The first I heard of what would come to be Hair Metal was 1981 or so when Tommy Vance played songs from an album called Too Fast For Love by some American band called Motley Crue on his Friday Rock Show. They had been getting mentions for a while in Kerrang! and this must have been one of the first times they were played on the radio in the UK. God almighty, I thought to myself, this’ll never catch on.
The thing is, I should have liked Hair Metal. After all, I was a fan of most of the genre’s major influences. I loved the 70s Alice Cooper and Kiss records (still do). I also liked Van Halen and Aerosmith. So I suppose I should have been a fan really. So why did I end up hating the bloody thing?
I think the main reason was the sound. Hair Metal records sounded really terrible with all that compression. Those dull, thudding snares. Those squawking lead guitars. Perhaps the records were mastered to sound effective on FM radio (or on MTV), but there’s something cold and shrill about them. And they don’t sound any better thirty years on either. I’ve become quite forgiving about a lot of 80s music that I never used to like(I even own a copy of Rio by Duran Duran), but Hair Metal leaves me as cold today as it did back in the day.
And isn’t that the case with everyone? My thesis is that Hair Metal is the unforgiveable genre, the one which time cannot redeem. It’s the genre whose records and cassettes will continue to be loft insulation until the day that they are eventually thrown out. Who will stand up and make a case for Poison, Cinderella or Ratt being underrated bands? Who will claim that Whitesnake’s 1987 is an overlooked masterpiece? No one, I think. Unless I’m wrong?
Franco says
Well put but I’m not sure. There’s a glum looking “Rock” DJ here in Wakefield who has been “spinning the decks” in various pubs and bars for nearly 40 years. I presume he’s heard it all, Grunge, Nu Metal, Thrash, Speed, Norwegian Black etc. However, incredibly, the only time he ever appears to become animated and actually looks like he’s enjoying himself is when he plays Rock and Roll(Is Gonna Set the Night on Fire) by Pretty Boy Floyd and Cherry Pie by Warrant.
Hawkfall says
Yikes. Maybe I spoke too soon. That’s Warrant and Pretty Boy Floyd getting a mention, both of which trump my Ratt, Cinderella and Poison pretty effectively. I’m going to up the ante by mentioning Tigertailz and also London.
I was a Hair Metal “fan” by proxy. Being a teenager in a provincial town in the 80s meant I had friends who liked those bands. I think there’s something about provincial towns that drives teenage boys to Heavy Metal. Chuck Klosterman’s Fargo Rock City book talks about his growing up listening to Motley Crue et al in North Dakota. That book wouldn’t have been written if he grew up in Manhattan.
Johnny Concheroo says
From 1989-93 I was the heavy metal reviewer for a street paper and wallowed in all the thrash and hair metal releases. Free CDs, free concert tickets, interviews galore – I was like a pig in shit.
Then, in 1991 Nirvana came along with Nevermind and out went all the fun as the grunge revolution changed everything. Plaid shirts, rubbish haircuts and unfashionable guitars. It was like punk all over again.
Most of it was rubbish, but a few gems rose to the top – Soundgarden were excellent and Pearl Jam had their moments, despite sounding dreadfully dreary most of the time.
Even the big established bands had to move with the times. Metallica cut their hair and, along with other bands, Kiss attempted a grunge album.
I guess what I’m saying is, 1991 was the year hair metal died.
Poison, the day before yesterday
http://i.imgur.com/mmw28Tx.jpg
Hawkfall says
I have this theory that in 1994 – 2000 or so, Rock went into hibernation. As you say, it started in 1991 with Nirvana, but if you look at a lot of the bands from the 70s and 80s, they released their last albums around 1994 before having comebacks around the millenium or so. Classic Rock magazine started being published around 2000 or so too, which I don’t think was a coincidence.
Ernest Scribbler says
I was listening to Steven Wilson on a podcast yesterday, he claims that new rock music is now a niche interest. I have to say, with a heavy heart, that I think he may be correct.
