'80s Hair Bands in the Grungy '90s (Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Poison, Warrant, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard)

Sonic Discourse for Damaged Brains #1
The '90s were funny, and the '80s in the '90s even moreso.
Todd in the Shadows has a great in depth look at Mötley Crüe's Generation Swine if you want a deep dive on that one.
Here's a link to the videos without me talking over them:
Motley Crue - Hooligan's Holiday
• Mötley Crüe - Hooligan...
Motley Crue - Afraid
• Mötley Crüe - "Afraid"...
Skid Row - My Enemy
• Skid Row - My Enemy (O...
Skid Row - Into Another
• Skid Row - Into Anothe...
Poison - Stand
• Poison - Stand
Warrant - Family Picnic
• Warrant - Family Picni...
Bon Jovi - This Ain't a Love Song
• Bon Jovi - This Ain't ...
Def Leppard - Slang
• DEF LEPPARD - "Slang" ...
Def Leppard - All I Want Is Everything
• DEF LEPPARD - "All I W...
I wrote this video myself, but here's a funny description written by ChatGPT:
In this captivating KZbin video, we delve into the fascinating transition of '80s hair bands as they faced the seismic impact of the grunge movement sparked by Nirvana and its contemporaries in the 1990s. Join us on a nostalgic journey as we explore how these iconic rock acts attempted to adapt and reinvent themselves amidst a rapidly changing musical landscape.
We examine the various approaches taken by these bands, from incorporating alternative rock influences to embracing a rawer and more introspective sound. Delve into the sonic evolution, the cultural impact, and the critical reception of these transformations, as we unravel the stories behind the albums that marked this era of musical transition.
From power ballads to gritty anthems, we explore how the iconic aesthetics and larger-than-life personas of 80s hair bands were reshaped in response to the grunge movement. Gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by these bands and the factors that contributed to their successes or struggles during this period of musical evolution.
Join us in this thought-provoking exploration of how '80s hair bands weathered the storm of grunge. This video is a must-watch for fans of '80s rock, lovers of music history, and those interested in the transformative nature of the music industry. Like, share, and subscribe to our channel for more insightful content on the evolution of genres and the impact of cultural shifts.
Keywords: 80's hair bands, '90s grunge, music industry, glam rock, power ballads, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Bon Jovi, Warrant, Def Leppard, Nirvana, fashion, sound, music history, rock and roll, documentary.

[@Benny5000]

You gotta appreciate how Ozzy adapted to every genre of rock for decades. He outlasted everyone while making huge changes to the sound.

[@mrsomeone846]

I’d never thought of that before reading, but damn are you right! Specially when you consider Paranoid, Blizzard of Oz and No More Tears are from 70, 80 and 91🤯

[@kellykerr5225]

I don’t know if he adapted or if we did. I think he remained his authentic self the whole time. I 100% believe in self improvement so long as you’re still the same person at heart. Look at p!nk. She just keeps getting more successful and she’s never changed for anyone. She’s very inspiring for women any way. I watch a lot of concerts on KZbin and some of them have almost all male audiences and others almost all female. I like a performance by Metallica and I saw zero females in the audience. I was dangerous for sure. People get so excited they just shove forward. Most bands stop the show to help.

[@thelolguy007]

Yeah and ripped off the musicians who wrote his songs, revived his career and helped him succeed

[@kospandx]

@@thelolguy007 This is true. Bob Daisley saved his arse.

[@thelolguy007]

@@kospandx and how did he repay him? By ‘NOT’ paying him royalties and getting in studio musicians to re-record the parts so he wouldn’t have to pay the royalties in the future

[@robdixson196]

There is nothing more out of style than recently out of style. The 90's were brutal for hair bands.

[@ericvonharding3421]

Even GNR lost a chunk of their cool factor. Use Your Illusion survived because of their extraordinary large fanbase waiting for a proper Appetite follow-up.

[@tomasom4497]

I never liked hair bands. Punk and hard core metal only. I loved when grunge came along.

[@user-cf7dj9iq5t]

Not as brutal as dating apps are to men

[@ericvonharding3421]

@@user-cf7dj9iq5t Way to connect 90s rock music with an incel perspective

[@DJ_Force]

I don't think Nirvana killed Glam metal, I think Dr. Dre did. After the Satanic paranoia faded in the US and the plethora of power ballads from supposedly heavy metal bands, rock was no longer dangerous. Then, in 1992 the LA riots plus the release of danceable Gangsta rap made Hip-Hop both fun for kids and scary for parents. That's the recipe for popular music.

[@kirakirakuromi]

A video going through 90s bands trying to survive in the 2000s would be really interesting

[@graffiti9145]

2000s bands surviving in the 2010s would be cool too, considering rock wasn't very popular in the 10s

[@chrissantos5580]

Hey grandpa rock was still a thing in the 2000s

[@nykcarnsew2238]

I mean if you’re talking grunge bands that’s kinda tricky since most of the big ones split before the 90s ended. You’ve basically only got Pearl Jam and that bizarre dance pop album from Chris Cornell Edit: I completely forgot that Chris Cornell had Audioslave in the 2000s

[@benjamink7105]

90s bands couldn't even survive the 90s lmao. A lot of sophomore albums slumped, bands were dropped by majors as quickly as they'd been signed (see: Local H with Pack up the Cats). The grunge/alternative bubble burst somewhere toward the end of 1996.

[@Mirokuofnite]

When Kurt died, grunge died. It did linger a couple of years later, but post-grunge, nu metal, and pop punk was the next wave for the second half of the decade. Post-grunge carried the self-pity but lacked any soul and was cookie cutter Pearl Jam knockoffs.

