After my tape deck crapped out in 1997, I was stuck listening to either the radio or full albums in whatever order the artist intended. That all changed in 2001, when the new-fangled MP3 technology got combined with my new CD burner.
In addition to the occassional series of CDs I had burned in order to keep abreast of new music, I had created a bunch of genre-specific mixes that could be used both in the car and at the gym. This week we will take a look at the first disc covering the rock music of the 1980s that was defined more by the amount of hair spray and spandex employed by the bands than by their musicianship or talent. I now bring you Hair Bands, volume 1.
Alice Cooper – Poison
While Alice Cooper is mostly thought of as an artist of the 70s, he did have a comeback with this song in 1989, which became his biggest US hit.
iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 6/12/2012
Damn Yankees – High Enough
The supergroup, featuring Tommy Shaw of Styx, Jack Blades of Night Ranger, and Ted Nugent, formed in 1989 and hit big thanks to this ballad.
iTunes stats: 4 plays, most recently on 5/30/2012
Danzig – Mother
Glenn Danzig’s band recorded this song for their first album in 1988, but it didn’t become a hit until 1993.
iTunes stats: 6 plays, most recently on 4/23/2012
Firehouse – Love Of A Lifetime
At the 1992 American Music Awards, FireHouse beat out Nirvana and Alice In Chains for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist.
iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 9/6/2011
Great White – Once Bitten, Twice Shy
A cover of the minor Ian Hunter hit turned into gold for Great White, peaking at No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
iTunes stats: 18 plays, most recently on 9/6/2012
Lita Ford – Kiss Me Deadly
After several commercial failures following her break from The Runaways, Ford recorded a more radio-friendly album in 1988 and hit it big. VH1 named this song as the 76th greatest hard rock song of all time.
iTunes stats: 10 plays, most recently on 12/11/2012
Living Colour – Cult Of Personality
The first single from their debut album, it reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 andwon the Grammy award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1989.
iTunes stats: 12 plays, most recently on 7/14/2012
Motley Crue – Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
The fourth single from Motley Crue’s fifth album peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100.
iTunes stats: 19 plays, most recently on 6/2/2012