Twang says
Which podcast, out of interest?
Ernest Scribbler says
It’s ‘The Prog Report’ podcast, listed as ‘Steven Wilson Interview #2’ dated 28/11/16.
Twang says
Great ta
Ernest Scribbler says
“Can you forgive hair metal?” In a word: No. I had the misfortune to see Poison at Monsters of Rock. Oh dear, “What time are Aerosmith on?” *taps watch*
Perhaps my metallic tastes were a little more cerebral. I mean cerebral in that I preferred my metal to be about war, politics, pestilence, plague etc. Who wants to listen to some permed berk in lipstick banging on about strippers and partying? Wearing a Slayer t-shirt around here was enough to get your head kicked in without eyeliner and berets/cowboy hats added to the mix. Hair metal said nothing to me about my life (soz). Whereas songs about getting blown up in WW 1, seedy TV evangelists, the horrors of chemical warfare or dodgy American politicians clearly did.
I loved Seb Hunter’s book Hell Bent for Leather but found his taste left a little bit to be desired. I mean, he clearly despised Rush while loving LA Guns. How does he sleep at night?
Having said all that though, the opening chords on Appetite for Destruction have never been bettered by anyone. Are Guns n Roses hair though? I loved that first LP so clearly they can’t have been. Ho ho!
fortuneight says
Guns & Roses were hair metal – to avoid any picture posting shenanigans I’m posting a link to some pics. But they soon outran it.
http://www.theglamnationnetwork.com/guns-n-roses.html
Slash auditioned for Poison – he just wanted to make money as a guitarist. GnR came together at a time when hair metal was all the rage. Hollywood Rose the RnR forerunner were full on hair metal. What set GnR apart was that they didn’t want to make radio friendly teen metal (I say that as someone who enjoys “Unskinny Bop” and “Cherry Pie”) and songs that were (at least on Appetite) a class apart.
bobness says
Fargo Rock City and Hell Bent for Leather are worth a read if you lived at all during those times, with those bands.
Did I like some hair metal? Hell, yes.
Did I intensely dislike others? Hell, yes. Most of the bands were utter chancers, it appears to me.
Why? Well, there’s a question. Who knows?
Poison were just 4 blokes seeing how far they could take it, Ratt were far better on vinyl than live (and that’s not saying a lot) but Cinderella were by far my favourite. Much more blues orientated than virtually any other of that genre, with a vocalist who sounded like Brian Johnson on a bad (or good) day. In fact, when their first single, Shake Me, came out, half of Rock City were convinced it was AC/DC.
The fact that Steel Panther appear to be ironically non-ironic probably says it all for me.
Hair metal. Leave your brain at the door and just enjoy it.
Can I just add that I saw Wrathchild on my 21st birthday? Fortunately, I don’t remember much…
minibreakfast says
I can still enjoy listening to Poison these days, but yes, lots of those albums had a horrible, tinny sound.
bantha29 says
Hair metal was essentially the soundtrack to my late teens and early twenties, and slotted in with a lot of the other stuff I was discovering at the time: a bit late to the party with a lot of this but the likes of Rush, Zep, early Genesis, Purple, Rainbow, Whitesnake (pre-hair), AC/DC, Maiden, Motörhead…
The thing is I actually quite enjoyed a lot of the bands you mentioned, but more in a kind of leave your brain at the door and party kind of way.
They had their place, but won’t really be remembered fondly by too many except maybe whoever made flipping great wadges of cash from them.
Having said all that I really think that Crue’s Dr Feelgood would sound cracking with a nice meaty remix.
In the end though GnR’s jaw dropping debut with the emphasis on dirty, funky muscle riffs rather than high gain, silicon diode driven rawk moved the goalposts so far the pretty boys couldn’t really keep up.
