Happiness ... Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch
A hit single was not a fish that Our Lady Peace could catch on their third album. And that is a good thing.
Albums
75 albums reviewed
Clumsy
OLP's second studio album is more polished than debut Naveed, producing hits Superman's Dead, Clumsy, and power ballad 4am.
Wax Ecstatic
Detroit's Sponge mixes piano, slide guitar, horns, and a cello with 90s grunge to create Wax Ecstatic. Have You Seen Mary is a hit, and My Baby Said is fun.
Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy
Banditos and Down Together get Tempe's The Refreshments on the radio, but Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy is an album you can put on repeat when driving coast to coast.
Foma
A bunch of guys from Oklahoma make a pretty decent hard rock album, only to have a soft rock hit in Sister.
Naveed
Our Lady Peace's debut album is built on the massive strength of its two biggest singles, Starseed and Naveed.
A Boy Named Goo
A Boy Named Goo is the Goo Goo Dolls commercial breakthrough album, with singles like Name and Long Way Down.
Rotting Piñata
Plowed crushed, Molly drugged, and Rainin ... rained? Sponge's debut album Rotting Piñata is halfway decent rock.
Purple
12 Gracious Melodies. But really 11. Interstate Love Song, Big Empty, and Vasoline are the stars of the second Stone Temple Pilots album, Purple.
Singles
The Seattle Scene, Grunge Bands, and one legendary album that does Cliff Poncier & Citizen Dick proud.
Temple of the Dog
Hunger Strike. Say Hello 2 Heaven. Cornell. Gossard. Ament. McCready. Cameron. Vedder ... Temple of the Dog. Seattle's Super Supergroup is the Best Band that never was.
Cherry Pie
Power ballads, bluesy rockers, and stadium shakers, Cherry Pie tops DRFSR. Warrant slays with I Saw Red, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the legendary Mr. Rainmaker.
Dr. Feelgood
Kickstart My Heart is blazing, hair metal glory. Dr. Feelgood, Same Ol' Situation, and Don't Go Away Mad round out album 5 from the illustrious Mötley Crüe.
The Great Radio Controversy
Shredding guitars, a tight rhythm section, and fantastic vocals, Tesla's The Great Radio Controversy gives hair metal an album with verifiable street cred.
Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich
Warrant's Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (1989) is a strong debut. Mega power ballad Heaven, along with Down Boys and Big Talk, are hair metal treasure.
New Jersey
Gang vocals, teased hair, more aural diversity, Bon Jovi's New Jersey shines, and that's not just the Aqua Net. Bad Medicine and Lay Your Hands On Me FTW!
Open Up and Say ... Ahh!
Poison’s nearly perfect Hair Metal album gives us Nothin’ but a Good Time.
Appetite for Destruction
The Sunset Strip (Hollywood) was never the same after 1987's Appetite for Destruction. Guns N’ Roses debut album welcomed everyone to the jungle.
Pride
Wait and When the Children Cry make Pride a must listen. Vito Bratta unleashes some guitar madness, from legato & tapping to pick scrapes & huge dive bombs.
Whitesnake
The 7th (really?!) studio album from Whitesnake slithers in with Is This Love, Zep-styled Still of the Night, and mega hit power ballad Here I Go Again.
Slippery When Wet
Three of the best hair metal songs come from Bon Jovi's, Slippery When Wet - Livin' on a Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name, and Wanted Dead or Alive.
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
This soundtrack is an Excellent Adventure unto itself. Bill and Ted quest to the sounds of Extreme, Shark Island, Robbie Robb, Bricklin, and more.
Throwing Copper
I Alone, Selling the Drama, and Lightning Crashes were all major hits in the mid 90s. Throw in All Over You, Iris, and Top and you have Throwing Copper.
Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey
Whoa! Station's most bodacious creation, the Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack
Grave Dancers Union
Somebody to Shove is the pinnacle of 90s alternative rock and Runaway Train owned the second half of 1993. Well done, Soul Asylum.
The Happiest Dogs
Radio single Live Through This (Fifteen Stories) off The Happiest Dogs is why you know Mighty Joe Plum. Or, you're from Tampa, FL.
GN'R Lies
Sunset Strip darlings, Guns N' Roses drop G N' R Lies, a half acoustic album featuring Patience, Used to Love Her, You're Crazy, and Aerosmith's Mama Kin.
