Ratt

RATT
Formed 1981, U.S.A.

Albums:
1983 Ratt
1984 Out Of The Cellar
1985 Invasion Of Your Privacy
1986 Dancing Undercover
1988 Reach For The Sky
1990 Detonator
1991 Ratt & Roll 8191
1997 Collage
1999 Ratt
2002 The Essentials
2003 Metal Hits
2007 Tell The World: The Very Best Of Ratt

History:
Ratt was a hugely successful sleaze band that emerged from the Los Angeles glam scene. Branding their music "Ratt'n'Roll", the rodent rockers had hit after hit until the bottom fell out of the movement in the early 90's.
Originally formed in Los Angeles and known as Mickey Ratt, in 1981 the name was shortened to Ratt by founding member and vocalist Stephen Pearcy. Guitarists Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby, Juan Croucier (bass) and Bobby Blotzer (drums) rounded out the band. The self titled debut EP caused people to stand up and take notice, and led to a major label deal with Atlantic.
Out Of The Cellar went on to sell over 3 million copies, and with the help of the hit single "Round And Round", Ratt became one of metal's biggest names. Future albums never matched the debut's success, however platinum albums and sold out shows were the norm for the band during the late 80's. Top 40 albums and singles like "Lay It Down" and "Dance" were commonplace, however by 1990 things were about to change. Crosby left in 1990, and the band became a four piece with the release of "Nobody Rides For Free" for the Point Break soundtrack. Pearcy walked away shortly after to form Arcade, and Ratt quickly dissolved. Blotzer would join the super group Contraband for one album.

In 1997 Ratt decided to make their return as a four piece with Robbie Crane (Vince Neil solo) on bass. The first new material in years was released in 1999 and they hit the road with several other 80's bands on a highly successful tour. But in early 2000 Pearcy left again, leaving the band in limbo and forcing them to cancel tour dates. The remaining members are currently touring with Jizzy Pearl (from Love/Hate and L.A.Guns fame) and John Corabi (ex-Motley Crue and The Scream), but are now without a record label. Ratt vows to soldier on, but their mainstream acceptance days appear to be behind them. Sadly, the legendary Robbin Crosby lost his long fight with drugs, and succumbed to AIDS on June 6, 2002.

Links:
The Official Ratt Pag

Quiet Riot

QUIET RIOT
Formed 1975, U.S.A.

Albums:
1978 Quiet Riot
1979 Quiet Riot II
1983 Metal Health
1984 Condition Critical
1986 QR III
1988 Quiet Riot
1990 Winners Take All
1993 Terrified
1993 The Randy Rhoads Years
1995 Down To The Bone
1996 Greatest Hits
1999 Super Hits
1999 Alive And Well
2000 The Collection
2001 Guilty Pleasures
2005 Live & Rare Volume 1
2006 Rehab


History:
Quiet Riot helped usher in the return of heavy metal to the music mainstream in the mid 1980's, and enjoyed slightly more than fifteen minutes of fame. The group became the first metal band to hit #1 on the Billboard charts, but things went downhill from their initial success.
Quiet Riot was formed in Burbank, California, and were a bigger draw than Van Halen during the mid seventies Hollywood club scene. However the band, Kevin DuBrow (vocals), Randy Rhoads (guitar), Kelly Garni (bass) and Drew Forsythe (drums), had trouble getting signed to a major label and their first two albums were only released in Japan only. This version of the band fell apart, with Rhoads going on to become a legend with Ozzy Osbourne (before his untimely death in 1982), and DuBrow left to pick up the pieces and start again.
For their smash 1983 album, DuBrow had recruited Carlos Cavazo (guitar), Rudy Sarzo (bass) and Frankie Banali (drums). Metal Health became a monster success, topping the pop charts and spawning a top five single in their cover of Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize", on its way to selling over five million copies. But success was short lived; due in part to DuBrow's outspokenness and verbal attacks on other bands of the genre, and public disdain for the band grew. Sarzo left (to later join Whitesnake) and was replaced by Chuck Wright for QR III, but by then few people cared anymore.
The final nail was driven into the coffin when the band fired DuBrow from his own band before recording the self-titled 1988 album. The new front man was Rough Cutt vocalist Paul Shortino with Sean McNabb replacing Wright on bass, but the album stiffed and the band just faded away. In 1990 DuBrow, Cavazo and Banali (who had played with W.A.S.P. and Heavy Bones) regrouped with Kenny Hillery for the ignored Terrified. Hillery would later commit suicide, and it wasn't until the return of Sarzo in the late 90's that a full reunion occurred. The band continued to tour and record on a much smaller scale, even despite DuBrow claiming bankruptcy in 1999, until the band's split in late 2003. DuBrow and Banali resurrected the name for a new album called Rehab in 2006 with Neil Citron (who replaced Tracii Guns who had joined on guitar for a brief time) and Tony Franklin (bass). On November 25th, 2007, lead-singer Kevin DuBrow was found dead in his home in Las Vegas, thus leaving behind a legacy that helped bring 80s hard rock to millions of fans.

Links:
The Official Frankie Banali Pag

Lynch mob

LYNCH MOB
Formed 1988, U.S.A.

Albums:
1990 Wicked Sensation
1992 Lynch Mob
1998 Syzygy
1999 Smoke This
2003 Evil: Live
2003 REvolution


History:
With internal tensions tearing Dokken apart in the late 80s, guitar virtuoso George Lynch and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown created Lynch Mob in an attempt to recreate the platinum triumphs of their previous band. Despite some incredible music and mild success, it was obvious that Lynch Mob would never reach the huge audience Dokken had.
Lynch put the band together with bassist Anthony Esposito and unknown vocalist Oni Logan (whom he wrestled away from Marc Ferrari's upstart called simply Ferrari). The group entered the studio and produced the excellent Wicked Sensation that reached the top 50 behind the single of the same name. However during the tour for the debut Logan left the band to work with Dio's Rowan Robertson.