Johnny Concheroo says
I bet I’m the only one here who has listened to more than one album by Christian hair metal band Stryper
http://i.imgur.com/uZE4pE6.jpg
Railroad Bill says
I had the pleasure of seeing Stryper live on one occasion (accompanying a vicar’s daughter…).Didn’t the drummer ser up his kit sideways???
Johnny Concheroo says
That’s right, so he did.
From Wiki:
A trademark of the band’s stage act was drummer Robert Sweet’s practice of turning his enormous drum kit sideways to the audience so that the crowd could see him playing. This is why Robert was more often called a “visual timekeeper” rather than a drummer.
Also:
A characteristic element of the band was that all their outfits, sets, and instruments were painted in yellow and black stripes. The number of the stripes represented in various stage props and costumes increased during the show, leading up to In God We Trust. The band explained the symbolism of the stripes: a direct reference to the whiplash scourges given by Pontius Pilate to Jesus, derived from the King James Version of the Bible’s Isaiah 53:5.[3
Railroad Bill says
“Visual timekeeper” that has made me chuckle. It’s all coming back to me!
Bartleby says
Hair metal alongside peroxide highlights and that thin metallic distortion sound that started to infect other acts (Ozzy and Saxon I’m looking at you) was the end of my interest in metal and Kerrang. It was so obviously about image and not music – maybe that’s why I’ve never been able to fully embrace The Clash beyond a handful or so of good tunes.
retropath2 says
I thought it was called poodle rock, or is that something different?
bobness says
Basically the same, as far as I can tell, but like most metal genres, some people with time on their hands will argue that “band X” definitely were “hair metal” and “band y” definitely were “poodle rock” etc, but they’re essentially synonyms.
(covers ears, runs away…)
Locust says
Leaving the music aside; from a young girl’s prerspective boys always look better in make-up than without (except that one ugly burly bloke in almost every band that looked like someone’s stripper nan). 😀
Kaisfatdad says
What a dull life I have led! I’ve never met a stripper nan. I wouldn’t even know where to look.
Your theory about blokes in make-up sounds very convincing. Maybe a guy in make-up is slightly less scary too?
On the subject of Poodle Rock, I suspect the Final Countdown Hitmakers were often Best in Show.
Mike_H says
One of the USA’s gravest sins against music.
I cannot bear to listen to it for more than a couple of minutes before my teeth begin to grind.
I can still enjoy laughing at the preposterousness of the way it’s practitioners look, but that’s the only fun to be had in the entire concept.
In my opinion.
Rigid Digit says
Early Hair Metal (Motley Crue, Hanoi Rocks etc) is pretty listenable and a valid part of the genre.
However, by the mid-80s, as you cite, the FM friendly, squeaky guitars, over earnest balladry, and copious haispray, it became a virtual parody of itself.
Hair Metal did the job of removing the perceived machismo of Heavy Metal, and pulled in a lot of Metal-naysers giving them a nice bright and shiny way in (Bon Jovi being a prime example), but this led record companies to invest more in this genre to the extent that it became all a bit tiring.
I saw Bon Jovi headline 1987 Monster Of Rock – my abiding memory is of groups of teenage girls getting dropped off at the main gate dressed in pristine stone-washed denim.
Cinderella, at the bottom of the bill, were probably acceptable to these fans, but god knows what they thought of WASP, Anthrax, Metallica and Dio.
As is often the case at Donnington, it rained that day and a lot of mud was about – I wonder how pristine that stone-washed denim was at the end of the day?
Defence of Hair Metal?
Well ,it begat Guns n Roses (a good thing? you decide) and Twisted Sister (the godfathers of the genre???) were an immense amount of fun, and always seemed to perform with their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks
Tiggerlion says
I’m pleased to admit that this is a genre that has completely passed me by. I didn’t know it existed until this thread.
For complete disclosure; I like early Alice Cooper and regard Nirvana as miserable Pixies rip-offs.
mikethep says
Sorry to sound like a High Court judge, but what’s the difference between hair metal and plain old heavy metal? Are all practitioners of the latter bald? I thought poodle hair was a given with any kind of metal.
