Great Metal Albums of 1989: Pretty Boy Floyd- Leather Boyz With Electronic Toyz

Pretty Boy Floyd did not appear on the compilation album I will be posting about in the near future. My introduction to them came from a tape sent to me from my sister in 1990 and it featured the closer from the album, “I Wanna Be With You.” The song did come in at number 19 on my list of Top 30 Power Ballads, so it must be a good song. However, as good as it is, “I Wanna Be With You” is not typical of the rest of “Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz.”

The rest of the tracks on the album scream Motley Crue and Poison as it seems that the band want to sound like both. Judging by their appearance, it could be argued that they wanted to look like them as well. Lead singer Steve ‘Sex’ Summers, cool middle name by the way, sounds like both Vince Neil and Brett Michaels on various tracks on the album. He definitely sounds like Vince on “Rock and Roll (Is Gonna Set the World on Fire)” but the backing vocals sound more Poison. It could confuse one’s mind. To make matters worse, they cover Motley’s “Toast of the Town” and its not a bad cover. However, I’m making a note to listen to the MC original and compare. It could be worth an “Original vs. Cover” post.

We get another power ballad with “Wild Angels.” While I prefer “I Wanna Be With You,” this one is not without its charm. True, they still sound a lot like their influences but they do put some heart into the song. Here comes another comparison. Guitarist Kristy ‘Krash’ Majors rips a cool solo on “Wild Angels” and he shows himself to be a decent guitarist throughout the album. My verdict is that Krash is not quite Mick Mars but I would say he’s better than CC DeVille.

Hidden gem time, although some might call “48 Hours to Rock” hidden because it did find its way onto the soundtrack of “Karate Kid III.” Since I haven’t seen that film in a couple of decades and it has escaped unnoticed for so long, I will call it a hidden gem. PBF really rock this one out and no matter who might have influenced them, this song showed that they were capable of making it on their own merit. This one is a pure cooker. Speaking of cooking, the track “Rock and Roll Outlaws” brings the power chords and could be a second gem, although the chorus sounds too ‘done before.’

Poison’s influence comes through loud and clear on “Only the Young.” This could have easily been a Poison song but Floyd, no not Pink, do a decent job on their own. After two same-sounding but not bad tracks, we get to the already mentioned closer. Listening to the song over the years, if I was the girl Steve was singing to, I might get a bit creeped out. She’s the new girl in school and I guess it’s okay that this one guy is asking her out. Then he gets her number from a friend and calls her up and at the end, declares that she’s the girl he’s been looking for. Ladies, please answer, listen to the song and tell me if such a guy would creep you out.

Track Listing:

1. Leather Boyz With Electronic Toyz
2. Rock and Roll (Is Gonna Set the World on Fire)
3. Wild Angels
4. 48 Hours to Rock
5. Toast of the Town
6. Rock and Roll Outlaws
7. Only the Young
8. The Last Kiss
9. Your Mamma Won’t Know
10. I Wanna Be With You

Pretty Boy Floyd

Steve ‘Sex’ Summers- lead vocals

Kristy ‘Krash’ Majors- guitar, backing vocals

Vinnie Chas- bass, backing vocals

Kari Kane- drums, backing vocals

Additional Musicians:

Howard Benson- keyboards

Matt Bradley, Phil Balvano, Jennifer ‘Miss Frosty’ Hoopes, Paris Hampton, Maura Eagan, Candace Gartland, Elizabeth Goldner, Katharine Lundy- backing vocals

Pretty Boy Floyd were another band which came and went. It could be down to the fact that glam and hair metal were on their way out but who knows? If they could have shaken free from the glam metal influences, they might have gone places.

Next post: A Piece of 80s History I Should Be Shot for Missing

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Historical Events in Rock and Roll Children

Main objective behind writing “Rock and Roll Children” was to remind people, especially metalheads, of heavy metal history. At the time I began writing, there seemed to be a push by mainstream media to downplay the role heavy metal played in during its golden decade, the 1980s and that decade, contrary to what the media was pushing was not all Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Like it or not, heavy metal was a dominant force in the 1980s. True, it got little radio play and minimal play on MTV but the most successful bands sold millions of albums and played to packed out arenas. So, we can safely say that the 1980s was the golden age of heavy metal and I wrote “Rock and Roll Children” to bring home that point.