[@Skycladatdusk78]

1991 and 1992 are two of my favorite music years, mostly in part because both metal and grunge could be successful and co-exist, rather than just having to be alternative rock from 1993 onwards.

[@piero50eas]

Agreed

[@sonusworld5357]

93 was still ok it all went downhill mid 94 onwards- Post Cobain’s death

[@leetorry]

My man what the fuck are you talking about, 1990 to 1995 was some of the greatest years in metal. Death metal and black metal ruled, doom metal was getting its laurels, alt metal was a thing.

[@coyotebillkc9185]

In 91-92 Alice in Chains would be played on both Headbangers Ball and 120 Minutes.

[@sonusworld5357]

@@coyotebillkc9185 Sure but they were the closest thing to Metal - What say you?

[@arturovillalobos336]

We can't deny that Bon Jovi's "It's my life" became a worldwide hit. My conclusion: They grew in their own pop rock style.

[@mikesteelheart]

But it does suck lol.

[@diegorivas1991]

But came way after grunge at it's peak. In the case of Bon Jovi a fair comparission is with Keep The Faith from 1992 and These Days from 1995.

[@jsan3743]

They adapted by appealing to the older generation, not the raging youth of the 90s

[@Ivantheterrible81280]

Grew? Bon Jovi copied every trend that came out. Musically and visually.

[@mikesteelheart]

"It's My Life" is just watering down a mid tempo hair band song as far down to adult contemporary mainstream as possible for $$$. Don't get me wrong; I actually love tons of top 40 pop hits but songs like that are the worst of both worlds and just annoying.... Def Leppard did the same thing after Hysteria in the 90's...

[@tomservo5347]

I do remember that almost everyone had Skid Row's 'Slave To The Grind' CD despite it being the height of grunge back in high school. It was such a heavy hitter it was totally legit.

[@jaymz010]

Oh that period of hard rock - Post-Nirvana/Pre-Korn. I call it... WAYNE’S WORLD ROCK 😄 The movie Airheads exemplified that period

[@keeponlivin81]

I ain't fartin' on no snare drum!

[@carpenoctem775]

1994 was a pivotal year for sure.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Party time! Excellent!

[@lorenzosandoval7328]

W.A.S.P. deserves an award for their catalogue alone, they tried getting heavier and deeper with their songs back in 1989, then did a concept album, then a queen inspired album, and finally of all the bands trying to fit in with grunge, wasp took the industrial metal route and made some of the darkest music at the time. All of this during the 90s which basically made fun of people like him.

[@coyotebillkc9185]

I was never a fan of Poison but really, they tried changing their sound and direction before Grunge broke big. They seemed to be influenced more by the Black Crowes than Nirvana. So much so that I remember seeing an ad in the early 90's for something called "The Southern Rock Festival" and Poison was the headliner. With Lynyrd Skynyrd playing right before them.

[@kospandx]

Yes! I have been saying for years that I think Poison would have gone down an Americana route if Grunge had never happened. There was always a bit of country to the sound of their ballads, which I suspect helped ease rock audiences into Garth Brooks, who broke big the same year as Nirvana.

[@carpenoctem775]

That’s sad that Skynyrd had to play before a band like that. At least they’ve had a better legacy.

[@LemmyLawless]

Native Tongue... my favourite Poison album with no doubt!!

[@wildspowell196]

Get this… Bret is from Pennsylvania, but if you hear him talk, he has a straight up southern accent. I’m from SC and he sounds like he could be from right down the road. I always though poison had kind of a blue collar/southern thing going on, in the modern day more than ever.

[@markmccleary7276]

@@LemmyLawless I agree that No Doubt was a huge 90s band, but I don't think Gwen sang on any Poison albums. =o)

[@dude5301]

Once Steve Clark died in early ‘91, Def Leppard was never the same. Adrenalize (which I’m pretty sure is the last 80’s Hair/Glam Metal album to go #1 on the Billboard 200 in 1992) was the finish line for them. I wonder how the 90’s would’ve went for them if he didn’t die and it’s crazy how he didn’t even live to see the grunge takeover, he died while they were still on top.

[@xennial80sxberner]

Yeah I love Adrenalize and see it as pure 80s arena/hair metal in the Hysteria style. Maybe "make love like a man" was the one sorta 90s sounding track. Never thought how their trajectory could have been way different if Steve Clark lived. Maybe their 90s output would have been closer to Euphoria (99), like just a slightly edgier and more modern 80s sound

[@rjc7289]

Honorable mention of strong 90's albums by 80's bands... Dog Eat Dog -- Warrant Dysfunctional -- Dokken Carnival Of Souls -- Kiss Show Business -- Kix 3 -- Firehouse Still Climbing -- Cinderella Waiting For The Punchline -- Extreme Collage -- Ratt Louder Than Hell -- Manowar Crack A Smile -- Poison Hear In The Now Frontier -- Queensryche Still Not Black Enough -- W.A.S.P. Let It Rock -- Great White Za Za -- Bulletboys

[@magicstuff]

Warrant's Dog Eat Dog is severely underrated. I think it slipped by a lot of folks at the time.

[@bb-gc2tx]

tell the truth billy squier from 1993 is an incredible album

[@NRobertAlexander]

@@magicstuff Dog Eat Dog is the best Warrant album if you ask me. A more mature and slightly heavier take on the 80's heavy metal sound, but still respecting the band's roots and not taking the pretentious grunge route.

[@PaboritongAwitinniBoyKarne17]

Firehouse 3rd album is very banger..

