Tag: Glam Metal
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The Runaways ‘The Runaways’ (1976)
The Runaways’ 1976 self-titled debut was loud, raw, and about as unapologetic as a record could get at the time. Formed by a group of teenage girls who barely had their driver’s licenses, the band—featuring future rock icons like Joan Jett and Lita Ford—was put together under the guidance of manager Kim Fowley who saw…
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Steel Panther ‘Feel the Steel’ (2009)
Feel the Steel is the kind of record that feels like it was made by a bunch of drunk frat guys who raided a time capsule from 1987, bought a U-Haul worth of spandex, and decided to turn every glam-metal cliché up to 11 just for the hell of it. The jokes come at you…
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Hardcore Superstar ‘Split Your Lip’ (2010)
This is another one of those “Jason has been absolutely loving Peacemaker Season 2 on HBO over the last few weeks and binging songs off the soundtrack ever since” inspired albums. It follows the familiar formula. Big production? Check. Big gang vocals? Check. Big ass guitar solos? Check. And with a classic sleaze rock inspired…
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Mötley Crüe ‘Too Fast For Love’ (1981)
Mötley Crüe had yet to reach the height of their powers during their debut album (1989’s Dr. Feelgood being their high water mark imo) but you could hear the beginnings of their glam metal greatness beginning to form. The whole band is a little rough around the edges technically on this album, especially the rhythm…
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Vains of Jenna ‘The Art of Telling Lies’ (2009)
I’ve been getting into sleazy 80’s inspired glam rock a bunch lately (inspired in no small part by the return of the HBO show Peacemaker, of which Season 1 is low-key one of my favorite shows released in the past five years) and Vains of Janna is a perfect band to fit that vibe. They’re…
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Skid Row ‘Skid Row’ (1989)
If you name your band Skid Row in 1989 you better be fully ready to bring the glam metal heat front to back, especially if you’re an East Coast based band. It’s a bold stake to smash into the ground considering the history of how Skid Row in Los Angeles basically defined that era of…
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Extreme ‘Pornograffitti’ (1990)
As I wrote about yesterday I’ve been binge-watching the hell out of sets from “Back To The Beginning” which was Ozzy Osbourne’s final live performance of his career. It’s been a helluva ride and an incredible celebration of heavy metal music. One guitarist that really stuck out to me through the day was Nuno Bettencourt,…
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KISS ‘Kiss’ (1974)
KISS’ career has seen its fair share of twists and turns, from the bizarre pop metal and grunge era in the 80’s and 90’s respectively, and the band has never really gotten the respect for hardcore music fans that they deserved. But whether you’ve seen them as a Halloween-esque caricature or one of the early…
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L.A. Guns ‘Cocked and Loaded’ (1989)
L.A. guns came up in the grimey glam metal scene of 1980’s Los Angeles and has an interesting family tree connection with Axl Rose and hard rock heavyweight Guns N’ Roses. Cocked and Loaded is their magnum opus.
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Quiet Riot ‘Metal Health’ (1983)
Quiet Riot’s Metal Health was a milestone for heavy metal music, becoming the first metal album to top the Billboard 200 and selling over 10 million copies worldwide. The album’s explosive success was propelled by their raucous cover of Slade’s “Cum On Feel the Noize,” which turned into an anthem for headbangers everywhere. But beneath…
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Twisted Sister ‘A Twisted Christmas’ (2006)
A Twisted Christmas is the ultimate holiday mashup of glam metal excess and yuletide cheer, proving that even the wildest rockers can embrace the Christmas spirit—on their own terms. Released in 2006, the album reimagines holiday classics like “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “Deck the Halls” with the band’s signature blend of roaring guitars,…
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Bon Jovi ‘Slippery When Wet’ (1986)
Fueled by massive anthems like “You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, and the timeless drunk karaoke favorite “Livin’ on a Prayer”, Slippery When Wet rocketed the New Jersey group to global superstardom. Produced by Bruce Fairbairn and polished to a shimmering, radio-ready perfection, Slippery When Wet bridged the gap between glam…
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Poison ‘Open Up And Say…Ahh!’ (1988)
Open Up and Say…Ahh! is the glittering embodiment of 1980s glam rock excess, a loud, brash, and unapologetically fun album that catapulted the band to superstardom. Released in 1988, it’s a neon-lit time capsule of hair-metal anthems that continue to define that era when people think of glam rock today. The album drips with over-the-top…
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Van Halen ‘Van Halen’ (1978)
Imagine you’re 16 years old, sitting in your bedroom at home, and your older brother bursts into your room with a new album from an unknown band named Van Halen that just released their debut album. You’re getting into rock and roll so you flip it on and you hear the guitar playing of Eddie…
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Mötley Crüe ‘Dr. Feelgood’ (1989)
In the history of music there’s no band that better encapsulates the hedonistic and over the top lifestyle of rock and roll than Mötley Crüe. There’s been countless bands that told tales of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll in their music, and a handful who truly lived the lifestyle. And then there’s Mötley Crüe.…
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Hanoi Rocks ‘Two Steps From The Move’ (1984)
As if the album cover didn’t give it away, Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish glam rock band from the 80’s that encapsulated all of the excess of that era unironically. Two Steps From The Move was their breakthrough album in the United States, and with the production guidance of the legendary Bob Ezrin (who worked…
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Def Leppard ‘Hysteria’ (1987)
The history behind Def Leppard’s Hysteria is a wonderful story about persistence in the face of adversity. After releasing their breakthrough hit Pyromania in 1983, Def Leppard went on a world tour that put them on the path to becoming one of the largest glam metal bands of their era. They initially entered the studio…
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Scorpions ‘Love At First Sting’ (1984)
“Rock You Like A Hurricane” is an iconic hair metal song and Scorpions are an iconic heavy metal band, selling over 100 million records during the course of their 60-year history. It puts them at the top of best-selling lists of not only heavy metal but bands of any genre, influencing cultural powerhouses like Guns…
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Dokken ‘Under Lock and Key’ (1985)
Dokken comes from the iconic era of glam metal bands like Ratt and Poison, where image was nearly as important as the music. Big hair, big drums, big vocals, big guitar solos— if everything is in fact bigger in Texas, then everything was indisputably the biggest in 1985 when hair metal stood on top of…
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Ratt ‘Invasion of Your Privacy’ (1985)
When Los Angeles glam metal was having its moment in the early-80’s, there were two bands that defined the genre– Mötley Crüe and Ratt. Ratt’s 1985 album Invasion of Your Privacy is basically a perfect example of what made glam such a scene– overdriven fuzzy guitars, massive sing-a-long choruses, shredding guitar solos, fat drums with…
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The Darkness ‘Permission to Land’ (2003)
All The Darkness do is write bangers. This is one of my favorite hard rock albums of all-time for the simple reason that it is fun as hell and has no interest in pretending to be anything otherwise. Modern rock music in general has the unfortunate malaise of sometimes being a little too self-important, and…
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