Lynch Mob soldiered on with new singer Robert Mason for 1992's self-titled release. The album also faired well, but sold considerably less than the debut, and by 1993 Lynch Mob disintegrated. Lynch and Brown returned to Dokken while Mason resurfaced in Cry Of Love.
By 1998 the original Lynch Mob line-up had reformed for the Syzygy EP, but the music had taken a completely different approach and alienated many fans. Logan ended up backing out of the band for a second time and John West was brought in to tour. Smoke This was released by Lynch with an entirely new band and was a huge disappointment for many. Regrouping yet again with Mason and new drummer Michael Frowein, the Lynch Mob hit the road and re-recorded some classics for REvolution. This is a band that will likely never go away, and that is a good thing.

Links:
The Official George Lynch Page

Lillian axe

LILLIAN AXE
Formed 1983, U.S.A.

Albums:
1988 Lillian Axe
1989 Love + War
1991 Out Of The Darkness Into The Light
1992 Poetic Justice
1993 Psychoschizophrenia
1999 Fields Of Yesterday
2002 Live 2002


History:
A melodic metal band, Lillian Axe managed to recruit a loyal following but they were never able to have much commercial success. Often regarded as an underrated and unknown gem, the group continues to perform and record in obscurity.
Forming in New Orleans in 1983, it wouldn't be until 1987 when Stevie Blaze (guitar) and Danny King (drums) of Lillian Axe joined up with Ron Taylor (vocals), Jon Ster (guitar) and Rob Stratton of Stiff to form the new and improved band. The up-n-coming band managed to catch the attention of Ratt's manager and MCA, which quickly led to a record deal and a self-titled debut with Robbin Crosby producing. With the debut and the Love + War albums failing to race up the charts the group and their record label quickly parted company.
1991 found Lillian Axe with a new label and new members in Darrin DeLatte (bass) and Gene Barnett (drums, ex-Dirty Looks). Poetic Justice would prove to be the band's biggest commercial success backed by the single "True Believer". Psychoschizophrenia (with another new drummer Tommy Scott) failed to capitalize on their previous success and after the promotional tour the band decided to lay Lillian Axe to rest in 1995.
Taylor formed The Bridge while Blaze went on to form Near Life Experience and Scott resurfaced in the popular Godsmack. 1999 saw the guys reform at the request of overseas record labels and resulted in the album Fields Of Yesterday. Currently the band comprises of Blaze, DeLatte and new members Sam Poitevent (guitar), Ken Koudelka (drums) and Derrick LeFevre (vocals). An album of new material is currently being worked on, hopefully it stands up with their previous overlooked classics.

Links:
The Official Lillian Axe Page

LA Guns

L.A. GUNS
Formed 1983, U.S.A.

Albums:
1988 L.A. Guns
1989 Cocked & Loaded
1990 I Wanna Be Your Man EP
1991 Hollywood Vampires
1992 Live! Vampires
1992 Cuts
1995 Vicious Circle
1996 Hollywood A Go Go: The Best Of L.A. Guns
1996 American Hardcore
1997 Hollywood Rehearsal
1998 Wasted
1999 Shrinking Violet
1999 Greatest Hits And Black Beauties
2005 Black City Breakdown (1985-1986)
2000 Live: A Nite On the Strip
2000 Cocked & Re-Loaded
2001 Man In The Moon
2002 Waking The Dead
2002 Ultimate L.A. Guns
2003 Fully Loaded
2003 Golden Bullets
2004 Rips The Covers Off
2004 Hollywood Raw: The Original Sessions
2005 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best Of L.A. Guns
2005 Tales From The Strip
2005 Black List
2006 The Very Best Of L.A. Guns
2006 Loud & Dangerous

History:
Raunchy and rude, if ever a band epitomized the genre of sleaze rock it would be the infamous L.A. Guns. When hair metal became a commercial force in the late 80s L.A. Guns rode the wave to attain some of their own popularity, but came across as a darker, more ominous brand of rock band - it was if they were the black sheep of sleazy hard rock.
The origins of L.A. Guns date back to 1983 when guitarist Tracii Guns and vocalist Axl Rose first began working together. Shortly after their humble beginnings the duo decided to form a band called Guns N'Roses, but Tracii Guns would leave to reform L.A. Guns prior to GN'R exploding onto the metal scene. With a revamped lineup consisting of Paul Black (vocals), Robert Stoddard (guitar, ex-Dogs D'amour), Mick Cripps (bass) and Nickey Alexander (drums) the band toured and demoed material. By 1987 Black's drug problems led to him being replaced by former Girl and Torme front-man Phil Lewis and when Stoddard left Cripps switched to guitar and ex-Faster Pussycat bassist Kelly Nickels was recruited. It was this version of L.A. Guns that would record one of the most important sleaze metal albums of all time. The self-titled album peaked at #50 on the Billboard charts, helped in part by airplay of the singles "One More Reason" and "Sex Action", songs that were too raw and dirty to chart themselves. Former W.A.S.P. drummer Steve Riley replaced Alexander for the accompanying tour, resulting in the definitive L.A. Guns line-up.
Cocked & Loaded proved to be the groups most successful album, hitting #38 and spawing the Top 40 hit "The Ballad Of Jayne". Despite containing the #62 hit single "It's Over Now", Hollywood Vampires became the first L.A. Guns release not to reach gold status. Riley was kicked out of the band in 1992 due to a confrontation with Lewis and Mike "Bones" Gersema took over the drumstool on the Cuts EP. Riley returned for the Vicious Circle tour, but due to the changing tides in popular music, all was not well in the L.A. Guns camp. By 1995 the band had been dropped from their record label and Lewis and Cripps jumped ship, the future looked bleak.
Tracii Guns, Nickels and Riley carried on with a new version of L.A. Guns featuring former Boneyard members Chris Van Dahl (vocals, and also formerly of Cherry St) and Johnny Crypt (guitars). During the recording of American Hardcore, Nickels left and Crypt took over on bass, leaving the band as a four piece. But the following years proved to be very unstable for the band as vocalists Ralph Saenz and Jizzy Pearl (of Love/Hate) both had short stints fronting L.A. Guns and bassists Stefan Adika and Chuck Garric quickly came and went. By late 1999 the classic L.A. Guns line-up (the Cocked & Loaded version) was back.
But in typical L.A. Guns fashion, members once again invoked a revolving door policy. Cripps and Nickels were replaced by Brent Muscat (Faster Pussycat) and Muddy respectively. Cripps returned for Man In The Moon, an album that showed the band was back in fine form. In 2002 bassist Adam Hamilton joined the band as did guitarist Keff Ratcliffe (ex-Pretty Boy Floyd) shortly after to record the critically acclaimed Waking The Dead. But the big shock came later that year when founding member Tracii Guns left on bad terms to form Brides Of Destruction with Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx. With new guitarist Stacey Blades, L.A. Guns vowed to soldier on, but it will be anyone's guess who will be in the band in the years to come.

