Here We Go Again: End of Year Lists 2021
2021: the year of the hamster wheel. It sure felt like we were spinning our tires all year! Sometimes inching a little forward in the mud, only to slide right back. What a year. But we did get some great music out of it.
Here at LeBrain HQ, if you go strictly by the numbers, there were two bands that dominated the year, both oldies acts from the 1980s: Coney Hatch and Iron Maiden! They (or members thereof) appear numerous times in the lists you’re about to read. Not so “oldies” after all eh? Five appearances for Iron Maiden, and a whopping seven for Coney and its members!
Even I was surprised by the lists this year! All my favourite things, and the stats of 2021, are curated below.
Top 11 Albums of 2021
11. Polychuck – Shadows Exposed EP
10. Suicide Star – Isolation
9. Max the Axe – Oktoberfest Cheer EP
8. Mammoth WVH – Mammoth WVH
7. Danko Jones – Power Trio
6. Accept – Too Mean to Die
5. Smith/Kotzen – Smith/Kotzen
4. Iron Maiden – Senjutsu
3. Lee Aaron – Radio On
2. Coney Hatch – Live at the El Mocambo
1. Styx – Crash of the Crown
Top Five Box Sets of 2021
5. Kiss – Destroyer
4. Whitsnake – Restless Heart
3. Def Leppard – CD Collection Vol 3
2. Triumph – Allied Forces
1. Metallica – Metallica
My Favourite Movies of 2021
5. Black Widow
4. Eternals
3. Free Guy
2. The Suicide Squad
1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
(placeholder) Spider-Man: No Way Home – you have to assume it’ll be my new #1 when I see it!
Top 11 Interviews / Unboxings of 2021 (by YouTube views)
11. Robert Lawson interview
10. Sean Kelly interview
9. Suicide Star interview
8. Coney Hatch live LP unboxing
7. Andy Curran round three
6. Andy Curran part one
5. Paul Laine interview
4. Mike Fraser interview
3. Martin Popoff interview
2. Andy Curran + Mike Fraser interview
1. Iron Maiden Super7 figure blind box unboxing
Top Five List Shows / Deep Dives 2021 (by YouTube Views)
5. Top Concept Albums
4. 5150 Deep Dive with Tee Bone
3. Desert Island Discs
2. Top Maiden Art
1. Top Five King’s X with Martin Popoff
Top Reviews of 2021 by Hits
5. GUNS N’ ROSES – “ABSUЯD”
4. STYX – Crash of the Crown
3. PAUL STANLEY’S SOUL STATION – Now and Then
2. IRON MAIDEN – Senjutsu
1. 
– Off the Soundboard – Tokyo 2001
What’s in store for 2022?
- The Book of Boba Fett
- Jethro Tull – The Zealot Gene
- Marillion – An Hour Before Its Dark
- Guns N’ Roses – Hard Skool EP
- new Sven Gali
- Scorpions – Rock Believer
- new Coney Hatch live with two new studio cuts
- new Journey?
- new Def Leppard?
- Bryan Adams – So Happy it Hurts
- Liam Gallgher – C’Mon You Know
- Thor: Love and Thunder
- Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Disney+: Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, What…If? season 2, Secret Invasion, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
- The Mandalorian season 3
- New albums from Ghost, Rammstein, Ozzy Osbourne, King Diamond, Weezer and more
TONIGHT.
Friday December 31, 9:00 PM E.S.T. on YouTube, Facebook and also Facebook!
mikeladano.com 
That’s funny, I still don’t see any Blaze Bayley on here, and I know he released an album this year :)
Bit of a surprise to see the little plastic Eddies beat out all the interviews for views. Looking forward to Mando season 3. I anticipate Boba will run its course, followed very shortly by Mando, which will be shortly followed by Kenobi.
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That is about the 40th list I’ve seen and no Blaze…hmmmmm!!!
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Hmmmm
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Time for Crusade for World Domination?
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Here’s a funny fact for you. The only show more popular than the Eddie unboxings (849 views) was the King’s X list show with Martin (884 views).
So there you go. Unboxings of big items were big deals (even though they were not scheduled and I just went live for the hell of it. I should have done it for Metallica and Priest box sets too.
Kenobi can lick my butt.
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In a good way or a bad way (regarding Kenobi)
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Great list Mikey!! Nice we don’t have hardly any repeats to show how much good stuff was out there.
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Absolutely. It was a fantastic year for music as we knew it would be. Bands have thrived in the studio even when they can’t play live.
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Shang-Chi was great! The Book of Boba Fett is a terrible name. The Hip was easily my most-listened-to artist this year as I went through the whole catalog with Sarah.
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Top 11 Cds was cool to see with all the Canucks on there. Happy New Year pal…catch ya in 2022
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Those are great lists! I even saw a couple of those movies! It was hard not to pick the Maiden as my #1 but my winner was worth it, big-time. I’ll see what we can do about getting me on for a few minutes sometime after 9pm. Is it just a drop-in? Got a linky?
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LINKY SENT!
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Fabulous. I’m sure there’ll be a point somewhere for a quick hello. Should I text beforehand?
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You can text beforehand, yes, that’s fine but optional. I know Tim Durling will be on, and the books JUST started printing, so if you want to find out more about that, jump in at that point!
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Cool I may just wander in. I know we’ll be chilling with the family for the most part. The kids wanna see if they can stay awake until midnight!
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I kinda want to see the same with myself! LOL
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I know, me too! They get excited, though. Our boy usually is half-awake with his head on the table and heads to bed at 12:01, our girl is usually wide awake at midnight.
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Good luck tonight and Happy New Year!!
Just found these guys…have u hear of them? Kee Marcello on guitar.
OUT OF THIS WORLD – Hanging On
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I’m glad Def Leppard’s Volume 3 Box Set got a mention on your box sets list! I don’t have it, but I love my Volume 2 box set and I heard good reviews about the third one. Oh gosh, I’m praying for a new Def Leppard studio album in 2022 because it’s about dang time!
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THanks for the reminder to check out Free Guy – looks like fun!
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It was fun. Nothing brain-tickling, just fun. Plus one of the Stranger Things kids is in it!
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So cool to see so many different lists. Mando is definitely something I’m waiting on and hopefully the ObiWan TV show is out as well.
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