‘s Live After Death and Helloween‘s Master Of The Rings.

• A couple of bands were very close to making it into one or two of the three aforementioned categories and it seems unfair not to at least mention them here.

• Bon Jovi had four of their albums (1984’s Bon Jovi, 1986’s Slippery When Wet, 1988’s New Jersey and 1992’s Keep The Faith) named as a Top 12 album that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers and their album Slippery When Wet, which sold over 28 million copies worldwide almost made the cut.

• Dio also had four albums (1983’s Holy Diver, 1984’s The Last In Line, 1986’s Sacred Heart and 1987’s Dream Evil) named as one of the memorable albums for this survey and their classic album Holy Diver also came close to cracking the Top 12 albums list.

• Helloween had five of their albums (1987’s Keeper Of the Seven Keys: Part 1, 1988’s Keeper Of The Seven Keys’ Part II, 1994’s Master Of The Rings, 1996’s Time Of The Oath, and 2007’s Gambling With The Devil) named in the top album survey  meaning they fell just short of being included in that survey category.

• Megadeth had five of their albums (1986’s Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?, 1988’s So Far, So Good… So What!, 1990’s Rust In Peace, 1992’s Countdown To Extinction, and 1994’s Youthanasia) named in the Top 12 albums that stayed with Sleaze Roxx readers and their Rust In Peace masterpiece came so close to making the cut.

• Finally, Twisted Sister had four of their first five studio albums (1982’s Under The Blade, 1983’s You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll, 1984’s Stay Hungry and 1987’s Love Is For Suckers) named in this survey and Stay Hungry came close to making the cut.