Greatest Hair Metal bands

[SteelBlue]

I think you have to take Def Leppard out of the hair band category as well. They were too good to be talked about with the likes of Ratt, Motley Crue etc... I agree that Motley Crue was the best of the hair bands and I think even they would admit that's what they were.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by Detroitdad

When I was a freshman at BYU my roomate and I would go to the little grill in the Cannon Center and put a couple of bucks into the jukebox to play "Finally found the love of a lifetime" by Firehouse 20 or so times in a row and leave. Eventually they asked us not to come back. Some people do not appreciate art.

That is awesome.

When I was in junior high, my all-star baseball team was sent to Nephi to play in that bracket of the all-star tournament. After we ticked off the locals by winning that bracket, we headed to some little fast food dive to celebrate. They were not happy to see us there at all - the owner of the establishment apparently had a kid on the Nephi team and asked us to go somewhere else to eat; honest they were that bitter - so as we started to head out to the door, our coach dumped every quarter he could gather from all of us into the jukebox and selected Queen's We Are The Champions to play over and over again.

I would have liked to see how many times it played before it got unplugged.

[il Padrino Ute]

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

I think you have to take Def Leppard out of the hair band category as well. They were too good to be talked about with the likes of Ratt, Motley Crue etc... I agree that Motley Crue was the best of the hair bands and I think even they would admit that's what they were.

I disagree. Def Leppard was the original hair band. It's their fault the entire genre came about.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by il Padrino Ute

That is awesome.

When I was in junior high, my all-star baseball team was sent to Nephi to play in that bracket of the all-star tournament. After we ticked off the locals by winning that bracket, we headed to some little fast food dive to celebrate. They were not happy to see us there at all - the owner of the establishment apparently had a kid on the Nephi team and asked us to go somewhere else to eat; honest they were that bitter - so as we started to head out to the door, our coach dumped every quarter he could gather from all of us into the jukebox and selected Queen's We Are The Champions to play over and over again.

I would have liked to see how many times it played before it got unplugged.

That's a great story.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by Detroitdad

When I was a freshman at BYU my roomate and I would go to the little grill in the Cannon Center and put a couple of bucks into the jukebox to play "Finally found the love of a lifetime" by Firehouse 20 or so times in a row and leave. Eventually they asked us not to come back. Some people do not appreciate art.

That's the only song I clearly remember them playing at my 9th grade dance. I don't know why it stands out.

On jukeboxes, I was singing "jukebox hero" the other day and my son asked what a jukebox is. I wanted to take him somewhere to show him one, but I couldn't think of a single place in town that has one.

[Venkman]

Originally Posted by YOhio

Motley Crue is by far the best hair band. In a distant second is Poison. Third is Def Lepard. Bands like Cinderella, L.A. Guns, Warrant, RATT, Winger, Dokken, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot, and Faster Pussycat are all in the conversation.

Not a fan of LA Guns, but The Ballad of Jane is one of the best hair ballads of all time.

[Venkman]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

Yet they played an important role in finishing off the era so that we could move onto acts that were more about producing quality music than just image... You know, like Janet Jackson and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.

LOL, good point.

[Detroitdad]

Originally Posted by YOhio

Trixter's first album was released in 1990. That's too late in my book.

The other two, White Lion and Stryper, were inadvertantly left off. I remember looking through my friends brothers tapes and coming across Stryper's "To Hell with the Devil." My 4th Grade mind was excited about the possibilities of convincing my parents that heavy metal can be just like church music. I wasn't able to make an effective argument and I was relegated to listening to sissy bands like Bon Jovi.

I also forgot Great White. Their song "Once Bitten Twice Shy" lays out a great template for a hair band song. A lot of sexual innuendo, the use of the terms "baby" and "little girl", a catchy chorus, reference to both a drummer getting action and a girls' sister being a slut, as well as a big crescendo where the singer is exasperated.

I am glad that you support the inclusion of Great White and Stryper into the canon. Hair metal intellectuals such as yourself always lend such astute perspective by setting forth such clear dividing lines as the pre 1990 debut album. Is there room for an exception in the case of Ugly Kid Joe (who I believe deserves special consideration for career arc and brevity, along with the content of it's two hits being based on a remake, and a lazy 12 year old having a bad day anthem). I find 1990 to be a little to bright a line. I prefer to draw the line at pre-Smells Like Teen Spirit, which permanently destroyed hair metal credentials.

[Parrot Head]

i'm a little late to the party, but this is one rockin' party! The AC/DC stuff above is classic. You also have to include that AC/DC never had a monster ballad. Where does that requirement rank, because EVERYONE else had one. "Love Bites" helps pull Def Leppard into the mix even more, but since I can still listen to "Photograph" and several others at almost any time, I'd like to think they weren't.

I did see DL at the Jingle Ball concert in my only ever trip to the U. I also went to a concert here in San Jose that featured Winger, Faster Pussycat, Warrant and - headlining - Poison. What a concert! My friends and I got all decked out in tight jeans and rocker shirts and just gave nods to others wearing the same shirt as us. I had a Sammy Hagar, but my good buddy was able to score an Iron Maiden tee.

After all of this, Motley Crue was the best, followed by Poison. Skid Row in a distant third, and everyone else had a song or two. Although I had some great slow dances to "Heaven isn't too far away...."

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by Parrot Head

Although I had some great slow dances to "Heaven isn't too far away...."

"...Closer to it everyday."

Favorite rock ballad is probably Bon Jovi's I'll Be There For You.

Best slow dance, hands down, is Lady in Red, Chris de Burgh.