Links:
The Official L.A. Guns Page

Heavens Edge

HEAVENS EDGE
Formed 1987, U.S.A.

Albums:
1990 Heavens Edge
1998 Some Other Place - Some Other Time

History:
Heavens Edge was a highly melodic rock band that flirted with AOR. They played a similar style to that of Harem Scarem but came upon the metal scene too late to make many waves.
Mark Evans (vocals), Reggie Wu (guitar/keyboards), Steven Parry (guitar), George "G.G." Guidotti (bass) and David Rath (drums) got together in Philadelphia, PA to form Heavens Edge. With an uncanny ability of fusing hard rock riffs with huge melodies, it wasn't long before their demo tape attracted Columbia records and resulted in a recording contract. Famed producer Neil Kernon was at the helm for the self-titled debut that managed to crack the Billboard Top 200. A video was released for the single "Skin To Skin", but when a second single was scrapped the group decided it would be best to part ways with Columbia.
Landing a development deal with Capitol records Heavens Edge began working on a follow-up, but during this time Parry was replaced by Jimmy Marchiano (of LeCompt). About to showcase their new material, Marchiano defected to Blackeyed Susan that eventually led to the demise of Heavens Edge.
A call from MTM records in 1998 led to the original band minus Parry to record a couple new songs to go along with the previously unreleased tunes on Some Other Place - Some Other Time. A new Heavens Edge album isn't out of the question, but the members are laying low for the time being.

Links:
The Official Heavens Edge Page

Guns N' Roses

GUNS N'ROSES
Formed 1985, U.S.A.

Albums:
1986 Live?!*@ Like A Suicide
1987 Appetite For Destruction
1988 GN'R Lies
1991 Use Your Illusion I
1991 Use Your Illusion II
1993 The Spaghetti Incident?
1999 Live Era '87-'93
2004 Greatest Hits

History:
Guns N'Roses were he most notorious band of the late 80's hard rock era. Sex, drugs, riots, racism, fights...the band has been involved in anything you can think of. They gave heavy metal a much needed kick in the ass when they burst upon the scene.
Formed in Los Angeles, California by W. Axl Rose (vocals), Izzy Stradlin' (guitar), Tracii Guns (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Steven Adler (drums). Guns would leave to form L.A. Guns and Slash would take his spot in the band. Their 1986 EP was released on the bands own independent album, but it wouldn't be long until a major label would pick these bad boys up. The first full-length album would become the best selling debut in music history, due in part to the massive publicity their antics received in the press. The original cover for Appetite For Destruction depicted a woman being raped by an alien and was promptly banned. During the tour for the G N'R Lies EP, Rose threatened to leave if some of the members couldn't control their drug use. Slash would stop his heroin habit within a year, but Alder was unable to kick his habit and was replaced by ex-Cult drummer Matt Sorum.





Sorum and keyboardist Dizzy Reed would debut in early 1991 and the band began work on the huge Use Your Illusion project. The two albums would be released on the exact same day, and both shipped platinum as they occupied the top two spots on Billboard's Top 200 charts. The accompanying tour would see Rose delaying shows up to three hours, and the stress finally forced Stradlin' to walk away and pursue a solo career. The group went on with Gilby Clarke on guitar, but the group was close to the breaking point.
The group would be in the news again with the release of The Spaghetti Incident? in which they did a cover of a song written by mass murderer Charlie Manson. In the mid 90's, Slash, McKagan and Clark would all release solo albums while the future of the band was up in the air. By the time "My God" was released on a movie soundtrack in 1999, Rose was the only original member left, as he had either fired or pushed everyone else out of the band. In 2002 Rose unleashed another version of Guns N'Roses with Reed, Buckethead (guitar), Paul Tobias (guitar), Robin Finck (guitar), Tommy Stinson (bass), Brain Mantia (drums) and Chris Pitman (keyboards). However, just like old days, the comeback tour proved to be a disaster with riots and late arrivals, before being cancelled midway through.

Links:
The Official Guns N'Roses Page

Great White

GREAT WHITE
Formed 1981, U.S.A.

Albums:
1982 Out Of The Night
1984 Great White
1986 Shot In The Dark
1987 On Your Knees
1987 Once Bitten...
1987 Recovery: Live!
1989 ...Twice Shy
1990 Live In London
1991 Hooked
1991 The Blue EP
1992 Psycho City
1993 The Best Of Great White 1986-1992
1994 Sail Away
1995 Stage
1996 Let It Rock
1997 Rock Me: The Best Of Great White
1999 Gallery
1999 Great Zeppelin: A Tribute To Led Zeppelin
1999 Stick It
1999 Can't Get There From Here
2000 Rock Champions
2000 The Best Of Great White
2000 Latest & Greatest
2001 Greatest Hits
2002 The Final Cuts
2002 Recover
2002 Thank You...Goodnight! The Farewell Concert
2004 Burning House Of Love
2004 Double Dose
2004 Extended Versions
2007 Back To The Rhythm

