underrated hair metal albums underrated hair metal albums

Now, I dont know much, but I do know that if youre a band about to hit the road for a huge tour, you probably dont want to lose your frontman. And I still think Sole Survivor is just one of the greatest rock songs ever (despite the ear-splitting treble caused by a shitty mix at the end of the song). The album that kind of fused metal and glam into one. If the opening melody of Rock Aint Dead doesnt grab you, you wont care about the rest. The hair came down, the makeup came off, and Poison actually started to write music with a message. I don't consider Van Halen a hair band per se, but I swear, every guitarist in the 80's wanted to be Eddie Van Halen, and their songs would fit right into the hair metal genre. The production, helmed by underrated hair metal architecht Michael Wagener, is nearly perfect, as are the earnest heart spills of frontman Mike Tramp and fret-board gymnastics of guitarist. Shortly thereafter, Rough Cutt disbanded, and while they have managed to regroup here and there, you wouldnt expect to see them headlining any summer 2021 legacy act tours with Styx or Journey anytime soon. (for which they filmed their lone video); "Turn it On" (which takes the power ballad approach into a catchy and uplifting direction); and, of course, the token high energy, bluesy sleaze of "Where the Livin' is Easy.". Their first album Steel the Light borders on metal in an 80s Judas Priest-ish kind of way, and has one of the best pre-choruses ever written on the albums eponymous song. You can hear every instrument, all clean, all cristaline. I am well aware that Bon Jovi is not underrated, but I wouldnt be doing my job with this list, if I didnt create a little controversy by stirring the pot, so welcome to Jersey, heres Jon Bon Jovi and his band of merry minstrels. Real Steel opened for the Bulletboys, Bang Tango, and Gorky Park in their day, and apparently had interest from several labels (almost signing with Warner Bros.). A demo produced by Metallicas Kirk Hammett was followed by a self-titled debut album full of dirtier-than-a-used-hypodermic tracks like Doghouse, Too Much T-Bone and semi-immortal single Half The Way Valley. The album is probably best known for its controversial cover, which featured a basically naked woman straddling a giant fishing hook. I'll never understand what it is that makes some bands "click" while others that are just as good if not better simply fade away into relative obscurity. They hired Tommy Paris as their new lead singer, called up Zakk Wylde and Rikki Rockett to guest star, and proceeded to make a balls-to-the-wall Glam Metal album. 09. Heres how it works. Lyrics are a bit trite, but this is a great debut. In general I dont really identify with the whole good time/party angle either cause its just not my thing, but the misogynistic aspects are what gets bothersome at times. - In my personal opinion, two of the best damn sleaze bands nobody has ever heard of While that sentiment still rings true for me, as I know all too well that many will say, Hair Metal sucks as a default response to the opening chords of Dr. . But Stained Glass is A-grade arena rock like they used to make before Nirvana came along and curled out a turd in the punchbowl. This, along with Slippery When Wet, epitomized pop metal, and helped bring it to the mainstream back in 1986. Youll see. Dripping with attitude. I would suggest though a few more bands that arent as well known. Easily Ratt's finest hour. Thanks! Another decent glam band that came out of Chicago was Holland. Better late than never and all, but oh how I wish I had known about Wildside when I was a kid. These are the forgotten heroes of hair metal. They quickly rose through the ranks and paid their dues through club gigs and were noticed pretty quickly, and in relatively short order, signed with MCA Records and recorded their eponymous debut record, Femme Fatale. Aside from the Ozzy connections with the Rough Cutt and Britny Fox albums, heres anotherAside from being the original guitarist in Ratt(! Damn good stuff in 1 & 2. Recording quite a bit of material for having remained so unknown, they self-released an album called Out of the Box in 1989, followed-up with Joker the following year on Red Light Records (which has almost the same tracklist as their debut), and then came back with Cool Deal in 1992. all the bands on your list kick ass! When I wrote Return to the Sunset Strip: 10 Underrated Glam & Hair Metal-Era Albums, I didnt really know what to expect. Tracks like "Let Go," "Dead Inside," and "Painting The White To Grey" absolutely crush. Vixen was and are as authentic as they were talented. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. Vixen Vixen (1988) They filmed a music video for the lead track, "Hang on Lucy," but the above "So Far Away" is my personal favoriteit's got a darker edge and those riffs during the chorus just kill me for some reason. I just have to say that I typed their breathin instead of theyre breathin after a marathon of not sleeping. The Welsh wonders second album, 1990s Berzerk, is a stone-cold classic featuring the greatest pop-metal anthem of the era in Love Bomb Baby. The only thing louder than the clack of high heels on the pavement outside the Rainbow was the ker-ching of cash registers as Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Poison, Cinderella, Ratt, Slaughter and the rest hoovered up the record sales. King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew released his most successful solo album while he was playing arenas around the world as the musical director for David Bowie's . It now enjoys a cult following among fans of hair. "The Ballad of Jane" is one the best hair metal ballads ever. Yeah, the Chicago bands none-more-unique selling point was perma-squinting frontman Stanley who, when he wasnt spitting out genius fuck-you anthems Jawohl Asshole and Fuckin Shit-Ass, lived on the street and had the malodorous clothes and propensity for shitting in public to prove it. Metallica reveal details of special 72 Seasons global album listening event, Rob Halford on Ozzy Osbourne's retirement from touring: "he made the right call", Every issue delivered direct to your door. The '80s have taught us that you could expect a lot of things from Blackie Lawless, but releasing a concept album wasn't one of them. You simply live in a cave if you have not heard at least one song from this album. Southgang - Tainted Angel I listen to tons of bands that I dont agree with lyrically, though (christian bands, satanic bands, krishna bands, etc.). Only time will tell. In retrospect, this album came out the same year as Nirvanas Nevermind, Pearl Jams Ten, and Metallicas The Black Albumit never really had a chance. As grunge became all the rage during the early '90s, these albums never got the attention they really deserved. The 10 Most Underrated Hair Metal Guitarists Of The '80s | News | VH1 The 10 Most Underrated Hair Metal Guitarists Of The '80s Bang your hair to glam jam guitar gods from Kiss,. Still, damn good sleaze metal. Dokken's greatest. Vito Bratta is one of the really underrated guitar players, alongside Reb Beach. They should have been huge! But their debut album was pop-metal perfection what featherweight party anthems Toast Of The Town, Rock And Roll Outlaws and shoulda-been-massive single Rock & Roll (Is Gonna Set The Night On Fire) lacked in heaviosity they made up for in pleather-trousered attitude. So "glam" and/or "hair" it is.]. With Hooked, we see more of the bands Hair Metal stylings, but finally, their Blues Rock roots begin to soak through. Great White Hooked (1991). Yes the vocals are an acquired taste, but, hell, I got used to Scott Jeffreys once, and I was able to get used to Steve Hayman after that. Blackboard Jungle. Now, how about DMolls & Shotgun Messiah!?! Stand by Me, I Cant Wait, Let Go, etc. Songs like "Rest in Peace", "Tragic Comic", and "Warheads" had cleverly arranged harmonies, featured very diverse stylistic approaches, and all had engaging lyrics, but the album produced no hit singles and ended up a commercial disaster despite being the highlight of Extreme's career. Seriouslyher lead work is some of the best of the era, in my opinion. Categories: Genre [List226813] | +37. And while the album never saw a significant spike in the number of copies sold, "Revenge" did manage to draw enough attention to give Kiss a new lease on life, effectively saving the NYC iconic band from drifting into obscurity. Perhaps more than any other group on this list, Wildside truly should have been "the next big thing" given the circumstances surrounding their debut album. Their cult-classic debut album, Welcome To Bop City ,was a Scandi-glam mini-masterpiece featuring groinally-charged anthems with titles like I Dont Care Bout Nothin and Squeezin Teazin, played by men calling themselves Zinny J Zan and Stixx Galore (yup, the drummer). Femme Fatale - Femme Fatale (1988) While the era of 80s Hair Metal and Glam is mostly known as being predominantly male, several females infiltrated the scene and staked their claim as well. These guys got popular fast and then went absolutely nowhere. Buy it, you will be pleasantly surprised. Early 90's pop metal at it's finest, this is a hair metal fest from start to finish. 