With all that said, the 80s for me was a busy decade and there were a lot of events, both music related and not, which took place in the time period in the book, 1984-7. That is the purpose of today’s post, to give you a history refresher of the events, (sorry, it’s the teacher in me) and by some weird hope, more of you will buy the book.

Non- Musical Events

U.S. Marines in Lebanon- In the story, Bob’s older brother, Mitch, served with the US Marines in their ‘peacekeeping’ mission in Lebanon. Although, he wasn’t there when the big tragedy happened in October 1983, some of his friends were. He is clearly effected by his experiences there, getting wounded when a grenade went off near him.

McDonald’s Mass Shooting- In the summer of 1984, a man went into a McDonald’s in California and shot and killed 22 people. Before he left, the shooter declared he was going to hunt humans. In “Rock and Roll Children,” the main characters joke that if they go to McDonald’s, they’re going to get shot.

Famine in Africa- I make reference to this in the book because it led to one of the greatest musical events of the decade, which I will mention more further down.

Ronald Reagan’s Re-election: This is briefly mentioned because Mitch is upset that the country re-elected the man who sent him to Lebanon where he was wounded.

Super Bowls XIX, XX and XXI- All three of these super bowls get mentioned.

The Bombing of Libya- When the US bombed Libya in 1986, there was concerns for the safety of Americans travelling in Europe. Jeff had been accepted to the University of London and while he wasn’t worried, some others were.

Reagan’s Contra War in Nicaragua- Bob becomes an anti- Contra Aid protester in light of events. He saw what Lebanon had done to his brother and this is what drives him here.

Arthur Fowler’s Imprisonment- When I got to England, I became engrossed in the very popular soap opera, “East Enders.” (Today it holds no interest for me.) In one episode, the character Arthur Fowler gets sent to prison for stealing money from a Christmas Club. A couple of nights later, I saw stickers at one underground station saying, “Free Arthur Fowler.”

Herald of Free Enterprise Disaster- In March, 1987, a British ferry called The Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in Zeebrugge, Belgium, killing 193 crew and passengers. This was a huge tragedy. One month after the event, Jeff and his roommate, Henry, take a ferry to France and this does worry them a little.

Music Related Events

Concerts- Every concert which takes place in the story actually happened and at the time they actually occurred.

Vince Neil’s Accident- This rocked the heavy metal community hard and gave plenty of ammunition to the anti-metal establishment. In case anyone has been living on Jupiter, Vince was more than twice over the drink-drive limit and crashed his car, injuring two people and killing Hanoi Rocks drummer, Razzle. It had an effect on the major characters in the story as after that, they made sure that they didn’t overdo it if they had to drive.

Rick Allen’s Accident- Rick’s accident happened about three weeks after Vince’s. While Rick and his girlfriend survived, Rick lost his arm as a result of the accident and the entire heavy metal world held their breath as to whether he would play the drums ever again.

Aerosmith’s Bottle Incident- The actual event happened seven years before it gets mentioned in the book, therefore, it’s told retrospectively. The character Tammy was at the concert in Philadelphia in 1979 when some moron threw a bottle on stage hitting Steve Tyler. She gives her full account of the incident and alludes to why Aerosmith seemed to holding back their best efforts when they played Philadelphia in 1986.

Live Aid- This was the musical event of the 80s I mentioned earlier. The concert was put on to raise money to help those in famine stricken Africa. Two concerts took place simultaneously, one in London, the other in Philadelphia. In “Rock and Roll Children,” I focused more on the two metal acts which performed that day, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.

Farm Aid- This was a concert to raise money to help American farmers who were losing their farms. The main takeaway from that concert was Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar playing together for the first time. The rest of the story is history.

Jesus Freaks at Concerts- I wrote a post about this. Starting in 1986, whenever people went to a metal concert in America, there were the Jesus freaks all there telling people they were going to hell for seeing that band. It was a great source of entertainment.

Religions War on Rock Music in 1986

Bon Jovi and Europe Being in the top 10 in the UK Charts- In November, 1986, Bon Jovi was at number nine in the UK charts with “Living on a Prayer” and Europe at number two with “The Final Countdown.” For many of us metalheads, it was a slap in the face to the mainstream music industry.

