You Wanted the Best...Number Seven

Our top ten glam band countdown continues. Here’s what we’ve got so far:

10) Badlands
09) Winger
08) Twisted Sister

In the seventh spot…L.A. Guns.

Today there are two touring versions of L.A. Guns – one featuring famed singer Phil Lewis and the other featuring guitar genius Tracii Guns.

While Phil Lewis was making phenomenal Glam with the British band Girl, Tracii Guns was working the Sunset Strip circuit, creating the first incarnation of the band. Yes, Axl Rose sang vocals in a very young L.A. Guns that would eventually turn into Hollywood Rose.

That didn’t last too long, and Tracii reformed L.A. Guns with Paul Black on vocals, bassist Mick Cripps, drummer Nickey Alexander and guitarist Robert Stoddard.

The band is best known for their second album Cocked and Loaded, released in 1989. That albums features Tracii on lead guitar, Phil Lewis on vocals, Mick Cripps on rhythm guitar, Kelly Nickels on bass and Steve Riley on drums.

While L.A. Guns have not enjoyed the same level of commercial success as many of their counterparts - including Guns n’ Roses - their importance to glam is immense for many reasons. First, the band helped lay the framework for Guns n’ Roses. Second, Tracii Guns was a huge figure on the Sunset Strip scene, jamming with nearly every glam musician at one time or another. Third, L.A. Guns were able to create commercial rock with a street –sounding edge. That’s thanks to great songwriting and Tracii’s amazing technical ability. For whatever reason, he’s remained completely underrated despite having some of the best chops of any guitarist in any 80s Metal band.

These days, you’ve got twice as many chances to hear your favorite L.A. Guns tune live. Paul Black and Tracii are back together, along with bassist Jeremy Guns and drummer Chad Stewart. Phil Lewis fronts his own version, featuring guitarist Stacey Blades, bassist Scott Griffin and drummer Steve Riley. I continue to defend the Black/Guns version of the band, despite your incessant criticism. Yesterday, I said Twisted Sister gave the best performance at Rocklahoma 2007. L.A. Guns (Black/Guns version) comes in a close second.

In the spirit of fair and balanced reporting, today you get two videos. Here’s Tracii’s version of the band performing “LAPD” on the Sunset Strip sometime in 2006.

Now here’s the Phil Lewis version performing “No Mercy” in 1988.

Don't agree with my choice? Come back tomorrow and see who lands at number six on the ten best glam bands of all time list.

You Wanted the Best...Number Eight

Our top ten glam band countdown continues. Here’s what we’ve got so far:

10) Badlands 09) Winger

In the eighth spot…Twisted Sister.

One glance at lead singer Dee Snider with his long blond hair and crazy make-up and you know Twisted Sister is a glam band. Despite the make-up and hairspray, the New York based quintet has a much harder edge than many of their Sunset Strip counterparts.

Besides some radio friendly hits – especially “We’re Not Gonna Take It” – the band produced more traditional Metal sounding tunes, all while having a good time. While Dee Snider demands his audience “Burn In Hell” guitarists Eddie Ojeda and Jay Jay French bop around on stage like skipping through a field of poppies.

Twisted Sister formed during the mid-seventies but enjoyed their biggest commercial success with 1984’s Stay Hungry. Their unique take on Metal influenced a slew of musicians that would swarm the Sunset Strip just a few short years later. The band made shock rock melodic and catchy.

Twisted Sister continued to tour and record throughout the eighties and Dee Snider even took on lawmakers during the PMRC hearings. Now, Snider hosts his own syndicated radio show The House of Hair. The band also headlined Rocklahoma 2007 and gave the best performance of the entire weekend. It seems Dee likes to insult his fans. Slapstick comedy adds an extra dimension to a rock show and Twisted Sister is just the band to provide the delicate mix of over-the-top antics and awesome guitar licks.

Here’s Twisted Sister performing “Burn In Hell” at Wacken Open Air in 2003. Warning: this performance will kick your ass. On a personal note, I have big plans of learning the bass riff to this song.

Don't agree with my choice? Come back tomorrow and see who lands at number seven on the ten best glam bands of all time list.

You Wanted the Best...Number Nine

Our top ten glam band countdown continues. Yesterday, Badlands landed at number ten.

In the ninth spot…Winger.

Openly chided, Winger is constantly the butt of jokes. Of course, the critics are forgetting an important fact: Kip Winger and his band are monstrously talented and consistently release top notch music.

While Beavis and Butt-Head laughed at Winger’s songs and videos, millions of people worldwide rushed to buy the self titled debut in 1988 (it reached #21 on the Billboard chart). While you probably know Winger by “Headed For A Heartbreak” and “Seventeen” some of their later albums provide more complex riffs and lyrics.

Like Badlands, Winger also features a hot shot guitarist: Reb Beach. Like most in-demand guitarists, Beach has played in a lot of big name bands, most notably Whitesnake. Still, his vocal harmonies with Kip Winger are unmatched and together they make a powerful recording duo.