Johnny Concheroo says
Hair metal is a combination of heavy metal + glam.
No jeans, denim jackets or facial hair.
Big hair + make-up + spandex meets heavy riffing and (usually) Van Halen style two handed guitar tapping . Simple as that.
mikethep says
Ah, I see. Thank you, Mr Concheroo, the witness may step down.
Johnny Concheroo says
“The Rolling Stones?”
“A pop combo of some notoriety, your honour”
Hawkfall says
In the 80s there were two main types of music that were called Heavy Metal. One of them, Hair Metal, was as Johnny described it above. The other one, featuring bands wearing t shirts and jeans, like Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax etc used to be called Thrash Metal, though just seems to be called Metal these days.
In the midst of all this were heavy rock bands from the 70s trying to find a way to make a buck. A lot of them, like Kiss, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Heart, Whitesnake etc turned into Hair Metal bands and (with the exception of Aerosmith) made some truly awful records in the process.
Alongside this, there were other sideshows starting up, with Venom starting off Black Metal (growly vocals, satanic imagery, Scandinvians) and Manowar starting Power Metal (sword & sorcery, high pitched vocals, more Scandinavians).
There was a lot of innovation happening in Heavy Metal in the 80s. How much of it you’d want to listen to is another question.
Kaisfatdad says
Poodle rock?
Kaisfatdad says
This was posted on the AW Facebook page. It deserves a posting here too.
Rarely have I seen people who look such complete twats. I almost feel sorry for them.
http://www.sadanduseless.com/2016/02/awkward-band-publicity-photos/
SixDog says
Twisted Sister
Hair/Glam/Camp or a mix of all three?
Bon Jovi circa Slippery When Wet were the peak of Hair Metal (with JBJ’s progeny Sebastian Bach looking and listening intently).
There were a handful of great tunes but boy they looked BAD. David Coverdale pimped up to the nines doing the awful synth re-release of Here I Go Again. Only ever out haired by Bad News’ ‘Warriors of Genghis Khan’ video.
Like The Sweet let loose in Debenhams make up department
Hawkfall says
I’ve got a soft spot for Twisted Sister, I like their early singles like “I am, I’m Me” and “We’re Not Gonna Take it” (there was a great TOTP appearance supporting the former. They were a bit long in the tooth by the time Hair Metal got into full swing, as they had been around since 1974 or so. By the late 80s they were pretty much Hair Metal out of necessity, but I have them down more as Glam.
Johnny Concheroo says
Dee Snider will always have my respect for the time he stood up to Tipper Gore and her Hollywood wives at the PMRC sub committee together with Frank Zappa and others.
Tipper seriously underestimated Dee, thinking he was a dummy fronting a metal band.
http://loudwire.com/twisted-sisters-dee-snider-1985-pmrc-senate-hearing/
DogFacedBoy says
Yeah I recall that at the time. There is a documentary about the band on Netflix which I keep meaning up check out which covers their early LA rock n punk years
Hawkfall says
I’ve started watching, it’s pretty good though very long (about 3 hours I think). They have a lot of footage from their early 70s days in Long Island playing small clubs.
bobness says
Loved TS back in the day, I’ve got all their early stuff. Awfully produced, but heavy hitting nonetheless.
What’s the programme called?
Kaisfatdad says
Excellent clip, JC. Dee Snider really puts the PMRC in their place, and articulately demolishes their attack point by point. They chose the wrong target there.
DogFacedBoy says
Hair metal band gigs always had a greater proportion of girls in the audience because y’know that Jovi fella, the Axl goblin and the hilariously monikered Sebastian Bach – they were pretty cute. Your trad metal gigs were a sausagefest and not nearly as much fun.
Just finished reading Bob Stanley’s ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ and he puts his finger on metal’s popularity and it’s connections to early rock n roll. It has no deeper ethos than ‘fuck you mum and dad’ when you put on a Motorhead shirt.
