A scholarly analysis of the hall of shame that was eighties Poodle Rock!
The only thing worse than the hair and outfits was the muzak!
Oh, the horrors!
From backtotheeighties.
Nothin’ but a good time
One of the more distinctive music genres from the 80s was hair metal. Musicians had long hair since the 60s, but those hard rockers in the 80s just took it that little bit too far…
There is some argument about who fits in this genre, and while KISS, Van Halen and Areosmith were the model that half these bands were based, they were certainly around long before this particular scene.
Also, there is no metal in Bon Jovi and while Guns N Roses are another band that are roped in to the lot, I believe their music shows little resemblance to the following bands…
HAIR METAL BANDS
Mötley Crüe
Probably the first true hair band and the model that countless bands looked to in the years to come. They’ve showed amazing endurance and still manage to top the charts in this day and age.
Check out: Shout at the Devil is one of the best rock records ever made.
Ratt
They followed shortly behind the success of The Crue and wore their Van Halen and Judas Priest musical influences on their sleeves.
Check out: Their only big single Round and Round and the underrated Nobody Rides for Free.
Poison
Open Up and Say…Ahh! was the first album I ever bought and I broke my collar bone two days before I was supposed to go to their concert….however, I did meet guitarist C.C. DeVille in a memorable interview once and many regard them as the seminal hair metal outfit and Every Rose has its Thorn as the proto-power ballad.
Check out: Every Rose and their 3rd and darker album Flesh & Blood.
Whitesnake
English hair metal at its best. Dave Coverdale always liked to get more romantic than his American counterparts and he’s still going strong today.
Check out: Still of the Night live DVD
Def Leppard
Their Hysteria album sold more than any other band on this list and they made themselves a household name for at least a while – their drummer lost an arm and their guitarist died and they slowly went downhill.
Check out: Their hard-rocking peak Pyromania.
Skid Row
They just scraped in with a couple of albums before grunge crushed the whole scene. I have a cool photo of me and Sebastian Bach on stage together and we’re also using one of his songs at our wedding…
Check out: Self-titled debut.
L.A. Guns
The off-shoot that started Guns N Roses, this band lays somewhere in between. Underrated and underplayed.
Check out: Over the Edge single and their latest album Tales from the Strip.
Warrant
Another band that scraped in at the tail end, they will always be remembered for their cheesy anthem Cherry Pie, but are well known in the industry as brilliant song smiths.
Check out: Inspired singles Uncle Tom’s Cabin and I Saw Red.
Vixen
Hard-rocking hair metal girls at their best. I interviewed band founder Jan Kuehnemund of the all-girl band a year or two ago and she was all class.
Check out: Their self-titled debut
Scorpions
Germany’s hair metal heroes. These guys have been around forever, and they just keep on going.
Check out: Singles Rock You Like a Hurricane and Wind of Change.
Other notable mentions:
Quiet Riot, Stryper, WASP, White Lion, Winger, Dokken, Tesla, Cinderella, Lita Ford, Twisted Sister, Hanoi Rocks, Extreme, Great White, White Cross, Y&T, Firehouse, Faster Pussycat, Europe, Steelheart, Vain, Danger Danger, Nelson
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Translation by Caitlin Caven