[@flacorocks2513]

I can't agree with this list enough. Although Ultraphobic caught me off guard, I slowly loved it. Belly to Belly not so much.

[@JP-ou6ss]

I am a massive 80s hard rock fan, and even I am in doubt whether Bon Jovi became even better in the 90s. I love me a good ballad, and Bed of Roses, Always, This Ain't a Love Song are just gold. I even enjoy their 2000s stuff a lot. They truly trascended time.

[@carpenoctem775]

They matured musically and lyrically better than most of their peers. That’s why they’re still on top and stayed culturally relevant for a longer period of time.

[@sonusworld5357]

Skid Row broke out of the glam phase with Slave to the Grind - I mean that one was Super Heavy . Much Heavier and more Metallic than their self titled first one

[@sonusworld5357]

@mikedavis8008 Absolutely 🤘🤘

[@N_0968]

It’s such a good album.

[@crushingalldeceivers]

But the glam album had better songs.

[@sonusworld5357]

@@crushingalldeceivers are you serious?? The heavier album was more Realistic in terms of both the music and lyrics

[@username-mf4mu]

Yeah great album fucking love the last track wasted time such a catchy riff and vocals

[@thehalcyonflight]

As a Boyband connesieur/historian, I often compare the late 90s/early 00s boyband craze to that of the 80s/ really early 90s hair mania. The parallels are really uncanny.

[@XxLIVRAxX]

Looks like Kpop occupies that space

[@davequiquegg]

there was also landfill amounts of boy bands in the 00's in the UK until One Direction decimated them and the girl groups simultaneously. There's definitely a comparison there. Also indie acts before the Arctic Monkeys ended all that with their debut. Both the boy bands and indie landfill occupy a nostalgia place and only play their hits whenever they tour just like the 80's hair metal bands.

[@thehalcyonflight]

@davequiquegg oh I know... Boyzone East 17 Code Red Take That 5ive 911 Westlife.... just to name a few.

[@carpenoctem775]

Comparing hair bands to boy bands is kinda vague. Because hair bands actually had talent and made somewhat quality music. A more accurate comparison would be comparing boy bands to pop punk and emo bands. Both styles of music are extremely overrated teenybopper crap. The parallels are uncanny.

[@thehalcyonflight]

@carpenoctem775 well the comparison has more to do with the meteoric rise and fall and in the height, the manufacturing of it all. Emo/pop punk had a gradual rise, stuck around for quite a while and even inspired what music would sound like roughly around the late 00s.

[@TestMeatDollSteak]

I know that a lot of rock journalists and media pundits have, for the last 30 years or so, confidently repeated versions of the popular and romantic narrative that Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, et al. “turned the culture upside down and changed music forever”, but I’ve always been a little suspicious of that narrative, in part because it happens to flatter my own personal musical tastes, and in part because there does seem to be a lot of evidence to the contrary. Nirvana’s Nevermind _did_ bump Michael Jackson’s Dangerous off the top spot for one week in January of 1992, of course, but the top ten best selling singles and albums from that same year were from artists such as Whitney Houston, Boyz II Men, Garth Brooks, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kris Kross, and other R&B, rap, or country artists. There were certainly a few years in the early to mid 90’s that everyone at the malls and every trendy actor or musician wore Doc Martens boots and flannel shirts, but bands like Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and Nine Inch Nails were still most heavily repped and embraced by the teenaged freaks, geeks, and social misfits across suburban America (I include myself in this latter group). They were mainstream, because they sold millions of CDs, yes, but they still weren’t the preferred soundtrack for the majority of music fans. So, I think there’s a bit of truth and a bit of hyperbole to the trope of grunge music “altering the course of music” and whatnot.

[@LuchaLibertaria]

True. Hard Rock continued to be popular until 1993. Def Leppard was outselling Pearl Jam in 1992. Around 1992, pretty much all the Traditional Hard Rock/Metal bands were pushed outside of the mainstream & replaced by Alternative, Rap and Techno. Before that Hard Rock and Alternative were co-existing in the mainstream. Music Industry wants us to believe that it was 'a good thing' and they repeat that Grunge narrative as if it was the word of god

[@anamaria-girllover]

i always wondered how that transition happened. i feel like everyone associates that big, long hair with the 80s. and then it just immediately disappeared in the 90s. trends are weird

[@michaelmblog]

Ultimately, for my money, the 80s rock bands' music has aged better than 90s grunge. When you've had a beer or two and are having fun, do you want to hear Motley Crue or do you want to feel bad for yourself and listen to Pearl Jam?

[@tedbertier9454]

"It's like a mullet became self-aware and adapted itself into a superior coif." This is perhaps the funniest thing I've heard all year. Well done.

[@kylereece1979]

Awesome video. Bon Jovi were the real ones that seamlessly stormed into success in the 90s via the Keep the Faith album. I dont know exactly how it fared in America overall, but in Europe they actually became even bigger than before. MTV Europe rotated the 'Jovi all the time and over here in general, they were side to side with Grunge, and the likes of Guns n Roses in terms of continuous popularity. Im Irish, and remember hard rock like Bon Jovi not getting sidelined by Grunge on MTV here. It was a huge mixed bag of everything.

[@kospandx]

I don't think grunge was nearly as big a phenomenon in Europe as in the States. Around my parts it felt less like grunge replaced metal than metal simply disappearing just as I got into it for no apparent reason. Apparently they did sell enough records to chart fairly highly, but I have no idea who were buying them.

