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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Albums: 1984 Bon Jovi 1985 7800 Fahrenheit 1986 Slippery When Wet 1988 New Jersey 1992 Keep The Faith 1994 Cross Road: The Best Of Bon Jovi 1995 These Days 2000 Crush 2001 One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001 2002 Bounce 2003 This Left Feels Right: Greatest Hits With A Twist 2004 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong 2005 Have A Nice Day 2007 Lost Highway
History: With their catchy brand of pop-metal and undeniable good looks, Bon Jovi was a band tailor made for success. In the mid 80's they became one of the biggest rock bands in the history of the genre, and influenced hundreds of rising stars with their good looks and radio friendly pop hooks. They have been able to adapt with the changing music scene to remain incredibly successful while most of their peers were pushed aside. Bon Jovi was formed in New Jersey around the nucleus of Jon Bon Jovi (vocals), Richie Sambora (guitar), Alec John Such (bass), Tico Torres (drums) and David Bryan (keyboards). They first made waves by re-recording a solo Jon Bon Jovi demo called "Runaway", and the group never looked back. Slowly building momentum, the band would finally take over the charts and airways with the release of Slippery When Wet which went on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide and spawned two #1 singles in "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer". New Jersey followed up that success with two more chart topping singles - "Bad Medicine" and the ballad "I'll Be There For You". It appeared as if nothing could stop Bon Jovi. However in the early 90's rumors circulated that internal bickering between Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora over money issues had torn the band apart. The rumors were denied, but solo releases by both members (as well as by Bryan) just added fuel to the fire. True to their word the guys returned in 1992 amidst a whole new music scene, but they still managed great sales. Alec John Such would leave the band in late 1994, with session musician Hugh MacDonald (of Alice Cooper and Cher fame) becoming an unofficial member.
your give me love a bad name
Bon Jovi and Sambora would both release solo albums in the late 90's while the band was on hiatus, but have no plans on ending the Bon Jovi juggernaut. They were never able to reach the massive sales numbers of Slippery When Wet again, but were still dominant in the marketplace by toning down their image in the mid 90's. Members also remained in the spotlight with Jon Bon Jovi's new acting career and Richie Sambora's marriage to TV actress Heather Locklear. In 2005 they even achieved cross-over appeal by charting on the country singles charts with "Who Says You Can't Go Home" and two years later they once again topped the Billboard charts with Lost Highway.
Albums: 1981 Too Fast For Love 1983 Shout At The Devil 1985 Theatre Of Pain 1987 Girls, Girls, Girls 1989 Dr. Feelgood 1991 Decade Of Decadence '81-'91 1994 Motley Crue 1997 Generation Swine 1998 Greatest Hits 1999 Supersonic And Demonic Relics 1999 Live: Entertainment Or Death 2000 New Tattoo 2003 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best Of Motley Crue 2003 Music To Crash Your Car To: Volume 1 2004 Music To Crash Your Car To: Volume 2 2005 Red, White & Crue
History: Motley Crue helped usher in heavy metal's rebirth in the mid 80s while becoming one of the most popular and notorious rock bands in history. This group of misfits got into more trouble, had their way with more women, broke more laws and consumed more drugs then almost anyone and their story reads more like an unbelievable far-fetched soap opera. Motley Crue formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981 and consisted of Vince Neil (vocals), Mick Mars (guitar), Nikki Sixx (bass) and Tommy Lee (drums). The band's debut, Too Fast For Love, was released on their own Leathur label, but by 1982 they had managed to create a substantial buzz and got signed to the major label Elektra which re-released the album. Shout At The Devil put Motley Crue on the map nationwide as it raced up to #17 on the Billboard charts, but things were about to come crashing down. On December 9, 1984 Vince Neil was charged with vehicular manslaughter when he lost control of his car while intoxicated resulting in the death of Hanoi Rocks' drummer Razzle. The band was unsure what their future would hold, but after a short jail sentence for Neil the group began to pick up were they had left off.
