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?

Breaking News: L.A. Guns Ripped Off

My boys L.A. Guns (Paul Black, Tracii Guns version) are currently on a mini tour. Last night the band played McGuffy's in Dayton, Ohio. As expected, the show was high energy with Tracii dazzling the crowd. What wasn't so dazzling was that the band was ripped off.

Right after the band played "Electric Gypsy" they left the stage to presumably prepare for their encore. Just as Paul Black started to introduce the band, drummer Chad Stewart took center stage...and announced that someone had stolen wallets and cash. Confusion ensued, with audience members looking around and security trying to, evidently, "catch the thief (or thieves)."

It seems the theft occured while the band was performing.  

Upon Chad's demands, the doors to McGuffy's were locked and no one entered or left. Then, more confusion as band members walked from the dressing room (where they had left their wallets and other personal items) across the stage, through the bar. Singer Paul Black looked hurt as did bassist Jeremy Guns. As for guitarist Tracii...well, you could tell he was ready to put the smack down.

There was a scuffle at the back of the bar (not so far from where I was standing) and then later a page for the owner of a red pick-up truck. Riverside, Ohio police responded...the audience members were allowed to leave and the bar closed early. On our way out, cops said they had "everything they needed in back of the bar." To me, this means they captured the low-life scum that tried to steal from a glam band, working hard to make a living. I don't suffer fools or thieves and if I knew the person's identity...or had their mugshot, I'd post it here.

As for the concert itself, L.A. Guns were pretty great. Jeremy Guns plays with great intensity, but that's probably because he's lived with an amazing teacher all his life. Paul Black danced like a madman all over the stage, busting out moves like the Cabbage Patch and the Carlton. No lie. In addition to the petty theft, the bar was also having audio troubles and Paul's mic kept cutting in and out. He was good natured and went with the flow. Paul was dressed to the nines in glam finery, right down to the hyper-glitter eye shadow. Too bad I didn't have the one-on-one chat I had planned. Thanks again thieves.

Tracii Guns is amazing, isn't he? In my opinion, the best part of the show was his solo and just watching his fingers move up and down the fret board. He still plays like a madman, and it's pretty clear he's one of the best guitarists of the glam era. Still passionate about his craft, he even closes his eyes while getting into the groove. It's pretty clear it's Tracii's world and we're all just along for the ride.

 

L.A. Guns performed "Never Enough," "Sex Action," "One More Reason To Die," "Electric Gypsy," "The Ballad of Jayne" and many more. Every time I mention Paul Black and Tracii Guns' version of L.A. Guns, there are plenty of naysayers who are quick to comment on lack of talent. This isn't the case. See them live. You'll realize I'm right. Whatever the case, I'm sure you'll agree the band didn't deserve to be crime victims.

Update on Friday, December 7, 2007 at 04:35PM by Allyson B. Crawford

Bring Back Glam! has obtained Riverside (Ohio) police report number 0712075003. In it, complaintant Tracii Guns reports that a white Blackberry with red cover and bottle of Jack Daniels was stolen.

In fact, police did track down a man and make an arrest. There was no mention of missing wallets or cash of any sort in the official report. 

Both the Jack Daniels and Blackberry were recovered and returned to the band.  

A suspect, who does have a criminal history, is currently locked up in the Montgomery County (Ohio) jail. I'll refrain from posting that person's name or mugshot.  He's scheduled for arraignment next week on these misdemeanor theft charges.