Back in the ‘80s, before grunge came along and pooped the party, hair metal ruled the world. The most celebratory - not to mention shamelessly superficial - of rock’s myriad sub-genres, it was the domain of tight-trousered, poodle-haired hustlers like Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Guns N’ Roses. Mocked by serious critics but loved by millions, it was loud, flashy and wilfully dumb, the prime concerns extending little beyond drugs, alcohol, women and overuse of the word “dude”. The spectacular success of The Darkness (climaxing with those four Brits nominations) has put hair metal back on the map - albeit in a decidedly more arch incarnation - prompting a reassessment of its debauched charms.

1 MOTLEY CRUE Shout At The Devil
2 DEF LEPPARD Pyromania
3 VAN HALEN 1984
4 SCORPIONS Love At First Sting
5 BON JOVI Slippery When Wet
6 WHITESNAKE 1987

7 GUNS N’ ROSES Appetite For Destruction
Geffen, 1987

The Mt. Everest in the Himalayas of hair metal, Guns N’ Roses’ proclamation that they were “the most dangerous band on the planet” was backed up by this debut album. Swaggering and venomous, it noisily celebrated the joys of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll - literally, in the case of final track Rocket Queen, which featured the sound of a strung-out Axl Rose boffing his girlfriend in the recording booth.
Key track: Welcome To The Jungle

8 SKID ROW Skid Row
9 VARIOUS The Big 80's - Big Hair, Volume 2
10 THE CULT Electric
11 KISS Alive!
12 THE DARKNESS Permission To Land

Here's two new Gilby Clarke March tour dates:

3/18 West Hollywood, CA @ Club Vodka
3/19 Huntington Beach, CA @ Fitzgeralds

This is what his March tour looks like:

Fri 03/05/04 Scottsdale, AZ Chaser's
Sat 03/06/04 Tucson, AZ The Rock
Wed 03/10/04 Centereach, NY King's Club
Thu 03/11/04 Springfield, VA Jaxx
Fri 03/12/04 Wallington, NJ Wreck Room
Sat 03/13/04 Orange, CT Corner Pocket
Sun 03/14/04 New York, NY Tribeca Rock Club
Thu 03/18/04 Los Angeles, CA Club 7969
Fri 03/19/04 Huntington Beach, CA Fitzgerald's

You can download a short audio clip of Velvet Revolver's "Slither" at the unofficial VR site, velvet-revolver.com.