[@AnthonySforza]

Actually, Jon himself admitted that Always was their top selling single. Which was what, 93-94? However, while MTV played their songs a lot in the US, Im struggling to recall anything coming out after 96. As, in 2000 when It's My Life came out, I recall thinking it had been a while since Bon Jovi put anything out. Annnnnd you could not ESCAPE that song at all that summer. It was everywhere.

[@markwilliamsmusic2987]

​@@AnthonySforzathey took a break after these days Sambora and Jon put out solo stuff they came back with Real Life and after the Crush album !

[@carpenoctem775]

That’s what I said on my last post. They were the biggest band from that scene to survive and become bigger, especially internationally, in terms of album sales and stadium tours. Many of their peers tried to follow, some succeeded, most failed. They stayed culturally relevant for a longer time too, whereas most of their peers faded into nostalgia. For example, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, and poison did a stadium tour together in recent years, but could only do so billed as co-headliners. Bon Jovi have been headlining their own stadium tours globally for over 3 decades. Edit: Sorry if that was a little long. lol

[@Chelaxim]

​@@AnthonySforzaWho says you can't go home from 2005 and Who says you can't go home from 2016. Is most grunge singers didn't even get to live to see 2016 let alone have a hit. Bon Jovi,Madonna,U2 and Duran Duran are the quadfecta of Gen X artists who stayed relevant the longest.

[@javi__...]

These hair metal bands were in a weird bind. It was too soon for 80s nostalgia and they didnt fit in with a more serious sound. Meanwhile all those punk and alternative bands that were ignored in the 80s suddenly had a new following.

[@gx1tar1er]

also alternative/indie bands music in the 80's have aged better than a lot of 80's hair/glam. A lot of these are left to the past.

[@Wadiyatalkinabeet_]

⁠​⁠​⁠@@gx1tar1erThats a preference and a preference that isn’t the general consensus at that. Most of the public would disagree with you, but you are entitled to your own opinion. It’s just an opinion, and it’s not objective especially since most of the public would tend to disagree with you. When people thinks 80s rock, they think glam and hair metal. Alternative/Indie is 90s/modern aged rock

[@joesmith8725]

I hate how a lot of videos separate by decades. When they all pretty much coexisted with each other. I was there those years. They all overlapped decades, Glam/hair rock you had it started in the '70s, rolled over into the '80s and '90s. Popular ALL 3 decades. Just that popularity wavered off during the mid '90s. Mainstream kind of rock. Hard rock blues based. "Grunge" , a silly term pushed by the national media, was/is basically garage rock, punk rock with heavier distorted guitars and slower tempo. Also existed already , late '70s, '80s as underground music in certain scenes, played just on college radio, independent/alternative radio stations and late night videos on MTV. Harder to see and hear these kind of bands. The alt rock explosion during the late '80s and early '90s helped propel bands like these into mainstream. So, alt/indie rock which was mainly underground during the '70s and '80s, exploded into mainstream during the '90s , '00s. Overlap. Lot of good alt rock. The ones that were labeled grunge tends to be more whiney, emo, depressing. Gets boring after awhile. But, you also had more upbeat , energetic rock like punk, ska, etc and multiple punk subgenres. And Metal. Nu metal, rap metal, multiple metal subgenres, etc. All also coexisted back then overlapping decades and recent years. And also other good fun genres coming out back then multiple decades, rap, funk, R&B, etc.

[@moreblack]

And yet in 2023, Def Leppard and Crue are playing Wembley Stadium with Van Halen's kid opening. Tide comes in, tide goes out I suppose.Alice or PJ will never ever do that.

[@kevinrayonflores2212]

What do you expect it’s a stacked 80s nostalgia road. Ofc it’s gonna stack when you have the famous bands from the 80s in one card.But younger people (gen z) still talk about nirvana and Alice In Chains. There music is still so relatable decades later. Kurt cobain literally became an icon of rock music.

[@Wadiyatalkinabeet_]

⁠@@kevinrayonflores2212dk about that, as someone from gen z myself. Me and most of the people I know around my area who are also gen z like 80s hair metal better than 90s alternative rock. My sisters who were born in the early 90s late 80s and there friends are more alternative rock listeners.

[@CarterHayes77]

@@Wadiyatalkinabeet_I think 90s pop culture is way more popular, especially fashion via tiktok, Insta pages like 90s anxiety.

[@Warstub]

I Saw Red is such a great song. And Jani Lane's songs on Warrant's debut are a showcase of excellent songwriting.

[@facerip2222]

Uncle Tom's Cabin is my jam off of that album. For those slow ballady songs, I am often not in the mood for the slowness of them, they just make me feel sad. But Uncle Tom's Cabin has so much electric energy, it gives me goosebumps. I love the music video for that song too.

[@jasonlawson01]

The bitter pill. Thin Disguise. I saw Red. Letter to a friend. Stronger Now. All my bridges are burning. Blind Faith. Jani was a great song writer. Very honest sounding voice aswell. Miss that guy

[@ms85129]

@@jasonlawson01 Mr. Rainmaker, also quite well imo :D

[@SuzieRay23]

Totally agree but sadly people think of the Cherry Pie song when they think of Warrant and Jani Lane hated that song but of course the greedy music executives begged for a big sound cheesy instant hit and there it was but yes Jani Lane was a great singer/ songwriter

[@kospandx]

Whilst it isn't mentioned here, it should be added that Vince Neil released what is arguably the best album to spring out of the Mötley Crüe family tree right in the middle of grunge, viz., his first solo album, Exposed. It is musically a far richer album than anything he had tried before, and the material is thoroughly strong (half of it was written to be a follow-up to Ozzy's The Ultimate Sin). It did decently well, but really deserves to be heard by more. It also makes absolutely no concessions to grunge.

