Emerson, Lake and Powell is a 1986 comeback album from prog rock pioneers ELP featuring Greg Lake, Keith Emerson and Cozy Powell – hear MP3 samples and video

The Real Thing is a 1989 album from rock pioneers Faith No More featuring Mike Patton – hear MP3 samples and video

Fastway was the debut album from former Motorhead guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke’s hard blues-rock band Fastway featuring future Flogging Molly frontman Dave King.

Femme Fatale’s self-titled debut album also proved to be their swansong with way too much emphasis being put on the appearance of frontwoman Lorraine Lewis and too little on penning some decent material.

With a sound lighter than a helium-filled feather, British AOR band FM broke onto the scene with Indiscreet, their debut album, in 1986 which showcased their ability to pen a fine melodic tune!

Line-Up is a 1981 album by ex-Rainbow frontman Graham Bonnet featuring cozy Powell and Jon Lord – hear MP3 samples and video

The Number of the Beast is a 1982 heavy metal classic from Iron Maiden and was not only a door-opener to mainstream success for the heavy metal genre, but also is cited as a major influence on many bands who were to follow.

Escape is a 1981 album from AOR/melodic rock band Journey featuring Steve Perry and Neil Schon – hear MP3 samples and video

Creatures of the Night is a 1982 opus from US glam rockers Kiss and was their 10th studio album and the last to feature guitarist Ace Frehley and marked something of a watershed in the careers.

Metal Queen is the second album from Canadian rocker Lee Arron released in 1984 and was her breakthrough album raising her to headline status in both her native Canada and throughout Europe.