I WANNA

METAL / HARD ROCK/ ROCK
(INCLUDES HAIR METAL AND CLASSIC ROCK)
For more info on 80s metal, please visit my sister site - Metal and Madness!

Accept - "Balls to the Wall" is probably their most well-known song...and their singer, Udo Dirkschneider, looks like Chucky from the Child's Play movies.

Aerosmith - To try and sum up Aerosmith with a few lines seems almost criminal! One of the greatest rock bands of all time, Aerosmith was sidetracked by drugs in the early 80s. By 1986, they had recorded a version of their single "Walk This Way" with Run DMC. This song catapulted both groups to unparalleled success. 1987's Permanent Vacation gave us the hits "Angel," "Ragdoll," and "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)." 1989's Pump spawned the top ten hits "Love In An Elevator," "What It Takes," and "Janie's Got A Gun." Aerosmith continues to shine to this day.

Anthrax - Anthrax was one of the few bands in high school that both the girls and the boys liked. "Madhouse", "Indians", "Anti-Social" and their rap "I'm The Man" were some of their popular videos. They also did a remake with Public Enemy of their song "Bring The Noize". The also started the popular "NOT!" catch phrase that was later picked up by Wayne's World. I do remember that every time someone said the word "anti-social" someone else would inevitibly say "you're anti, you're anti-social!" and erupt into fits of giggles. Also, Anthrax was on Married With Children. And that ruled.

April Wine - "Just Between You And Me" - Baby I know what love will be!

Asia - "Heat Of The Moment" - Tellin me what your heart meant, it was the heat of the moment, it showed in your eyes...

Autograph - "Turn Up The Radio" - I Don't remember much about this band, but I think Aerosmith stole their artwork recently...

Babylon A.D. - "Bang Go The Bells" - Formed in 1986, this Bay Area band's debut album (which I LOVE) actually didn't come out until 1990. A technicality, considering they were together in the 80s I wanted to include them, so there! :o) And hey, I think Babylon A.D. is still around!

Bad English / John Waite - Formed by Vocalist John Waite and (at the time) ex-Journey mates Neil Schon and Jonathan Cain, the 1989 debut album from Bad English spawned the hits "When I See You Smile," and "Price Of Love." Their second album was appropriately titled Backlash, and failed to chart even one single!

Bang Tango - Never a million-selling band, Bang Tango formed in L.A. in 1987. Their debut on a major label, Psycho Cafe, was released in 1989. "Someone Like You" found much play on MTVs Headbanger's Ball, and this, and Metal Edge magazine, is where I found them. Never my favorite band, I do have a friend that enjoyed them more than I. I was more fascinated with some of their names, such as red-headed bassist Kyle Kyle and his pretty red hair. Or how about Tigg Ketler, their drummer? Now there is a name! Vocalist Joe Leste can be found lately fronting the semi-succesful band Beautiful Creatures and being evasive about his actual age.

Blue Oyster Cult - Ok, I couldn't put in the umlauts (those dot thingies) in their name because I have no idea how to in html. The roots of the Oyster Cult were begun in 1967 at SUNY Stony Brook on Long Island, NY. They were together, but had no major hits in the 80s.

Bonham - The band formed by legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's son - Jason - had only one minor hit. 1990's The Disregard Of Timekeeping spawned the gold record "Wait For You." Again, I realize this is not technically 80s, but I don't care!

Bon Jovi - Wow, I don't even know where to start. This my absolute favorite band. and there's so much to say! Formed in 1983 in and around Sayreville, NJ - Bon Jovi formed after Jon Bon Jovi cut a demo of the song "Runaway" while working in his cousin's recording studio. Bon Jovi's first guitarist, touring, was Dave Sabo, later of Skid Row. He was replaced (for reasons unknown to me) by Richie Sambora after signing a deal, and before entering the studio. Bon Jovi's self-titled debut was released in 1984 and "Runaway" became a Top 40 hit. 1985's album 7800 Fahrenheit went Gold. Slippery When Wet was released in 1986 and Bon Jovi shot to the top with two number one singles ("Livin On A Prayer," and "You Give Love A Bad Name") and the top ten single "Wanted Dead Or Alive." 1988's Bon Jovi album, New Jersey, went straight to number one with five million copies sold. New Jersey had two number one singles - "Bad Medecine" and "I'll Be There For You" and three top ten hits "Born To Be My Baby," "Livin' In Sin," and "Lay Your Hands On Me." These two albums helped Bon Jovi secure their place in music history as one of the best pop metal bands of all time. Bon Jovi rocks on to this day!

David Bowie - A popular artist before the 80s, David Bowie found continued success in this decade. From his single with Queen "Under Pressure" in 1981, to his hits "China Girl," "Let's Dance," and "Fashion," David Bowie was a very popular artist. Lest we forget, let's all take a moment and remember his duet with Mick Jagger in 1985 - a cover of the Martha and the Vandellas tune "Dancing In The Streets." He also did movies like Labyrinth in the 80s.

Britny Fox - "Long Way To Love," "Girlschool" - Metal Edge magazine's Best New Band of 1988 had an eerie resemblance to the band Cinderella. The noticible difference being that Cinderella had better songs, was better looking, and Britny's singer, Dizzy Dean Davidson was actually screechier (!) than Cinderella's singer (Tom Keifer). One member of the Fox was actually a former member of Cinderella. Britney Fox never got out of Cinderella's shadow, however, and the rest is metal history.

Cheap Trick - Formed in the mid-70s, Cheap Trick remains one of the best live bands of all time. With Robin Zander's amazing voice, Tom Petersson's 12 string bass, Rick Nielson's charisma, and Bun E. Carlos' unique coolness you couldn't get a better combination for a rock band. Although more known in the 80s for their ballads "Tonight It's You" and "The Flame", they still have made some of the best rock records of all time.