[@firesideshats]

Yeah but that because its lead single was on encino man.

[@kospandx]

@@firesideshats That may have had some effect, but Vince's name and the strength of the album itself should have been enough to draw many listeners in by themselves, even in 1993.

[@tonyponchopeters]

Exposes is an Amazing album!

[@aelfredrex8354]

A Stevie Stevens project with Vince on vocals, really.

[@kospandx]

@@aelfredrex8354 Well, Soussan came with half of the songs, but if it IS a Stevens project, it certainly blows Atomic Playboy out of the water.

[@titowrestling]

Bon Jovi coming back with “It’s My Life” was a big success, though.

[@SuzieRay23]

Bon Jovi has been able to keep their fan base and bring in new fans over the years. They haven't necessarily changed

[@orangecounty2033]

Everyone says rock changed in 91-92 when Nevermind hit, and it did, ... but if you were paying attention hair metal was in its last throes in 89-90. Mainstream rock stations were still playing Crue, Poison & Ratt but every city had an alternative station that was playing NIN Pretty Hate Machine, Janes Addiction, the Cure Disintegration , etc. I remember hearing The Mountain Song in a bar and going 'omg wtf is this', and bought Nothings Shocking in 89 ... Gish came out 6 months before Nevermind but only college rock stations played SP... The music industry got smart , everyone was begging for a big change 🎶🎸

[@angryagain3801]

Some of my favorite albuims by these "hair bands" came out of the 90's Motley made two great albums Warrant delivered Ultraphobic & I loved that. Skid Row's Subhuman Race is killer. Even Dokken got back together, Dysfunctuional isn't my favorite Dokken album but it was refreshing to hear in 1995. Def Leppard's Slang is really good as is Bon Jovi's These Days. I just wish these albums received some airplay so the masses heard them.

[@jumariduqueza3726]

Bon Jovi survive the 90s they still sell millions of album in the US andmore popular in Asia and europe in the 90s.

[@Eric_In_SF]

The 90s weren’t grungy. It just so happens. Grunge was the most main stream so everybody who wasn’t even born, yet has distorted reality that the entire era was pure grunge. The 90s were super eclectic and bizarre. You had bands like Jane’s Addiction and Primus that were like super far out there and you had crazy comedy bands like B-52’s or Primus again. Then you had alternative hip-hop, like Digable, planets and tribe, all the way to things like Swedish retro euro pop like the cardigans and even far out bands like the Squirrel Nut Zippers playing 1920s hot jazz going main stream. Then you had hard-core punk and Pop punk like Green Day and NOFX. You had the beastie boys doing crazy hip-hop, and then then you had British Pop like blur and oasis and 1 million other mellow dancy bands like happy Mondays and then you had stuff like Ned’s atomic dustbin and back. It was like every genre and everything. It was just fun and cool worked. The 90s were all about alternatives, and every alternative could go main stream in a heartbeat.

[@MetrohamComicMedia]

Ye it seemed the 90s had a lot going for it with music

[@carpenoctem775]

Honorable mention. Early alt and nu metal like KoЯn, deftones, rage, tool. And goth industrial, NIN, Type O, Rammstein.

[@michaeldoyle189]

Skid Row Subhuman Race was a solid album. Skid Row was more of a metal band than most of the other bands that were their contemporaries. Which is surprising since they were late to the scene. But they also fell victim to the rocker followed by ballad formula. And frankly, they did the ballad as good, if not better, than the rest. The power ballad definitely had an element of cheese. But Skid Row seemed to do it with less cheese than the others.

[@rahimmaarof9930]

Agreed

[@endezeichengrimm]

It IS a solid album. I still play it to this day. Subhuman race is a masterpiece.

[@SuperStrik9]

Skid Row definitely fared better than most. I remember they toured with Pantera in 1992.

[@benjaminreagle460]

I agree, Skid Row was right there with GnR. Dirty hard rock. Not hair metal.

[@MikeSoutham]

100%

[@haberak3310]

I'm gonna be honest, 80s rock/metal bands transitioning into the 90s is probably my favorite genre of music. There is just something unendingly interesting about listening to the sounds of someone who was riding the waves like a master trying to adjust to changing tides. I stand by Keep the Faith and These Days being overall better albums than New Jersey and Slippery, even if there are a couple singles out of the 80s albums that I prefer over the majority of both albums (namely Wanted and Lay Your Hands on Me, but they still don't match the best songs on the 90s albums imo).

[@bradencockrell1018]

Cinderella & Great White are two bands that put music out in the grunge era 90s… they didn’t cave and just did what they always did which is hard rock infused w blues. That’s what sold millions of records in the 80s and early 90s and they didn’t waver just because it wasn’t “in” anymore. Two of the best bands ever in my opinion.

[@username-mf4mu]

Great white released hooked in 91. Desert moon would’ve been a hit in the 80s for sure

[@julienverveer748]

Didn't take long before Cinderella fell down too though. Don't get me wrong, they're one of my favorite bands ever but

[@revivedfears]

Cinderella are so much better than they get credit for. Their TERRIBLE name is what puts people off them

[@nicholasgood9608]

Wish more people listened to those bands, they are some of the best of that era (and all time) IMO

[@tommynoble3428]

Poison/Richie Kotzen's Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice) is a great freaking song. Native Tongue is a criminally underrated and underappreciated album.