08. You couldn't go two hours without seeing a Whitesnake video on MTV back in '87. Pure attitude from a band that actually lived it. Hericane Alice formed in Minnesota in the mid-'80s, and released their debut self-titled EP in 1986 under the properly spelled name of Hurricane Alice. Totally with you on many of your other suggestions. Some GREAT tips, thanks! Beau Nasty - Dirty But Well Dressed I wouldnt exactly call them glam. One of the many albums in the early 80's that helped bring metal to the mainstream. Well, in the wake of the Hot In The Shade screw-job, the band still managed to book a nice tour of well-paying gigs and were set to depart, when Dean The Diva Davidson decided to split and make a go of it on his own. ), $2.1 million dollar record deal with Capitol Records in 1990; then ended up changing their name to Wildside due to a cease and desist related to the Young Guns movies. It's a shockingly awesome record, easily in my all-time Top 10 as far as hair metal goes. As we alluded to in our aforementioned first article, Hair Metal and Glam are often derided and chided as genres that are less than. Well, if the article did one thing, its drawn many fellow Hair/Glam loving brothers and sisters out of the woodwork, and for that, were thankful. Femme Fatale Femme Fatale (1988) That Dangerous Toys disc rules, and despite them getting so much shit back in the day those first two Winger albums are very solid. 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I mean, come on, it's impossible not to sing along to "Mackinaw Avenue" or "Change"the latter of which is practically a full-on pop song, though the quality of the writing and musicianship gives it an edge that avoids the overly pristine sheen of lesser (yet more successful) outfits like Danger Danger or Firehouse. Theme: The Road to The Roxy: 10 Underrated Glam & Hair Metal-Era Albums Part II, Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), My fingers feel possessed on the EC-1000! While the era of 80s Hair Metal and Glam is mostly known as being predominantly male, several females infiltrated the scene and staked their claim as well. All rights reserved. The list is not without some eye brow raising since at least one album achieved gold certification in the United States of America but its a fun list nonetheless. So, lets flip the script, dont scramble to turn off your radio when You Give Love a Bad Name comes on, out of fear of being thought of as unworthy of your snobby friends musical respect. Tesla had no gimmick. Also, their weren't too many other guitarists from this era that could rival Vito Bratta's playing. But "hard rock" is just too broad, and "cock rock"? Read Part 1 of this series here: https://vwmusicrocks.com/return-to-the-sunset-strip-10-underrated-glam-hair-metal-era-albums/, Read part 3 of this series here: https://vwmusicrocks.com/the-headbangers-ball-reaches-its-edge-10-underrated-glam-hair-metal-era-albums-part-iii/, Andrew Daly (@vwmusicrocks) is the Editor-in-Chief for www.vwmusicrocks.com and may be reached at andrew@vinylwriter.com. I still dont really know what makes something good or bad, and I really dont think I am qualified to tell you what you should like or dislike. So here are the most underrated records by 20 major metal bands. Ill be emailing you! Cruella DVille - Showdown in Tinsel Town Thanks for popping by, and stay safe! Metal albums that I like and that don't have much ratings: consists of the albums I currently rate 4.5* or 5* that have roughly 50 ratings or lower. As for the comments, they ranged from things like, This album sucks all the way to, This is awesome! Hair metal with real bad attitude. Looking back, its hard to pinpoint why