Hair Metal

[gilld1]

To call any of these bands metal is plain wrong.  You have to consider that the Bay Area Metal scene was happening and that was METAL.  Hair rock would be a better term because it is rock n roll. 

I think the reason Hair Rock get made funof so much is because of the lack of substance in the music and lyrics.  Not that every song has to be deep in thought and heavy topics but songs by Enuff Z Nuff, the Bullet Boys and Britney Fox could have been written by a 13 year old boy.  I compare today's country music scene to the Hair Rock scene, all image based.

[jameslofton29]

I am a big fan of hair metal. Alot of great songs came from that era. There is an obscure hair metal band from 1991 that got played alot on Headbanger's Ball, but grunge quickly took over and I never heard them again. The band's name was Every Mother's Nightmare. Anyone remember them?

[Lisa]

didn't they have that tune "Already Gone"? if it is the same band..rings a bell

[jameslofton29]

I dont remember. I just remember liking a song from them, but I forgot the name. After Nirvana hit, that band (and many others) just completely vanished.

[Rob]

I don't remember that band James.  I'll definitely look into them though.  And regarding Enuff Z' Nuff, I don't think they belong grouped with Britney Fox.  ENZN had some good songs.

[Timothy]

Every Mother's Nightmare had a new album come out in 2002

[SLCPUNK]

That's the spirit, Izzy.  Music should be fun...at least some of the time.  Bands like Poison, Bon Jovi, Cinderella...they all had a good time with what they were doing.  Why should that be considered a bad thing?

They are not. Music should be fun I agree.

People crack me up.

They will complain about hair bands and how dumb the lyrics were.

Then turn around and complain if a band makes a political view known.

So...what can they say?

LOL, gimmie a break, nothing wrong with dumb/fun, sing along rock n roll.

[RichardNixon]

I used to be really into cock-rock--Poison, Motley Crue, RATT, Extreme, Skid Row, Def Leppard, Cinderalla...among others...But then I discovered bands like The Velvet Underground, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, The Smiths, The Cure, REM, among others and I soon grew out of cock-rock. Once in a while I still can rock out to the mighty Van Halen, but most of the other stuff I used to like is just sitting on my shelf.

Although I can see why people like it, it's fun.

[Bridge]

I used to be really into cock-rock--Poison, Motley Crue, RATT, Extreme, Skid Row, Def Leppard,

Ah, now see, Def Leppard, there is another band which doesn't deserve to be tossed into the hair band realm.  Along with Skid Row and the Crue, Def Leppard was more or less a straightforward hard rock band (not metal), who just got thrown in there because of the era in which they became popular.

Scorpions are another band, I never understood why they were cast as a hair band.  They were/are a straightforward rock n roll band from the 1970s, releasing their first album (in 1972) a decade before glam rock debuted.

[*Izzy*]

I think most of you are talking about glam metal, hair metal and poodle rock are a totally different genre

  Izzy?

[N.I.B]

I think most of you are talking about glam metal, hair metal and poodle rock are a totally different genre

  Izzy?

whats the difference? 

[*Izzy*]

I think most of you are talking about glam metal, hair metal and poodle rock are a totally different genre

  Izzy?

whats the difference??

One is animal abuse, the other isn't?

  Izzy?

[Genesis]

Poodle rock?  WTF is that?

[N.I.B]

I think most of you are talking about glam metal, hair metal and poodle rock are a totally different genre

  Izzy?

whats the difference??

One is animal abuse, the other isn't?

  Izzy?

which one is which?

Poodle rock? WTF is that?

enlighten me....

[Rob]

I used to be really into cock-rock--Poison, Motley Crue, RATT, Extreme, Skid Row, Def Leppard, Cinderalla...among others...But then I discovered bands like The Velvet Underground, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, The Smiths, The Cure, REM, among others and I soon grew out of cock-rock. Once in a while I still can rock out to the mighty Van Halen, but most of the other stuff I used to like is just sitting on my shelf.

