Need to state this up front…  I have a love/hate relationship with hair metal.  For one, I hate the name-  just a fancy marketing term that a large number of bands from the 80s have been lumped into.  And that’s another reason:  I get the hair bit but METAL?  Ummm…  no.  Although I guess it flows a little better than “hair rock” or “hair hard rock” but hey, it’s just semantics.  And those power ballads?  Uggggh… Oh yeah, I did say that I love some of it too.  Let’s highlight some of the ups and downs of a genre that you couldn’t escape from roughly 1983-1991.

1.  1983-1986 were the best years

IMHO, the years 83 to 86 were the peak of the genre:  the LA scene was really kicking into high gear at this time with many bands looking to become the next Van Halen, KISS, or Aerosmith.  Motley Crue, Ratt, Dokken, Quiet Riot, Great White, etc were signed and releasing their first records during this period, Bon Jovi was debuting on the East Coast, and Def Leppard were already veterans but were soon refining their approach to songwriting.  At this point the genre was still fresh and the bands appeared to be more in control of their destiny.

2.  New guitar heroes were being born

As I’d mentioned previously, Van Halen was a HUGE influence on the newest batch of six stringers and many of them ended up being lumped into the genre due to the technical wizardry of Eddie Van Halen.  Some of these players, like George Lynch, were peers of Van Halen and started at the same time although his influence on bands throughout the 80s cannot be denied.  Other artists such as Warren DeMartini of Ratt, Jake E Lee of Ozzy Osbourne, Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme, and Reb Beach of Winger (just to name a few) were taking the best of VH and putting their own spin on things and adding other 70s influences like a Ritchie Blackmore, Ace Frehley, or Michael Schenker.  These players were (and still are) quite dynamic in both the lead and rhythm department and were able to add fresh new sounds during the 80s via their playing styles and songwriting structures.

3.  Influence on older bands was…  hit or miss

Let’s talk three specific bands whose careers changed quite a bit during the hair era:  KISS, Whitesnake, and Aerosmith.  1983 was an interesting year for KISS-  the band was now down two original members as Ace Frehley was long gone and replaced by Vinnie Vincent, but the shock of all shocks was the decision to “unmask” and drop all vestiges from the past.  Whether due to declining sales or seeking an opportunity to showcase a hot new band via what was then a two year old MTV, the band did a decent job over the next few years and released a handful of albums that did quite well for the time.  Not as influential as the earlier years but they had no problem hopping on the bandwagon, often taking many of the new hot bands on tour with them.  While I don’t view them as a hair band, they most definitely were an influence on the genre strictly due to their over the top performance, entertaining stage show, and “KISS” songwriting format (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

Aerosmith was another matter-  down and out due to drug excess, the Boston bad boys had gathered their sea legs again via 1985’s Done With Mirrors LP but it wasn’t until Run DMC’s remake of the ‘Smith’s “Walk This Way” that really brought the band back to worldwide attention.  Shortly thereafter, newly clean and sober, the band released a couple of albums at the tail end of the 80s that revived their career with help from Geffen A&R guru John Kalodner (John Kalodner) and hit doctors such as Desmond Child and Diane Warren.  The hooks were hookier and the rough edges sanded down, leading to even greater fame than ever before.

As for Whitesnake…  a British institution since 1978 led by former Deep Purple (Mk III) vocalist David Coverdale, the band had a somewhat stable lineup until 1984’s great Slide It In album, which was the first attempt to crack the American market.  However, two key factors in play for their self titled album released in 1987 that really put the band over the top:  1) the sacking of ALL members of the previous band and bringing on more MTV friendly fare (i.e., skinny rockers with long hair and MUCH younger); and 2) model (and soon to be Coverdale’s wife) Tawny Kitaen’s presence in three band videos.  The combination of the hot new band and the hot model sent Whitesnake sales soaring and forever linking that band to the hair metal genre (unfairly, in my estimation).

4) The hair got higher, the makeup more glammy, and pusses became more poutier 

Did I say I have a love\hate relationship with hair metal?  Most definitely.  At some point around 1986, the image (most definitely crafted for MTV) started to take over moreso than the music.  Suddenly you had bands singing and gesticulating/gyrating TO the camera instead of to a fake video audience, all topped off with a mix of pretty boy closeups, and often incredibly silly antics.  Focus on the Bon Jovis, the Warrants, and the Poisons seemed to be more about the glamorous looks of the band members or their fashion sense instead of the music, plus many bands seemed to be trying to outdo their contemporaries with one video trick or another (bigger hair, slow motion camera dramatics, more and more video vixens, etc).  And those power ballads?  Every hair band HAD to have one or two per album (gross).