Iron Eagle
The Iron Eagle Soundtrack (1986) features Eric Martin, Adrenalin, King Kobra, Queen, Spencer Davis Group, and Rainey Haynes. NEVER SAY DIE, IRON EAGLE!
Rad
Talk about having Thunder in Your Heart, Rad is THE BEST (1980s) BMX movie. If you have never witnessed Cru Jones on Helltrack, IMDB Rad now and set aside 90 minutes!
New Miserable Experience
Hey Jealousy and Found Out About You are standout hits on the Gin Blossoms debut album, New Miserable Experience.
Saints and Sinners
Kane 'Glambo' Roberts bestows glam rock magic unto the world with 1991's Saints and Sinners, Kane's second solo studio effort.
Sixteen Stone
Fast - Machinehead, Medium - Comedown, and Slow - Glycerine. Bush's 1994 debut album Sixteen Stone was literally rock.
Reloaded
Dizzy's upbeat riff and the heavy riffage of Los Vargos keep Green Apple Quick Step's Reloaded from going underwater.
Top Gun
Soundtrack diety Kenny Loggins drops two on the Top Gun soundtrack, including Danger Zone, but the real star is Faltermeyer's Top Gun Anthem. Flexes, checks watch ... It's time for the Top Gun Soundtrack!
Pet Your Friends
Counting Blue Cars is a 90s staple, propelling Dishwalla to fame. Pretty Babies, Give, and Charlie Brown's Parents round out Pet Your Friends.
Screw It!
Danger Danger's Screw It delivers high pitched vocals, blazing guitar work, and no secrets songwriting. Screw It also boasts a ridiculous album cover.
Adrenalize
Def Leppard's Adrenalize begins and ends extremely strong with Let's Get Rocked setting it up and Tear It Down, well, tearing it down. RIP Steve Clark.
Danger Danger
Danger Danger swaps (Tony Bruno) Rey out for Andy Timmons recording their self-titled debut album. Bang Bang and Naughty Naughty are hair metal magic.
BulletBoys
Marq Torien, Mick Sweda, and the rest of the Bulletboys get Smooth Up in Ya on their self-titled album.
Judgment Night
JUDGMENT NIGHT! Pearl Jam, House of Pain, Cypress Hill, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Faith No More, and more 90s all-stars. Rap/Rock joins PB&J as a legendary duo.
Stick it to Ya
Up All Night and Fly to the Angels are the stars of Slaughter's Stick It to Ya. Could have been an amazing EP, suffers as a LP. Burning Bridges ain't bad.
Sparkle and Fade
Everclear's major label debut, Sparkle and Fade, traverses a landscape of grit, polish, fluff, and authenticity, making it decently good, but not epic.
Over the Top
Sly Stallone's one man army flick about arm wrestling, featuring Kenny Loggins, Sammy Hagar, and Robin Zander.
Slave to the Grind
The boys from New Jersey go harder, get tougher, and kick more ass on their second studio album, Slave to the Grind. Even the ballads are lavishly dark.
Pyromania
Rock of Ages, Photograph, and Foolin', OH MY! Pyromania, Def Leppard's third studio album, found both commercial and critical success. It's truly bad ass!
Superstar Car Wash
Fallin' Down is the best song the Goo Goo Dolls ever wrote. Then again, every song Rzeznik sings is why the Goo Goo Dolls had a 25+ year career.
Top Gun Maverick
After chasing sunsets, one of life's simple joys is listening to the music of Top Gun, thanks to music by Balfe, Faltermeyer, Gaga and Zimmer.
Transformers The Movie
Stan Bush, Vince DiCola, Kick Axe, Lion, NRG, and Weird Al create an epic soundtrack to the legendary, Transformers The Movie.
Enuff Z'Nuff
Radio hits New Thing & Fly High Michelle helped Enuff Z'Nuff launch a 13 album career. Though the 90s creeps in, Enuff Z'Nuff keeps their hair (metal) long.
Scenery and Fish
I Mother Earth's second studio album is a musical delight, with the soaring One More Astronaut and radio-aired Another Sunday.
Lean Into It
Mr. Big's Lean Into It is best known for super hair metal power ballad, To Be with You. Mr. Big's bluesy sophomore album excels at nothing though.