Ten things I think about hard rock/metal in 1990
Here are some random thoughts on the scene twenty years ago.
1-I still can't believe some of the bands that got major label deals that year.
2-Iron Maiden's decline at the time still seems sudden to me because their stretch of greatness lasted so long.
3-Steve Vai's "Passion and warfare" is still fantastic album twenty years later.
4-I don't know what came over Prong prior to "Beg to differ", but it was a major transformation because this was the beginning of a stretch of four of the better metal albums of the decade.
5-"Lock up the wolves" was probably the first (but not the last) time I heard Ronnie James Dio sound tired.
6-It's a shame that Anthrax booted Joey Belladonna because the direction they were heading in on "Persistance of time" could have really lead them to something.
7-If the Desperado album with Dee Snider had been released rather than shelved it would have made my list for the top ten albums of the year.
8-No matter how many chances I give it Slayer's "Seasons in the abyss" still comes across as a dry turd of an album.
9-Cinderella unfairly were and are still sometimes unfairly lumped in as a hair band. They were a fine blues/hard rock band as Heartbreak demonstrated.
10-There were so many hard rock/hair bands that got far more credit and hype than they deserved in 1990, but Spread Eagle were a good band that I wish had gotten more of a push in 1990 because they were the real deal.
1-I still can't believe some of the bands that got major label deals that year.
2-Iron Maiden's decline at the time still seems sudden to me because their stretch of greatness lasted so long.
3-Steve Vai's "Passion and warfare" is still fantastic album twenty years later.
4-I don't know what came over Prong prior to "Beg to differ", but it was a major transformation because this was the beginning of a stretch of four of the better metal albums of the decade.
5-"Lock up the wolves" was probably the first (but not the last) time I heard Ronnie James Dio sound tired.
6-It's a shame that Anthrax booted Joey Belladonna because the direction they were heading in on "Persistance of time" could have really lead them to something.
7-If the Desperado album with Dee Snider had been released rather than shelved it would have made my list for the top ten albums of the year.
8-No matter how many chances I give it Slayer's "Seasons in the abyss" still comes across as a dry turd of an album.
9-Cinderella unfairly were and are still sometimes unfairly lumped in as a hair band. They were a fine blues/hard rock band as Heartbreak demonstrated.
10-There were so many hard rock/hair bands that got far more credit and hype than they deserved in 1990, but Spread Eagle were a good band that I wish had gotten more of a push in 1990 because they were the real deal.
posted by Metal Mark at
6:54 AM
8 Comments:
Couple of notes:
1.Interesting about Seasons. That was actually the first album I owned by Slayer and still ranks as one of my favorites. I think it gets bashed mainly for the fact that it was overall the biggest departure from their previous stuff. Skeletons of Society and the title track alone proved that the guys could actually play slower tempo songs with groove.
2. Agree about Cinderella. Problem is that they were introduced as a hair metal band thanks to their look on the Night Songs album and subsequent videos and their name. Nevermind that the songs were heavy and blues influenced it's the look that brought the stigma. Being the 80's and how image was more important then music back then it's easy to see how they'd never shake the hair metal label.
Seasons is actually one of my favorite albums by them. It was the first one I owned and to me proved that they could actually craft songs that were not 3 minutes of blazing fast evilness. They could actually has songs with groove. Skeletons of Society is a perfect example of why there is a disconnect with some people.
2. Cinderella's look for the Night Songs album is what got the stigma of hair metal band stuck to them. They quickly went with a more normal look for the remaining albums but in the 80's sadly your look defined your label regardless of how good the music was.
3. Yeah,No Prayer for the Dying is the first Dickinson album I did not like at all with the exception of a couple of songs. I don't know if this was intentional but his vocals seemed to be too harsh as if he was trying to bring a harder edge to the songs and it just failed.
1. Atlantic/ATCO saturated the market with crap.
2. Amen
3. Never did a thing for me, but he's great
4. Never got into them but saw them live a few times as they played with other bands that I liked
5. Haven't heard it in a while
6. I thought POT was crap
7. I wanted to like it...couldn't
8. Amen
9. Hated them back then but really like their first 2 now. Really good live band
10. ewwwwww
Are you and I the only people on earth who hated Seasons in the Abyss?
Numbers 5, 6, and 9 were right on the money.
I couldn't have said it any better about Cinderella... especially Heartbreak Station. That is an album that I turn to consistently since it's release. Shelter Me is an iconic song... for me. Yes, as others will and have attested... it is "the look" of Cinderella that labeled them Hair Metal. Saw them live a couple of times over the years and there is NO DOUBT they are a great band on stage as well.
I'm just a Slayeraholic... I stand accused.
Stone
Rob-Sorry, but I don't hear a groove on Seasons and South of a heaven was a slowed down version of Slayer that maintained the intensity.
I agree on Dickinson's vocals. They were not the only problem here as songwriting and general lack of energy and direction top the list, but he did sound off on almost half of the album.
Sean-Yes, Atlantic even started years before siging crap and maybe even worse was sucking the life out of once good bands (Raven, Savatage).
Bob-Look above. Sean doesn't like it either.
Magpie-Thanks.
MO-This is the only Slayer album I don't like.
Love Cinderella.
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