5) Guns N Roses almost saved the genre

Never really a hair band per se but forever linked to the era, the Gunners took more of a street lethal approach to the music and performance aspect of the video format but also kept certain elements from their counterparts.  For as much badassery on display musically, they also had their own visual appeal that was far apart from other bands of the time as they looked relatively unwashed ‘n unkempt in comparison.  Sure, Axl had the big hair in their smash “Welcome To The Jungle” and Slash had the trademark top hat but these guys were out to slay performance wise and show you what a great rock band could be.  Fellow bands started to drop the fashion sense in favor of regular T shirts and jeans.

6)  Grunge didn’t kill hair metal…  the industry killed it and tried to kill metal in general

As someone who worked in a record store at the onset of grunge, I can honestly say that the music industry tried to kill ALL semblance of metal.  Sure, hair metal was still riding high on the charts in the early 90s with a mishmash of very good to not so good new blood plus the music genre started get a little more alternative (but still heavy in some ways) via bands like Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Hell, you could see bands like Alice N Chains and Soundgarden on Headbanger’s Ball and I never thought twice as I was digging the fresh new sounds.  However, once Pearl Jam and Nirvana hit it big a lot of 80s metal bands were dropped from major labels like a bad habit, and not just the hair bands.  Some of those bands tried to get with the times and tried to write more darker themed material and adopted the downtuned guitar approach and some of the thrashier bands tried to follow the Metallica path in writing more straight ahead tunes instead of the complex cacophony and riffery from their earlier years.  The entire industry really shifted focus during this time as it dropped the colorful, extroverted, and often over the top aspects of the genre (and its sense of fun) for more of an inward looking, darker, and sometimes bleaker one.  Unfortunately, there was no room for that “early light” to mix with the “new dark” in the label’s eyes.

All that said…  hair metal has seen quite the resurgence over the past ten years and possibly longer.  Some bands from the genre continued to slug it out during those lean years while many of them broke up only to reunite (sometimes with new members) within the past decade or so.  Also, many of these bands go out on summer package tours to hit the larger outdoor venues while some will often play larger “hair metal festivals” in various parts of the country (Rocklahoma anyone)?  Even the spirit of the 80s lives on in a band like Steel Panther, who adopt the good clean fun of the times with a lot of tongue in cheek silliness that walks that fine line between parody and tribute.

I guess it’s like we heard from people about the 60s…  in order to really understand it you had to be there!

So my formative years listening to music were definitely the late 70s until roughly the mid 80s.  For every dose of the classic artists of the period there were other bands that had great songs but either remained cult favorites, were one hit wonders, or never had a sustained career. With this post I wanted to highlight 25 songs and artists that you may have forgotten about that occasionally make the odd appearance on classic rock radio today (listed in alphabetical order).

1. Angel City, “Fashion & Fame”
2. April Wine, “All Over Town”
3. Axe, “Rock And Roll Party In The Streets”
4. Billy Thorpe, “Children Of The Sun”
5. Box Of Frogs, “Back Where I Started”
6. Donnie Iris, “Ah Leah”
7. Frank Marino, “Strange Dreams”
8. Gary Myrick, “Party”
9. Greg Kihn, “The Breakup Song”
10. John Hall Band, “Crazy”
11. The Kings, “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ To Glide”
12. Martin Briley, “The Salt In My Tears”
13. Orion The Hunter, “So You Ran”
14. Phantom, Rocker, & Slick, “Men Without Shame”
15. Planet P, “Why Me?”
16. The Plimsouls, “A Million Miles Away”
17. The Producers, “What’s He Got?”
18. Red Rider, “Lunatic Fringe”
19. Robert Hazard, “Escalator Of Life”
20. Schon & Hammer, “Lies”
21. The Sherbs, “No Turning Back”
22. Sniff N The Tears, “Driver’s Seat”
23. Tarney Spencer Band, “No Time To Lose”
24. Taxxi, “I’m Leaving”
25. 707- “I Could Be Good For You”

Man…  Clyde Stubblefield died today.  I’d been wanting to do a Shameless Plug post to showcase a great James Brown song so in honor of “the world’s most sampled drummer”, here’s a post on one of my all time favorite sticksmen and one of the Godfather Of Soul’s best cuts.  “Funky Drummer” may be the one that’s been sampled to death, but it’s the snap, crackle, and pop of Stubblefield’s work on “I Got The Feelin'” that’ll get your hands a clappin’ and your toes a tappin’.

