Glam/Hard Rock/Hair Metal

Avenger · Post by **Avenger** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 10:43 pm

Whatever you want to call it...

Okay, this question is just begging to be asked and I'm sure that it would have eventually come up in one way or another down the road.

What do you think?

Predominately after '86 when the Hollywood scene seemed to solidify itself.

Love/hate? Do you enjoy some? Are you able to tolerate it? Or are you completely against the sub-genre in the "Kill the posers" type fashion?

Either way, this scene when scrounging through the glory days of metal is near impossible to avoid.

What's your take?

bigfootkit · Post by **bigfootkit** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:07 am

Like most "sub-genres" there were a few gems , a few terrible bands, and loads of mediocre bands made up of followers & wannabes who jumped on the bandwagon.
I didn't hate it for the most part, it was fun and a valuable "gateway drug" for recruiting the young 'uns who eventually developed more discerning tastes.
Also the Thrash scene was in full bloom at the same time, so it was nice to have something to enjoy which was of a different ilk.
That the "scene" for the most part appeared to be populated by buffoons didn't really matter, some of that stuff provided a great soundtrack to some fabulous Summers.
Take that VAIN album, " No Respect" for instance, they definitely had their own sound, some great songs & good musicians. That they dressed like Sunset Strip hookers made no difference to me, their music kicked ass. I still drag that album once in a while, and it still sounds good, which is the real test.
I'll probably get torn to shreds for coming out in support of that style, but fuck it, i don't care.
I think every sub-genre throws up some interesting & original bands, be it Thrash, Death, Black, Power, NWOBHM, Grunge, Hard Rock, Prog, Punk or indeed Glam.
It's all rock'n'roll to me.

Abyss · Post by **Abyss** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 2:09 am

What about heavy metal bands like malice,lizzy borden,vicious rumors,burning starr, obsession etc. all those bands are undeniably true metal but I can't help but hear a hair metal type thing in all of those bands, is it just the same hard rock strain found in the more metal oriented hair metal bands or is it the poppy hooks or what I can't be the only one that has noticed this.

nightsblood · Post by **nightsblood** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:29 am

I grew up in the hair Metal era, and as such it formed a big part of the soundtrack of my youth. I was also one of those drawn into metal through Glam (i.e., the 'gateway drug effect' that 'kit mentioned). Growing up in a rural area, my access to music was limited, so I started with what was available- glam bands featured on MTV and pop radio- and moved into heavier territory as the opportunity allowed (occasional trips to the big city where I'd raid the record stores for anything cool I'd heard via Headbangers Ball).
There were good and bad glam bands. Overall it was meant to be a fun, radio-friendly style and as such shouldn't be taken too seriously; it was never about tr00 kv1t griMMness, and they actually wore less makeup than some of Norway's finest

A few of my personal faves and hates are below just for fun.
And yes, I agree w/ Abyss that you can definitely hear a glammy streak in many of the trad metal bands from the early/midi 80s like those he mentioned.

The Good
Icon- night of the crime. Great songwriting and loads of memorable tracks.
Babylon A.D.- s/t. Great voocalist and guitar heroics made this album a fave to this day.
Bonfire- fireworks. Excellent songs, plenty radio friendly but never got their big break.
House of Lords- demons down. More AOR-ish than most; great band w/ great songs.
Aldo Nova- blood on the bricks. Bon Jovi wannabe but did it better than the Jersey boy who produced this great album.

The Bad
Poison- never cared for this band or their hits.
Mr Big
Winger
Faster Pussycat
White Lion- their music makes baby jesus and the children cry

The Bad, But I like 'em Anyway
Danger Danger- s/t. My first (almost) metal album.
Motley Crue- shout at the devil. Laughable band, but they did some good stuff before they became a total joke.
Vixen- s/t. Musically these ladies didn't have much talent, but the songs were great to sing along to while shooting pool until 3 am. Ah, memories of a mispent youth.
Trixter- s/t. Lame, but I bet I've played it a hundred times while doing yardwork all summer back in the day.
Diving for Pearls- s/t. Possibly the gayest name in a sexually ambiguous subgenre, but I liked their album. I remember using several songs from it for a mix tape I made for a gal I was crushing on back in high school

Let's see you kids today woo that special someone with an mp3 playlist!

Keir · Post by **Keir** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 4:04 am

I'm not ashamed to admit I like a lot of hair/glam bands. I prefer the sort of proto-glam from the early 80s (e.g. early Twisted Sister, Ratt, Motley Crue) but I also enjoy bands like Kix, Dangerous Toys, White Lion, Lillian Axe, Lita Ford, L.A. Guns, etc.

