One of the things I pride myself on in running this site is that I speak my mind and I do so as brutally honest as I possibly can. Some people like it, some people could care less, and some people would probably love to hire Liam Neeson to hunt me down and fit me with a pair of concrete shoes and send me to the bottom of a lake somewhere. With that being said, I decided to put this piece together to proudly proclaim this: I fucking love glam metal.
I have decided to listen 11 Glam Bands that I’m not ashamed to admit that I fucking love. Why 11? Because it’s one louder. Duh. Ok, before you go losing your mind, here’s the deal. I honestly don’t feel like every glam band is created equal. Like any other genre of music, glam metal has it’s good, it’s not so good, and it’s downright shit bands. This is all very subjective (again, as with any other genre) and it all depends on a person’s likes. If there are bands on this list that you don’t agree with or bands you think that should’ve made this list, do one of two things: comment on the post or start your own fucking blog and talk about it there!
Ratt
Songs To Check Out: Way Cool Jr, Wanted Man, Back For More
When I first started listening to metal Ratt was one of those bands that you just had to love. Their album Out of the Cellar boasted some of the most infectiously awesome shit. The band also had one of the single worst images. Seriously. How did those guys land the chicks that they landed? They actually looked like a bunch of fucking junkie rats. That aside, Ratt may be pretty inconsistent when it comes to putting out a completely solid album but with songs like “Wanted Man”, “Lay It Down”, and “Way Cool Jr.” Ratt at one time ruled the world and to this day remains one of my favorite bands.
Poison
Songs To Check Out: Look What the Cat Dragged In, #1 Bad Boy, Love On the Rocks, Until You Suffer Some (Fire & Ice)
Ok. Poison gets hated on probably more than just about any band I can think of but let’s face it. Poison fucking rocks. I always thought that Poison was the closest thing to KISS that my generation got musically. Poison pretty much pulled straight from the KISS handbook of songwriter and that was, “Don’t think too much, just rock and let other people do the thinking.” Poison was the soundtrack to the good times and much like KISS they just knew how to have a good time and sing about it. Poison also pretty much were the kings of the power ballads with songs like, “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn”, “Something to Believe In”, “I Won’t Forget You”, and the awesome “Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice). They did try to mature up a little bit when they put out the awesome Native Tongue album which showed them growing up just tad but even they were like, “Fuck it. Let’s get CC Deville back and go back to being juvenile rock dudes.
Slik Toxik
Songs to Check Out: It’s Not Easy, Crashed, Sweet Asylum, White Lies/Black Truth
When Slik Toxik’s debut album Doin’ the Nasty came out in 1992 I remember them getting pinned as a Skid Row clone. Well, the Canadian glam/sleaze dudes did have a singer that kind of sang like Sebastian Bach but in all honesty, they had a sound all their own. The first time I hear the song “Helluvatime” I remember really digging it but when I bought the album I found that the true greatness lied within the deep cuts that never made it to MTV/radio such as “Sweet Asylum” and “Crashed.” The band had some serious chops and in my opinion showed just what they could do on the song “It’s Not Easy.” That song just may be the best metal song about being fucked up beyond all recognition I’ve ever heard. Even now this album holds up really well and it’s always a fun listen. I’m glad I even had the chance to see them live back in ’92 when I watched them blow Faster Pussycat off the fucking stage. Great band.
Babylon AD
Songs to Check Out: Maryanne, Bang Go the Bells, Pray for the Wicked, Bad Blood
Babylon AD was a band that never really hit it big but anybody who knows anything about this band will (and should) say what a fucking kick ass band this was. Babylon AD has what I consider to be some of the era’s strongest material. Their singer Derek Davis had such a distinct voice and the strength of the songwriting was just icing on the cake for this band’s stellar live shows. I saw Babylon AD twice and I can say that as a live band they were head and shoulders above most of their peers who were getting more attention. Babylon AD is a band that I still find myself gravitating to and their stuff still stands strong today and I still enjoy jamming this band from time to time. Every time I hear them I find myself saying, “I need to listen to this band more often.”
Winger
Songs to Check Out: Seventeen, Headed for a Heart Break, In the Heart of the Young, Rainbow in the Rose
Winger: The single most hated band of their genre. Why? Because of Beavis and Butthead? I never got the hate for this band. I mean, yeah, they were corny at times but they were no cornier than Warrant and/or Poison who seemed to get hated on nearly as much. Hell, as a band these fuckers could run laps around their peers. Even in their corniest songs like “Seventeen” or “Can’t Get Enuff” they did shit that left my head spinning it was so fucking good. Their first two albums to be are where I felt that they really showed that they could do this kind of music with progressive expertise. Some might call it dumbing down but I thought it was a cool thing to bring that kind of playing ability to this genre and I still proudly enjoy listening to this band.