[@wasauchimmer4010]

Super interesting topic. Some bands sure got it and sounded alright. Very cool and well-done video!

[@victormauss5536]

I had always rally wondered about this. Thanks for making a majustic video on it

[@bruceburnett1584]

I talked to Janie not long before he was gone, and he told me he absolutely HATED "Cherry Pie"...RIP Janie

[@dubstep2496]

“Don’t think there’s alot to go back for the poison album” That album is incredible.

[@edgabrielocay3376]

Bon Jovi still works in the 90s

[@BVRNERMVSIC]

"Grunge" (specifically talking about seattle bands) by itself was short-lived, from 1991 to roughly 1993 (the chicago bull years), it quickly got absorbed into the greater Alt bubble

[@javierortiz82]

Bon Jovi's These Days is probably their best album. Kind of gritty, adult contemporary, very introspective and sometimes even reflecting of internal conflicts, their musicianship peaked there. Richie's bluesy style ruled all over the album, I think it features some of the heaviest plays by Tico. And what about the production qualities?, I mean, listen closely to the classical parts in This Ain't A Love Song. That song is amazing. It's a shame the album didn't sell as well, which prompted them to a more popy sound in Crush, which has been a defining album for their style in the last quarter of a century.

[@carpenoctem775]

These Days was their last great album.

[@shouldvebeenonthealbum]

Great video!! I just happened to stumble upon it but have immediately subscribed. As a lover of 80s hard rock, and owner of most of these albums too, I reckon you’ve given a very fair assessment. Great work all round and I’m looking forward to the second part of this! Keep up the great work!

[@williamg8832]

Great Video! I grew up in the 80s with all those Hair Metal Bands (Or during that time was just Rock Bands) and by the time the 90s came around I had completely forgotten about them at that point. So many great bands to emerge from the 90s; who had time for the bands anymore. Thank you again for posting.....

[@wedontcookfood]

This was a really well produced video and I enjoyed watching it. Keep up the good work and I mean it in the most genuine way!

[@SHOUTband]

i have to say i never saw Skid row as a "Hair Metal band" they were always very heavy but i guess the ballads made them be thrown into the Glam Metal side.

[@SHOUTband]

@@bozhno yes i agree.

[@FighterBJ]

That and their association with Bon Jovi in the late 1980s is my guess why they remain hair metal in our memories.

[@lauralikessomestuff]

Kurt was so epic

[@countMonteTristo]

Great work on this, really nicely put together, and funny too

[@RocknDanger]

Great video! Really enjoyed it, thanks for sharing.

[@Vinylrebel72]

Motley Crue’s album with John Corabi was a killer record.

[@teamamerica5987]

Agreed. After Too fast for Love and Shout at the Devil. 3rd best record. Better that everything else they recorded imho.

[@MrMackmonster]

Couldnt agree more. It demonstrated that the band was more than just glam.

[@Wadiyatalkinabeet_]

It’s alright. The Crue is just better sounding when they’re glam/hair metal band

[@luislanga]

Great video. It always bugged me how the 80s guys tried to save themselves when the new thing hit. It's not like OG car manufacturers moving to electric cars or businesses moving to online shops or whatever, it's the guys admitting they were never the cool transgressors that don't care about anything they tried to show they were, their personalities were just a product of their management/marketing team lol.

[@mlanzara9215]

This video was awesome! I would love to see a video about the transition for bands from the 70s to the 80s as there were some big changes then as well

[@sarabrown6022]

Thanks for this - it was super interesting. I knew what Crüe had done but it's great to see it in context compared to the other contemporary bands.

[@stonerdemon]

Harem Scarem, Vicious Rumors, Badlands, Kix, Crimson Glory, Lynch Mob... The great hair bands of the 90's that almost no one remembers.

[@nundo7781]

Correction: Mutt Lange wasn't necessary too busy producing Bryan Adams and Shania Twain albums, he was too busy boinking Shania Twain!!! And hell, no sane guy could ever blame him for one minute!!!

[@InAtlasAtLast]

Love this video idea!! I’d like to see the same with other decades!!

[@MrPapaj82]

I binged a few videos of your videos and I love it. Your bit about Bon Jovi was amazing and hilarious. Subscribed.

[@psychopoison]

Winger - Pull is just one of the most underrate albums of all times, its a masterpiece

[@Roger8176]

Pull is fucking awesome! Probably best album of '93. Anybody who laughs at Winger should listen to Junkyard Dog.

[@AnthonySforza]

Hahaha, I remember hearing In Cognito for the first time, like "Wait... the DJ said this was new Winger?" Love that song.

[@jonathanhughes2199]

OK Stewart

[@colinclement2752]

Shut up Stewart

[@y_s4021]

Honestly, I think I like today's heavier Winger way more than their prime. One of my favorite bands actually. They made so many cool songs after they went heavy, even their hard rock got better. Kip and Reb Beach are so good.

[@mysterio7807]

Bon Jovi's These Days is very adult. If this album were written by someone else, it'd be considered a masterpiece.

[@TheDouglasSeth]

I prefer These Days over any 80's Bon Jovi. Great CD. I have said many times, if it was anyone else who made that CD, it would have been much bigger!

[@1985cactus]

You use that word masterpiece but I don't think you know what it means.

[@kalterkakaozumfruhstuck1515]

Ironically, he doesn't mention the grunge songs from Bon Jovi's These Days album, such as - Hey God - or - My guitar lies bleeding in my arms. unbelievable

[@carpenoctem775]

It was probably their most introspective album lyrically.

