As for something fun to do on 12 – 12 – 12, I figure it would be cool, to do my “Top 15 Music Albums of 2012” right now and get it out of the way. The music industry keeps getting worse and worse each year, but I still happen to find some good music still. These were the best albums that came out this year. What is my no. 1 for best record ever made in 2012? Well, some of you may find it surprising, and some you may not find it surprising.

Enjoy the list below, counting backwards to the no. 1 choice.

15. Heart – Fanatic
(This is the 14th album by the legendary classic rockers, Heart, who is still going to this day. I love Heart, and I think this is their best album, they’ve done in a long time. It’s a really rocking album, with great guitar riffs, excellent guitar solos all over, and Nancy Wilson’s vocals, oh my god, KILLER! The Wilson sisters still got it, folks! They still ROCK! Congrats to them on their Hall of Fame induction.)

14. Joe Satriani – Satchurated: Live at Montreal
(The Satch has been my favorite guitarist for years, and this is one of the best live albums ever. Instead of playing his most popular songs, the album is full of obscure stuff we never heard before. Of course, there’s a few songs on it from his iconic, “Surfing with the Alien” album, though. Other than that, this is a pretty sick live album and Satch’s guitar playing was on fire, like usual. I know what it is like to see Satch live, as I saw him in concert once myself. Get this one if you like shred guitar.)

13. Tenacious D – Rize of the Fenix
(Kyle Gass and Jack Black, are back with a third Tenacious D album, and I think this is the best one out of the three they have. While the album is still full of offensive and obscene lyrics that are not suitable for children, there are some very strong and powerful songwriting on this album. They have matured as songwriters and seems to be getting better every album. Kyle’s guitar playing is just sick, and Jack has more emotion with his singing in this one. The songs are hilarious like usual.)

12. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
(I’m not really much into the indie rock scene, but when I came across, Sharon Van Etten, singer/songwriter from NYC, I fell in love. She’s one of the best singer/songwriters in the Indie rock scene. It’s her amazing voice that draws you to her music. That is what did it to me. There’s something about this woman. Her songwriting is beautiful, and amazing. It’s good folk rock music. You should really check her out.)

11. Smashing Pumpkins – Oceania
(The Smashing Pumpkins has returned with their 9th studio album, and even if they have a completely new lineup of musicians now, they still sound stronger than ever. I know, the last few Smashing Pumpkins records haven’t been that great. There haven’t been a great Pumpkins record since, “Mellie Collie”. Surprisingly enough, “Oceania”, is full of old school sounding Pumpkins songs. This album will bring you back to the “Siamese Dreams” days. Finally, this is a true Pumpkins record that we’ve been wanting to hear for years. There are a mix of heavy songs and mellow songs, but this is an amazing Pumpkins record. Great job, Billy!)

10. Joe Bonamassa – Driving Toward the Daylight
(I’ve been reading a lot about this guy through Guitar World magazine ’cause they like to hype him so much. After listening to this record today in Spotify, I can see why! This guy’s music is phenomenal. His guitar playing is sick and he has blistering guitar solos, all over. He’s a blues rock musician, and he’s a great singer too. Pretty tight songs on this album, I was very impressed with it, and I want my own copy of this album soon!)

9. Mumford & Sons – Babel
(I was late getting into Mumford and Sons. I got into them ’cause everyone was talking about them. So I decided to check them out for myself. When I picked up their album, “Babel”, it wouldn’t leave my CD player. I kept playing it over and over again. I don’t know why. The album just kicks ass. Everyone was right, they are very talented.)

8. Aerosmith – Music From Another Dimension
(Everyone is always wondering when Aerosmith is ever going to go back to their old school rock sound they had back in the 70’s, well, your wish had just came true. People were so tired of Aerosmith writing pop songs all the time, and they finally gave us a rock n’ roll album. Aerosmith hasn’t made a good album since “Get a Grip”, and “Music From Another Dimension” was surprisingly great. So this album deserves to be high in the list. Even though the boys had some personal troubles over the years, they finally got together and made an album. Good job, dudes!)

7. Slash – Apocalyptic Love
(I’m glad Slash finally got rid of the special guest singers, and went with one singer, Myles Kennedy. This is Slash’s best album outside of Guns N’ Roses. It’s his best guitar playing too. Myles singing was also incredible. This is one of those albums that came out this year, that I can’t stop listening to. It’s an addicting album. This album does feel a little Guns N’ Roses sounding, however, but at least, Myles can sing, better than Axl.)

6. ZZ Top – La Futura
(This album by the legendary blues rockers, ZZ Top, is creating a lot of buzz in the industry, so I had to give it a listen myself. I would have to say that this was their best album since, “Eliminator”. It’s a tight rockin’ album all the way, through. Incredible guitar sounds, and the solos are just amazing as well. The dudes in ZZ Top, still have it! Billy Gibbons is a phenomenal guitar player!)

5. Soundgarden – King Animal
(I still don’t understand the mixed reviews on Soundgarden’s new album, “King Animal”. I think it’s a killer record all the way through, and it won’t leave my CD player either! I love Soundgarden’s older music more like most fans, but get over the past! It’s about moving forward, not backwards. I loved it the first time, I heard it. They still sound like Soundgarden, no matter what you think of it. Amazing album.)

4. The Sword – Apocryphon
(I’ve been a fan of, The Sword, for a long while, and this is their best album, out of the four they currently have. They still sound a little Black Sabbathy like they’ve always had, but I like those bands who don’t change their sound. Their songwriting is maturing, however, this is a much stronger album, than their previous albums. I enjoy the Sword ’cause this is the kind of metal I want to hear. Metal with real singing. Not the screaming & growling, death metal type, not my thing. The Sword, rules.)

3. Rush – Clockwork Angels
(Rush, who are now Hall of Fame inductees, has returned with their 19th studio album, this year. This is a concept album that tells a story. The album is full of great guitar riffs by Alex Lifeson and it has full of catchy songs. It’s a heavy rockin’ album too, all the way through. The last several Rush albums haven’t been that great, but this has been the best one they did in years. All musicians played great on it. You learn something new every time you hear the album. Whether you’re a Rush fan or not, you should definitely give this one a listen. Check it out soon.)

2. Van Halen – A Different Kind of Truth
(EVH and David Lee Roth has reunited for a new Van Halen album, minus, Michael Anthony. Still a kick ass album though. Even though this isn’t the original VH lineup that we all wanted, they still rock. This is another album, that I couldn’t stop listening to. They still know how to write songs that will never leave your head and Eddie’s guitar playing is on fire, like usual. This is an old school Van Halen album and this is the way they’re supposed to sound. I know they’ve tried other sounds and styles over the years.)

1. Neil Young – Psychedelic Pill
(Yep, so I find Neil’s newest album, “Psychedelic Pill”, to be the best record released all year. I’ve been a Neil Young fan for years. This is definitely the best album he did with Crazy Horse, ever. This guy wants to make it alright that you can listen to long songs that are between 15-30 minutes. Why does Neil write long songs? It’s called jamming and improvisation. I’m willing to bet that’s how these songs got it’s start. They came out of jamming. Even though the songs are very long on this double album, Neil continues to write catchy songs that never leave your head. Neil’s guitar sound is at it’s best on this album. His guitar solos are out of this world. Great musicianship all around, with all the guys in Crazy Horse. With all the guitar legends and singer/songwriters out there retiring from the music business, Neil is still going. Still doing his thing like he always did. People just need to stop listening to garbage commercial music in the mainstream and listen to Neil Young. His music is better than most stuff out, nowadays.)

Enjoy!

I’ll have the “Best Movies of 2012”, up sometime after Christmas.

Kev