I vividly recall putting a 60″x40″ GnR poster up on my bedroom wall (probably purchased from Push Posters ad in the back of Kerrang) with the shot from It’s So Easy single and my mum saying ‘if you ever come home looking like that you’ll be finding yourself somewhere else to live’
28 years old I was….
minibreakfast says
I had that 12″. Stupidly sold it many years ago.
Kaisfatdad says
Very amusing comment, DFB, and confirmation of what Locust mentioned earlier that many of the poodle rockers appealed to the ladies.
Which makes me wonder: were there any bands with girls in who could be categorised as hair metal? The Runaways spring to mind ………
DogFacedBoy says
The Runaways were more punky pop than metal. Lita Ford went on to be a metaller n dueted with Ozzy. Doro Pesch from Warlock was a bit of a pin-up and there was the all female group Vixen
who had a hit with a Desmond Child penned Bon Jovi reject
Kaisfatdad says
You’re right. The Runaways did not look as though they spent long enough at the hairdresser’s to qualify as true hair metal.
I’m impressed by your knowledge of this neglected genre, DFB. You’d get a job at Crufts on the spot!
Doro and her bandmates from Warlock, who you mention, certainly pass muster on the poodleometer.
Rigid Digit says
Mmmmm, Doro ….
I’m 17 again staring at the double size Metal Hammer poster of her on my bedroom wall
ruff-diamond says
hair metal videos always used to amuse me, because without fail there would ALWAYS be one shot of the drummer doing that twirly stick thing. Unless it was a power ballad, in which case it would be (usually) the guitar player knocking out a few D minor chords on a fag burn-scarred piano.
DogFacedBoy says
Guns n Roses spoof by French & Saunders almost as funny as the original November Rain promo
Kaisfatdad says
For some reason we have had no Japanese, all girl, hair metal bands yet. An incomprehensible omission which I intend to put right.
fishface says
well…as a full card carrying metalhead in the late 80s I was a huge fan of a couple of Japanese hairmetal bands.
LOUDNESS….bet they spent ages thinking up that name…released a couple of albums over here with their Japanese vocalist. his English was at best pidgeon, so they employed a American(I think) for duties outside their homeland.
their lead guitarist, AKURA TAKASAKI was something else, a full on shread machine.
check out his playing….and the jap vocalists English!!…on ahem….THUNDER IN THE EAST and the not bad LIGHTNING STRIKES.
BOW WOW also gained a bit of a following over here but due to similarity of their name to another band…..guess who…….changed their name to VOW WOW!!! then sank out of sight
FISH.
Rigid Digit says
Vow Wow had Neil Murray on Bass. He was an elder of Hair Metal having done time in Whitesnake.
Much beloved of Keerang around 1989 when they released the album Helter Skelter.
The cover version title track was OK, but the rest of the album is pretty much generic forgetfulness (albeit with a Brain Johnson-like twang in the vocal)
Here they are (with Neil) performing Helter Skelter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l1E1UNjhJE
Kaisfatdad says
Stumbled across this excellent article about those two bands you mentioned @fishface.
https://mayobat.wordpress.com/2015/07/25/there-goes-tokyo/
Kaisfatdad says
Thanks Fishface. I’m not at all surprised that Japan produced a feew notable bands in the genre.
I think we’d better give them a listen.
Loudness ( you’re right about the guitarist!)
Bow Wow
Rigid Digit says
Pretty Boy Floyd – Rock n Roll Is Gonna Set The Night On Fire
Can you forgive Hair Metal?
After that – Not easily
Kaisfatdad says
No idea what this band are called but the singer has a marvellous Sumo wrestler voice, great hair and make up and a studded jock strap. The rather prim lasses in the audience (quite rightly I suspect) look terrified of him. The music is almost an anti-climax.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKXF5xqITQE
The Japanese equivalent of a pantomime villain?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVNsIdx0jxk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP6-QtIS_9I