Metal Edge Goes Top 25

In the April issue of Metal Edge, various contributors list their choices for the top 25 Glam (they say "Hair Metal) albums of all time.

Here are the choices:

25. The Darkness - Permission to Land (2003)
24. Pretty Boy Floyd - Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz (1989)
23. Slaughter - Stick It To Ya (1990)
22. Winger -Winger (1988)
21. Europe - The Final Countdown (1986)
20. Bulletboys - Bulletboys (1988)
19. Whitesnake - Whitesnake (1987)
18. Lita Ford - Lita (1987)
17. W.A.S.P. - W.A.S.P. (1984)
16. Faster Pussycat - Faster Pussycat (1987)
15. Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)
14. Dokken - Tooth and Nail (1984)
13. Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry (1984)
12. Def Leppard - Hysteria (1987)
11. White Lion - Pride (1987)
10. Cinderella - Night Songs (1986)
09. Warrant - Dirty Rotten Stinking Filthy Rich (1989)
08. RATT - Out of the Cellar (1984)
07.Poison - Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986)
06. Def Leppard - Pyromania (1983)
05. Bon Jovi - Slippery When Wet (1986)
04. L.A. Guns - Cocked & Loaded (1989)
03. Skid Row - Skid Row (1989)
02. Quiet Riot - Metal Health (1983)
01. Motley Crue - Shout At The Devil (1983)

Now, I will agree that most of these albums deserve a spot in the top 25 - my main problem here is the number placement, and also the commentary that goes with each selection.

My friend Cheryl A. Hoaning did a great job introducing this special feature - her authorial voice is lively and positive. I can't say the same for the other writers involved in the piece.

Let's tackle the album selection and numerical placement first. I don't agree with The Darkness earning a spot on this list. If the editors wanted to chose a modern band and album, then the only option is Crashdiet Rest in Sleaze. As a matter of fact, I would put Rest in Sleaze in the top 10.

I also don't necessarily think Lita Ford deserves a spot on this list. I'll agree, Lita is a good effort, but not one of the best. I would think Poison's Open Up and Say...Ah! deserves a mention, considering many of their live staples come from this album. 

I don't think anyone will dispute me here that Appetite for Destruction deserves a spot in the top 10. Really, I don't know what the editors were thinking when they gave Guns n' Roses the 15th spot. After all, Appetite for Destruction is one of the best Metal releases of all time.

Speaking of mistakes, I think not adding Hanoi Rocks to the list is a grave oversight. Two Steps from the Move is a Glam classic and the band would be a lot bigger today if not for fate getting in the way.

Metal Edge got it right by placing Motley Crue's Shout At The Devil in the top spot. This album sums up and entire genre and Motley always takes the prize for reigning the Sunset Strip during the 1980s.

Now, we'll tackle the editorial content. Some of the contributors are genuine in their responses, others less so. Many write comments like "aging rocker dude," and, when talking about GnR "...Tonsorial choices and power ballads aside, though, one thing set Appetite for Destruction apart from the rest of the L.A. hairspray-and-spandex crowd: it absolutely didn't suck."  

What a glowing endorsement.

As for the photos, we finally get a glimpse at the glory days of Metal Edge. The photos are from the classic period, taken by veteran rock photog Eddie Malluk.

Thoughts on this list? Thoughts on my thoughts?

Comments

[Pat]

My favourite glam album at the moment is The Quireboys A Bit of What You Fancy, but I'm not at all surprised it excluded. Especially if they're ignoring Hanoi Rocks, which is just slightly ridiculous..

Also, 24 unique artists in that list. Certain bands' entire back catalogues are better than some entries. Ranking Warrant at #9, for instance, had me choking on my sandwich..

I'm happy to see C&L ahead of Appetite though; that reflects what album sales should've been.

[Joe]

Hi Allyson..I think pyromania and slippery when wet should have been higher on the list along with appetite..Too fast for love should have been on their too..Thanks for the great article =)

[Sean]

Appetite for Destruction #15 after some Dokken album.

What?!

[don]

anytime a magazine or vh1, etc do a list they always screw it up. they have people selecting who don't even like the music, artist, etc. what's the point in that case? the "press" has never like metal, whether it's light hair stuff or something heavier. i wouldn't call all of these groups as glam, hair metal is closer but they're just tags for the music companies to sell with. even though rocklahoma has proven that there is still a market for this music the "press" still don't get it and i don't think they ever will.

[Chessie]

I'd have yanked Winger's 'Winger' and replaced it with 'Pull' instead. That one is loads better (to me).

Chessie >^..^<

[Makel]

GNR at 15?

Wtf?

[Christian Graus]

Metal Edge is a steaming pile of crap. They come up with these lists and the retarded ( and often plain wrong ) copy that accompanies them, mainly so they can keep reprinting the same old posters and hope that folks buy them.