Extreme
Songs to Check Out: Kid Ego, Rest In Peace, Stop The World, Decadence Dance, Warheads
When Extreme hit the genre people were hailing them as the 2nd coming to Van Halen. You had a singer who could sing his ass off with a stage presence that needed an arena stage, you had a guitarist who was pretty much Eddie Van Halen incarnate, and an unsung rhythm section that totally held their own as one of the most solid sections around. In addition to all that, these fuckers could write a song that made you feel something, that made you think, all the while making you feel like you just had your ass kicked. I stopped listening to Extreme after the III Sides to Every Story album but that bad showcases more growth both musically and lyrically on those three albums than most bands do in a lifetime. Extreme is a band that I couldn’t hate if I tried… well, at least for those first three albums. Much like Winger, they had some amazing playing ability coupled with some extremely (pun intended) set these guys in the top tier of the genre.
Britny Fox
Songs to Check Out: Long Way to Love, Hold On, Standing in the Shadows, Dream On
Britny Fox. These guys were pretty much doomed from the start. First off, the band boasted a former Cinderella guitarist Michael Kelly Smith. Second, the band looked like Cinderella (stylistically), had a singer that sounded almost identical to Cinderella vocalist Tom Keifer, and even their logo looked kind of like Cinderella’s logo. All that aside, I still love Britny Fox while they may have been a Cinderella clone, they had their own kick ass songs. Nothing thought provoking here but I will say that their shit after singer/guitarist “Dizzy” Dean Davidson left isn’t worth a shit. Also, their 2nd album Boys In Heat actually sounded more like they were coming into their own sound. It makes me wish I could’ve heard a 3rd album from this line up to see just where they might have been going as they seemed to be headed in the right direction.
Dangerous Toys
Songs to Check Out: Scared, Bones in the Gutter, Line ‘Em Up, Angel N U
Hands down one of the coolest bands of the era. They had the most badass band logo, killer album art, and for those first two albums they blew me away with a sound that was all their own. Dangerous Toys just didn’t sound like anyone out there and that really made them stand out from the pack. Unfortunately their first two albums (the only two worth a fuck) suffered from shitty production so the true greatness of their songs never really came through like they did in a live setting. The song “Scared” is a tribute to the legendary Alice Cooper and features easily one of the best videos of their era as well. Dangerous Toys still reunites from time to time to play shows in their home state of Texas and I think it would be fun to see them live again. Like I said, they did put out a handful of albums after the Hellacious Acres album (their 2nd) but to me, it’s those first two albums that have all the great songs…. If you can get past the shitty production.
Hanoi Rocks
Songs to Check Out: Tragedy, Village Girl, Malibu Beach Nightmare, Back to Mystery City
Hanoi Rocks are pretty much the godfathers of 80’s glam rock. Matter of fact, just take one good look at Hanoi Rocks and you will pretty much see the blueprint that Guns N’ Roses used to make their band. Hell, the intro to the live version of Hanoi Rocks’ “Don’t Never Leave Me” was pretty much ripped completely off by GnR to create “Don’t Cry.” Hanoi Rocks had this great way of having such diversity in their songs as they pulled from all kinds of influences from 50’s era rock n’ roll to gritty in your face punk. Hanoi Rocks was a great band with a legacy that can be heard all through the 80’s in many of the bands that they influenced. Hanoi Rocks is just great, timeless music.
Kingdom Come
Songs to Check Out: Get It On, Living Out of Touch, Do You Like It, What Love Can Be, 17
These guys sounded so much like Led Zeppelin that I remember the first time I heard “Get it On” I thought it was a new Robert Plant song. Matter of fact, for a little while they were being called Kingdom Clone. Man, call them what you want but this was an amazing fucking band. Yeah, they sounded like Zeppelin and even some of their songs might have been a bit too close for comfort but what the fuck ever. They were a great fucking and their first two albums are just non-stop. Between those two albums there isn’t a single bad song in the bunch. I still gravitate back to those albums from time to time and whenever I do I’m reminded just why I loved this band so fucking much. They were a great band with a slew of great songs combined with top notch production. This is some great shit.
Bulletboys
Songs to Check Out: F#9, Owed to Joe, THC Groove, Hell Yeah
The Bulletboys are one of those bands that I can guarantee that very few people would admit to loving but what can I say? I fucking loved this band. Their self-titled debut album is hands down one of the most solid debut albums I ever heard a band put out. Front to back there isn’t a bad fucking song on that album. They totally rocked a kind modernized Van Halen sound with a singer that was so fucking obnoxiously over the top. I saw them live twice and as a live band they fucking brought it in a huge way. “THC Groove” is such a badass song and I still consider their song “F#9” to be one of the most kick ass songs ever. Great singing, kick ass guitar playing, great production, it’s all there. Unfortunately the band just wasn’t consistent enough to do anything worth a shit past their 2nd album Freak Show but whatevs. Those first two Bulletboys albums are just monstrous albums that I will never tire of.
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