Artist & Album reviewshttps://www.hairandflannel.com/en-ushttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bill-and-teds-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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTAnother mondo album that really drives home the various in "various artists". In the movie, Bill and Ted reference Eddie Van Halen and Bon Jovi's [Slippery When Wet](/bon-jovi/slippery-when-wet/), but the soundtrack's most famous name is Extreme. Commercially successful bands did grace the [Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey Soundtrack](/soundtrack/bill-teds-bogus-journey/). Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was the scrappy big brother that did more with less. Would you call the [original motion picture soundtrack](/albums/soundtracks/) hard rock? No, probably not. It's not quite there. It belongs on your playlist though. It is a most excellent musical adventure. Billy the kid and the princesses would be proud. {% contentfig "/img/2015-80s-Day-Loon-Air-Guitars-768x1024.jpg", "Bill and Ted (Wyld Stallyns) costumes at 80s Day Loon Mountain, NH", "Fizz S. Preston, Esquire, and Pants Theodore Logan!" %} ### Robbie Robb's In Time with Steve Salas guitar solo performed by Marcus Wright I always thought that this should be the song that saves the world. Peace, harmony, and it's excellent to dance to. It's thematically spot on ... it's about the future. 10 most triumphant glam tracks ... we should thank A&M Records for this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xtHARpAIR8 ## Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack notes ### Play with Me - Extreme DO! YOU! WANT! TO! PLAY! The Mall Chase! Boston's own, Extreme! Play with Me, found on [Extreme](/extreme/), their self-titled debut album, is a full on excess of fun and unabashed shredding. And we love Extreme for it. The man with the magical fingers, Bettencourt annihilates Play with Me, creating not an accidental collision of atoms, but purposeful collision. He kicks off the song with a speed metal version of Mozart's [Alla Turca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No._11_(Mozart)), layers in tons of electric guitar riffage, and kicks the fretboard work into hyperdrive for the bitchin' solo. An all around all-star effort from Nuno. And in between, plenty of power chord chugging, pinch harmonics, finger tapping, flanger, whining horse whammy technique. Mid solo sounds pulled straight from the Devil's Challenge guitar battle in Crossroads between Ralph Macchio (played by Ry Cooder) and Steve Vai (played by ... uhh, of course, Steve Vai). Bettencourt is no stranger to classical influence, just check out [Pornograffitti's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornograffitti) _He-Man Woman Hater (Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee)_. ### The Boys and Girls Are Doing It - Vital Signs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PkX7uty0UM Whoa! George Carlin and Adam Curry on the video! This video is _way_ ahead of it's time. The band is basically an 80s tribute band long before the 80s ended. It's got the Telephone Booth, a drummer encapsulated by a chained fence, and a lead singer who may or may not be [Diamond David Lee Roth](/david-lee-roth/). And let's not forget the guitar player who helps the telephone booth girl do some deep bends together mid guitar solo. _We all know the boys and the girls are doing it_! In fairness, the babes look like they can shred. ### Not So Far Away - Glen Burtnik Experimental 80s jazz fusion opening. Straight into some inspirational fluff. The best kind. Glen Burtnik's Not So Far Away definitely belongs on the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Soundtrack just for these traits alone. Programmatic drums. Super chimey guitar. Volume swells. A driving bass. 80s triumphance! References to history are quite on brand. Nice work, Glen, Glen Burtnik (it's fun to say his name). Wait wait, before we congratulate Glen, we should address the fact that "Life is a Highway" songwriter, Tom Cochrane, wrote Not So Far Away. Bitchin'! ### Dancing with a Gypsy - Tora Tora Conjure the ancient spirits at the gypsy fireside seance! Tora Tora, putting the hair in hair metal. This is a great track for night cruising in the camaro, cruising for brews and a good time. Super shreddy solo. The harmonic pling was whipped cream to the drizzled caramel notes that followed. ### Father Time - Shark Island Synth! Major metal riff! Father Time immediately steps back from the hair metal intro and gives a much more 80s pop verse than metal. Then it throttles way too hard into actual metal for the chorus. Maybe some Billy Idol in there. Respect to Shark Island for keeping with the "time" theme. If you've listened to any 80s metal solo, you could probably hum this one sight unseen. Father Time could have cut it on the [Transformers](/soundtrack/transformers-the-movie/) soundtrack. ### Breakaway - Big Pig Heavy bass intro. Dig it. Bass and multi-layered synth. Even better. Breakaway is a perfect tune for the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack. It combines all of the instrumentation and tonality that you'd expect to follow the most excellent ones throughout time and history. "I CAN'T BREAKAWAY!" - love the gang vocals. Question: Are gang vocals different across nations? For instance, Big Pig is an Australian band. Are Australian Gang Vocals different than British or American Gang Vocals? (See Football - Aussie rules, American, etc.) Hey, at least Breakaway hit #1 in New Zealand. ### Dangerous - Shark Island Missy! I mean, Mom! Shark Island is one of the _most_ dangerous band names out there. I don't want to go to Shark Island. Not now. Not ever. Unless Shark Island is a misnomer like Greenland, meant to detract would be plunderers, and it's filled with babes and beers. Then Shark Island is totally worth the trip. ### Walk Away - Bricklin San Dimas High School Football Rules! The theme song of the final history report. And, one of the best songs on the entire album. Bricklin just shatters expectations with how awesome this one is. Bill and Ted have succeeded. They got all of the historical figures to the report. Ted isn't going to Colonel Oates military academy. Bill deals with his minor oedipal complex. Missy wants a piece of Mr. Ryan. Mr. Logan and Mr. Preston are pleased with their sons efforts. No seriously, go check it out. Missy checks out Mr. Ryan. And if I recall, he isn't disinterested. ### In Time Robbie Robb featuring Stevie Salas In Time is the music of the future. The great ones travel through the circuits of time in their phone booth, The Three Supreme Beings (Clarence Clemons, Martha Davis, Fee Waybill) are in charge of The Future Council, and Bill and Ted bust in right in the middle of things. One of the best songs on the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack. Robbie Robb & crew adjust their delay pedal dials and bring forth the essence of time itself. Salas gives us the guitar work we actually knew we needed on In Time. He also rips Carlin's Solo. I'm a bit sad that Robbie Robb did not write In Time. Rather, producer Bob Marlette (Road House, Point Break, [Rad](/soundtrack/rad/), Navy Seals, etc.) and Sue Shifrin (All the Right Moves, Rad, etc.) ### Two Heads Are Better Than One - Power Tool Double the pleasure! Triple the fun! The pre-choral ahhhhs are nice. Two! Two! Heads! Heads! Are better than one! Oooh oooh oooh! Power Tool is secretly [Dweezil Zappa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dweezil_Zappa) and hair band [Nelson](/nelson/) (Matt and Gunnar Nelson). Gotta imagine that's Zappa on the guitar solo. If you pay close attention, and you aren't following the timelines on the song, the solo plays a lot like a guitar solo into outro chorus. So, it's pretty slick that they come back in for a few more Two Heads to close it out. Two Heads also appears in Season Four of Cobra Kai. The folks behind Cobra Kai know what they are doing. ## Original Soundtrack, original artwork Apparently, there was a Limited Edition Vinyl LP that featured a holographic jacket. The artwork was by Matty Ryan Tobin. This special packaging was printed on 18-point silver board. Most bodacious! ## FAQs ### When was the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Soundtrack released? 1989. It was released on A&M Records. ### What song plays at the beginning of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? Breakaway by Big Pig. ### What is on Ted's T-Shirt in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure? Ted is wearing a Van Halen T-Shirt from the [5150](/van-halen/5150/) era. ### Who did the guitar solo in Bill and Ted? Steve Salas. Don't confuse him with Steve Stevens who did the guitar solo work in the [Top Gun Anthem](/soundtrack/top-gun/). ### Who plays Rufus's guitar solo in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? Steve Salas. ### What songs appear in the movie but not on the soundtrack? - "No Right to Do Me Wrong" by Range War - "Party Up" by Rori - "Bad Guitar" by Stevie 'No Wonder' Salas - "Carlin's Solo" by Stevie Salas - "Game of War" by [Warrant](/warrant/) recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/throwing-copper/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTWho names a band Live ... really!? Throwing Copper is great though. Alternative Rock finery. Live was hard to nail down with a label. One minute they sound like a hard rock Hootie, the next it's a [Phrygian Dominant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygian_dominant_scale) journey into Eastern philosophies. That said, the album is good. _Real good_. A trait of any good album is to have the belief that more singles were released than there really were. Such is the case with Throwing Copper. It can brag of having 5 singles, but Top, Iris, and Stage _should_ have been official. In fact, I think 90s modern rock radio [WAAF](/waaf/) played Top and Iris with some level of regularity. A bit of a departure from Mental Jewelry and it's Eastern-influenced, rock version of a Dave Matthews Band album. It feels like [Guster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guster) before Guster even considered being a band. Wait, Guster formed in the year Mental Jewelry was released? Well, shoot ... I guess all new music back then felt indie. Was Throwing Copper better than Secret Samadhi? Without doubt. Easily their best work. In fact, it helped get them invited to [Woodstock '94'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodstock_%2794). Live consisted of vocalist Ed Kowalczyk, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer, and two dudes named Chad. Can't make this up. Guitarist Chad Taylor (and backing vocals) and drummer Chad Gracey. Jerry Harrison did the production for the album. It's still strange to me that Better Than Ezra's [Deluxe](/better-than-ezra/deluxe/) original release date is prior to the release of Live Throwing Copper, as BTE just feels more 1995. Then again, what do I know? ## The Throwing Copper album cover The artwork for the cover was painted by Peter Howson. Quite the scene, huh? Working ladies "walking" the Proselytizer off the cliff like Dalton at the Double Deuce. It deserves it. It's got a ton of great tracks and a bunch of good ones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNrQOUtXYOo ## Throwing Copper' Recording, Release & 25th Anniversary Reissue A few years back, Live released a reissue of their most commercially successful album. With the 25th Anniversary Edition, the band opted to add three extra songs to the re-release, including Hold Me Up, Susquehanna, and We Deal in Dreams, a song which was already released a decade prior on their live album. The album was originally released via Radioactive, an offshoot of MCA Records. It was recorded at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, a robust 15 hour drive from their York, PA home. Jerry Harrison of the band, Talking Heads was the producer of record, according to Rolling Stone. Throwing Copper managed to hit the number 1 spot in the Billboard 200 a year after its release. This album was far and away Live's biggest, setting a stage that Secret Samadhi and The Distance to Here could never aspire, nor ascend to. If any of Live's former songs came close to the Throwing Copper material, it was Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition). We think. ## Throwing Copper song notes ### The Dam at Otter Creek The Dam at Otter Creek really warms up Throwing Copper. It brings in some white noise, some distant muffled discussion, then layers in the verse riff, before lead singer Ed Kowalczyk's vox come in. The layering doesn't stop there though. Bring in more guitars, more drums, more bass, more vocal power. One thing I do know is that Kowalczyk loves his vocal effects. ### Selling the Drama Amazingly radio friendly. Selling the Drama was the song that put Live on the map. The clean acoustic guitar is a signature sound in the song. The ascending run of the first half of the chorus is a treat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxSHAqHA-SPc ### I Alone The hit! Or at least the biggest hit on Throwing Copper. ### Iris Love the gallop pacing of Iris. Not the only song named [Iris](/goo-goo-dolls/a-boy-named-goo/) to hit the charts in the '90s. ### Lightning Crashes The ballad, if it could even be called that. ### Top A primal middle eastern scream. Kowalczyk, along with Our Lady Peace frontman Raine Maida, really worked their vocals into instruments of their own. A rock solid tune. ### All Over You Alternative Pop Rock is how I'd describe the 7th track off 1994's Throwing Copper. And the opening drumbeat _really_ kicks off the tune.. In one of the most awkward transitions in music history, the guitars go from early Goo Goo Dolls ripped jean power chords to arpeggiated Creed in no time. Pretty sure Creed would go on to rewrite the verse of All Over You into a song of their own, but that's neither here nor there. Nice breakdown at 2:25, with the guitar and bass each taking turns. Live does a pretty good job on the album of use the lyrics to emphasize rhythmic parts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2auYBEvV14 ### Shit Towne Just your run of the mill song about growing up in a run of the mill town. Probably _was_ a mill town. You gotta wonder if they are talking about York, Pennsylvania. Then again, they probably aren't. ### T.B.D. T.B.D. has got a great blues bass foundation. Some light guitar work from Chad Taylor. ### Stage Stage ABSOLUTELY rips! Pistons fully popping, firing on all cylinders. Stage is full throttle excellence. Stage really leans on a single note, chugging through to the chorus. Love Patrick Dahlheimer's bass lines. The feedback and bends in the solo give it some depth, before the flurry of notes to end it. ### Waitress Anyone who brings out food on time is good enough in my book, waitress or not. I'll tell you this, I'd leave her some change. Waitress is Live doing their version of REM. Whistle solo! Raise your hand if you saw that coming. Wait ... _whistle outro_!? Tasteful! ### Pillar of Davidson The bass in Pillar of Davidson might be creatively lifted from Pearl Jam's Garden. ### White, Discussion Total 90s move to let the song just fade out on feedback and spoken word recordings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0wHQYY-etQ ### Horse (hidden / bonus track) Rock bands in the 90s _loved_ hidden tracks. Honky Tonk Guitar! Gotta love the slide work. Why are we talking about disciplining adolescents? How did we get here, Throwing Copper? You tell me right now. #### Sources - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throwing_Copper - https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/1994-the-40-best-records-from-mainstream-alternatives-greatest-year-29203/ reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bill-and-teds-bogus-journey/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bill-and-teds-bogus-journey/Whoa! Station's most bodacious creation, the Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrackFri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTHow's it going, dudes? The [Wyld Stallyns](/wyld-stallyns/) are back with another excellent adventure, that's really a bogus journey, that ends triumphantly, and ... aww who cares, they kick ass and emerge victorious. And while the rock remains the same, the names on the album cover get a _major_ overhaul. Where as the [Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack](/soundtrack/bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/) featured unknowns, as [Extreme](/extreme/) and [Nelson](/nelson/) became household names later, the Bogus Journey soundtrack drops the commercial success hammer. In are most non heinous bands like [Kiss](/kiss/), Faith No More, Megadeath, and Primus. Out are [Shark Island](/shark-island/), [Tora Tora](/tora-tora/), and Vital Signs. That's not to mention the inclusion of [hair metal](/hair-metal/) stalwarts [Winger](/winger/) and [Slaughter](/slaughter/), and, guitar heros Steve Vai and Richie Kotzen. Holy Hollywood budget, Batman! <figure class="ma0 mv4 pa0"> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/img/2015-80s-Day-Loon-Air-Guitars-768x1024.jpg" alt="Bill and Ted (Wyld Stallyns) costumes at 80s Day Loon Mountain, NH" width="768" height="1024" /> <figcaption class="caption | ma0 mt1 gray pa0 i f7"><a href="/80s-day/">Fizz S. Preston, Esquire, and Pants Theodore Logan!</a></figcaption> </figure> Anyway, this [original soundtrack](/albums/soundtracks/) is totally the type of cassette tape you would have acquired off of a BMG/Columbia penny in the mail for 12 albums deal. I sure did. If you haven't, go to Amazon right now and buy it! Rufus's neon Flying V guitar in the beginning of Bogus Journey might be the single greatest guitar ever created in history. I _need_ that guitar. I bet Vai left his Jem behind and exclusively played that guitar for his bitchin' solos. #### Non soundtrack things I noticed when re-watching the film - Ms. Wardroe really wants them to succeed. - Surprisingly, no ultra shreddy music plays over the proposal scene. Just some good old fashioned [movie score from David Newman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%26_Ted%27s_Bogus_Journey:_Original_Motion_Picture_Soundtrack). - The Wyld Stallyns van is killer. - Grier and Carlin, Carlin and Grier ... Grier _is_ Carlin ... Grier is a man! - Heywood from Shawshank is Death! (He's also the Englishman) - Fun fact, the royal babes are 521 years olds. - The Battle of the Bands is September 15th - The Reaper is, "A deadly person with a tool" - a direct quote from Fizz Jr. - There is literally a Stairway to Heaven Chew on that pop trivia bubblegum for a bit. Also, if the Bad Robot Us's came from the future, and thus know what happens in the future, are we mislead by the conclusion of the film? Bad Robot Bill calls Missy his future wife. Does that mean that the Bad Robots live? Or, does that mean that Bill ends up marrying Missy? And if he does, does history repeat itself with Ted marrying her as well? Does that make her the biggest groupie ever? A groupie in the highest choir of bandaids? One beyond even Penny Lane of Almost Famous? Double chew on that pop trivia bubblegum, with doublemint! (update - apparently Chuck De Nomolos, Ed Solomon spelled backward, wrote a book where he posits who marries Missy in the future.) ## Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack notes (various artists) Shout It Out, Battle Stations, and God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II are great, but Steve Vai is the real hero of Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack. Below are our notes and thoughts on the music from the motion picture: Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey! It's hard to believe that the release date for this album was nearly 30 years ago, July 9th, 1991. Let us all thank Orion Pictures and Interscope records for allowing this slice of slice of heavenly cassette to be bestowed upon us. ### Shout it Out - Slaughter Dana Strum and Mark Slaughter write/produce/arrange what could be considered as Slaughter's best song. Shout it Out conducts a test of the Good Times Broadcasting System. I want to be part of that test, sign me up! I wonder which song of the "Slaughter Parties Hard" Trilogy concluded the series. - Act 1 : Up All Night - Act 2 : Shout it Out - Act 3 : ... Tell you what, it certainly wasn't Spend My Life ([Stick It to Ya](/slaughter/stick-it-to-ya/)). Why don't you groove on this a little while ... is that a question? A statement? A declaration? Slaughter wasn't kidding, 1991 really was the most excellent time of our lives ... happy to party with you too, Mark! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPQ3NpRe5C4 _NICE_ OG Charlotte Hornets jersey in the Shout it Out video. Filming the camerman and breaking the fourth wall is always a classy move. Who at the Interscope Records was like, "A test of the good times broadcasting system? That's genius! The video needs a VLA!" ### Battle Stations - Winger Battle Stations is something unplanned for and unprepared for in human history. The lyrics are second only to Winger's Seventeen ([Winger](/winger/winger/)) in virtuosity. As for the music, Morgenstein, Taylor, and Beach slay. It's worth reading the lyrics below, as Billy Shakespeare's got nothing on ol' Kip. #### Battle Stations lyrics Yeah! Hit it! Breakin' out, I'm on a mission, Been caught between heaven and hell. My guitar is my ammunition, Raise the flag, sound the mission bell. Everybody always wants control of me, The only way to get it's over my dead body. Take no prisoners, open fire, Battle stations! Someone's trying to brainwash me, Battle stations! Six-string shooter, hear it screaming, Slicing your head like a laser beam. It's true love when I'm cranking the metal, It makes me, makes me, makes me cream. Never let you get between me and my guitar. No use to keep trying, you won't get very far. Take no prisoners, open fire, Battle stations! Someone's trying to brainwash me, Battle stations! Open fire, raise your fist, Battle stations! It's the season to resist, Preprogrammed morons, Computer sleaze. Oh, yeah yeah yeah yeah! Never let you get between me and my guitar, No use to keep trying, you won't get very far. Take no prisoners, open fire, Battle stations! Someone's trying to brainwash me, Battle stations! Back off, baby! Take no prisoners, open fire! Battle stations! Battle stations! Take no prisoners, open fire! Preprogrammed morons, Computer sleaze. Whoa! You're mine baby! Oh! Oh! Oh! Whoa!!!! Battle Stations plays as they leave the Builders Emporium, Station building the Good Robot Us's. To note, Doug Pinnick of King's X co-wrote Battle Stations with Kip & Reb. You know what, go back and read the lyrics again. You will need to to answer the next question. Which 4 bars are better, Battle Stations or Seventeen? And I don't mean just Winger, I mean _of all time_! - Six-string shooter, hear it screaming, Slicing your head like a laser beam. It's true love when I'm cranking the metal, It makes me, makes me, makes me cream. - Yes! Such a bad girl, loves to work me overtime. Feels good (ha), dancin' close to the borderline. She's a magic mountain, she's a leather glove. Oh she's my soul, it must be love. Speaking of the lyrics to Battle Stations, you see anything cleverly hidden? "Slicing your head like a laser beam" ... where have we seen that before, Kip?! <figure> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/albums/winger-winger-album-cover.jpg" alt="Winger's Self-Titled debut album cover" width="240" height="240" /> <figcaption class="caption">Whoa!</figcaption> </figure> Bless your soul, Kip Winger. Bless your soul. ### God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You II - Kiss The finale! In 1973, Russ Ballard of Argent wrote a decent song. That song was [God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Gave_Rock_and_Roll_to_You). The lyrics are a bit different, but it's pretty much all there. Amazingly enough, the gang chorus of Argent's versions sounds like [Bang Camaro](/bang-camaro/) hopped in a telephone booth and performed it. Excellent Adventure proved that the booth is big enough to fit the 20-man man-band. PS - check out the 70s acoustic power move at 4:00. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsG5V-o6uxY Then Christian rock band Petra [Come and Join Us](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_and_Join_Us) came along and really believed God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to them. That's some Dungeons and Dragons artwork there on the album cover, fellas! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9OYfCRXC5k Kiss then came along and electrified it. Huge distorted power chords. Exposed tongues. Stage pyro. Studded leather. The whole Kiss treatment. To be fair to Paul Stanley, his preaching and vocal power note is the second best thing to happen to the song. "I know life sometimes can get tough. And I know life sometimes can be a drag. But people, we have been given a gift. We have been given a road. And that road's name is Rock 'N' Rolllllllllllll-ol-ol-olllllll Yeah Yeah Yeahhhhh!!!" You can't make this stuff up. 100% pure Detroit genius! You can't comedown off a high like that without listening to some Van Halen, the crash will break you. Go listen to Jump and grab a few cold beers, you will feel better. But let's be clear, you wouldn't know God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You without the guitar heroism of His Holiness, Steve Vai. He's a good friend. Steve Vai's anthemic, harmonized lightning intro is the very best part of all versions of this song. And in true Vai fashion, he waltzed into the studio a week before the Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey red carpet premiere to write and record it for the soundtrack. This was _years_ before doing that for Halo. It cranks the film's finale to 11. One thing that is consistent across all versions of God Gave Rock 'N' Roll to You is that everyone has their own take on the intro. Not only that, everyone seems to change the lyrics. Cause sure, why not. As for me, I only have one problem with the title of the song, as it relates to Bogus Journey ... Bill and Ted gave Rock 'N' Roll to God. They literally recite [Poison's](/poison/) Every Rose Has Its Thorn ([Open Up and Say Ahh](/poison/open-up-and-say-ahh/)) to God. Lastly, it's a song with the word [rock in the title](/songs-with-rock-in-the-title/). Of which, there are many. ### Drinking Again - Neverland 90s alt rock intro. 80s whoas and yeahs. Drinking Again is caught between hair metal and grunge. After all, it _was_ 1991. Can't tell if this is a girl or guy singing Drinking Again. That is what makes it great. A very consumable guitar solo for the average listener. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPA-mIBbjfg Things to note from the Drinking Again video: 1. The guitar player neglects to bring his wah pedal to the soundstage they are recording on. So where does the wah come from in the guitar solo? I can't wrap my brain around this level of sloppiness. 2. Visually, the band really is caught between hair metal and grunge. The bass player and drummer go Vest Out Chest Out, while baby Jeff Ament dons his knockoff Slash hat and flowy Muskateer shirt, and the singer's white slacks guarantee him a ride aboard the Catamaran headed for the Catalina Wine Mixer. Score another win for the Sunset Strip. ### Dream of a New Day - Richie Kotzen Dream of a New Day ([Fever Dream](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever_Dream_(Richie_Kotzen_album))) features Kotzen's stereotypical excellent guitar work. Nice bass coming through in the mix. Kotzen can do no wrong on Dream of a New Day. Dude displays all the characteristics of a guitar god. When Bill, Ted, Station, and Death go to the Builders Emporium. Kotzen might not be Jeff Keith or Eric Martin, but the guy does have some decent pipes. Sure, it might be all in the production room, but I'm cool with it. I'm not convinced that he isn't the Uncle of vocal/guitar dual-threat, John Mayer. If Mayer were born 15 years earlier, he'd be buddies with Kotzen, Satch, Paul Gilbert, etc. You know what, he probably is anyway. ### The Reaper - Steve Vai A totally bad ass tune with _thousands_ of notes and copious wah, if that's your thing. Hint, it's mine. Steve Vai captures the essence of what The Reaper meant to the film. ### The Perfect Crime - Faith No More Forward-pressing drums, aggressive bass, light piano chords, Mike Patton's trademark vocals. Yup, it's a Faith No More tune. The Perfect Crime is wedged right between albums The Real Thing and Angel Dust. In the film, they are on the way to Vasquez Rocks! The good Bill and Ted just got abducted by the Bad Robot Us's. Want to make a bad ass soundtrack? Invite Faith No More to the party. Just see [Judgment Night](/soundtrack/judgment-night/). Surprisingly enough, they didn't make the cut on The Crow. _Odd_. Did Patton sneak "Station" into the song? #### Sir James Martin Guitar player, [(Sir) James Martin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Martin_(musician)) of Faith No More, makes a cameo in the beginning of Bogus Journey. Rufus intros him to his class, noting that Martin is the founder of the Faith No More Spiritual and Theological Center. Stellar play on words. Strong writing for Solomon and Matheson. Station! ### Go to Hell - Megadeth Topical, considering that Bill and Ted do in fact go to hell. Time to kill Bill and Ted! They weren't my favorite, but Megadeath kicks ass. Did Go to Hell just parodically reference Enter Sandman? When did this song come out?! Is it the other way around? With Dave Mustaine, you never know. Fact - Upon inspection, the Bogus Journey soundtrack was released three weeks before the song Enter Sandman. That's astounding. ### Tommy The Cat - Primus Funk metal? Metal funk? Tommy The Cat The lyrics seem to exist only so Claypool, LaLonde, and Aleander can jam. Primus is performing Tommy The Cat in the Battle of the Bands right before Bill and Ted show up. ### Junior's Gone Wild - King's X Not quite Hard Rock. Definitely not Blues. Prog soul? Never been sure how to label King's X, not that they need one. There's a Porsche! Let's bag it! Station! Junior's Gone Wild ### Showdown - Love on Ice Blues club intro. Portland's Love on Ice sounds like a Mother Love Bone knockoff for the first half of Showdown, before conjuring up their inner Slaughter and Ugly Kid Joe. Makes total sense when you realize that [Temple of the Dog](/temple-of-the-dog/temple-of-the-dog/) producer Rick Parashar produced Showdown. For some reason, I can't stop wanting to sing Blind Melon's Tones of Home over this music. Or is it Stop by Porno for Pyros? Is that it? Love on Ice _did_ predate Porno for Pyros. Hmmmm, perplexing. ### The Reaper Rap - Steve Vai GET DOWN WITH YOUR BAD SELVES! You could say _anything_ over Steve Vai and band crushing a filthy, saturated blues rock riff and have it be awesome. But taking quotes straight from the great ones themselves is about as triumphant as it gets. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JnMzWepp34 You might be a king or a little street sweeper, but sooner or later, you'll deal with the Reaper! ### For The Love Of (Music) - Neverland The missing track! For The Love Of (Music) was used in the movie, where as Drinking Again was used in promo material. However, when it came to the Bogus Journey soundtrack, it was reversed. Baby Jeff Ament has guitar fundamentals down. He isn't Steve Vai, but it works. Speaking of Jeff Ament, at 2:30 in the song, Neverland goes full on [Pearl Jam](/pearl-jam/). Whoa! Checks the date, yes, this is 1991. That's insane. For 72 seconds, Neverland and Seattle's grunge icons share the same sonic space. <small>Track 13, For The Love Of (Music) in the movie but not included on the soundtrack</small>recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/grave-dancers-union/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTAfter 25+ years, Grave Dancers Union sounds no different than the first time I heard it. That's a ~~good~~ great thing. An album filled with rock and roll as it should be played, slow, fast, and every tempo in between. If you want riffs, it has them. If you want solos and wailing parts, it has them too. Introspective and thoughtful lyrics? Check. Deeper grooves and bass ruts? Yup. Grave Dancers Union has something for everyone. One thing I've always wondered is whether or not 1995's [Just Like Anyone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Like_Anyone_(song)) (Let Your Dim Light Shine) was written during the Grave Dancers Union sessions. I suppose I could dig a bit further into this. Also appearing on the album was Booker T. Jones, Gary Louris (Jayhawks), and the Meridian String Quartet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrrE5bCA5lg ### Grave Dancers Union album cover One of the more visually striking album covers of its time, Grave Dancers Union features photography from Czech artist, [Jan Saudek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Saudek). ## Album notes Grave Dancers Union is the quintessential 90s alt rock album. Maybe. ### Somebody to Shove Twitchy, agitated, ripped up, and the perfect balance of anticipatory verse lyrics with power chorus. Soul Aslyum _owns_ this space. And nowhere is that more clear than the lead track of Grave Dancers Union. I WANT SOMEBODY TO SHOVE! I NEED SOMEBODY TO SHOVE! I WANT SOMEBODY TO SHOVE ME!!! One of my favorite songs of the entire decade. Sure, the 90s are discounted 2-3 years, as the end of the decade was trash, but a ton of hits came out between '90-97', and Somebody to Shove holds up with the best of them. #### Soul Asylum unplugged on MTV Unplugged The string section is a killer addition to Somebody to Shove. Dan Murphy's backing vocals complement Pirner's wonderfully, something I never recalled or took notice of back in the day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHMsm5SeT_Y <small>Fun fact - ever notice how much Murphy looks like Randall from Clerks? The fun fact is that Pirner is actually friends with Clerks director Kevin Smith.</small> ### Black Gold Not released as a single until 1993, Black Gold bridged the alt-rock street fighter sound of Somebody to Shove with the 90s power balladry of Runaway Train. Some clever reverse delay techniques. ### Runaway Train Runaway Train never going back. Runaway Train tearing up the track. And by track, Pirner meant "the charts". Runaway Train is _the_ hit off Grave Dancers Union. Also, it was _the_ anthem to the summer of 1993, with a powerful video to match, and received a Grammy in 1994. Soul Asylum has released a fair share of singles that have gotten airtime (and screentime), including Misery, but nothing on par with Runaway Train. Though Misery was popular enough for Weird Al to parody. Unlike the music videos for Somebody to Shove and Black Gold (Zack Snyder), the video for Runaway Train was directed by Tony Kaye. Serving as almost a PSA, the video for Runaway Train focused on real runaways, with some instances leading to not always great results in locating the individuals. I imagine that had to weigh on the band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRtvqT_wMeY ### Keep It Up An absolute joy to pump in the tape deck of your everyday driver, or, 90s four door sedan. singing NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH NAH! Garage rock solo. Slides, half-assed dive bombs, frantic sound. Idyllic for the times. Great choral vocals. Some sweet falsetto by Pirner before the big power outro. ### Homesick Homesick is how the 90s did balladry: guitar chime, a few overdriven power chord chugs, and an upstroke acoustic chord to round out a verse or chorus. Is that a glockenspiel!? ### Get on Out Rock! Get on Out is good garage rock. Which Grave Dancers Union drummer is responsible for Get on Out, is it Grant Young or Sterling Campbell? Speaking of Grant Young, Tim Klobuchar wrote an interesting piece on what he was up to when he was [fired from Soul Asylum](https://web.archive.org/web/20021125083414/http://sjmc.cla.umn.edu/stupro/resonance/article-1.htm). ### New World A 90s rock album wouldn't be complete without a town and the drinking that happens there. New World is no different. Reminds me of a (every) Refreshments song of [Fizzy Fuzzy](/the-refreshments/fizzy-fuzzy-big-and-buzzy/) ### April Fool Is this the alt-rock version Bang Tango!? Kidding. Actually, April Fool fits nicely into 1992. Could have been an Ugly Kid Joe song. ### Without a Trace Lesson #1 of Without a Trace is don't fall in love with a hooker. _Ever_. "I tried to dance at a funeral, New Orleans style, I joined the Grave Dancers Union, I had to file" Good bands find ways to pull an album's title from the content or the overall thematics of the album. Without a Trace was the fourth single released. It reached 27th on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNWR3OenaPk ### Growing into You Big 70s style opening riff, into an Empire Records half-punk, half-power pop tune, that somehow features a few country guitar bends. A very enjoyable guitar solo. Who said they died with [80s hair metal](/hair-metal/)!? While Growing into You is a decent tune, it's not in the same league as Growing on Me by The Darkness. But that's a tale for another day. ### 99% Pirner's vocals on 99% predate Dombrowski's vocals on Sponge's sophomore effort, [Wax Ecstatic](/sponge/wax-ecstatic/) by a few years. 99% and Runaway Train couldn't be further apart. Hurray for alternative rock. Karl Mueller's bass up and down GDU is sturdy, rugged, and not given enough credit. Muddled distortion outro leading us into acoustic guitar driven The Sun Maid. ### The Sun Maid Do we have confirmation as to whether or not Dave Pirner wrote The Sun Maid about the raisin box lady!? Nice to see album producer [Michael Beinhorn](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Beinhorn) show up on the album.reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/the-happiest-dogs/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTTampa, FL gave us Mighty Joe Plum, who in-turn gave us a great rock tune in Live Through This (Fifteen Stories). The Happiest Dogs ... Great for a garage band. Good for a college rock town. Decent for a major city scene. Not enough to lead a major tour. No chance to build a career. [Mighty Joe Plum](/mighty-joe-plum/) feels like your college buddies who wanted to start a band freshmen year, but didn't know how to play instruments. They worked at it all four years, practicing, playing out, and finally recording. The Happiest Dogs is the result. You're happy for them, but you realize that they fell short of the dream. Then you hear Live Through This. Where is Chalk Farm and My Friend Steve when you need them? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-L1DxGjqU ## The Happiest Dogs song notes ### Irish Irish is lighter fare, as far as alternative goes. Irish sports a junior varsity guitar solo. Not as energetic as I would expect for a rock album's opening track. ### Bring Decent opening riff. That's Bring. ### Live Through This (Fifteen Stories) That single drum beat has always haunted me. An excellent rock song, Live Through This is. Originally appearing on self-released EP [Aardvark](https://youtu.be/dE0vI_dKR3g), the song occupies the coveted album third track. Like in baseball, the third track is reserved for the best of the album, usually. And so it is on The Happiest Dogs. Live Through This was the 5th track on [WAAF's](/waaf/) Royal Flush album, released in 1997. The mid-to-late 90s saw the Boston radio station release a couple of albums with a mix of on-air live performances and personality bits. 90s alternative bands, such as Everclear, Our Lady Peace, The Nixons, Goo Goo Dolls, The Refreshments, and more graced these two fine albums, the first of which was 1996's Unusual Suspects. Here is a version pulled from the AAF Archives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uGNFtvsslY ### Borderline Borderline. Borderline. Got a really fun bass line. Borderline! I don't wanna be the one to be the one the one to be the friend. Cause that's the friendzone. Another AAF Archive video, this time for Borderline. Filmed at a Guitar Center near Boston, MA apparently. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AKyXuM9iyQ Mighty Joe Plum gets into some One Fell Swoop / Dispatch territory towards the latter half of Borderline. I'm halfway home! ### I Fell In I Fell In falls into a spoken word / Shawn Mullins thing, but without all of the commercial success. ### Friendly Advice Friendly Advice gets dark in places. ### Too True Kind of a snoozefest. I don't even really want to get into Too True too much. ### Miss Hollywood Miss Hollywood goes from SRV Pride and Joy to a too fast Radiohead High and Dry in just a couple of bars, before dialing back a bit and finding it's inner-alt Tom Petty verse. Miss Hollywood you may be, but you do not belong on the [Sunset Strip](/hair-metal/), Miss Hollywood. One of the more inspired tracks on The Happiest Dogs. Actually a song worth re-listening. I really like how the outro'd the song. The slow minute plus fade was a nice touch. ### Stupid Stupid isn't memorable, outside of some interesting mid song guitar work. Maybe that was a guitar solo? I'm unsure. ### Go Now Love the stick-only intro from the drummer. Go Now follows the predictable insert-guitar-solo-after-second-chorus pattern. That's not interesting. What is interesting is that Mighty Joe Plum gets to that second chorus sooner than the midpoint of the song often. These slow musical fades artificially extend the length of these songs. ### Sweet Orange Marmalade Swirling underwater sounds. Good alt-rock music providing the foundation of the chorus. Not sure I've ever heard a song reference Marmalade, let alone Sweet Orange Marmalade before. ### Lumberjack Good wah rock riff intro. Upbeat. Lumberjack _definitely_ sounds like 1997. ### Please (Hear Me) 90s acoustic ender. A pleading plead if I've ever heard one. I hear you, and I am not that impressed Mr. Plum. The ending of the tune isn't that bad. I guess they had to build to it. I get that. But, the first half drags the latter down too much.reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/gnr-lies/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/gnr-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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTG N' R Lies. Axl, Slash, and the rest of Guns N’ Roses break out their six strings and play Patience and some other tunes. Love the pumped in crowd noise. Easiest way to make a cheap(er) album. Say it was recorded "live" and do anything you want. #### The Patience video Always loved the backwards hat over the bandana, one of many signature looks from Axl. Adler looks like he is just picking out wall sconces for his girlfriend in the Patience video. Then, at 2:54, dude wants to toss down a stick twirl, but sighs with impatience. Juxtaposition! So many women run through Slash's bed and fade out Marty McFly style. We should write more about this video, it's got so many things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErvgV4P6Fzc A far cry from [Appetite](/guns-n-roses/appetite-for-destruction/) and Use Your Illusion I and II. <small><br /> - Track 1: Reckless Life is a Hollywood Rose cover.