History:
Beginning as a paint-by-numbers glam band before evolving into one of the greatest blues based metal bands of the decade, Great White were one of the few groups to never give up or attempt to cater to current fads. They managed to reach major stardom in the late 80s, but will always be remembered for the tragic events of February 20, 2003.
Formed in Los Angeles, California by friends Jack Russell (vocals) and Mark Kendall (guitar) in the early 80s, they would recruit Lorne Black (bass) and Garry Holland (drums) and record an independent EP produced by Don Dokken. Audie Desbrow replaced Holland before recording for Shot In The Dark began, but few commercial inroads were made until the addition of guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie in 1987. Tony Montana would be the bass player by the time the band broke out with the double platinum ...Twice Shy. Both the album and the single Once Bitten Twice Shy (a cover of the Ian Hunter classic) would reach the Top 10 in America; Great White had finally reached the big-time.
Unfortunately success was short-lived and the band began to splinter. Kendall would sit out most of the Hooked tour after suffering a hemorrhage due to alcohol abuse and Montana was replaced by Dave Spitz prior to recording of Psycho City, an excellent blues-based album that failed to find an audience. Bassist Teddy Cook was then offered a spot in the band, however he only lasted one album and Spitz was back for the recording of Let It Rock before Sean McNabb was named the permanent bassist. In 1998 the band showed theirs true roots by releasing an album of covers dedicated to their idols Led Zeppelin. In the late 90s the band would be offered the forth major label deal of their career with the upstart Portrait/Sony records. This union resulted in the well received Can't Get There From Here.





Kendall left in late 1999 to form a band called Train Station, while Great White soldiered on with Ty Longley and a revolving door line-up. In 2002 Jack Russell decided to put the band to rest with a final live album called Thank You...Goodnight and began concentrating on a solo career. While supporting his solo album For You, Russell welcomed back Kendall and once again began touring as Great White. However on February 20, 2003 at the Station in Providence, Rhode Island, tragedy struck. During their opening number the pyrotechnics being used ignited the faulty soundproofing and the club went up in flames. When the smoke had cleared, one hundred people had perished, including guitarist Ty Longley. A series of lawsuits ensued, but once the tears had dried up Great White hit the road again, raising funds for the victims of the nightclub fire. In 2007 the band reformed with to record their first studio album in years called Back To The Rhythm. A band that truly loves the music and fans, Great White now wrestles with their demons as they play - one of rock's best.

Links:
The Official Great White Page

Faster Pussycat

FASTER PUSSYCAT
Formed 1986, U.S.A.

Albums:
1987 Faster Pussycat
1989 Wake Me When It's Over
1990 Live And Rare
1992 Belted, Buckled And Booted
1992 Whipped!
1994 The Best Of Faster Pussycat
2000 Greatest Hits
2001 Between The Valley Of The Ultra Pussy
2006 The Power & The Glory Hole

History:
One of the best glam/sleaze bands, Faster Pussycat exploded onto the American public amid a flurry of hairspray and glitter. They matured with each release, but still kept close ties to their Sunset Strip and Cathouse roots.
Hollywood, California would be where Taime Downe (vocals), Brent Muscat (guitar), Greg Steele (guitar), Kelly Nichols (bass) and Mark Michals (drums) first hooked up. A recording contract wasn't far behind, but due to an accident, and the bands unwillingness to wait for his recovery, Nichols (who would later surface with L.A. Guns) was replaced by Eric Stacy. The band's low budget debut was a surprise hit, with classics such as "Bathroom Wall" and "Babylon".
Wake Me When Its Over proved to be even bigger then the debut, going gold and yielding the hit ballad "House Of Pain." But on the bands 1990 tour Michals was arrested for drug possession and kicked out of the band, Brett Bradshaw would be his replacement. The final album Whipped! sold poorly due in part to the early 90's collapse of the glam genre. In late 1992 Faster Pussycat would be dropped from their label and by '93 the band decided to call it a day.
Taime Downe would go on to form a more industrial sounding band called The Newlydeads with Kyle Kyle of Bang Tango. Most of the other band members would continue to play and record on a smaller scale. Muscat surfaced with Phil Lewis/Liberators and L.A. Guns before reuniting with Stacy in Bubble.






Downe, Muscat and Steele reformed Faster Pussycat in 2001 with Xristian Simon (guitar), Danny Nordahl (bass, The Throbs) and Chad Stewart (drums). Steele left the band in mid-tour, but Faster Pussycat continues to tour with various line-ups, even releasing The Power & The Glory Hole in 2006. A second version of Faster Pussycat, containing Muscat, Stacy and Bradshaw, has also hit the scene thus confusing the fans even more.

Links:
The Official Faster Pussycat Page

enuff z'nuff

ENUFF Z'NUFF
Formed 1985, U.S.A.

Albums:
1989 Enuff Z'Nuff
1991 Strength
1993 Animals With Human Intelligence
1994 1985
1995 Tweaked
1996 Peach Fuzz
1997 Seven
1998 Live
1999 Paraphernalia
2000 10
2002 Welcome To Blue Island
2004 Favorites
2004 "?"
2006 Greatest Hits

History:
When Enuff Z'Nuff hit the mainstream in 1989 they were (unfairly) lumped into the hair metal genre that was massive at the time. But the group transcended that genre with their vocal harmonies and pop sensibilities. Really nothing more than an exceptional pop-rock band, the hard rock categorization of Enuff Z'Nuff proved to be both a blessing and a curse.
Friends Donnie Vie (vocals/guitar) and Chip Z'Nuff (bass/vocals) formed Enough Z'Nuff in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The band quickly recorded a demo, and with the addition of Derek Frigo (guitar, ex-LeMans) and Vikki Foxx (drums) promptly changed their name to Enuff Z'Nuff. After years of working their way through the club circuit the major labels finally came calling, leading to a deal with Atco Records. Their self-titled debut proved to be a surprise success spawning two hit singles in "New Thing" and the ballad "Fly High Michelle". However their glam image on their videos was often at odds with their Cheap Trick meets The Beatles sound, causing some people to take more interest in the look than the actual music.