[@RespectTheMusic]

I agree 1000 percent with you. As a guitarist I love and have researched a lot of the guitar legends such as EVH, Brian May and so on. I feel like Ritchie was one of the most UNDERRATED guitarists of all time. You’re never gonna see him on a top 10 list and I feel like a big part of that is because Richies best playing (in my opinion) was on their more 90s albums. The man was a blues guy, and you can really see him embracing that on the These days album specifically. Me and a friend of mine whose also a guitarist talk about the album all the time and we both feel that it just came out at a time when eyes were not directed towards Bon Jovi. Also I feel like it’s one of those albums where his playing was well placed and blended on most of the songs. So his playing was not as noticeable to people who don’t have an ear for music and have a hard time distinguishing and picking out each individual instrument. Then let’s not even get started on Jon’s voice (the perfect blend of rasp, toughness and sweetness).With all this being said I’m with you! It’s a true masterpiece! I could talk about this album all day, so imma end with this… These days (masterpiece of a album), Dry County from Keep the faith album… Phenomenal guitar solo!!!! Or solos if you wanna take into account that he starts with a bluesy solo that he could have ended on but instead chooses to ride into another more classic Bon Jovi shredder solo! 🤯

[@dechardy3093]

They panicked mostly,the bands of the 80s and sunset strip were about fun and Rock and girls, and thank God those days returned along with the bands,just recently saw Pretty Boy Floyd and an amazing Glam night it was ..Rock on😀

[@ChannelBerpindah]

Genius video man. Very rarely touched topic, people always talk about how grunge killed hair bands but none talked about what happened to most of the hair bands trying to survive the 90s.

[@gileadbot19]

Dude, I was lucky enough to see the Crue with Warrant in February of 92. I was only 14 and Dr Feelgood had come out a couple years prior and I was absolutely in love with the whole album. They had the dopest laser light hologram of the crazy doctor from the cd/cassette inserts Introducing them. The kicker is my parents fuckin took us to the show(literally watching the entirety of both bands)which we got tickets from them for xmas. It was insane.

[@stephenhamel9464]

Dr feelgood came out in 1989

[@gileadbot19]

@@stephenhamel9464 thanks man, it's fixed.

[@cindyrector9718]

Lucky kid

[@freedomisslavery6840]

Winger and Warrant made their two best and heaviest albums in the 90s with 'Pull' and 'Dog Eat Dog'. Both awesome albums.

[@crisgadelhart]

Winger is criminally underrated. Great musicians, great songs. Sure deserved better.

[@mildred714]

Hahahah

[@LemmyLawless]

Down incognito, I really love that song

[@aquascenic5751]

Great video! Really enjoyed it

[@Breakbeats92.5]

I remember reading a magazine and in an article the writer said, "in 1991 Nirvana released their debut LP Nevermind and hair metal melted overnight." I thought that just about summed it up.

[@SuperStrik9]

Jackyl are a great band. They formed in 1991 so they technically aren't an 80s band but they played some killer southern tinged hard rock. Jackyl's first 2 albums are definitely worth checking out. Headed For Destruction is a badass tune. There's a great version of it from Woodstock 94. Also don't forget Guns N Roses. The Use Your Illusion albums were a massive success and their tour with Metallica in 1992 was selling out stadiums.

[@MrMackmonster]

Jackyl was awesome!!!!

[@y_s4021]

Thanks for the tip! gonna check them out.

[@SuperStrik9]

@@y_s4021 No problem. 👍

[@ColtraneTaylor]

Jackyl pees all over GnR.

[@55Porter]

How interesting that all through the 90's a lot of these bands were mocked for having no staying power, and here we are almost 30 years later and many of them are still filling up stadiums because people can't get enough of that nostalgia from their 80's heyday. I don't think too many grunge bands are out there packing 40,000+ seat stadiums like we saw last summer with the Motley/Leppard/Poison tour. Of course Bon Jovi still packs 'em in too. It's funny how things work out over the long term.

[@bb-gc2tx]

80s bands lost the battle but won the war

[@AnthonySforza]

It also doesnt help that music today objectively sucks, en masse. So people began looking backward. What's really cool, is that obscure bands or the late 80s/Early 90s, like Roxy Blue, Wildside, Vain, Britney Foxx, etc etc, who never got the time of day, are actually having their own moments in the sun, finally. Where Bobby Blotzer was talking about Ratt's catalog being "En fuego" as he put it, where it took ten years for Detonator to go gold, then just hovered there, but then after the insurance commercial, took less than two years to go from just over gold, to platinum.

[@Undying3001]

Yeah who the fuck even cares about Pearl Jam, Peppers, Stone Temple Pilots, and all the other dated 90s trend bands anymore?

[@Beeraltar]

Well alot of the big grunge bands can't tour for obvious reasons.

[@bb-gc2tx]

@@Beeraltar grunge and nostalgia dont mix very well. it would be kinda of odd seing a 48 yr old wearing a zero t shirt and talking about how much he hates his parents 🤣

[@mangogoat4691]

Lovin your content! Fresh stuff!

[@jack9nine586]

your content is so awesome glad i found you

[@iamthem.a.n.middleagednerd1053]

'94 Motley Crue is a 7/10 Subhuman Race is an 8/10 Native Tongue is a 7/10 I really dig them all

[@anadraham2995]

Absolutely fantastic content 💯💯👏💯💯

[@John-pc3cx]

You have a great sense of humor about these bands. Nailed the Bon Jovi part.