<br /> - Track 2: Nice Boys is a Rose Tattoo cover<br /> - Track 4: Mama Kin is an Aerosmith cover<br /> </small> ## G N' R Lies notes ### Nice Boys Coke-fueled, rock'n'roll - which of course, nice boys don't play. Love it. I can't imagine Axl is lying when he says that he's not a nice boy, and he never was. From firing Chris Weber after his Dad lent Hollywood Rose money to record, to not performing in [Montreal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns_N%27_Roses/Metallica_Stadium_Tour) after Metallica singer, James Hetfield, suffered burns from the stage pyro. ### Move to the City Love the horns on Move to the City. Stradlin and Slash were a dynamite duo. ### Mama Kin Guns N' Roses nails the spirit of Mama Kin, even if it's slightly toned down from the full throttle rock rhinocerous that is G'N'R. ### Patience I can't think of a rock tune with a more memorable whistle part. ANY rock tune. Love the change. Love how Axl goes into full blown Axl voice. This tiiii-yi-yi-yi-yi-immmmmmme The song was released on April 4th, 1989. ### Used to Love Her Ok, this was written after writing the notes on "You're Crazy" ... NOTHING is more on-brand than Guns N' Roses' Used to Love Her. Love, death, absence, women who bitch, elation - every theme is present here on Used to Love Her. Was Axl ever married?! Well, besides the November Rain video. So many solos without a Marshall stack driving them at full power and distortion on Lies. https://youtu.be/FDIvIb06abI Slash chickenpicks the solo apart in that youtube video above If Mr. Big's To Be With You off of [Lean Into It](/mr-big/lean-into-it/) had an archnemesis, it would probably be Used to Love Her. ### You're Crazy I dig the clean electric/acoustic combo with what sounds like a wire brush drumkit. Big difference from it's version on Appetite for Destruction. You're Crazy has always sounded like a prequel to Buckcherry's Crazy Bitch. Slash and Stradlin have a nice thing going on here in You're Crazy Was that a triangle in the pre-chrous!? Lyrically, Guns N' Roses couldn't be more on-brand than they are with You're Crazy. Unleash the beast, Axl! No one does "snarl" better. ### One In A Million Axl loves to whistle. Another interesting take on an acoustic track with the dirty electric guitar backing the acoustic six string. Especially when the solo is on the acoustic. I'm a huge fan of fast, acoustic guitar solos. Speaking of One In A Million, [Trixter](/trixter/trixter/) dropped a decent tune by the same name. _Totally_ different feel to it.recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/wake-me-when-its-over/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/wake-me-when-its-over/Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMT## The Hit: House of Pain video You can feel the heartache pour out of the blue-toned video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1ntsBXdK88 <small class="caption">It works, Youtube doesn't have a thumbnail</small> One of the few [hair metal][/hair-metal/] band videos that does not directly (or indirectly) flaunt scantilly clad women. A handful of decent tunes and that's about it. ## Wake Me When It's Over notes ### When There's a Whip, There's a Way Interesting tune to lead off here on Wake Me When It's Over. Taime Downe constructs some interesting vocal runs on When There's a Whip, There's a Way. This song is almost 7 minutes long (6:46). Feels like they just don't get bad ass enough with the main riff (which has a G'n'R feel). Definitely an interesting outro. Harder and all around tougher. ### Little Dove This song has a little bit of everything in it. Some 70s Aerosmith, [80s Guns'n'Roses](/guns-n-roses/), and some 90s grunge. Drawn out outro. ### Poison Ivy Decent riff. Good bar band tune to drink whiskey to. Stacy and Michals finally have stuff to do. Savigar tickles the ivories good on Poison Ivy. Taime Downe keeps the vocals fun. Wake Me When It's Over might be a better album if they were all like Poison Ivy. Yay! The drums and vocals chorus. Every album should have one song that employs this. You can hear a bit of horn wanting to creep into the mix. Not a bad tune. Not a bad tune at all. ### House of Pain Power ballad! Guess where? Track 4. Always track 4. Zavala with some appropriate harmonica for this sad diddy. House of Pain HAS to be the reason that Wake Me When It's Over achieved "gold" status. Downe's timbre really drives this tune. His voice was made for this exact song. House of Pain always reminds me of The Ballad of Jayne ([LA Guns](/la-guns/)) and vice versa. Different lyrical content, but same sound. Funny story about The Ballad of Jayne, I remember Tracii Guns having short hair in the video. Well, shorter. It was a revelation. ### Gonna Walk The most featured Eric Stacy is on the entire album comes through here in Gonna Walk. Not technically difficult, but some enjoyable guitar work. Gonna Walk has some potential. Namechecks New Orleans. Unsure why. I like the chorus. [Faster Pussycat](/faster-pussycat/) really chose the wrong decade to write a blues album. Gonna Walk is one of the better songs on the album. Blatantly referencing ZZ Top is a double edged sword (a double necked guitar would be better) ### Pulling Weeds Steele and Muscat have a fun little boogie thing going on here. Nice chromatic runs in Pulling Weeds. Definitely not a typical hair band solo in this one. Forgettable lyrics. Not a bad false ending to Pulling Weeds. ### Slip of the Tongue Faster Pussycat channels [Open Up and Say ... Ahh!][/poison/open-up-and-say-ahh/] on Slip of the Tongue, especially in the chorus. Look what the cat dragged in ... a faster pussycat! Ohhh, 80s hair metal puns kill me. Just before the 3 minute mark on Slip of the Tongue, Stacy gets to build a groove while Downe raps out a few words. ### Cryin' Shame Faster Pussycat is more like Slow Hand Blues Pussycat on Cryin' Shame. Here is where the album title came from. Basic blues solo, only made interesting by a harmonizer pedal. Greg Steele and Brent Muscat treat Cryin' Shame like a fundamentals warmup. ### Tattoo Is this [Great White](/great-white/)? Sounds like it. Wake Me When It's Over was a bit ahead of it's time on some songs with a very 1994 Empire Records sound. Tattoo is one such song. Jimmy Zavala dropping in to say hi on the horns. This song would probably be better off without the guitar solo. Come to think of it, Tattoo is a low rent Dyslexic Heart (Paul Westerberg) from the [Singles soundtrack][/soundtrack/singles/]. Listen for yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVhBEtTSEcE Hey Kids, it's [Jeremy Piven](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005315/)! (with less hair) ### Ain't No Way Around It Started a bit wobbly. Good rockin' riff. Zavala's harmonica solo might be the best solo yet (and to come for that matter). ### Arizona Indian Doll Blindsided by Faster Pussycat going for "cool" on Arizona Indian Doll. It ... kinda works. They employ more of Kevin Savigar than I remembered back in the day. Makin' love where the buffalo roam ... might be the best lyric on Wake Me When It's Over. ### Please Dear Sounds like House of Pain 2. Kevin Savigar makes an appearance on keys in Please Dear. Wow, that Eric Stacy bass solo part was very uninspiring. If Please Dear and House of Pain were twins, then Please Dear is the Danny DeVito to House of Pain's Arnold Schwarzenegger. <small>(Holy smokes, they are making a sequel called <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2334867/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_4">Triplets</a>!?)</small> I truly hope Mark Michaels didn't need more than one pass to nail the lackluster drums in this song. Please Dear is not a great way to close an album ...recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/iron-eagle/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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!Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTDoug takes many roads in Iron Eagle, and almost all of them are aeronautical. Thus, hence, concordantly, taking the Road of the Gypsy is to take to the air. I presume. Note - we need to see if [Mike Hsu](/mike-hsu/) will play more Iron Eagle songs on 100.1 The Pike. ### Is King Kobra's Iron Eagle (Never Say Die) _THE_ theme song to the movie? Yes and no. By all rights, it should be, and purists ([Pants?!](/pants/)) would be probably argue as much. But if you were to catch me on the street and ask me to name songs off the Iron Eagle soundtrack, I am immediately going to Eric Martin's Eyes of the World. Why? Because it's in the scene that is every 80s child dreams about. It's quite evocative, let me paint it. Here I am, [jr. Fizz](/fizz/), paperboy extraordinaire, riding around on my black Haro bmx. I'm simultaneously channeling the spirits of 80s movie gods, Cru Jones ([Rad](/soundtrack/rad/)) and Doug Masters, because I'm doing 27mph downhill, whipping Boston Globe's at front doors, garages, and potted plants like the arcade version of Paperboy itself, with my trusty walkman taped to my leg, blasting Eric Martin's Eyes of the World and thinking that my papers are like the hades bomb and maverick^* missiles and that customer's pets are my desert targets. Only I had no Chappy ... <small>* to note, that isn't a [Maverick/Top Gun](/soundtrack/top-gun/) reference, no, Top Gun came out <em>after</em> Iron Eagle in 1986.</small> Anyway, where were we ... Ahh, yes, you may know Rainey Haynes "Old Enough to Rock and Roll" from the scene where Doug flies The Snake against Knotcher. In honor of Johnny Lawrence watching Iron Eagle on [Cobra Kai](/johnny-lawrence/), we drop this Hades Bomb of Iron Eagle soundtrack knowledge on you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-DIhXTGifU Interesting fact, [Basil Poledouris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Poledouris)'s score for the 1986 film, Iron Eagle: Original Motion Picture Score, didn't come out until 2008. You may know his name from his other fantastic works - Conan the Barbarian (1982), Red Dawn (1984), RoboCop (1987), and The Hunt for Red October (1990). But, Iron Eagle being an 80s action flick places the score behind the rock tunes, which makes remembering Basil's score a bit tough. <figure> <img src="/albums/Iron-Eagle-Original-Motion-Picture-Score-Basil.jpg" alt="Iron Eagle Original Motion Picture Score album cover" /> <figcaption class="caption">Chappy and Doug <em>still</em> looking tough!</figcaption> </figure> <small>Tracks 11-16 not on the actual Iron Eagle soundtrack album, but they were in the movie. Lame. Just put them on there.</small> ## Iron Eagle soundtrack notes ### One Vision - Queen Whoa, Queen! Didn't expect Queen to be on an [80s soundtrack](/albums/soundtracks/), especially something like Iron Eagle. Brian May just doing his thing with huge riffs. Can't go wrong with the vocals either. Love the vocal harmonies. Gosh, they are so talented. Why can't rock be like this today? Man, rock sucks today. PS - The extended version gets real percussive. Why? Cause they could. They are Queen! PPS - Other than Freddie Mercury and Brian May, does anyone actually know the names of the other guys in the band? ### Iron Eagle (Never Say Die) - King Kobra The titular track of this album, Iron Eagle by King Kobra is still a good song. Bitchin' keys intro. This song could have been on the [Rocky IV soundtrack](/soundtrack/rocky-iv/). NEVER SAY DIEEEEEEEE! Chappy doesn't like weak links, btw. Basic 80s solo ... slow, then random fast tapping, just cause. HUGE breakdown dive bomb with wailing harmonic ... just tickles me. Gotta love Louis Gossett Jr. showing up in the music video (above). ### These Are the Good Times - Eric Martin Eric Martin ([Mr. Big](/mr-big/)) is an incredible vocalist. This song exudes 80s fun. Not too hard, not too soft, not quite a power ballad, it's got a Feelgood Fiasco vibe. If I close my eyes, I can see the best moments of my life pass by listening to this song. The solo isn't [Paul Gilbert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gilbert) (also Mr. Big) worthy, but, it's serviceable none-the-less. "She tells me we can still dance in the rain" slays me. Not sure why. Same with "She makes everything riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight" ... dude can hold a note. ### Maniac House - Katrina and the Waves Not exactly Walking on Sunshine. Yet still, Katrina and the Waves come in hot with a blues bar grinder. They totally [Slave to the Grind](/skid-row/slave-to-the-grind/) this song compared to Walking on Sunshine. To "Slave to the Grind" something is to follow it up MUCH harder the second time. ### Intense - George Clinton Like Queen, didn't see the King of Interplanetary Funk descending on (Hartford?) the Iron Eagle soundtrack. Typical Clinton with drawn out "Ohhhs" and a rippin' bass line. Super rippin' actually. I honestly forget where this comes in in the movie. ### Hide in the Rainbow - Dio THERE HE IS! It's RONNIE JAMES DIO!!!!! Holy smokes. He's got some Gary Wright "Dreamweaver" opening organ playing. Then METAL. ALLLL METAL. MOLTEN LAVA METAL. OOOOOH OH HIDE IN THE RAINBOWWWWWW! The producer of the Iron Eagle soundtrack took WAY more chances than the Rocky IV producer. Dio to Katrina and the Waves is a MUCH larger genre gap to cover than Survivor to ... Survivor. ### It's Too Late - Helix Who are these guys?! Typical 80s riff. Typical 80s vocals. Typical 80s lyrics. Waiting for the value prop. Eh, decent filler tune. How's the solo? An ok buildup. Relies on some basic tricks. Eh, nothing to write home about. Helix is probably the producer's brother or something. ### Road of the Gypsy - Adrenalin Plays a pivotal role in the movie. Dig the double intro to the song, first on guitar, then synth with tempo'd bass. The vox have got a harder, Mike & The Mechanics/John Parr thing going. You can always tell how the band is positioned by the instruments ... cause there is the sax solo. Adrenalin doin' their best to give young Doug Masters confidence! ### Love Can Make You Cry - Urgent Another who are these guys?! Oh snap, here is the random emotion wailing guitar to start this REO Speedwagon ripoff of a song. Gosh, this is cheese. If you want to point to one reason why the Iron Eagle soundtrack isn't a 10/10 ... it's this. I have nothing left to say on this matter. ### This Raging Fire - Jon Butcher Axis Solid tune. The intro has me ready for ass-kickery. No way Doug Masters fails, just based on the intro to This Raging Fire. The music is clearly better than the lyrics. Fires, motifs of loneliness, burning for you, all the cheese of the 80s. Shades of St. Elmo's Fire ... perhaps some creative lifting? Tasty guitar licks though. NICE sax work ... there is a caress to the sax. Pants, don't be mad that I just used caress and sax together. OH wow, back to SICK tone from the lead guitar. Well done Jon Butcher Axis. Ok, it's a good enough to conclude a really good soundtrack. ## Songs in the movie, but not on the Iron Eagle soundtrack ### Old Enough to Rock and Roll - Rainey Haynes Oh man, I loved this tune as a kid. Still do. It's just such a happy, outrageously fun song. If this were the 80s, I'd say something like this broad has pipes! But that's disrespectful to Ms. Haynes. Yet still, what a talent! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5bVICgLJCU As [Chris from Bulletproof Action](http://www.bulletproofaction.com/2016/01/17/scene-of-the-week-flying-the-snake/) posits, your life will be forever changed after watching Iron Eagle. Ours certainly was. His review of Doug flying The Snake against Knotcher is most triumphant. And, just dynamite analysis of Knotcher and his crew's attempted murder of young Doug Masters. A Charlie and Emilio golf clap to you, good sir! Packer even thinks it's funny, "I wonder what a Cessna looks like splattered all over those rocks." Keep jammin' to the tunes cause she's zoomin'!!! ### Gimme Some Lovin - Spencer Davis Group A rock song amongst rock songs. Covered a thousand times by a thousand bands. In a [million movies](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0205483/). The riff is spectacular. Bassist Muff Winwood (really) boasts that the song took a half hour, start to finish. Sure. As an aside, it really is an awesome tune. I rank it up there with [Shotgun](https://youtu.be/YnhI_ECOAK4) by Junior Walker and the All Stars. ### Eyes of the World - Eric Martin Love Eric Martin and his insane pipes, he makes it sound so easy. How does this fit into Iron Eagle? Chappy forces Doug to shut off Eyes of the World and everything goes to hell. Dude can't bomb* his targets. So what does Doug do? Throttles up, does it his way, turns the song back on, and smokes target after target. Much like Chris (Bulletproof Action) examining The Snake and Knotcher's motivations, The Deja Reviewer highlights how the climax of Iron Eagle is about two jets taking on a whole country. Wild, considering one of the pilots gets rewarded for breaking every military code/law in the book, and the other isn't even a member of the air force. Anyway, this solo is also a bit lacking without Mr. Gilbert. But it doesn't need to be first class for this song cause Martin's vocals carry the song completely. I'd murder a baby chinchilla for his golden pipes. **Amazing fact:** Really, someone mapped out Doug's ammo usage in Iron Eagle. Tyler Rogoway (The Drive) wrote the article, "A Definitive Audit Of How Many Weapons Doug Masters Launched From His F-16 In Iron Eagle." I ... I don't know where to start. This is incredible. I loved every second of this and recommend you read it. Tyler, thank you. Thank you so very much. ### We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister Not sure there is anything to say. Twisted Sister belts out their [80s hair metal](/hair-metal/) staple. Moving along. Everyone knows the words, everyone can sing the breakdown, everyone can hum the solo. ### Proud Mary - Ike & Tina Turner Big wheel keep on turnin' ... on to the next song. Not before we address the duality of Proud Mary. The fast part is just so much better. The backup singers, the brass, the thrumming bass make it fantastic. Oh yeah, and the screechy vocals. Tina Turner was all over the 80s. ### There Was a Time - James Brown The hardest working man in show biz shows up again on the Iron Eagle soundtrack. After ruling Living In America on the Rocky IV soundtrack, Sir James goes back at it with There Was a Time. Great strumming pattern on guitar. You could get lost in it.rec4Uqc95OdsdLrQvhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/hysteria/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/hysteria/Def Leppard‚Äôs Magnum Opus to Women (of the Champagne Room)Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTSo many tracks, so many layers, so many overdubs, so many years to produce and subsequently release. Hysteria is rock gold. The funniest part about [Def Leppard](/def-leppard/) to me is how some people struggle to recognize their greatness. Maybe it was because they lacked true categorization. Maybe it was because they lacked someone like Desmond Child, Bon Jovi's lyrical and songwriting version of (his buddy) Bill Belichick's Ernie Adams. Maybe it was because Def Leppard were a band in truest sense of the word, a bunch of kids who set out to make awesome rock tunes in their late teens and ended up succeeding. Hysteria took forever to record, overset expectations, promised the world, and then absolutely delivered. Hysteria upped the ante. Sonically, this album has something for everyone. It probably upset some core fans who wanted to live in a High n Dry and On Through The Night world forever. But can you argue with the results? The guys from DL shouldn't be blamed for creating a masterpiece. You could say that trying to make every song a single is selling out, but what is wrong with that? Along with [Appetite for Destruction](/guns-n-roses/appetite-for-destruction/), Hysteria released 7 singles. Just incredible. And, if I recall correctly, Tear It Down off [Adrenalize](/def-leppard/adrenalize/) was _supposed_ to be on Hysteria. They could have gotten to 8 singles. The album is perhaps Producer Mutt Lange's finest work. Truly. [Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/def-leppard-hysteria-42107/) ranked Hysteria at 464 on the 500 greatest albums of all-time. I don't buy it. There are at least 460+ albums on their list that aren't even close to the pure majesty of Hysteria. Maybe more. Seriously, on the same web page Rolling Stone ranks a Hole album, a My Morning Jacket album, and an Amy Winehouse album ahead of Hysteria. Unreal. Go home, you're drunk, Rolling Stone. ### The Bankrupt Brothers The Bankrupt Brothers are the band within the band. They provide the backing vocals. It's just all 5 members of Def Leppard doing gang choruses. Here's a BBC interview on the history of the band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXG9Av60JYM ## Hysteria notes ### Women We _literally_ can't live without them. It's a stretch, but I think Def Leppard could have put Women on any of their first albums. Maybe not sonically, as the influence of ol' [Mutt Lange](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_John_%22Mutt%22_Lange) is clearly on display here. But, stripped down to it's rock roots, it could have been on Pyromania, [High 'n' Dry](/def-leppard/high-n-dry/), or On Through the Night. ### Rocket Holy synth, Batman! Musicians, is Rocket a shuffle? I am unclear on this. Rocket has everything that the modern, in 1987, fan of the Lep was looking for: - Signature gang vocals - Savage getting air time Double time pace pick-up at the end. ### Animal I cry wolf! ### Love Bites Again, Holy synth, Batman! Compressed cleans, big, bouncy bass, and vocal processing galore on Love Bites. Track 4 shines again as the obligatory ballad. Stripped down and acoustic, Love Bites is nothing more than a country song in hair metal clothing. ### Pour Some Sugar on Me Step inside. Walk this way. You and me, babe. Hey! Hey! ... annnnnnnd RIFF! Pour Some Sugar on Me, the zenith of Def Leppard's popularity, was almost left off of the album. Ridiculous, right?. A half-assed, electrified rap that has more guitar layers than paint on a country barn, Pour Some Sugar on Me introduced Def Leppard to _way_ more ladies than their New Wave of British Heavy Metal days could ever dream of. _Some_ of those ladies would go on to have this hair metal anthem as their stage song. No judgment here. It really revitalized the popularity of the band. Hysteria was slipping a bit when the song was released. Then, Def Leppard took over the airwaves. ### Armageddon It The guitars of Armageddon It highlight DL's transition from the good looking, but rugged street rock grit of [Pyromania](/def-leppard/pyromania/) and prior, to the clean-shaven, champagne-fueled, cigarette boat operating hair metal that we all know (and most likely still love) today. To be clear, I adore Armageddon It, so there's that. Sparkly guitars, huge Def Leppard choral vox, a video that is basically Pour Some Sugar on Me II. You just gotta love songs like this. If there is a defining song for the "sound" of Hysteria, it is Armageddon It. ### Gods of War Underrated Lep tune. Gods of War is a great track for lovers of Steve Clark. On a countdown to zero, Take a ride on the nightmare machine, There ain't gonna be heroes, Whoa, there ain't gonna be anything. No! ### Don't Shoot Shotgun Ultraproduced vox kick off Don't Shoot Shotgun. Got a fun groove to it. A little midnight madness is encouraged in nearly every 80s hair metal song. ### Run Riot Run Riot is what would have been Hysteria's contribution to the [Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure Soundtrack](/soundtrack/bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/) had everything worked out in life. You could totally see the Great Ones traveling in their time traveling telephone booth to Def Leppard's Run Riot. Rippin' solo. Awesome post-chorus buildup riff from Collen and Clark. ### Hysteria Def Leppard has never shied away from writing well-crafted ballads. The title track of the album is no exception. ### Excitable Creepy voice asks, "Are you excited?" Big Def Leppard gang vocals. One can _never_ get enough of them. Who's excitable? Alllll the ladies in the front row. ### Love and Affection That opening riff signals High 'n' Dry to get restrained chime on the ol' six string. Almost sounds like Hysteria the song, part two. This song would have been a hit for most other 80s hair bands. ## Hysteria FAQs ### Who wrote the songs on Hysteria? All of the songs were written by Steve Clark, Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, and Mutt Lange, the band's unofficial (maybe official?) sixth member. Clark also wrote Tear It Down, officially released on Adrenalize, and, one of the best DL songs, prior to his death. ### Do you want to pour some sugar with Joe Elliott? If you do, check this out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9sRqWDEAL8 ### What key is the song Hysteria in? Hysteria is in the Key of G. ### How many copies has the Def Leppard album Hysteria sold worldwide? Def Leppard's Hysteria has sold over 20 million copies. 12+ million copies have been sold in the United States. ### When was the Def Leppard Hysteria Deluxe Edition released? The Deluxe edition was released in 2006. For the album's 30th anniversary in 2017, Def Leppard released another updated version. The album was originally released in 1987.recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/peacemaker/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/peacemaker/The Glam Metal Glory That is The Peacemaker. Do You Really Wanna Taste It?Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTWhen you need a dose of [hair metal](/hair-metal/), apparently you turn to James Gunn. With absolutely zero shyness, filmmaker James Francis Gunn Jr. gives us the grand tour of hair metal songs in the hit John Cena show, Peacemaker. What’s crazy is that that grand tour is mostly of C/D grade hair metal bands. Sure, we love [Tigertailz](/tigertailz/). But show of hands, how many of you had heard the song, Love Bomb prior to its inclusion on the Peacemaker? That’s what makes the Peacemaker soundtrack so special, it takes a dusty milk crate of 80s records and tosses them back on the turntable, figuratively speaking. ## Songs in the Peacemaker ### Do Ya Wanna Taste It (Wig Wam) #### Where it appears in Peacemaker ### Welcome To The Church Of Rock And Roll – Foxy Shazam Grind Queen and [The Darkness](/the-darkness/) into a fine white powder (you see where we're going), and then mold them into the shape of playing dice. Then roll snake eyes. That's how you summon [Foxy Shazam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxy_Shazam) into the world. Their lead singer, Eric Nally, has all the requisite moves to dominate the stage. He and the band have even shared said stage with another band on this list, Bang Camaro. You can also find Nally singing along with Macklemore in his song Downtown. #### Where it appears in Peacemaker Welcome To The Church Of Rock And Roll is in Episode 1 (A Whole New Whirled). Peacemaker visits his father's house to get Eagly. There it plays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeyKsWyhHG8 ### Come On Come On (Nashville Pussy) Come On Come On is a song whose lyrics sound like they were written verbatim from a scene in the show. Almost as if [Nashville Pussy](https://www.nashvillepussy.com/) found a Bill & Ted's Phonebooth and traveled forward in time to uncover the words to their next hit - one that would be in the very show they were uttered from. #### Where it appears in Peacemaker Peacemaker has just left Adebayo and he's driving down the road. Also in Episode 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxsHghqWIxY ### Summertime Girls – Y&T What better way to dive into the possibilities of a love interest than to play Summertime Girls by [Y&T](/y-t/). #### Where it appears in Peacemaker Peacemaker is impressed with Harcourt kicking the crap outta some guy at the bar in Episode 1. That's when Y&T lights up the jukebox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQylSkFbN7U ### Night Of Passion – The Poodles These are the _hardest_ Poodles the world has ever seen. Move over Rottweilers. Goodbye Siberian Huskies. Adios German Shepherds. Poodles are now the _toughest_ pups in the land. #### Where it appears in Peacemaker Peacemaker finds himself in a bathroom tryst for one night of passion in Episode 1's bar scene with Harcourt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG8l-Bhxx-E ### I Don’t Love You Anymore – The Quireboys I Don't Love You Anymore almost sounds like a poorly re-written cover of itself. Which is the greatest compliment we could pay it. Thank you, [The Quireboys](/the-quireboys/) for impressing us with this tune you penned between 1989-1990. #### Where it appears in Peacemaker Peacemaker checks out a collection of records post-coitally, right before he jumps out the window like The Butterfly's dad came home. Amazing fact, the most excellent 80s hair metal albums belonged to The Butterfly. Thank you, Episode 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWH2iBPoaT8 ### Love Bomb Baby – Tigertailz The best song Tigertailz ever released. And maybe the _only_ song they ever released. But when you release a slice of heaven as thick as this 3-minute ditty, you're allowed to only release one song. We're somewhat confident that other than Tigertailz parents, we were the only people who had ever listened to this song prior to its inclusion in Peacemaker. Welsh metal for the win. #### Where it appears in Peacemaker Gunn takes it literal and Peacemaker releases the love bomb, killing the Butterfly to conclude the show's first Episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU-pyWiBqR8 ### 7 O’clock – The Quireboys ### Borderline Crazy – The Cruel Intentions ### Don’t Treat Me Bad – Firehouse ### Drag Me Down – Santa Cruz ### Peacemaker - Antonio Gradanti ### Boots On Rocks Off – Dust Bowl Jokies ### Pumped Up Kicks – John Murphy feat. Ralph Saenz ### Would You Love A Creature – Sister ### Six Feet Under – Kissin’ Dynamite ### Push Push (Lady Lightning) – Bang Camaro How do you turn the volume down on 15+ guys screaming Let's Make Electric Fire!!! ... the answer is you cannot. Push Push (Lady Lightning) is the first track off of [Bang Camaro I](/bang-camaro/bang-camaro-i/), the debut album of legendary man band, Bang Camaro. Gunn's inclusion of this song in Peacemaker resurrected the one thing that this world needed _most_, another album from the band. Perhaps Gunn will include a track off of [Bang Camaro III](/bang-camaro/bang-camaro-iii/) in Season 2 of his hit show. #### Where it appears in Peacemaker James Gunn rightfully invokes the power of the world's greatest band, Boston's own, [Bang Camaro](/bang-camaro/) at the end of Episode 3, rolling right into the credits. ### Peacemaker ### Beat The Bullet – Vain ### I Wanna Be With You – Pretty Boy Floyd ### Jawbreaker – The Cruel Intentions ### House of Pain – Faster Pussycat ### Enemy In Me – Vains Of Jenna ### Fight Song (Sister Sin) Sister Sin's Fight Song is like [Skid Row](/skid-row/) goes Megadeath. And it was released in 2012. Good for these Swedish Metal headbangers. #### Where it appears in Peacemaker Vigilante and Peacemaker are ripping out some sick air guitar moves in Episode 5 (Monkey Dory). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP7vRAr79N0 ### 11th Street Kids – Hanoi Rocks ### The Both Of Us – House Of Lords ### How Come It Never Rains – Dogs D'Amour ### Fallen Star – Hanoi Rocks ### The Human Paradox – Dynazty ### New Thing — Enuff Z'Nuff ### Barbie Girl — Aqua ### Monster — Reckless Love ### Home Sweet Home — John Cena ### Kiss Me Deadly — Lita Ford ### Home Sweet Home — Motley Crue ### In My Dreams — Wig Wam ### Don't Close Your Eyes — Kix ### Hot Cherie — Hardline ### By The Grace Of God — The Hellacopters ### Set The Night On Fire — Pretty Boy Floyd ### If You Really Really Love Me — Steel Panther ### Do Ya Wanna Taste It – Wig Wam ### Apologize — The Last Vegas ### You Can't Kill My Rock 'N Roll — Hardcore Superstar ## Peacemaker FAQs ### When was Peacemaker released? Peacemaker was released on January 13, 2022. ### Who sings the Peacemaker opening theme song? Wig Wam sings the opening theme song to the Peacemaker. Their song, Do You Wanna Taste It, plays over the opening dance credits to the show. That dance routine may just be the very best part of Peacemaker. As for Gunn and Wig Wam, he told Billboard this: “I knew about them for a while. I read a bunch of books on hair metal and I started searching sites where you go to find different types of music. I get really heavily into different types of music at different times. I was really, really into power pop for a while and I have hundreds and hundreds of obscure power pop albums on disc. I got really into Swedish rock for a while and I would write on the Swedish music blogs and talk to the guys putting them together… and then I got into this. I got into hair metal and Wig Wam, for that type of modern European sleaze rock, they are not that unknown.” ### What piano music is played on the Peacemaker? The piano music in the HBO Max show Peacemaker is John Cena’s version of Motley Crue’s Home Sweet Home. ### Who wrote the musical score for the show? Clint Mansell & Kevin Kiner wrote the score.recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/rad/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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!Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTCru Jones, the most rad name in (BMX) movie history, and the music soundtrack that inspired him. Rad had a great cast of 80s characters. Becky from Full House, Adrian from Rocky, Batman from Cannonball Run, Max Kellerman, owner of Kellerman's, from Dirty Dancing, and Mr. Hand of Fast Times. In the real world, Paul Allen, Lori Laughlin, Bart Conner, Talia Shire, Ray Walston, Jack Weston, and Alfie Wise come together to make a bodacious 80s film. Ok ok, that's not exactly The Breakfast Club or St. Elmo's Fire. But hey, it's something. ### Quick plot synopsis of Rad Paperboy Cru Jones, a freestyle bike rider, learns of a huge BMX race in town and skips the SATs to champion it. He overcomes the top ranked leader and his cronies, Bart Taylor and the Reynolds brothers to do so, capturing the heart of love interest Christian in the process. Ever notice that the freestyle riders (bad guys) are basically Zuckerberg and the Winklevii? Better yet, Zartan and Tomax and Xamot, leaders of Cobra's Crimson Guard! Read a review of Rad at [80s Movie Rewind](https://www.fast-rewind.com/rad.htm). ### Facts I know about Rad - Hal Needham directed one hell of a movie. - If you're reading this, you probably don't have to IMDB Rad, as you are familiar with the tales of his majesty, Cru. - It took a radical [soundtrack](/albums/soundtracks/) to beat Bart Taylor in the Helltrack. - Skipping the SATs is _always_ the right move - You should have bought stock in Mongoose, GT, and Haro before this movie came out. - If Gleaming the Cube inspired T&C Surf Design, then Rad inspired California games ### Putting the 'Various' in (Rad) Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Various Artists When they say various artists for an original motion picture soundtrack, they are talking about the Rad soundtrack. Who _are_ these artists? The Beat Farmers? 3-Speed? Hubert Kah!? I have no clue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuudr4ujd54 It's a little more than halfway decent. The movie was better than the tunes. <small>There were two other bonus versions of Thunder in Your Heart, an extended version and an instrumental version</small> ## Rad Soundtrack notes ### Break the Ice - John Farnham Break the Ice could have opened _any_ movie in the 80s, and even some in the early 90s. - Beverly Hills Cop? Check! - Vision Quest? Sure! - The Legend of Billie Jean? Without doubt! - The Cutting Edge? Topical! Australian John Farnham leads the Rad Soundtrack off with a solo shot in the first inning. Break the Ice follows the time honored tradition of using the lyrics, "It's gonna take all we got" ... that's how you know it's 80s Montage Music. A righetous song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfAIGVDC3mg ### Riverside - [The Beat Farmers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beat_Farmers) Blues rock. Hints of Mark Knopfler. Riverside, from the album, Van Go, is about the town of the same name just east of LA. Pretty decent guitar solo. ### Wind Me Up - 3-Speed 3-Speed occupies track 3 with a feel good, man in motion vibe. The song easily could have been on the [Iron Eagle soundtrack](/soundtrack/iron-eagle/). The vocals sound like a low rent John Waite (Bad English). 3-Speed was a synth rock band from Boston. Who knew?! ### Get Strange - Hubert Kah Get Strange by Hubert Kah is the song that plays during the lumber yard scene. Might be the _most_ 80s song on an album full of them. The title says it all. #### The Rad lumber yard scene Here it is, in all its glory. Cru and his crew joking about needing a radical miracle to beat Bart. Then comes Sgt. Smith ... he wants to play. Mind you, Sgt. Smith is basically Sgt. Slaughter (WWF/GI Joe) and he is chasing the kids around a lumber yard on his [CHiPs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHiPs) bike like Ponch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6FSRSqOu0Q ### Send Me an Angel - Real Life Nevermind, Send Me an Angel might be the most 80s song. Electronic drums, heavy synth, a lead singer who is basically a pop version of Klaus Meine from the [Scorpions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpions_(band)). #### The BMX Boogie (Rad dance scene) Cru and Christian are ~breakdance fighting~ dancing with their BMX bikes, which the crowd is somehow ok with, and old timers are pouring hard booze in their cups in the back. Bart and his cronies are just watching on, perplexed. The lights go down by the end of their performance of the BMX Swan Lake and then they are in love. It was all so easy in the 80s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPVJzi7Ta9w The original music video for Real Life's [Send Me an Angel](https://youtu.be/hwfErYUoqx8). Send Me an Angel also appears in 80s Rom-Com, [Date with an Angel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Date_with_an_Angel), subtle, we know. A movie that is totally about real life in the 80s, an angel falls from heaven, she is good looking, and she is just ready for someone to date her. ### Music That You Can Dance To - Sparks Music That You Can Dance To was Music That You _Could_ Dance To in the 80s. Probably not so much anymore. Unless you were at an [80s party](/80s-day/). Synth. Programmable drums. Guitar. Sax. Sparks has great instrumentation on the track. 80s sax was the _best_ sax. ### Baby Come Back - Jimmy Haddox Synth bass! Industrial drums. Why is someone running away from Jimmy? You'd think they'd be running toward Mr. Haddox with the killer bass lines in Baby Come Back. A non-flashy guitar solo with pretty decent tone. Baby Come Back is instrument soup. How many different sounds are present? ### Thunder in Your Heart - John Farnham Victory music! (or as I like to call it, that song from Rad) You're going home as a hero! Cause there's Thunder in Your Heart! Let's count the elemental references, cause let's be honest, they are in nearly every line of the song. - **Thunder** in your heart - Every move is like **lightning** - There's a **fire** gonna start - Your **flame** never dying - Cry of the **wind**, spirit of **fire** - Taking control, **burning** desire - You can **light** the **dark** when they hear your heart of **thunder**. Such a bad ass tune. Pretty sure I could kick the crap out of the Helltrack whilst listening to Thunder in Your Heart. John Farnham wrote one for the ages with Thunder in Your Heart. I wouldn't have been shocked to find it on another 1986 action movie soundtrack, say [Top Gun](/soundtrack/top-gun/) or [The Transformers](/soundtrack/transformers-the-movie/). Coincidentally, Stan Bush, writer of a few Transformers soundtrack songs, actually covers Farnham's Thunder in Your Heart. Doubly coincident (is that a word?!) ... You can actually hear the Transformers theme in the song, right after the chorus. Check it out at [2:13](https://youtu.be/zNVZzXgMdXs?t=133). BrandedInThe80s created the Thunderdome Mix, which is now defunct at <span>https://www.brandedinthe80s.com/15786/thunder-in-your-heart-thunderdome</span>. Just what was the Thunderdome Mix? That's where John Farnham and the other two 80s montage luminaries, Joe Esposito (Karate Kid) and Stan Bush (Transformers, amongst others), get their versions of Thunder in Your Heart combined. Strong work by Shawn Robare of Branded In The 80s! John Farnham's box score ... 2 for 2, with 2 HRs! **_STRONG!_** ### With You - John Farnham With his third track on the Rad Soundtrack, John Farnham ties Survivor's [Rocky IV](/soundtrack/rocky-iv/) effort (Burning Heart, Man Against the World, and of course, Eye of the Tiger). Big piano opening. Sounds like a sitcom intro. James Di Pasquale and Douglas Brayfield must have changed his path on this one. Or maybe he just normally doesn't rock. ... checks Youtube. You're the Voice isn't too bad. Every Time You Cry makes me think John Farnham is the basis of Rex Manning from [Empire Records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Records). <small>But the opposite of Sexy Rexy ... a word on Farnham, "... the most successful solo artist in the history of Australian rock and pop ... Farnham has retained an affable sense of humour and a simple, unpretentious 'everyman' charm which also makes him one of the most respected celebrities in Australian entertainment history."</small> Wait, is this the same John Farnham from Thunder in Your Heart!? Even if it is the love theme to the move, this song sounds absolutely nothing like the badassery of Farnham's other Rad soundtrack songs. John Farnham's box score ... 2 for 3, 2 HRs and a hard ground out to second.rec4Uqc95OdsdLrQvhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/new-miserable-experience/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/new-miserable-experience/Hey Jealousy and Found Out About You are standout hits on the Gin Blossoms debut album, New Miserable Experience.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTThe album has some great tunes for sure. It was literally the first CD that I purchased in 1993. At the time, [Boston-based rock station WAAF](/waaf/) was into playing a large variety of rock songs across many sub-genres. A fair share of the songs on New Miserable Experience were carried over from their first two studio efforts, [Dusted](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusted_(Gin_Blossoms_album)) and [Up and Crumbling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_and_Crumbling). ## The original versions of Hey Jealousy and Found Out About You from Dusted Like any band before their breakthrough success, every song is _just_ a little faster, _just_ a little more frantic, has _just_ a little more grit and a little more edge to it. You can hear that here on Hey Jealousy and Found Out About You. What's really interesting about those two songs is that they were written in 1989, only 400 miles from the Sunset Strip, where [Hair Metal Bands](/hair-metal/) ruled the land. Better still, they shared quite the commonality with Buffalo's [Goo Goo Dolls](/goo-goo-dolls/a-boy-named-goo/), also active at the time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0OurHnqWp0 ## Doug Hopkins, guitar player, songwriter, and founder of the band On a sad note, Doug Hopkins committed suicide a year and a half after being fired from the band. Which, really sucks. Setting aside the sadness of the event, his songs were the highlights of their (early) catalogue. What a loss. A strong 7. You could put the album on repeat for a trip to the next state over and not notice it started over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qB6XdAkkAo ## New Miserable Experience album notes ### Lost Horizons As pure a 90s pop song as one could write without being a hit. Slightly overdriven electric guitars, chimey arpeggios, bright basslines, Lost Horizons nails the Tempe-style pop rock sound. I'll drink enough of anything! The Tempe scene was quite open about their boozing, just see: The Refreshments [The Bottle & Fresh Horses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bottle_%26_Fresh_Horses). ### Hey Jealousy The hit! Hey Jealousy made the Gin Blossoms a household name. Hey Jealousy is also well known in the bar band circuit. Like a Fantasy Football WR3, it gives the 3rd or 4th singer in a band a chance to take the mic and give the lead singer a chance to grab a beer, hit on the ladies, or god forbid, pick up a tambourine. _Don't be that guy!_ Hey Jealousy rocks surprisingly more than you remember. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah5gAkna3jI ### Mrs. Rita Hey, we all hope Mrs. Rita is coming around. Mrs. Rita is hard(er) version of the future penned hit, Follow You Down. The consistent bass from Leen allows the guitars to layer and layer over it, filling in the sound. The same future penned hit that [Jon Bon Jovi](/bon-jovi/) and Jennifer Nettles all but stole from the Gin Blossoms. Really, listen to the intro(s). - [Follow You Down](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LuH0ywYVQc) - [Who Says You Can't Go Home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CeX5VEo10c). ### Until I Fall Away Oh no! The dreaded lead singer playing a tambourine! It only took two tracks! Damnit! Until I Fall Away features an acoustic guitar solo. Always tasteful. The pre-chorus scale run is unusual for a song at this tempo. What can you say though, Gin Blossoms wrote really tight knit, sing-a-long songs, whether they were upbeat, sad, etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39mUEE3_xS8 ### Hold Me Down Hold Me Down could easily be found on The Refreshments [Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy](/the-refreshments/fizzy-fuzzy-big-and-buzzy/), as Robin Wilson and Roger Clyne share a very similar timbre, and the instrumentation is closely arranged. Tempe, AZ had a mini-scene, and both the Gin Blossoms and The Refreshments were key bands in creating it. Also, please please please tell me that the guy in the beginning on the Hold Me Down (live) video is a pre-famous Vince Vaughn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1EDCKju4KQ ### Cajun Song Once again, Cajun Song could be on Fizzy Fuzzy. The same somber desert cowboy who leaves a trail of margaritas, señoritas, and the dusty, dirt road home is here on New Miserable Experience as well. Absolutely love Chenier's accordion. ### Hands Are Tied A 1 2 3 count in. Way to keep the garage feel, boys. Hands Are Tied is (perhaps) the _hardest_ rock tune on the entire album. That doesn't mean it doesn't feature the arpeggiated guitars. The solo is a weird, expressive 90s rock version of some Texas / New Mexico blues, with a garage punk chug. ### Found Out About You Another Hopkins penned tune. And, the best song on New Miserable Experience. The Gin Blossoms may be known for Hey Jealousy and being on the [Empire Records soundtrack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Records), but Found Out About You is their best work. Great intro. Catchy chorus. Solid verse. The clean solo into the overdriven solo shows songwriting finesse. You can feel the punch of "WHISPERS at the bus stop, NIGHTS out in the school yard, I FOUND OUT about you" Dope song. ### Allison Road Is that a 12-string to open the song? I'm not a good enough drummer, nor do I possess the rhythmic understanding to comment on Rhodes first drum beat. Allison Road is 100% on-brand for the Gin Blossoms. Catchy chorus with tons of backing vocals. Chord changes that infer a brief new musical direction. Constant note plucking. Plenty of slides and guitar bends, courtesy of the southwest. ### 29 29 is quite the lonely portrait that gets painted across it's 4:19 airtime. Leen's bass plays in-between the solo nicely. ### Pieces of the Night Night driving. In retrospect, should have seen that coming via the name alone. If you distilled the Gin Blossoms (booze pun!), you'd hear Toad the Wet Sprocket in Pieces of the Night, especially in the Something's Always Wrong choral melody. Becker lending a hand on piano. ### Cheatin' Country music! I cry Country foul! This ain't grunge! This ain't [hair metal](/hair-metal/)! Nah, it's cool. Jesse Valenzuela drops some West Texas knowledge on us. Specifically, that things are all the same, from New York City to Galveston. Reverb'd slide guitar. I'm for it. Thank you, Robby Turner, for the delightful pedal steel. As good as Cheatin' is as a song, they did not end New Miserable Experience in full 90s rock splendor.reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/saints-and-sinners/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTSaints and Sinners exercises its glam metal muscles from start to finish. Kane invites [John McCurry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCurry), Chuck Kentis, Steve Steele, and Myron Grombacher on a 45 minute glam rock adventure, courtesy of Geffen Records and producer/songwriter Desmond Child. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sc4uT_IlfQ ## Saints and Sinners song notes ### Wild Nights Wild Nights keeps us waiting while the synth tiptoes in. Way to bring us in, Chuck! Machine gun notes! Saints and Sinners gets rolling now. Forget looking tough, Kane sings tough. Better than crying tough like [Poison](/poison/). ### Twisted Glambo wants to do down and dirty things to The Honourable Tania Rosamund Harcourt-Cooze. Being the honourable lady that she is, I am sure she refused his advances. The post solo fake chorus I'M TWISTED was actually a strong songwriting move. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZlNtLOXxC0 ### Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore? Hands up if this sounds like [Bon Jovi](/bon-jovi/) to you. Good, cause he wrote it, along with Sambora, Desmond Child, and Diane Warren. Cher recorded Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore? first, prior to Mr. Roberts getting ahold of it. Seeing as Jovi co-writer Desmond Child is a co-writer on every track on Saints and Sinners, it's safe to assume this was an easy sale. Bon Jovi would go on to record their own version as well. The song sounds awfully similar to Living in Sin off of [New Jersey](/bon-jovi/new-jersey/). Kentis owns synth pads. Kane's voice recursively sounds like the South Park guys trying to sound like Kane. ### Dance Little Sister If you told me that [Danger Danger](/danger-danger/) wrote Dance Little Sister, I'd believe you. Why would you tell your little sister to dance? Seems like just the opposite thing that you should ... oh, right, he's not talking about his actual sister. DANCE LITTLE SISTER DANCE! CAUSE YOU'RE TWO STEPS AWAY FROM LOVE! Kane feels you coming closer to the beat of his heart. Little sister, you have approximately two steps worth of distance to cover. ### Rebel Heart Chuck Kentis took piano lessons with the same teacher as Vince DiCola. Betcha five bucks that's true. You know DiCola from his work on the [Transformers: The Movie](/soundtrack/transformers-the-movie/) and [Rocky IV](/soundtrack/rocky-iv/) soundtracks. Speaking of Rocky, Kane is doing his best Stallone impression on the album cover. Makes sense, Kane is glam metal's Rambo. Rebel Heart wants to be bad ass. ### You Always Want It You Always Want It When You Can't Have It. And when you can, causes it's the Sunset Strip. Ahhhhh, the fade out chorus, always a choice decision. ### Fighter Fighter is a bitchin' rock tune! It's has _all_ of the ingredients: - Pinch harmonics - Sing-a-long chorus - Gang vocals - Anthemic lyrical content aimed at overcoming - Rippin' solo - Ample whammy - Clean super-chorus-pedaled guitar - Key change - Super power move high vocal end note https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY_jCBKkE6E ### I'm Not Lookin' for an Angel Church bell. Organs. And the sounds of an angel. Strong work, Glambo! You ain't never gonna earn a halo, no way, you make a living on the devil's payroll. _Strrrrrong lyrics_. Kane, no one is lookin' for an angel. Hate to tell you. Funny whammy technique on track 8. Another choral fade out. Keeping it classy, Kane. Keeping it classy. ### Too Far Gone Too Far Gone to turn back on Saints and Sinners now. Let's see this (second) album through. There isn't much that is special about Too Far Gone, as it's fairly formulaic, right down to the key change. Hey, if you got the pipes, and most everyone in the 80s had them, go for it. And that formula, it's solid gold. Hair metal is/was sooooo much better than all of the garbage that's on the radio today. ... what's a radio? ### It's Only Over for You I gave Chuck Kentis a lot of credit for taking Saints and Sinners to the top with his keyboards. It's Only Over for You is how you end a glam rock album. I still feel the heartache. For whom, I'm not sure. Did Kane leave her? Did she leave Kane? Did he breakup with her because she was too good for him? Did Kane let her down easy?recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bang-camaro-iii/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bang-camaro-iii/Bang Camaro's Third Album Will Be Perfect. Just Like The First Two.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMT ## Bang Camaro III notes Yes. It's _finally_ here. Bang Camaro is back, and they're exactly how you want them: loud and kick ass. ### Event Horizon Event Horizon is BC's scariest track, if only because it reminds us of the absolutely terrifying movie of the same name. ### We Know You Know They _DID NOT_ form this band for you if you hate massive falsetto. We Know You Know is a street fight come to sonic life. You can't stop the night! ### Too Fast to Fall in Love Picks up right where they left off. Too Fast to Fall in Love could have been on either [BCI](/bang-camaro/bang-camaro-i/) or [BCII](/bang-camaro/bang-camaro-iii/), as it has the guitar tones of the former, with the polish of the latter. Awesome take on a modern video. Check it out. https://youtu.be/8E6A7O-OCfE ### One Way 80s synth excellence. Some hints of the halcyon days of the legendary [Van Halen](/van-halen/). Super bad ass tune. ### Battery Man Battery Man is Bang Camaro doing Black Sabbath, if they could reimagine the (black) magick of Rock Rebellion ([BC I](/bang-camaro/bang-camaro-iii/)) as a Pirate's Sea Shanty. ### The Gatherer Harkening back to [Britain's New Wave of Heavy Metal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_wave_of_British_heavy_metal) is BC III's, The Gatherer. It's a bad ass tune that could have easily fit right into [BC II](/bang-camaro/bang-camaro-ii/). We too have dreamed of fire and ice when it rains. ### The Minstrel Harmonized fanfare! Let's have a Renaissance Faire where we all pretend it's 2010 and [Bang Camaro](/bang-camaro/) is playing a show at the Middle East in Cambridge. ### Begin Again Awesome tune. Set to 11. Enjoy. ... preferably with a 30 rack of PBR from that market across from the Sound Museum. ### Engage Engage is probably our favorite track on the album. Triumphant intro, bitchin' riff, dope chorus, Engage has it all. Forget the [Konami code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konami_Code), we could beat Contra with one life playing Engage on repeat. **ENGAGE!** ### Legend of the Night Only the most accomplished Nightlife Commandos ascend to the upper echelon known as the Legend of the Night. Legend makes us wanna throw some [bands](/bands/) out there as comparisons: - Judas Priest - Winger - BulletBoys - Iron Maiden - Triumph BC threw those five in a cup and rolled a Yahtzee. ### Never Stop the Rock Rock and the Night. Two things that will _never_ be stopped. Doz's bass is the third thing that will never, ever be stopped. ### Rock'em Deaf Emergency sirens wail over thick crunchy guitar. The Camaro reigns. Major choral parts. Great way to move the album out toward completion. ### The Singularity The Singularity is remarkably interesting. It's not how we would have wrapped the album, but we aren't in the pantheon of rock gods. Best to leave decisions to the grownups in the room, which in this case ... this very, very, _very_ arguable case, is Bang Camaro.recDpNPEzACumFGPohttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/sixteen-stone/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/sixteen-stone/Fast - Machinehead, Medium - Comedown, and Slow - Glycerine. Bush's 1994 debut album Sixteen Stone was literally rock.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTBush's Sixteen Stone drops five solid singles, getting the little things right. The debut album of [Bush](/bush/), Sixteen Stone holds up well nearly 25 years later. It also helped push lead singer Gavin Rossdale into instant fame. As for Pulsford, Parsons, and Goodridge, man, those guys could make a ton of noise! Sixteen Stone is a worthwhile addition to your rock album collection. Your mileage may vary with this observation, but it feels as if Sixteen Stone starts off in the spirit of [Nirvana](/nirvana/) and ends in [Smashing Pumpkins](/smashing-pumpkins/). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WPbqYoz9HA The five singles off Sixteen Stone are really strong. ## Album notes ### Everything Zen Great tension build up in the intro to Everything Zen. Bush brings in shifty, vibrating guitars, that rolloff to the bass and drums. And now Rossdale's vocals get introduced. That's pretty much how you write a perfect beginning to an Alternative Rock song. Same shifty guitars return for the solo. Got a Rockin' in the Free World breakdown at the 3:00 minute mark. There's no sex in violence! Love the grunge outro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps317u9Rhl0 ### Swim A garage rock tune. Right before the vocals enter is where the Mom opens up the door to the garage and asks the boys if anyone wants Kool-Aid. Swim is a decent tune. Could be a lesser album's 3rd or 4th single. Got quite the angsty end. Sixteen Stone is a good album for a teenager, which I was at the time. Who knew? ### Bomb Bomb feels British Distortion knock off of [Nirvana](/nirvana/), with a dash of Sponge, [Rotting Piñata](/sponge/rotting-pinata/), not [Wax Ecstatic](/sponge/wax-ecstatic/). ### Little Things Little Things is pretty good rock tune. The arpeggiated pre-chorus is key to building the rock power of the chorus. One confusing lyric, "Summer is winter and you always knew" ... what does that mean? Anyone? The octave vocal harmonizer, or whatever effect Gavin is using, really adds to the frenetic state of Little Things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02K82uw4lio ### Comedown Dave Parsons bassline on Comedown is the stuff of legend. It's simple. It's (relatively) repetitive. And it's remarkably memorable, almost up there with The Breeder's Cannonball. _Every_ time that I catch Comedown on [WAAF](/waaf/), I know it's Bush within half a heartbeat. Bush _really_ nails the medium paced anthem with an absolutely huge chorus. And then they proceed to *annihilate* the ending. Let's count how they do it. - 8x Why did you? - 1x Comedown - 1x I don't wanna come back down from this cloud - 8x This cloud Masteful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS3GiUAvjJ8 ### Body Is that Rusty Cage!? No? ... Body? Ok, fine. Sure sounded like [Badmotorfinger's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badmotorfinger) Rusty Cage. Anyway, Body, like Swim, could have been someone else's 2nd or 3rd single. Got a Black Lab vibe with the way Parsons' bass supports Pulsford's guitar work. Not enough good things can be said about Pulsford's playing style on Sixteen Stone. He uses nearly all of the tools available to him. Bends, slides, trills, hammers, whammy technique, everything short of EVH style finger tapping. ### Machinehead A freight train's worth of power. Machinehead is a get-psyched, pump-you-up song for sooooo many DudeBro's. Breath in, Breath out! In a shocking bit of creativity, Bush pulls the power plug on the refrain, cutting all of the distortion and Goodridge's pounding drums, creating an atmospheric float to Rossdale's vocals. Not true for the second time around, Bush tosses haymakers. A spoken word breakdown for a breather. Annnnnd, we're back. They don't seem to want to let Machinehead end. ### Testosterone HUGE riff. Parsons and Goodridge carry the verse. Testosterone was _not_ return for the #MeToo movement. I mean, sure, the lyrics might be poking fun of DudeBro's, but the music is DudeBro Rock 101. If you were going to name any song on Sixteen Stone, Testosterone, it probably should have been Machinehead. But I get what they are trying to do here on Track 7. ### Monkey Monkey is a fun tune. Great song to hear at a small rock club. Monkey may be sitting in a filler spot at Track 9, but it does a good job of keeping the pace up. The Monkey dodges, ducks, dips, dives, and dodges on the trail a bit with some interesting changes mid song and a, "scream out the ending" outro. ### Glycerine The illustrious 10th track 90s Power Ballad! Glycerine takes a cue from The Smashing Pumpkins "Disarm", relying on strings in the form of a cello, violin, and viola, only this time with an electric guitar, to convey the emotionally moving (to a teenager) sadness of letting the days go by. Hey, it made 28th on the _Billboard_ Hot 100. Once again, Bush not letting a song end. Pretty cool string ending though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOllF3TgAsM ### Alien Nice bass work from Parsons to open Alien. Atmospheric build up via feedback, (assumably) wirebrush sticks. Tension. Pressure. Slow, powerful chorus! Having Glycerine and Alien back to back is the rare occurrence of back-to-back slow songs. ### X-Girlfriend Punk rock fun! X-Girlfriend is not lyrically diverse, but it is _quite_ to the point. Bush was probably thinking, hey, why not with this one.reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/reloaded/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/reloaded/Dizzy's upbeat riff and the heavy riffage of Los Vargos keep Green Apple Quick Step's Reloaded from going underwater.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTSleep don't come easy is the mantra of GAQS second album Reloaded. Some call Reloaded post-grunge. It feels more like an experimental alternative rock band who still wanted a record deal. It really takes a few trips around the block, from garage punk parts, to lazy stoner lava lamp tunes, to commercial rock hits. Reloaded _probably_ has something for you, but maybe not. You can say this about Green Apple Quick Step, their choral parts are generally singable. ### Stone Gossard as producer It would be hard to leave out the fact that Stone Gossard of [Pearl Jam](/pearl-jam/) helped produce Reloaded. You gotta wonder how much influence he had on some of the songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvNzzzdNAhM A 5.75 might be generous, but again, Dizzy and Los Vargos really rock. ## Reloaded notes ### Hotel Wisconsin The beginning of Hotel Wisconsin sounds like a B-Boys instrumental from Ill Communication, with all of the echo-y vocal goodness of a Jane's Addiction tune. Not much in the way of lyrics on Hotel Wisconsin. ### Ed #5 And now GAQS rolls up to imposing feedback, and does their best to fit right in with the rest of the 90s grunge scene. Ed #5 could have had a place on the [Singles Soundtrack](/soundtrack/singles/). Maybe they should have met Stone sooner!? Nice drum and bass breakdown. Martin keeps quite active on Ed #5. ### No Favors No Favors = hard rock, grunge, and punk all rolled up into one. Braeden explodes into action from the get go, with Willman coming in on the call and response instead of their more traditional positions throughout the album. I'd be shocked to be find out that [WAAF Boston](/waaf/) never played No Favors. This tune was right up their alley. Great ending, too. ### T.V. Girl "And I do not have the strength to ... pick it up!" ... always loved how Willman sang that line. Tyler Willman and Mari Ann Braeden vocal harmonies interplay well on T.V. Girl, the typical 4th track slowdown. Willman conjures some Langston Royden (Spacehog) falsetto parts around ~3:15. There is deceptive power in the slow-played T.V. Girl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKG2I5U1O9k ### Underwater Holy tremolo, Batman! Had this song come out a decade later, it probably could have made the Garden State soundtrack. The left/right channel separation of guitars really helps convey the floating timelessness of Underwater. Second chorus layers Braeden back over Willman. Queue up the ephemeral, ambient piano notes. ### Dizzy Dizzy is/was a great tune. Good enough to get onto [The Basketball Diaries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Basketball_Diaries_(film)) soundtrack, along with other a few other Seattle acts you may have heard of, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. And, good enough to still get played. It's a fun song, no matter what year it is. Green Apple Quick Step pretty much made a touring career on Dizzy and Los Vargos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7FVEp0RwZ0 ### Alligator Speaking of vicious creatures, Alligator exudes hints of Dinosaur Jr. Willman adds some grit to the vocals when needed. Alligator is the perfect track to come before the kick ass Los Vargos. ### Los Vargos Love the huge flange into. Also, the back and forth vocals in the verse _absolutely slay_. *_slay!_* Los Vargos is far and away the best track on the entire album. GAQS does a great job of making the verse parts sound far more complicated than the single chords they are. Martin pounds relentlessly on the drum kit, his part underrated in my opinion. SLEEP DON'T COME EASY WHEN YOU'RE STUCK IN SUCH A SICKLY PARADISE! I THINK THAT I COULD USE IT! Awesome build up to the solo, even more awesome solo. This song must have _raged_ live in concert. Bringing the flanger back to close out Los Vargos. And the sharp cut to end the song. Can't say enough good things about this tune. #### Los Vargos live at The Paramount Theater in Seattle in 2018!!! And my, they _actually_ sound pretty good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJJH3XZorZs ### Tangled Tangled ... it's as if The Black Crowes spent a few years in Seattle before releasing Shake Your Money Maker. I don't hate it. Nice pre-solo guitar work over the tribal beat, before dusting off the wah pedal and giving us a little something to warm us up, before dialing up the overdrive. That whole exchange sounded like Stone suggested that the band just steal a page out of PJ bandmate Mike McCready's playbook. I wonder if Steve Ross and Daniel Kempthorne alternated parts here or not. ### Lazy Green Apple Quick Step mixes and matches playing styles decently well. Love the angelic background vox from Braeden on Lazy ... "Do you love her?" "DO YOU LOVE HER?" ### Space C*cksucker Like a down-tempo [Scenery and Fish](/i-mother-earth/scenery-and-fish/) (I Mother Earth), Space C*cksucker gets it's West Coast jazz groove on, in a grunge kind of way. If you were sitting on the Sunset Strip listening to Warrant and Poison and someone told you that this song would come out on a commercially sold album just a few years later, would you believe them? And hey, nothing like skipping vocals entirely and leaving a minute's worth of dead space on the track. ### Halloween Countless musicians have utilized the most excellent of Holidays, Halloween, as a title to a song. Lyrically, GAQS's Halloween resembles Stephen Lynch's Halloween most closely. Which, is kind of amazing.reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/top-gun/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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!Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTFor a movie that came out in 1986, you'd think that the primary source of its music would be from [hair metal bands](/hair-metal/), especially given the magnificently triumphant guitar work on the Top Gun Anthem. Instead, Top Gun keeps it classy by featuring Yacht Rock maestro, Kenny Loggins, midwest Power Pop rock band, Cheap Trick, and the Latin synth-brass of the Miami Sound Machine. And, when it needs to take it up a notch in movie, the klaxons burst to life, calling in older recording battleships like Otis Redding, The Righteous Brothers, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Before we get started though, we'd like to suggest you go back and watch the end credits for Top Gun. In the credits, you'll notice that Hollywood, played by Whip Hubley, is busy combing his hair to a mirror on the front-side of his locker. What you may _also_ notice is that he has photos of multiple babes in his locker. Guy was a stud! They don't call him Hollywood for nothing. For those looking for a challenge, Top Gun even has a [drinking game](https://www.baconsportsbeer.com/games/top-gun/) to play along with. Let's check out this [soundtrack](/albums/soundtracks/) that was released on May 13th of 1986 via Columbia Records. {% contentfig "/img/maverick-and-goose.jpg", "Photos of Maverick and Goose together in Top Gun", "The BEST of buddies" %} ### The real story of how the Top Gun Anthem was written Disclaimer: the video for the anthem is not _the most 80s thing ever_, but it's up there. Say you're [Steve Stevens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Stevens) and you're sitting around the green room, separating out the brown M&Ms from the rest. All of a sudden, the door bursts open. And on the other side is a mix of Tony Scott, Tom Cruise, Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, Harold Faltermeyer, and Anthony Edwards, because Edwards is a total bad ass. They're like, "Hey Steve, you're the fingers of rock! We need those magical phalanges to perform the most magnificently triumphant music since the National Anthem for our two hour military recruitment commercial named Top Gun, can you do that?" And if you're Steve in 1986, you're like, "Bodacious. But before we begin, and it's a big _but_, the National Anthem isn't even close to the most magnificently triumphant music ever created. Setting Throne Room (Williams) aside, you still have next year's [Appetite for Destruction](/guns-n-roses/appetite-for-destruction/), and, [Hysteria](/def-leppard/hysteria/), as well as everything that the fictional band [Wyld Stallyns](/wyld-stallyns/) will write.<br /><br />You see, eventually their music will help put an end to war and poverty. It will align the planets and bring them into universal harmony, allowing meaningful contact with all forms of life, from extraterrestrial beings to common household pets. And ... it's excellent for dancing." If you were there, you would have seen what Steve Stevens saw. Simpson's blank stare, he only listens to [Yacht Rock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_rock)). Tony Scott looking incredulous, he had high hopes of having Spinal Tap score his film. Jerry B. shaking his head because he just wants the National Anthem on repeat for entirety of the film ... 'Mmmerrika! Faltermeyer nodding coolly, he can work with this. Cruise being intrigued by the word extraterrestrial, maybe he'll do some research, after all, he has an extended vacation coming up after filming wraps and Clearwater, FL seems like a nice town. And of course, Edwards cocking his arm for a huge high five, he gets it. Of course he does. Just then, Bruckheimer gets a call on his Zack Morris cellphone, cause it's 1986 and all, and it's his buddy Michael Bay talking about a [cartoon movie](/soundtrack/transformers-the-movie/) his kid is watching and how he wants to make a live action movie that will ruin the childhoods of everyone who loved the original so dearly by changing how all of the robots look. So he steps out of the room. Simpson and Scott then start arguing over budgeting issues, how they can skirt the rights to the Righteous Brothers's "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", and how many times they need Rick Rossovich to flex in the shirtless volleyball scene. Edwards is like, "Yo, Donny, I'm just going to sing it to Kelly acapella!" And Harold is trying to get the cassette rewound on his boombox to play the demo tape he made for Steve to convince him to sign on for guitar work. Cruise is thinking. "Now Steve," Harold says. "I haven't written the melody line, only the foundational chord structure of the song, with appropriate instrumentation and ..." as his voice trails off, frustrated because the tape deck's play button was momentarily stuck. Unnoticed, due to the chaos in the room, Steve's amps are dimed, with the tubes saturated, ready for overdriven glory. Hamer in hand with the tremolo floating, Steve switches channels from standby to full throttle. It's at this time that Harold is hitting play on his silver Sony boombox. The programmatic drums start, panning to and fro, L to R, R to L. The synth bell rings once, now twice. Internalizing this, Steve pictures a fighter jet rising from the depths of an aircraft carrier, maybe the USS Carl Vinson? Nah, too new. ... The USS Ranger. Perfect. The airman on the flight deck taking orders. A flash of radar, four bogeys en route. Another shot of the F-14, resplendent in it's cold blue steel, a silver dove, waiting to spread its mighty wings. Yeah, this is good pacing. Another shot of radar, only now the four bogeys are five, the odds just got worse. Steve looks over at Cruise, squinty eyed from questioning his own spirituality. Looks at Harold, who is now just turning to face him. Looks at Tony and Don, notices that they have ceased their discussion, sensing that something momentous is about to occur. And with Jerry B. out in the hallway trying to talk his boy down off the ledge of murdering Transformers, he turns to the Goose himself, future Nick Bradshaw, one Mr. Anthony Edwards. Edwards matches the stare of one Mr. Steve Stevens. Mustachioed, with a PBR tallboy in his right hand and his left slowly rising, Edwards goes all in, legs spread wide, fist up, maximum power move. The fingers of rock burst into electric fire. The dimed, but probably at 11, maybe even 12'd if we are being honest, Marshall full stack bathes everyone in sound. Uncontrollably, Edwards speaks out over the music, "I feel a great convergence in the force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in pleasure, and were suddenly uproarious! ... I feel something amazing has happened!" Four minutes and fourteen seconds of hammer-ons, pull-offs, whammy excellence, dive bombs, two-hand tapping, pinch harmonics, power chords, note flutters, scoops, sweeps, braying horses, all in a cyclone of masterfully fretted and plucked notes. Stevens' Hamer hums in and out of breath from the shredding sprint of notes, the floyd rose battered, but intact from the passionately aggressive whammy tricks. His spangled raiment, a glossy silver poly-blend, molecularly bonds with his body due to a combination of perspiration and dripping [Aqua Net](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_Net) from his elaborately teased coif. Around the world, war stops for four minutes and fourteen seconds. It's as if We Are The World is true. Global Warming, rife with mainstream denial, reverses like Superman flying backward around Earth. Strangers shake hands. Sick babies are healed. Hungry children are fed. Parents get offered raises. Even corporations in America discuss profitable ways to increase maternity leave for mother's. *The glass ceiling shatters.* While the world outside radiated, the men in the room irrevocably changed for the worse. Managing to remain out of the room and thus bathing in the radiance of the performance, Jerry B. goes on to produce some stellar films (and so many sequels): - Days of Thunder - Bad Boys - The Rock - Enemy of the State - Coyote Ugly (the chicks, man!) - Remember the Titans - Black Hawk Down (Eric Bana, for the chicks!) - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - years pass and then Top Gun: Maverick However, in the afterglow of Stevens resplendence, the rest succumb to a vile and tragic fate. Donny Simpson, uncaged party animal, dies a decade later with 21 drugs in his system, the result of a 60k/mo. habit. Apparently he felt the need, the need for speed! Too soon? You're right, I'm sorry. Tony Scott, may his soul rest, jumped off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in LA, committing suicide. Tragic for sure. Harold Faltermeyer barely got a gig after his epic scoring. He did The Running Man, and fell off the map. At least he is coming back for Top Gun: Maverick. I expect good things. Cruise's tragic fall is anything but. Somehow, despite joining the Church of Scientology, and, murdering the acting career of Katie Holmes (she _was_ awesome as the Slutty Pumpkin though), he is excelling. He stars in a ton of good to really great movies, and, he is being asked back to reprise his ultimate role at Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. Hopefully he has been promoted since. But get this, the wildest thing is that he hasn't aged. Seriously, check out his photos. He is like a real life Lestat. But no tragedy was more tragic than Anthony Edwards losing both his hair and his mustache. A man may lose one, but never both. **Interesting thought:** If Tom Selleck's mustache is Chocolate Thunder, would Anthony Edwards' mustache just be called The Goose? ... but yeah, that all happened. Four minutes and fourteen seconds of peace and harmony on this Earth. ### The Top Gun Anthem youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCTJmXrgsFg Remember that story as you watch the Top gun Anthem video that [Dominic Sena](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Sena) directed. It's like Dominic was plugged into Steve Stevens' mind Matrix-style, as he storyboarded and subsequently filmed his vision for the video. In reality, we can all thank Steve Stevens and Anthony Edwards for Top Gun and the Top Gun Anthem. Without the Edwards power move, Stevens doesn't dial up the full confidence to shred the most patriotic music every created. He subsumed the power of Francis Scott Key, John Stafford Smith, and Jimi Hendrix. It's widely accepted that Mr. Faltermeyer and Mr. Stevens were promptly invited to the White House for lemonade and croquet on the front lawn for their generous contribution to patriotism and the American Way after writing this music. Every song is at least decent. The 1999 Special Edition obviously helps to raise the bar. But let's be honest and just point out that the Top Gun Anthem alone is worth 5 of the 8.75. <small>Tracks 11-15 are bonus tracks on a 1999 Special Edition release of the Top Gun Soundtrack.</small> ## Top Gun Original Motion Picture Soundtrack notes Crazy enough, the album produced six singles, all of which were released in 1986. Brian Gardner's mastering really shines though. ### Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins One would think that Kenny Loggins was the first phone call that got made to record Danger Zone, but it was actually Toto. In fact, Danger Zone went through a slew of other recording artists, most notably Bryan Adams (and REO Speedwagon, Corey Hart, and others). Personally, I think Bryan Adams would have slayed Danger Zone with equal aplomb. Unsurprisingly, Danger Zone still retains its pop culture relevance to this day. It's been used in TV Shows and Super Bowl commercials. Better yet, it's coming back for the sequal, [Top Gun: Maverick](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun:_Maverick). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwpn14IE7E Beyond being the U.S. Navy's "... most effective recruiting poster ever produced", the video for Danger Zone was shot by Top Gun director, Tony Scott. Perhaps the most important thing about the song Danger Zone is how many times a bunch of Bro's, sitting in their IROC-Z, said to each other in unison, "I feel the need ... the need for speed!" while blaring the titular track to the 1986 movie. Also, one would think that Danger Zone is the theme song of the Top Gun Soundtrack based on the sheer number of times it gets played. But come on, the anthem is _the anthem_. The Danger Zone video is equally bad ass, interspersed with scenes from the movie and the mythical Kenny Loggins playing with a SLR camera. If that doesn't say intensity, I don't know what does. #### The Story of Danger Zone Kenny Loggins actually tells the story of his involvement in Danger Zone in the video below. You'll see that Starship was offered the song before Loggins as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jNNH_-saFU ### Mighty Wings - Cheap Trick Mighty Wings might as well be Danger Zone 2, only better. Tension verse with minor verse into the exhilarating lift-me-up choral melody. Rick Nielsen lays down a classy solo. And who doesn't the lighthearted Ferris Bueller style synth notes that pop in and out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-4XsDQYDi4 No stranger to righteous soundtrack songs, Cheap Trick's Mighty Wings turns and burns through every verse and chorus, overlaying many of the Grunman F-14 Tomcat and MiG action sequences. Hands down the most bad ass song on the Top Gun soundtrack. This raging fire of a song really is a silver dove with mighty wings. If you're in the mood for another soundtrack anthem, check out [I Will Survive](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baTG6UZkrY8) by Cheap Trick on the [Gladiator Soundtrack (1992)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator_(1992_soundtrack)). Truly amazing was The Protomen's performance of Mighty Wings @ The Paradise in Boston, MA a few years back. ### Playing with the Boys - Kenny Loggins Annnnnd he's back. Kenny Loggins records the only hit song that Volleyball, both court and beach, ever had. Better still, Playing with the Boys has a regular mix AND a dance mix. *Oh that Kenny Loggins.* Playing with the Boys is featured in one of the **most** memorable scenes in the movie. Who remembers *Shirtless Volleyball!?* Shirtless beach volleyball had everything. Lets list them in order. - Spinning the volleyball on a finger - Watch check - Goose wearing a sleeveless cutoff - Mav in jeans - Slider flexing - Slider tossing Iceman into a headlock - Double high fives - A strong insult to end it It's just the best. Everyone loves shirtless volleyball, the girls _and_ the boys. It is quite a pivotal scene in the movie. [Bacon sports](https://www.baconsports.com/top-gun-volleyball-scene/) breaks it down further. Playing with the boys is good, but it isn't [Over the Top's](/soundtrack/over-the-top/) Meet Me Half Way. That song was a masterpiece. ### Lead Me On - Teena Marie Lead Me On by Teena Marie got all the funk that Sisqó left out. Without watching the movie, this is the song from the Top Gun awards banquet scene, right? The one where Viper offers to be Mav's RIO, but then he gets to the carrier and Principal Strickland assigns him (future) Andy Dufresne (Merlin / Tim Robbins). Nothing like some 70's Bose 301s bumpin' some synth-funk, dance pop at the Miramir Country Club whilst a bunch of Naval Aviators collect training awards while trying not to get cocktail sauce on their dress whites. Fun fact - Teena Marie had a hit with Lovergirl. It would have been so meta to perform that hit with Loverboy. Just saying. ### Take My Breath Away - Berlin The song _before_ the smoking jacket and snifter. Berlin's Take My Breath Away was the official sound of romance in 1986. It was also the offical winner of the Best Original Song category in the Oscars, beating out Somewhere Out There, Mean Green Mother, Life In A Looking Glass, and Cetera's Glory Of Love from the Karate Kid II soundtrack. When you think of bands named after cities, Berlin is at the top of your list, right? No? Clearly, because you are thinking about Boston and Chicago. Question, would it have been way too presumptuous to be named New York? Thought so. ### Hot Summer Nights - Miami Sound Machine Standard 80s pop here on Hot Summer Nights. The Sound Machine of Miami cranked out copies of the hit song template with regularity in 1986. Mirrors? Combs in their hand? Solid gold lyric writing. The radio is about to blow? Guess their boombox goes way past 11. ### Heaven in Your Eyes - [Loverboy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loverboy) Love the synth intro. You gotta hand it to Mike Reno, he really lays the dramatics on thick in Heaven in Your Eyes. Every movie, like every album, needs a ballad. Heaven in Your Eyes is Top Gun's. ### Through the Fire - Larry Greene Gotta be honest here, Through the Fire seems like it belongs in another 1986 movie, and no, I'm not talking about [Iron Eagle](/soundtrack/iron-eagle/). I'm talking about the outrageously awesome [Transformers: The Movie](/soundtrack/transformers-the-movie/). Reminds me a lot of Spectre General's (Kick Axe) Nothin's Gonna Stand In Our Way. Through the Fire got the electronic drumkit and synth combo that is a staple of 1986. But I need to know, who is Larry Greene? Let's check the internet to see if he had other hits ... I guess he was in the band [Fortune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_(band)) and wrote songs for other 80s movies, [Over the Top](/soundtrack/over-the-top/) and [Mystic Pizza](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095690/?ref_=nv_sr_1). ### Destination Unknown - Marietta Marietta's Destination Unknown is actually a solid track. If I recall correctly (without watching the movie), it's the song playing at the bar when Mav goes and hits on Charlie. ### Top Gun Anthem - Harold Faltermeyer (with Steve Stevens) Emblazoned with patriotism and radiating victory, the Top Gun Anthem is written and executed to perfection. Faltermeyer wrote an absolute gem. Why did Mav even switch to rockets? The harbinger of defeat, he should have just broadcast the Top Gun Anthem when he was intercepting enemy planes, every MiG pilot would have just bugged out and returned to base. You know who _would_ have blasted the Top Gun Anthem in his fighter jet's JBLs? Doug Masters. Playable as a track in Guitar Hero III. ## 1999 special edition bonus tracks ### (Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding Mav, getting the girl. A girl named Charlie. ### Memories - Harold Faltermeyer The music when Goose dies. 32 years later and I still can't talk about it. ### Great Balls of Fire (Original Version) - Jerry Lee Lewis In the movie, Goose is just being the consummate wingman and helping Mav get the girl. A girl named Charlie. ### You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - The Righteous Brothers You know this from the scene in the bar when Goose _first_ acts like the consummate wingman to help Mav get the girl. A girl named Charlie. I hate it when she does that! ### Playing with the Boys (Dance Mix) - Kenny Loggins A more "pop" version of this fantastic tune. You gotta check out the video. It's progressive attitudes toward female empowerment were definitely _not_ a theme of the 80s. Nice work, Kenny. Nice work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkst8OZjJ2o ## 2006 deluxe edition bonus tracks The 2006 Deluxe Edition bonus tracks are mostly radio hits in their own right, with the exception being Jennifer Rush's "The Power of Love". ### Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon Ahhhhh, the Speedwagon. Must have been cut because there were too many songs about love on the soundtrack. Unless ... yes, unless "Can't Fight This Feeling" was going to be layered over Maverick trying to come to terms with getting back into the cockpit. Then this song helps position Maverick's love affair with speed and danger. And ultimately, his return to glory. Yes, we'd like to think that this song originally played over Mav's conversation with Viper out at Viper's seaside San Diego house. Yes, Skerritt's character is busy telling Maverick the poignant story about flying with his old man and there is REO Speedwagon, coaxing Mav back into his flight suit for one last time. Until Top Gun 2: Maverick, that is. This was after Mav's time with Sundown as his RIO. After the tense movie score that saw Jester and Viper keep pushing Mav into the air. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpOULjyy-n8 ### Broken Wings - Mr. Mister Broken Wings. Need we say more about why Mr. Mister's Number One Hit in 1985 would be considered? Not sure we do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKhN1t_7PEY ### The Final Countdown - Europe Actually, The Final Countdown is a bit of a shocker in that it was left off the soundtrack. It probably would have sounded bad ass on the vinyl release. Then again, it's hard to include a band named Europe when you're piloting such a Pro U.S.A. film. Or something like that. Otherwise, the song nails the tonality, both musically and lyrically, to have earned a spot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jK-NcRmVcw ### Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship It's probably best that Starship didn't appear as a focal point in this film, as Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now would go on to be the major hit of 1987's Mannequin. Sure, it was another film with a 80s heartthrob on a motorcycle getting the girl, but way, way, (Way, Garth), different. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUXsXQ359pk ### The Power of Love - Jennifer Rush Oft covered, Rush's The Power of Love would have fit right in on the original soundtrack. Dual keyboards and huge electronic drum hits give Rush's vocals a solid foundation to blast out over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_zHQ6kFuQ0 ## Final thoughts on the Top Gun Soundtrack Wow! As far as movie soundtracks go, this is right up there. It's not [Rocky IV](/soundtrack/rocky-iv/), but what is?! I wonder what is going to happen for [Top Gun 2](/soundtrack/top-gun-maverick/) in November, will it feature the Top Gun Anthem? Yes, most likely. Couldn't very much see how they wouldn't have that excellent piece of music carry over into the upcoming film. As for Danger Zone or Mighty Wings, only time will tell. Perhaps there will be an updated version ... ## Random Top Gun Soundtrack Questions ### Is Unchained Melody in Top Gun? No. The Righteous Brothers only appear once with You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling. ### Who Made the Song Danger Zone? Loggins recorded/released/performed it, but Danger Zone was written by Tom Whitlock (lyrics) and Giorgio Moroder (music). ### What song did Tom Cruise sing in Top Gun? Tom Cruise's character, Maverick, sing's You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling by The Righteous Brothers in Top Gun. Anthony Edwards (Goose) also joins him. ### What song plays on the jukebox in Top Gun? Radar Radio, a song from Giorgio Moroder & Joe Pizzulo, plays on the Wurlitzer jukebox. It was a B-Side of Berlin's Take My Breath Away. Maverick is reading a paper and drinking a beer, enjoying the peace and solace with his Top Gun hat produly on display listening to Radar Radio until Charlie tosses a quarter into the jukebox and starts playing You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling. Radar Radio is a fun 80s tune though. Plenty of guitar riffage and soloing, and, plenty of saxophone work. Dig it. ### What song was the original Top Gun song? A song called Reckless by Judas Priest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkRYOopWjcc ### Does a MiG-28 exist? No, a MiG-28 does _not_ exist. ### What song appears in the movie the most? You'd think it would be Danger Zone from Loggins, but it is actually Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" which plays 4 times in the film. ### Were any true Hair Metal bands involved? Yes, actually one [hair metal band](/hair-metal/) was rumored to be potentially involved with the soundtrack. And that band was [Ratt](/ratt/). According to the 2010 book by Bobby Blotzer, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tales-RATT-Things-Shouldnt-Know/dp/0615364012" rel="nofollow">Tales Of A RATT: Things You Shouldn't Know</a>, a song called, "Reach for the Sky", which was written in the Out of the Cellar days, was in consideration for inclusion. It never materialized though, as the band chose to withdraw the song.rec4Uqc95OdsdLrQvhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/pet-your-friends/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTTell me all your thoughts on god, while I tell you all my thoughts on Dishwalla Pet Your Friends is good when it's good. It's alright when it's not. Setting Counting Blue Cars aside, I always liked Pretty Babies, Haze, Miss Emma Peel, and Charlie Brown's Parents. Would the 90s have missed [Dishwalla](/dishwalla/) if they had never existed? Probably not. But, whether intentional or not, they took the chance and challenged mainstream society by definitively referring to God as her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Clxtg2pFTQM ## Pet Your Friends notes ### Pretty Babies As for the music, it's a 90s rock no-doubter. - Medium pace? Check. - Non-intricate multi note arpeggio intro? Check. - Prominent clean bass? Check. Lyrically, it's a far cry from the Sunset Strip. It's quite the social commentary on the transitions of adolescence. "There is tension, for a popular child, and it doesn't get much worse than that" I applaud Dishwalla for writing Pretty Babies. I love [Winger's Seventeen](/winger/winger/), but I love that a band can make a coherent argument that opposes the very foundation that Seventeen sits on. ### Haze Alexander and Browning brew a 70s groove on Haze, with the wah and tremolo over the night club bass. Of the entire catalog of alternative rock 90s bands, Richards' vocals might be the smoothest. If his voice were sandpaper, it would be 600 grit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xboEseOVmpY ### Counting Blue Cars Tell me all your thoughts on god, cause I'd really like to meet _her_. Well done. The gender identity of "God" isn't challenged much in commercial media. Counting Blue Cars and Kevin Smith's [Dogma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogma_(film)), where god is played by [Alanis Morissette](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alanis_Morissette), are the first two examples that come to mind. The keys are the polished touch that gives this song that extra oomph. Amazingly enough, original Dishwalla singer, J.R. Richards recorded a version of Counting Blue Cars for How I Met Your Mother's season 8 episode: Stamp Tramp. I think only the original version of the song gets played in the episode. <iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 42px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=3733239809/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://jrrichards.bandcamp.com/track/counting-blue-cars-acoustic-dreamy-version">Counting Blue Cars - Acoustic Dreamy Version by JR Richards</a></iframe> Counting Blue Cars _is_ really great. Despite it being overplayed, despite it challenging ancient, modern, and future catholicism's views, despite everything, it's a great tune. Skip the cracks. ### Explode Explode sounds like its ready to do just that. Could be a U2 song. Shimmery guitars. Clean, punchy bass. Echoing vocals. Repeated lyrics in the pre-chorus. And in the chorus for that matter. Tremolo set on rapid bounce, or whatever the setting is to make guitars shimmer like a Shazam spell. Wasted time! Wasted! Wasted! Sonic feedback wall. Thanks for that. ### Charlie Brown's Parents 90s grunge. One of the best choruses on Pet Your Friends. Richards gets some comparison to Vedder, and I will agree, they share some tonality and expression, but they are different singers. Even the Collective Soul guy isn't a total Vedder copy. In fact, I think they are all really different versions of [Michael Hutchence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Hutchence) of INXS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubdmyms-Lts ### Give Give probably could have been on [Reloaded](/green-apple-quick-step/reloaded/) In the Give video, Dishwalla goes from early 90s rock band to being dressed like members of Central Perk's finest. Tell me J.R. Richards couldn't have passed for one of Rachel Green's boyfriends. Third time on the album they have mentioned being a child, or being worried about childhood. Interesting. Rotary speaker guitar solo. Classy. The video is Black Hole Sun's far less bad ass cousin. Dishwalla _really_ wants to know ... what would you give? Love the groovy outro breakdown. Where did that come from?!e https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecQRpmFzbKc ### Miss Emma Peel Pretty sure Dishwalla borrowed a few chords from Everclear's [Sparkle and Fade](/everclear/sparkle-and-fade/) Another catchy chorus ... "[MISS EMMA PEEL!" Coming out a few years before Uma Thurman took her turn as [Emma Peel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Peel), this song _must_ have been written about Diana Rigg's character in the 60's show, The Avengers. ### Moisture An underrated song. I'd imagine when people hear the name Dishwalla, they hear a sound that is slightly more powerful than the Wallflowers or Counting Crows, but Dishwalla rocks more than you know - as is evident on Moisture. Tremolo pedals came back in the 90s. Not really a feature of 80s hair metal. ### The Feeder The Feeder sounds a bit like Atmosphere's [The Best Day](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMBMgxUw6YQ). Good city walking music. The type you'd play after getting off the public trans and on the way to your 9 to 5 because your band never made it. The type that gives you an idea for a song, a song that washes away like notes written in the sand the minute you step into the office and your boss starts yelling at you. Oh well, you can always write a music blog 15 years later. Glad we got some solid power chord chugging. Rin-jin. Love the light > medium > heavy transition of tone across The Feeder. ### All She Can See Solid groove there. Well done, Scott Alexander. Dishwalla singer J.R. Richards could contort his voice to incorporate the vocal timbre of certain contemporaries while remaining individually recognizable. Lots of 90s wah. Way to go hard for a few beats before the hard stop. ### Only for So Long Dishwalla breaks out the Hammond on Only for So Long. The song has a little life in the chorus. Strong pre-choral drum fill from Pendergast. ### Interview With St. Etienne Interview with St. Etienne is a solid jam. <small>Track 12 is a hidden track : Interview with St. Etienne</small> ## Counting Blue Cars lyrics Must of been mid afternoon I could tell by how far the child's shadow stretched out and He walked with a purpose In his sneakers, down the street He had, many questions Like children often do He said, "Tell me all your thoughts on God?" "Tell me am I very far?" Must of been late afternoon On our way the sun broke free of the clouds We count only blue cars Skip the cracks, in the street And ask many questions Like children often do We said, "Tell me all your thoughts on God?" cause I'd really like to meet her and ask her why we're who we are "Tell me all your thoughts on God?" cause Im on my way to see her so tell me am I very far am I very far now Its getting cold picked up the pace How our shoes make hard noises in this place Our clothes are stained We pass many, cross eyed people And ask many questions Like children often doreczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bang-camaro-i/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bang-camaro-i/Bang Camaro's First Album Is Perfect. Truly Perfect.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTIt startles us to remember that the height of Bang Camaro was already 15 years ago. But rock & roll will _never_ die. And so on the cusp of Bang Camaro III do we give you our notes on this, their debut album. **Sidenote:** Maybe [Bang Camaro](/bang-camaro/) has the singular power to save The Middle East from closing? <iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1934923034/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://bangcamaro.bandcamp.com/album/bang-camaro">Bang Camaro by Bang Camaro</a></iframe> ## Bang Camaro I notes ### Push Push (Lady Lightning) In totally rad news, Director James Gunn used Push Push (Lady Lightning) in the third episode of the hit show, [Peacemaker](/soundtrack/peacemaker/). Word has it that that action might have just spurred on Bang Camaro III. ### Swallow The Razor Hell bent, hell bent for liquor, wine's fine but whiskey's quicker. What's faster than whiskey? Bang Camaro when they're stealing your girl. That's what's faster. Swallow The Razor is a driving rock tune that walks the Bang Camaro walk, sonically and lyrically. It's [Van Halen's Panama's](/van-halen/1984/#panama), angry, younger brother after the divorce. Swallow The Razor is as perfect as a second track gets. ### Pleasure (Pleasure) Pleasure (Pleasure) lives up to its track slotting in the #3 position on the album. Sure, Push Push _could_ have gone here too, but Pleasure (Pleasure) works too seamlessly with how BCI flows. Steamin' Steve Clark of [Def Leppard](/def-leppard/) would be proud of the riffage that Bennett and Necochea cook up on Pleasure. Same goes for the Def Leppard choral parts. Come to think of it, did Def Leppard write this tune? They didn't. But who cares, it's a bitchin' track and it segues perfectly into Gates of Love. ### Gates of Love ### The Ballad Every [band](/bands/) worth their salt has a strong [power ballad](/power-ballads/), right? This is the Camaro's. Remember how we said that the BC Man Choir is faster than whiskey when it comes to stealing your girl? Well too late, you've already lost her now that The Ballad has started. In fact, that's exactly what the choir is telling you when they sing, "Hey man, it's alright. We're just gonna take your girl home tonight." ### Out On The Streets Live. Love. Die. Rock. The only four words that you need to know. ### You Know I Like My Band A warning to suitors & suitorettes everywhere, don't come between a bandmate and their band. You Know I Like My Band is confident. But the follow up, I Know You Like My Band, is 100% pure, Colombian confidence. You can find that track on [Bang Camaro II](/bang-camaro/bang-camaro-ii/). ### F.Y.T.F.O. Anyone know what this means? ### Nightlife Commando Night! Life! Coooooooooooomannnnndo! Autobiographical? 100%. ### Rock of Mages A Blitzkrieg of excellent. Plus, a song with [rock in the title](/songs-with-rock-in-the-title/). ### Rock Rebellion FIST UP! ### Bang Camaro Bang. Camaro. The only two words in the song. And the song only _needs_ two words. One could even make an argument that it's the band's best song. Only Bang Camaro and Iron Maiden could get away with that. ## Wrapping Up Bang Camaro I unfolds as a self-contained glam metal opera. Not even a choir pun. 1. It starts with them trying to convince the girl to make the romance. They build up her confidence by giving her an ultra powerful name, like Lady Lightning. 2. The inner demon takes over and drinks feverishly. 3. The promises of what the night brings for her. For everyone, really. 4. They steal someone's girlfriend and have their way with her. 5. And then they tell said boyfriend. Openly mocking him. 6. It's tomorrow and they brave the mean streets of the city. (Boston?) 7. She's clingy and they gotta ditch last night's triumph. 8. Whatever F.Y.T.F.O. means. (One of Rock's Greatest Mysteries). Feels like boyfriend showed up for a fight though. But they must take the stage. 9. They're back to doing what they do best. Playing bitchin' tunes, kicking ass, and talking to chicks. 10. Boyfriend wants a piece and the band starts the war chant. 11. Everyone rallies in defiance. 12. Bang Camaro, like Wu-Tang, forever. It's a 12-step recovery program that may or may not require penicillin. **FIST UP!**recDpNPEzACumFGPohttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/skid-row/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/skid-row/Skid Row's Self-Titled Debut Album is a masterpiece of rock and hair metal, pumping out bitchin' hits, 18 and Life, I Remember You, and Youth Gone Wild. Snake Sabo = EPIC rock name!Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTWhile drummer Rob Affuso was busy nailing Neil Peart fills in a Rush tribute band, you could find [Sebastian Bach](/sebastian-bach/) crushing some Led Zeppelin tunes - aka - [Cock Rock](/cock-rock/). Meanwhile, down the road, Dave "Snake" Sabo and Mr Jon Bon Jovi (also from [New Jersey](/bon-jovi/new-jersey/), clearly) were crushing beers, trying on leotards and discussing Sabo’s upcoming project - [Skid Row](/skid-row/). Sabo, having introduced Jon to Richie Sambora - was owed a big solid so Jon helped jumpstart the band as the final lineup came together and a demo tape that instantly garnered the attention of local metalheads while heading out on tour in support of [Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet](/bon-jovi/slippery-when-wet/) tour and Aerosmith. They signed with Atlantic, hit the studio and produced one of the great metal albums of the 80’s - the Self-titled "Skid Row" (come on guys, any of your song titles would have made an epic album title...except, ’Sweet Little Sister’. That would have been creepy). Following the formula of their spandexed predecessors, they came out swinging with the single "Youth Gone Wild" before getting deep with "18 and Life", slowing things down with "I Remember You" and then ramping back up with the bitching "Piece of Me". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O317T6Zlno Totally bitchin' [hair metal](/hair-metal/) album that was almost entirely written by Sabo & Bolan. ## Skid Row notes **Update from Fizz:** Sebastian Bach could belt it out. Really. Dude had OUTRAGEOUS vocals to match the attitude. Don't believe me? Listen to Wasted Time on [Slave to the Grind](/skid-row/slave-to-the-grind/). You're welcome. ### Big Guns Oh shit, let’s kick this party off with a big ol open G chord from the Snake! Couple hammer-off’s and some bends and we know we’re in for a good time. This is the perfect opener to this album that feels 5 years too late but is still fully in its prime. This song never slows down and we’re gonna take this cheesy metaphor for boobs as far as we can take it! Rob Affuso and Scotti Hill snag a songwriting credit on Big Guns. Love it. ### Sweet Little Sister The "Ballerina from the subway train" from Big Guns has grown up and and is now the "Subway Queen" whose turned from tricks to a badass Mona Lisa with a new tattoo who knows how to squeeze the streets while keeping the veneer of an angelic princess at home. Wait...is this album a full-on concept album? Whether or not this is Skid Row’s Magna Opus, this song does pretty much what Track 1 did: kick ass and never slow down. ### Can’t Stand the Heartache You’d probably saw the title and assumed it was time to slow things down a little. I know a couple guys names Snake and Scotti that would tell you to go fuck yourself. With that said….holy shit this IS a concept album! This song tells the story from the perspective of our little Subway Queen’s "John’s" that made the mistake of actually falling in love. "That’ll be $200" has never sounded more romantic then it did in the 80’s. I miss the 80’s. ### Piece of Me The 4th and final single of their 5x Platinum album might be best know for the song that was playing when Bach go hit in the face with a bottle during a performance in Springfield MA when they were on tour supporting Aerosmith. Like any rational lead singer, he flung the bottle back, missing and hitting a girl instead, and then jumped into the audience to fight real bottle thrower while of course subsequently kicking another fan in the face (all the while, the band played on). He was basically Ron Artest before Ron Artest was even cool. Oh yeah, this song kicks ass. Meanwhile, our "John" has taken to the streets as a transvestite prostitute. ### 18 and Life The ultimate Skid Row track goes off script and gives us a power ballad about a child blowing another child away. This song put them on top of the metal charts and began a short but strong run of Skid Row being the biggest metal act on the planet. Wait, maybe they didnt go off script. What if Ricky was the boyfriend of Subway Queen only to discover her secret life and he fell off the rails one night? <iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/ToMjGpnXBTw7vnokxhu" width="480" height="289" class="w-100" alt="Ted Theodore Logan says Whoa" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe> ### Rattlesnake Shake What is it with "Rattlesnake Shake"? First Fleetwood Mac and then [Motley Crue](/motley-crue/). As far as my advanced googling research shows, this is appears to be pure happenstance. Anyway, we’re back on the same streets that Subway Queen and John now work their magic but things aren’t as good for Tricky Little Vicky and Juicy Miss Lucy. Epic riffs and bitching solos ensue. ### Youth Gone Wild the first ever single from Skid Row is as good as any other song you’ve ever heard. Yeah I said it. In typical Skid Row, they tease you for a couple seconds before slapping you in the face with another badass riff. There’s not much to say here - this song kicks ass and you should be listening to it right now. ### Here I Am Best riff on this album. Whispers in your ear ever so subtly "we’re gonna melt your fucking face off". Subway Queen is leaving the life and finds herself at the 2nd Ave bus waiting to get out of town when, low and goddamn behold, there’s John getting in the same bus to escape the travesty of a life he’s left behind. This story is coming full circle! Anyway, this song keeps the formula working strong despite being the 8th iteration. ### Makin’ a Mess Harkens back to childhood playgrounds to bust out the 1-2 call and response story of T-Bone Billy catching his woman cheating, committing some domestic violence and kicking her out into the world to fend for herself while he returns to his original love of playing guitar. But random blogger guy, what's this got to do with Subway Queen and John? Well dearest readers...not a goddamn thing. Just a kick-ass tune that belonged on this record. Interestingly enough, the only songwriting credit Bach receives on the entire album. ### I Remember You wait...was that a fucking bridge? You might not have noticed but Skid Row don’t do no damn bridges. The timeless ‘intro-verse-chorus-versus-chorus-bridge-solo-chorus-outro’ structure got thrown right out the damn window when it came time for Bolan to write a new tune despite the fact that bridges have been around since the original Yohann Sebastian Bach first defined the ‘bridge’ in Orchestral Suite #3’s 2nd act: "Air on a G string". With that title he also paved the way for every sexy 80’s power ballads as we know them today. Godspeed Mr Yohhan! Keeping with the story: this is Ricky rotting away in jail remembering his first and only love. ### Midnight/Tornado wish they had just called this "midnight tornado" as it’s a kick-ass title and doesn’t set up you for the disappointment of thinking you’re about to get 2 songs when, in reality, Tornado is just a little outro piece. With that said, it’s time to complete our Opus concept album. Subway Queen and John and found their version of nihilistic love and are tag-teaming society with their "prowl of love". The hooker-lonely gent-anarchy love triangle comes full circle in this Bolan penned tale of pentatonic passion and lawless lust. Holy shit, now that would be an album title!recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/screw-it/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTFavorite 80s band? Favorite singer? Favorite 80s guitar player? No. But, [Andy Timmons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Timmons) is/was bad ass. And he just may be in my "take 3 guitar players to dinner" conversation. And, [Ted Poley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Poley) was no slouch, dude had some pipes. Screw It! is an album that feels like it was written on the practice room couch, if you know what we are sayin' ... In many ways, it was a bit unfair for anyone to expect too much out of the [Danger Danger's](/danger-danger/) and the [Mr. Big's](/mr-big/) of the world, what with [Paul Gilbert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gilbert) and Andy Timmons and all. These two guitar hero's have, in Paul Gilbert's words, played as many notes as grains of sand in a bucket. Or something like that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvc5pHMSewk I enjoy it. Your mileage may vary. Still, worth a listen, even if you don't love 80s [hair metal](/hair-metal/) like I do. ## Screw It! notes Overall, they let Andy loose on this album. His tone is superb. ### Ginger Snaps NSFW. Danger Danger's Rocket Queen, only in your face, like everything else they do. ### Monkey Business - [lyrics](#monkey-business-lyrics) HUGE vocal opening after Ginger Snaps. Typical 80s fun, uptempo, Fallen Angel sounding riff. Tons of Whoa's, tons of Yeah's. At least a mild attempt at innuendo instead of just broadcasting their desire to spend time with the ladies. Annnnd I spoke to soon, there is the pre-chorus. Timmons crushes the 80s note sweeps at the end of the solo. Also, _who_ was in the Monkey Business video? Maybe it was guitarist Andy Timmons stellar riffs or something that attracted the ladies. Scorching. ### Slipped Her the Big One - [lyrics](#slipped-her-the-big-one-lyrics) almost NSFW? maybe? Inspired lyric writing ... for sure. Conjures [Winger's Seventeen](/winger/winger/), but even more lewd. Seriously, WHO is paying for this album to be made!? Questions aside, this song is everything you want your second song to be, bold, brash, everything that directs the listener toward the most talent on the album: track 3. ### Beat the Bullet best song on the album and it isn't close. Amazing, [Top Gun "Memories"](/soundtrack/top-gun/#memories---harold-faltermeyer) style intro (Goose (Lt. Nick Bradshaw) is dead, yeah, that part). Totally bitchin' riff. Amazing finger work over the intro riff. I will allow the tip of the cap to [Def Leppard's "Photograph"](/def-leppard/pyromania/#photograph) in the chorus. Love the drawing back of the overdrive for a few bars toward the end ... right before "READY AIM FIRE ... BULLET!" I'm smitten! Outro solo riff. Please consider this a complete tune. ### I Still Think About You The very worst/best lyrics in the history of 80s hair metal. Slotted in the fourth track*, which is widely the "ballad" spot on any album, this tune says NOTHING that hasn't already been said before. And I love it. Feel the inspiration behind these lyrics, "I still think about you, do you think about me?" Now, they can get away with this because it follows a top 50 hair metal song in Beat the Bullet. Plus, you forget about the cheese once Timmons enters ... though he does cop an Every Rose/I Remember You feel to the solo. <small>* I don't consider Ginger Snaps to be a true lead track. Hence why it's the fourth track</small> ### Get Your Shit Together You can hear the SRV influence in the guitar work. Plus, that spoken word intro comes back at the end of the album, only less awesome. Or, well, maybe just as awesome ... if you're into crushing Bud Heavy's in a sweaty (probably AC'd) band room with ladies, producers, etc. Ok, just as awesome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpahnM6rNoI ### Crazy Nites Probably the most fun tune on the whole album. Danger Danger LOVES key changes and it shows on Crazy Nites. Bitchin' tune for sure. It's a "me and the boys" song, talks about all the fun they will have around town, chasing skirts, drinking ice cold cruisers, and generally being bad. Every hair metal band had such a song, perhaps many. ### Puppet Show Pure shredding. Love it. They must have had a little pull with A&R/mgmt. to sneak a minute long solo onto the album. Timmons is like "Screw this, I'm cranking it up" mid album. Got a Nuno Bettencourt inspired "Do you want to play" from [Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure](/soundtrack/bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/) feel to it. ### Everybody Wants Some Sounds an awwwwful lot like Lay Your Hands On Me from Bon Jovi's [New Jersey](/bon-jovi/new-jersey/). Hmmmm. I do dig the bridge guitar work. The lyrics are as all Danger Danger lyrics are ... obvious. "Everybody wants some, everybody needs some, oh oh oh oh, how about you?" Or how about "Love to play doctor with the girl next door" Timmons refrains from laying down a thousand notes and makes the most of a concise solo. Gang vocals! Hey I know, let's just toss out names of cities we've been to! Amsterdam! Fort Lauderdale! ### Don't Blame It on Love Oh man, stronnnnng start to the song. Ravel and Timmons recycle Beat the Bullet a bit. Kasey Smith drops a few crystalline notes to remind you he exists. Love the "Pat Benatar" sounding return to the intro. Poley slays the key change with inhumanly high vocals. Also, it's a baller move to return to the opening line(s) of a song in the outdo. The tough get going when the going gets tough ... Danger Danger doing Danger Danger things. Could you imagine what writing apps Grammarly or Hemingway would have done to Ted Poley's lyric notebook? "Ted, this album reads at a third grade level" Absolutely love the vocal rush effect. KEY CHANGE! ### Comin' Home Right about here in the album we need a slow one, says the producer. Timmons Texas slow-hands the in-between lyric riffs like an outfielder patting his glove, dude just wants to stay in the game. Poley mails in the lyrics, more so than ever. ### Horny S.O.B. Really stretching our lyrical capacity here. Obligatory album voice box usage (1x per 80s hair metal album). ### Find Your Way Back Home I swear, more than any other band, Danger Danger ransom noted the lyric writing process. Hey Bruno, I see your, "Don't give up on love" and raise you, "Open up your heart". "Uhh, Ted, this song really needs a, "climb the highest mountain". "Steve, you're a genius!". That's how Find Your Way Back Home was written and I say that with 93% confidence. ### Yeah, You Want It! Where did the Run DMC ripoff come from? Really? This sounds like they were seventy five beers deep in the studio one night and thought, "Oh, we're from Queens, too! How hard could it be to write a rap song?" I mean, they name drop [LA Guns](/la-guns/), [Enuff'Z'Nuff](/enuff-znuff/), and [Poison](/poison/) in the song. They even call out Naughty Naughty. They, like [Warrant](/warrant/), also call out Tipper Gore for her stance on censorship. Funny enough, it might have the best guitar solo of any rap song, Timmons really shreds. The "Yeahhhhhhhh" at the end comes straight from the Beastie Boys. Was this song a parody? An homage? I'm confused. **Fun fact:** You know who was 75 beers deep once? Wade Boggs. Apparently [Wade Boggs drank 107 beers](https://www.baconsportsbeer.com/beer/wade-boggs-beer/) on a flight. The world (and the internet) never forgot. ### DFNS Hey, let's reprise Get Your Shit Together on someone's Gibson hummingbird, that will totally complete this haphazard dedication to ladies, ladies, booze, and more ladies that we are calling an album. ## Screw It! facts, details, and other hair metal band fun Screw It! was released on October 1st, 1991 via Epic (record label) and was recorded at 1991 at New River Studios, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, coming in at a length of 57 minutes and 30 seconds. * Produced by Musper, Ravel, and West * Members of [Extreme](/extreme/) contribute to the album, including Cherone, Bettencourt, and Badger * 30+ people lent their vocal talents to the backing vocals * Bruno Ravel's string quartet family showed up to lay down some strings Ok, well that wraps up album note #1. It should come as no secret that I enjoy Screw It!, and Danger Danger for that matter, if you know anything about [me](/fizz/). - - - ## Screw It Lyrics ### Monkey Business lyrics People say I got a dirty mind But you don't think so clean See it takes one to know one And baby I've known some If ya know what I mean C'mon little sister I could be your mister right If ya got the time So if you're in the mood For a slow poke honey Baby won't you give me a try Whoa yeah We can do it all day Do it all nite Whoa yeah Ain't gonna stop 'til I get it right 'Cuz there Chorus: Ain't no business like monkey business Climb on up my tree No there Ain't no business like monkey business Monkey around with me Ol' King Kong He had a thing for blondes The ladies were drivin' him ape Then that poor boy slipped And he lost his grip From the top of the Empire State He had a real bad habit Always had to have it Ain't nothin' wrong with that So if ya think that's cool Wanna play in my zoo All ya gotta do is ask Whoa yeah We can do it all day Do it all nite Whoa yeah Ain't gonna stop 'till I get it right 'Cuz there Chorus Climb on up my tree Just like the birds and the bees A bungle in the jungle Oughta do the trick for me ### Slipped Her the Big One lyrics She looked so sweet in her hi-heeled shoes She really knocked me out I knew exactly what she wanted to do There wasn't any doubt She looked at me With a spark in her eye and she said C'mon baby we could have a good time So I Slipped her the big one I really knocked her out Slipped her the big one I really knocked her out She moved so fast it was quite a surprise I didn't need a shove It felt so good when she took me inside She fit me like a glove - all the way around One for the money Two for the show I made her an offer and she couldn't say no When I Silpped her the big one She really knocked me out Slipped her the big one She really knocked me out Slip slip Slipped her the big one Slip slip One for the money Two for the show I made her an offer and she couldn't say no Slipped her the big one I really knocked her out Slipped her the big one I really knocked her out Slipped her the big one She really knocked me out Slipped her the big one A little in 'n' out, in 'n' out, in and out Slip slip Slipped her the big one Slip slip Slipped her the big one Slip slip Slipped her the big one Slip slip Slipped her the big onerecUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/adrenalize/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTAdrenalize - Def Leppard’s first album without Steve Clark. Just a shame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbOBMl42qw8 It's a bit of a dip from [Def Leppard's](/def-leppard/) last two albums, [Pyromania](/def-leppard/pyromania/) and [Hysteria](/def-leppard/hysteria/), but how could you legitimately compare anything to them? Pyromania was totally bad ass, and Hysteria is one of the most legendary albums ever released. Make no mistake, Vivian Campbell has the all the skill in the world. It's just that Steve Clark was ... well, Steve Clark. Along with [Appetite for Destruction](/guns-n-roses/appetite-for-destruction/), Hysteria released 7 singles. Just incredible. ## Adrenalize notes ### Let's Get Rocked Great way to start an album. Musically solid, Let's Get Rocked is one big euphemism lyrically. At least it's classier than every track on Danger Danger's [Screw It][/danger-danger/screw-it/]. Def Leppard was a bit more keen to good marketing than some of their comrades (cold war pun). Another song with [rock in the title](/songs-with-rock-in-the-title/). ### Heaven Is Def Leppard owns the pre-chorus better than any band in the history of time, and that's the best part of this mostly forgettable tune. The solo harkens back to Hysteria's Animal and Hysteria. ### Make Love Like A Man Three tracks in and we drop innuendo and euphemisms for getting to the point. Let's call it what it is, another song about getting chicks over to your house. Fun guitar riffs though. Interesting little rap part around 2:40 or so. ### Tonight OLD SCHOOL. Tonight gives Adrenalize a much needed boost in street cred with Pyromania / [High 'n' Dry](/def-leppard/high-n-dry/) feel musically. ### White Lightning Following Tonight, White Lightning is a pretty complete tune and a bit of a change of pace for Def Leppard on Adrenalize as it's not a compact and formulaic attempt at writing a hit. ### Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) The chorus pedal'd clean guitars are staples of the Def Leppard sound, almost as much as the heavy synth drums and the "Def Leppard Chorus". Decent tune. Fluttery guitar solo from Collen's magic fingers. Elliot name drops Stairway To Heaven. Bold choice. "You couldn't get it much better" ... signature Def Leppard sound over that part. ### Personal Property Even Def Leppard isn't immune to claiming ownership over women. A decent tune that might be a hit for a Saigon Kick or Bang Tango, but not the Joe, Rick, and The Sideways Mob. ### Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad A rare, 8th track lost-in-love/heartache song. It's got a surprisingly bitchin' breakdown ... "damned if I don't, damned if I do". Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad is more like Have You Ever Needed A Song So Bad ... and that song is Bringing on the Heartbreak. Def Leppard wrote "sadness" better in 1981. ### I Wanna Touch U Lovable fluff. Like Personal Property, I Wanna Touch U would be a hit for other bands, but never ascends to Def Leppard's lofty standard. Key change to keep it interesting though. I do so love me a key change. ### Tear It Down A powerhouse of a song. It was the very last tune that Steve Clark played live with Def Leppard, appearing on the MTV music awards in 1989. This song has it all, huge riff, impactful solo, a bad ass "Def Leppard chorus", and tons of energy. I always envisioned this song was the epicenter of what it meant to be Def Leppard - the bridge between all the songs written prior and all those that followed. Tear It Down represents the changing of the guard from Steve Steamin' Clark to Vivian Campbell (an amazing guitar player in his own right). Tear It Down definitely sits on the Fizz Top 50 best [Hair Metal][/hair-metal/] songs chart.recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/danger-danger/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTDanger Danger - Uses Saturday Nite to get Naughty Naughty and Bang Bang Hey, I'm all for doing what you want, thematically. But let's get real, [Danger Danger](/danger-danger/) writing a song called Bang Bang isn't exactly John Williams laying the foundation of Star Wars as the Norse God of Leitmotifs. Nor did they follow up their debut album with an art piece to compensate. Listen to [Screw It](/danger-danger/screw-it/) and we think you'll get it. Quickly. Back to the leitmotif. A leitmotif is, "a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation." If you want to learn even more, the [New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/a-field-guide-to-the-musical-leitmotifs-of-star-wars) is up to the challenge. Danger Danger is WAY more about babes and good times than [Motley Crue](/motley-crue/) and [Guns'n'Roses](/guns-n-roses/). Ok, maybe not _way_ more, but you get the point. They didn't exactly exude street cred. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKxHANTXGAY Let's be honest, the album should really be titled Naughty Naughty. That would have been a much better title than going self-titled. Check out our list of [Danger Danger's best songs](/danger-danger/songs/). ## Danger Danger notes Ravel and West wrote some decent tunes on Danger Danger's self-tited debut album. Fun fact, Bruno Ravel was in Westworld. Nottttt that Westworld ... [Westworld](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westworld_(American_band)) the band. ### Naughty Naughty As is true across all bands, piano/keys (KEYTAR!) absolutely improve ALL facets of a band. Kasey Smith adds much street cred to the lineup. Poley wastes no time introducing his ability to hit the upper registers on the debut album. Naughty Naughty is just sultry enough to make you want to wash your linens. It also sets the tone for every single Danger Danger song with lyrics like, "Girl you look better in your birthday suit". Straight class, Poley! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbJWJn8RZdY ### Under the Gun Synth vocals? A little piano action. All nice things. Under the Gun is really Beat the Bullet's prequel. It's also Danger Danger's Runaway ([Bon Jovi](/bon-jovi/)). Love choral backing vocals ... Bringing you down!!! Tasteful and compact solo by [Tony "Bruno" Rey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Rey), who was also a member of [Saraya](/saraya/). Synth vocal fade out. Nice work. ### Saturday Nite A texas roadhouse song, only in the key of [hair metal](/hair-metal/). Ted Poley and crew are ALWAYS looking for action and more action. Danger Danger loves to drive in the fast lane, and of course, look for some action. Timmons' tone is crisp, along with his playing on the solo. Red light, green light, ready to go! Looks like another red hot Saturday Nite! ### Don't Walk Away A fourth track ballad, right on schedule. Don't Walk Away is passable as a fourth track ballad, but nothing to write home about. Got a bit of a [Def Leppard Hysteria](/def-leppard/hysteria/) flair, let's count the ways * clean guitars, heavy on the chorus pedal * echo on the vocals * arpeggiated chords * overdriven guitars floating in for some phrases and promptly floating back out Outro Ooooohs. Standard fare for hair metal balladry. ### Bang Bang The hit! Huge intro. A decent verse. Pre-chorus is pretty rock solid though. While the lyrics are a bit inane, the chorus is just powerful enough to acheive hit status. Love the vocal AHHHHHH part in the second verse. You tell her, Ted! You tell her not to mess around on you! The solo complements the song, building into the unaccompanied chorus at 2:44. That part must have been huge at concerts. Don't get me wrong, it's pure fluff, but the ladies get puzzledusted on that sorta thing. And that's what Danger Danger songs were known for ... More outro Ohhhs, only this time layered over huge Tony Rey riffing. Gang vocals in the chorus that [Def Leppard](/def-leppard/) would be proud over. Danger Danger has a thing for following one's passions in the heat of the night. It's a lyric in every 3rd song, swear it's true. ### Rock America Get up and make some noise, Bitchin' Pre solo, followed by Totally Bitchin' solo, followed by a sweet pre-chorus refrain, followed by a TOTALLY BITCHIN' piano breakdown into MEGA HUGE OHHHHHHHH with guitar layered underneath. Gosh, I really miss the 80s. Tony Bruno Rock on! I will, Ted. I will. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7C-Ynv254Y ### Boys Will Be Boys Bruno Ravel keeps a nice groove here. Basic, but nice. A rising WHOA OH pre-chorus. Dig it. Self-harmonizing Poley in the chorus. Nice. Remember ladies, he's like a loaded gun, waiting for the night to come. And also, you. Then by the morning, he will be gone. So make your own pancakes, ladies, cause Danger Danger is already on to the next city. Timmons getting some crisp tones from his custom AT100 Ibanez on Boys Will Be Boys. ### One Step From Paradise This (strangely?) has a REO Speedwagon feel to it. "Together we'll find paradise someday" - oh yeah? Is that so? Just where is paradise? ### Feels Like Love Feels Like Love is written in the key of [Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Original Motion Picture Soundtrack](/soundtrack/bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/). Kasey Smith's subtle synth pads and Tony Bruno's overdriven guitar tone recall Robbie Robb's "In Time" as The Great Ones conversed with The Three Most Important People in The World. Key Change! So vital in a song like this. ### Turn It On Turn It On is [Poison](/poison/) with a flanger. Danger Danger knew how to turn it on for a pre-chorus, musically. Lyrically obvious, Turn It On hides nothing. With lyrics like, "I can't believe all the noise your making, am I really that good or are you just faking, feels so good, deep inside, it's like a non-stop rocket roller coaster ride" Danger Danger has exactly zero shot of winning the Wallace Stevens Award for demonstrating a mastery of poetry. ### Live It Up I have to believe Steve West wrote Live It Up because of the ZZ Top style drum intro. Live It Up ends the debut album with a nice little shuffle. This song sounds like SRV went hair metal. I dig it. Anytime you can toss a harmonica solo into a hair metal tune it should be considered a victory. "Thanks for coming, everybody!" - NiiiiiiiicerecUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bulletboys/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bulletboys/Marq Torien, Mick Sweda, and the rest of the Bulletboys get Smooth Up in Ya on their self-titled album.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTSmooth Up In This Album! The [Bulletboys](/bulletboys/) kept alive the swagger that had started to disappear from the [metal scene](/hair-metal/) by the late 80’s. Lead singer Marq Torien - formerly of Ratt and King Kobra ([Iron Eagle fame](/soundtrack/iron-eagle/)) - grabbed 3 other local legends and began work on their first album. They hit the scene and instantly reminded everybody of the legendary [Van Halen](/van-halen/5150/) with their guitar-heavy sound and flamboyant singer. This album is all rock no filler. It starts loud and fast and it ends loud and fast while screaming “Fuck right off” to any thoughts of dropping a cliche ballad in the middle. Mick Sweda - also of King Kobra fame - shreds for the entirety of 35 minutes and 3 seconds. Riffs on riffs on fucking riffs. This album will always be known for one of the greatest metal songs of the 80’s - “Smooth Up in Ya” - but the entirety of this album encompassed everything great about the 80’s: loud guitars, boisterous vocals and shredding solos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziL2FyIg1_I ## Bulletboys album notes ### Hard as a Rock press play and prepare for a straight power e-chord to your throat! No intro, no build-up, it just rips your ear-drums out and never quiets down. This song deserved to be the follow-up single to “Smooth up in Ya” instead of “For the love of money”. Everybody in the band shows off a little bit in the song and, you know, maybe this isn’t just another shitty 80’s metal clone. ### Smooth Up in Ya I was a fan of this song and band before the whole band even kicks in at :03. If you’re making a “Best of the 80’s Metal” mixed tape (hey kids, it’s like an iphone with a couple holes in it that you need a pencil to fix every once in awhile) and don’t include this song then you just probably go take a lap and rethink your entire existence. This song never fails to get me amped and have me screaming in off-key backing vocals. The guitar solo singing the chorus might be cliche today but it was badass in 1987. ### Owed to Joe owing alot of influence to their sound from AC/DC and Van Halen means having a blues edge to your sound (along with 80’s LA compadres Great White) and this song, and much of the album, owes to these early influences. I don’t know what Joe was owed, but I imagine ### Shoot the Preacher Down keeping with blues, Marq Torien gives us one helluva sermon while the band drives a Zeppelin inspired riff that gets the congregation on their feet and inspired to sin like they’ve never sinny-sin-sinned before. ### For the Love of Money Bulletboys pull a shocker here and break out an old soul favorite by the legendary O’Jays. And somehow they justice the hell out of it. Still, a weak follow-up single that essentially ended all momentum that was built with Smooth Up ### Kissin' Kitty lest you think the boys weren’t capable of a debaucherous tune about nothing more then banging sluts from the bar, well, here you go. It’s another rocking tune that lets Marq jump around and thrust his pelvis and make vulgar advances on the delightful beauties in the front row. ### Hell on my Heels “One, two, fuck you!” Keeping the debauchery going with some more sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, this song is here to remind you exactly why you’re still listening - cuz you want to bang your fucking head. ### Crank it up Oh, you thought they couldn’t get faster...well here you go. Song rips before a couple drum-breaks give you a chance to breathe. Absolutely bitching tune where the drums lead the action, the guitars crush one long solo and the bass destroys the low-end. This is the 2nd best song on the album and deserves to be put on repeat while you have a one-man mosh-pit in the location of your choice. I prefer the shower. ### Badlands if there was gonna be a ballad on the album, it would belong here after the blistering speed of the previous track. But as stated earlier...B’boys no like slow songs. They do slow it down a bit with a little cynical song about getting eat up by the LA scene (re: [GnR](/guns-n-roses/appetite-for-destruction/) Welcome to the Jungle). ### F#9 what happens have a drunken night of jamming and writing songs and you need to name your newest bitching tune...you just name it after your opening chord. Except I’m pretty sure there’s no F# nine in this song? Whatever, it was a long night of drinking, jamming and writing a kick-ass album.recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/judgment-night/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTThis [soundtrack](/albums/soundtracks/) actually produced singles, four of them. What is amazing is that Real Thing, by [Pearl Jam](/pearl-jam/) and [Cypress Hill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypress_Hill), wasn't one of them. Tool and Rage had a collaboration that didn't make it onto the album - [Can't Kill the Revolution](https://youtu.be/xwJ8hsLTsbA). The Judgment Night soundtrack was years in the making, from Run DMC & Aerosmith's Walk This Way, to Anthrax and Public Enemy's [Bring the Noise](https://youtu.be/kl1hgXfX5-U). Judgment Night (the soundtrack) owes a lot of its success to producer Happy Walters. Walters managed Cypress Hill, House of Pain, ## Judgment Night Soundtrack notes Judgment Night is a film best known for its soundtrack. Labels needed the bands on the front of the album cover for that very reason. ### Just Another Victim - Helmet / House of Pain Two entirely different songs. Way to blend that rap/rock thing, eh? Also, if you're in the movie, they pretty much _have_ to put you on the soundtrack if you're a recording artist, right? Props to you, Everlast! ### Fallin' - Teenage Fanclub / De La Soul The song pairings were intelligent, and Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul's Fallin' is no different. Fallin' is the lightest fare on the entire menu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOmdg3epcic ### My, Myself, & My Microphone - Living Colour / Run DMC Bitchin' riff. Run DMC never leaves home without a microphone. Checks out. ### Judgement Night - Biohazard / Onyx A harder, tougher Slam! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYfwoWM2uCc ### Disorder - Slayer / Ice T WARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Slayer is to Ice T as Lemons are to Iced Tea. This was a lineup on par with the '92 Dream Team. Holy dive bomb, Batman! Whammy fun serving as a solo early in the song. You know, before the huge, rippin' solo later. Dig it. Machine gun drumming. All around a fun, ass kickin' tune. ### Another Body Murdered - Faith No More / Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. There was an official video. No joke. Anyway, Everlast (House of Pain) credits Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. with being among the first rap-rock artists he knew of. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff_M8kcVRek Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. vocalist has a bit of a Chuck D timbre. **Fun fact:** Sir James Martin, founder of the Faith No More Spiritual and Theological Center, _did not_ appear on Another Body Murdered. He was fired from FNM a months after the Judgment Night soundtrack was released. ### I Love You Mary Jane - Sonic Youth / Cypress Hill Only one person loved Mary Jane more than Cypress Hill, and that was Peter Parker. I Love You Mary Jane sounds like Cypress Hill just asked Sonic Youth to provide the backing music to a Black Sunday B-Side. It's basically Hits from the Bong II. ### Freak Momma - Mudhoney / Sir Mix-A-Lot Seattle! Macklemore was probably struttin' around in his underroos listening to this one. Sir Mix-A-Lot does what his knighthood is known for over a heaping plate of Mudhoney's musical grunge-surf. This one goes out to all the Freak Momma's at Alki Beach. ### Missing Link - Dinosaur Jr. / Del the Funky Homosapien Dinosaur Jr. drops their best 90s Alt-Rock groove riff, one that unsubtly approaches Rage Against the Machine territory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ0CB7d6UdQ Is that Mike D on drums?! ### Come and Die - Therapy? / Fatal Come and Die was co-written by a band named Fatal. You can't make this up. Angry, aggressive, and perfect for this soundtrack. This was the original [Sounds of SWC](http://www.soundsofswc.com/Sos.html) as far as I'm concerned. I'm gonna hide in the bushes and shoot you when you walk by! AMBUSH! Whatcha gonna do, PL? ### Real Thing - Pearl Jam / Cypress Hill Best song on the entire Judgment Night soundtrack. Even Pearl Jam haters have to admit that early PJ, the music that was written by Stone and Jeff, and then augmented by the pure majesty that is Mike McCready, was excellent, blues-driven rock. B-Real met Stone and Jeff at Lollapalooza. What is wild to me about Real Thing is that [B-Real](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-Real) runs out of ammo. Has any rapper ever run out of bullets? To be researched! Dave Abbruzzese hits hard. Always has. Always will. Matt Cameron is awesome, but a part of me always loved Dave on the kit. Real Thing dropped two months after Black Sunday and a month before Vs., each artist's second album, so you could say that Cypress Hill and Pearl Jam were unequivocally on top of their game in the fall of 1993. The Scottie Pippen of the group, Sen Dog always slays backing vox on all Cypress Hill choruses. Would this song have been made two years later in the [Vitalogy](/pearl-jam/vitalogy/) era? No, probably not.rec4Uqc95OdsdLrQvhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/stick-it-to-ya/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMThttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukmobha2krY Mark Slaughter, Sylvan God of Owl-kind gets vocally atmospheric on Stick it to Ya. Screech, my owl friend, screech! [Slaughter's](/slaughter/) good songs are good. Everything else is lackluster. He and writing/producing partner/bandmate Dana Strum did find some 80s hair metal gold though. In fact, they found platinum twice, as Stick It To Ya is a RIAA-certified Double Platinum album. Interesting note, Todd Cooper played the horns on the album. Another interesting thought, always wondered if Shout It Out was a B-side of Stick It To Ya. Not long after the album's release, the song appeared on the [Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Soundtrack](/soundtrack/bill-teds-bogus-journey/). What's more, it doesn't appear on the follow up to Stick It To Ya, The Wild Life. ## Stick It To Ya Album Cover What's hilarious is that they made like Star Wars on the album cover and got the Target Girl, [1988 Playboy Cover Model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_in_Playboy_1980%E2%80%931989#December), Laurie Carr to strike a pose while they set up a miniature in the background. ## Song notes ### Eye to Eye Not a terrible start to Stick It to Ya. Reminds me of Lay Your Hands On Me (Jovi) with the riff. Mark Slaughter's voice is unmistakable. Dude probably talks in falsetto. Ohhh, the infamous "tough Uh" at 3:07. Ok lyrics. Actual, better than ok compared to a ton of other [hair metal][2] tunes. Nice outro. Succinct. Might be the most succinct hair metal tune ever. ### Burnin' Bridges Maybe the most fun song on the album. Definitely good enough. The more I listen, the more I'm convinced that this is the best thing you can take away from the album. Decent lyrics. Fun sounding chorus. Some yeahs tossed in for good measure. Ok, changing it up a bit. Typical Mark Slaughter talking over music to weirdly address the audience. Zack Morris he is not ... ### Up All Night Computer sounds! I'm ok with bands hugely singing their chorus to start a song, even if it feels a bit in the wrong place. The effects on the drum kit subconciously command you to raise your fists in during the chorus. Lyrical content is actually good. Awake all night to party and sleeping all day is what the 80s were all about. A [WAAF][/waaf/] darling! Not a bad solo. Just how does "My Country 'Tis of Thee" make a cameo here!? ### Spend My Life Wait, this got a video!? Chrysalis must have money to blow. Piss poor lyrics. Gotta love the single line into the pre-chorus move. Respect. It's the continuance without a finding of songwriting. "Your honor, you're right, we got nothing for the second verse" ... "Defendant Slaughter, you may proceed quickly to chorus land. But, should you try this stunt again ..." High vocals. Love it. Mark Slaughter could narrate a child's funeral in falsetto and I'd offer him a standing ovation. That's how high his voice gets. ### Thinking of June Let's get classy with an acoustic intro. I'm for it. A bit of flange. And, oh, that's the whole song. ### She Wants More Girl spending your money? Easiest way to my heart. Literally calls her out like a rapper, "She's going shopping on you." He's even calling her out for her choice of credit card and location. This is cyber-stalking before the actual internet. She wants more more more? Who the hell is he dating, Mony Mony? Let's be honest, if it's the girl from the album cover, then spend my money! Typical blues bar guitar work. Wouldn't cut it at the Double Deuce though ... Jeff Healey was a legend! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eijz1hSj9u0 Wichita?! Pennsylvania type places ... ha! Nice work, Mr. Slaughter. ### Fly to the Angels Effortless is how high notes must be for him. Mark Slaughter's normal voice is higher than [Pants][/pants/]' falsetto by an octave or three. This whole band is based on his ability to shred vocally. It's not the guitar work, not the rhythm section ... nope, just his vocals. You can grasp the angst in the "Still I Driiiiiiiive, Downnnnnn this lonely, lonely road!" Fly to the Angels really is a good tune. ### Mad About You Opening falsetto to die for. Maybe the highest note ever recorded? Basic tune. Story of this album. 2:52 talking breakdown. Disjointed vocal riffing. Had hopes for this to get better. Didn't. ### That's Not Enough Energy. Let's see where it goes. Much better than Mad About You and Gave Me Your Heart. Not exactly You Give Love A Bad Name here though. Starting to get the feeling that Slaughter got the record deal on Fly To The Angels and they husted to write Up All Night to not be a one hit wonder. They sure do fade a ton of songs in this album during the outro. ### You Are the One A nice little 80s beginning. Oh man, this is rubbish. Every song gets the fade treatment. WHY?!?!? Does no one in this band know how to write an ending to a song? ### Gave Me Your Heart This song is trapped in between SO many other songs with zero identity of its own. It's just true gibberish ... another ransom note of a song pieced together from the soul of "The Boys are Back in Town", "Maggie May", "You're The Want (Grease)" ... and ... nevermind, this song is trash. It sounds like trashy versions of those songs. Mark, lean on the WHOOAAA OHHHHs, no one will notice! Holy smokes he can hit a high note. Ok, this song is absolute gold! Nah, it's trash. But man can he shred a vocal line. ### Desperately Will this one be any different? Sounds it to start. Desperately sounds a bit like an American version of a Scorpions song. Ok, this is definitely better than most of the garbage fluff on the album. It's not spectacular. It's just better than most. Another fade. It's laughable at this point. Oh man, even a quick, non-linear fade down at the end ... amateur hour for the producer there. ### Loaded Gun Sounds like the version 1 of "Shout It Out". Average lyrics. Actually, they are pretty bad, even for hair metal standards. Fantastically high vox though.recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/american-standard/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/american-standard/My My, Seven Mary Three's American Standard shows off some diverse musical chops.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTNot the _most_ original band of the 1990s, but not the least by far. Cumbersome was all over the airwaves in late 1995. Boston's [WAAF](/waaf/) was more than happy to oblige listener's requests of playing Cumbersome, Water's Edge, and My My. But not much else got played off American Standard. Which is fine, probably, well, except for the wallets of those in [Seven Mary Three](/seven-mary-three/). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjNn4bbbgSw <small>Frontman Jason Ross rocks a badass handlebar mustache in the Cumbersome video. Check it.</small> 7M3's second album is better than I recall years ago. ## American Standard notes Cumbersome and Water's Edge are commercial hits for Seven Mary Three's second album, American Standard. Don't sleep on My My. ### Water's Edge The original version of Kryptonite by Three Doors Down. And, _way_ better. Water's Edge is a great rock tune. I always appreciated the vocal nuance of Jason Ross to go from fluttery concern to sandpaper grit rock. It's on display immediately on track 1 of American Standard. And there's the building feedback of any good 90s pre-chorus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an0VNmQrO0k <small>Fairly steep minute long intro in the Water's Edge video. Bold.</small> ### Cumbersome The Hit! Cumbersome is three chord (almost) power rock. It probably paved the way for Nickelback's commercial success, so that sucks. Oh well. Any kid growing up in the 90s knows the lyrics, "I have become Cumbersome to this world" ### Roderigo Roderigo's lyrical content is a lot darker than its music. Being tied, beaten down, all things to be found here. Musically, Roderigo sounds a lot like Green Apple Quick Step's TV Girl ([Reloaded](/green-apple-quick-step/reloaded/)). ### Devil Boy Jesuits in tanks? Where is this album headed!? Like any good album in the 90s, the verse chimes along, undistorted. Then the feedback ratchets up in volume as the drums build toward the chorus. Then Everyone steps on their Boss distortion pedals and we have a chorus. Is Devil Boy formulaic? Maybe. Still, it makes for decent rock songwriting. ### My My My My breaks down the formula, shifting quickly into reverse, taking a page out of [Throwing Copper](/live/throwing-copper/) and [A Boy Named Goo](/goo-goo-dolls/a-boy-named-goo/)'s book by using this technique to strong effect. It's a fair comparison to say that Seven Mary Three was influenced by Live. Live singer, Ed Kowalczyk pulled Ross and a buddy up on a stage at a [Live concert in Tampa in 1991](https://books.google.com/books?id=JheoECFjDqMC&pg=PA32&dq=seven+mary+three+spin+magazine#v=onepage&q&f=false). Then three years later, they were opening for them in arena tours. What a world we live in! ### Lame Seven Mary Three cuts the power on track 6, leaving frontman Jason Ross alone to confront feelings of race and belonging. Ross builds the raw power of Lame with only an acoustic guitar and his voice, adding progressively harder strums, and a mounting vocal pressure. Find a more emotionally expressive song on American Standard. You can't. Lame is anything but lame. ### Headstrong Nice 90s drum and bass groove intro. 7M3 gets accused of being a [Pearl Jam](/pearl-jam/) knockoff, and I can see it a bit on Headstrong, but this song is rather authentic to me. Love the do-over at the 3:00 minute mark. Casey Daniel's bass is locked in on Headstrong. It just wouldn't be a 90s rock tune without the feedback. ### Anything Southern 90s Alt Rock. Anything is Seven Mary Three's answer to the Spin Doctor's Two Princes, a story about a girl whose Daddy wants her to marry a rich man, and not some long haired singer in a dirty rock & roll band. Maybe it was about a girl named Margaret? ### Margaret Margaret is not quite a 90s alternative rock song. The guitar and bass remind me of [Virginia Coalition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Coalition), another Virginia band who hit the scene a few years later. Ultimately a song about a girl who was way too young. ### Punch In Punch Out Punch In Punch Out goes full A Capella. Wow! Then Giti Khalsa gives us a military march that we didn't know we needed. I'm half expecting 7M3 to bust into Paul Simon's Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes. Really diverse songwriting across American Standard. ### Favorite Dog Discordant country music verse. American country power rock pre-chorus. And just like that, we are back to the majors. Favorite Dog brings back the Cumbersome guitar palm muting. Whoa, Favorite Dog picks up the pace right before the two minute mark. We know [Paw's](/paw/dragline/) favorite dog is Jessie. So is 7M3's favorite dog Geronimo? Or, is he rambling about leaping into a lake?reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/firehouse/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/firehouse/FireHouse's debut album features hits like Don't Treat Me Bad, Love of a Lifetime, and All She Wrote. Part tasty lick, part piercing vocals, all hair metal.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTLove of a Lifetime: serviceable, but not the best power ballad out there https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ETENrv8cnU Good to listen to when cruisin' the strip, yet not amazing enough to impress the ladies. ## FireHouse album cover A babe with a match is a babe to be feared - that's what we're taking from FireHouse's self-titled debut album cover. It leaves us with so many questions. Is she an ex-girlfriend spurned? Or, was her groupie card just pulled? We don't know. What we do know is that just a couple of years later, [Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes's torching of Andre Rison's mansion](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/lifetime-series-hopelessly-in-love-tlc-left-eye-andre-rison/) looks awfully similar. ## FireHouse notes ### Rock On The Radio Minute long drums. Cool way to start the album. Eschewing the fast start, [FireHouse](/firehouse/) really gives you a steady beat to start the album with Rock On The Radio. A little bit of [Def Leppard][/def-leppard/] chorus'ing in there. ### All She Wrote Sounds an awful lot like Round and Round ([Ratt](/ratt/)), and I don't hate it. Huge "All She Wrote!!!" at 2:58. Leaning on bends for most of this solo. Totally bitchin' slow-mo stick twirl at 3:30 in the [All She Wrote video](https://youtu.be/sidL7S09jsc). You should watch it just for that alone. Pop quiz - are they Vidal Sassoon or Pantene Pro-V fellas? ### Shake & Tumble Some interesting riffs. Basic chorus. Decent solo with a smidge of experimentation. 80s falsetto in effect around 2:35. ### Don't Treat Me Bad The obligatory acoustic start, come in rockin' hit, replete with hand claps, pick scraping into the chrous. If someone had come out with a song like this in the last 20 years, I'd label it a work of art considering how piss poor music is today. But alas, Don't Treat Me Bad is a middlingly famous rocker from 1990 (damn, not even [80s hair metal](/hair-metal/)). Still, it's a fun song that's singable when listening to [Hair Nation on SiriusXM](/hair-nation/). Basic solo, goes through the motions. Nice falsetto post solo. LOVE the ending falsetto. ### Oughta Be A Law Has a musically [Ugly Kid Joe](/ugly-kid-joe/), vocally [Slaughter](/slaughter/) sound to it, with a [Van Halen](/van-halen/) Runaround undertone to the main riff. Come to think of it, it might have been recorded and released before all three of them. I will have to check the facts. Not to many memorable solos, but all of them shred. Melody over notes I guess? [C.J. Snare](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._J._Snare) makes the high vocals seem automatic. ### Lover's Lane A nice hard blues riff - think ZZ Top in drop d? Nice backing vocal work from the band. Love the boogie pull-offs. Much more up-tempo drum work than I was expecting. Ooooh, solo, tell me more. I'm thoroughly interested in this solo, it's gratuitously inviting and playful. Big Yeah! at the end. Great way to end this rocker. ### Home Is Where The Heart Is Wasn't expecting the [Robert Miles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Miles) intro here. Every 80s hair metal album needs a song about time passing, this is FireHouse's. One big tolerable cliche due to the guitar tone. [Perry Richardson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Richardson) probably drinks a PBR during his 2-3 bass notes underlying that solo. ### Don't Walk Away Insert some basic 80s hair metal lyrics right here. Add a basic riff. This is the song in the set where you go get the next round of Strohs for your buddies and your Poofer. ### Seasons of Change They let [Bill Leverty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Leverty) play an awesome piece in Seasons of Change. The world is better off having heard this track. Golf clap! ### Overnight Sensation City driving in your Firebird? Play this tune. If I grew up in Pittsburgh, this would be my jam. Don't ask why. Nice power metal sweep into some supersonic notes. Word? Didn't know they had it in them. Followed up by some Nintendo harmonized melodic lines. I should really give the non-hits on this album some more love. Standard lyrics for the genre. ### Love of a Lifetime This album is so much harder than this. Power ballad for sure. Top 50 Power Ballad in 80s hair metal. Whatever. "We know that we will be together because our love is strong" - Pants! Pants! It's Fizz. Your cousin, Fizz. You know that new sound you're looking for? Well listen to this! this is your cousin, Fizz. You know that new sound you're looking for? ### Helpless Another decent night/highway driver. High vox into solos always get me. Leverty does some damage tapping away here. Whoa! They just cut the album on a note. You don't see that often in the 80s. To conclude, some of these songs slipped my memory (Helpless, Overnight Sensation, etc.). I need to give this album a bit more credit. Not Hysteria credit, just a bit more than I did thusly prior. [Mötley Crüe](/motley-crue/) did it harder and [Poison](/poison/) did it sexier, but FireHouse holds their own for 48 minutes and 34 seconds.recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/sparkle-and-fade/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTFall, Glimmer, Sparkle and Fade. The story of Everclear's second album. [Everclear](/everclear/) was compared to [Nirvana](/nirvana/), and I can hear it, but I can also overlook it as the comparison isn't a great match. There is a lot more straightfoward punk to be heard here. The Sparkle and Fade album cover with the young versions of Art Alexakis, Greg Eklund, and Craig Montoya is forever burned in my skull. NO band did this. Bands (and labels) were WAY too concerned with artsy crap in the 90s. Bold choice, Everclear. <strong>Bold.</strong> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW6E_TNgCsY A decently good 90s alt-rock album. That ... is exactly what it is. It's not [Purple](/stone-temple-pilots/purple/) (STP) or Siamese Dream (Pumpkins). ## Sparkle and Fade notes ### Electra Made Me Blind A grunge alt/rock verse and chorus. A rhythmic solo (typical). ### Heroin Girl https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DjpNgrocKo A 90s song through and through. Hard, a slight half talk, half sing verse. Only slightly more melody in the chorus, vocally. Heroin Girl has got a California vibe with a midwest riff. ### You Make Me Feel Like a Whore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-MroGCKDcM A cross between Teen Spirit (Nirvana), Self Esteem (Offspring), and Possum Kingdom (Toadies), You Make Me Feel Like a Whore is not only a released single and (somewhat) commercially viable, but an actual decent tune as well. ### Santa Monica A 90's power ballad. Santa Monica combines the clean opening guitar riff with a country upstroke arpeggio to keep you interested. All before the sing-a-long chorus. If 80s hair metal was about chicks, 90s alt-rock (and grunge to some extent) boasted of surf themes, a grittier upbringing, and pretty much all of the same drugs they were doing a decade prior. Santa Monica layers on the instrumentation and the emphasis well. Always dug this tune. It's overdone, but I enjoy it nonetheless. ### Summerland Everclear tosses in some Sponge ([Rotting Piñata](/sponge/rotting-pinata/)) chords to strong effect. Always good to name drop your album title in a song. Actually, I applaud Alexakis for trimming the lyric, "Fall, Glimmer, Sparkle, and Fade", to title Everclear's second album. Does Alexakis call out Summerland like it's Wallyworld? I'm a bit confused. Anyone wanna help me out? ### Strawberry Don't fall down now, you will never get up! I have NEVER forgotten this line, even though I lost my Sparkle and Fade CD years ago. I love the electric guitar driving Strawberry with the background acoustic supporting it. "Yes I guess I fucked up again" - the emphasis on this part is quite strong, the way they arrange it. The 80s would have had a huge dive bomb or a massive drum fill lying in wait after this line. ### Heartspark Dollarsign https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Pop985sJQ Ohhh, give me more tremolo. Then give me ... a Goo Goo Dolls chorus as a verse?! Who am I kidding, I love Heartspark Dollarsign. Beyond it's strong, positive stance on interracial relations, it's just a great song. [Soul Asylum](/soul-asylum/grave-dancers-union/) riffage all over Heartspark Dollarsign. ### The Twistinside The Twistinside is a pretty standard 90s tune about growing up, quite literally. I mean, it's an ok tune. It sounds like it employs a I-II-IV-V chord pattern. I don't even have a guitar in front of me, the chorus just sounds that way. Wait, is Everclear rolling out a guitar solo? It fits the song so well, and it's not even that exciting. The breakdown is though. That's great stuff. Damn, 90s, always doing a bridge or a breakdown better than their guitar solo. Where the hell is [Mike McCready](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_McCready#Mad_Season) ([Pearl Jam](/pearl-jam/), [Temple of the Dog](/temple-of-the-dog/temple-of-the-dog/), Mad Season, and more) when you need him!? ### Her Brand New Skin At a blistering 2:02, Her Brand New Skin gets right to the rock'n'roll point with its ... acoustic guitar and bass?! Ok, chorus, there is the distortion. Gotta thank Montoya for that nice acoustic bass. Give Everclear this, they cover a lot of ground on Sparkle and Fade. I attribute that to Alexakis being in his 30s when it was recorded and released. Big difference between that and a bunch of young 20 somethings hailing from their mother's garage. ### Nehalem [Nehalem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehalem,_Oregon), whose population has increased 38% since Sparkle and Fade's 1995 release, from ~230 to ~285, is a sharp look at small town USA. 20+ years ago, I had no idea what this song was about other than a girl who lost a baby and was leaving. And small town gossip. Plenty of that. ### Queen of the Air Love the Eklund drums to kick off Queen of the Air. Everclear finally allows Montoya roam on the bass guitar some on Queen of the Air. Actually, Eklund and Montoya finally feel like part of the band on this track. ### Pale Green Stars I'm telling you, musically, Sparkle and Fade covers a lot of ground. The lyrics revolve around a lot of drug use and a lack of parental guidance and leadership. ### Chemical Smile Is Chemical Smile the shortest song on the album at 1:49? Maybe. Ok, let's do this. I can feel the bruised shoulders and legs from the virtual mosh pit of a song like Chemical Smile. Forget live shows, I will just stay home and watch Empire Records from now on. Total punk riff. Dig it. ### My Sexual Life More tremolo and clean guitar. Sounds like a reprise of the middle of Sparkle and Fade. Lyrically, Everclear loves leaning on the small town theme, you know, like John Cougar Mellencamp. You know, cause they have that very same gravitas. Straightforward lyrics. Sounds like Alexakis is confused between teaching a lesson and getting some retribution from a love gone bad. Sounds like Foo Fighters stole the outro riff for Times Like These. Check it out, I'm serious.reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bang-camaro-ii/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/bang-camaro-ii/Bang Camaro's Second Album Is Perfect. Just Like The First.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTRock stars. Small bars. One of the biggest differences in the leap from [Bang Camaro I](/bang-camaro/bang-camaro-ii/) to BCII is the addition of more lyrics. Sounds silly, but we think they've doubled the overall lyrical content from the first album. <iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1495423250/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://bangcamaro.bandcamp.com/album/bang-camaro-ii">BANG CAMARO II by Bang Camaro</a></iframe> ## Bang Camaro II notes ### Blood Red Rock ### Night Lies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REq_Hd40LzI ### Revolution ### She's Gone (Critical) Doesn't _every_ girl at some point? ### Miss Illusion ### I Know You Like My Band ### Thunderclap Doz's basslines ### Can't Stop The Night There are some pro quality harmonies on Can't Stop The Night. ### The Hit The Hit _has_ to owe a beer to Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey of [Mr. Big](/mr-big/) for how much it feels like their hit, To Be With You. Debate us all you, but that's the vibe we get here. ### Life Is Hard On The Road Blood sales used for bail! If Life Is Hard On The Road were a glass of wine, it would contain hints and notes of [Tesla](/tesla/). It's not a glass of wine, it's a kick ass rock tune that retells the tales of BC's Hero's Journey across America in the late 2000s. Live. Love. Die. Rock. ### ... Go Fuck Yourself They beat Marvel to the Post-Credit snippet by years with ... Go Fuck Yourself.recDpNPEzACumFGPohttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/over-the-top/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/over-the-top/Sly Stallone's one man army flick about arm wrestling, featuring Kenny Loggins, Sammy Hagar, and Robin Zander.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTOrrrrr ... a movie about a man who loses his wife, fights back against his father-in-law, and wins the heart of his son, all while arm wrestling his way to a trucking business. His name? Lincoln Hawk! Or is it Hawks? Hawkes!? It's _LITERALLY_ in the same conversation that both got brought up. Lincoln, we will use his first name because it's safe to, asks for odds on Lincoln Hawk ... the oddsmaker checks in with his counterpart asking about "Lincoln Hawks" ... and then the tournament board, before Meet Me Half Way ends, shows L Hawk. <small>(Can you get more 'Merrika than Lincoln Hawk?)</small> <figure> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/img/Over-the-Top.jpg" alt="Sylvester Stallone as Lincoln Hawk in 1987's Over the Top" width="240" height="340" /> <figcaption class="caption">All he is missing is his trademark hat! Oh, and his kid!</figcaption> </figure> ### Meet Me Half Way youtube video Kenny looks like he just walked off the coke fueled rager that was the Top Gun wrap party, and into the bar down the street from where Stallone was filming [Over the Top](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_the_Top_(film)). I'd like to imagine Stallone gave him a high level summary of the film, and over a few beers, Kenny, guitar in hand, pens Meet Me Half Way on the spot. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pYNd0MSVXs A straight up B- [The 80s](/80s-day/) could, and did, do better than Over the Top. ## Over the Top Soundtrack notes ### Winner Takes It All - Sammy Hagar Two years after joining Van Halen and releasing [5150](/van-halen/5150/), the Red Rocker jumps on the Over the Top Soundtrack with the song Winner Takes IT All. Which, if we are being honest, is a bit lacking in the poetry department. Not exactly Van Halen's Right Now. This song probably belongs on the Karate Kid Soundtrack. The video for Winner Takes It All is basically a retelling of the movie, only featuring Sammy Hagar. The Red Rocker is just kickin' it in a cut up t-shirt and lounge pajama bottoms, running barefoot before shredding out the opening solo on his solid red 80s metal axe. Hagar rules! [Rick Zumwalt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Zumwalt), who plays Bull in the movie, makes a cameo, along with Sly and a ton of other wrestlers. Clearly they took plenty of footage from the film. <figure> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/img/Over-the-Top-Winner-Takes-It-All-Hagar.jpg" alt="Sammy Hagar and Sylvester Stallone arm wrestling in the Winner Takes It All video from the Over the Top soundtrack" width="640" height="320" /> <figcaption class="caption">In no world does Hagar win this one.</figcaption> </figure> ### In This Country - Robin Zander Synth. Reverb'd drums. Guitars that float on the breeze. Robin Zander, lead singer of Cheap Trick, is fully in his element. No stranger to [80s soundtracks](/albums/soundtracks/), Zander and the rest of Cheap Trick were featured on the [Top Gun Soundtrack](/soundtrack/top-gun/) just one year prior with Mighty Wings. Too bad they weren't invited back for the [TG2: Maverick Soundtrack](/soundtrack/top-gun-maverick/), as it would have been _way_ more bad ass. The song itself is 100% 'Merrika lyrically. Additionally, it shares common bonds with Track 6, Loggins' Meet Me Half Way. Apparently the international version had Eddie Money (also on the Over the Top soundtrack) sing In This Country. Probably some contractual obligations. ### Take It Higher - Larry Greene Larry Greene's Take It Higher is upbeat montage music. As with Robin Zander, he too appears on the Top Gun Soundtrack with Through the Fire. Perhaps he suffers from [Pyromania](/def-leppard/pyromania/)? ### All I Need is You - Big Trouble A song about a man, his son, his truck, and a weight training pulley to practice arm wrestling on long hauls. Lincoln Hawk was the consummate 80s family man, working 161 hour weeks, sleeping one hour a night, and telling Robert Loggia to pound sand. ### Bad Nite - Frank Stallone Frank Stallone isn't half bad, but Hall & Oates he is not. Bad Nite has the right combo of synth, bass, horns, and wailing guitar to drink some liquor to. Lotta overdrive on that guitar tone. The ladies backing him up on the vocals really makes the tune sparkle. ### Meet Me Half Way - Kenny Loggins **Loggins, The Soundtrack Legend!** Kenny Loggins can do it all. From the power of Danger Zone (Top Gun), to the craft and finesse of Over the Top's Meet Me Half Way. Guy is a total pro. Look at me, pro! Meet Me Half Way is _the_ Over the Top theme song. It plays in various formats throughout the entirety of the film, solo piano, acoustic guitar, full album version. One version of Meet Me Half Way starts with a light piano fading out, a few Phil Collins drum beats, and then a has a ripping intro solo. Lincoln and son Michael start their calisthenics routine at dawn, bathed in golden morning sunlight. One-armed rows off the truck grill, followed by Michael getting his sleeveless Jr. ROTC jacket make for a supreme father-son montage training scene. Hawk Trucking looks to be hauling Brut cologne. Choice. ### Gypsy Soul - Asia Great pop rock! Gypsy Soul relives a bit of the late 70s, only with 80s tones. Niiiiice solo. ### The Fight - Giorgio Moroder The synth, the beats, the wailing guitar ... what is this, [The Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack](/soundtrack/transformers-the-movie/)? _Where is Vince DiCola!?_ Giorgio Moroder's The Fight does an admirable job of trying to emulate the style and grandeur of DiCola's Rocky IV score. And for that matter, his score for The Transformers. ### Mind over Matter - Larry Greene Hey hey, Larry Greene is back! He is sonically living in Peter Gabriel's world with Mind over Matter. ### I Will Be Strong - Eddie Money Ahhh, Eddie Money. The guy _exclusively_ names songs directly after the main line of their chorus. And so it is with I Will Be Strong. This song is pretty much a run of the mill 80s pop rock tune.rec4Uqc95OdsdLrQvhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/slave-to-the-grind/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTOnly, the didn't die. At least not yet. Skid Row kept the hair. Skid Row kept the metal. But, they started to move on from being Hair Metal on the 1991 album. Jersey cohorts, [Bon Jovi](/bon-jovi/), were consistently looking to go lighter, as evidenced by 1992's Keep the Faith. Not Jovi's Garden State counterparts, [Skid Row](/skid-row/). Nah, Snake, Rachel, Dave, Sebastian, and Scotti were gathering up their chains and billy clubs for an aural beatdown. Nowhere is this more apparent than comparing Track 5: Psycho Love to 1988's [Forever](https://youtu.be/JMINkaubyuE/), an unreleased [Skid Row self-titled](/skid-row/skid-row/) era song. Bolan and Sabo gain the lion's share of the writing credits, and thus the hero's portion at the evening Meadhall. https://youtu.be/2pkpsxEyi-k ## Slave to the Grind song notes ### Monkey Business The song that convinced the Broadway producers of [Jekyll & Hyde](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jekyll_%26_Hyde_(musical)) that Bach could pull off the title role. Monkey Business! Slippin' on the track! Baz is riding the [Nightrain](/guns-n-roses/appetite-for-destruction#nightrain) again. Probably with [Duff](/books/its-so-easy-and-other-lies-duff-mckagan/) on the Use Your Illusion tour. Not to be confused with [Danger Danger's](/danger-danger/) more jocular, lady-focused Monkey Business, which appeared on their second album, [Screw It!](/danger-danger/screw-it/). ### Slave to the Grind An album's second track better hit hard. Slave to the Grind punishes. Punching bass, tight guitar riff, compact solo, driving drums, aggressively high vocals, and dominating lyrics. Skid Row goes three and a half minutes in the rock ring on this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3nycoZ-zzw Ominous lyrics. Skid Row lead singer Sebastian Bach opines, "I won't be the one left behind", yet, that's exactly what happened when he was fired from the band in 1996. ### The Threat Snake & Scotti open The Threat with microwaved riffage. The real threat is pissing off Skid Row, cause they're already pretty damn pissed. ### Quicksand Jesus Baz can sing, man. ### Psycho Love Overdriven, machine-gun riffs were made for Sebastian to let loose over. Affuso and Bolan thump, bump, smash, and crash. The Snake Sabo led change of pace at 1:36 is quite unexpected. All hell breaks loose at 2:31. ### Get the Fuck Out Was Get the Fuck Out a tune that got cut from their self-titled debut? Subtle as it may be, well, certainly not the title of the song or its message, there is a difference in tonality from the rest of the second album. More of a rebellious anthem that aligns with early Skid Row/Youth Gone Wild, than the abrasive, take-no-shit middle finger that is Slave to the Grind. ### Beggar's Day (clean version) I ended up with the clean version tape because of BMG. As if I wasn't sneaking into R-rated movies underage. I begged for the explicit and BMG let me down. All the way to Beggar's Day! ### Livin' on a Chain Gang Hair Metal gang vocals! Annnnnnd we're back. Bach holds notes in all the right places. Scotti Hill lights up electric guitar fire. Livin' on a Chain Gang keeps with the slave motif. ### Creepshow Nuno Bettencourt ([Extreme](/extreme/)) playing on Creepshow? ### In a Darkened Room Hair Balladry in 1991. Is that a Jane's Addiction t-shirt?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG8YURv36ew ### Riot Act Punk verse? Hair Metal chorus? Surf solo? Blues solo? Classical solo? Back to surf-blues blend? Riot Act is all over the sonic map. The second half of Slave to the Grind eases back into the hair metal cockpit. ### Mudkicker Bolan's growling bass. Snake and Scotti's harmonized melodies. Affuso pounding away. Two things being kicked on Mudkicker, and mud is the other one. ### Wasted Time [Pants](/pants/) might hate me for saying this, but Wasted Time is my favorite track on the entire album. I can't listen to it without hearing Sebastian Bach go through every single emotion in human history. This is how you slow close an album. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFBsBol7FL4recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/pyromania/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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!Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTDef Leppard’s incendiary third studio album. A year after [Def Leppard](/def-leppard/) released Pyromania, drummer Rick Allen got in the car accident that nearly derailed the band. The man prevailed though, learning how to drum one handed with a series of electronically aided foot pedals. And Rick Allen's drums weren't the only electronic additions to Def Leppard. Pyromania starts to represent a shift in songwriting and sound, adding more synth pads and vocal effects to the mix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4dHr8evt6k THIS is how you write an album. Cranked amps, huge riffs, screechy vocals, heavy beats, thumping bass, Pyromania has it all. It also helps when [producer Mutt Lange](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_John_%22Mutt%22_Lange) is working on it. This is clearly before they start toning down from heavy metal into pop metal, as seen on [Adrenalize](/def-leppard/adrenalize/). ## Pyromania notes ### Rock Rock (Till You Drop) Let's start by saying that the chorus is a perfect rock chorus. "Rock Rock Till You Drop, Rock Rock Never Stop" That's magical songwriting. In fact, singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson belives that Def Leppard isn't given enough credit for their songwriting, even going so far as covering their songs with his EP, [Pyromattia](https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8459903/matt-nathanson-def-leppard-pyromattia). DL loves songs with [rock in the title](/songs-with-rock-in-the-title/). ### Photograph Just an amazing tune. Steve Clark knew KNEW how to write a riff. Love the pre-chorus cowbell. Def Leppard rules the pre-chorus better than perhaps any band. YOU'VE GONE STRAIGHT TO MY HEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD! According to "The 1980s" by Bob Batchelor and Scott Stoddart, Photograph, "... sparked a headline tour across the country. Sales for the album surpassed 7 million in America alone." The best version of Photograph (non Def Leppard) actually belongs to Kelly Clarkson singing Photograph with Metal Skool (now [Steel Panther](/steel-panther/)). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4sJMcgeDe0?start=240 To note, Photograph is the music video debut of Phil Collen. Surprisingly, Jani Lane of Warrant has a cover of Photograph flying around the internet for Leppardmania, a tribute to the band. The solo just doesn't live up to the original. Even Lane's vocals can't come to matching the splendor that is/was Joe Elliott. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9Uc95Wn6Xc ### Stagefright A third track tour de force. Stagefright is everything a rock song should be. It appeals to minor chord and major chord lover alike. The band is pure fire on Stagefright, really doing the album title justice. Def Leppard pumps in some crowd noise to stunning effect. Stagefright is perfectly respectable innuendo about convincing your lady to come over for some ... uhh ... cribbage. DL was so much better at being classy than their contemporaries. Sure, they were all about babes and booze, but their lyric writing was far more nuanced. Stragefright! All night! I feel like this song should be constantly playing at the grave of Steve Clark. ### Too Late For Love Track four (almost) always slows down the album with a love song. Sorry, Babe, Def Leppard is moving on from you with Too Late For Love. The beat drips with darkness. Gosh this tune is majestic. Four songs in and Pyromania is just crushing it. ### Die Hard The Hunter This track would make John McClane proud. Die Hard The Hunter could have waited to appear on Hysteria, but it's just too bad ass. ### Foolin' IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE! Foolin' mixes riffs with aplomb. Huge Hysteria "OH" shining through. Elegantly simple chorus: F-f-f-Foolin'! The verse recalls the moodiness of Bringing On The Heartbreak. ### Rock Of Ages A song so massive they named a musical after it (saw it, loved it). and a movie after that (didn't see it). Everyone knows the intro to Rock Of Ages from the Germanic gibberish that starts it out - Gunter glieben glauten globen. It supposedly means nothing according to the [Def Leppard FAQ](http://defleppard.snaggledworks.com/dlfaq.txt). ### Comin' Under Fire Keeping with the Pyromania theme, Comin' Under Fire nails the Def Leppard sound. Why deviate off course when everything you write hammers hard and shreds massively? Rick Allen is the Thunder God for a reason. The post solo verse at 2:43 is tough as nails. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_niymhcabGQ Look kids, brunette Joe! ### Action Not Words Has a British AC/DC feel to it and in the best way, dirty. Elliott's vocals even recall a Brian Johnson timbre. ACTION! ACTION! ACTION NOT WORDS! WAY better lyric writing than Extreme's More Than Words. [Hair Metal](/hair-metal/) was about seizing the moment, not subtly wearing down her defenses. Aww hell, ok, it was about both. Come on, talk to me with your body! Elliott recalls Stagefright's starring role theme (for the ladies) and brings it back in Action Not Words. As Chaka Luther King said, "I film this shit, I yell cut and then I get the fuck outta here back to my trailer, because I got more white girls in there than the first lifeboat of the Titanic, and they all want a part in my movie, and I got just the part for 'em!" ### Billy's Got A Gun There's danger in the air! Billy's Got A Gun could also have appeared on 1987's Hysteria. Just another bad ass tune. Rik Savage really doesn't get enough credit. Love the synth in the pre-chorus. Gang vocals all over this album so no reason to not expect them here. The solos in Billy's Got A Gun sound creatively borrowed from David Gilmour. Just saying. Love the reversed outdo. ## Matt Nathanson, 80s Day, and a Def Leppard Pyromania shirt Matt Nathanson covering Pyromania's [Stagefright](https://youtu.be/pIPiHPSGQIQ) and [Comin' Under Fire](https://youtu.be/sSIwtvxNuuY). <figure> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/img/2016-80s-Day-Rick-Allen-Def-Leppard-225x300.jpg" alt="80s Day Loon - Rick Allen of Def Leppard rocking a Pyromania shirt" width="300" height="300" /> <figcaption class="caption">Huff straight killing it as Rick Allen at Loon Mountain's <a href="/80s-day/">80s Day</a></figcaption> </figure>recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/superstar-car-wash/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTRzeznik had a killer flop of hair, huh? Ever notice that the dude hates sleeves? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5FDanMvxu8 ## Song Notes ### Fallin' Down The best song the [Goo Goo Dolls](/goo-goo-dolls/) ever recorded and released. My opinion, take it or leave it. Fallin' Down is everything you ever wanted in a 90s rock song. The tone. The style. The simplicity. All things of a [good power rock trio](/power-trios/). Yes, it falls short of representing alternative rock, as that spot belongs to Soul Asylum's Somebody to Shove ([Grave Dancer's Union](/soul-asylum/grave-dancers-union/)). But Fallin' Down isn't far behind. Strong way to kick off Superstar Car Wash. ### Lucky Star Alt rock with a punk twist. Lucky Star is garage band, and that's all it needs to be. ### Cuz You're Gone A great third track. Johnny Rzeznik can actually shred on guitar. Dude is a dual threat as lead singer and guitar player. Cuz You're Gone is the prelude to A Boy Named Goo's Eyes Wide Open. Takac has got a great voice for backing vocals. Not meant as an insult, even though it seems that way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnq5tJ7VB5g ### Don't Worry Tutuska hits. Doesn't get enough credit. Speaking of Tutuska and Don't Worry, dude did worry. Apparently he got into a battle over royalty checks for Fallin' Down and got bounced from the band by the time [A Boy Named Goo](/goo-goo-dolls/a-boy-named-goo/) came along. ### Girl Right Next to Me Rzeznik drops a shredding 80s hair metal solo. Who saw that coming!? I haven't delved into early Goo Goo Dolls, but I imagine they were hair metal influenced, but came out unscathed and played pop/alternative rock through the 90s. ### Domino Another bitchin' solo. Two of them in fact, if you include the outro solo. Love the layered vocals in the chorus. Domino was a solid tune. ### We Are the Normal Rzeznik and Paul Westerburg collaborated on We Are the Normal. Westerburg did many things. My favorite of which has gotta be Dyslexic Heart off the [Singles Soundtrack](/soundtrack/singles/). We Are the Normal is definitely a 90s rock tune. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK_eIQqqtcg If you had a stache, you could work stage security in the early 90s! ### String of Lies Aggressive and in your face. [Pants](/pants/) approves. Dials back in the chorus to ensure you can sing along. String of Lies maintains Car Wash's string of Rzeznik solos! ### Another Second Time Around Sing-a-long chorus, power chord chugging verse ... feels like Another Second Time Around could have replaced Coyote Shivers on top of the Empire Recors facade when they threw the party to save the store. SUGAR HIGH! ### Stop the World Hard rock, almost [80's metal](/hair-metal/) riff to open up Stop the World. You know the kind. It's the type that makes you hop on your Mongoose, crank up your Walkman, and layout a montage-worthy salvo of [rad BMX tricks](/soundtrack/rad/) no the way to school. Yeah, Stop the World channels your inner Cru Jones. ### Already There Feels like Takac wrote this tune after passing through the Southwest on an early album diy tour. Has got Tempe, AZ scene sensibilities. Why Tempe? Tempe was famous for producing the Gin Blossoms and The Refreshments, two bands that employ chiming, jangly guitars in tasteful ways. ### On the Lie On the Lie, or as I call it, American Bryan Adams. ### Close Your Eyes Takac wishes he had a saxophone. I'm guessing he could have bought a few thousand saxophones with the royalty checks from the City of Angels tune, Iris, that took over the airwaves of the spring of 1998. ### So Far Away More hard rock riffage. What happened to these Buffaloanians? So Far Away would be a good track on any rock album. The song has all of the elements. This all makes it hard to believe that the Goo Goo Dolls have never played it live. Great way to give a send off to Superstar Car Wash.reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/dragline/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/dragline/Paw's debut album is only highlighted by one song, Jessie. Even including Jessie, Paw's Dragline is just one song on repeat, over and over again.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTAnd at that, I only know it because of WAAF Boston. As far as 'grunge' bands go, Lawrence, Kansas based Paw was a bit on the heavy side, maybe even heavy enough to say that they aren't grunge. Beyond hearing Paw on [WAAF](/waaf/), we'd like to note that Paw is ranked 30th on Now That's Nifty's [Top 40 Grunge Bands](http://nowthatsnifty.blogspot.com/2011/09/40-best-grunge-bands-ever.html) ever. Feels about right. If it were 90s band in total, not a chance. Anyway, feel free to check them out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzJz9TIbjv8 Nothing about Dragline is revolutionary. NOTHING. Same riff after same riff. It is on par with Green Day. Except not as awesome as Green Day. ## Play the fight riff Every song on Dragline sounds like the music John Mayer plays in Chappelle's Show skit: [Electric Guitar, Drums or Electric Piano](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0538710/). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rREd2GkNSO0 Give me a break, Paw wrote the same song, many times over. I LOVE Jessie, but really, come on. <small>Tracks 13-17 not on the original release of Dragline in 1993.</small> ## Dragline notes ### Gasoline Fitch dropping early drums. Got a bit of a death metal thing happening. Evokes King Missle, Pantera, Helmet in Gasoline's main riff. Hard, crushing, and yet mostly sleep inducing. Not really a huge fan. A bit boring. ### Sleeping Bag Sleeping Bag follows the standard hard verse, light, airy chorus formula. The post choral acoustic guitar interlude is on brand for grunge. Silverchair employs it to solid effect. Hennessy takes a lazy approach to the vocals throughout Sleeping Bag. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTEoEDyleEU ### Jessie The hit. The only hit. The ONLY song on the album. It's basically a spray-n-pray on Dragline. Jessie stuck. It happens. Glad they wrote ONE hit. Jessie had a Helmet ([Meantime](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meantime_(album))) verse with an early Goo Goo Dolls chorus ([Superstar Car Wash](/goo-goo-dolls/superstar-car-wash/)). ### The Bridge Not going to lie, every song on Dragline sounds the same. If this is a strong, thematic choice, then kudos to Paw. If not ... it's probably not. The Bridge is background noise. It feels like the kid down the hall at college who tries so hard to get you to come and see his band, you know it's not going to be life-changing, and it isn't. But you're there to support him anyway. ### Couldn't Know Could it be? Could it be a slightly different song? I ... couldn't know. Ehhh, not really. Nope, same old Paw. People on youtube make comments like, "Paw's biggest problem, recognition-wise, was that they were from Lawrence, Kansas instead of Seattle or Chicago." No. Paw's biggest problem was that they weren't that great. They had one song. ONE SONG. The best version of it happened to be Jessie. Even Green Day had more diversity. Interesting breakdown in the latter parts of Couldn't Know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDVpRR755rc ### Pansy Peter Fitch kicks Pansy into gear with tribal war beat. Frenetic guitar work. Total "play the fight riff" example. Pansy is thematically similar to many Paw songs on Dragline. You can hear elements of the main hit Jessie here on Pansy. ### Lolita Big, in your face bass to open Lolita. Give it up for Charlie Bryan. He's now a skydiver, ya know!? Cool that Hennessy and crew bring in the acoustic in the latter half of the cut. Lolita, you ... you can't stay cause I'm not sure where to place you. What an average song. ### Dragline 5 minutes of heavy metal. interesting. Just not sure what I am listening to. Just a garage band playing music. It's got a 90s r&b feel for the lyrics. Paw just sorta talks about what is going on in their life. ### Veronica Veronica is a _slight_ change from what Paw normally does on Dragline. The more I listen, the more I don't comprehend Jessie's amazingness. This is mostly high school garage band material. No one cares about this. It's not that they are bad, they just literally wrote the same song across a WHOLE album. The lyrics to Veronica get a bit creepy. It's funny if it's hair metal. As grunge, it's bordering on criminal. Maybe it is just a sign of the times. No clue. ### One More Bottle Same opening riff. Wait, we might have a hard [Gin Blossoms](/gin-blossoms/new-miserable-experience/)/[Goo Goo Dolls](/goo-goo-dolls/a-boy-named-goo/) thing going on here. One More Bottle might actually be listenable. Let's see. Big wah pedal expression. Good changes, less reliant on typical crap. One More Bottle is a finer version of Paw. Not excellent Paw. Just finer version. ### Sugarcane Has potential. Lotta beats by Peter Fitch. Ohhh good change. Lets see where this goes. Lyrics are ... grade school. And not in a good 80s way. Just wasted worthlesness. How did Jessie ever succeed? ### Hard Pig Could be fun. Love the feedback. Love it over the bass. Got a nice, bitchin' riff. Hard Pig has potential. Got an Alice in Chains feel. Harmonics and huge bass moves. To be honest, the Fitch brothers must have been locked in pretty tight to let every Dragline song sound exactly the same. ### Suicide Shift Could it be? Something different? Let's see where Suicide Shift goes. The acoustic beginning is a nice touch. Nope. Back into Paw-ville. Holy smokes, if you read the youtube comments, Paw fans adore them and think they should be in the upper grunge echelons. Gosh, no. This is not good. ### Slow Burn Whoa, hard rock. Let's see where Slow Burn goes. Punk/Alt/Grunge/Hard rock. That's where. ### I Know Where You Sleep Interesting intro. I like how I Know Where You Sleep kicks off. Powerful. ### Jessie (acoustic) Recorded in Boston. Gotta be WAAF. Loved WAAF growing up. They played tons of stuff that other radio stations wouldn't. ### Imaginary Lover A cover from the Atlanta Rythem Section. Never heard of them. To be honest, how did they cover this? Whose idea was it? It's such a depature from the one-song sound that they really nailed on Dragline.reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/top-gun-maverick/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTMaverick is ready to ride on the Silver Dove once more in May of 2022. Mav's [soundtrack](/albums/soundtracks/) however, maybe not so much? Let's see. So, we get it, Gaga is huge. But did she really need to be on this album? [Def Leppard](/def-leppard/) is still rocking. Same with [G'N'R](/guns-n-roses/). Understandably the comparison here is to Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", but couldn't we have truly rocked!? Give us [power ballads](/power-ballads/) to feast on. Give us rockers like Larry Greene's Through The Fire and Cheap Trick's Mighty Wings. Give us the Maverick soundtrack we deserve. You know what, if we were creating the Top Gun Soundtrack sequel, it would be filled with [Bang Camaro](/bang-camaro/), The Protomen, and Coheed and Cambria tracks. Listen to Coheed's song, [No World For Tomorrow](https://youtu.be/DYFVQ_o3SAQ) and tell us that shouldn't be on the album. On first listen through, it's nowhere close to the [Original Top Gun Soundtrack](/soundtrack/top-gun/). **Note:** There may be a **spoiler** or two in here, so be warned. <div class="cf row mv4"> <a href="https://amzn.to/3zhXTQD" class="link fl w-50 w-25-ns ba b--black-10 pa3" rel="nofollow"> <img src="/img/maverick-t-shirt.jpg" alt="Top Gun Maverick T-Shirt" loading="lazy" /> <h4 class="f7 fw6 lh-copy black mv0 pa0 pv1 pb1">Maverick T-Shirt</h4> <span class="bg-orange br1 pa1 ph2 white f7 lh-copy">Buy on Amazon</span> </a> <a href="https://amzn.to/3wRfbkx" class="link fl w-50 w-25-ns ba b--black-10 pa3" rel="nofollow"> <img src="/img/ray-ban-rb3025-classic-gradient-aviator-sunglasses.jpg" alt="Ray-Ban Rb3025 Classic Gradient Aviator Sunglasses" loading="lazy" /> <h4 class="f7 fw6 lh-copy black mv0 pa0 pv1 pb1">Mav's Aviators</h4> <span class="bg-orange br1 pa1 ph2 white f7 lh-copy">Buy on Amazon</span> </a> <a href="https://amzn.to/3lNh2BK" class="link fl w-50 w-25-ns ba b--black-10 pa3" rel="nofollow"> <img src="/img/top-gun-maverick-fa-18e-super-hornet.jpg" alt="Top Gun Maverick F/A-18E Super Hornet" loading="lazy" /> <h4 class="f7 fw6 lh-copy black mv0 pa0 pv1 pb1">Maverick's Toy Jet</h4> <span class="bg-orange br1 pa1 ph2 white f7 lh-copy">Buy on Amazon</span> </a> <a href="https://amzn.to/3PDUjWF" class="link fl w-50 w-25-ns ba b--black-10 pa3" rel="nofollow"> <img src="/img/top-gun-maverick-mug.jpg" alt="Top Gun Maverick Coffee Mug" loading="lazy" /> <h4 class="f7 fw6 lh-copy black mv0 pa0 pv1 pb1">Maverick Mug</h4> <span class="bg-orange br1 pa1 ph2 white f7 lh-copy">Buy on Amazon</span> </a> </div> {% contentfig "/img/maverick.jpg", "Maverick talking to his superior in the Top Gun sequel", "Mav being Mav" %} ## Top Gun Maverick Original Motion Picture Soundtrack notes The [certified fresh](https://www.slashfilm.com/863441/top-gun-maverick-is-certified-fresh-with-a-near-perfect-score-on-rotten-tomatoes/) film certainly looks to have an anything-but-fresh soundtrack. Well, the score is probably ridiculously good, because Zimmer, Hans. But we just can't get over OneRepublic's inclusion. Lorne Balfe is also responsible for original score in the sequel. For those looking for a challenge, Top Gun even has a [drinking game](https://www.baconsportsbeer.com/games/top-gun/) to play along with. ## Top Gun Soundtrack on Spotify If you have a Spotify subscription, you've probably already had a chance to hear all of the songs. <iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/3tjIKRAPBy5Qu4z8F5HmBz?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="380" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe> ### Main Titles (You've Been Called Back to Top Gun) - Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer I wish we were called back to Top Gun. That's where the plague for Second Place is in the lady's room, right? There's still 2 O's in Goose, boys. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It&#39;s official! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TopGun?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TopGun</a>: Maverick is <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CertifiedFresh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CertifiedFresh</a> 🍅 at 97% on <a href="https://twitter.com/RottenTomatoes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RottenTomatoes</a>! Get 🎟 now and see what everyone is raving about: <a href="https://t.co/67py5MSXtr">https://t.co/67py5MSXtr</a> <a href="https://t.co/xAsBCnlP7Z">pic.twitter.com/xAsBCnlP7Z</a></p>&mdash; Top Gun (@TopGunMovie) <a href="https://twitter.com/TopGunMovie/status/1525271659531231232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> ### Danger Zone - Kenny Loggins _OF COURSE_ Danger Zone is going to be in the [Top Gun](/soundtrack/top-gun/) sequel. The biggest question we have is whether or not Mighty Wings will be in it. You know ... really, really hoping for Mighty Wings. Anyway, Danger Zone is a legendary tune that (hopefully) will be introduced in a great way in this sequel. Loggins wasn't the original choice for Danger Zone in the first film, instead opting to write and record Playing With the Boys. But, when push came to shove, Loggins shoved into overdrive and got a chance to belt out some vox in the singer's cockpit ... err, recording studio. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwpn14IE7E #### The Story of Danger Zone Kenny Loggins actually tells the story of his involvement in Danger Zone in the video below. You'll see that Starship was offered the song before Loggins as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jNNH_-saFU ### Darkstar - Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer Common assumption here is that Darkstar refers to Mav. Then again, could it be Rooster? ### Great Balls of Fire (Live) - Miles Teller Presumably picking up where his on-screen father, Anthony Edwards, aka Nick Bradshaw, left off is Miles Teller, aka Bradley Bradshaw, doing his own version of the Jerry Lee Lewis hit. We're really hoping it's a great version of the ol' rock tune, as that scene where Meg Ryan arrives at Top Gun with little Brad Bradshaw and Goose starts playing piano with the kid in a cowboy hat on top of the piano will never be topped. It's 100% prime time excellent. So come on, Rooster, let's see you tickle the ivories like your father, Goose. {% contentfig "/img/top-gun-maverick-jet-flying.jpg", "A single jet flying at Mach speeds in Top Gun Maverick", "Feeling the need for speed" %} ### You're Where You Belong / Give 'Em Hell - Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer Of _course_ Mav is where he belongs ... in a cockpit, givin'em hell! ### I Ain't Worried - One Republic With a release date of May 13th, 2022, One Republic's "I Ain't Worried" is available for listening. In fact, below is the video for the track. To be honest, it sucks. Well, the song itself is alright. But does this Harry Styles-inspired, Watermelon Sugar-based, Train, only if the band was younger, riff really inspire anyone to get in a jet and destroy the enemy the way that Mighty Wings did!? No. _NO!_ One Republic should _never_ have been invited onto the Top Gun Maverick soundtrack. Honestly, we don't care _how_ they use this song in the movie. This cut didn't make it. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mNEUkkoUoIA" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> One Republic might not be worried, but we are. This track might ruin the flick. Then again, movie soundtracks these days are generally trash. Double then again, yeah, we love [80s hair metal](/hair-metal/). So, it should come as no surprise that we aren't thrilled about this tune. **Note (and possible SPOILER):** We've seen the movie and the song works. It plays over the new "Top Gun Volleyball Scene", affectionately being called, "Dogfight Football". In fact, it's better than the remake that director Kosinski was talking to Loggins about, a remake that Loggins made with Butterfly Boucher from Australia. [Give it a listen](https://youtu.be/hY_oLHZfP3E) ... it doesn't work at all. Yes, it includes updated lyrics to address the female pilot(s) in the film, as well as a female lead vocal part, but the song simply isn't good. ### Dagger One Is Hit / Time To Let Go - Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer Can't be good for Dagger One. Since Dagger One is hit, whoever is piloting it isn't having a good day. ### Tally Two / What's The Plan / F-14 - Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer What's the Plan? Sounds like confusion for the F-14s. ### The Man, The Legend / Touchdown - Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer The Man, The Legend? _Gotta be_ about Maverick. {% contentfig "/img/maverick-and-goose.jpg", "Photos of Maverick and Goose together in Top Gun", "The BEST of buddies" %} ### Penny Returns (Interlude) - Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer This has _got_ to be about Penny Benjamin, the admiral's daughter that Mav went ballistic over in the original Top Gun. We haven't seen the movie, but the name Penny means a lot to the Top Gun franchise. Let's see how this one plays out. ### Hold My Hand - Lady Gaga “When I wrote this song for Top Gun: Maverick, I didn’t even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film’s heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we’ve been living in,” - Lady Gaga <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yx3K3g4CtoQ" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> As CinemaBlend points out, Lady Gaga's music gets sewn together with Balfe, Zimmer and Faltermeyer's music to suggest that a character feels love or affection for something, whether that's each other, flying, or even a F-14 itself. This is the quote from Balfe: "We start using that theme when it’s to do with the love of two people, but also when it’s an emotional moment, embracing the sacrifices that these pilots go through. The love of flight was always a subject we talked about. At the end of that first sequence, when Maverick’s trying to beat the speed record, we hear a nod to that theme." ### Top Gun Anthem 2 - Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer Legendary composer, Hans Zimmer teams up with The Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr to create the next anthem in Top Gun. "I’ll tell you, I don’t think I’ve mentioned this anywhere yet, but I don’t see why not. Almost by accident, I guess did the theme to the new Top Gun [Top Gun: Maverick]. I think there was some issue with how the theme was sounding, and I was around and I have a guitar. It really was as simple as that. I haven’t seen the movie in its entirety. I didn’t do the score, I just played the theme. [...] I was presented with the thing and they wanted me to make it sound epic. I was like, sure, okay, I can do that!" - Johnny Marr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCTJmXrgsFg ## Top Gun Maverick Soundtrack FAQs ### Who did the music for Top Gun 2 Maverick? Hans Zimmer, Harold Faltermeyer, Johnny Marr, Kenny Loggins, One Republic and Lady Gaga. ### Were 21 Pilots supposed to be on the Top Gun Maverick soundtrack? It seems like they were, as the band claims, “I saw some scenes. They brought me in to show me some scenes and stuff, and I actually don’t think I started writing,” Joseph added about how far along he got in the process before 21P got scrubbed. “It was actually pretty soon after they brought me in to show me parts of the movie of what they were looking for and stuff then I kind of got word that there was a wholesale swap.” {% contentfig "/img/maverick-motorcycle.jpg", "Mav taking the cover off his garaged motorcycle to rev it back up in Top Gun Maverick", "Everything Mav does is fast" %} ### Is Val Kilmer in the new Top Gun movie Maverick? Yes, Val Kilmer is in the movie. He is still playing Tom Kazansky - aka - Iceman in Top Gun Maverick. ### Who is the woman in Top Gun Maverick? The woman is Jennifer Connolly. It is not Meg Ryan and Kelly McGillis, who appear in the original Top Gun film. ### Is Anthony Edwards (Goose) in Top Gun Maverick? No, Anthony Edwards is not in the movie. His character, Goose, died in the original film. That's why his son Bradley Bradshaw is singing Great Balls of Fire this time around. ### What is the theme song to Top Gun Maverick? Top Gun Anthem 2 is the theme song for Top Gun Maverick. A quick Wikipedia search would confirm that. ### Where can I buy the Top Gun Maverick Soundtrack? You can purchase it on <a href="https://amzn.to/3PKpW0I" rel="nofollow">Amazon</a> and on [Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/top-gun-maverick-music-from-the-motion-picture/1621817793). It's not available for download off of Amazon just yet, as they are only selling the CD as of May 27th, the movie and soundtrack's release date. You could also try Spotify, but we can't seem to find an accurate link for download. ### Can I buy the Top Gun Maverick Soundtrack on Vinyl? No, you _cannot_ buy the Top Gun Maverick soundtrack on vinyl yet. We will update this as we found out more information from Amazon, Apple Music and other soundtrack resellers. ### Why was Take My Breath Away not in Top Gun: Maverick? Take My Breath Away was not featured in the movie because the song is not solely about the character of Maverick. The movie needed a new love song to address the relationship between Pete Mitchell and Penny Benjamin, not Charlie (Kelly McGillis). rec4Uqc95OdsdLrQvhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/transformers-the-movie/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/transformers-the-movie/Stan Bush, Vince DiCola, Kick Axe, Lion, NRG, and Weird Al create an epic soundtrack to the legendary, Transformers The Movie.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTWay before Sam and Mikaela were riding around in a refreshed Bumblebee (Transformers Gen I Bumblebee is VW bug, not a (Bang) Camaro). But hey, at least they got the color right. Speaking of [Bang Camaro](/bang-camaro/), they'd be great to include on a live action Transformers movie. Way before the Dark of the Moon. Way before the Age of Extinction. Way before the Last Knight. Way before Revenge of the Fallen. Way before Michael Bay, Josh Duhamel, Shia Lebeouf, Megan Fox, and John Turturro. Before Steven Jablonsky wrote the score to the live action Transformers. At a time when kids were playing Transformers outside in sandboxes, not playing Transformers on netflix. There was the _real_ Transformers movie. The 1986 animated cartoon movie. The Eric IDle, Orson Welles, Judd Nelson, and Leonard Nimoy, Micro machines guy, Michael Bell voiced Transformers. Peter Cullen, to be fair, appears as Optimus Prime in (nearly) all versions. Why? Cause he is a bad ass. Better still, there was **the music**! ### The movie soundtrack In 1986, the legendary Transformers: The Movie soundtrack hit the shelves, putting records and cassettes into the hands of kids across the nation, filling everyone with joy. The [motion picture soundtrack](/albums/soundtracks/) ranged from bitchin' hair metal ([Lion](/lion/) and [Kick Axe](/kick-axe/), Stan Bush) to Vince DiCola's perfect synth-industrial score. This was way before the Michael Bay live-action tentpole of 2007, with thankfully none of the Linkin Park. Just pure 80s synth, hair metal, screechy vocals, amazing falsetto, huge guitars, and all sorts of other righteous musical motifs. This is the original Transformers soundtrack. This is the best Transformers soundtrack. And, as far as we are concerned, this is the _only_ Transformers soundtrack. ## Vince DiCola on scoring the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack "From the beginning, I found this to be a very challenging project. The first surprise was realizing that about 75 minutes worth of music would be required. This amount of music is not particularly uncommon for a full lenght animated film, but was certainly more than I had ever been asked to produce for one movie. Another surprise nearly threw me into a panic mode. I was told that I would be writing most of the music not to picture, as is usually the case, but to "storyboards", which is far from the norm. I traded in my initial shock for more of a can-do attitude and told the director and producers, "Oh sure, no problem at all ... I can do that!"" What is amazing is that he wrote the music to the cartoon movie to the storyboards. Not the finished film, not a rough cut, _the storyboards_. How can you not? So anthemic, so kick ass, so everything in between. <small>Tracks 11-14 were not on the original soundtrack release, but on the 2007 Volcano Entertainment re-release.</small> ## Transformers: The Movie soundtrack album notes The Touch, Dare, and the Transformers theme song team up well with Vince DiCola's score in the Transformers - The Movie soundtrack. Also, hair metal, industrial synth, and ... Weird Al? ### The Touch - Stan Bush YOU GOT THE TOUCH! YOU GOT THE POWER! Madly inspirational, Stan Bush at his (near) finest. Fighting to the end, never giving in when you're back is to the wall, seeking out the eye of the storm, fighting fire with fire, that is what The Touch is all about. That is what Optimus Prime is all about. So bad ass. Love the synth/vox breakdown, right before the huge guitar riff plows back in. Solidly clean, overdriven single coil guitar sprinkled throughout. Stan Bush needs to be immortalized for his work on the album. **One Shall Stand. One Shall Fall.** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhLh4pw44uw "I'll rip out your optics!" - Megatron How many Decepticons does Optimus mow down there? More than enough. <figure> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/img/Transformers-the-Movie-Rodimus-Prime.jpg" alt="Hot Rod becoming Rodimus Prime with the Autobot Matrix of Leadership" width="292" height="218" /> <figcaption class="caption">Except for Judd Nelson, he was ... Hot Rod!</figcaption> </figure> ### Instruments of Destruction - N.R.G. Instruments of Destruction sounds like a tune off of [Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure](/soundtrack/bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/), only if Dave Mustaine wrote it. Which is funny, because Megadeath appears on [Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey](/soundtrack/bill-teds-bogus-journey/). Power chords were invented for Instruments of Destruction. Huge falsettos are all over the end of this tune, but none so much as the final note. Wow, those are some pipes. ### Death of Optimus Prime - Vince DiCola Vince backs off the full-time synth to lay down some dramatic piano. Makes sense, we just lost our hero in the story. Calls in the synth choir and gets the tap tempo arpeggiator running. Sounds an awful lot like the [Rocky IV](/soundtrack/rocky-iv/) victory score that he also did. Heartbeat paced warning chimes. Not good. Employs some of the same techniques [Harold Faltermeyer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Faltermeyer) uses in Memories from the [Top Gun Soundtrack](/soundtrack/top-gun/) (When Goose dies). ### Dare - Stan Bush The best song on the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack. Bar none. Dare is in a league of it's own. Triumphant doesn't even scratch the surface of Dare. Even its intro in the movie is perfect. Imagine being a kid with a hoverboard and a robot buddy ready to catch you if you fall, flip over, transform, and then toss you behind the drivers seat? And, for the best part, that robot buddy is Judd Nelson?! That's gold, Jerry! Gold! Stan Bush absolutely raises everyone, both in the movie, and in the theather, to new heights with the magnificent Dare. Stan Bush, *now* at his finest. ### Dare with Vince and Stan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPXf62hbL0c ### Nothin' Gonna Stand In Our Way - Spectre General (Kick Axe) Great pacing. Powerful chugging verse chords. Super tough, defiant chorus. Kick Axe won't be denied. Nothin's Gonna Stand In Our Way ... NOT TONIGHT!!! Really emphasizing the "Nothin's gonna stand in our way" motif with the pre-solo pseudo-verse. Love the compact guitar solo. Crisp tone. False ending at 3:17-3:18 with the harmonized vocals. True ending with soloed out harmonized chorus vocals just a few seconds later. ### The Transformers Theme - Lion In case you were wondering what band plays the main soundtrack in transformers, it is Lion. It is also the BEST version of The Transformers Theme. Better than the cartoon version. Better than Vince DiCola's alternate version. Better than the 2007 live action movie Black Lab version. Judge for yourself. **Lion version theme song** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaVcpfncOWs - **Cartoon version (Transformers original theme song)** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLS2N9mHWaw - **Black Lab version theme song** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcQuXAf0cKc - **Mute Math version theme song** I get the space, robot, industrial thing. I really do. That said, this remix, because that's what we should call it, is so far off brand that its laughable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-W_3gVsO98 I think we can all agree that Lion's totally bitchin' hair metal version is the best version ever created. Just harmonized lightning everywhere. _Although_, the acoustic version from Cybertronic Spree is quite interesting ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDTbyDzt9-Y ### Escape - Vince DiCola Light-hearted Boy Meets Girl opening intro, before laying on the heavy bass. If Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, and the rest of the Flecktones went synth-metal, it would be the beginning of Escape, right before the video game music takes over. ### Hunger - Spectre General (Kick Axe) Kick Axe lets their heavy metal roots shine on Hunger. Huge opening riff. Crunch verses. Hunger! I want it so bad! Gang vocals to close a chorus is always a tasteful choice. Wailing pre-solo vox. The guitar solo, while decent, is somewhat reserved. ### Autobot / Decepticon Battle - Vince DiCola Solid pacing. Modulated notes of the main Transformers theme song. Jazz rock bass. Synth, like snowflakes falling all around. Maybe even a few notes in common with the Reading Rainbow theme music. Where is Levar Burton?! Autobot / Decepticon Battle is one of the more dynamic tracks on the album. Vince DiCola ensures your attention is captured. The Dare melody gets name-checked once or twice. ### Dare to Be Stupid - "Weird Al" Yankovic How Weird Al Yankovic made it onto the soundtrack is anyone's guess. I bet Dare to be Stupid would be quite the [karaoke song](/best-rock-songs-karaoke/). Yellow Devo jumpsuits. Synth-pop instrumentals. Weird Al. I give thee, the Dare To Be Stupid video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMhwddNQSWQ It's got little in common with The Transformers, conceptually. But the music does fit in the movie. The Junkions, led by Wreck-Gar, arrive to mess with Daniel and Springer, right before Hot Rod and Kup show up. Then a weird break dance sesh breaks out, Grimlock tweaks a bit, and now it's time to plot Unicron's death. The absurdity of Dare to be Stupid need only match Eric Idle's inclusion in the cast as Wreck-Gar. You would know Eric Idle from Monty Python. Makes sense now, right? Probably where bah weep granah weep nini bong came from. You want to Dare to be Stupid? Walk around saying bah weep granah weep nini bong. Watch for the kind of looks you get. ... Yeah, probably high fives from all of the other Transformers fans around the world. It's the _universal greeting_. Fist up! ### Unicron Medley - Vince DiCola Sinister machine lord music, perfect for Unicron. The building menace is palpable. The dialogue balanced well off of the soundtrack score. Orson Welles crushes all as Unicron, delivering legit lines like, "For a time, I considered sparing your wretched little planet, Cybertron, but now, you will witness...ITS DISMEMBERMENT!" Huge guitar riffage at 4:40 after the fading church choir effect wears off. ### Moon Base 2 / Shuttle Launch - Vince DiCola Big bass hits. Industrial percussion. Pink Floyd synths. Shifts to full on major scale triumphant notes midway through. DiCola knew how to build tension. He could bend the tension toward tense drama, toward victorious jubilation, toward ominous doom. ### Megatron Must Be Stopped (Parts 1 & 2) - Vince DiCola Megatron Must Be Stopped is film score masking itself as a driving rock tune. The shifts in tonality were (maybe?) supposed to represent both the Autobots and the Decepticons. Vince DiCola does a superb job of pacing this track. Gritty riffs. Chromatic runs. Dramatic battle snares. Quite anthemic. ### The Transformers Theme (Alternate Version) - Vince DiCola Stan Bush sings on this version of The Transformers Theme song. We love you, Stan. But, there is a higher truth. You see, there is only one version of the Transformers theme song ... and that is Lion's. ## Til All Are One (Stan Bush and Vince DiCola) The entire motion picture score is much longer than the few tracks originally included in 1986 and the additional four tracks issued on the re-release (Moon Base, Unicron, Megatron must be stopped, and the Stan Bush alt Transformers theme). This music was later released as a compilation titled, [Til All Are One](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Til_All_Are_One). It features Stan Bush's _Call to Action_ and Vince DiCola's The Transformers: The Movie musical score. Acquire that and you have the rest of the tracks. Other permutations of the Transformers music include - [Lighting Their Darkest Hour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighting_Their_Darkest_Hour) - [The Protoform Sessions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protoform_Sessions) - [Artistic Transformations: Themes and Variations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artistic_Transformations:_Themes_and_Variations) ## The Transformers soundtrack songs across pop culture From Dirk Diggler singing The Touch in Boogie Nights to Stan Bush's Dare adorning the 80's wrestling revival, G.L.O.W., a fictionalized recreation of the real 80's wrestling show of the same name, songs from The Transformers: The Movie soundtrack get used from time to time in pop culture. Did this help Wahlberg score a role in Transformers 4? Certainly didn't hurt! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtOviHnmAlE The official Benders teaser uses Stan Bush's The Touch. Benders lasted one season. Oh well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhARu_SZuHw How I Met Your Mother's Barney Stinson uses the theme song on his Get Psyched Mix. *You should too!* ## When Greed Is Good (documentary) Transformers: The Movie itself was meant as a transition away from Generation I Transformers, so that Hasbro could sell new toys and make $$. According to Lee Baron's _When Greed Is Good_ (below), the Transformers writers were given carte blanche to liberally kill off Autobots and Decepticons as they saw fit. If you love the (Generation I) toys and the Transformers cartoon movie, it is worth your 11 minutes to watch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ3o9i9GrYA "The toys were a phenomenal success and Hasbro decided to create a new generation of toys and discontinue the first. The only problem was they needed a way to stop the old generation and start the new ones at the same time." - Lee Baron The cartoon itself is direct to consumer marketing. The Marvel comic and cartoon doubled demand. 6 million dollar feature length movie. You gotta give credit to the Transformers producers, they and their bosses were out to make the most amount of money they could through merch sales, and in doing so, gave creative license to writers to make a phenomenal movie. Flint Dillie, Nelson Shin, and others were charged with killing everyone on the show, leading to ultimate creative freedom. From the start, characters are getting smoked with laser shots to their metal automobile chests. AMAZING for a children's film. Killing Optimus Prime. The dark music overlaying his death as he turned to gray. The backlash from the death of Optimus Prime forced the producers of GI Joe to re-edit dialogue for the scene where Duke dies. ## Final thoughts on the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack It's a masterpiece of robotic excellence. Triumphant in a way that only the mid 80's could be. Amazingly relistenable today. Perfect highway driving music. ### September 27th, 2018 - One night only, The Transformers: The Movie (1986) And also amazingly rewatchable. It was great to see it on the big screen again. <figure> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/img/Transformers-the-Movie-Thursday-September-27th-2018.jpg" alt="Fathom Events one night only in (AMC) theaters, Transformers: The Movie on September 27th, 2018" width="640" height="480" /> <figcaption class="caption">You got the ... tickets!</figcaption> </figure>recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/rocky-iv/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/rocky-iv/The very best 80s movie training montage music. Dragooooo!Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTCranked the Rocky 4 Soundtrack to jolt everyone out of bed at a bachelor party in Tampa. Nothing says TIME TO START DRINKING like hearing Hearts On Fire turned up to 11 ... at 10am. Same goes for [80s Day](/80s-day/) morning as well. And, if we're being totally honest, it's best to kick off your Super Bowl party with the Rocky IV soundtrack, especially if you're playing the [Super Bowl drinking game](https://www.baconsportsbeer.com/games/super-bowl/). Play it twice if you're playing on "Tom Brady Mode" ... which you _shouldn't!_ **Sidenote:** [Mike Hsu](/mike-hsu/) needs to play more Rocky IV songs on 100.1 The Pike. Moving along. James Brown may be the most famous person to grace the Rocky 4 Soundtrack, but Kenny Loggins and Gladys Knight aren't too far behind. 80s Fight Movie frequenters Survivor and John Cafferty round out the album. Oh, and the guy who did the music to the [animated Transformers movie](/soundtrack/transformers-the-movie/), Vince DiCola, does the instrumentals. Dude knows how to amp up a movie score. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SUzcDUERLo You need this soundtrack in your collection. Legendary movie, excellent [soundtrack](/albums/soundtracks/). It's so close to a 10/10, and it very well is if you are accepting of overly cheesy lyrics, but The Sweetest Victory and Man Against the World hold the Rocky 4 Soundtrack back. Crazy thing we just heard, Vince DiCola's score won a Razzie?! Are you kidding?! The album went RIAA Platinum. A Razzie!? ## Rocky 4 Soundtrack notes The Rocky 4 Soundtrack is so good that I feel you need another youtube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOXaPE6gklI ### Burning Heart (Survivor) Hefty start to the song and album. Thumping beat. Jimi Jameson nails "rising like a spire" with room to spare. The song just sounds tough. Perfectly good song for a fight movie. Could have fit anywhere in the Rocky series. ### Hearts On Fire (John Cafferty) Interesting transition after the opening melody line. Cafferty drops another gem in Hearts On Fire (also On The Dark Side). The chorus is so outrageously "mmmerrika". I mean, have you ever read the Hearts On Fire lyrics? So powerful. Tony Robbins level motivation stuff they are. [skip to the lyrics](#heartsonfirelyrics) Keyboard solo is pretty dope. Plays deceptively well into the key change. Speaking of which, key changes are an ABSOLUTE must for this echelon of training montage song. I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here and not have you belt it out in the upper register. I equally love the lazy hanging/floating chorus at 4:00. Well done, John Cafferty. Well done. ### Double or Nothing (Kenny Loggins & Gladys Knight) Two legends casually doing their thing. Loggins, and 80s soundtrack frequenter ([Over the Top](/soundtrack/over-the-top/)), is a national treasure. Gladys probably rolled this one in one take. Consummate professionals. I can't tell whose voice I prefer, that is how phenomenal Kenny Loggins is. ### Eye of the Tiger (Survivor) Eye of the Tiger makes its second Rocky soundtrack appearance, following up its masterful performance in Rocky III. The movie montage song of movie montages. Everything that has been said about this song has already been said. The droning, repeating single note is elegant in its simplicity. I do miss the [Starbucks commercial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_the_Tiger) though. Glenn! Glenn, Glenn, Glenn! Roy! Roy, Roy, Roy! ### War / Fanfare from Rocky A great instrumental track. Lots of badassery, culminating in the mega huge Rocky theme music at 5 minutes and 24 seconds. ### Living In America (James Brown) Performed live by the hardest working man in show biz, James Brown, Living In America welcomes Apollo Creed to the ring. As for the song, typical James Brown material. Jimbo shimmies out his trademark for 4 minutes and 43 seconds. ### No Easy Way Out (Robert Tepper) In the running for most bad ass movie montage song ever. It would be the victor on any other album, except it squares off solely against Hearts On Fire and Eye of the Tiger. No joke, Robert Tepper still plays it today. Let's set the scene ... Rocky is bombing around Philly in his Lambo trying to cope with the death of Apollo at the hands of new nemesis, Ivan Drago. He's mentally recapping his life up until this point and coming to terms with the fact that he must face his greatest challenge yet, defeating Drago in Russia. The audience knows that he has no shot, giving up more than half a foot in height and reach and just a metric ton of muscle weight. But then Rock hears Tepper bardic tale of divining inspiration from within, and a simmering rage starts to boil. There is no challenge that he will back down from. There is no foe that he cannot vanquish. There is no easy way out. There is only Drago. There is only situps from the second floor rafters, ox cart lifts, and trudging shoulder log carries through the Siberian snow. There are rocks in a net to be lifted like Chewie, Han and Luke in the Endor Forest. There are KGB agents to sprint away from. There is a mountain to be summited. There is no easy way out. #### No Easy Way Out - The Protomen (The Cover Up) So do Nashville's The Protomen. It's a spectacular cover. Check it out. <iframe style="border: 0; width: 100%; height: 120px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3840201911/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=3644512401/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://theprotomen.bandcamp.com/album/the-cover-up-original-motion-picture-soundtrack">The Cover Up (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by The Protomen</a></iframe> ### One Way Street (From the film "Rocky 4") The Kings of Wishful Thinking, Go West show up on this collection of movie montage all-timers. They definitely get all the funk that SisQó left out. Bass line is terrific. ### The Sweetest Victory (Touch) Who is Touch? And, where did this song come from?! [Marq Torien](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marq_Torien). And, the middle of nowhere. This dude throttles up some super high vox in this tune. It has a very Journey feel to it, though it lacks the depth of a song like Separate Ways. Fun fact: Marq Torien was not only the lead singer of the [BulletBoys](/bulletboys/bulletboys/), but also the lead singer of King Kobra - the same King Kobra that does "Iron Eagle (Never Say Die)" from the Iron Eagle Soundtrack. However, I don't believe Torien was the singer for that track. #### Was Separate Ways by Journey in any of the Rocky movies? No, Separate Ways was not. In fact, I don't believe Journey if featured in any of the Rocky, or Creed for that matter, movies. ### Training Montage Total 80s movie music here by [Vince DiCola](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_DiCola). Suffice to say, he has a signature sound. See aforementioned Transformers soundtrack - another GREAT 80s soundtrack, very underrated. Drum pads and layered synth - everything 80s montage music should be. ### Man Against The World (Survivor) Seriously? Survivor has 3 songs on the Rocky 4 soundtrack? Amazing. Dramatic piano. Overly dramatic vocals. Survivor getting a third track on the Rocky 4 Soundtrack, kind of amazing if you think about it. The lyrics remind me of the part in [Baseketball](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131857/) where Joe "Coop" Cooper is driving and the words of the song are mirroring his actions. It's that straightforward. That being said, hearing this reminds me of DeflateGate. This should really be layered over some slow-mo footage of Goodell giving it to Brady, ending with him handing him the trophy. Someone make this happen. <a name="heartsonfirelyrics"></a> ### Hearts on Fire lyrics Silent darkness creeps into your soul And removes the light of self-control The cave that holds you captive has no doors Burnin’ with determination To even up the score Hearts on fire Strong desire Rages deep within Hearts on fire Fever’s rising high The moment of truth draws near Time will not allow you to stand still, no Silence breaks the heart and bends the will And things that give deep passions are your sword Rules and regulations have no meaning anymore Hearts on fire Strong desire Rages deep within Hearts on fire Fever’s rising high The moment of truth is here Ohhh! Is here! Aww yeah! Hearts on fire Strong desire Rages deep within ## FAQs for Rocky 4 ### Who was composer of the Rocky 4 soundtrack? Vince DiCola is the composer for the fourth Rocky movie. Bill Conti's (Rocky 1-3) themes are quite present though. rec4Uqc95OdsdLrQvhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/enuff-znuff/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/enuff-znuff/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTEnuff Z’Nuff - Gets In The Groove with the New Thing, then Flys High with Michelle, cause She Wants More. Neon colors and a peace symbol adorn the album cover of Enuff Z'Nuff's self-titled album. The times were a changing on [hair metal](/hair-metal/). Enuff Z'Nuff features a few songs that could be considered crossover tunes, helping to usher in the next genre and killing off hair metal in the process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85BVnQMiFFw Love the Chip Z'Nuff bass guitar switches in the post chorus hits. Check it out in the video. Happens in the first 10 seconds. Also, 1:12 if you don't notice. At 2:28, Derek Frigo rolls through a bunch of guitars. The set looks like Enuff Z'Nuff invaded an indoor [Gotcha](https://retroist.com/water-guns-from-entertech/) arena. Also, dope shades! A few good songs, nothing remarkable or otherworldly. The hits bolster Enuff Z'Nuff to a 6. ## Enuff Z'Nuff notes ### New Thing Enuff Z'Nuff's hit song, New Thing really is a new thing. The verse is more 90s alternative rock than hair metal. The chorus goes full blown glam. Then back to a grunge-y post chorus. I really loved this song growing up. Then forgot about it in the 90s. With time to reflect, I have to say that I still really like it. It's a lot better than the poor excuse for music today. Frigo LOVES whammy tricks. One of the easiest ways to my 80s heart. ### She Wants More Enuff Z'Nuff teases an upbeat rocker in She Wants More, before scaling it back into an Alana Miles "Black Velvet" groove. I'm guessing the more she wants is more time off from her 9 to 5. Yeah, must be. Derek Frigo with tons of whammy action. There are some 90s rock elements to be found in the chorus. ### Fly High Michelle Synth pads! The video for Fly High Michelle was something. Enuff Z'Nuff was rocking out on a cloud, festooned in neons, leopard print(s), and audacious headwear. YOU HAVE TO GIVE IT UP! The chorus is powerfully melodic. Love the keys in the outro. That's good stuff, Donnie Vie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWTD7Y24oY8 Enuff Z'Nuff LOVES neon guitars. So do I. Where can I get one?! <small>Could probably buy them straight from Enuff Z'Nuff ... maybe they need the money?</small> ### Hot Little Summer Girl Now this is hair metal! Wintertime, Spring, and Fall ... Don't compare at all. So, if you're a girl from those seasons, don't waste Enuff Z'Nuff's time. Fantastic Falsetto at 2:23! AHHHHHHHHHHH! Hot Little Summer Girl is compact, hardly a wasted note. ### In the Groove Sleazy. I dig it. In the Groove puts Chip Z'Nuff's bass at the forefront. Vikki Fox's kit cuts through the mix plenty. Blues and rock aside, Donnie Vie's vocals have a Bryan Adams like quality to them. Frigo employs some fluttery Satriani guitar licks in the solo. In the Groove comes in at a lengthy 6 minutes and 45 seconds. Wow. Long time to be in the groove ... Obligatory wail to end the song. ### Little Indian Angel Perhaps a bit racist? I'm gonna pass on Little Indian Angel. Next. ### For Now For Now operates in the [Danger Danger](/danger-danger/screw-it/) zone, like something off the [Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure soundtrack](/soundtrack/bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/). It's a moderately light hair metal track that keeps a good beat. Lyrically, I can't tell if this is the some of the very worst lyric writing of all time, or whether it's a philosophic masterpiece about Enuff Z'Nuff's place in hair metal and the changing of the musical guard that is about to be ushered in by 90s grunge. If it's the latter, wow. I mean, if they are using "you" emblematically in place of "hair metal" and appreciating the fleeting opportunity to live the dream and remaining in the moment ... then I ... well, I would just be out of words. ### Kiss the Clown I hear something that lies between Billy Idol and [Soul Asylum](/soul-asylum/grave-dancers-union/) on Kiss the Clown. Vikki Fox with some nice fills. Hey, while we are on the subject of Vikki Fox, where is the second X in his last name? Vikki Foxx is exponentially more hair metal than the single X could ever be. ### I Could Never Be Without You Absolutely bitchin intro to I Could Never Be Without You. NAILS the hair metal sound. The verse vox sound a bit ... Faith No More!? Is it just me? Do Vie and Z'Nuff switch roles on this one? I can't figure it out. ### Finger on the Trigger Some nice work on the acoustic six string to start Finger on the Trigger off right. Halfway through verse two and I'm tossing my hat in the bitchin' tune ring. Vie knows he can let the golden pipes rest after the album ends. Enuff Z'Nuff Enuff Z'Nuff traverses glam, rock, and blues in equal share.recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/high-n-dry/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/high-n-dry/The Fur of the Leopard was still Heavy & Metallic at this point.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTThe record's artwork was designed by [Storm Thorgerson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Thorgerson). The _same_ Storm Thorgerson who did Pink Floyd's outstanding artwork. He also worked with Wings, UFO, Led Zeppelin and a ton of other greats, including [AC/DC](/ac-dc/), [Europe](/europe/), and [Sammy Hagar](/sammy-hagar/). Anyway, High 'n' Dry helped to solidify the band as a major player in the [New Wave of British Heavy Metal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_wave_of_British_heavy_metal). Their version of metal was obviously lighter in fare, but awesome nonetheless. ## Let It Go Released on August 14th across the pond, Let It Go tosses metal logs into the furnace of the Def Leppard train. An amazing lead off tune for the second studio album. Willis and Clark rip on Let It Go. Let It Rock. Let It Roll. Let It Go. Def Leppard's music is perpetually eager to please. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHNBxd4LnDs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHNBxd4LnDs ## Another Hit and Run British Metal finery! We think Dave Grohl stole the Everlong drum work from two-handed Rick Allen on Another Hit and Run. Early Leppard's riffage was always driving forward. Such a bad ass tune. Somehow Def Leppard's transition from metal to [hair metal](/hair-metal/) doesn't take as much flack as some of the other bands out there. Perhaps that's because the band never went out of their way to emphasize the "hair" in hair metal. A case could be made for both Def Leppard and [Guns N' Roses](/guns-n-roses/) that they were never really hair metal after all. One listen to this track would support that argument. HIT AND RUN! HIT AND RUN! HIT AND RUN! HIT AND RUN! Another Hit and Run! ## High 'n' Dry (Saturday Night) The title track. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkfJOrdc1AU ## Bringin' On the Heartbreak Bringin' On the Heartbreak sitting squarely in the Power Ballad 4th track position. Love it. Respect the formula. ## Switch 625 (Instrumental) Switch 625 was recently featured in the closing scene of [The Rise](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14443266/?ref_=ttep_ep10), Cobra Kai's Season 4 finale. It was the perfect music to close out the season, considering Daniel's actions in the scene. We're just surprised the music wasn't layered over a scene with [Johnny Lawrence](/johnny-lawrence/). ## You Got Me Runnin' Heartbeat kick drum. Thump. Thump. Everyone's on alert now with the choppy guitar strokes. ## Lady Strange Very Maiden-esque harmonized opening. Lady Strange has awesome riffage. Joe, Rik, and the fellas all want a piece of Lady Strange. On any given Saturday night, 87% of all of the Roadrunners, Challengers, and Camaros on the road had Lady Strange blasting on the tape deck. ## On Through the Night Hard chargining Maiden callback here in the intro. ## Mirror, Mirror (Look into My Eyes) Savage's bass is savage. Got a real nice growling thump going on Mirror, Mirror. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjc-cMT-Xm8 ## No No No A little out of control is a gnarly way to end an album. DL was just saving all the slow jams for [Adrenalize](/def-leppard/adrenalize/).recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/scenery-and-fish/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTScenery and Fish travels from rock city to rural country during its hour plus running time. Other than Hello Dave!'s 47 second album intro, no song comes in under 4 minutes. The closest we get is the compact, for IME's standard, Another Sunday at 4:05. And, Like a Girl is the only other four minute song. The rest clock in at 5 minutes and up. While Jagori and Christian Tanna won't go down in history as the best guitarist/drummer brother duo, that honor belongs to [EVH and Alex Van Halen](/van-halen/), they do create some complex songs together. And, that's probably because Canadian rock bands use special guitar chords: maple chords. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_1QAC_6Zuc ## Scenery and Fish song notes ### Hello Dave! A lot of high hat, Pearson's B3, whistles, a fun minute to intro Scenery and Fish. I'm fully ok with this recorded warmup. Hello Dave! ### Like a Girl The brothers Tanna, Bruce Gordon, and [Alex Lifeson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Lifeson) give us smorgasbord of funk riffs, rock sounds, jazz beats, changing Like a Girl every few seconds. [311](/311/311/) would be proud. IME lead singer Edwin had a unique voice, capable of following the ever changing styles found on Scenery and Fish. Scribbling feedback is always a class move. Canadian alternative rock took more chances than its American counterpart. ### One More Astronaut One of the better musical intros of the entire decade. One More Astronaut hits straight out the gate. It is also I Mother Earth's highest charting single. Head space alive and painless, weightless and almost sane I close my eyes, I become the sky. Head space alone and shameless, can't wait to find the faces, left behind in a troubled time, back home. What an awesome chorus. One More Astronaut holds us a quarter decade later, both musically and lyrically. Jagori's funk wah, Bruce's dodgeball-bouncy bass, Christian's slamming drums. If this were [hair metal](/hair-metal/), I'd call it a bitchin' tune. Canadian drummers must share equipment, because the kit on One More Astronaut sounds _very_ similar to the one on [Naveed](/our-lady-peace/naveed/). ### Another Sunday A great tune, if a bit disturbing. Powerful, yet compact chorus. The RHCP-esque breakdown in the post second chorus space was a nice touch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuKl4pn3PHM Another Sunday might be a good song to highlight the difference between the 80s and 90s. If Another Sunday was written a decade prior, most likely somewhere near the PCH, it would still be a song about alien abduction, only one where the abducting aliens were busty chicks in leopard print lingerie whose spaceship was a waterbed with a hyperdrive. The lyrical point of the song is that these busty alien chicks, think Deanna Troi, would have read the minds of these glam metal rockers from across the galaxy, bringing them ultra boozy wine from their home planet Alpha Slutauri, along with a metric ton of "spice" from Kessel, because we all know what was really getting mined on Kessel, cocaine! In fact, I believe that song exists! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKjZuykKY1I ### Three Days Old Alt-rock masquerading as the blues. Dig it. Three Days Old is a fantastic rock song. ### Used to be Alright Used to be Alright is great tune. Good drums, good guitar work, good lyrics. Strong verse, bad ass pre-chorus, and a chorus with palpable vibrance. Holy Pulled Pork Poutine, Batman! ### Shortcut to Moncton Are bands forced to play songs that reference a town, city, province, state, or country if they are currently playing there on a tour stop? Because, I can't see Shortcut to Moncton not getting played in New Brunswick. ### Pisser Punchy bass! Tons of sonic territory explored on Scenery and Fish, and so much more expressive. No matter the track, Pisser, Like a Girl, etc. IME delivers. ### Raspberry Raspberry continues delivering on IME's very underrated song and lyric writing. ### Songburst & Delirium Lots of Maple Chords on Songburst & Delirium. ### Sense of Henry Edwin channels his inner Jeff Keith ([Tesla](/tesla/)) on Sense of Henry. Do you hear that vocal tone? Come to think of it, Sense of Henry is arranged in the key of [The Great Radio Controversy](/tesla/the-great-radio-controversy/), with similar chord changes, guitar tone, and of course, vocals. That's just the way it is. ### Earth, Sky & C. Hey, I know, let's close out the album by writing a Santana song. I like to imagine that is what IME was thinking when penning Earth, Sky & C.reczG3aBbNtH4GAjChttps://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/lean-into-it/https://www.hairandflannel.com/albums/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.Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:34:49 GMTWhy ultra pro status? So get this, you're Eric Martin, you're a phenomenally talented singer, and yet you might be the least talented person in your band. That's [Mr. Big](/mr-big/), they were an all-star team. Sometimes all-star teams don't win championships though, you know? Ahhhh To Be with You. Check it out. Sing along with Mr. Big. Come on, you know the chorus! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6-uJLteKek If I'm being honest, it's definitely not for the lyrics or the memorable tunes. It's purely for the music. ## Lean Into It notes Lean Into It - Mr. Big showcases the stellar talent of Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan, and Pat Torpey ### Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy (The Electric Drill Song) Sheehan and Gilbert just warming up. I'm really confused by the chorus, "I'll be your daddy, your brother, your lover, and your little boy!" Was then, still am today. Gilbert solo setting the fretboard on fire to start Lean Into It off right. ### Alive and Kickin Eric Martin makes singing sound so incredibly easy. Look at that tassled-up white Ibanez PGM that Gilbert rocks in the Alive and Kickin. Thing is gorgeous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9U9j9OOG3M Nice breakdown. I appreciate masters of their craft. Torpey is so generous to let Sheehan and Gilbert do whatever they feel is necessary for the tune. Sheehan, bodacious wristbands there fella. ### Green-Tinted Sixties Mind Paul Gilbert, cause he can. Slick intro, Paul. I forgot Green-Tinted Sixties Mind had a video. They made it just so you can see Pat Torpey keep the beat, toss a stick twirl, all while harmonizing on the vocals. Talent abound in Mr. Big. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hr0rBXILMY You can hear tones of what would become Fuzz Universe (solo record) in Gilbert's intro and outro. ### CDFF-Lucky This Time This song is totally playing the angel/devil on your shoulder. It goes to the harder, gritty beat when it wants to lean on the euphemism of opening one's heart to get lucky this time. Then they completely turn on the good cop routine and get all lovey-dovey. Make your mind Mr. Big. Or, is that the wicked game you play? ### Voodoo Kiss Dope acoustic intro. Voodoo Kiss has got something going for it. I can't place it, but it's there. ### Never Say Never Big riff, bigger vocals. Never Say Never possesses all the trappings of a [hair metal](/hair-metal/) tune. ### Just Take My Heart Paul Gilbert doing his best Paul Gilbert impression. Dude is just the best. Really, he is arguably the best guitar player ever. I dig the crystal clean guitar tone on Just Take My Heart. The song sounds like EVERY song that ever appeared at the beginning of the third act of an 80s movie. That should come as no surprise, Eric Martin contributed two songs to the [Iron Eagle Soundtrack](/soundtrack/iron-eagle/) with Eyes of the World and These Are The Good Times. Waiting ... waiting ... And there the key change is. Mr. Big is comprised of professionals, and professionals toss a key change into the slow song. ### My Kinda Woman Light overdrive. Scratch that. It's on. 1946! To whom does Sir Eric Martin refer to? Fire engine lips? Of course she has them. Got a bit of [Van Halen][/van-halen/] going on in My Kinda Woman. Some early, [Diamond Dave](/david-lee-roth/) music with [Hagar-esque](/sammy-hagar/) vocals. ### A Little Too Loose I dig the change up. That's a greasy vocal line to start this. They are chugging the blues like they are [adventurous babysitters](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092513/) who can't leave the club without doing so first. You can hear the skill difference between the folks of Mr. Big and a band like [Faster Pussycat][/faster-pussycat/] on A Little Too Loose. ### Road to Ruin Of COURSE she took you down the Road to Ruin. You (the band) clearly played no part in it. Feet shufflin' beat. Some nice Ohhh Ohhh OH OH OHs. Mostly an average song. Nice little bass part thrown in. Only Paul Gilbert can make one note sound so nice. Strong Sheehan interplay. Huge shreddy sweep! Love me shredding sweeps on guitar. Come to think of it, what would a bass sweep sound like?! Billy Sheehan could pull it off. ### To Be with You A mega power ballad. Easily top ten, maybe even top five. Classic acoustic solo. Requisite key change, and a hefty three-stepper at that. Then, the double key change fakeout back down into the original key. To Be with You was THE hit. Better still, how many true hits are the final track? Answer: not many.recUnihFm5F1CoGNEhttps://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/cock-rock/https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/cock-rock/Get out the whiskey and dime those amps, boys.Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT As mentioned in the book, [Fargo Rock City: a Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural Nörth Daköta](/books/fargo-rock-city-chuck-klosterman/), Cock Rock is real, and we're going to discuss it. It's so, so much better than [Butt Rock](/butt-rock/). ## Cock Rock Bands, Albums, Songs and Videos Cock Rock is not short for Peacock Rock, but it does feature a bunch of dudes peacocking around on stage and trying to use their plumage to attract members of the opposite sex. Think Vince Neil of Motley Crue belting out Girls, Girls, Girls or David Coverdale pumping his mic stand with sexual suggestion all over the [Here I Go Again video](/whitesnake/videos/here-i-go-again/) with [Tawny Kitaen](/tawny-kitaen/). Cock Rock was _always_ about getting the chick, even if she was engaged to your bandmate. Gosh, The Dirt was so, so good. Watch any MTV music video between 1985-1989 and your chance of seeing a Cock Rock video was about 43%. Modern Cock Rock is best personified by [Steel Panther](/steel-panther/). Perhaps nothing exemplifies the pseudo sub-genre like a parodical hair metal rock band. Stix, Michael Starr, Satchel and [Lexxi Foxx](/lexxi-foxx/) are darlings of the modern Cock Rock scene. ### Cock Rock Bands - [BulletBoys](/bulletboys/) - [Faster Pussycat](/faster-pussycat/) - [Guns N' Roses](/guns-n-roses/) - Led Zeppelin - [Motley Crue](/motley-crue/) - [Poison](/poison/) - [Ratt](/ratt/) - [Whitesnake](/whitesnake/) ### Cock Rock Albums - [Cherry Pie (Warrant)](/warrant/cherry-pie) - Girls, Girls, Girls (Motley Crue) - [Look What the Cat Dragged In (Poison)](/poison/look-what-the-cat-dragged-in/) ### Cock Rock Songs - Cherry Pie (Warrant) - Girls, Girls, Girls (Motley Crue) - Round and Round (Ratt) - [All Poison songs](/poison/songs/) ### Cock Rock Videos - [Cherry Pie](/warrant/videos/cherry-pie/) - [Here I Go Again](/whitesnake/videos/here-i-go-again/) - [Still of the Night](/whitesnake/videos/still-of-the-night/) <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is Cock Rock?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Cock Rock is a sub-genre of rock & roll / hard rock music that is lyrically (highly) suggestive and sexual in nature, preferring to build male sexuality up, even if it takes female sexuality down a peg or two (or twelve) in the process." } } ] } </script>https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/best-friend-duos/https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/best-friend-duos/A collection of kick ass best friends who did awesome things together.Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Taylor Swift and her posse? Pass. Chandler and Joey? Monica and Rachel? We’ll be there for someone else, friend. Cogsworth and Lumiere? Beat it, Disney fan. So without further adieu, here’s our list of iconic duos. No, not bff, besties, and other cutesy words we don’t want to use. Grade A Bros and Broettes who battle the forces of mediocrity and bring us the most non, non heinous entertainment in TV shows, Movies and Music. Hint: All of these pop culture icons would make for a good pairs Halloween costume. ## Bill & Ted The BEST of best friends, Bill & Ted, as played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, are two dudes from San Dimas, California who travel through time to save the world. Their excellent adventure, which may not have been their first (rules of time travel), takes place in High School. The Great Ones need to pass their final report in order to prevent Ted from being shipped off to Colonel Oates Military Academy. This would breakup their band, [Wyld Stallyns](/wyld-stallyns/), and cause interplanetary dissonance. They followed up said [Excellent Adventure](/soundtrack/bill-and-teds-excellent-adventure/) with a [Bogus Journey](/soundtrack/bill-teds-bogus-journey/), which, didn’t seem too bogus after all, given that they defeated Death (in death) by sinking his Battleship and returned to life to make it to the Battle of the Bands. To conclude, they each bore a child with their respective spouse, a princess they rescued in the ancient past, that grew to develop a bond much like their respective dads. A best friend duo creates a generational best friend duo. Only Rufus could solve that equation. ## Burke & Rutecki Billed as Top Gun on the Ski Slopes, per the cover of the DVD case, Aspen Extreme is one of the very best movies to ever grace the silver screen. Two guys from the Motor City, let’s call them brothers since Burke’s father took Rutecki in as a youngster, decide to hell with Detroit, we’re moving to Aspen. They then hop in the van, drive out West, and bs their way into being ski instructors because of good looks and the ability to rip daffys and helicopters as they cruise through the tryout. Dex and TJ grow apart because, and know one really wants to call it out, TJ starts to value his writing career and his fancy girlfriend more than their friendship and the outstanding local played by Terri Polo. The movie carries on much akin to the way Top Gun played out half a decade prior with Burke being victorious (alone) at the Big Movie Challenge. The first half of the movie is pure iconic best friend time though. ## Cher & Dionne Cher & Dionne, the darlings of the hit movie Clueless, are first ballot besties. Ok ok, we just went and washed our mouths out with soap. We’re sorry, we won’t do it again. Clueless did have a pretty good soundtrack though. And maybe singers Cher & Dionne Warwick are good friends? We just don’t know. ## Ferris & Cameron Only a best friend could convince Cameron to get out of a bed and enjoy a day of Chicago frivolity. Only a best friend would not hold the rescue of a fake drowning attempt against Cameron. Only a best friend could get away with annihilating a priceless piece of motor vehicle history, the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California that belonged to Mr. Frye, Cameron’s father. Bow-bow, chick, chick-a-chicka! ## Hall & Oates 50+ years of beautiful, sweet, magic music making. Need we say more? ## Han Solo & Chewbacca Pilot and Co-Pilot of the fastest hunk of junk in the Galaxy, this pair became best friends when Solo boosted Chewie out of a space gulag. There is so much more to say about this pair that simply won’t fit in a few paragraphs. So let’s cull some highlights from the list. - Chewbacca was (presumably) a co-best man with Luke Skywalker at the wedding of Han Solo & Princess Leia Organa - Han Solo, knowing the temper and fury of his furry friend, advises future brother-in-law, Luke to never anger a Wookiee early on in their relationship. - Chewbacca immediately throttles Lando Calrissian for believing that he sold Han out to the Empire. Lando had no choice, but Chewie don’t care. See, always looking out for each other. ## Jerrica Benton & Jem Can you be a best friend duo with your alter ego? Sure can. ## John Connor & T-800 Another dynamic duo that has to overcome the oddities of time travel with ease, John Connor & T-800 aren’t even the stars of their own buddy film. No, that belongs to Connor’s mom, Sarah, as played by human badass Linda Hamilton (who may just be a Terminator herself). Nevertheless, the on-screen relationship that develops is pure gold. So is You Could Be Mine, the bitchin' rock tune from LA Rockers, [Guns N' Roses](/guns-n-roses/), that is peppered into the flick. Know this, despite the resurrections and remixes that the sequels created with regarding to the timeline in the story, Wolfie the Dog (Max) is still dead. https://youtu.be/uaWw5wuBPs4?t=76 ## Roy & Sergeant Al Powell This relationship is special, in that it’s the only one that develops over CB radio / Walkie-Talkie. Roy, aka John McClane, a New York police officer, is out visiting his wife, from whom he is separated, over the holidays, when suddenly terrorists takeover the building she works in. Only the 80s, right?! Al just so happens to be called into work to investigate the Nakatomi building for a potential hostage situation. He gets dragged into the fray when they start firing on him. McClane sees this and reaches out via Walkie-Talkie, giving the LA Police Force a man on the inside. They stay in communication throughout the whole movie, with Al confiding that he can’t discharge his weapon any more due to a previous incident. We in the biz call that foreshadowing. What happens at the end of the movie? Al kills the Karl the Terrorist when he surprises everyone one last time at the end. And that folks, is friendship. ## Loggins & Movie Soundtracks Can one form a best friend duo with a concept? Loggins sure did in the 1980s. Let’s count the times. - 1980 | I’m Alright (Caddyshack) - 1984 | Footloose (Footloose) - 1984 | I’m Free (Footloose) - 1986 | Danger Zone ([Top Gun](/soundtrack/top-gun/)) - 1986 | Playing with the Boys ([Top Gun](/soundtrack/top-gun/)) - 1987 | Meet Me Halfway ([Over the Top](/soundtrack/over-the-top/)) We’re not sure which one he’s most known for. Every time we want to argue Danger Zone, Footloose creeps in, and vice versa. We’ll give the nod to Danger Zone since it appears on the soundtrack for [Top Gun Maverick](/soundtrack/top-gun-maverick/) as well. Loggins actually walked his way in the backdoor and through the kitchen to get himself Danger Zone, as Playing with the Boys was his actual contribution to the movie. Once Whitlock and Moroder realized that they needed someone to lock down Danger Zone, they called upon Kenny and he delivered in a massive, switching from guns-to-rockets kind of way. Here’s a quote shared by Forbes, “No, I got a call from Giorgio Moroder's office when they realized they had to dub the song into the movie, and they didn't have an act to sing it because with the acts that had been lined up, act or acts I'm not sure which, that the deal had dropped through. I think I was lower on the list because I was already in the movie, I was already involved with “Playing with the Boys,” and they probably didn't want an artist to do more than one song. But they thought, 'Well, who do we know that are the artists who can sing this high and has the chops for this?' So they got around to calling me, and I was totally into it. I needed up-tempo material for my show, so I was motivated to have a rock song.” ## Mav & Goose Were Cruise & Edwards real-life bros? No, and we’re fairly certain they had different friendship goals. But they were excellent on-screen as flyboys who just had to get sent to Top Gun by Admiral Stinger since Cougar turned in his wings. So it’s fitting that Top Gun pilots, Maverick & Goose, would follow Loggins & Soundtracks. Because once you introduce Danger Zone, you might as well go all the way - like the time Mav did with Penny Benjamin, the Admiral’s Daughter - and bring in these two hot shots. Their best friend status is unquestioned, as the pair weave through the skies in training missions, croon out old tunes on a piano, and play Ice and Slider in a rousing game of beach volleyball. Of course Maverick needs to flex, check his watch, and jet off on his Kawasaki Ninja H2 to get to Charlie’s house eventually. The sign of any good Bromance (or Galmance?), is when they must switch roles, with one of the duo embracing the other’s characteristics and attitude for a spell. Mav, in a post Goose’s death scene, doesn’t want to carry on. Enter Carole, Goose’s wife, with this gem, “God, he loved flying with you Maverick. But he would've done it anyway... without you. He'd have hated it, but he would've done it.” Maverick then takes to the air and saves the day after Hollywood and Wolfman go down, stranding Iceman and Slider against 5 MiGs. It leaves just enough room for a sequel 36 years later where he gets to instruct Goose’s son, Bradley (aka Rooster). That’s quite the 36 year Road Trip if you ask us. We'd still prefer to be turnin' & burnin' with Mav & Goose to Cheap Trick's Mighty Wings. ## Nancy & Ann Wilson There are female friendships, and then there are legendary female friendships. Same as there are sisters, and then there are legendary sisters. Nancy & Ann Wilson fall into that last category. 70s & 80s Rock Royalty, the Wilson sisters formed the band Heart and all sentient beings were thankful. Crushing it multiple decades takes work, but their limitless talent is why we have both Barracuda and Alone. ## Riggs & Murtagh Riggs & Murtagh, as played by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, are perhaps the best of the Buddy Cop genre. Murtagh, a homicide detective and former lieutenant of the 173rd Airborne Brigade for the United States Army, becomes paired up with Martin Riggs, an ex member of the U.S. Special Forces and all-around urban-style Rambo. You know, without the high murder rate. They go on adventure after adventure, solving crime around Los Angeles Let’s just forget that Fox ever turned Lethal Weapon into a sitcom. ## Starsky & Hutch Even the late, great, Notorious B.I.G. knew that [Starsky & Hutch were close](https://youtu.be/glEiPXAYE-U?t=82). Do you think Starsky & Hutch knew that Biggie and Puff Daddy (now Diddy) ## Thelma & Louise They believed in each other enough to drive off a cliff together. Re-read that if you doubt their Iconic Duo status. <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Who are the most Iconic Best Friend Duos?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Bill & Ted, Burke & Rutecki, Cher & Dionne, Ferris & Cameron, Hall & Oates, Han Solo & Chewbacca, Jerrica Benton & Jem, John Connor & T-800, Roy & Sergeant Al Powell, Loggins & Movie Soundtracks, Mav & Goose, Nancy & Ann Wilson, Riggs & Murtagh, Starsky & Hutch, and Thelma & Louise" } } ] } </script>https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/80s-cover-bands/https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/80s-cover-bands/Pop, Rock, New Wave & Everything Else.Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Since it's probably not too profitable to drive 3000 miles to a gig, we're going to assume that most of the cover bands on this list play out in a region. It's true, some of them do a bit of touring, and, some play on cruise ships. Actually, that's kind of cool. But let's get on with it and check out the list. ## East Coast 80s Cover Bands ### Fast Times (Boston, MA) Fast Times is the premier New England cover band for 80s pop and rock. Are we biased? Sure, but that's because we got the chance to get up on stage with them at [80's Day](/80s-day/) back in [2018](/80s-day/2018/). That doesn't make them any less kick ass. They have it all: the look, the sound, the charisma, the "it" factor at shows. They play at private events, Ski Mountains, and nightclubs all over New England. Website: http://www.fasttimes.biz/ ### Flock of Assholes (Worcester, MA) Outstanding name! FoA has the best name in the game. Despite the nod to Flock of Seagulls, it really feels more like a Spaceballs reference, "How many assholes we go on this ship!?" The Flock goes deep with tracks from Murray Head, Nik Kershaw, and The Fixx. And, The Flock goes deep in Worcester, which is perhaps the most 80s town in New England. How 80s? It was the home of [WAAF](/waaf/) for years. Check them out if you're ever passing through the Bay State. Website: https://flockofassholes.net/ ### Rubix Cube (New York, NY) Rubik's Cube bills itself as, "The Galaxy's Most Original 80s Tribute Band". They are professionals through and through. Not even kidding, Steve Brown of [Trixter](/trixter/) fame is _IN_ the band. Rubik's Cube has an actual hair metal icon in the band. They cover all the staples, including Madonna, Michael Jackson, [Bon Jovi](/bon-jovi/), [Guns N' Roses](/guns-n-roses/) ... you name it. Like [Steel Panther](/steel-panther/), they are typically joined on-stage by any high profile music biz celebs who just happen to be in the area. If we weren't keen on Fast Times (and biased), we'd pretty much attribute the title of **best** to Rubik's Cube. Also, if you can pull off Bette Davis Eyes and Cherry Pie in the same show, you've got what it takes to make it. Website: http://rubixkube.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnm9eb4GldI ### The Reagan Years (Mt. Airy, Maryland) What a name. And as [Mick Mars](/mick-mars/) of [Motley Crue](/motley-crue/) pointed out in The Dirt, a band's name is _everything_. The Reagan Years is a 7-piece outfit that has been working the Maryland/D.C./Virginia circuit for nearly 30 years, having been established in 1996. They're a bit lighter on the heavy metal and a bit more focused on the pop, sprinkling in some Yacht Rock when they can. Like Slam Trans-Am, they do have a sax player, which is key for filling out the true sound of the decades. Website: https://www.thereaganyears.com ## Midwest/Mountains 80s Cover Bands ### That Eighties Band (Denver, CO) 1,800 concerts is no joke. Really. A professional, corporate-level cover band that has high profile clients like Google and Disney, That Eighties Band continues to perform regularly all over the United States. What's more, they have their home city on lock, as CBS named them the top cover band in Denver. Website: https://www.eightiesband.net/ ## Southern 80s Cover Bands Gotta hand it to the South, as they take tribute shows to a new level. The great state of Florida hosted it's own 80s tribute show by collecting tribute bands and calling it a festival, [The Space Coast Tribute Fest](https://myq105.com/2022/03/22/florida-concert-festival-with-all-80s-cover-bands/). Good on them. ### Electric Avenue (Atlanta, GA) "What started out as a one-off gig in 2012, has turned into: 100 shows a year across the US; cruising international waters ..." That's taken straight from Electric Avenue's website. Those keyboards on Kyrie are ridiculous. Website: http://www.electricavenuemusic.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiVMSIUjCQE ### Hairdaze (Florida) Hairdaze was one such band who played at the Space Coast Tribute Fest. They _definitely_ look the part of the Hair Metal bands of yesteryear. Website: https://www.hairdazeband.com/ ## West Coast 80s Cover Bands ### Flashback Heart Attack (Los Angeles, CA) Flashback Heart Attack has the goods. With coordinated red leather suits, white ties and black undershirts, the band has their look coordinated for sure. They look like dudes decided to go after the Robert Palmer Addicted To Love video, only in reverse. And, they're big on charitable events. Which in turn, it seems, has gotten them some attention and they've been joined on stage by the guys in Green Day, Eddie Vedder of [Pearl Jam](/pearl-jam/), and a whole host of others. Website: https://www.eightiescoverband.com/ ## FAQs ### How do you name an 80s cover band? 80s cover band names are generally a direct reference to a song title, band, genre (Hairdaze) or a nod to the times, as is the case for The Reagan Years. They also tend to double up on letters, like now defunct Irish 80s cover band, Lixx. And then there's [Steel Panther](/steel-panther/), the band that went directly after all of the Modifier + Animal bands of the decade. Think, [White Lion](/white-lion/), [Whitesnake](/whitesnake/), and [Ratt](/ratt/).https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/80s-day/https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/80s-day/The Best Slope-Side Après-Ski PartyThu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Bitchin’ tunes, blinding neon ski outfits, and Bud Heavy, what could be better than 80s day at Loon Mountain? ## 80s outfits, 80s tunes, and 80s characters at an 80s ski lodge Add to the (apres ski) party the best 80s cover band in New England, [Fast Times Boston][1], toss in a few hundred pairs of Ray Ban Aviators (with Croakies, of course), and witness Hulkamania running wild, brother! and what you end up with is the purest White Mountain entertainment - not an 80s euphemism for illegal narcotics. ## 80s Day highlights ### No Sleep Till Brooklyn 80s Day band, Fast Times Boston invites Noles (Ad Rock), Pants (MCA), and Fizz (Mike D) to rock No Sleep Till Brooklyn with them. People then ask us if we are the real Beastie Boys. Sad, considering MCA has passed away. <small class="caption">No Sleep Till Brooklyn @ 2018 80s Day 2018 video - it works</small> ### Hulk Hogan owned the 2015 80s Day The Hulkster must have leg dropped at least a dozen ice cold cruisers (Bud Heavy), maybe two, after winning the 80s Day costume contest. Guy was a legend. <figure> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/img/2015-80s-Day-Hulk-Hogan-225x300.jpg" alt="80s Day Loon - Hulk Hogan owning the day" width="225" height="300" /> <figcaption class="caption">Let this be a lesson to all the little Hulkamaniacs out there</figcaption> </figure> ## What was Loon Mountain like in the 80s? Loon was THE 80s ski lodge, THE 80s mountain of 80s mountains. If you lived in Boston and you were going skiing, one of the [toughest sports](https://www.baconsportsbeer.com/sports/hardest-sports/) to master, you were going to Loon. Not Sunday River. Not Killington. No, Loon mtn.  I was there, it was a bastion of multi-colored, sleeveless vests, crimped hair, and lawlessness. Picture this: Weekend warriors bombing down I-93 in their IROC-Z, arguing their side of The Great Debate (Roth vs. Hagar).  Skin tight neon onesies worn over black spandex, the quintessential 80s attire.  Skiers, enjoying a cold Stroh's at apres ski, talking about the new [North Peak triple chairlift][7]. Everything was Yo Soy Fiesta in the 80s. <figure> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/img/2015-80s-Day-Loon-The-Light.jpg" alt="80s Day Loon, The Light in neon" /> <figcaption class="caption">"The Light!"</figcaption> </figure> ## What made Loon Mountain so popular (in the 80s)? Loon Mtn is the White Mountains most accessible set of slopes, with Lincoln, NH being right off of I-93, and the mountain a few miles off of the exit.  Just a couple of hours from Boston, it is estimated that Loon serves the most skiers in the state. Access to Loon was dependable in a way that other mountains just couldn’t offer.  Everyone and their brother has a story about breaking down on some windy 45 minute access road mid-blizzard (note: the blizzard of '78 was NOT in the 80s). And unless you were Zack Morris, you didn’t have a cellphone to call for help. The predictability of getting to Loon in your Camaro was more of a sure thing. ## When did Loon host their first 80s day? A decade ago, as 2018 was the 10th Annual 80s Day at Loon Mountain.  Fast Times, has danced and rocked 8 of them.  From 80s trivia to aerobics, different events have played out over the weekend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C64AUO-q1YU ## 80s ski fashion: what you should (and shouldn’t) wear to 80s day The number one thing to remember is that gaudy is good.  Think neon.  A fair share of neon.  Copious amounts of neon. All the neon! So much so that it looks like a neon bomb went off in Manchester, NH and followed you up 93 North. However, please note that Frank argues that neon was really early [90s fashion][8]. Nevertheless, the 80s were about excess, so flash your fluorescence in the Bunyan Room! <figure> <img class="lazy" loading="lazy" src="/img/2015-80s-Day-Loon-High-Five-225x300.jpg" alt="Super 80s-style high five at 80s Day Loon" width="225" height="300" /> <figcaption class="caption">Frank and J, FTW!