Enuff Z'Nuff toned down their image for 1991's Strength, but it was unable to reach the same level of popularity as the debut. To make matters even worse, the genre in which they were falsely thrown into was about to self-destruct, taking Enuff Z'Nuff down with it. With the band's future looking darker by the minute, drugs and alcohol began to take their toll, resulting in Frigo leaving the group for a short time. With the members getting their vices under control (momentarily) they went back into the studio to record the third album. Foxx jumped ship after recording his drum tracks for Animals With Human Intelligence to join Vince Neil who had recently split from Motley Crue. With new drummer Ricky Parent, Enuff Z'Nuff hit the road opening for Poison, but with the influx of grunge few people were listening.

Drug abuse and infighting led to Frigo leaving for good in 1994 and original guitarist Gino Martino returned to the fold. The band wanted to release a double album but instead decided on splitting the recordings onto two albums, Tweaked and the more eclectic tunes being released as Chip & Donnie's Brothers (later reissued as Seven). By 1996 Martino could no longer fulfill touring obligations and guitarist Johnny Monaco became the newest member. However the band faced some huge setbacks after the release of Welcome To Blue Island; Donnie Vie left to pursue a solo career and then with rumors of a reunion circulating Derek Frigo passed away from an accidental drug overdose on May 28, 2004 followed by Ricky Parent who lost his battle with cancer on October 27, 2007. The remaining three members continue to tour, but with Chip Z'Nuff joining Adler's Appetite in late 2005 the future of Enuff Z'Nuff is anyone's guess.

Links:
The Official Enuff Z'Nuff Page

Dokken

DOKKEN
Formed 1982, U.S.A.

Albums:
1982 Breaking The Chains
1984 Tooth And Nail
1985 Under Lock And Key
1987 Back For The Attack
1988 Beast From The East
1995 Dysfunctional
1996 One Live Night
1997 Shadowlife
1999 Erase The Slate
1999 The Very Best Of Dokken
2000 Live From The Sun
2001 Yesterday & Today
2002 Alone Again And Other Hits
2002 Long Way Home
2002 Then And Now
2003 Japan Live '95
2004 Hell To Pay
2007 From Conception Live 1981

DVDs:
2007 Unchain The Night

History:
A great melodic metal band, Dokken was able to become one of the most successful bands of the 80's heavy metal scene. Huge harmonies/melodies mixed with catchy choruses and a blazing axe attack was the band's recipe for stardom. Internal fighting would tear the band apart at the peak of their success, and the bad blood remained when the group reformed several years later.
The band was formed in Los Angeles by vocalist Don Dokken who had previously sung backup vocals for the Scorpions. George Lynch (guitar) and Mick Brown (drums), both of whom had played with Don Dokken in the late 70's band The Boyz, were brought in along with bassist Juan Croucier (bass). Croucier would depart after the release of the mildly successful debut album to join fellow L.A. rockers Ratt. With Jeff Pilson taking over on bass, Dokken constantly charted in the top 50 and became platinum sellers throughout the mid to late 80's.





After releasing their highest charting album, Back For The Attack at #13, animosity would tear the band apart in 1988, with Dokken and Lynch literally at each other's throats. George Lynch would take Mick Brown with him and form the Lynch Mob while Don Dokken (who wanted to continue with the Dokken moniker, but was unable to because Lynch was suing for the rights to the name) formed a star-studded band to release a solo album under his own name.

The group reformed in 1995 for the appropriately titled Dysfunctional, assuming that the members could bury the hatchet between them. However by 1997 the mud slinging began again, reminding Lynch why he left Dokken in the first place and he once again left to reform Lynch Mob with new members and a new sound. Dokken would soldier on with guitarist Reb Beach (of Winger and Alice Cooper fame), and in 1999 release their best album since their 80's heyday. Beach and Pilson were replaced by John Norum and Barry Sparks respectively on Long Way Home, but the line-up has been in a state of flux ever since, with Alex DeRosso and Jon Levin taking turns at lead guitar duties.

Links:
The Official Dokken Page

Def Leppard

DEF LEPPARD
Formed 1977, U.K.

Albums:
1980 On Through The Night
1981 High 'N' Dry
1983 Pyromania
1987 Hysteria
1992 Adrenalize
1993 Retro Active
1995 Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits 1980-1995
1996 Slang
1999 Euphoria
2002 X
2004 Best Of
2005 Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection
2006 Yeah!

History:
One of the most successful rock bands ever, Def Leppard has managed to juggle massive commercial success with devastating tragedies. They have always been able to regroup from these setbacks to come back stronger then ever.
Formed in Sheffield, England by Pete Willis (guitar) and Rick Savage (bass), they rounded out the band with Joe Elliot (vocals), Steve Clark (guitar) and Tony Kenning (drums). They would record a demo known as Getcha Rocks Off with Frank Noon on drums, but it wouldn't be long until Rick Allen was named the permanent stickman. High 'N' Dry would make inroads on the American market, but by the time recording started for the next album, Willis' drinking had become too much and he was ousted in favor of Phil Collen. Pyromania would be the album that broke Def Leppard in a huge way, spawning four hit singles on its way to selling a remarkable nine million copies!
The follow-up album would take a long five years to record, due in part to a car accident involving drummer Rick Allen and resulting in the loss of one of his arms. A revolutionary new pedal-operated electronic drum kit was devised and Allen was able to continue recording with the band. Hysteria was slow to catch on with the record buying public, but once it did there was no stopping it. Containing no less than seven charting singles (three in the top five), the album worked its way up to the top place on Billboard's Top 200 while selling over twelve million copies, making it one of the most successful releases in music history.
During the recording for what would become Adrenalize, Steve Clark's battle with alcoholism would finally come to end when he was found dead in his home on January 8, 1991 due to an overdose. The album would be completed with ex-Dio and Riverdogs axe slinger Vivian Campbell, who was announced as the newest member of Def Leppard. The new album failed to sell in the massive quantities of its predecessors and the band found themselves at a crossroads. Slang was an attempt to move in a new direction and away from their New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Roots and received mixed reviews and a dwindling fan base.