[Axl Rosenberg]

Anyone who puts COCKED & LOADED ahead of AFD, PYROMANIA and/or LOOK WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN is absolutely out of his or her friggin' mind.

[JT]

How is Motley's "Dr. Feelgood" left off this list?

[Chag]

If you limit it to one album per artist, I would agree that most of these artists/albums belong on a Top 25 Glam list. However, the list needs to be reordered!

White Lion ahead of GNR? And I think they slipped Europe on the list just to see if everyone was paying attention.

[Joe]

I was thinking..ever see the Rolling Stone issue of the top guitarists of all time?..They had Jack White and Kurt Cobain ahead of Jimi Hendrix and even Stevie Ray Vaughn..Randy Rhoads was way at the bottom..I think they do that to tick people off and get a reaction out of them..They enjoy reading the complaint letters.

[EddieLongHair]

#15??? ...I'm speechless.

[Rhodeislandrock, Heavy Metal Addiction]

I haven't bought Metal Edge since they changed the mag a few yrs ago. They used to be a good read, especially back in the day, but I usually forget about it, same with Metal Maniacs.

The list.....

I'd pull The Darkness out and re-rank the albums. Not having a second Crue album (Dr. Feelgood) or a Hanoi Rocks album is a crime. And where is Bon Jovi's New Jersey?

White Lion, Europe, Winger, Lita Ford.....not sure about these. They were popular but I'd replace them easily with Feelgood or Jersey.

What about Wig Wam? Wig Wamania is a great album and they could qualify for a modern band, same with Crashdiet.

Steve
Heavy Metal Addiction
http://hardrockheavymetal.wordpress.com/

[missy]

my comment: "Opinions are like assholes...everyone's got one and they all stink!"

It's just one magazine's opinion. It doesn't make them 'correct'. 'Correct' is relative!

Personally, 3/4 of those albums wouldn't be on my list, so there ya go :)

[King Killah]

Let me comment on everyone's comments. First I agree, that Appetite belongs closer to #1 than #25. I found it strange that they fell at #15. The Darkness??? Are you kidding me? WTF are they doing on this list at all?? Crash Diet or even Fatal Smile belong on this list if you need to include a band from today. Not arguing about the two Def Lep albums, but I think if anyone should be deserving of two, it is the Crue. That said, Poison's Open Up and Flesh and Blood could both be included. Metal Edge doing these lists are no different than Blender or Rolling Stone doing theirs. The list isn't 100% accurate, but its close. Axl Rosenberg - Cocked and Loaded is actually a f*ckin unreal album. I am impressed that it made top 10, let alone top 5. Missing from the list, Kingdom Come, Bang Tango, Jet Boy, Hanoi, Kix.

[MetalEdgeEd]

As the Editor-in-Chief of METAL EDGE, and thus the guy behind this feature, I first wanna say thanks for reading. We ran this story as part of a yearlong series covering the "25 Essential" albums in a variety of metal genres. Up next is thrash, and there will be more to come as the year goes on.

As far as the actual content, our writers offered me their Top Ten albums and I tallied the votes. G N' R, much as I love them, weren't really a "hair metal" band in the pejorative/cliche/reductive sense, which is why their album, mind-roasting as it still is to this day, wound up in the #15 slot. And I admit it, the last two choices (Pretty Boy Floyd and the Darkness) were put in at least partly as a goof. But make no mistake - every album we chose was based, ultimately, on musical merit.

As far as tone, the jokes in the story were meant affectionately. We might not pay as much attention to the older acts as sites like this would maybe prefer, but we definitely don't treat glam/hair metal as a punchline and nothing more. There's a new Whitesnake album coming, a new White Lion album coming, and a new Def Leppard album coming, and we'll be covering all of them with the respect those artists have earned. So thanks again, and I hope you'll keep reading METAL EDGE!

[Aishah Bowron]

Are Europe(the band not the continent) influenced by Ratt?. .

[Anita Black]

I agree that Fatal Smile should have been on the list if a contemporary band was to be on it, not the Darkness. Fatal Smile is the best liveband there is today and their latest album is great! Probably top ten if you ask me.

[Hairbanger]

I think some underrated and non-famous band deserve a place in list. And the best Glam / Hard underrated album was "Fasten Your Seatbelt" by Cadillac Bratz, released in 1991. Who listen this album knows what I'm says. "Fasten Your Seatbelt" is a awesome album, but very short, with only 7 songs. Songs like "Diamond Disease", "Put Your Body Under Me", "Down Dirty Detroit" really deserves a place in 1991 charts, cause are really rock anthens. Who never listened this album, make a favour to yourself and LISTEN. And don't forgot to listen the beautiful ballad entitled "Hurt So Long". Classic!

Other great and big band who deserves a place too is Helix!

[Fadykeeds]

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