</figcaption> </figure> ### Other things to wear at 80s day * Stonewashed or acid-washed jeans * Surfstyle windbreakers * Fingerless gloves * Leg warmers * Leather jackets with tassels * Zubaz pants #### Turn your 80s day outfit up to 11 by costume-ing up! Picking out an 80s costume is a tough endeavor.  I mean sure, you can be a faceless member of the Bud Light Concert tent, or, you can strap on some zebra print spandex and throw Diamond Dave jump kicks ... PANAMA! <small>Remember, the stage harness swing is totally rad but against Bud Light Concert tent rules.</small> ### Things not to wear at 80s day * Bell-bottoms * Flannel * Yoga pants As Droz said in PCU, What, you're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see? Don’t be that guy. Ever notice that Joe Elliot constantly disregards Droz's instructions in Def Leppard videos? It isn't even subtle - [check out Pour Some Sugar On Me and Armageddon It][10]. Actually, does being in the band count?! Think about that the next time you are asking yourself what to wear to a Def Leppard concert. ## What to do for 80s hair? Don’t waste your time with scrunchies and headbands … Go **big hair** or go home. Ladies, if you want that Kim Cattrall 1980s look, you need to tease it, crimp it, and/or feather it. Men, your 80s hairdo could be a mullet or a mohawk. Or, go all Flock of Seagulls. Orrrrr, you could exude unrivaled majesty by rocking a [Tom Selleck power ‘stache][11] ... your choice. It should be everyone’s goal to stock up on excessive amounts of [Aqua Net](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_Net) hairspray and L.A. Looks gel.  While you’re at it, being a bottle blonde can’t urt - the more you look like Jon Bon Jovi (well, 80s JBJ) the better. Check out his majestic feathered hair in the [Livin’ On A Prayer][12] video! <small>Again, remember that while the stage harness swing is totally rad, it is against Bud Light Concert tent policy. Same with sitting on shoulders.</small> ## So where is this bitchin’ apres ski party after all? The Bud Light concert tent is located at the base of Seven Brothers, just outside of the Paul Bunyan Room (the best place to get a beer at Loon Mtn) at the address below. <address> <strong>Loon Mountain Ski Resort</strong><br /> 60 Loon Mountain Road<br /> Lincoln, NH 03251 </address> - - - ## About Fast Times Boston They really are the complete 80s experience: big hair, keytars, neon outfits, shredding solos, and, they play your favorite 80s hits.  All of them. Journey, Duran Duran, Whitesnake, Debbie Gibson ... all of them. They even feature [Glen Plake][13] on keytar! Ok, that’s not exactly true.  But, the mohawk is totally bitchin’ ## What is the best (and safest) option for Lincoln / Woodstock, NH transportation? The best way to get around Lincoln, NH on 80s Day is [The Shuttle Connection][14]. For $5/person, they will take you to the mountain, Woodstock Station, and all of the other hot spots in between. However, on 80s day, you will want to call (603) 745-3140 early as they book up, sometimes an hour or more out. <small>If you are an Uber person, be warned, they are in quite limited supply.</small>https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/80s-mullet/https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/80s-mullet/All the leading males of the 1980s sported one.Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT The mullet became a symbol of defiance, challenging conventional appearances. Adolescents and young adults, in particular, embraced the hairstyle as a form of rebellion against conservative values, aligning themselves with the more liberal and artistic movements of the time. This alignment was supported by the mullet's prominence in rock and pop music scenes, where the style seemed to scream creativity and freedom. Moreover, the mullet's impact extended to fashion, often paired with denim jackets, leather pants, and band t-shirts to complete a look that was unapologetically bold and rebellious. These fashion choices, anchored by the mullet, mirrored the decade's larger cultural shifts towards more relaxed and diverse expressions of personal style. In media, the mullet was both celebrated and satirized, illustrating its pervasive influence. Television shows, movies, and music videos of the era featured characters with mullets, showcasing the hairstyle's versatility and universal appeal. This media representation played a crucial role in cementing the mullet's status as a cultural icon of the 80s, making it a staple of retrospectives and nostalgia-driven content related to the decade. The hairstyle's enduring legacy in fashion and pop culture demonstrates its unique position as more than just a trend. The 80s mullet reflects the decade's spirit of innovation and resistance to conformity, continuing to inspire modern hairstyles and fashion choices. Its cultural significance remains evident, proving that the mullet was, and is, more than just a distinctive look—it's a statement. ## The 80s Mullet vs Today Today, the mullet is experiencing a remarkable resurgence, appealing to a new generation keen on retro fashion and self-expression. Modern celebrities and style influencers have played a pivotal role in reviving the mullet, incorporating contemporary twists that conform to today's fashion sensibilities. Hairstylists are witnessing an uptick in requests for mullets, reflecting its growing popularity among people of all ages seeking a unique and bold hairstyle. In the digital era, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have become hotbeds for showcasing mullet variations, from the classic 80s look to hybrid styles that blend the mullet with other trendy haircuts. This visibility has propelled the mullet from a nostalgic relic to a fashionable choice that symbolizes non-conformity and freedom, much like it did in the 80s. Musicians, actors, and even athletes are donning the mullet, demonstrating its versatility and its ability to transcend traditional fashion norms. The modern mullet can be tailored to fit various personal styles and preferences, making it as diverse as today's fashion landscape. Whether it's paired with sharp, tailored outfits or casual, eclectic wardrobes, the mullet adds a distinctive edge that's hard to ignore.https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/80s-rock-bands/https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/80s-rock-bands/A list of bands that changed the musical landscape of the 1980s and beyond.Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT Pay no attention to the order, as it's alphabetized for ease. **A list of the Best 80s Rock Bands** - [Bon Jovi](#bon-jovi) - [Def Leppard](#def-leppard) - [Motley Crue](#motley-crue) - [Poison](#poison) - [Guns N’ Roses](#guns-n-roses) - [Skid Row](#skid-row) - [Tesla](#tesla) - [Van Halen](#van-halen) - [Whitesnake](#whitesnake) - [Warrant](#warrant) ## Bon Jovi No [band](/bands/) in the [hair genre](/hair-metal/) was more commercially driven than the great [Bon Jovi](/bon-jovi/). And if that's the case, then all we can do is applaud, as the majesty of 1986's Livin' On a Prayer would never have connected with our souls without the Jersey band's singular focus on penning the single greatest tune in the history of rock. The Jovi machine was unstoppable, churning out pop metal hit after hit like they were prisoners making license plates for the Tri-State area. One thing that made them stand out, besides Bryan's excellent ivory-tickling and Sambora riffage, was the latter's frontman-quality vocals. Sambora was a Top 20 guitar player _AND_ rock vocalist in the world during the mid to late 80s. Then there's the secret weapon that the band had on payroll, the songwriting mastery of one, Desmond Child. How do you fail when you have Jovi's looks, Sambora's presence, and Child's writing? Easy, you don't. - **Albums:** Bon Jovi, 7800° Fahrenheit, Slippery When Wet, New Jersey - **Songs:** Runaway, In and Out of Love, You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin' on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive, Lay Your Hands on Me, Bad Medicine, I'll Be There For You ## Def Leppard [Def Leppard](/def-leppard/) had countless excellent songs. We're fairly convinced that Def Leppard's lack of overt commercial attention on any given single, outside of Pour Some Sugar On Me, is part of what helped them survive as a band. But what really separated them from their peers is that they wrote and produced one of the best albums of all-time with [Hysteria](/def-leppard/hysteria/). The boys from Sheffield, along with living legend producer, Mutt Lange, knew how to craft an album. They knew how to put on a live show. They knew how to overcome adversity, like losing guitarist Steve Clark to an overdose and losing the drummer's left arm. For real, what kind of rock band endures the loss of the drummer's whole arm?! - **Albums:** On Through The Night, High N' Dry, [Pyromania](/def-leppard/pyromania/), Hysteria - **Songs:** Bringin' On The Heartbreak, Photograph, Rock of Ages, Pour Some Sugar On Me, Armageddon It ## Motley Crue It's almost impossible to argue against [The Crue](/motley-crue/) being the [biggest Hair Metal Band](/bands/hair-metal/). They had the looks (that kill), the sound, and the attitude. They could shake a stadium as much as they could shake a tour bus post show. Their antics on tour were Hall of Fame level. But you don't get to the upper echelon of rock without songs that rocked, and The Crue covered _all of the bases_. - Songs about Sex ✔️ - Songs about Drugs ✔️ - Songs about Rock & Roll ✔️ - Songs about Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll ✔️ Motley Crue lived up to their name in every way. They fought, caroused, damaged, drugged and destroyed more often and more efficiently than all of their peers. The fact that all four original band members are still alive is sheer lunacy. - **Albums:** Too Fast for Love, Shout at the Devil, Theatre of Pain, Girls, Girls, Girls, [Dr. Feelgood](/motley-crue/dr-feelgood/). - **Songs:** Live Wire, Shout at the Devil, Looks That Kill, Home Sweet Home, Wild Side, Girls, Girls, Girls, Dr. Feelgood, Kickstart My Heart ## Guns N’ Roses [Guns N' Roses](/guns-n-roses/) ... do we really _need_ to explain how ridiculously awesome they were? Along with Def Leppard, G'N'R had their own seven single album, except for them it was their debut album. [Appetite for Destruction](/guns-n-roses/appetite-for-destruction/) is hands down the **best debut album** ever. - **Albums:** Appetite for Destruction, [G'N'R Lies](/guns-n-roses/g-n-r-lies/) - **Songs:** Welcome to the Jungle, Sweet Child O' Mine, Mr. Brownstone, Paradise City, Rocket Queen, Patience ## Poison If not for the Crue, [Poison](/poison/) would be the top Hair Band. Poison is the band where party lyrics meets party riffs meets [power ballads](/power-ballads/). If they were debuting today, they'd be a country band. Drinking beers and hitting on babes was all the band cared about. And be honest, do we _really_ expect more out of our heros? - **Albums:** [Look What the Cat Dragged In](/poison/look-what-the-cat-dragged-in), [Open Up and Say ... Ahh!](/poison/open-up-and-say-ahh/) - **Songs:** I Want Action, Talk Dirty to Me, Nothing But a Good Time, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Fallen Angel ## Skid Row The music of [Skid Row](/skid-row/) is the sonic equivalent of giving the middle finger. It was the sound of telling some punks to not set foot in your neighborhood again. It was the sound of telling some guy to stop staring at your girl, lest he find out why. Skid Row was the most rebellious that commercial rock in the 80s got - and we'd gladly put them against any Indie Bands that thought they were Dukes of Disobedience. It didn't hurt that they had two great guitar players to shred the riffs. They also had the best of the Hair Band vocalists. Near limitless range, idyllic timbre for the genre, flawless looks, Sebastian Bach (Bierk) was the _perfect_ choice for frontman for the collection of rogues known as Skid Row. https://youtu.be/x6d07j_IL1M The dude even jumped into the crowd at a show in Springfield, Massachusetts to settle a score with a fan who threw a bottle on stage. Unfortunately, Bach's aim was poor and he injured a girl attending the show. Not a great move. Musically, the band could do it all, as evidenced by the 3 hit songs off of [Skid Row's debut album](/skid-row/skid-row/), Youth Gone Wild, 18 and Life, and I Remember You. Amazingly, the band went _harder_ on their follow up album, [Slave to the Grind](/skid-row/slave-to-the-grind/). We can't think of another Hair Metal band that did that (or even considered). Skid Row was special. Well, until Bach was shown the door. - **Albums:** Skid Row (Self-Titled) - **Songs:** Youth Gone Wild, 18 and Life, I Remember You ## Tesla [Tesla](/tesla/) had a twin guitar attack that rivaled any other 80s band's firepower. - **Albums:** Mechanical Resonance, [The Great Radio Controversy](/tesla/the-great-radio-controversy/) - **Songs:** Modern Day Cowboy, Little Suzi, The Way It Is, Love Song, Paradise ## Van Halen The incomparable [Van Halen](/van-halen/) appears on a list of the best 80s rock bands 11 times out of 10. - **Albums:** Women and Children First, Fair Warning, Diver Down, [1984](/van-halen/1984/), [5150](/van-halen/5150/), OU812 - **Songs:** And the Cradle Will Rock, Everybody Wants Some!!, Unchained, Jump, Panama, Hot for Teacher, Why Can't This Be Love, When It's Love ## Whitesnake One could make the argument that [Whitesnake](/whitesnake/) was _almost_ a 70s band. But that would be amazingly wrong, as The Snake's biggest hits came out in the 80s. The band owns one the _most_ memorable videos of all-time with mega hit, [Here I Go Again](/whitesnake/videos/here-i-go-again/). You remember that one, right? The Jaguars and [Tawny Kitaen](/tawny-kitaen/)? - **Albums:** Ready an' Willing, Come an' Get It, Saints & Sinners, Slide It In, Whitesnake, Slip of the Tongue - **Songs:** Fool for Your Loving, Still of the Night, Here I Go Again, Is This Love, The Deeper the Love ## Warrant [Warrant](/warrant/) might be the weakest inclusion of this list of all-time 80s rock bands. Their two big albums weren't as powerfully charged as every other band on this list. Their rockers didn't rock harder, and their ballads weren't ... ballad-y-er. But what Warrant _did_ have was a songwriting powerhouse in Jani Lane. He went fast (Sure Feels Good to Me). He went slow (I Saw Red). He went big (Cherry Pie). And he went home ... to wherever the Down Boys go. ### Popular 80s Warrant Albums & Songs - **Albums:** [Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich](/warrant/dirty-rotten-filthy-stinking-rich/) - **Songs:** Down Boys, Heaven, Cherry Pie, Uncle Tom's Cabin, I Saw Red, Blind Faith, Mr. Rainmaker ## 2nd Tier 80s Rock Bands - Cinderella - Damn Yankees - Extreme - Faster Pussycat - Mr. Big - Ratt - Scorpions - Slaughter - White Lion - Winger ## Other 80s Rock Bands - Bad English - Bulletboys - Danger Danger - FireHouse - Trixter ## 80s Rock Bands that are Absolute Rubbish ## Our Opinion on 80s Rock Music and What Followed #### Article Sources <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Who are the best 80s rock bands?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Guns N’ Roses" } } ] } </script>https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/90s-rock-bands/https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/90s-rock-bands/A list of bands that changed the musical landscape of the 1990s and beyond.Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT The 90s kept the volume of the 80s, but ditched the tone. Gone was the lyrical unity of getting babes, arriving in it's place a layer of introspection and authenticity. True, babes were still gotten, but they were no longer the subject(s) of the song. They were no longer Love Bombs (Baby). Stadium grade performances met arthouse songwriting. Rock never burned brighter. Until 1997, when rock music went Supernova. Like Alderaan before it, awesome Rock Music was destroyed by the Music Industry Death Star known as [Butt Rock](/butt-rock/). It wasn't truly called Butt Rock until 2005(ish) when Nickelback's Photograph was released. But it's origins in Nu-Metal and Post Grunge were formed in the late 90s. So we tell to you now the tale of the heroes of yore, the heroes of the 90s who, while destroying [Hair Metal](/hair-metal/), were the last known excellent musical movement. **A list of the Best 90s Rock Bands** - [Pearl Jam](#pearl-jam) - [Nirvana](#nirvana) - [Metallica](#metallica) - [Green Day](#green-day) - [Soundgarden](#soundgarden) - [R.E.M.](#r-e-m) - [Alice in Chains](#alice-in-chains) - [The Smashing Pumpkins](#the-smashing-pumpkins) - [Rage Against the Machine](#rage-against-the-machine) - [Stone Temple Pilots](#stone-temple-pilots) - [Red Hot Chili Peppers](#red-hot-chili-peppers) - [Nine Inch Nails](#nine-inch-nails) - [Radiohead](#radiohead) - [Weezer](#weezer) - [Foo Fighters](#foo-fighters) - [Guns N’ Roses](#guns-n-roses) {% contentfig "/bands/pearl-jam-amsterdam-2018.jpg", "The band Pearl Jam playing a live show in Amsterdam in 2018", "Pearl Jam live in 2018" %} ## Pearl Jam [Pearl Jam](/pearl-jam/) is the Tom Brady of American rock bands. Adored by many, hated by more, and reluctantly appreciated by all in the end. They arrived on the scene and put out 50 straight high quality songs until they dropped Hey Foxymomma at the end of Vitalogy. Their early B-Sides could be a Top 10 90s Rock Album on their own. Top 5 Grunge. Their collaboration with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden as Temple of the Dog also falls into that category. Add that to the fact that PJ had two albums that fit that description on their own, Ten and Vs. respectively, and it should come as no surprise as to why they are here at the top of 90s Rock Mountain. Opponents of Pearl Jam as the best of all of the 90s band like to lean on the fact that they never led the Grunge movement, as Cobain, Grohl and Novoselic had in Nirvana. We posit that Pearl Jam was actually slightly outside of Grunge, leaning a bit more on the blues-driven, stadium anthems of the Classic Rock 70s. Check out the video for Jeremy and argue us down from the genius that is the Jeremy video. We dare you. https://youtu.be/JNZezhUkOSk As for the Brady comparison, the band’s outstanding live performances throughout the 2000s & 2010s have kept them near and dear to the hearts of every fan of rock & roll, despite producing inferior studio recordings. Even detractors reluctantly admit that Pearl Jam’s longevity is good for the spirit of rock. Those same detractors are now hoping that tragedy never befalls Pearl Jam’s legendary frontman, Eddie Vedder, as the band is now the final giant of the (extended) Grunge movement, given that Cobain, Cornell and Weiland are dead, and have been for some time now. One final note before we pull the mic on Pearl Jam like Congress at the Ticketmaster hearings in 1994, Ten may just be the very best debut album any band ever had. Here are a few reasons why. 1. It had A+ lyrical content. It was bereft of the fluff that pervaded the albums of its [1980s hair metal](/hair-metal/) predecessors. 2. Excellent guitar work. Despite the changeover in decade and musical genre, Ten managed to retain high power riffs and stadium shaking songs, thanks to the songwriting prowess of rhythm guitar player, Stone Gossard, and hall of fame lead guitarist, Mike McCready. 3. The album was infinitely singable, regardless of whether or not you knew the lyrics that Vedder was singing. 4. The album looped naturally. Speaking of infinite, the album could be played infinitely on repeat on compact disc. Ten’s hidden track, “Master/Slave” syncs right up with the start of track one, Once. Last, most forget that PJ was on the [Judgment Night soundtrack](/soundtrack/judgment-night/), putting out the track, Real Thing with hip-hop group, Cypress Hill. ### Popular 90s Pearl Jam Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Ten, Vs., [Vitalogy](/pearl-jam/vitalogy/), [No Code](/pearl-jam/no-code/) - **Songs:** Alive, Even Flow, Black, Jeremy, Daughter, Rearview Mirror, Spin the Black Circle, Better Man ## Nirvana The biggest Grunge band there ever was. Seattle’s [Nirvana](/nirvana/) was a commercial success beyond their wildest imagination. And Smells Like Teen Spirit was the catalyst for it all. Kids born between 1975-1985 wanted a song that was the sonic representation of how they felt. And they sure got it. It was the song that kids used to rebel with. It was the song that a kid in a drugged-out baja could headbang to. It was the song that warmed up your JV basketball game. It was the song that you angrily wrote the 12 page term paper to. It was the song that (amazingly) fit at your sixth grade dance. It's all right there in the Smells Like Teen Spirit video. https://youtu.be/hTWKbfoikeg Teen Spirit was quickly followed by a variety of Grunge-leading tunes that included Come As You Are, Lithium, Breed, Drain You, Something in the Way, and our personal favorite, Territorial Pissings. Hell, that’s pretty much the whole of Nevermind right there. In Utero came out just as strong, just 2 years later. Then Kurt Cobain died. Grunge, and rock, were never the same. Dave Grohl went on to form The Foo Fighters. Bassist Krist Novoselic joined an array of bands and musical projects. And Nirvana ceased to exist, a little group that always was until the end. ### Popular 90s Nirvana Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Nevermind, In Utero - **Songs:** Smells Like Teen Spirit, Heart Shaped Box ## Metallica Metallica was (still is) one of the biggest heavy metal bands of all-time. Unlike a lot of their contemporaries, Metallica injected pop songwriting sensibilities into their music. At least, on the radio friendly songs such as Enter Sandman, Sad but True, and Nothing Else Matters. The Black Album, one of the best-selling albums in rock of all-time, is more of a Hard Rock piece than true heavy metal, which helped contribute to it’s dominance in the 90s. Check out the video for Enter Sandman and feel the impending doom. https://youtu.be/CD-E-LDc384 The San Francisco, California natives had a twin guitar attack that was every bit as sneering as Newstead’s bass was punishing. Ullrich, despite his .. Ullrich-yness, was understated as a drummer. Metallica pounded its way through the 90s (and Billboard charts) with more compact song offerings than in the Cliff Burton era 80s. Looking at you, One. ### Popular 90s Metallica Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Metallica (Black Album), Load, Reload - **Songs:** Enter Sandman, Sad but True, Wherever I May Roam, Nothing Else Matters, The Unforgiven, Until it Sleeps, Hero of the Day, Fuel, The Unforgiven II ## Green Day SEVENTEEN, and strung out on confusion! And by that we mean, if you know, you know. Green Day's rise to popularity came _just_ after Grunge bands took over the airwaves, despite having formed a few years before many of them in 1987. Much like 90s Rap/Rock band, [311](/311/), Green Day didn't emerge until their third album, their biggest, and the best they'd ever be. Unlike 311, Green Day voyaged into the late 90s, 2000s and 2010s with relevancy and more commercially successful tunes. What's amazing about the [Power Trio](/power-trios/) of Billie Joe Armstrong (who was _almost_ in Empire Records), Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool is how, like [AC/DC](/ac-dc/), they've built a 30+ year career out of the same song. Speaking of Billie Joe, Vulture pulled this one amazingly refreshing quote from him regarding what he considers his favorite Green Day album, "At the moment, I’m going to say 1991’s Kerplunk. It’s kind of autobiographical. We wrote that record when I was 18, 19 years old, and it was at a time before punk became mainstream." https://youtu.be/NUTGr5t3MoY So many bands list their current album as the work they are most proud of, because C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me). But not Billie Joe. Green Day's sound is unmistakable. Their stage energy obvious. Their place in Rock & Roll History secure. They are, and will always be, one of the best rock bands of the 1990s. ### Popular 90s Green Day Albums & Songs - **Albums:** 39/Smooth, Kerplunk, Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod - **Songs:** Welcome to Paradise, Longview, Basket Case, She, When I Come Around, Geek Stink Breath, Brain Stew / Jaded ## Soundgarden Most attribute the success of [Soundgarden](/soundgarden/) to Cornell and only Cornell. That just hurts, man. Thayil, Cameron, Shepherd (as Yamamoto prior) all crushed at their respective instruments. If we recall, Soundgarden was the first on the Seattle Music Scene to by signed to a Major Label in the early 90s. They were rock stars before Vedder even joined Pearl Jam. Unlike the 4/4 and 4 chord bands of today, Soundgarden played in signatures you couldn't measure with chords you didn't know existed. We're of the firm belief that adjusting the volume on your boombox is _actually_ what dictates the tone of a Soundgarden song, and not the recording itself. Humor us, just try hearing it in your head for a moment. Consider The Day I Tried To Live lightly playing on your grandpa's AM Radio. You could play that back a thousand times while choring in the back barn like it was easy listening. Now consider diming Rusty Cage on your car stereo. Your foot is itching to slam the pedal to the floor, right? Soundgarden could thrash and delight, all in the same song. True artistry within the corporate music machine. ### Popular 90s Soundgarden Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Badmotorfinger, Superunknown, Down on the Upside - **Songs:** Rusty Cage, Outshined, Jesus Christ Pose, Spoonman, The Day I Tried To Live, Black Hole Sun, My Wave, Fell on Black Days, Pretty Noose, Burden in My Hand, Blow Up the Outside World ## R.E.M. Yes, R.E.M. was a rock band. Relax yourself. The 90s were the band's midpoint. It was also their commercial zenith, as all of their biggest hits came out in the decade. R.E.M. made a career out writing catchy chord changes that structurally supported the band's lyrical poetry. They may have borrowed a few Tom Petty chords in the process, but no one's judging; plus, it's not like Tom _owned_ them. https://youtu.be/xwtdhWltSIg The kids who liked to pretend that they were smarter than the dumb jocks who loved Pearl Jam and Metallica tended to gravitate toward Stipe & crew. Maybe because R.E.M. wrote "smarter" tunes than a band such as Bush, or maybe it was just because the band swam in the original wave of Alternative Rock. As to the latter, don't be confused by the Alternative Rock band roots, R.E.M. was a commercial success. They sold over **90 million** albums. This easily qualifies them for being among the best to do it. ### Popular 90s R.E.M. Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Out of Time, Automatic for the People, Monster, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, Up - **Songs:** Losing My Religion, Shiny Happy People, Drive, Man on the Moon, Everybody Hurts, Nightswimming, "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" ## Alice in Chains The _coolest_ of all the 90s bands. No band had more indie respect and cachet than AIC. Staley's haunting vocals were the tipping point to their excellence. They were a world class band without him, but all of the best songs involve Layne taking over the mic and bringing you, the listener, on a journey through the pain, the struggle and the resolution. Funny story, their original foray into the music world was as Alice N' Chains, a band with a bit more Hair than Dirt in their sound. Even funnier is what Mike Inez once wrote on his bass during [MTV Unplugged](#mtv-unplugged). ### Popular 90s Alice in Chains Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Dirt, Jar of Flies - **Songs:** Would?, Them Bones, Rooster, Angry Chair, Down in a Hole, Nutshell, I Stay Away, No Excuses, Don’t Follow ## The Smashing Pumpkins [The Smashing Pumpkins](/the-smashing-pumpkins/) are the audible conduit into the head of Billy Corgan. No rocker, perhaps in any decade or genre, has possessed a more vampiric thirst for seeing their vision come to life. They were at the height of their powers in the Mid-90s when Grunge and Alternative were blending. And no band blended the two styles like The Smashing Pumpkins. The aesthetic, the guitar tones, the lyrical content, it was _all_ there. You could hear the sonic growth, if a bit more theatrical, between songs like Disarm and Tonight, Tonight. Bullet with Butterfly Wings went harder than anything on Siamese Dream, much like Skid Row did in their debut album's follow-up, [Slave to the Grind](/skid-row/slave-to-the-grind/). Plus, The Pumpkins, like Corgan himself, were amazingly unique in that they employed D'arcy Wretzky, an outstandingly talented bass player. Girls simply **didn't exist** in Dude Rock bands that could be considered among the best of their times. Usually bands were were just made up of 4-5 dudes who were working gas stations in San Diego prior to be in a world famous rock band, a la Eddie Vedder. It was awesome, and we wish her well in her post Pumpkins life. Before we go, know that Wretzky and Corgan had a working relationship that may have been worse than the Brothers Gallagher and than Black & Deal (Pixies), according to [Farout Magazine](https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/smashing-pupkins-darcy-wretzky-billy-corgans-fragile-ego/). ### Popular 90s The Smashing Pumpkins Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - **Songs:** Cherub Rock, Today, Disarm, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979, Tonight, Tonight, Zero ## Rage Against the Machine We aren't qualified at [Hair & Flannel](/) to discuss what Rage Against the Machine meant to anyone. We had access to life's basic necessities ... the ones should be afforded to **_everyone_** on the planet, the ones that Rage raged about. What we will say about the music is that it was a world class, Tyson haymaker-to-the-jaw, beat down in sonic format. You couldn't listen to Rage without wanting to break something, either your neighbor's window with a rock or an entire system of government. Everything in-between was fair game. We'll leave you with these lyrics to sum up Rage Against the Machine, because once again, if you know, _you know_. <span class="red b">"Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!"</span> ### Popular 90s Rage Against the Machine Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Rage Against the Machine, Evil Empire, The Battle of Los Angeles - **Songs:** Bombtrack, Freedom, Killing in the Name, Bulls on Parade, People of the Sun, No Shelter ## Stone Temple Pilots It's hard to imagine that a Top 10 band in the world went underrated, but somehow STP did. They put out two outstanding albums in Core and [Purple](/stone-temple-pilots/purple/), along with a pretty good follow up in 1996's Tiny Music ... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop. Their songwriting never dulled, regardless of the level of distortion on the guitars. The acoustic version of Plush was as popular, if not more than the album's recorded version. Sex Type Thing and Vasoline rocked every arena they were ever performed in. Interstate Love Song was a fantastic mid-pace rocker that could mistakenly get played in a West Texas bar on Country Night and drunk folks _might not_ be the wiser. Stone Temple Pilots is _certainly_ one of the best rock bands of the 90s, and the songs below will show. ### Popular 90s Stone Temple Pilots Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Core, Purple, Tiny Music ... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, No. 4 - **Songs:** Sex Type Thing, Plush, Creep, Big Empty, Vasoline, Interstate Love Song, Big Bang Baby, Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart, Lady Picture Show, Sour Girl ## Red Hot Chili Peppers Early punk rock with a hip vibe that leaned on surf and the overall indie DIY of the decade. That's sort of how we will intro RHCP? Like AC/DC, Green Day, Sublime and more, the Red Hot Chili Pepperse have a sound. It's their sound, and it's a sound that only they can produce. They're the musical equivalent of a meal comprised of what's left in your fridge and cupboards. When your world-class bass player is an accomplished trumpet player and he and your frontman found their way onto the silver screen with Point Break, you find out that anything goes. Among this list of the best rock bands of the 90s, they're perhaps the easiest to question. Yes, they had plenty of hits. Yes, they continued on after many bands of the decade folded. Yes, they still have some relevance today. But a lot of their work is hard to go back and listen to. ### Popular 90s Red Hot Chili Peppers Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Blood Sugar Sex Magik, One Hot Minute, Californication - **Songs:** Give It Away, Under the Bridge, Suck My Kiss, Breaking the Girl, My Friends, Aeroplane, Scar Tissue, Otherside, Californication ## Nine Inch Nails Like the Pumpkins, only way more one man's vision. If that can even be said. There is really nothing like Nine Inch Nails out there. Some bands possess elements, but no one does rock industrial like NiN. There is, and will only ever be, one Trent Reznor. ### Popular 90s Nine Inch Nails Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Broken, The Downward Spiral, The Fragile - **Songs:** Wish, March of the Pigs, Closer, Hurt, ## Radiohead First and foremost, we acknowledge Radiohead's musical excellence. No doubt that excellence extends well beyond the 90s, but we aren't here to discuss the future. Well, the past's future. The band's songs and performances were _not_ food for the soul's of Beer Chugging Bro's, even if a few Bro's loved it anyway. No, Radiohead was for people who loved art as much as they loved music. https://youtu.be/n5h0qHwNrHk Fake Plastic Trees is so incredibly loved that it gets covered by _everyone_. The list includes: - [Phoebe Bridgers & Arlo Parks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKPaA3p3bJU) - [Gin Blossoms](https://youtu.be/DwNpG4BHgno) - [Kelly Clarkson](https://youtu.be/I7ra5UZ0DIU) - [Howie Day & Matt Nathanson](https://youtu.be/B-ULrLnP_64) That doesn't happen without immense songwriting talent, which Thom Yorke and the gents have in spades. ### Popular 90s Radiohead Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer - **Songs:** Creep, High and Dry, Fake Plastic Trees, Just, Street Spirit, Paranoid Android, Karma Police ## Weezer The Blue Album itself was enough to get them on the list of the band rock bands of the decade. It was garage rock perfected. It captured what it meant to be alive in 1994, and it audibly sounded like the transition from Middle School to High School. And like many of the bands on this list, there will always be clones, but there will never be another Weezer. **Music:** Songs like Say It Ain't So took on a life of their own. Every station wanted to play it. Every band wanted to cover it. Every kid wanted to listen to it. **Video:** Buddy Holly (the song) became arguably more famous than Buddy Holly (the man) for several years. The throwback to Happy Days [video](https://youtu.be/kemivUKb4f4) was outstanding. **Lyrics:** Undone: The Sweater Song had lyrics just a hint above Beck's Loser and Spacehog's In The Meantime with regard to clarity of meaning. Sure, Weezer was saying more than destroying one's sweater in the song, but _this_ was their genius. They were able to convey so much meaning with so little. They were the lyrical equivalent of an Art Teacher discussing how a little glue will go a long way. https://youtu.be/ENXvZ9YRjbo ### Popular 90s Weezer Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Weezer (Blue Album), Pinkerton - **Songs:** My Name is Jonas, Undone: The Sweater Song, Buddy Holly, Say It Ain't So, El Scorcho, The Good Life ## Foo Fighters Dave Grohl made our list twice, first as a drummer in Nirvana and second here as the frontman and driving force of Foo Fighters. They're (probably) the _most_ relevant band from the 90s that's still going today. Dave wrote and recorded the debut Foo Fighter album all by himself. While the stories surrounding the album's release seem Cinderella-like, make no mistake about Grohl's status as the drummer in one of the world's biggest bands as to why the first album took off like wildfire. https://youtu.be/eBG7P-K-r1Y Uncle Dave's voice - Uncle being a moniker he'd pick over the years as the steward of "Rock & Roll" - was just individual enough to carve out a space in the overlap of the Grunge, Alternative and Hard Rock Venn Diagram to help the Foo Fighters ascend to the upper echelon of the recording industry. That plus, their legendary live shows are why they should be considered amongst the best of the best. ### Popular 90s Foo Fighters Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Foo Fighters, The Colour and the Shape, There is Nothing Left to Lose - **Songs:** This is a Call, I'll Stick Around, Big Me, Monkey Wrench, Everlong, My Hero, Learn to Fly ## Guns N’ Roses [Guns N' Roses](/guns-n-roses/) could have made a career in the 90s alone, release three albums and storming through cities on the [Use Your Illusion Tour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_Your_Illusion_Tour) like General Patton through Northern Africa. Here's a few bullet points for the band: - Original Band members leaving Steven Adler (1990), Izzy Stradlin (1991), Duff McKagan (1996), and Slash (1997) - The G'N'R Video Trilogy of Don't Cry, November Rain and Estranged - The Montreal Riot where Metallica's lead singer, James Hetfield, got burned and Axl refused to keep playing and walked off stage. (Faith No More opened) - 2 American Music Awards - A 28-month tour (Use Your Illusion Tour) being their only tour of the decade - And countless dollars spent firing people, hiring people, attorneys to draft documents to sign away rights, destruction of property, lawsuits, arrests. Real band stuff, ya know? https://youtu.be/8SbUC-UaAxE ### Popular 90s Guns N’ Roses Albums & Songs - **Albums:** Use Your Illusion I, Use Your Illusion II, "The Spaghetti Incident?" - **Songs:** Knockin' On Heaven's Door (cover), Don't Cry, Live & Let Die (cover), November Rain, You Could Be Mine ## 2nd Tier 90s Rock Bands - [311](/311/) - [Bush](/bush/) - [Goo Goo Dolls](/goo-goo-dolls/) - Jane’s Addiction - Oasis - [Our Lady Peace](/our-lady-peace/) - Pantera - Soul Asylum - Sublime - The Cranberries - The Offspring ## Other 90s Rock Bands - Blink 182 - Blur - Hole - Sonic Youth - The Refreshments - The Verve ## 90s Rock Bands that are Absolute Rubbish - Crazy Town - Korn - Limp Bizkit ## MTV Unplugged MTV Unplugged, as (probably) jumpstarted by Jovi and Sambora’s performance at the 1989 Music Video Awards, stripped away all of the distortion and feedback of 90s rock albums and allowed the songwriting of the decade to shine through our speakers naturally. Bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam used this platform to capture many, many more fans than their hair metal counterparts did in the 80s. It was also a chance for bands to make statements, however political they may be. For instance, Alice in Chains bassist, Mike Inez, wrote, “Friends don’t let friends get haircuts” on his acoustic bass during a performance of Nutshell. Check out [Cantrell & Ullrich](https://archive.org/details/jerry-cantrell-and-lars-ulrich-on-friends-dont-let-friends-get-friends-haircuts) discussing the message. Then there was Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder using the band’s performance of Porch to share their Pro Choice stance. He doesn’t swear, as is written for the third word of the lyrics, but has no problem whipping out a black sharpie and getting artistic during the song’s breakdown. Below is a chance to see Nirvana cover Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World. It’s a great example of the more intimate experience that was MTV Unplugged. https://youtu.be/fregObNcHC8 ## Our Opinion on 90s Rock Music and What Followed Rock music was never the same after the 90s. In fact, it died. Every generation likes to say that rock music died and was reborn by the next generation to follow. But it’s simply not true after the 1996. Sure, good bands have formed and hit the stage, but never on the grand scale of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Even the mediocre bands had albums worth of good-to-great songs. [Seven Mary Three](/seven-mary-three/) comes to mind. One true radio hit and a bevy of solid, guitar-driven tunes round out their body of work. #### Article Sources - https://www.vulture.com/article/interview-billie-joe-armstrong-green-day-history.html - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns_N%27_Roses/Metallica_Stadium_Tour - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Guns_N%27_Roses_members - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Holly_(song) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Honey - https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/thom-yorke-7-1234643153/ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M._discography - https://web.archive.org/web/20110927094828/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take/exclusive-why-r-e-m-are-calling-it-quits-20110926 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo_Fighters_(album) - https://www.alternativenation.net/smashing-pumpkins-bassist-darcy-first-interview-in-20-years/ <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Who are the best 90s rock bands?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Metallica, Green Day, Soundgarden, R.E.M., Alice in Chains, The Smashing Pumpkins, Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Weezer, Foo Fighters and Guns N’ Roses" } } ] } </script> https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/baseball-mullet/https://www.hairandflannel.com/articles/baseball-mullet/Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT It's a fact that sports and fashion intersect. Both create iconic styles that define eras. Both have had their share of mullets. In the case of baseball, this majestical hairstyle has made its mark, both on and off the field. Baseball mullets set themselves apart. It's not just about the business in the front and party in the back, but rather a symbol of rebellion and individuality that can most often be found on the mound. Because pitchers love mullets. Unless they're on the Yankees. A baseball mullet, like all mullets, comprises short hair at the front and sides, with longer hair at the back. Coifed ballplayers gained prominence in the 1980s. That said, icons such as Randy Johnson and John Kruk really inspired us in the 90s. **Popular Ballplayers With Mullets** - **Randy Johnson**: Nicknamed "The Big Unit," Johnson's towering presence on the mound was matched by his flowing mullet, a symbol of his dominance in the 1990s and early 2000s. His hairstyle became as much a part of his persona as his fastball, making him one of the most recognizable figures in baseball. - **John Kruk**: Known for his laid-back attitude and powerful hitting, Kruk's mullet encapsulated his approach to the game and life. It highlighted his nonconformity and became a fan-favorite feature during his playing days with the Philadelphia Phillies. - **Clint Frazier**: Representing a newer generation, Frazier has embraced the baseball mullet with a modern twist. His adaptation of the style signifies the mullet's evolving nature in sports and its resurgence in popular culture. - **Dennis Eckersley**: With a career that spanned three decades, Eckersley's mullet evolved as he transitioned from a starting pitcher to one of the game's best closers. His distinctive look mirrored his transformation and effectiveness on the field. ## How to Get and Maintain a Baseball Mullet Getting and maintaining a baseball mullet requires a mix of precise haircutting and dedicated grooming. How the hair flares out at the back under the hat aids in its magnificence. ### Getting the Cut 1. **Find a Skilled Barber**: Look for someone experienced in cutting mullets. Reference photos, especially of athletes, can help communicate the desired style. 2. **Describe the Length**: Specify the length you want for both the top and the back. The baseball mullet generally features a shorter top that seamlessly transitions into longer back layers. 3. **Request Texture**: To get the authentic look, ask for texture on the top for a fuller appearance while keeping the back sleek or slightly wavy. ### Maintaining the Style 1. **Regular Trims**: Schedule appointments every 4-6 weeks to maintain the shape of the mullet and prevent the top from blending into the back. 2. **Styling Products**: Use a quality pomade, mousse, or gel for the top to add volume and hold. For the back, a light serum can enhance shine and manage fizziness. 3. **Washing Routine**: Wash your hair 2-3 times a week to keep it clean without stripping natural oils, crucial for the mullet's texture and health.