Euphoria, and to a lesser extent X, were a return to the sound of their glory days and thrust the band back into the spotlight, but neither album was able to regain the massive popularity the group had in the late 80s. During some down time Campbell released a solo album called Two Sides Of If and Collen recorded with a band called Man-Raze, but by 2006 they had returned with an album of cover songs. Def Leppard continues to record and tour to this very day and retains a hardcore fan base. Something of an English version of Bon Jovi, this band will forever be popular despite changing tastes in the music scene.

Links:
The Official Def Leppard Page

Danger Danger

DANGER DANGER
Formed 1988, U.S.A.

Albums:
1989 Danger Danger
1990 Down And Dirty Live
1991 Screw It!
1995 Dawn
1998 Four The Hard Way
2000 The Return Of The Great Gildersleeves
2001 Cockroach
2003 Rare Cuts
2005 Live And Nude

History:
Danger Danger was a band of handsome hard rockers that made pop friendly metal similar in style to Bon Jovi. The band had minor success, but like several other groups of this era, just never seemed to be able to push themselves over the top.
Bruno Ravel (bass), Steve West (drums) and Kasey Smith (keyboards) formed Danger Danger in New York the late 80's. The band recorded demos, but it wasn't until the addition of vocalist Ted Poley that the music industry began to recognize the group. They began recording the self-titled debut with Saraya guitarist Tony Bruno before Andy Timmons joined the band and finished the remaining guitar tracks. The record would prove to be Danger Danger's most successful, as it included the Top 50 single "Bang Bang". Screw It!, which would turn out to be less successful then the debut, saw more of an emphasis on Timmons' guitar work and less on Smith's keyboards, and as a result he left the band before work on the third album began.
Cockroach was recorded in late '93, but right around its release date the band surprisingly fired Poley. This resulted in a string of lengthy legal battles and halted the release of the album. New front man Paul Laine rerecorded all the vocals, however the album never got released until 2001, due to the record company also being involved in these lawsuits. Frustrated with the recent occurrences, Timmons left the band. Now a power trio (Ravel took over on guitar and keyboards), the band released the Dawn album. It had incorporated an updated sound and was a lot different then the classic D2 sound.
Four The Hard Way saw the return of Timmons and Smith as guest musicians and a return to the sounds of old. The band continued to record and tour as a three piece, while Poley fronted Melodica and Timmons concentrated on a solo career. But by 2004, after an eleven year absence, Poley returned to the fold and Laine concentrated on his side project Shugaazer. A band that had all the ingredients needed to be a late 80's smash, but somehow never quite made it.

Links:
The Official Danger Danger Page

Damn Yankees

DAMN YANKEES
Formed 1989, U.S.A.

Albums:
1990 Damn Yankees
1992 Don't Tread
2002 The Essentials
2003 High Enough & Other Hits

DVDs:
1992 Uprising

History:
An unlikely mish-mash of personalities, the Damn Yankees super group managed to resurrect several waning careers. The hype and success was short lived however, and like so many bands in the early 90s they just faded away.
Los Angeles, California was where Damn Yankees was put together by Styx's Tommy Shaw (guitar/vocals), the Motor City Madman Ted Nugent (guitar/vocals), Night Ranger's Jack Blades (bass/vocals) and drummer Michael Cartellone. With the name recognition of the members, the debut album managed to work its way to #13 on the Billboard charts while selling over two million copies. Singles "Coming Of Age" and "Come Again" would chart, but it was the power balled "High Enough" (which peaked at #3) which propelled the band.

The follow-up Don't Tread spawned the hit singles "Where You Goin' Now" and "Silence Is Broken", but album sales failed miserably compared to the debut. In 1993 Damn Yankees realized that they were commercially unviable in a changing musical state and disbanded, with members returning to their previous careers.
In 2000 Damn Yankees reformed to work on a new album with Brother Cane's Damon Johnson and Night Ranger's Kelly Keagy replacing Shaw and Cartellone respectively. As worked progressed both Shaw and Cartellone would return to the band and the album recording was wrapped up. However the band was horrified with the final mix of the album and it remains unreleased to this very day. Keagy returned to Night Ranger and Cartellone became the drummer for southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Alice Cooper

ALICE COOPER

Formed 1968, U.S.A.

Albums:
1969 Pretties For You
1970 Easy Action
1971 Love It To Death
1971 Killer
1972 School's Out
1973 Billion Dollar Babies
1974 Muscle Of Love
1974 Greatest Hits
1975 Welcome To My Nightmare
1976 Alice Cooper Goes To Hell
1977 Lace And Whiskey
1977 The Alice Cooper Show
1978 From The Inside
1980 Flush The Fashion
1981 Special Forces
1982 Zipper Catches Skin
1983 DaDa
1986 Constrictor
1987 Raise Your Fist And Yell
1989 Prince Of Darkness
1989 Trash
1991 Hey Stoopid
1994 The Last Temptation
1995 Classicks
1997 A Fistful Of Alice
1998 Freedom For Frankenstein: Hits & Pieces 1984-91
1999 The Life And Crimes Of Alice Cooper
2000 Brutal Planet
2001 Dragontown
2003 The Eyes Of Alice Cooper
2005 Dirty Diamonds

History:
Without a doubt, Alice Cooper is one of rock's few living legends. He is a pioneer of heavy metal, shock rock, glam rock, punk and almost every conceivable form of hard rock. Enraging parents, media, and even the love generation the band was able to juggle scorn and admiration as their outrageous theatrics and stage show pushed them to the top of the charts.
Playing under several different names in the Phoenix, Arizona area during the late 60s, it wouldn't be long before the Alice Cooper moniker was adopted as the name of the band and the lead vocalist. The original group was rounded out by school chums Glen Buxton (guitar), Michael Bruce (guitar), Dennis Dunaway (bass) and Neal Smith (drums). The band came into their own with the help of producer Bob Ezrin and the breakthrough album Love It To Death in 1971. The group made waves with an outrageous stage show that included decapitations, electric chairs and hangings while songs like "Dead Babies" and "I Love The Dead" drove their message home. The band would top the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with masterpieces such as School's Out and Billion Dollar Babies, and consistently be one of the top drawing live bands of the day. Alcohol dependency and solo aspirations would separate the band in 1974 with Bruce, Dunaway and Smith becoming the Billion Dollar Babies for one album while Alice Cooper would take the band name with him for even more success.