Prosecution of Jello Biafra- This made the news in England. Former Dead Kennedys singer, Jello Biafra, was prosecuted and fortunately acquitted on the charge of distributing pornographic material to minors on the DK album, “Frankenchrist.” While Jeff was reading about it on the train to the airport to return home, it gave him a wake up call about the society he was heading back to.

See, you do learn about history if you read “Rock and Roll Children.” One thing I was criticized for but make no apologies was how metalheads were discriminated against in the 1980s. Not that we let that stop us. Maybe I did over-pound the point but it was real. There were a lot of great and tragic events both musically and not throughout the 80s. I tried to bring history to life and maybe that was the problem, I wrote it too much like a history book.

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Next post: Mammoth

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Great Metal Albums of 1989: Motley Crue- Dr. Feelgood

Critics and fans have called “Dr. Feelgood” Motley Crue’s best studio album. It was their most commercially successful album going six times platinum in the US and gold in many other countries. Furthermore, it produced five singles, two of which made it into the top 40. However, while impressive, this doesn’t make it their best album in my view. That honour belongs to “Shout at the Devil.”

In comparison to my favourite MC album, what they did similar is play to their strengths. It also helped that the band were addressing their demons in regards to substance abuse and were sober when they recorded. They also recorded each of their parts separately as they were all at each other’s throats but fair dues to producer Bob Rock, he combined all their efforts to make a really good album, the best since my favourite one.

Before, I launch into the album proper, I must say that I’ve apologized enough to Mick Mars for calling him the worst guitarist in metal for many years in previous posts. He never accepted my invitation to come to England and give me a slap and now he’s probably physically unable to do so. With that said, his guitar playing is top notch on “Dr. Feelgood.” Arguably, his best effort is on “Sticky Sweet.”

After a brief opener which they unashamedly borrowed from Queensryche’s “Operation Mincdrime” album, the title cut has lots of swagger to it and shows that Motley Crue were going in the right direction. It’s also good to see that they hadn’t lost their sense of humour. While never lyrical geniuses, “Slice of Your Pie” has some amusing innuendos backed up by some more rock swagger. The same can be said for “She Goes Down.”

The problem with an album which produces so many singles, it’s sometimes hard to find a hidden gem but no worries, I find it with “Rattlesnake Shake.” If there is any song which can take me back to “Shout at the Devil,” it’s this one. They put it all together here with some good drum rolls from Tommy and guitar hooks from Mick and even though some might say that Vince sings the title too much, he does make it sound good.

At the middle of the album, you get three of the five singles in succession. “Kickstart My Heart” begins this and even though it was released as a single, it doesn’t sound overly commercial and that’s always a good thing. I think Crue had a good time making this one, at least the video. That is followed by the first of two power ballads on the album, “Without You.” While not bad, I prefer the other one, the penultimate track, “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away.)” It was the highest charting of the singles but for me it brings the power to the ballad and while Vince puts his soul into both of them, he does it more convincingly on the second one.

That brings me back to the third of the singles string and my favourite of all the singles, “Same Ol’ Situation.” They rock this one out more. It’s one of those enjoyable anthem sounding songs you just want to bang your head along to. There’s much for me to like about it whether it’s Tommy’s drumstick twirling or Mick’s guitar solo. “Dr. Feelgood” ends with a good closer. Were they singing about their change in lifestyle? I don’t know but all the band comes together to end the album right.

Track Listing:

1. T.n.T. Terror in Tinsletown
2. Dr. Feelgood
3. Slice of Your Pie
4. Rattlesnake Shake
5. Kickstart My Heart
6. Without You
7. Same Ol’ Situation
8. Sticky Sweet
9. She Goes Down
10. Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
11. Time for Change

Motley Crue

Vince Neil- vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica, shakers

Mick Mars- guitar, backing vocals

Nikki Sixx- bass, backing vocals, organ, piano

Tommy Lee- drums, backing vocals

Additional Musicians:

John Webster- honky tonk piano, keyboards

Tom Keenlyside, Ian Putz, Ross Gregory, Henry Christian- horns

The following provided backing vocals:

Bob Rock, Brian Adams, Steve Tyler, Donna McDaniel, Emi Canyn, Marc La France, David Steele, Jack Blades, Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Skid Row, Bob Dowd, Mike Amato, Toby Francis

“Dr. Feelgood” gained Motley Crue complete success, although some metalheads complained that it was a step further to them simply becoming glam rock posers. However, the success tells the story but personally speaking, while I like this album, especially more than their previous two, I’ll stick with “Shout at the Devil.”