Make no mistake, this is funk with a capital F.  If all you know from James Brown is “I Got You” or “Living In America”, do yourself a favor and pick up one of his greatest hits collections or just go out and YouTube a few videos (extra treat in finding mid-60’s through 70’s live vids!).  If you need some convincing on just downloading one song, “I Got The Feelin'” is just as good as any-  the only drawback is that it’s too short!  But what a groove…  sharp horn riffs and punctuating blasts, superfly guitar picking, punchy bass, and one of the nastiest, funkiest, grooviest drum patterns you will EVER hear.  Just a master class in drumming by Clyde Stubblefield- listen to how he comes in on “the one” with a quick kick and wicked snap to intro the song.  Just an incredibly sweet, sweet snare sound here too, all sizzle and spark due to Stubblefield’s smooth left hand “ghost notes” topped off with such a propulsive right foot that’s really driving that bass drum-  boom boom bap boom bap!  Add in the occasional funky hi hat work and you’ve got a solid bedrock of grooviness that’ll wake the dead.

But what about James Brown himself?  He’s the icing on the cake.  Ultra smooth yet semi-gruff in delivery, JB really nails the vocal here and comes off like Muhammad Ali in his prime:  bobbing and weaving in and out of the groove, shuffling about, throwing in a couple of “good God” and “baby baby baby” body shots to keep us off balance, and going for the knockout punch with a few well paced grunts and screams.  I dare you to sit still through this thing ’cause it’s damn near impossible as James playfully toys with the vocal rhythm and the band delivers a killer dose of insistent funk with Stubblefield clearly driving and pushing the beat.

Sure, “Cold Sweat”, “Super Bad”, “Mother Popcorn”, are all great songs from this period but for my money and jones for the funkiness “I Got The Feelin'” is hard to beat.  Everything falls into place perfectly in three minutes; I just wish it was at least another three minutes longer.  RIP Clyde Stubblefield!

No time to waste!  Time to get down to another round of…  the iPod Shuffle!  Time to blabber on about the first ten songs on shuffle mode this fine evening.  Read it!  Like you have anything better to do…

“Long Way Down”, Goo Goo Dolls A Boy Named Goo

These days the Goo Goo Dolls are known more for their mellower radio hits and less for the somewhat punkier tunes they trotted out on their earlier albums.  “Long Way Down” is actually my favorite Goo cut due to the take no prisoners punch, compact riffiness, persistent bass, and catchy chorus.  You guys can have the laid back stuff; gimme dat heads down bashin’ stuff any day.

“I Want Some More”, Dan Auerbach Keep It Hid

Black Keys mainman Dan Auerbach released a solo album back in 2009 that’s not that far removed from his day job.  At the time, maybe it was a bit more experimental and out of the box; however, you can argue that it’s the direction that the Keys ended up going anyway.  “I Want Some More” certainly leans old school with a nice fuzzy riff, great bluesy Auerbach vocal, and really cool organ touches tossed into the mix.  You like the Keys?  You’ll like this.

“Room For One More”, Anthrax Sound Of White Noise

So Anthrax fires Joey Belladonna in an attempt to get a touch heavier and brings on primo belter John Bush (late of Armored Saint) and gets less thrashy but a little more chunkier and fatter with the riff.  “Room For One More” is a great banger and Bush lets it rip through the guitar buzz and pounding drumwork courtesy of Charlie Benante.  One of the better Bush era tunes in my book, kinda like a mini-“Indians” for his era (that song an early ‘thrax classic).

“Baby Don’t Move Me”, The Paladins Slippin’ In

The Paladins are a great bluesy band out of the great state of California and “Baby Don’t Move Me” feels a bit like a long lost rockabilly/surf classic.  Think late 50s/early 60s-  dudes in t shirts and jeans and their girlfriends dancing along in their long skirts and bobby socks and you can picture what I’m talking about.  Throw in a few hot rods and jalopies and surfboards and you’re closer.  Like the Stray Cats for the beach!

“Father, Mother, Son”, John Corabi Unplugged

I’ve vouched for Crab’s vocal prowess many times but that was solely on the merits of his heavier cuts with The Scream and Motley Crue.  The man does a good job with the solo acoustic too, this version is unplugged and a take on the original from the former band’s debut album.  Really a sweet song that seems to be a tribute to the parental units with some good harmony vocals a la The Eagles.