Welcome To My Nightmare would prove to be one of the most theatrical live shows in modern history, and propel the album of the same name to huge sales. Proving how huge Cooper was at the time, an autobiography called Me, Alice was published in 1976, and Alice started popping up on TV shows such as Hollywood Squares and The Muppet Show. Surrounded by an array of session musicians including Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, Cooper would continue to release albums throughout the late 70s with diminishing results. A full blown alcoholic, Cooper would release albums in a haze that to this day that he has little recollection of recording. From The Inside was a concept album based on Cooper's stay in a mental hospital trying to get clean. It wouldn't be until a three year hiatus that he finally sobered up and played Alice for the first time sober in 1986.




Alice Cooper would have one of his biggest selling albums of his career in 1989, when hard rock was once again considered hip. His backing bands have included some of the biggest young names in the rock world, with members either coming from or joining such bands as Kiss, Badlands, Winger, Electric Angels, Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth and Dream Theater to name but a few. Original member Glen Buxton passed away on October 19, 1997 and members have patched up any differences they once had. Brutal Planet was Alice's heaviest yet, and the tour to promote it was a full blown return to the theatrics he made so popular. Since then he has released three more well received albums, with the last two returning to his garage rock roots, showing that this rock God has no plans to retire anytime soon. Branching out into movies, radio and restaurant ownership, Alice has shown no signs of slowing down.

Links:
The Official Alice Cooper Page

Cinderella

CINDERELLA
Formed 1983, U.S.A.

Albums:
1986 Night Songs
1988 Long Cold Winter
1990 Heartbreak Station
1991 Live Train To Heartbreak Station
1994 Still Climbing
1997 Once Upon A...
1998 Bad Attitude 1986-1994
1998 Live
1999 Live At the Key Club
2005 Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Hits

History:
Started out as strictly a glam band, but evolved into a much more bluesy, melodic band in the 90's. Became MTV darlings with a string of catchy singles and successful albums. Little label or media support slowed the band down in their later years, but they continue to have a loyal following.
Members came and went during their formative years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including Michael Kelly Smith who would later resurface in Britny Fox. By the time Jon Bon Jovi had discovered them and recording had started for what would become Night Songs the band was comprised of Tom Keifer (vocals/guitar), Jeff LaBar (guitar), Eric Brittingham (bass) and Fred Coury (drums). Success was instant, while they toured with some of the biggest names of the era the album shot up to #3 on the charts on its way to selling over three million copies behind such hits as "Nobody's Fool" and "Somebody Save Me".
Long Cold Winter had similar success, with hits such as "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)", "Coming Home" and "Gypsy Road", before the group got more in touch with their bluesy roots for the third album, and then the bottom fell out. Heartbreak Station sold a disappointing (for Cinderella) one million copies, and by 1993 Coury left (joining Arcade) to be replaced by Kevin Valentine whom would himself leave half way through recording sessions for Still Climbing to make room for Ray Brinker. The group called it a day in 1995 and went their separate ways without much fanfare.



The original band reformed in 1998 for the Unfinished Business tour and released a couple live albums. They continue to tour to this very day, but rumored new material has yet to come forward. In 2004 LaBar and Brittingham formed Naked Beggars while Keifer began work on a solo album as well as recording with American Idol alumni Bo Bice. Down, but never out, Cinderella will be sure to usher in the new wave of hard rock.

Links:
The Official Cinderella Page

Blue Murder

BLUE MURDER
Formed 1988, England

Albums:
1989 Blue Murder
1993 Nothin' But Trouble
1994 Screaming Blue Murder

History:
Blue Murder was the brainchild of guitar virtuoso John Sykes. Upon his firing from the most successful version of Whitesnake, the former Thin Lizzy and Tygers Of Pan Tang axe-man, set out to create a similar sounding bluesy hard rock band.
Initial trials for the band included vocalist Ray Gillen (of Black Sabbath and later Badlands) and versatile drummer Cozy Powell. However Sykes would end up doing vocals himself and adding ex-Firm bassist Tony Franklin, drummer Carmine Appice (of Vanilla Fudge, King Kobra etc) and Nik Green on keyboards. The debut album would sound a lot like Whitesnake's 1987 album, showing just how important Sykes was to his former band. In fact even Sykes' vocals sounded an awful lot like that of David Coverdale.

In 1991 Sykes offered Kelly Keeling (ex-Baton Rouge) the job as lead vocalist. Upon joining, Keeling discovered that Franklin and Appice had left the band. While all the original members played parts in the follow-up album, the new band consisted of Green, Marco Mendoza (bass) and Tommy O'Steen (drums). Sykes was unsure about most of Keeling's lead vocals, and by the time Nothin' But Trouble was released, had overdubbed the majority of them. In 1993 Keeling left the band and the Blue Murder moniker was put to rest as the group changed their name to Sykes. Success never came to the band, and they were dropped from their major label contract. They released one more album, a live tribute to Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott before calling it a day.

Alcatrazz

Formed 1983, U.S.A.

Albums:
1983 No Parole For Rock'N'Roll
1984 Live Sentence
1985 Disturbing The Peace
1986 Dangerous Games
1998 The Best Of Alcatrazz


History:
A traditional heavy metal band that infused a classical and intricate guitar style to their sound, and helped launch the career of two of the most accomplished guitarists in rock.
Formed in Los Angeles, California by former Rainbow and MSG vocalist Graham Bonnet. He completed the band with former Steeler guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Shea (bass, ex-New England), Jan Uvena (ex-Alice Cooper on drums) and Jimmy Waldo (keyboards, also an ex member of New England). The debut was a scorching metal classic, but after the tour and accompanying live album Malmsteen jumped ship to pursue a successful solo career. He was replaced by another up and coming axe-slinger in Steve Vai, who had worked with Frank Zappa.

