I make lists.
I read books.
I like clothes, food, music, my fur babies, travel, and loads of other stuff too.
I may write about any or all of these things.
Most bloggers are talking about New Year's Eve, looking back at 2015, posting "best of" posts, or even goals for the 2016. Not me. I'm taking a moment to mourn the end of one of my all-time favourite bands. Spotify created a playlist (since I failed to compile one, you should listen to theirs): #NowPlaying This Is: Mötley Crüe by Spotify https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/6PQ5tPIaqp98aIYAwS7Li4
Tonight is the last night for Motley Crue. They end their 30+ years as a band on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles. The four original members signed a legal document stating that they would not be touring as MOTLEY CRUE ever again. This is it. (Nor can any one member solely own the name, grab some other musicians and tour under the ban name...like Axl Rose does with GNR.)
For me, for my era, they were the band that personified sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll with a mix of danger. Sure, there were others that did the same. Sure, there were others before them, others with more critical acclaim, others to follow. But, for me, Motley will forever hold a special place in my rocker girl heart.
My first Motley Crue concert was during the Girls Girls Girls tour (I can't remember if it was 1987 or 1988), and I've seen them more times than I can count. I've been on the front row, in smaller venues, and at festivals. I've danced, I've sang, I've rocked, and I've had my finger sucked by Nikki Sixx.
I think Mick Mars is one of the most under-rated guitar players of his time. Tommy Lee is a consummate showman. Vince Neil...well...Vince is Vince...still a party boy through and through. Nikki Sixx is a genius (in my humble opinion).
There have been:
Albums and Videos
Tours and Parties
Marriages and Divorces
Fist fights and Jail terms
Overdoses and Drunk-driving accidents
Groupies and Wives
Kids and Pets
Band break-ups and Reunion tours
Spandex and Leather
Hairspray and Eyeliner
Books and Documentaries
Side projects and Solo albums
Debauchery and Sobriety
Illness and Loss
Rotating drum kits and Guitars that shoot fire
Back-up singers and Strippers
Tattoos and Piercings
Pyrotechnics and Acrobatics
Reality shows and Talk of a movie
Arguments and Brotherly love
And...there has been rock 'n' fucking roll. As the lyrics to one of my favourite Crue songs (Primal Scream) says:
Crash & burn they did. In good ways and bad. And, I will forever love those reckless maniacs from the streets of Los Angeles. Their music will forever be a major player in the soundtrack of my life. Take a bow, guys. Thanks for the memories.
Aquanet ... Spandex ... Blue eyeshadow ... MTV ... BIG HAIR ... all of these things were part of our childhood and teen years. So was the genre of music that gets a lot of teasing (pun intended) and ridicule known as Glam Metal, Hair Bands, Cock Rock....but these bands and songs are beloved by the two of us. In fact, as we got to know each other, we instantly connected with our mutual love of books and hair bands.
This is not the list of songs that are played in sports stadiums or classic rock stations. C'mon. Admit it. You guys know Welcome to the Jungle, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, and Livin' on a Prayer. You probably even know Pour Some Sugar on Me, Cherry Pie, and Here I Go Again.
This list is not those songs. This list features the songs that you have to turn to a specialty station like SiriusXM's Hair Nation (in the U.S.) for a chance to hear them. Or be an avid fan of this music from days gone by. This list is a combined effort of our favorite forgotten hair band songs.
1. Wait for You by Bonham - 1989 - Do you recognize this name? John Bonham, the drummer of a little band called Led Zeppelin, who died in 1980...he had a son named Jason Bonham. He can play drums too. He had a band that had a song, and this is it.
2. Call to Your Heart by Guiffria - 1984 - Honestly don't remember anything about Guiffria except this song. And, this is a good song.
3. Edge of a Broken Heart by Bon Jovi - 1987 - Back in the day, pop radio had djs and you could actually call and request to hear your favorite songs. The local Houston station (104 KRBE) had a "Top 8 at 8:00" most requested program. From Erin: "I'd wait for this song to play, so I could record it on my cassette tape each night, so I could have an entire cassette of just this song playing over and over." The work and commitment we had to give for our favorites.....
4. Burning Like a Flame by Dokken - 1987 - To be honest, we could give you a whole list of fantastic songs from Dokken, but this is a fave. From Erin: "Is this the time that I tell you about getting my picture taken with Don Dokken when my friend was getting beers or going to the bathroom, and she's the one that really loved Dokken and she missed the photo opportunity??"
5. Tell Me by White Lion - 1987 - Don't know many girls
that didn't find Mike Tramp (the lead singer) pretty dreamy back in the
day. The last time I (Erin) saw him was 2008, and he was still pretty dreamy.
6. Coming of Age by Damn Yankees - 1990 - Once upon a time, a supergroup was formed with a member of Night Ranger, a member of Styx, and Ted Nugent. Fun fact from Erin: "I saw them open for Poison in Fargo, ND."
7. Bang Bang by Danger Danger - 1989 - From Jana: "They were my
favorite and I was obsessed. Meeting Ted Poley and Andy Timmons was the
highlight of 8th grade." No other words are needed.
8. Love Song by Tesla - 1989 - Serious now. If you aren't going to listen to any other of the songs on this list, listen to this one. It truly is one of the greatest anthemic love songs ever created. Yes, we are biased about this list, but we speak the truth about this song.
9. Dirty Love by Thunder - 1990 - This British band has 9 studio albums, 7 live albums, and 22 singles released. Sure, they've had a lot of band members in and out during that time...but that's more albums produced than Taylor Swift or Rhianna or One Direction or many of the other big sellers of popular music.
10. Big Talk by Warrant - 1989 - Awww Warrant. The band known for Cherry Pie. In fact, that song was part of the demise of lead singer, Jani Lane, who died a few years ago from an alcohol fueled death. They really were a talented band. (Feel free to fast forward the first minute of this film clip.) R.I.P Jani
11. One in a Million by Trixter - 1991 - This song hit radio airwaves the same year as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Poor Trixter was just a little too late for any serious music people to listen to them. Wait. We ain't about those music snobs anyway.
12. Mad About You by Slaughter - 1991 - Not sure this song made it to the music charts. There were actually some songs on this album that got more airplay. But, we're rebelling and going with this lesser known gem for our list.
13. Tainted Angel by Southgang - 1991 - We knew this one was a given. Erin loves Butch Walker (he's the "hunk" of a brunette guitarist in this video clip). Admittedly, most of the love is for the artist that Butch is now. (No joke. He is a hugely talented singer-songwriter-producer-and yes, guitarist.) Jana saw Southgang in concert New Year's Eve 1991. Jana frickin' wins!
14. I'll Never Let You Go by Steelheart - 1990 - This is Jana's "favorite power ballad", and it was going to be left off the list "because his voice may hurt the ears of others", but Erin said "Hell no! I'm totally including Steelheart!", and here you have it. (Get to the chorus - the vocals are seriously insane!)
You really have no idea how difficult it was for us to narrow down this
list. It was like selecting our favorite child or something (even
though Erin doesn't have a child, but she does have step-children, and Jana has one, so obviously, that one is the favorite). So, really, this was more
difficult than picking our favorite child. We're still questioning how
Ratt, Cinderella, Mr. Big, Skid Row, Firehouse, Whitesnake, and others
didn't make this list. But, we wanted to keep it short enough that you may stay with us.
If you're actually still with us, tell us some of your favorite songs from big hair bands.