Cinderella - Sent to Mercury records by none other than Jon Bon Jovi - Cinderella is one of the better bands of the metal era. Their debut album, "Night Songs," was released in 1986. This cassette wore out my walkman! One of the few albums I can listen to all the way through. Pure blues based rock, Cinderella only grew as songwriters and musicians on their subsequent albums. Unfortunately, the tastes in the industry changed in the early nineties - and Cinderella was forgotten. Touring with Poison every year recently has brought them back to the spotlight. Now, where is that new album, boys? And hey, I met Flav at a Cinderella club show in 1998! So, ya gotta love Cinderella!

The Clash - Rock or Punk? Who cares? The Clash were cool. Their "Rock The Casbah" video featured a funky armadillo. Lead singer Joe Strummer died of heart failure in December 2002.

Alice Cooper - Alice has always been one of my favorites. The 80s didn't start off very well for Alice though. He was in the midst of his second battle with alcohol addiction, his albums weren't selling very well, and much of his hardcore fan base had left him partly because of his change in style to more of a "Mad Housewife" kind of image. However, in 1986, Alice returned to his classic style with Constrictor, which included his song from the Friday The 13th Part 6 soundtrack. He would not recapture the level of success he was used to in the early 70s until 1989's Trash. Trash featured a more polished, commercial sound produced by Desmond Child and featured Steven Tyler and Jon Bon Jovi (among others). Thankfully, he has since gone back to his rougher, original style.Whatchoo mean, "thankfully" Flav? I *loved* the Trash album! :o)

Damn Yankees - "High Enough," "Coming Of Age" - Formed in 1989 by Guitarist Ted Nugent, Styx's Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitars), Night Ranger's Jack Blades (vocals, bass), and Michael Cartellone, Damn Yankees had a couple of hits before calling it quits, after two albums, in 1993.

Danger Danger - "Naughty Naughty," "Bang Bang" - Widely regarded as a glam metal copycat band, Danger Danger never found lasting fame and accolades. Too "cute" for words, with sleazy sexual lyrics interspersed with the occaasional sappy ballad - they were considered lame by the guys and "hot" by the gals. Guitarist Andy Timmons is actually very talented. I adored this band because I was a teenager at the time. I still find nothing wrong with pretty boys playing catchy riffs and songs with hooks. But, I can see everyone's point. Danger Danger is still together, with a slightly altered lineup. I have no idea what their sound is like today. I have to imagine they have grown!

Danzig - Formed in 1987 by Glen Danzig (former member of Misfits and Samhain). Dark, brooding metal. Cool stuff. Glen Danzig's voice crawls into my skin and gives me fabulous willies!

Dead Milkmen - Love them or hate them, the Dead Milkmen are certainly silly and often annoying. Formed in 1983, they broke up in the mid-90s. Probably best known for their minor MTV hit, "Punk Rock Girl." I remember I was really po'd at that video because in walking around a record store, they bent a Poison album in half! I wish that was my biggest annoyance now!

Def Leppard - One of the biggest and most important bands of the 80s, Def Leppard are still together today. Formed in 1977 and mostly known for both their hits and their hardships, Def Leppard are the paragons of making it against the odds. The Leps had two monster albums in the 80s (as well as 2 previous albums), Pyromania and Hysteria. Almost every song on the latter was released as a single and most did very well. Def Leppard's drummer, Rick Allen, lost his arm in a car accident in the mid 80s, and guitarist Steve Clark fell victim to his alcoholism in the early 90s. Despite the setbacks, Def Leppard is one of the greatest rock bands ever. They are set to release an album soon - lets hope it rocks our socks off!

D’Molls

Dogs D'Amour - England's finest sleaze rock!

Dokken - Formed in the early 80s, Dokken (Don Dokken, George Lynch, Jeff Pilson (yeah yeah, original Dokken bassist was original Ratt bassist Juan Croucier for those keeping score), and Mick Brown) first broke through in Europe with their debut album Breaking The Chains. With the release of their second album, Tooth and Nail, in 1984 ("Alone Again," "Tooth and Nail," "Just Got Lucky") Dokken found MTV airplay and increasing popularity. Under Lock and Key was released in 1985 to similar success ("In My Dreams," "It's Not Love"). 1987's Back For The Attack spawned the monster hit "Dream Warriors," which was featured on the soundtrack for the film Nightmare On Elm Street 3. "Burning Like A Flame" was also a minor hit. Unfortunately, tensions were mounting and came to a head during their Monsters of Rock Tour and Dokken broke up in 1988, just as Beast From The East - arguably one of the best live albums ever - was released. If only Don and George had gotten along...what might have been? We shall never know for it was not meant to be. Dokken had a full reunion in the mid to late 90s, but Mr. Dokken and Mr. Lynch just can't keep it together. Dokken is still a band, but now does not include Lynch or Pilson. In fact, Lynch and Pilson have been working together these days!

Enuff Z’Nuff - Formed in 1984 by Donnie Vie and Chip Z'Nuff, Enuff Z'Nuff's self-titled debut was released in 1989. "Fly High Michele" and "New Thing" were minor hits. Enuff Z'nuff is still together and really quite talented. Unfortunately, they were major victims of their peace and love and pastel colored images in 1989 - the height of glam rock.

Europe - 1981-1991 (I'm not sure if they're still together). Europe had a monster of a hit with "The Final Countdown" off the album of the same name. You can still hear this tune at basketball games everywhere. "Carrie" was also a top ten hit for them. They released two more albums after this, and I have to say, Prisoners In Paradise, from the early 90s, is still a favorite album of mine!