Next post: Due to having to cover a lot of sickness at work, I won’t post an album next. Instead, I will use one of my supplemental post which will be “Historical Events Mentioned in Rock and Roll Children, Music and non-Music Related.”

On another note, I would like everyone to congratulate Mrs. 80smetalman because today officially marks 19 years of her being married to me.

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80smetalman Poll: Would you have liked a full album from the Dudes of Wrath?

Dudes of Wrath

I know I said that the next post would be the Nine Inch Nails but with all the things I had to do with the run up to Christmas, I haven’t been able to give their debut album my full attention. Therefore, I got to thinking and ever since I posted about the “Shocker” soundtrack a few weeks back, I have been wondering if the one band, The Dudes of Wrath, should have put out a full album. They played the opening and closing songs on the soundtrack, although the closer is a reprise from the opener. Plus they back up the strange duet between Alice Cooper and Horace Pinker. While, the duet might have been strange, the song they do play is pretty good, so, was there potential there? The stellar line up alone suggests that they should have moved forward.

Desmond Child- lead vocals

Paul Stanley- lead vocals

Vivian Campbell- guitar

Guy Mann-Dude- guitar

Rudy Sarzo- bass

Tommy Lee- drums

Kane Roberts and Michael Anthony- backing vocals

So, tell me your thoughts, good or bad. Should we have heard more from the Dudes of Wrath?

Normal service will resume after Christmas.

To buy Rock and Roll Children, it makes a nice Christmas present, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Great Rock/Metal Albums of 1989: Aerosmith- Pump

With my weird, wishy-washy mind, it is sometimes great when I prove myself right. A long time ago, I think it was on Mike’s blog, I stated that “Pump” was Aerosmith’s “Toys in the Attic” for the 80s. After multiple re-familiarizations to this all time classic, I stand by that statement. Now, I know some of you out there prefer their previous album, “Permanent Vacation,” and there isn’t much between the two but it was “Pump” which brought Aerosmith back to the garden of superstardom.

When I visited “Permanent Vacation,” I stated that Aerosmith had brought back the swagger which made so many of their 1970s albums so brilliant. With this one, they brought even more swagger. The first two tracks and I love the hidden meaning behind “F.I.N.E.,” are absolute groove-a-thon songs. They get the head banging and the blood pumping, yes pun intended. Then we get to their well known single, “Love in an Elevator,” which is my favourite Aerosmith song from the 1980s. Of course, if I was to do a top ten all time list, it would be on that for sure. I love the line, “Kiss your sassafras” and how Misters Perry and Whitford trade off guitar solos. I always said that Brad was a better guitarist than what he’s given credit for.

The party continues with “Monkey on My Back,” which if I’m right, talks about the band’s struggle with drugs a decade earlier. Then it goes to the second single, “Janie’s Got a Gun.” Now, I have always liked the song and I knew it was about a daughter killing her abusive father but what really gave it meaning for me was when they played it at Download in 2017. Steve explained that he got the inspiration for the song from a woman he met while he was in rehab. That explains why there is so much feeling in the performance of it.

Tracks six through nine are all candidates for hidden gem as they all have that potential. Rockabilly is brought in with “Dulcimer Stomp/Take Me to the Other Side,” at least at the beginning. The second half is the band doing what they do best. What I didn’t know was that it was the subject of a lawsuit where the song writing team of Holland-Dozier-Holland claimed that the melody sounded like one of their songs. As a result, Aerosmith settled by giving them a song writing credit. On second thought, maybe not “My Girl.” It’s a decent track but maybe not as good as the others. Actually, the hidden gem award goes to “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even.” It has a blues stomp intro, which generates into a blues/hard rock tune. Steve’s vocals are just amazing on it and there is plenty of Aerosmith swagger. That doesn’t stop the party moving on “Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man.” “What It Takes” was the third single and it’s a great closer. I love the guitar solo.

