Kiss or Kill

My glam goodness, EndeverafteR sure is good. Their debut effort Kiss or Kill (Razor & Tie) is easily one of the best glam releases of the past five years. This band has it all: big songs, big guitar solos, and big attitudes.

The track listing for Kiss or Kill looks like this:

I Wanna Be Your Man
Baby Baby Baby
Gotta Get Out
Poison
Next Best Thing
Tip Of My Tongue
Road To Destruction
All Night
Slave
From the Ashes Of Sin
Long Way Home

In addition to the fast rockers like “Tip of My Tongue” and “Baby Baby Baby” the album features some slower tunes, such as “Long Way Home,” and “Next Best Thing.” It is on these slower songs that Michael Grant’s voice really shines. When I spoke with Grant on the phone a few days ago (that interview is forthcoming to Bring Back Glam!) he told me he is principal songwriter for the band. I’ll go ahead and assume Grant had his heart broken a few times in the not so distant past. “Next Best Thing” is probably the best song you’ve never heard; an eloquent rock ballad and appropriate for pop radio, too.

A few months ago, I posted the video for “Baby Baby Baby.” A lot of you were excited then, and you should still be excited now. If life was fair, EndeverafteR would be more famous than Nickelback. We all know the world isn’t fair, but EndeverafteR sure have the chops and songs like “All Night” and “Slave” are proof.

My favorite song on Kiss or Kill is "Poison." It’s a little heavier than the other tunes, and features a faster tempo and some nice drum parts and intricate guitar work. Since I love fast guitars, it’s not surprising this is my choice cut. Use some of your holiday money and buy Kiss or Kill. You know you want to.

Oh yes: EndeverafteR is now on board for the Motley Cruise. I’ll be sure to post a concert review from one of the performances!

Endeverafter on Myspace

My Love Affair with Danger Danger

I love Danger Danger and I really hope they land on the bill for Rocklahoma 2008. If you're reading this website, chances are good that you also love the underrated band.

If VH1's Metal Mania didn't suck so bad, I'm sure we'd see more Danger Danger in the rotation. Instead, we get the same videos every weekend, which are usually Whitesnake "Is This Love?" and Dio, "Rainbow in the Dark." Both are great songs...but some variety would be very nice.

Like nearly every glam band, Danger Danger went through some line-up changes from the very beginning to after achieving more than moderate success. Even after the band tried to oust singer Ted Poley in the mid-nineties, there was no denying that he always will be the unmistakable voice of Danger Danger.

Danger Danger's self-titled debut hit store shelves in 1989, and featured the songs "Naughty Naughty," "Bang Bang" and "Don't Walk Away." While Danger Danger's calling card became "Naughty Naughty," I firmly believe "Bang Bang" is a stronger single.

Want controversy? I'll say right here that "Don't Walk Away" is likely the single best power ballad of the entire genre.

You don't have to take my word for that, though. There's an acoustic version of the song on YouTube, and it's posted below. Watch it, listen to it, love it.

All this talk of Danger Danger makes me want to interview the band, so I guess I'll add that to my list of chores for the coming days. I've always thought drummer Steve West to be particularly cute...except for the patch of hair he kept over his eyes. I'm sure he doesn't do that anymore.

Here's "Bang Bang." I love the bass part and I'd like to learn this song. Trouble is, no one seems to have the Danger Danger tab book.

So, I've put my thoughts out there. What do you think of Danger Danger?

Tom Keifer's Blue Christmas

Merry Christmas, glam fans! Hopefully you're spending the holidays with family and friends.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella recently lent his voice to Monster Ballads: Xmas. His version of "Blue Christmas" is basically awesome. Enjoy!

A Twisted Christmas Live

Last year, Twisted Sister gave us a brand new holiday CD called A Twisted Christmas. This year, we get A Twisted Christmas: Live (Razor & Tie, 2007). Filmed at New Jersey's Starland Ballroom, the high energy show is from the band's 2006 Christmas tour.

The track listing looks like this:

 


Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Shoot 'Em Down
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
The Fire Still Burns
You Can't Stop Rock n' Roll
White Christmas
The Price
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Burn In Hell
Silver Bells
I Wanna Rock
Heavy Metal Christmas (The Twelve Days of Christmas)
We're Not Gonna Take It

Many readers know that "Burn In Hell" is my favorite Twisted Sister song and I think it's a great compliment to a holiday performance. After all, retailers might think it's the most wonderful time of the year, but those of us in the real world know the holidays are usually a hassle, so a song called "Burn in Hell" is appropriate. The performance of "Burn In Hell" is definitely a highlight of this disc, but the best part of the show is the band's version of "Heavy Metal Christmas." To the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" Twisted Sister recount the top 12 gifts for any Metal fan, including a tattoo of Ozzy, two pairs of leather pants and four quarts of Jack Daniels, five skull earrings and more!

Other highlights include "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It." On the former, Snider gives a little story about seeing Santa and telling him (naturally) "I Wanna Rock!" On the former, the crowd is frenzied and happy to sing along to Twisted Sister's biggest hit. In both instances the crowd and band interaction are top notch, proving the live ability of New York's favorite glam sons.

There are a few problems with this really fun release, namely with editing. If you've ever seen Twisted Sister live, then you know that lead singer Dee Snider likes to swear - a lot. This release has awkward cuts and bleeps that cut out Snider's colorful stage banter. The bleeps aren't nearly as glaring as the edits where entire conversations are noticeably slashed. Multiple cut cameras usually help when trying to edit for lewd content, but perhaps there was a budge or venue issue.  Even with the family-friendly edits, this is a fun DVD that's good for the holiday season.

www.myspace.com/twistedsister

Two Videos...Same Song

What is the deal with bands making two videos for the same song?