Every Mother’s Nightmare

Extreme - 1985-1996 - Guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt was the heart of this band. Who could ever forget the overplayed-to-the-point-of-absurdity ballad "More Than Words?" Too bad for that song, because Extreme had some really funky tunes, like "Mutha (Don't Want To Go To School Today)," on that first album. They got commercial, and even their hit tune "Hole Hearted" got on my nerves. I adored Nuno Bettencourt, but even I became nauseated when I read something he *allegedly* said in an acceptance for a Metal Edge Best Guitarist award once. I say "allegedly" since former editor Gerri Miller's integrity has since come into question. Anyway, the offending quote was, "I hope I got this award for my ability and not because I have long, shiny, black hair." Or something like that. I was so offended! I mean, I know his point, but one can't go around saying things like that - it makes one sound sooo egotistical. I hope he didn't really say that. For the record Nuno, you have great hair, yes, but your guitar-playing ability far outshines your hair!!! Let's not forget (or maybe we should), singer Gary Cherone went on to front Van Halen for one album in the 90s!

EZO - A Japanese metal band discovered and signed by Gene Simmons of KISS to his then-new record label, Simmons Records, EZO never really hit the big time. Their debut album was released in 1987 and the follow up in 1989. Two members went on to join another Japanese metal band - Loudness. "Flashback! Heart Attack! Every time I see your faaaace!"

Faith No More - 1982-1998 - FNM was recently featured on VH-1 as a "one hit wonder" and this disturbs me greatly. To label them like that greatly undermines their talent and their vision. FNM were pioneers of the rap metal genre, and were waaaay better at it than any of this garbage today! When FNM obtained vocalist Mike Patton in 1988 for the recording of their album "The Real Thing" the magic finally clicked. "Epic" was a huge hit, but I also recall a little ditty called "Falling To Pieces." Maybe it wasn't such a big hit, but it was out there! FNM were so much more than they are given credit for!

Faster Pussycat - FP found the most success with their Top 40 single "House Of Pain." Other memorable songs include "Poison Ivy," "Bathroom Wall," and "Babylon." Like them or not, FP was a force on the sunset strip scene in the glam 80s.

Fiona - Most remmbered for her duet with Kip Winger, "Everything You Do (You're Sexing Me)."

FireHouse - Formed in 1989, Firehouse didn't have an album out until 1991 - technically not 80s! But who are we kidding? They fit the genre. Their first hit was a poppy little number called "Don't Treat Me Bad." They soon followed that up with a couple of succesful ballads. Firehouse is still kicking around. Flav and I have seen them a few times and they are quite good!

Lita Ford - Along with Joan Jett, Lita became one of the most successful female solo artists to come out of the 70s all girl rock group The Runaways. Lita's biggest solo hit was "Kiss Me Deadly." Her overall biggest hit was a top 10 smash with Ozzy Osbourne called, "Close My Eyes Forever."

Foreigner / Lou Gramm - Foreigner's first album debuted in 1977. They were an extremely succesful arena rock band right through the 1980s. Foreigner's hits of the 80s include: "Urgent," "Jukebox Hero," "Waiting for a Girl Like You," "I Want to Know What Love Is" (which had a massively corny and annoying video featuring a gospel choir that was played to death on MTV), and "Say You Will." The solo song of singer Lou Gramm that comes to mind is "Midnight Blue."

Giant - Their only top ten hit was 1989's "I'll See You In My Dreams."


Guns N’ Roses - "Sweet Child O' Mine," "Welcome To The Jungle," "Paradise City," "Patience" Again, whittling down Gn'R to a few lines is criminal. This year Gn'R's 1987 debut Appetite For Destruction was voted by Spin magazine as "The Most Important Heavy Metal Album Ever" or something crazy like that. And actually, I couldn't agree more. This album is brilliant. It is one of the few albums I can honestly remember listening to for the first time(I was 14). Drugged-out crazy maniacs that changed the musical world. Guns N' Roses burned out, but they certainly haven't faded away. Living the way they did there was just no other way for that story to end. To me, there is no better Guns than the original "Appetite" era band. I love them all. I forgive them all. They lived hard and fast and we all encouraged it and ate it right up. I was heartbroken when Steven Adler was axed from the band. The subsequent firings and hirings saddened me until I could no longer stand what Gn'R became. Don't get me wrong - "November Rain" was a brilliant piece of music. But it just wasn't the same. I firmly belive that as long as they are all alive there still may be a full Guns and Roses reunion one day. And I will be right there, front and center - no matter the cost. I was too young to enjoy that part of the music in 1987. Now if Axl would just wake up and realize no one lives forever - he has a good thing - something no one else in the world has - USE IT AXL! GET THE REAL GUNS BACK! Recently Slash and Duff McKagen have been working together again in the band Velvet Revolver, where they have also been writing with Izzy Stradlin.

Sammy Hagar - "I Can't Drive 55" Sammy joined Van Halen in 1985 and found continued success until they kicked him out/he left (whatever) in 1996.

Hanoi Rocks - 1980-1985 - Finland's one good contribution to the 80s glam/punk/metal movement was Hanoi Rocks. Fronted by Michael Monroe, Hanoi's only other claim to fame, sadly, was that Motley Crue's Vince Neil drove under the influence, crashed, and killed his passenger - Hanoi Rocks' drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley. Vince was convicted of vehicular manslaughter for this one, but due to his fame, got off pretty lightly. Michael Monroe had one small solo hit with 1989's "Dead, Jail, or Rock n' Roll."

Heart - Formed in 1973, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson are the geniuses behind the band Heart. Heart enjoyed success in the 70s, 80s, and 90s before taking a break in the late 90s. The 80s saw Heart having several hits including "These Dreams," "Who Will You Run To?" and "Nothin' At All." Ann Wilson's voice still gives me shivers.

Heaven's Edge - Formed in Philadelphia, PA in 1988, their debut album did not actually come out until 1990. They broke up in 1992 after their album hadn't done much and they split with Columbia records. They reformed in 1998 after being signed to a European label. As of 2001 they were still together.

Helix - Formed in the early 70s, this Canadian band had one hit, from what I can tell, called "Rock You" in 1983. Interesting and sad note: original guitarist Paul Hackman was killed when their van rolled down a 40 foot enbankment after a Vancouver concert in 1992. They did get another guitarist, and are still together as far as I know.