Track Listing:

1. Young Lust
2. F.I.N.E.
3. Going Down/Love in an Elevator
4. Monkey on My Back
5. Water Song/Janie’s Got a Gun
6. Dulcimer Stomp/Take Me to the Other Side
7. My Girl
8. Don’t Get Mad, Get Even
9. Hoodoo/Voodoo Medicine Man
10. What It Takes

Steve Tyler- lead vocals

Joe Perry- lead guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals

Brad Whitford- guitar, lead guitar on “Voodoo Medicine Man”

Tom Hamilton- bass, backing vocals

Joey Kramer- drums

When the likes of Motley Crue and Poison were ripping up the metal world, old timers Aerosmith came in and took over with “Pump.” This album put them back on top of the music world.

Next post: Nine Inch Nails- Pretty Hate Machine

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1989: Metal Comes to Moscow

Oh damn my memory! I nearly left out a very important event in the metal history of 1989. Under the Glasnost era of Mikhail Gorbachev in what was then the U.S.S.R., the country became more open to Western influences. One example of that was they held a huge metal festival in Moscow calling it the Moscow Peace Festival. I was lent a video recording of the show and I remember it being really good.

The lineup was as follows, at least on my video:

Bon Jovi

The Scorpions

Ozzy Osbourne

Motley Crue

Cinderella

Gorky Park

Skid Row

My memories of the concert are very limited. Things I do remember is my ex wife having a go (not literally) at Sebastian Bach for telling the audience not to take shit off anyone. She pointed out that a few years earlier, Skid Row wouldn’t have been allowed to play there. I remember Motley Crue singing “Girls, Girls, Girls” and being rather impressed with Russian band, Gorky Park as well as The Scorpions kicking ass, especially because five years earlier, I saw Bon Jovi supporting The Scorpions and now it was the other way around. It was my first time seeing Zak Wylde playing with Ozzy and of course the end of the show where Bon Jovi invited everyone back to the stage, along with Jason Bonham for one big jam session. So, instead of me trying to rack my brain for more memories, I will defer to the Tubes of You and show you some live performances from that historic day.

There’s also a nice little guitar intro from Jeff LaBar

Thank God my memory came back and I remembered this amazing show. Metal final broke through to Russia and was graciously accepted. Proof that heavy metal could rule the world.

Next post: Steve Stevens- Atomic Playboy

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Great Soundtracks of 1989: Shocker

I’ve never seen the movie “Shocker.” From what I’ve read and what I remember, it received mixed reviews everywhere. I came to be in possession of the soundtrack via my sister, Dawn, who sent it to me as a Christmas present in 1989. It turned out to be a great present because no matter what is said about the film, this is an amazing soundtrack.

The first and last songs on it are from a super-group calling themselves The Dudes of Wrath. It consisted of Desmond Child and Paul Stanley on vocals, Vivian Campbell and Guy Mann-Dude on guitar, Rudy Sarzo on bass and Tommy Lee on drums. Also, Michael Anthony and Kane Roberts provide backing vocals. No argument from me about this being a super-group. They open the soundtrack with the title track and I have to say, it’s a pretty good way to open things. Paul’s vocals are quite obvious and he and all the dudes do a good job on it.

Second up is “Love Transfusion” from Iggy Pop. After the harpsichord sounding intro, the track goes proper metal. It has a strong, commanding beat and I regret to say but this was my first experience of Iggy. Let me say it was a great introduction. T

That is followed by what I guess you can call the single from the soundtrack, Megadeth’s cover of the Alice Cooper classic, “No More Mr. Nice Guy.” I remember this song getting pretty far up the UK charts in 1990 and even the metal hating UK newspaper, “The Sun,” ran a small article on the band and didn’t say anything negative about them. Still, while this is a cool cover, it wouldn’t win an “Original vs. Cover” competition, at least not in my view.

Up and coming German band, Bonfire, are up next with their song, “Sword & Stone.” Like stereotypical Germans, Bonfire get straight down to business with a cool, straightforward metal jam. This one ticks all the boxes, cool vocals, a strong rhythm section and some excellent guitar solos. Side one ends with a very haunting but hard hitting power ballad from Saraya. Some called this band the next Heart and we will explore that more when I get to their self-titled debut album but for now, I just want to sit back and thoroughly enjoy this power ballad. That piano intro and Sandi Saraya’s vocals are just mesmerizing.

