The “Ode to Joy” might have become a drinking song about good fellowship—Gemütlichkeit—but in Beethoven’s hands, it became a hymn to friendship and freedom. To have experienced true friendship is to have realized that all humans are interdependently linked in ways that transcend custom, ...
’“The Trooper” tends to get all the credit, but there’s more here than the illustrious heavy metal hymn. The first record to feature drummer Nicko McBrain, he introduced himself with the daunting stickwork of “Where Eagles Dare,” instantly proving his worth. Up next is the anthemic ...