Hericane Alice - Really formed and put out an album in 1990, but close enough! I actually have their debut album "Tear The House Down!" Hericane Alice was a 3rd or 4th generation hair metal act. This is not a bad thing in my book! I remember their bassist was Ian Mayo, guitarist Danny Gill, drummer was Jackie Ramos, and singer was Bruce Naumann. I have no idea what happened to them other than that in the early 90s Ian and Jackie transformed the band into Bangalore Choir. Ian now has a band called Burning Rain. Beyond that - I am at a loss!

Billy Idol - Originally the singer for late 70s/early 80s punk band Generation X - Billy went solo just in time for the first MTV generation to embrace him. He had much success in the 80s with such hits as "Rebel Yell," "White Wedding," and "Dancing With Myself."

Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden is the best, no matter what Rob Zombie says. They certainly influenced many of the metal bands of today. Although they started in the late 70s, they did not reach a huge level of popularity in the U.S. until Bruce Dickinson joined the band in 1982. They were one of the few metal band to have such a strong bass player and have very bass-heavy songs. In many rock bands at the time, the bass was a hidden instrument that would normally follow the guitar. Steve Harris showed that a bass can be a lead instrument and inspired many a bass player to start playing (myself included). "Live After Death" remains one of the best live albums of all time. With their recently reunited lineup, the band continues to make albums and tour.

Jailhouse - Their guitarist Amir Derakh went on to the band Orgy in the late 90s and found success. In researching this, I found out singer Danny Simon sang backing vocals for Mandy Moore!

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Joan Jett started out in the L.A. band The Runaways with Lita Ford in the 70s. By the 80s, she found solo success. With excellent jams like "I Love Rock and Roll," "Crimson and Clover," and "Bad Reputation," Jett established herself as a rock goddess for the 80s and beyond. She's still out there kicking booty!

Journey / Steve Perry - Formed in the year I was born, 1973, this band really hit their stride when they hired vocalist Steve Perry in 1977. In the early 80s, Journey released the album Escape, and had hits with the ballads, "Who's Crying Now," "Don't Stop Believin'," and "Open Arms." The album Frontiers spawned "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)." At this point Steve Perry released his double platinum solo debut, which had the single "Oh Sherry" and the rest has never been the same. Journey had one minor single in the 90s, and have been struggling with new vocalist Steve Augieri ever since.

Judas Priest - Original singer Rob Halford is considered one of the ultimate voices of "heavy metal." Priest's leather and chains approach to metal was unique in their heyday. They still rock to this day with singer Ripper Owens (the story of his invitation to join the band is somewhat chronicled in the film "Rockstar"). Rob Halford is still rocking along as well!

Junkyard - A second or 3rd generation L.A. strip band, Junkyard tried their damnedest to be the next Guns and Roses. Unfortunately for them, the scene was changing. They are probably most remembered for their Headbanger's Ball hit, "Hollywood."

Tim Karr - Tim had an album and single called "Rubbin Me The Right Way." I have this and it rocks. I absolutely love it! He is still rocking out there in L.A.!

Killer Dwarfs - Metal band around since '83 - all members take the last name "Dwarf"...

King Diamond - Icon of theatrical metal and member of Mercyful Fate before going solo, King Diamond is one scary dude.

King’s X - Extremely talented, Kings X is one of those bands who never get the respect they so richly deserve.

KISS - "You wanted the best and you got the best...", I know, a typical way to start a KISS description, but it fits so well. KISS has been my favorite band since about 1977 (when I started to realize what rock bands were). When the 80s started KISS was starting to lose their popularity. They tried everything from rock-disco songs to concept albums, which only succeeded in alienating their core fan base. They returned to their metal roots with 1982's "Creatures Of The Night", took off their trademark makeup a year later, and a whole new KISS was born. I remember kids in school would not even realize that this was the same KISS they remembered from when they were little. However, I think in many ways this version of the band is better than the makeup version. The original lineup will always mean something special to me, but since I was a music-loving teenager in the 80s this was the version of KISS that I liked best. Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr only made the band better, in my opinion. Eric passed away in November 1991 due to complications from cancer. I've never heard a single negative thing said about Eric, he was always known for being a kind person and going out of his way for his fans. He will always be missed by this KISS fan.

Kix - "Don't Close Your Eyes," "Cold Blood," "Girl Money" Kix was around since 1981 before hitting it big with their fourth album ("Blow My Fuse") in 1988. Rumor has it before they were famous, Poison came to a lot of Kix shows and stole stage moves, and tons of ideas from Kix. Wow.

Krokus - How scary is still even the idea of Krokus? LOL...Their biggest hit was a cover song, Alice Cooper's "School's Out."

L.A. Guns - L.A. Guns were born out of guitarist Tracii Guns departure frrom Guns 'N Roses. Tracii got together with Ex-vocalist for Girl, Phillip Lewis, Ex-drummer for WASP, Steve Riley, ex-bassist for Faster Pussycat Kelly Nickels, and guitarist Mick Cripps to form what has become one of my all-time favorite bands. Some of their biggest songs include "Sex Action" and "Ballad Of Jayne." Raunchy, sleazy rock and roll. Ya gotta love it! Lineup changes aside, L.A. Guns will always rock!


Living Colour - "Cult of Personality" This band knocked down color barriers in the metal music landscape of the 80s. Mick Jagger was impressed enough to take them under his substantial wing. Little known fact? Corey Glover was in 80s hit movie Platoon.

Lizzie Borden - Lizzie Borden tried their best to be a worthwile Alice Cooper clone band (like Alice, the singer even took the name of the band), but just couldn't pull it off completely. Typical theatrical 80s metal from L.A.

Loudness - Loudness were a great Japanese band who were held back by their lack of understanding of the English language. Their albums released in America could certainly have benefited from some help in the lyric department. "You make me mad and wild...Well, we're gonna rock and pile you....We're gonna do our best...The beat kicks you in the head, alright...Yeah, it's gonna get crazy tonight"- from "Crazy Nights"(1985). Speaking of that song, if anyone knows what "M-Z-A"(a chant in that song) means please write in and tell me! UPDATE: According to an e-mail we received, MZA was a club in Japan where Loudness used to perform (thanks Trendon!).