“It’s Over Now”, Ace Frehley Loaded Deck

Man…  I’m not one to bag on a tune but I hate to say this really does nothing for me and I likely wouldn’t even have it on my iPod if not for being part of a Space Ace hits collection.  That said, Ace does play a nice solo midway through this Tod Howarth sung and penned cut.  Falls midway between power ballad and lighter prog fare.  Sorry guys…  can we hear “Rocket Ride” instead?

“Tragic Comic”, Extreme III Sides To Every Story

Not really a fave Extreme song of mine (not enough Nuno guitar!) but I gotta respect the ambition of the band come their third album here.  I know Extreme because of the raucous guitar work, you know Extreme due to their classic “More Than Words”, and “Tragic Comic” steps outside the bounds of both.  Definitely acoustic based but more in that midtempo vibe that gives you the bright and cheeries.  As always with these dudes, good vocals between Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone.

“Moribund The Burgermeister”, Peter Gabriel Revisited

Intro cut to Peter’s first solo release after leaving the Genesis machine, “Moribund” isn’t really too far removed in spirit from that band.  Maybe a bit more oddball (if you can believe that) mostly due to the crazy sound effects and the trippy instrumentation, plus you get a sinister “I will find out” vocals midway through and at the end of the song.  Peter has never been shy in stepping outside of the box and if you dig the creepies in your music you’ll like this.

“Workin’ For MCA”, Lynyrd Skynyrd Southern By The Grace Of God

We all know the Skynyrd legend… horrific plane crash kills band members and effectively ends said band for a good ten year period.  However, the band picks up the pieces and recruits some new blood for a well received tribute tour and releasing this live album in the process.  Good version of “MCA” here as the revived band gets their feet wet behind little brother Johnny Van Zant on vocal (RIP Ronnie).  Misses the punch of Allen Collins but good nonetheless.

“Scavenger Of Human Sorrow”, Death The Sound Of Perseverance

It took me a long, loooong, looooooong while to get into “cookie monster” vocals.  This isn’t cookie but it’s certainly far away from the Halfords, Dios, and Dickinsons that I grew up with.  But with the intensity of noodling and extreme talent on display musically, you can ignore that quickly.  Sure, it’s a bit unsettling vocally (Chuck Schuldiner’s spitting menace is not for everyone) but there are so many changes and twists and turns in this song that’s it’s a bit of an aural treat.

Easy choice for top song this week…  “Room For One More” by far, followed by “Long Way Down”.  Studio version of “MCA” woulda snuck in but alas, it wasn’t meant to be…

As if you couldn’t tell, I like a lot of loud music- everything from heavy thrash riffs to popping funk bass to crashing drums.  For every Iron Maiden there’s a Galactic, Kool & The Gang, or The Who to fit those moods.  But there are times when I want to feel vibes that are much simpler and less chaotic where nothing is in that 120 bpm mode that most hit records seem to average these days.  Gimme a bit of air and space…  sometimes it’s not what you are hearing, but what you are NOT hearing…

I thought about this recently when listening to the Joe Walsh song “County Fair”-  not really one of his well known hits but a perfect example of what I’m talking about.  Joe is a master in what I think of as “languid movement” in not only his riffs but his leads as well.  “County Fair” starts off with what sounds like a phased two chord riff before drummer Joe Vitale (a master of economy of scale himself) throws in a couple of slow and simple rolls to build up the intro before dropping out, leaving Joe to track a phased fingerpicking pattern o’er top a seven note rhythmic construct of electric guitar and piano.  Within a few seconds the vocal starts, with Joe all dreamily cool with some choice background “oohs” in the mix to help set the tone of the lyric.

Some of that languid movement appears after each verse, just going to show how shifts in mood and tempo can often be key to a well constructed song.  There is a 20-25 second section where Joe’s early fingerpicked pattern is simpler and Vitale’s drums are extremely laid back, lulling you into a sense of ease before that two chord riff (this time backed with what sounds like Hammond organ) snaps you back to reality.  Now here’s where the concept of “air” really plays out:  just after you snap back to that riffy mindset the whole band falls out, leaving Vitale a 15 second spot to tap out a simple, fairly non-distinct pattern until Joe comes in with some tasty bends.  The work from 2:25 to 3:55 is just an incredible build and is a great example of “it’s not what you play but what you DON’T play”.  This nearly TWO MINUTE section is just fantastic, tension building ever so slightly from the quiet sections through Joe’s licks as the band builds the tempo back to the earlier phased guitar part for verse two (just a masterstroke of ebb and flow here!)