Side two opens with the return of The Dudes of Wrath, only this time, Desmond and Paul are relegated to backing vocals. “Shockdance” is a rap duet between the movie’s villain, Horace Pinker, played my Mitch Pillegi and one Alice Cooper. The track is very amusing, especially the line “And I never do the dishes.” The backing music from The Dudes make sure the rap isn’t a joke.

Like Saraya, another metal band which got some notoriety on this soundtrack is Dangerous Toys and I will be posting their 1989 album in due time. Here, they give us “Demon Bell (The Ballad of Horace Pinker)” and for me, it has 1980s hair metal all over it. Still, it’s a nice track and there was great potential with Dangerous Toys here.

The following two tracks are from bands I have only heard of on this soundtrack. First up is Voodoo X with “The Awakening.” Since, I had never heard of this band I heard this song, I can award it the hidden gem of the soundtrack. It’s a good metal song, sort of Whitesnake before they went into more ballads. It did prompt me to research them more and I can say their one and only album has been added to the list for 1989.

Maybe, like many soundtracks from the 1980s, who try to incorporate all forms of music, the people who put the “Shocker” soundtrack tried it with all forms of metal. Penultimate track, “Different Breed” from Dead On is a nice thrash/speed metal track. While there is nothing ultra spectacular about it, it is good enough for me to add their debut album to the list. The soundtrack ends with a reprise as The Dudes of Wrath takes it out singing, “We will have the power, we will have the glory.” It’s a nice way to end things.

Track Listing:

Dudes of Wrath

1. The Dudes of Wrath- Shocker

Iggy Pop

2. Iggy Pop- Love Transfusion

Megadeth

3. Megadeth- No More Mr. Nice Guy

4. Bonfire- Sword & Stone

Saraya

5. Saraya- Timeless Love

6. The Dudes of Wrath featuring Alice Cooper and Horace Pinker- Shockdance

Dangerous Toys

7. Dangerous Toys- Demon Bell (The Ballad of Horace Pinker)

Voodoo X

8. Voodoo X- The Awakening

Dead On

9. Dead On- Different Breed

10. The Dudes of Wrath- Shocker (Reprise)

Who cares about the film? I ask. This is a great forgotten soundtrack with some excellent heavy metal. Now, I know some of you will come back with “I haven’t forgotten this soundtrack” and that’s cool. In fact, pull it out and listen to it again as it’s that great.

Next post: A joint post with Mike Ladano- Our Top Ten Savatage songs.

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Great Metal Albums of 1988: Winger

Back in 1988, heavy metal wasn’t so categorized, at least in my view. If it had some good power chords, suitable vocals and killer guitar solos, then it was metal. Sure, I knew of glam metal. Bands like Motley Crue, Bon Jovi and Europe carried that banner proudly. As for hair metal, it didn’t exist although I would say that TNT were pioneers of the genre. Therefore, when my sister sent me one of her many compilation tapes from the US, I made no such distinction when it came to the Winger song, “Headed for a Heartbreak.” I just liked the song.

Winger’s debut album was exactly one direction which heavy metal seemed to be heading in the late 1980s. For metalheads, there were power chords galore but there was some great melody and power ballads to gain the band much commercial success with the album. Four singles were released from the album, one of which, “Heading for a Heartbreak,” has already been mentioned. It’s considered a great power ballad and I don’t disagree. Three other singles begin the album, the first one, which was also the first single, “Madeline,” is another almost power ballad type song but it shows the potential of the band from the right off. The second track, “Hungry,” is noticeably heavier. Maybe it’s me mellowing with age but I appreciate the combined power chords with melody much more these days.

Single/track three, “Seventeen” is my favourite among the singles. It’s even more rockier than “Hungry” with a lot of swagger to it. True, it’s about intimacy with a girl of the same age as the title but the lyrics don’t matter here. It’s a catchy hard rock vibe and guitarist, Reb Beach, really steps into the spotlight on this one. His rhythm guitar work is exceptional and he plays a blinder of a guitar solo. But before I get into the deeper cuts and reveal the hidden gem, one can’t help but notice the cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic, “Purple Haze.” It wouldn’t win a Original vs. Cover competition in my eyes but it’s done fairly well.

