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30 Years Ago Today............


Chef Jim

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Epic album.

 

Musically, there was a lot going on in the 80s. These guys managed to, in one album, incorporate hair band, keyboards, rock ballads and - thanks to Slash and his Les Paul - classic rock/blues guitar. So many rock bands back then sounded alike. Axl Rose's vocals and Slash's guitar playing (no shredding, no overuse of the whammy bar) set them apart from most of the others.

 

These guys, and this album, were rock and roll in the 80s.

 

 

Appetite came out in 1987 and took some time to get traction, so by no means did GNR define rock and roll in the 80s.

 

From my perspective, that decade was dominated by MTV "bands/songs" and metal/hair bands.

 

With that said, GNR kicked a## and paved the way for the grunge bands in the early 90's.

This may sound nitpicky, and even though Guns N' Roses were late 80's, wouldn't it be accurate to say that Def Leppard & Motley Crue personified rock in the 80's?

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This may sound nitpicky, and even though Guns N' Roses were late 80's, wouldn't it be accurate to say that Def Leppard & Motley Crue personified rock in the 80's?

 

And Bon Jovi. Def Leppard and Motley Crue are more grounded in glam rock, and were certainly influential, but it's Bon Jovi that was really the progenitor of the later Great White Lion-Snake hair bands.

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This may sound nitpicky, and even though Guns N' Roses were late 80's, wouldn't it be accurate to say that Def Leppard & Motley Crue personified rock in the 80's?

 

I think my comment may have been misunderstood. When I said they "were" rock in the 80s, what I mean is that they were playing another level of real rock .. above most other bands in that era.

 

I will agree, wholeheartedly, that Def Leppard and Motley Crue were also above the fray, as far as talent and originality.

 

I'll also opine that no one in that era, and even in eras before and after, lived the rock and roll lifestyle harder than Motley Crue.

 

And Bon Jovi. Def Leppard and Motley Crue are more grounded in glam rock, and were certainly influential, but it's Bon Jovi that was really the progenitor of the later Great White Lion-Snake hair bands.

 

Bon Jovi's biggest separations from the others were that they had a strat blues player in Sambora who also brought incredible harmonies - and they were able to write more radio-friendly hits, as well as pop rock anthems. Great White were horrible and had one popular song by copycatting (horribly) Led Zeppelin. Whitesnake were another very talented band who were able to gain a lot of radio play. But they weren't nearly as gritty and raw as GnR or Crue, IMO.

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I think my comment may have been misunderstood. When I said they "were" rock in the 80s, what I mean is that they were playing another level of real rock .. above most other bands in that era.

 

I will agree, wholeheartedly, that Def Leppard and Motley Crue were also above the fray, as far as talent and originality.

 

I'll also opine that no one in that era, and even in eras before and after, lived the rock and roll lifestyle harder than Motley Crue.

 

Did you ever listen to the Heroin Diaries by Sixx A.M.? It's all about that era. There was a book by the same name. It was pretty cool to read his entries around the days that I saw them.

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Did you ever listen to the Heroin Diaries by Sixx A.M.? It's all about that era. There was a book by the same name. It was pretty cool to read his entries around the days that I saw them.

 

I knew Nikki Sixx wrote the book and I know he has the Sixx AM band, but I've never heard one song. I do listen to his radio show on my way home most nights and I love the guy. I'll check the book and the tune out, thanks!

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And Bon Jovi. Def Leppard and Motley Crue are more grounded in glam rock, and were certainly influential, but it's Bon Jovi that was really the progenitor of the later Great White Lion-Snake hair bands.

 

Actually, it was Quiet Riot. The success of (their cover of Slade's) "Cum on Feel the Noize" showed record companies that hair metal could be profitable and launched a signing frenzy of all those 80's hair bands.

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This may sound nitpicky, and even though Guns N' Roses were late 80's, wouldn't it be accurate to say that Def Leppard & Motley Crue personified rock in the 80's?

I was a major hard rock fan in the 70's (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath etc) and was appalled at the direction heavy metal went in the 80's. It was "!@#$ the music, we need a look!" !@#$ you MTV!

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Actually, it was Quiet Riot. The success of (their cover of Slade's) "Cum on Feel the Noize" showed record companies that hair metal could be profitable and launched a signing frenzy of all those 80's hair bands.

 

And soon to follow was Twisted Sister. Incidentally "We're Not Gonna Take It, sounds a lot like "Cum on Feel the Noize."

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I was a major hard rock fan in the 70's (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath etc) and was appalled at the direction heavy metal went in the 80's. It was "!@#$ the music, we need a look!" !@#$ you MTV!

 

This. If it wasn't for bands like Rainbow, Zappa, Black Sabbath (whichever line up at the time - Iommi did everything he could to keep that name going), and the reformation of Deep Purple, I would have had nothing new to listen to at all.

 

In fact, now that I think about it, this was also the era where I starting listening to a lot of classical music.

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And soon to follow was Twisted Sister. Incidentally "We're Not Gonna Take It, sounds a lot like "Cum on Feel the Noize."

 

Yup. TS, as well as many other hair metal bands, have credited QR with getting that whole genre started.

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Yup. TS, as well as many other hair metal bands, have credited QR with getting that whole genre started.

 

You don't think Glam Rock started it? It was just a mixing of the two. Some Glam bands had a hard sound (case in point: Slade).

 

Quiet Riot just toughened it up, and even then it was still girly rock.

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This. If it wasn't for bands like Rainbow, Zappa, Black Sabbath (whichever line up at the time - Iommi did everything he could to keep that name going), and the reformation of Deep Purple, I would have had nothing new to listen to at all.

 

In fact, now that I think about it, this was also the era where I starting listening to a lot of classical music.

Yes my wife turned me on to classical in the 80's

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I was 26 and living in Hollywood and a huge rock fan. I used to drive by the Troubadour on Santa Monica every day and would often see the band Guns N' Roses on the marquee. Thought it was a cool name but working nights in restaurants I never was able to see them. I remember exactly where I was driving when I heard Welcome to the Jungle for the first time. The song blew me away but what REALLY blew me away was when the DJ, after the song, said it was from the debut album by Guns N' Roses. !@#$!! I'll never get to see them in a small club now. :wallbash:

 

My happy ending story: I was vaguely aware of a band named Metallica after reading a review by Jon Zazula in a crude black and white publication from my local metal record store.

 

At a camp site with friends on a Friday night, we got graciously kicked out by state troopers without repercussions around midnight for our behavior and things in our possession. On the way home trying to figure out where we would sleep the rest of the night we heard on the radio that Raven (an English band we were familiar with) were playing with Metallica the next night. I told my metal friend we should go based on the review i read.

 

The shorter story: we saw Metallica in a small, empty bar a week before Kill 'Em All came out and it was jaw dropping.

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