Not much changes in the final verse as far as tempo is concerned, although Joe throws in more of those extremely tasty licks and the bass has some liquid runs behind Joe’s dreamy vocal.  But man…  those sonics here!  Nice production touches with layered instrumentation through the verses.  And after that final verse comes a bit of that languid movement smooth ride before the two chord riff comes in and the band rebuilds a rockier tempo for a minute and a half featuring some prime Joe Walsh guitar noodling before the song fades out.

There are a ton of examples of “air” out there in the classic rock realm, or that “less is more” approach-  some good examples are Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter”, ZZ Top’s “I Need You Tonight”, Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”to name just a few.  Would love to hear some other examples of your favorites!

A couple of years ago on a lazy weekend afternoon I was thumbing through the channels and landed on one that featured the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.  I caught it at a good time too as one of my newer favorite artists, Galactic, right at the beginning of their set.  After one cut they brought out a young lady to sing their latest single “Hey Na Na” and I was entranced:  just who IS this?  What was her name again?  Little did I know at the time, but I was slowly getting hooked by the commanding stage presence and incredible voice of one Maggie Koerner.

I had to find out more about this Maggie Koerner and did some searching for videos on YouTube, where I came to find that there is much more to her than the funk/soul queen performance that she displayed at the Jazz Fest that day.  Her song “Neutral Ground” is a fabulous piece of work, a dark trancelike piece with much ebb and flow between acoustic instrumentation, distorted passages, heavy feedback, and solid organ playing.  But that voice…  THAT VOICE…  such a beautiful, haunting instrument that sways between softer passages and soulful roars.  This is not just a song but an adventure for the senses and Koerner nails it, taking a bit of hoodoo spirit and wrapping it in such a deep and passionate vocal delivery that intertwines magnificently with the backing music.

After catching that video I downloaded her Neutral Ground release, which is highly recommended.  With a voice that features hints of artists as far ranging as Stevie Nicks, Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Miranda Lambert, and Joss Stone, Koerner’s music is just as bewitching as her voice.  Like the title cut , many of the songs feature quite the atmospheric vibe; bits of darker nooks and crannies but there are moments of sheer beauty within these songs as well.  “Dear Pril” is quite barren featuring acoustic and cello and Koerner’s singing quite naked and plaintive, but then something like “I Love You I Do” she bares her soul with a strong, soaring delivery.  And “He Calls Me Mama”?  Pure soul.

In 2016, Maggie released an EP entitled Dig Down Deep that’s just as solid as her previous releases.  If you are looking for a new, soulful talent that can sing without overselling it, give Maggie Koerner a shot.  I’m looking forward to a long fruitful career from this young talent!

Hot damn…  not sure which version I heard of this song first but man what an earworm.  Classics IV was formed in the mid-60s in Jacksonville, Florida, and released a handful of hits with “Spooky” being released in 1967.  Originally released as an instrumental in 1966 by saxophonist Mike Sharpe, lyrics were added by the band featuring a “spooky little girl” and the song hit number three on Billboard’s Hot 100 in early 1968.

While the instrumental version is a fine piece of jazz lite, the Classics IV version is well deserving of hit status- slinky groove, echoey “oohs” in the background, spooky sound effects, and great sax solo (possibly a tip of the hat to Sharpe?).  However, it’s Dennis Yost’s sly and cool vocal and clever lyric that really makes this one memorable-  not much of a stretch in range but that’s not the point… keep it in the pocket, no need to belt, throw in a semi-growl during “love is kinda crazy”, and let those lyrics speak for themselves.  The song was used to great effect in the Kevin Costner cult classic “Fandango” during the scene where they meet the two young girls at the drive-in restaurant (great movie, highly recommended!).

So what about the ARS “cover”?  I say “cover” because Atlanta Rhythm Section included two original members from Classics IV, who decided to revive “Spooky” and give it a more modern spin.  Their version, released in 1979, is a bit more straight on rock and features some extremely tasty guitar solos Barry Bailey and JR Cobb-  Bailey takes two original runs as he weaves in and out of the melody with some steamy licks and grooviness while Cobb tosses out the jazzier chords towards the latter part of the song.  Also thrown into the mix is a nice keyboard solo from Dean Daughtry to even things out.  Great version; a shade faster, slightly more rocking and, although I prefer the original, very good in its own right.

What do you think?