Although “Without the Night,” wasn’t released as a single, maybe it should have been. It’s a good enough power ballad. Kip Winger does pour some genuine passion into the vocals and lays down a cool bassline. Maybe it should have been called, “Kip’s Song.” Okay, maybe not because bass and vocals are supported by some good keyboards from Paul Taylor. Additionally, we get another great guitar solo from Reb and one can’t forget the drumming of Rod Morganstein. However, it’s not the hidden gem.

So, the search for the hidden gem continues. All four remaining tracks are contenders but the winner is “Time to Surrender.” Reb’s riffs at the very beginning lets you know that Winger want to rock. This one is great hard rocker but with some great harmonizing at the chorus and some superb guitar fills. I had to momentarily stop typing so I can bang my head to it, at least until the guitar solo. “Poison Angel” comes second in the hidden gem search. In contrast to the other tracks, this one just gets down to business with some traditional metal. The fastest song on the album. One final point. I think it was a good idea to have the final single, “Heading for a Heartbreak,” close the album.

Track Listing:

1. Madeline
2. Hungry
3. Seventeen
4. Without the Night
5. Purple Haze
6. State of Emergency
7. Time to Surrender
8. Poison Angel
9. Hangin’ On
10. Heading for a Heartbreak

Winger

Kip Winger- lead vocals, bass, keyboards

Reb Beach- guitar, backing vocals

Paul Taylor- keyboards, backing vocals

Rod Morganstein- drums, backing vocals

Additional Musicians:

Dweezil Zappa- slide guitar on “Purple Haze”

Beau Hill, Ira McLaughlan- backing vocals

Sandra Park, Rebecca Young, Hae Young Ham, Maria Kistopoulos- strings

It has been said that with Winger’s debut album, hair metal was launched upon the world. It could be the case but I never noticed it. For me, this is a great album no matter what category you put it in.

Next post: Overkill- Under the Influence

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Great Metal Albums of 1987: Motley Crue- Girls, Girls, Girls

Motley Crue have been referred to as a band of musicians with limited talent. Even I used to think that Mick Mars was the worst guitarist in metal, I’ve since apologized to him for that wrong assumption. The question back in 1987 was: If Motley Crue were second rate musicians, why was their album, “Girls, Girls, Girls” so successful going multi-platinum? My sister, in her article in her college newspaper, said the answer was in the title. Motley Crue appealed to teenage girls who were more into the good looks of the band rather than the music. There might have been truth in that but what about the boys who bought the album? I really can’t say that Motley Crue were like Bon Jovi in the sense that boys listened to them because their girlfriends did. No, boys bought this album on the own accord because Crue were capable of putting out good music.

For me, “Girls, Girls, Girls” opens with the best track on the album, “Wild Side.” The band really bring it musically here, I can’t fault the song in any way. It also helped that the track also appears on the soundtrack to the film “Rock Star.” However, the title track was definitely meant to be a single, which it was. It did it’s job producing a hit for the band but for me, it’s not nearly the best song on the album. The next two are much better. They bring the hard rocking on “Dancing on Glass” and I do like Tommy Lee’s piano chops in the back ground. With “Bad Boy Boogie,” they bring a bit of blues swagger. There is a ZZ Top vibe to this song and Mick’s guitar work makes me even more ashamed of calling him the worst guitarist. His hooks and solo here are just simply top notch! This is the hidden gem on the album.

The second half of the album dips in quality in comparison to the first. The thankfully very short “Nona” is just filler and if I can borrow a line from 2Loud, I would delete it. It shouldn’t be on the album. Fortunately, things go back on track with “Five Years Dead.” It’s not a bad track but it sounds too much like the title track and therefore lacks originality. Things continue to improve with “All in the Name Of.” Tommy’s drumming is key here and Mick and Nikki are great in support. It’s a faster paced metal song and it doesn’t bother me that it’s about getting with under aged girls.