Disturbing The Peace was a commercial disappointment, and Vai left shortly after to reach superstardom with David Lee Roth. Former Rick Derringer and Alice Cooper guitarist Danny Johnson was recruited for the bands final album that was panned by critics and fans alike for its commercialism and lack of direction. Upon the demise of the band in 1987, Bonnet began a successful career performing with Impelliteri and Michael Schenker among others while Waldo was found on Quiet Riot's self-titled album.

AC/DC

AC/DC
Formed 1973, Australia

Albums:
1975 High Voltage
1975 T.N.T.
1976 High Voltage
1976 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
1977 Let There Be Rock
1978 Powerage
1978 If You Want Blood You've Got It
1979 Highway To Hell
1980 Back In Black
1981 For Those About To Rock We Salute You
1983 Flick Of The Switch
1984 '74 Jailbreak
1985 Fly On The Wall
1986 Who Made Who
1988 Blow Up Your Video
1990 The Razors Edge
1992 Live: Special Collectors Edition
1992 Live
1995 Ballbreaker
1997 Bonfire
2000 Stiff Upper Lip

DVDs:
1992 Live At Donington
1996 No Bull
2000 Stiff Upper Lip Live
2005 Family Jewels


History:
AC/DC are, without a doubt, one of the most influential and consistently successful heavy metal bands in the world. Three-chord blues based boogie songs about sex, booze and damnation has been their recipe for success over the years, but guitarist Angus Young (in his knee-high school boy's uniform) gives the band its identity.

Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young formed AC/DC in Sydney, Australia in 1973 and had a revolving door membership in their formative years. Their debut single, "Can I Sit Next To You Girl" featured Dave Evans on vocals but it wouldn't be until the band solidified with Mark Evans (bass), Phil Rudd (drums) and petty criminal Bon Scott on vocals that AC/DC began to get noticed. When Cliff Williams replaced Mark Evans due to fatigue in 1977 chart success wasn't far behind, as Highway To Hell cracked the Top 20 in America. However just as the band was about to take the world by storm they almost disintegrated. It was February 19, 1980 when famed front-man Bon Scott died from choking on his own vomit after an all night drinking binge - the official coroner's report called it "death by misadventure". Upon losing their charismatic singer it was unsure if AC/DC would be able to continue or not, and even if they did return would fans accept a new vocalist?



Those questions were answered when a mere two months later the band had recruited ex-Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson and went on to record one of the best selling albums in rock history, Back In Black. The album shot up to #4 on the Billboard charts with the help of AC/DC staples such as "You Shook Me All Night Long" and the Bon Scott tribute "Hells Bells". Despite riding the wave of their first (and so far only) #1 album, For Those About To Rock, non-stop touring and drug abuse led to Phil Rudd's departure during the recording of 1983's Flick Of The Switch - Simon Wright was soon named as his replacement. By 1988 years of partying forced Malcolm to withdraw from the Blow Up Your Video tour to get a handle on his alcohol abuse. During the group's 1989 layoff Simon Wright got restless and defected to Dio, leaving room for former Firm member Chris Slade to take the drum stool. The resulting album, The Razors Edge, would once again give the Aussie rockers a hit album, reaching #2 on the U.S. charts.

Phil Rudd was back in the band for the Ballbreaker album and the boys continued to churn out their signature brand of hard rock. In 2004 Back In Black was certified as selling over 20 million copies in the U.S.A. alone, making it one of the ten best selling albums in the history of music. Countless tours, countless albums, and countless indulges in drug and alcohol have yet to sway AC/DC from their path and the band's rabid fan base continues to support whatever they do. Society changes, new fads come and go, but one thing always remains certain and untouched by time, and that is AC/DC - one of music's finest bands.

Links:
The Official AC/DC Page

Poison

POISON
Formed 1983, U.S.A.

Albums:
1986 Look What The Cat Dragged In
1988 Open Up And Say...Ahh!
1990 Flesh & Blood
1991 Swallow This Live
1993 Native Tongue
1996 Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986-1996
2000 Crack A Smile...And More!
2000 Power To The People
2001 Rock Champions
2002 Hollyweird
2003 Best Of Ballads & Blues
2006 The Best Of Poison: 20 Years Of Rock
2007 Poison'd!

DVDs:
2001 Greatest Video Hits
2006 Seven Days Live


History:
Pretty boy good looks and pop oriented rock songs made Poison one of the biggest names in the late 80's glam scene. They quickly became MTV darlings and opened the door for many similar bands to follow with their radio-friendly ballads and over-the-top stage shows.
Bret Michaels (vocals/guitar), Matt Smith (guitar), Bobby Dall (bass) and Rikki Rockett (drums) formed Poison in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the early 80's. Smith was quickly replaced by ex-Roxx Regime (the band that would later become Stryper) guitarist C.C. DeVille and the band started to make waves. They started to attract a huge following in the L.A. metal clubs and were promptly signed to a major label deal. The band's first three albums all hit the Billboard top 5 on their way to going multi-platinum (including six top ten singles), before the band started to unravel. Michaels warned both DeVille and Dall to slow down on drugs or be fired, DeVille was unable to do so and was replaced by Richie Kotzen in 1992.
The Native Tongue album was a more mature effort, but failed to reach the massive success of the other albums. In late 1993 Kotzen was promptly canned when the band found out he had been sleeping with Rockett's girlfriend. Blues Saraceno was made the new guitarist and would begin work on Crack A Smile, an album that sat dormant for several years before finally getting released. Poison decided to take a hiatus due to lack of label support and the changing musical tides. Michaels would do some acting, release a solo album and form a production company with actor Charlie Sheen, while Rockett became a comic book publisher.



The band regrouped with DeVille in 1996, and took the music to the people. Despite having no new album to promote, Poison's '99 tour became one of the highest grossing of the year, proving that their type of flashy music was far from dead. A new album appeared in 2002 with very little promotion, yet still managed to reach the charts despite hair metal being constantly ridiculed by the press, followed by a covers CD in 2007. Poison seems to be one of the few bands that have been able to continue a successful career amidst the grunge and alternative years.

Links:
The Official Poison Page