Why is that?  Firstly the guys playing instruments in the hair bands you mentioned were just as talented if not more so than anybody in Sonic Youth or REM.  How could you at one time love a certain type of music, and then not like it at all?  I think most of the hair metal haters are just people who went along with the trends as they changed.  When it was cool to like hair metal you liked hair metal, then when it became uncool to like it you liked what became cool.  Now its cool to be like the people on VH1 and make fun of hair metal.  People should listen to music critics and rock magazines and whatnot less and more to what they really think.

[Mattman]

Poodle rock? WTF is that?

enlighten me....

Sometimes hair metal is called poodle rock because the performers' hair is so big and permed that it resembles a poodle's fur.? Judge for yourself:

I used to be really into cock-rock--Poison, Motley Crue, RATT, Extreme, Skid Row, Def Leppard, Cinderalla...among others...But then I discovered bands like The Velvet Underground, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, The Smiths, The Cure, REM, among others and I soon grew out of cock-rock. Once in a while I still can rock out to the mighty Van Halen, but most of the other stuff I used to like is just sitting on my shelf.

Why is that? Firstly the guys playing instruments in the hair bands you mentioned were just as talented if not more so than anybody in Sonic Youth or REM. How could you at one time love a certain type of music, and then not like it at all? I think most of the hair metal haters are just people who went along with the trends as they changed. When it was cool to like hair metal you liked hair metal, then when it became uncool to like it you liked what became cool. Now its cool to be like the people on VH1 and make fun of hair metal. People should listen to music critics and rock magazines and whatnot less and more to what they really think.

Yeah, man...I think the reason grunge became so popular is because there were way too many lower-tier hair metal clones coming out and they wanted something, anything different.? But just because alternative rock was a breath of fresh air doesn't mean it was better than what came before.

For me, growing up in an age of rap, punk and emo, hair metal is like the last great era of real classic rock 'n' roll.? It's my personal favourite kind of music, for a few reasons:

1. The view of hair metal as the epitome of the rock 'n' roll myth.? The hair metal bands did the most drugs, had the most sex, and played some of the loudest, funnest rock music ever.? Los Angeles was just like Seattle as a town with a big movement, except it was a lot more fun.? All these small-town losers from Indiana and Pennsylvania chased their dreams to the Sunset Strip and became rock stars.? It's the ultimate rock 'n' roll fantasy.

2.? The musicianship and technique.? Ever since Nirvana made punk the cool thing, the idea of the rock guitar hero has basically vanished.? Say what you will about hair metal bands, those guys could PLAY.? People give people like Mick Mars and C.C. Deville a bad rap, but they could play circles around any punk guitarist of today who's musical knowledge starts and finishes with power chords.? For people supposedly concerned more about image than music, the hair metal bands definitely had an excess of chops.

3.? The image.? This is definitely the thing that turns a lot of people off of hair metal - the big hair, the spandex, the pyro and the explosion of colours.? But I love this part of hair metal, too.? The problem with bands today is that people just go onstage in whatever clothes they're wearing, just stand there and play.? It looks boring.? The hair metal image was so crazy and so rock 'n' roll.? I think that's why a lot of people are going to rap these days, because it's more visually exciting than modern rock.

4.? The lyrics.? Whenever I see a local band these days, I get real sick of hearing everybody sing about how their girlfriend left them or why nobody likes them and they're so depressed, blah blah blah.? The whole point of rock 'n' roll to start with is that it's supposed to be fun.? When you saw Motley Crue, you saw music that celebrated sex, drugs, excess, rebellion, and the spirit of rock itself.? It's anthemic music that gives you an exhilirating feeling that can't be found anymore in shitty emo bands.

5.? Parental reaction.? The 80s was about the last time where the elder generation looked at rock music as a real threat.? Remember the PMRC and its attempts to censor music based on supposedly dangerous rock lyrics?? And this wasn't over-the-top shit like Cannibal Corpse; this was relatively tuneful rock music that nevertheless greatly upset parents, politicians and preachers, who reacted with fear over albums like Shout At The Devil.? They also did it with albums like Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast, which is probably why we call it "hair metal" even though it's really more rock 'n' roll.? The critics lumped together anything with loud guitar solos.? At any rate, even today, some of the heavier hair metal is a great way to annoy my parents while offering the same basic rock ideas as people like KISS and Led Zeppelin.? The reason I turned to hair metal is because although my parents wouldn't be adverse to stuff from the 70s, with hair metal I can get the same screaming guitar solos and rockin' tunes, but in a later style that is still annoying enough to them to make them complain.? Rock 'n' roll is still alive!