Loverboy - Succesful Canadian mainstream rock band of the 80s. "Turn Me Loose, "Working For the Weekend" Little known fact? Tragedy struck the band in November 2000 when bassist Scott Smith was swept overboard by a wave and drowned while out on a boat off the coast of California. How awful!

Lynch Mob - George Lynch and Mick Brown's band after Dokken's demise in the late 80s. Lynch Mob's music was raunchy, sexy, and fantastic! "Wicked Sensation" off the debut album of the same name was probably their biggest single.

Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Yngwie has made some beautiful music. Yngwie has also made some poor choices in his personal life. In the 80s, how many of you had to be told Yngwie is pronounced "ing-vay" not "ing-wee"? Count me in!

Mercyful Fate - Headed by King Diamond, all I remember about this band is his screechy voice and scary makeup!

Metallica - (groaning...) the Metallica of today is a shadow of the band that once was the dominant force of teenage rebellion in the 80s. Today's Metallica is commercial and packaged to perfection. Metallica used to be raw, dirty, and angry. Metallica used to mean questioning authority, questioning the world, and standing up for yourself. In the 80s we had reason to like Metallica so much we'd risk carving their name into our desks or writing it on the bathroom wall. Writing "Metallica" (lightening bolt font included) on your bookcover showed the world you were metal, and you were hip to the baddest band in the land. Cliff Burton's untimely and tragic death marked the beginning of end of the Metallica we knew and loved and The Black Album taught us it wasn't going to change for the better. Load, Reload, and St. Anger were the final nails in the Metallica coffin for any 80s fan. It's too bad.

Misfits - Formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1983, Misfits most notably gave us Glen Danzig, and a handful of tunes covered by the likes of Metallica and Guns N' Roses. Misfits was revived without Danzig in 1996.

Motley Crue - "Too Young To Fall In Love," "Too Fast For Love," "Girls, Girls, Girls," "Dr. Feelgood," the songs are too many to list! At a time when dorky pop ruled the streets of L.A., Motley Crue came along and kicked the music world in it's collective a*s. Makeup, hairspray and all. Motley was sexy, dirty, beautiful metal and we needed that. Drugs have been an unfortunate side issue for this band over the years. Tommy Lee's personal life is to this day a subject of tabloid fodder. Motley rocks and it seems even if they make no more music, they will always be famous.

Motorhead - "Born To Lose, Live To Win" has been Lemmy's motto for years, and it's seemed to work pretty well for him. He started Motorhead in the mid-70s after leaving Hawkwind, and has remained the only constant member of the band. Motorhead has always had the respect of their peers for doing what they want to do and never following trends. Although Motorhead is a great legendary rock band I'm sure we'll never see them in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. But, then again, who really wants to be accepted by those wankers?

Mr. Big - "To Be With You," "Addicted To That Rush" Mr. Big was a powerhouse group of of virtuoso musicians - vocalist Eric Martin, bassist Billy Sheehan, guitarist Paul Gilbert and...and...no one can ever remember the poor drummer's name (I just looked at their official site and couldn't even find it there - sorry guy, you're great though!). Paul Gilbert left Mr. Big in 1996 and was replaced by Richie Kotzen. Mr. Big is/was huge in Japan. Mr. Big broke up in 2002 after 12 years as a band. Pat Torpey! That's the drummer! Whew, I feel better!

Alannah Myles - "Black Velvet" Alannah's that arrogant-looking Canadian chick with the killer voice that sang the song about Elvis.

Nelson - "Love and Affection" Nelson was formed by the twin sons of Ricky Nelson. Gunnar and Matthew both had this ridiculous mane of platinum blonde hair. Since Metal Edge was my Bible, I figured out, after much scrutiny, that you could tell Matthew from Gunnar because Matthew had wispy bangs and Gunnar didn't. Their songs were really quite decent - but just covered in so much sugar-coated sweetness and bright colors that no one took them seriously.

Night Ranger - "(You Can Still)Rock In America", "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" and the balled "Sister Christian" were this band's biggest hits. Night Ranger's first album came out in 1982 and they were together until 1990, when Jack Blades joined Damn Yankees. They reformed in 1995 and still tour constantly.

Aldo Nova - "Fantasy" was the song Aldo Nova was most known for. I've discovered that he still releases records to this day.
Ted Nugent

Ozzy Osbourne - Ah, Ozzy Osbourne. If you don't know anything about Ozzy by now you must have been living in a tree the last couple of years. Ozzy is a legend, from Sabbath in the 70s to his 80s solo career, to his reality series on MTV - Ozzy is a heavy metal icon.

Poison - "Talk Dirty To Me," "I Won't Forget You," "Nothin But A Good Time," "Every Rose Has It's Thorn," "Something To Believe In" - Poison was the glam band in the right place at the right time with the right frontman. The boys moved from Pennsylvania to L.A., got themselves a C.C. DeVille, and were ready when glam metal hit the big time. "Poison Green" made it's debut on the fluorescent color-wheel, Bret Michaels shoved socks down his jeans, Rikki Rockett teased out that hair, and the sleaziest of sleaze metal was born. Man, did we eat this up in high school! My friends and I were ALL ABOUT Poison!

Queensryche - "Revolution Calling," "Eyes Of A Stranger," and let's not forget the dreaded "Silent Lucidity" Queensryche ended up having the blessing and the curse of MTV latching on to one of their videos and putting it into heavy rotation. Their name got out, they made some dough, but were thereafter pigeon-holed unfairly as a "ballad band." It's a shame, because the Ryche was one of the most talented groups in all of rock. I challenge anyone to find a singer better than Geoff Tate. At times I don't think he's even human! "Operation Mindcrime" is one of the greatest rock concept albums of all time.

