Hitler's S.s.: Portrait in Evil (1985)

A magical proposition from the start, PORTRAIT somehow tapped into heavy metal's unerringly atavistic principles without ever sounding like some self-consciously retro knockoff. Along with WOLF's "Evil Star" and a handful of others, the Swedes' self-titled 2008 debut album gave substance and sustenance to the welcome return of old-school clangor in the 21st century, with some much-needed mystique and malevolence thrown in as a bonus. Vocalist Per Lengstedt's KING DIAMOND-saluting shriek was simply the blood-spattered icing on the cake…

Many albums have scaled to the top of the American charts, many of them not so good, but few have been as widely forgotten and spurned as REO Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity. In a way, the group deserved this kind of success. They had been slogging it out in the arenas of the U.S., building up a sizeable audience because they could deliver live. And then, in 1980, they delivered a record that not just summarized their strengths, but captured everything that was good about arena rock. This is the sound of the stadiums in that netherworld between giants like Zeppelin and MTV's slick, video-ready anthems.

Although at least one of the three oboe concertos on this recording is almost undoubtedly spurious, this is still one of the loveliest Handel recordings ever made - gorgeous melodies, elegant but energetic playing and sound engineering that can hardly get any better.