Slaughter Stick it to Ya
Stick it to Ya was an interesting album coming out BARELY in 1990. So, that cover art ... that's ... uhh ... something. Slaughter had some pretty decent tunes with Up All Night, Fly to the Angels, and Burnin' Bridges. The rest of the album is so/so. Slaughter seemed to built solely on Mark Slaughter's pipes.
⭐ 5/10
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.
Mark Slaughter, Sylvan God of Owl-kind gets vocally atmospheric on Stick it to Ya.
Screech, my owl friend, screech!
Slaughter's 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. 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, 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!
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.
More Stick it to Ya Details
| Stick it to Ya | Info |
|---|---|
| Release Date | January 15th, 1990 |
| Length | 48:54 |
| Producer | Dana Strum | Mark Slaughter |
| Studio | Red Zone Studios | Studio 55 | Pasha Music House |
| Record Label | Chrysalis Records | Chrysalis Records |
Reviews of Slaughter Albums
Hair Metal