Ernest Thesiger · Post by **Ernest Thesiger** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 4:46 am

nightsblood wrote:Diving for Pearls- s/t. Possibly the gayest name in a sexually ambiguous subgenre

It's from Elvis Costello's "Shipbuilding". That's a "ghey" song, is it?

Nightlock · Post by **Nightlock** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:32 am

Pretty Boy Floyd are about the worst as long as no one likes them I don't really have a problem

ION BRITTON · Post by **ION BRITTON** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 8:54 am

There are some bands that i still like. Stuff like the first LA GUNS album are more metal and less glam than some want it to be and it absolutely SHREDS and kicks the ass of many so-called heavy metal albums. Here's some things that i do enjoy:

GUNS N ROSES - Appettite, UYI 1&2, all rip
LA GUNS - s/t, One more reason, Bitch is back, Shoot for thrills, i always feel the need to take a shower after listening to this album
MOTLEY CRUE - first two. Filthy, nasty and RAW
RATT - Out of the cellar + first EP
SKID ROW - first two
TESLA - almost everything
LILIAN AXE - first album
ALDO NOVA - s/t
VAIN - No respect. Someone has already mentioned it, great album
WAR BABIES - s/t
CRASHDIET - Rest in sleaze
THE CHERRY BOMBZ - Hot girls in love

and some more underground acts like ALLEYCAT SCRATCH, WICKED TEAZE, HARD KNOX etc

One thing i don't like though is the effort of some guys who try to label that kind of stuff as "metal". No it is not metal, but that doesn't mean that it is necessarily bad music. Of course the scene had also tons of average and lame bands who were to imitate the originals, but i guess that has happened to almost every scene...

Ernest Thesiger · Post by **Ernest Thesiger** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:18 am

/end of thread

tbieri · Post by **tbieri** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:49 am

Ernest Thesiger wrote:

/end of thread

I prefer "Welcome to the Club" !

The Best "Hair"-Metal Records to me are ;
AXE - Offerings N° 1 !!!
Agentz - Stick to your Guns
Horizon - Master of the Game
Mozart (US) - Mozart
Red Dawn - Never Say Surrender (CD only)
Mötley Crüe - Too Fast for Love

msp · Post by **msp** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:50 am

Nightlock wrote:Pretty Boy Floyd are about the worst as long as no one likes them I don't really have a problem

I have their album "Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz"

They were nothing more than a manufactured glam metal boy band. Kelv Hellrazor loved them!

Possibly my favourite album from that era is TNT "Tell No Tales" - some really catchy songs with great guitar work from Ronny Le Tekro. I still think Tony Harnell is a top notch hard rock vocalist too.

I saw LA GUNS live in London in 2001 and it was great fun. FASTER PUSSYCAT were supposed to play on the same bill but wimped out at the last minute.

The Erlking · Post by **The Erlking** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:09 am

I remember listening an album by a band that supposed to be part of that glam/hair metal movement but they really sounded raw US heavy metal of the eighties to me. The singer had a "ruff" voice and the cover image might've been something medieval? It was like heavy metal with slight hair tendencies. If someone can guess what album I mean please tell me.

The Erlking · Post by **The Erlking** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:20 pm

Did some searching and find out the album was DIAMOND REXX - Land Of The Damned.

The Erlking · Post by **The Erlking** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:35 pm

And now some of my favourites

Mötley Crüe - Too Fast For Love & Shout At The Devil. Especially the first one. Gritty stuff with a punkish feel.
L.A. Guns - The selftitled album is great! It's opener "No Mercy" reminds me of such bands as Diamond Head and Jaguar.
W.A.S.P. - Lot's of good songs and albums.

Like some stuff by Skid Row, Twisted Sister and Cinderella too.. Gotta listen to that Diamond Rexx album again also to see if it was as good as I remember.

Oh and if 44MAGNUM counts as hair metal (I don't think so personally) it's my favourite band of the genre.

ION BRITTON · Post by **ION BRITTON** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 12:47 pm

The Erlking wrote: W.A.S.P. - Lot's of good songs and albums.

Aaaaarghh, again with this...Why do people in this forum consider WASP as a hair metal band? It's the upteenth time i'm reading such thing... Does the s/t album or Crimson idol or Headless Children sound so glammy to some ears? For me it's pure metal and in fact there are some WASP tracks on which the whole thing can't get more metal!