There are a lot of great voices in rock: Rob Halford, Ronnie James Dio, Sebastian Bach…and Kip Winger. I’ve seen Winger in a traditional concert setting and I’ve seen Kip solo and acoustic. Either way, his musical ability is awe inspiring.

Winger released Pull in 1993, and it’s one of the best albums of that year. Actually, it’s one of the best album’s of the decade. Yes, it’s better than Nirvana’s Nevermind and it’s certainly better than The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails.

Even better, the members of Winger actually look like they are having fun on stage. That goes a long way in my book.

Here’s a clip of Winger performing “Headed For A Heartbreak” live on MTV. I’m not sure of the date, but I’m guessing sometime in 1989.

Don't agree with my choice? Come back tomorrow and see who lands at number eight on the ten best glam bands of all time list.

L.A. Guns at Rocklahoma?

Did Tracii Guns version of L.A. Guns inadvertantly confirm their apperance at Rocklahoma 2008?

My favorite version of the band is having a rough go of a tour. First, they had stuff stolen while performing in Dayton, Ohio (please see "Breaking News: L.A. Guns Ripped Off") now, their van is stuck in Tennessee. Tracii Guns, Paul Black, Jeremy Guns, and Chad Stewart are asking for your help. Here's a Myspace bulletin. Note the Rocklahoma portion:

"We are having some troubles on the road. Our van is stuck in Memphis, Tennessee. It threw a rod in the engine. We need to find anyone in that area who can help us with getting it fixed.

So here’s the deal. If any of you can get our van from Memphis and fix it for us, or if there’s anyone that can tow it to Oklahoma City for us (we have a mechanic that can fix it there) please, reply to this message as soon as possible.

We’ll give you VIP passes to next years Rocklahoma.

Please, this is not a joke. We really need help… write only if you can do anything.

We look forward to hearing from you soon."

Incidentally, if you want to help one of my favorite bands, message them at http://www.myspace.com/losangelesguns

You Wanted the Best...Number Ten

It’s time to start the countdown of the ten best glam bands.

In the tenth spot…Badlands.

Badlands didn’t last very long, but in their short time together they created more than memorable music.

Founded by guitar virtuoso Jake E. Lee, singer Ray Gillen, bassist Greg Chaisson and drummer Eric Singer, the band signed to Atlantic relatively quickly and got to work on a debut. That self-titled release hit stores in June of 1989.

Despite reaching #57 on the Billboard chart, much of Badlands musical ability is forgotten today. The member’s volatile personalities didn’t help, and fighting eventually destroyed Badlands. After the fighting, it didn’t take long for the line-up changes to commence. First, Eric Singer left the band to drum for KISS and Lee and Gillen continued to battle over artistic control.

Ray Gillen had an amazing voice -- match it with Jake E. Lee’s amazing axe work and you’ve got a recipe for glam goodness. Badlands was one of those rare bands that combined passion and musical ability to create distinct, blues based rock. Bands with such chemistry don’t come along everyday. Unfortunately, great musical chemistry doesn’t equal great personal relationships.

If you saw Badlands live, count yourself lucky. Here's a clip of the band performing live in California in 1989.

Don't agree with my choice? Come back tomorrow and see who lands at number nine on the ten best glam bands of all time list.

You Wanted the Best...

As we approach the end of 2007, most of us will dream up resolutions as we head into the new year. Before any of that, however, we'll see lots of specials on the best music, news events, and political blunders of 2007.

I'm going to start my own "best of" list: the ten best glam bands.

Starting tomorrow and for the next ten days, I'll count down the best glam bands from the classic 80s era.

Methodology:

-Bands must have originated in the 80s or changed their sound/appearance to fit the glam mold. In this way, KISS, Aerosmith and Van Halen, etc. are eligible for consideration.

-Having a video on MTV isn't a pre-requisite for consideration. After all, before the 1980s, Metal was a largely underground phenomenon.

As I post a new selection each day, I'll explain why the band is on the list and include a video.

I bet you think you can name my top ten list right now, but I guarantee you'll be surprised with the outcome.

Hey Hey It's Saturday

Australian variety show Hey Hey It's Saturday ran for well more than two decades and featured a lot of musical guests. One day back in 1989, the producers of that show welcomed Bret Michaels and C.C. DeVille of Poison. During that time, Poison were on tour, supporting Open Up and Say...Ahh! and gearing up for Flesh & Blood.

Of course, the real entertainment here is Ossie Ostrich who mocks both C.C. and Bret. Anytime a giant pink bird is involved, you know you're going to have fun.

Now, I want all of you to invest seven minutes of your lives watching this video. Please, someone, for the love of Glam tell me what is going on with Bret's hair. This was a long time ago, so I really don't think it's a wig issue. Help? Anyone?