Quiet Riot - "Cum On Feel The Noize," "Metal Health" Formed in 1975 by vocalist Kevin DuBrow and legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads, Quiet Riot had marginal success until 1979, when Rhoads quit to join Ozzy Osbourne's solo band. After his departure, the band took a more "pop metal" oriented turn. 1983's "Metal Health" album went to #1 and was the first album by a heavy metal band to go platinum. This success was never quite matched by the band, and they broke up in 1988, mostly due to Mr. DuBrow's over-zealous ego and mouth that matched. Bassist Rudy Sarzo found more success as a member of Whitesnake. Quiet Riot reformed in 1995. Not sure what they're up to now.

Ratt - "Round and Round," "Way Cool Jr." This group had its origins in Los Angeles in the 70s group Mickey Ratt. By the 80s they were simply known as Ratt and became one of the biggest metal bands of their time. Their 1983 major label debut "Out Of The Cellar" went top 10 in the US and 3x platinum. The first single off that album "Round and Round" went to number 12. Second album "Invasion of your Privacy" also went top 10 and sold a million copies. Ratt was a dominate band in the metal genre in the 80s. The 90s and beyond have brought more chaos to the group, with near-constant lineup changes and even two groups touring as Ratt at once. Original guitarist Robbin Crosby made public in 2001 that he had AIDS. He passed away in June of 2002. He will be missed.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - There was no one like the Red Hot Chili Peppers when they came out in 1984. They were a funky rock band who often rapped more than sang. They had funny, clever lyrics and grooves that would make George Clinton proud. Actually, George Clinton produced their 1985 album Freaky Styley. And who could forget Flea's bass playing? I still consider him one of the best bass players of all time. The Chili Peppers were certainly way ahead of their time, with rap-rock not really becoming popular until the late 90s. They have softened their edge a bit since their first 3 albums, but they still continue to release high quality original music.

R.E.M. - "Stand," "The One I Love," "Shiny, Happy People" Man, I couldn't stand R.E.M. I can at least respect them now, though. :o) R.E.M. is from Athens, GA. They had continued success in the 90s and are well respected to this day.

REO Speedwagon - "Take It On The Run," "Keep On Loving You," "Keep the Fire Burning," "Can't Fight This Feeling" Arena rock at its 80s finest. REO originally formed back in 1968, but didn't hit their stride until the 1980s. They are still around.

David Lee Roth - "Look at all the people here tonight...." When Dave left Van Halen, he wanted to prove that he could rock better than his former bandmates. When he recruited Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan he couldn't go wrong. 1986's "Eat 'Em And Smile" has got to be one of the best rock albums of all time. It certainly rocks alot harder than anything Van Halen has done since Dave left the band. Sure, Dave is a goof, but at least he's genuine. And when you see him perform, even today, you know he belongs on that stage. He still one of the best frontmen in rock.

Roxx Gang - Formed in 1988, I don't know much about this band. They are still together on and off today.

Savatage - Formed in the late 70s by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva, Savatage is one of those bands who have never had a huge hit, but nevertheless have managed to hang on, garner respect, and have a succesful career. They were together throughout the 80s, but never really hit it too big until their Gutter Ballet lp was released in 1990. Criss Oliva was tragically killed in a car accident in 1993. Savatage has managed to carry on, and are still around. Some members moonlight in side project Trans Siberean Orchestra.

Scandal / Patti Smyth - "Goodbye To You," "The Warrior" I firmly believe Patti Smyth to be one of the greatest female rock singers of all time. If you don't believe me, try to sing along to one of her songs someday! Scandal had a good two years with Ms. Smyth before they broke up when she left to pursue a solo career around 1984.

Scorpions - "No One Like You," "Rock You Like A Hurricane," "Tease Me, Please Me," "Winds Of Change" The Scorpions was formed by Rudolf Schenker in 1968. Brother Michael and singer Klaus Meine joined in 1971. Michael Schenker was in and out of the group through the 70s until Matthias Jabs ultimately replaced him permanently in 1980. Shortly thereafter, the Scorpions released the single "No One Like You" to much acclaim. 1984's Love At First Sting album included the hit single "Rock You Like A Hurricane," the video of which MTV latched onto and metal history was made. The Scorpions are still rocking into the 21st century.

Skid Row - "Youth Gone Wild," "18&Life," "I Remember You," "Piece Of Me" They had more hits than this, but these are the ones from the 80s! Skid Row was formed in 1986 by Jersey-ites Rachel Bolan and Dave "Snake" Sabo (former touring guitarist for Jon Bon Jovi). In 1987, upstate NYers Scotti Hill and Rob Affuso joined the group, as well as Canadian singer Sebastian Bach. Soon after, Jon Bon Jovi helped them land a record deal at Mercury, but had them sign their publishing rights over to him and Richie Sambora (Richie now claims he gave them back, which is disputed) in a deal that gave the Jovi guys less and less with each subsequent album. This move put Skid Row on the map, but nevertheless cost the Skids much money after their 1989 self-titled debut album did so very well. Their 1991 follow-up debuted at number one - a first for a metal band. Despite the success of this album, Skid Row became a victim of the alterna-90s. They stuck it out and released one more album before Sebastian Bach was fired in 1996. Rob Affuso also left around this time. Sebastian has gone on to form a few other bands, and even had a stint on broadway. Rob now has a succesful band called Soulsystem Orchestras. Skid Row carried on with new singer Johnny Solinger and new drummer Phil Varone (formerly of Saigon Kick).

Slaughter - "Up All Night," "Fly To The Angels," "Mad About You" Formed in 1988 out of the ashes of Vinnie Vincent Invasion by Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum, Slaughter hit the big time until they, too, became victims of the 1990s. Guitarist Tim Kelly was killed in a horrific auto accident February 5, 1998. Slaughter is still releasing albums and touring, after acquiring new guitarist Jeff Blando shortly thereafter.