6.? The live shows.? Call it the KISS influence, but those old hair metal bands really put on a show.? They weren't afraid to do an over-the-top rock spectacle that really shook everybody up.? Nowadays, none of the bands do it in the name of being "cool", so they just stand there and play their guitars.

7.? It's fun, man.? I'm 19, but if I had a choice I would go any day for a Van Halen show in 1984 over somebody like Taking Back Sunday in 2005.? I would have a much higher chance of getting laid at a show where, rather than being about some emo kid's self-pity, the band would be celebrating the glories of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.

[Hammy]

7.? It's fun, man.? I'm 19, but if I had a choice I would go any day for a Van Halen show in 1984 over somebody like Taking Back Sunday in 2005.? I would have a much higher chance of getting laid at a show where, rather than being about some emo kid's self-pity, the band would be celebrating the glories of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.

Great point there i am sick of this whiny bands, who happen to all sound like they have the same vocalist moan bitch and complain about how shitty their life is, it's much better have fun music.  Now i get confused with what is actually Hair Metal, Metallica is metal right? If so none of these hair bands are even close to be metal as someone said earlier it's more like hair rock.  I can't believe nobody has mentioned the awesome Tesla great band quite mature actually but their look probably got them lumped in their.  Poison are awesome you can't get much more fun than them.  Seems people are just way too serious and morbid only liking their true rock and metal with deep dark lyrics, or shit emo with whiny lyrics or bands like Coldplay being a massive success now and held as the UK's top act there all sound the same depressing bastards....fun is needed...variety is the spice of life after all.

[RichardNixon]

I used to be really into cock-rock--Poison, Motley Crue, RATT, Extreme, Skid Row, Def Leppard, Cinderalla...among others...But then I discovered bands like The Velvet Underground, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, The Smiths, The Cure, REM, among others and I soon grew out of cock-rock. Once in a while I still can rock out to the mighty Van Halen, but most of the other stuff I used to like is just sitting on my shelf.

Why is that?? Firstly the guys playing instruments in the hair bands you mentioned were just as talented if not more so than anybody in Sonic Youth or REM.? How could you at one time love a certain type of music, and then not like it at all?? I think most of the hair metal haters are just people who went along with the trends as they changed.? When it was cool to like hair metal you liked hair metal, then when it became uncool to like it you liked what became cool.? Now its cool to be like the people on VH1 and make fun of hair metal.? People should listen to music critics and rock magazines and whatnot less and more to what they really think.

Hold the phone there...I went to High School from 1994-1998. At the time, all my peers were into NIN, Nirvana, Sonic Youth--and some of the second generation alt. bands like Bush, Veruca Salt, STP, Foo Fighters and so on. At the time I liked some of that, but I was a HUGE fan of 80s rock, and was well known for that. Even now, when I run into people that I went to High School with, they're like, "your that 80s kid." So if anything, I went against the trend of what was cool to like. I even thanked Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, and Van Halen in my yearbook!

And I certainly don't "hate" those bands, or 80s rock now. I still can rock out to it now and again, but I just sort of grew out of it because I think a lot of it is cheesy. And yes, George Lynch or Vivian Cambell or Snake Sabo can play guitar, I never said they couldn't.

But now when I pop in a Crue CD and hear "She goes down, she goes down, she goes down down down down," I want to cringe.

Guns N' Roses, and to a lesser extent Van Halen is the only band from my teen years that I still like.

[RichardNixon]

The first Van Halen album is by far the best album of the genre, IMHO. And yes Rob, I also don't care for people who just like whatever is the flavor of the month. So good for you for sticking to your guns.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go and pick up the new Death Cab for Cutie album.

[N.I.B]

Poodle rock? WTF is that?

enlighten me....

Sometimes hair metal is called poodle rock because the performers' hair is so big and permed that it resembles a poodle's fur.? Judge for yourself: