This is the last MyTake of the series, and it includes albums they released after the end of the 80s.
(Albums in alphabetical order)
Adrenalize by Def Leppard (1992)
Adrenalize was a really unique case. By 1992 music has totally changed and boring music genres took over. In the US, Grunge became the new phenomenon since 1991 wiping out any Glam Metal bands from the mainstream, and in the UK, the Britpop movement was growing stronger and stronger. But Adrenalize managed to make it into the #1 in both countries by just going with the great Glam Metal sound! This album spawned many singles. In fact more than half of the album cuts became singles! Let’s Get Loved was the lead single of the album reaching #2 in the UK charts and a #1 in the US Mainstream Rock charts. The more Melodic Stand Up (Make Love Into Motion) was also another #1 US Mainstream Rock hit too. Make Love Like A Man was a UK Top 20 hit, and a US Top 40 hit, but it did better in the US Mainstream Rock charts reaching #3 there. Heaven Is on the other had made it only in the UK charts, yet in the Top 20. The Power Ballad Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad was the biggest hit in the US Top 100 charts, making into the #12 spot, and it was also another UK Top 20 hit. Tonight was kinda more toned down than the rest of the record, still it was a moderate hit too. And there was also a seventh single called I Wanna Touch U but it was only a Promo single. As for the three non-singles White Lightning was more serious and longer, kinda straying away from the Glam Metal realm, Personal Property was another catchy Glam Metal tune, and Tear It Down was leaning more towards a Hard Rock direction.
Alias by Alias (1990)
Alias was basically the second album by the band called Sherriff (see this MyTake from 1982). Alias were a collaboration between members from Sherriff and the Heart, but most of the material of this album was supposed to be for the second Sherriff album, before they disbanded. More Than Words Can Say was the biggest hit of the album making it into the #1 spot in Canada and #2 in the US. Surprisingly it flopped in the UK. Other two singles were the upbeat Haunted Heart and the Melodic Hard Rock cut Waiting For Love which was also Top 10 Canadian hit and a Top 20 US hit. And the non-singles of course…here we have upbeat Melodic Hard Rock cuts like Say What I Wanna Say, The Power and One More Chance. Also Laid-back cuts are present like Heroes and True Emotion. The more guitar-based After All The Love Is Gone, would be my favorite from the album. Last but not least Standing In The Darkness has a pretty unique intro, that it makes you believe it’s something like Post-Punk/Gothic Rock…but the rest of the song is another Melodic Hard Rock cut like the most from the album!
Cherry Pie by Warrant (1990)
1990 was perhaps the last year of Glam Metal’s glory. And Cherry Pie was definitely the biggest Glam Metal hit of the year, from the album of the same name. Cherry Pie is also considered a stripper anthem. The more Melodic I Saw Red was also a single, and reached the US Top 10 as well. Another two singles from the album were Uncle Tom’s Cabin which featured an Acoustic intro and then goes explode. And of course the Power Ballad of the album, couldn’t be missing. And its name is Blind Faith. There are worthy non-singles here too. Bed Of Roses is another good catchy tune, but Sure Feels Good To Me and Love In Stereo on the other hand though, are more like heavier fast-paced Hard Rock tunes. You’re The Only Hell Your Mama Ever Raised is definitely the most kick-ass song here. Mr. Rainmaker is a lost Glam Metal classic for sure and last cut Train Train is a Hard Rock tune featuring some harmonica parts…well it seems like that almost all songs which include the word Train, have always a Harmonica part. Weird but true.
Damn Yankees by Damn Yankees
Another supergroup from that era, featuring Ted Nugent, Tommy Saw from Styx and Jack Blades of Night Ranger on its line-up. It was one of the last Melodic Hard Rock albums to gain mainstream success, featuring the hit singles High Enough which reached #3 in the US Top 100 (and also the biggest hit of the group) and Coming Of Age which reached #1 in the US Mainstream Rock charts. Other three singles were the Hard Rock cut Bad Reputation (and the least successful single among all), the also Hard-Rockish Runaway, and my personal most favorite cut of the album the Melodic Hard Rock classic Come Again. The guitar solo in the latter is simply unbelievable!!!! And the non-singles weren’t bad either. The title track is perhaps the heaviest among the whole album, Mystified has a Blues-based intro which is pretty nice and catchy, Rock City Is another great Hard Rock number, more Melodic than the rest of the non-singles would be Tell Me How You Want It. Piledriver is another Hard Rock cut featuring a Bluesish intro too.
Delectable by Romeo’s Daughter (1993)
This is the most recent album from my list, released in 1993. Still it has a late 80s vibe, which is not bad of course, if we compare it with the overall crappy music released in 1993. Attracted To The Animal was the only single from the album which didn’t chart though. In similar waves with the upbeat Melodic Hard Rock nature of the single, are the cuts Have Mercy, Nothing But Love, Ready Or Not. And also the Power Ballads Nobody Like You and God Only Knows. Treat Me Like A Lady, Dancing Slow were more poppish on the other hand, and Sugar Daddy is similar as well too, yet it’s more Adult-Oriented and gives you this sexy vibe . My favorite among all would be Dream In Colour, an underrated Melodic Hard Rock Classic!
Jump The Gun by Pretty Maids (1990)
This was the most Glam Metalish album of Pretty Maids (along with Future World from 1987 perhaps). Three singles came from this album, the great upbeat Rockers Don’t Settle For Less and Young Blood and of course the great Melodic Hard Rock Ballad Savage Heart. None of them charted though. All the non-singles are a massive collection of upbeat Glam Metal cuts, with Partners In Crime being my favorite.
Return To Zero by RTZ (1991)
RTZ were a band fronted by ex-singer of Boston, Brad Delp, and also featuring Barry Godreau from Boston. The album featured some moderate hits, with the biggest one being the Power Ballad Until Your Love Comes Back Around. The other two were Face The Music and All You’ve Got, both missing the US Top 40, yet reaching #49 and #56 respectively. There was also another very good Power Ballad which wasn’t a single, called This Is My Life. The rest of the album is good early 90s Upbeat Melodic Hard Rock cuts, like the other two singles, with Devil To Pay being my favorite among the non-singles.
Salute by 21 Guns (1992)
21 Guns were more or less a side-project formed by an ex-member of Thin Lizzy (Scott Gorham). Their debut album is one of the AOR masterpieces from the 90s. Three promo singles were released from this album. The upbeat Knee Deep, the more melodic These Eyes, and the Hard Rockish Little Sister . Nice non-singles here as well. Walking, Marching In Time, The Rain, Just A Wish, Jungleland, Tell Me are atmospheric Melodic Hard Rock cuts with a late-80s vibe, and of course the Hard Rockish cuts could not be missing. Such as Pays Off Big, Battered And Bruised and No Way Out.
Steelheart by Steelheart (1990)
Although Steelheart might have been kinda heavier than the average Glam Metal band, it still falls under this category. The three singles of the album were quite successful, with the Power Ballad I’ll Never Let You Go reaching almost the US Top 20. Everybody Loves Eileen, only reached #34 in the US Mainstream Rock charts, and perhaps the most excellent Power Ballad of the year, She’s Gone was only a moderate hit in the US Hot 100 reaching #59 unfortunately. More heavymetalish were the cuts like Love Ain’t Easy, Sheila, and Rock ‘n Roll (I Just Wanna) , but more Glammish were Can’t Stop Me Lovin’ You, Like Never Before, Gimme Gimme and Down ‘n Dirty.
Time To Burn by Giant (1992)
As I said before by 1992 everything has changed in the music scene. AOR genre (and Glam Metal too) was a dead genre, yet Time To Burn managed to have a small degree of success, particularly with the single Chained which reached #16 in the US Mainstream Rock charts. A really great Rock cut compared with the crap of 1992, still radio stations used to promote those lousy Alternative Rock/Grunge songs. Other two singles from here were Stay and the title track. The former had one of the most epic music-videos of the 90s by far! Non-singles included the great Melodic Hard Rock cuts Thunder And Lighting, Lay It On The Line or the more Poppish I’ll Be There (When It’s Over), Save Me Tonight, Never Be Without You. The surprisingly Power Ballad non-single Lost In Paradise was perhaps the best non-single, and let’s not forget the really good Now Until Forever which was kind of sticking out of the Melodic Hard Rock genre, but this doesn’t mean it was crap.
Thanks for your reading!
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