Southgang - "Tainted Angel" Ok, so this was 1991 actually. Butch Walker, Jayce Fincher and drummer Slug have gone on to more success in the new millenium with Marvelous 3. Butch Walker has since gone solo.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - "Dancing In The Dark," "Born In The USA," "Glory Days" Do I really need to explain Bruce Springsteen to anyone? More multiple sold out shows at Giants Stadium this year (2003) than anyone ever has had before ought to about explain it!

Billy Squier - "The Stroke," "Everybody Wants You," "Rock Me Tonight" Early 80s rock guy. REALLY bad video for "Rock Me Tonight" was part of what did him in. One description I found called it "inadvertently hilarious"!

Starship - "We Built This City," "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" Out of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship came Starship, fronted by Grace Slick and some guy named Mickey.

Steelheart - Not exactly 80s, from Norwalk, CT, and fronted by the incredible singer Michael Matijevic, Steelheart had their one big hit in "Never Let You Go" off their self-titled 1991 debut album. At a 1992 gig opening for Slaughter on Halloween in Denver, CO, Matijevic was hit in the head by a falling lighting truss and he suffered serious head injuries. The band was forced to take a break while he recovered, and by the time they came back, Nirvana and Pearl Jam had the reigns. The band broke up shortly thereafter. They reunited in 2000 and released an album. Mike Matijevic was a featured voice as a singer on the songs in the 2001 film Rockstar.

The Steve Miller Band - "Abracadabra"

Stryper - "Honestly," "Calling On You," "Always there For You" Formed in Orange County, CA in 1983 (as Roxx Regime, later changing their name to Stryper), Stryper was the first big Christian rock band. Stryper allegedly stood for "Salvation Through Redemption Yielding Peace Encouragement and Righteousness." They earned two grammy nominations in their career. Stryper still occasionally regroup for a "Stryper Expo" here and there.

Styx - "Mr. Roboto" "Too Much Time On My Hands" "The Best Of Times" I only listed Styx's hits of the 80s here. As we all know, Styx was a 70s mega group. The 80s saw Styx take a more theatrical approach, much to the chagrin of guitarist Tommy Shaw (who later flexed his rock muscles in Damn Yankees with Ted Nugent). This theatrical direction was the peak and, subsequently the undoing, of Styx. Styx are together today with a different singer. Original singer Dennis DeYoung proved to have himself a huge case of L.S.D. (Lead Singer Disease) when Styx was featured in a VH1 Behind The Music.

Suicidal Tendencies - Oy. I saw Suicidal Tendencies open for Danzig and Metallica around 1993. I knew "singer" Mike Muir liked to talk. Well, words cannot express how much this man liked to talk. In fact, I don't remember them playing more than a few songs because he talked so damn much and they were the first of three bands. Ok, who the hell am I talking about? Suicidal Tendencies was a hardcore/thrash metal type band that originated in the 80s. They looked like gang bangers and were mostly appealing to males. Oddly, they made an appearance on one episode of Miami Vice. New Metallica bassist Mike Trujillo was once a member (in the 90s) and also worked with Muir in Infectious Grooves.

Survivor - "Eye Of The Tiger" "High On You" "The Search Is Over" "Burning Heart" Survivor epitomizes 80s Album Oriented Rock. This is not to say that's bad. In fact, I love Survivor! Survivor was founded in the late 70s but was given a huge break when Sylvestor Stallone asked them to write the theme to Rocky III. This song was "Eye Of The Tiger," which was a huge hit and stayed at #1 for six weeks. I can still remember those weeks, being the huge radio fan that I was in those days. In 1983 they got a new singer and had two more hits with "High on You" and "The Search Is Over." Their theme from Rocky IV, "Burning Heart" was their second biggest hit. It was all downhill after this and they disbanded in 1989. Survivor regrouped in the late 90s and don't ask me what's going on with them now!

Tangier

.38 Special - "Caught Up in You" "Back Where You Belong" "Second Chance".38 Special (which, by the way, is a very annoying band name to type) was formed by Donnie Van Zant, brother of Lynrd Skynrd vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. That is all the interesting info I can give you on this one, kiddies. They put out a few new albums in the late 90s.

Tora Tora - "Walkin' Shoes" Back when Tora Tora was poised for their "Surprise Attack" (that's their album title) I thought singer Anthony Corder was the cutest little thing in tattered boots. Word is they're from Memphis and their name comes from a Van Halen song...

Toto - "Rosanna" "Africa" Toto was formed in the late 70s, but hit their stride in the 80s. Guitarist Steve Lukather was dating actress Rosanna Arquette and wrote their hit "Rosanna" for her. "Rosanna" (the song, not the woman) went on to win 3 Grammys in 1982 including Record Of The Year. The album Toto IV won several Grammys as well. In the 90s Toto did the "big in Europe and Japan" thing, and lost their drummer to a heart attack. The late 90s saw Toto regrouping once again.

Trixter - "Give It To Me Good" Paramus, New Jersey-ites Trixter were best known for being adorably cute to teenage girls, and for being hated by teenage boys. They are also known for going along with their label's wishes that some of them lie about their ages. I still don't know what the truth was there. And I have heard all matter of rumor about the bass player, P.J. Farley, who was supposedly still in high school when Trixter hit it big. But, I digress. I was a teenager when Trixter hit it big in 1990 (I know, it ain't 80s - SO???), and I liked them. Sure it didn't hurt that they were "cute" but I thought their music was harmless fun, too. Today, singer Pete Loran is working on a solo music project. Bassist Farley and guitarist Steve Brown are currently doing fairly well with their new band, 40 Ft. Ringo.

Twisted Sister

Tyketto - Let me get it out of the way right now...I am a HUGE fan of Tyketto and original singer Danny Vaughn. His pipes just SMOKE, baby! Their debut album (and I think it was 90s, but whatever), Strength In Numbers is one of my favorites to this day. It's too bad that they didn't have more success as they surely deserved it. Damn that Kurt Cobain!

U2 - "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" "With Or Without You" "Pride (In The Name Of Love)" "All I Want Is You" In the 80s U2 made me want to vomit. Anything that is shoved in my face and screams "I'M IMPORTANT, you HAVE TO LIKE ME" makes me run the other way. In retrospect, I can now understand the U2 hype. But at the time I wanted nothing more than for them to go away. Compared to the drivel they slosh out now, I can see that their 80s music was the best of their career. I long for it. Singer Bono has somehow become the Messiah and it's more altogether nauseating now than I ever could have dreamed at age 13 in the 80s.

Van Halen - Van Halen started off the 80s as one of the greatest rock bands of the time. David Lee Roth was the perfect frontman for Van Halen's catchy, heavy rock songs. When he left the band in the mid 80s, the band recruited Sammy Hagar and became more of a pop band. Personally, I wished they would've changed their name because it became a completely different band. Gone were the heavy guitar riffs and hard rock songs and in were the keyboard-heavy ballads. Oh well, at least Dave's solo album, "Eat Em And Smile" still rocked.

Vinnie Vincent Invasion - Vinnie was Ace's short-lived replacement in KISS from 1982-1983. After he was fired from KISS, he then formed VVI and released their debut album in 1986. This album included former Journey singer Robert Fleischman. However, when the time came to shoot the band's first video, Fleischman was dropped (apparantly for not having the right "look"). Vinnie recruited Mark Slaughter, who more looked the part of "80s glam rock singer". During the band's first tour they dressed outrageously, wearing heavy makeup, hair spray and loud pink outfits. They made Poison look like Motorhead. On this tour they opened for such acts as Alice Cooper and Iron Maiden, and weren't taken very seriously because of their look. By the next album, 1988's All Systems Go, they toned down their look a bit. History soon repeated itself though, because Vinnie found himself without a band when two of his bandmates left to form Slaughter. Vinnie is a very talented songwriter, but it seems like his ego and attitude get in the way of him ever becoming successful. He appears to have a very self-destrutive personality. As Gene Simmons once said, "...he's the kind of guy that would shoot himself right when someone was giving him the key to paradise...".

Vixen - "Edge Of A Broken Heart" "Cryin'" Hot all-female metal band of the 80s. I wanted to BE singer Janet Gardner. To 15 year old me, she embodied perfection. She was beautiful, classy, and had one killer voice. Not a bad hero to look up to. As with most melodic hard rock bands of the 80s - Kurt Cobain killed them off. They released a new album, Tangerine, with a revamped lineup in 1998.

Warlock / Doro Pesch - "All We Are" Another metal maiden of the 80s was German singer Doro Pesch. Don't know much about her or this band except I always seemed to catch this video on "Night Tracks" back in the day. I think Gene Simmons had something to do with her solo career...

Warrant - "Heaven" "Down Boys" "Cherry Pie" "Uncle Tom's Cabin" Ok, I admit it. I was a big Warrant fan in the 80s. The best thing those boys ever did back then was "Uncle Tom's Cabin" - man that song rocked! Too bad it wasn't enough to pull their career out of the "hair metal" stigma before it was too late. As usual, grunge came along and nailed the coffin on that career closed, though they have never stopped plugging along. Saw them in 1998 and singer Jani Lane acted like an ass (excuse the language, but there is no other way to describe it). He is currently in a downward spiral of bad living and bad choices. I hope he can clean up his act before it's too late. I met original bassist Jerry Dixon backstage in 1997 and he was a pretty cool guy. This band put some really slammin records out in the 90s that no one listened to. I don't know why the public must be so cruel to melodic bands from the 80s. You'd think they killed everyone's grandmas and hung their cats or something. All they did was make fun music. What is so wrong with FUN? What's wrong with a guitar solo people?

White Lion - "Wait" White Lion's singer was a foreign fox named Mike Tramp that all the girlies fell for. Their album "Pride" rocked. I liked it a lot. And I wasn't the biggest Mike Tramp freak. I swear.

Whitesnake - "Here I Go Again" "Is This Love?" etc. etc. etc. Ah, Whitesnake. Where to begin? Singer David Coverdale used to front Deep Purple. The most famous incarnation in this ever-evolving lineup included guitar god Adrian Vandenberg and bassist Rudy Sarzo (of Quiet Riot). Whitesnake had incredible music and incredible hair and style. The epitomy of the flashy 80s. Lots of people accuse Coverdale of being a Robert Plant clone and Whitesnake of sounding like Led Zeppelin. Maybe so. Whitesnake staged a comeback this year. Flav and I saw them and they were phenomenal. What am I forgetting? Ah yes, Tawny Kitaen.

Winger - "Seventeen," "Madelaine," "Easy Come, Easy Go," "Headed For A Heartbreak" frontman Kip Winger started out as a bassist for metal pioneer Alice Cooper. With the melodic metal explosion of the 80s, Kip and his good looks were catapulted to fame as the frontman and bassist for the band named after him. Winger has unjustly been saddled with the full brunt of the 80s metal backlash. If you really listen to a Winger album you'll realize their incredible musicianship. A band of mostly studio musicians, how could the music go wrong? Enter the fact that Kip mostly played WITH his bass rather than play THE bass. Coupled with the good looks of he and guitarist reb Beach? Mulitply that by Beavis & Butthead's Stewart and his Winger T-shirt? It all adds up to backlash. I think it's terribly unfortunate. All I am saying, is give Winger a chance...(sung to tune of "Give Peace A Chance")...

XYZ - XYZ's 1989 debut was produced by Don Dokken. That and the fact that I swear I have a picture in an old Metal Edge of singer Terry Ilous on a motorcylce with Ally Sheedy (whom he was supposedly dating at the time) are the most interesting facts I can drudge up about this band. They weren't a bad band. Just your standard late 80s melodic metal band.

Yes

Y&T

ZZ Top

Compiled by Kelly and Brian

Email: sheenaandflav@lycos.com