I never noticed Firehouse has two videos for their hit "Don't Treat Me Bad" until last night. For Christmas, Heather gave Eric a guitar book filled with music for all the songs we love. One of those songs is "Don't Treat Me Bad." He was having trouble with the rhythm so I popped the song up on YouTube. That's when I saw the two versions of the video.

Metal Mania typically only features the video with the girl going nuts, destroying all of guitarist Bill Leverty's stuff. Here's that version.

The other video reminds me of Whitesnake. It's very dark and takes place in an alley. Things (naturally) catch fire and a beautiful woman (naturally) is the antagonist. Watch for yourself.

So, what's the deal? This was during the time that labels would still spend a little money on signed bands to ensure success, so perhaps Epic executives thought two videos would equal twice the album sales. Whatever the case, it seems a little superfluous to me.

Hanoi Rocks: Street Poetry

Legendary glam rockers Hanoi Rocks are back with Street Poetry. The Hanoi Rocks of today is a lot different the early 1980s incarnation. These days, the only two original members are singer Michael Monroe and guitarist Andy McCoy. Despite a tumultuous recording career, Monroe and McCoy are surprisingly able to make some great music together and Street Poetry is a strong release that pays tribute to the past, while still sounding modern.

Monroe’s voice is still glammy and strong. The tongue-in-cheek single “Fashion” features great guitar riffs and interesting percussion. Fans took this song to the top of the Finnish record charts. It seems fitting for flamboyant Monroe to sing about clothes and catwalks. Other high points on Street Poetry include the album’s title track and “Power of Persuasion.” On the latter, Monroe bends his voice, meowing like a cat. Monroe’s amazing range on this song easily makes it the best track on Street Poetry. In fact, it’s pretty clear the band knows this song is so good, because their confidence seems unmatched. Plus, “Power of Persuasion” features female back-up singers and a horn section. Horns are cool.

Even though Hanoi Rocks isn’t reinventing the wheel here, Street Poetry feels fresh. “Walkin’ Away” is great, with an amazing build-up to a chorus that’s sure to get stuck in your head. Yes, it’s just that catchy. In fact, every song on Street Poetry can – and probably will – get stuck in your head. That’s fine. Just whip out the CD and give it another spin.

Talk about an upbeat release. Nearly every song on Street Poetry is a stone cold rocker. “This One’s For Rock n’ Roll” is just what the title suggests: a tribute to great, classic rock. “Highwired” demands everyone to “get up and dance.” The song is so fast, so cheerful, it isn’t hard to resist Monroe’s invitation to cut a rug.

Is Street Poetry better than Two Steps From the Move? In a word, no. Still, Street Poetry is one consistent effort, mostly thanks to the quality songwriting. Someone forgot to tell Hanoi Rocks that glam went out of “Fashion” a few years ago. Lucky for us, Monroe and company are staying true to their musical roots and continue to influence young musicians. After all, Hanoi Rocks is bringing back glam!

For more information, please visit:
HanoiRocks.com

Monster Ballads: Xmas

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hate Christmas music. Still, I agreed to give Monster Ballads: Xmas (2007, Razor & Tie) a fair shot and I have to admit I actually enjoy most of the songs included on the compilation.

The track list looks like this: 

Jingle Bells - Skid Row
Happy Christmas  (War is Over)  -  Winger
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Jani Lane
I'll Be Home for Christmas - Twisted Sister and Lita Ford
White Christmas - Queensryche
Run Rudolph Run - L.A. Guns
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Firehouse
Naughty Naughty Christmas - Danger Danger
Blue Christmas - Tom Keifer of Cinderella
Jingle Bell Rock - Nelson
Silent Night - Faster Pussycat
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Dokken
Happy Holiday - Enuff Z'Nuff
Winter Wonderland - Stryper
Christmas Love - Billy Idol

Winger, L.A. Guns and Danger Danger provide the three stand-out performances on this release. To be clear, the L.A. Guns featured on this album is fronted by Phil Lewis. His voice still sounds great, but a little older than the "Ballad of Jayne" days.

Danger Danger pay homage to their hit "Naughty Naughty" with a fun Christmas tune that I might actually want to give a spin, in say, July. Not many Christmas songs are glam, but leave it to Danger Danger to improve upon the genre. Check out these lyrics:

“My babies always been the given kind but when she tells me she's my present and she blows my mind/
I can't wait but I'm gonna' unwrap her slow/
Oh yeah we're gonna have a ball/
And we'd like to wish you all/
A naughty naughty Christmas and a dirty dirty new year.”

See, I told you "Naughty Naughty Christmas" is one hell of a glam tune.

Kip Winger's voice is amazing on the John Lennon remake. The version is pretty true to the original with a few glam tweaks here and there.

According to iTunes, Skid Row's "Jingle Bells" is the most downloaded track on this album. I'm not sure when the song was recorded, but I can tell you it features Johnny Solinger on vocals. The version is good, but definitely not the best on the album. Perhaps it's the universal appeal of "Jingle Bells" that is helping Skid Row?

Faster Pussycat wins the award for the most unique Christmas carol. Taime Downe sings "Silent Night" with a glam/industrial bent. I suppose it's the only way "Silent Night" will be ever be played in a dance club.

The other song I really enjoy on Monster Ballads: Xmas is "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Firehouse.  The band who brought you "Don't Treat Me Bad" takes a lot of crap from music snobs but continue to make some really great music. On "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," the band sound like they are having a great time.They even change the lyrics toward the end of the track to fit a Metal theme. There's nothing better than a head banging holiday I suppose.

Here's the video for Dokken performing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Monster Ballads on Myspace