this record failed, as it seemingly had all the ingredients to ascend to great heights. What about the tactful keyboards, chorus hook, and big vocal harmonies of token power ballad "Dry Your Eyes"? Problem was the masses didnt want smart or classy, so they just went and bought their zillionth copy of Appetite For Destruction instead. Perhaps, maybe no one is truly qualified in that regard. He was all set to resume the tour but at the last hour Sharon and Ozzy decided he was just too young to leap into the madness of an Ozzy tour and hired Bernie Torme instead (Jake was after Bernie). In truth, this record is not the first one that people think of when they consider albums that define the 80s. I totally agree with Q5 and Heavy Pettin for sure! should be legally required to record a cover version of "Party for Your Life" (embedded above)! Winger epitomized late 80's pop metal, and seemed to be the pinup boys for all the hatred towards hair metal with the dawning of grunge. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Dangerous Toys - Dangerous Toys (1989) I cant explain it, but every time I listen to it, I just see scenes from that film running through my head; its not a curse, but a blessing. http:// Even the ballads have balls. Instead, these New Yorkers are cursed to exist in a world that doesnt give a shit about a bunch of LOreal-haired dudes playing blockbusting songs with choruses bigger than Vince Neils Spanx collection. Then again, "Heat Me Up" is a prime cut of typically structured hair metal with a raspier snarl to the vocals; while "She's Untouchable" combines crunchy rhythms, fluid melodies, and slick vocal harmonies. All of that aside, go back and listen to Rock Soldiers, Love Me Right, Into the Night, and Calling to You. Those tracks are transcendent rockers, and his backing band of Tod Howarth, John Regan, and Anton Fig are a truly inspired bunch who had sensational chemistry. Surprised to see this at Number One? That said, the album received middling reviews at the time, and Ace and the boys were forced to stick to small halls and clubs while on tour, but that has not tarnished this records legacy one bit. Some of the artists below released albums on major labels and may have done alright in their day, but they certainly don't get spoken of in the same regard as biggies like Mtley Cre, Skid Row, etc. Steeler Steeler (1983) Guns N' Roses. Now, this album did end up going gold at some point, but over time, its fallen into complete obscurity for anyone besides truly devout fans of the band, which is a sad thing. The album was recorded at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 home studio, and Wildside was the first band other than Van Halen to record there. I mean, fuck, just check out those eerie acoustic arpeggios during the chorus of "Badboy Breakout"; the big, open chord progressions of "Bad to Love"; the textbook sleaze of "Crank the Heat Up"; etc. As you stated I have always championed JOKER myself. Mick parlayed the cache he had built up into a major label deal, with Warner Brothers Records, and with Marq Torien (vocals), Lonnie Vincent (bass), and Jimmy DAnda (drums), the BulletBoys were born. It has been over 20 years since I have heard it. If you listen to this album, you will be singing the songs in your head for years to come. Gutter-level anthems Come Down Sister, Underground and Ocean Of Love were edged with goth and psychedelia that placed them closer to The Doors and pre-arena rawk The Cult than Van Halen and Motley Crue though they could still kick up a bar-room shit-storm as the comedy-tough Its Not The End Of The World proved. While I didnt intend for the KISS roots to run so deep within the article per se, I will admit that we are all subject to our own biases, and anyone who knows me will tell you I am not about to apologize for KISS influence. Like Joker, there's not a ton of information out there regarding Real Steel. Way too oversaturated with keyboards,but still catchy as hell. It,s not glam or hair metal. There are albums by Bon Jovi which frequently pop up, such as Slippery When Wet and New Jersey, or if youre trying to be different, you may pick the bands self-titled debut, Because it started it all, or because, It has Runaway on it. I know that comes off as presumptuous, but its true, and you know it. Saigon Kick was a band that knew how to write one hell of a hook. picdoc 4 yr. ago. Yes. When your band consists of Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert, your bound for superstardom, and yet, Mr. Big never really achieved that (well in Japan, maybe). When you listen to this, you get the feeling that this is the album that David Lee Roth always wanted to make. You probably remember them for their platinum and multiplatinum albums One Bitten and its 1989 follow-up Twice Shy, and with good reason, as these albums are classic but certainly are not underrated. 10. If not, let me jog your memory. In 1991 while Metallica and Guns 'N Roses were sliding into mediocrity, Skid Row move into legendary status, improving leaps and bounds over their debut. The result? You cannot hear that album with seeing the menacing face of Bolo Yeung staring at you in a windows reflection. THE TWILIGHT OF HAIR METAL: FIVE UNDERRATED & MUST OWN ALBUMS " billy hardaway says: March 23, 2018 at 10:26 am. Robert Sarzo (Hurricane guitarist and Rudy Sarzos brother) was to be Randys replacement in Blizzard Of Ozz, not Marq Torien. Wake Me When It's Over (1989) Full of sleaze and attitude, one of the better hair metal albums to come out at the tail end of the 80's. Had a minor hit with "House of Pain," but never really went anywhere. Besides, doesn't "Love Of A Lifetime" make the perfect wedding song? Shotgun Messiah - s/t & Second Coming Let the bargain hunting begin, Id rec The Scream - Let it Scream, Lillian Axe - Love + War, Saigon Kick - s/t, Ratt - Reach for the Sky, Junkyard - s/t, Killer Dwarfs - Dirty Weapons, Some of my recommendations: The Ozzy roots run just as deep as the KISS roots! That being said, their Facebook page indicates that they're back in action, having digitally issued their previously unreleased EP, Last Hand, sometime last year, but time will tell. This video is inspired by @rockandmetalinvasion who did a video in response to a 'Goldmine' article with 5 'underrated' Hair Metal albums. We know, we knowthats high praise for a lowly Hair Metal band, but if you dont believe me, go hunt a copy down and listen for yourself. Thanks. But their debut is way more fun: a rough-arsed glam-punk gem that came on like Poison, if Brett Michaels had grown up in Cardiff and spent every Saturday night getting in a fight down Bogiez. Their follow up has some of the best songwriting in Cock Rock, in my opinion. Great article, as usual! I should really pick up some Lillian Axe sometime. And how many comparable artists had successful tracks along the lines of "Stand Up, Shout it Out" or "Say Yeah!"!? Thanks for popping by, and stay safe! The list is not without some eye brow raising since at least one album achieved gold certification in the United States of America but it's a fun list nonetheless. This album was Def Leppard's bridge between being a NWOBHM band and a hair metal band. DLR's full length debut (after a 4 song EP in 1985). Haha! It did away with the bland glam-like stuff Kiss adopted during the '80s in order to get in line with the mainstream sound of the time, and with powerful tracks such as "Unholy", "Domino", and "Heart of Chrome", it reintroduced the hard rock element in Kiss' sound in a very original and appealing way. Whereas Skid Row got marketed as your run-of-the-mill pretty boy glam metal outfit from the get-go, their self-titled debut showed that they were capable of much more than providing quick and cheap amusement for the masses, and their sophomore album "Slave to the Grind" made the most of the band's prodigious potential. I loved this kind of music when I was a kid, and I still love it now. Man, could Mike Matijevic hit a high note! This is an album that was completely buried by the Alt-Rock and Grunge craze that was sweeping the nation in the early 90s. Fantastic band. One of the most underrated bands in the genre. On a commercial level, it didnt do much, which isnt a surprise given the era it was ruthlessly dropped into. Doro True At Heart (1991) Though there really wasn't much substance to the music, the scene was popular to the mainstream. Both Use Your Illusion albums sold like 10 million copies in the first minute after their release. Not sure why Ann from NRR sits on it to this day. So, if youre a fan, the summer of 2021 may finally be your chance to get a taste of some late 80s sleaze.