dr. feel goods The group just kept growing in popularity but the members continued to live outside the norm. Drummer Lee married television sweetheart Heather Locklear in 1986 (and divorced in 1993) and during the tour for Girls, Girls, Girls Sixx overdosed on heroin yet miraculously he survived and got clean. Dr. Feelgood would see the band at their commercial peak as the album would hit #1 on the Billboard charts with the title track becoming their highest charting single at #6. Despite their commercial success, all was not well in the Crue camp. Surprisingly, in 1992 Neil was fired (or quit, depending on which band member you ask) and replaced by ex-Scream man John Corabi. Motley Crue released one largely ignored album with Corabi and Neil pursued a solo career that quickly wore out its welcome. So to no one's surprise the original Motley Crue resurfaced on the American Music Awards in early 1997 and announced they were back again. The late 90s would see the band's actions garnering more attention then the actual music. Lee's steamy marriage to Playboy Playmate/actress Pamela Anderson led to two children, one x-rated video, six months in jail for spousal abuse and finally ended in divorce. Neil also found himself as an adult video star when his home movie with porn queen Janine was leaked to the public. Upon his release from jail Lee rejoined the band for the Greatest Hits tour but soon departed to concentrate on his Methods Of Mayhem project. Motley Crue hired former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Randy Castillo in May of 1999 to finish the tour and record the back-to-roots New Tattoo album. However Castillo was unable to kick off the new tour due to stomach surgery (which was later found to be cancer and would claim his life in 2002) and Hole's Samantha Maloney temporarily takes his spot. Unsurprisingly Sixx would cheat on his Playmate wife Donna D'errico with Maloney before the tour was finished. 2001 saw the release of the band's tell-all biography The Dirt and Motley Crue was put on hiatus. Neil continued to tour as a solo artist and appeared on the debut season of the popular TV show The Surreal Life, Sixx also wrote and recorded with his highest profile project being the Brides Of Destruction, Lee drifted off into some weird musical territory and Mars suffered from a degenerative bone disease. In late 2004 the original line-up finally sorted through their differences and set upon another successful world tour. If it is a farewell world tour, or if everyone comes back alive, is anyone's guess.
Albums: 1989 Bad English 1991 Backlash 1995 Greatest Hits
History: Considered by many to be one of AOR's most spectacular super groups, Bad English provided a perfect blend of radio-friendly rockers and powerful ballads. Former Babys front man John Waite was enjoying a successful solo career when he signed with Epic records in 1988. However, for his next album he had decided he didn't want to continue as a solo artist, and instead wanted to build another band. He recruited former Babys alumni, bassist Ricky Phillips and keyboardist Jonathan Cain (an ex-Journey member). Cain names the band Bad English, and invites his former Journey colleague Neal Schon (guitar) to join. Schon brings along session drummer Deen Castronovo and the group is solidified. In June of 1989 the debut album is released upon the public. It slowly reached #21 on the Billboard charts behind the #1 success of the second single, the ballad "When I See You Smile". The album went platinum in America, and spawned another top ten hit in "Price Of Love." Price of love video clip
During the recording of the follow-up disc, everything began to fall apart. Ego clashes led to dissention over which direction the band's music should take. Waite felt he was being forced to sing songs he didn't like, and the tension between members led to the bands dissolution shortly after the release of Backlash. The album proved to be a major flop compared to the debut, peaking out at #72 on the charts, with no hit singles. Schon and Castronovo jumped ship to join the harder rocking Hardline, with Cain and Waite pursuing solo careers.
Albums: 1989 Live Injection 1989 Psycho Cafe 1991 Dancin' On Coals 1992 Ain't No Jive...Live! 1994 Love After Death 1998 Live 1999 Untied & Live 1999 Greatest Tricks 2004 Ready To Go 2004 The Ultimate Bang Tango: Rockers And Thieves 2006 From The Hip
History: One of the most original bands to come out of the L.A. glam scene in the late 80's. They blended the glam vocals and attitude with funky bass lines and a streetwise appearance. They showed so much potential that they were signed to a major label before a demo was even recorded. The band formed in Los Angeles when Rough Cutt's Amir Derakh introduced Joe LeSte (vocals) to Mark Knight (guitar) and Kyle Kyle (bass). The line-up was later completed with the additions of Kyle Stevens (guitar) and Tigg Ketler (drums). The group was quickly snatched up by Mechanic/MCA and unleashed their Psycho Cafe, an original and unrelenting debut studio album. Singles such as "Someone Like You" brought the band mild success and rave reviews. However by the time of 1994's Love After Death release, the music scene had changed completely and was unforgiving to band such as Bang Tango. Knowing their time had passed, the group split up and went their separate ways.
someone like you video clip
Kyle Kyle would team up with Taime Downe (Faster Pussycat) in an industrial tinged band called the Newlydeads. However by 1998 he had re-teamed with Joe LeSte for a Bang Tango reunion tour with Mark Tremalgia on guitar and Walter Earl on drums. The bands heyday has long passed without much fanfare, but they left behind some of the most memorable and distinguishable music of the glam era. LeSte managed to land another major label deal with the Beautiful Creatures, but also had time to record a new Bang Tango album in 2004. Ready To Go featured a revamped line-up of Alex Grossi (guitar), Anthony Focx (guitar), Chris Roach (bass) and Matt Starr (drums) while 2006's From The Hip featured Mark Simpson (guitar), Lance Eric (bass) and Timmy Russell (drums). The remaining original members have formed the Worry Beads.