Mick’s best guitar performance on the album heralds in “Sumthin’ for Nuthin’.” While the chorus might be a little bland, the song has an infectious hook that you can’t resist bobbing your head along to. Then we come to the other single on the album, the power ballad, “You’re All I Need.” Being a neo-officianado on power ballads, this one is okay. The fact that the video was banned from MTV for its supposedly violent theme is reason for this non-conformist to like it. A live recording of the Elvis hit, “Jailhouse Rock,” closes the album. I remember they closed their show with it when I saw them on the “Theatre of Pain” tour and it works as a closer here.

Track Listing:

1. Wild Side
2. Girls, Girls, Girls
3. Dancing on Glass
4. Bad Boy Boogie
5. Nona
6. Five Years Dead
7. All in the Name Of
8. Sumthin’ for Nuthin’
9. You’re All I Need
10. Jailhouse Rock

Motley Crue

Vince Neil- vocals

Mick Mars- guitar

Nikki Sixx- bass

Tommy Lee- drums

Additional backing vocals:

Bob Carlisle, Dave Amato, John Purdell, Pat Torpey, Phyllis St James, Tommy Funderbuck

I highly doubt that thirty-five years on, my sister’s attitude towards Motley Crue and this album, “Girls, Girls, Girls,” has changed. She will still say they are second rate musicians who only teenage girls can like. I see her point but there is just something about this album that makes me like it, a lot.

Next post: Agent Steel- Unstoppable Force

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1985: The Backlash Begins

Ever since the days of Elvis, there has always been a backlash against rock music and the backlash against heavy metal in particular has always been many folds greater. Whether it be religious fanatics, parents or just trendy top forty followers who just didn’t like the genre, there have been people dead set against heavy metal music. This backlash had been slowly building up throughout the early 1980s but the fact that heavy metal had gotten mainstream attention in 1984 was enough to blow the powder keg in 1985.

The first instance that turned my attention to this backlash was reading letters to MTV citing that they were either playing too much heavy metal or not enough. It would appear that in or around March of 1985, the anti heavy metal brigade won out as MTV made a statement that it would be playing less metal on the air. Now, it’s easy to think that there were that many more anti than pro metal people writing to MTV and if anyone says that it was because metalheads are too stupid to write, me and many of my followers here will be over to your house to kick the crap out of you! Once again I digress but my theory was that by the end of the previous year, MTV was already becoming nothing more than a glorified commercial radio station. Some Dead Kennedys lyrics come to mind here and I’ll reveal those when I visit their “Frankenchrist” album which came out in said year. Oops, digressing again but less and less metal was being played on MTV or the radio.

Dead Kennedys

As 1985 progressed, I began to notice it in more ways. There wasn’t just a backlash against heavy metal but persecution of metalheads as well. One thing I was criticized for in “Rock And Roll Children,” though I don’t regret it one bit, was over pounding the point of how metalheads were discriminated against back then. Truth was they were! I simply pointed this out. Example, based on my own experiences: in 1984, I went to a McDonald’s after the Dio/Twisted Sister concert and had no problems, nor did the many other metalheads who hit up the place after the show. One year later, my friends and I hit the same McDonald’s after the Motley Crue/Loudness concert and upon entry, were greeted by all sorts of negative comments. Also, like in the story, there was an off duty cop in the store pontificating how no one did anything like that in his day and how he busts punks like us for drugs all the time. While, there were no arrests that night, one month later, after seeing Dio, we hit the same McDonald’s and this time, it was like a policeman’s convention. This brings me to another point, while I never saw it happen, there were tales in 1985 of police getting warrants and going into pre-concert parties and busting metalheads. However, they didn’t do that at the Wham concert where I heard eyewitness accounts of 12 year old kids getting falling down, sickly drunk. It was definitely war on metalheads in 1985.

Of course, the more astute of you will recall that in the closing months of the year, the backlash against rock music and especially heavy metal became the subject of a congressional hearing and lead to the formation of the Parents Music Resource Center, (PMRC). Even after more than thirty years, I tend to laugh at this if it wasn’t so pathetic and there will be a post dedicated to that.

In spite of all the doom and gloom, the backlash achieved very little. Great albums were still being made and you’ll get to read about a lot of them. There were other great events and concerts including the most famous one, Live Aid. So, sit back and get ready for another roller coaster year in the golden decade of metal.

Next post: Glenn Frey- The Allnighter

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