[@acason4]

The Native Tongue record is actually pretty damn incredible: Stay Alive Stand Until You Suffer Some Strike Up The Band Theatre Of My Soul Ain’t That The Truth 7 Days Over You Also, the Motely Crue self titles isn’t all that great, but the things that are good are as good as anything Crue ever did: Hooligan’s Holiday Misunderstood Uncle Jack Welcome To The Numb Loveshine

[@johnchedsey1306]

Never ever thought I'd hear Warrant and King's X compared in the same sentence, but now I hear it. I had a friend take me to a Def Leppard show in 2003 or so. Packed house and they gave the audience exactly what they wanted. I'd say they weathered the 90s fairly well.

[@natt.helland]

Thank u 4 this. 80s glam metal is my obsession

[@Dominicesquire]

Really surprised that you’ve only got 800 subs. Glad that I was recommended this video. Subscribed!

[@mrflipperinvader7922]

the one band who was very interesting is Firehouse, as in 1994 they had that hit "I Live My Life For You", and it charted high, waaaaay past hair metal's prime days. It was able to enter that adult contemporary vein just like Bon Jovi and the Goo Goo Dolls

[@bartmitsfer]

It’s funny. I listened to Hysteria on repeat. 1 of my fav albums but my now fav Def Lep song is AlI want is Everything. Great trip down memory lane from high school to working years for me.

[@AnthonySforza]

Weird he mentioned Adrenalize, but not Retro-Active.

[@jamesknighton8658]

Extraordinary editing!

[@SuiGenerisMan]

I have always thought this subject would make a great video, over a decade, Thank you!

[@davidcross701]

Thanks KURT!!!!!! The alternative and underground music Revolution!

[@davidcross701]

3:00 Grudgey adaption, skid row. 80s rock purest hate it. 5:15 Poison same thing. 6:30, Another trying to be relevant, falsely. 9:02 pathetic sound.11:00 gawd ... wow glad I stop listening to these bans in 1991. Hope Def doesn't' play any of these albums in the 1990s at concerts.... awesome critique.

[@LuchaLibertaria]

Alternative Revolution happened in the late 70s. Nirvana turned Alternative Rock into another form of Corporate Rock.

[@freaklives]

Worth mentioning though that these 80s bands may have done weird stuff to fit in in the 90s, but almost all of them are still filling stadiums today. How many 90s bands can you say that about? In fact, apart from Pearl Jam, what 90s bands are still going?

[@mojohead7954]

Smashing Pumpkins still puts out albums and tours. Alice in chains doing fine with new singer for past 15 years. Soundgarden reunited in late 2000s, recorded album and toured until Chris Cornell suicide just after their gig in 2017. Stone Temple Pilots also reunited with original singer Scott Weiland in late 2000s but fired him again in 2013 and in 2015 he died from overdose. They are still exist but not as successful

[@mtc5]

most of the bands associated with grunge are no more or went through a hiatus that virtually ended their story as we know, but emerged as something different, not so hungry. I don't blame the bands really. None of the ones that became active again played nostalgia angle unlike KISS or 80's bands. - Nirvana: Obviously done with Kurt's suicide. We got Foo Fighters out of it though, which is undoubtably one of the biggest arena band. - Alice in Chains: Long hiatus after their frontman Layne, came back years later with high quality albums, but didn't really attempt to grow their audience. - Soundgarden: Disbanded before even 90;s were over. Chris Cornell came back with a successful solo album and went on to form Audioslave, which was a massive success and arena band. Soundgarden reformed in 2012 but again, they didn't really attempt to grow their audience or make nostalgia tours. - Stone Temple Pilots: Similar to Alice in Chains really, frontman dies, new frontman comes, they don't really play nostalgia angle. But the new frontman dies as well. cursed band really. - Smashing Pumpkins: Musically most flexible of these bands, but they couldn't retain the quality songwriting with new songs. Many lineup changes, inconsistent band overall.

[@nykcarnsew2238]

Tool’s 2019 album went to Number 1 on the pop charts, briefly beating Taylor Swift

[@BVRNERMVSIC]

The biggest 90s bands all lost their frontmen...and AIC is still pulling huge numbers nowadays

[@MrNeilphipps]

Warrants dog eat dog album in 1992 is badass.

[@jimcooper1320]

Yeah. I don't know how they skipped this album and went to Ultraphobic

[@rafuxec]

Great video, this subject is hardly covered by other music channels. Made me subscribe.

[@colerieger7300]

Sarcasm is so hard to detect in the written word. If you don't get the joke, almost every human being who has ever written about music has written how Nirvana "killed" Mötley Crüe. Even though Mötley was inactive the entire time grunge was around and in between their self-titled album and Generation Swine, grunge came and went. By the time GS came out, chick rock was dominating the airwaves and Tommy and Pam were all over the media. Swine flopped, but it had little to do with grunge and more to do with writing an album for one singer, having another sing it and trying to be too much at once.

[@DiegoRooks]

Hahaha hillarious review ! You have a gift 😂

[@shaunmarsh7113]

Def Leppard’s Slang album contained a lot of emotion. It’s like it was meant to happen - and it’s a masterpiece. Work It Out is one of the best songs they ever produced. 🤘

[@retropyro]

I'm still pissed they made Move With Me Slowly a Japanese only track for the album and putting out as a B-side. Such a great track.

[@MithunOnTheNet]

Loved 'Slang'!

[@ChrisS62976]

Slang is extremely underrated…

[@young-jaechong6045]

@@retropyroi love absolutely love the groove on this track as well as the guitar solo between Phil and Viv! 🔥🚀

[@eclecticx]

Though the 90s had some great music, I never thought Grunge was a part of the great. To me, Grunge sucked. It was depressing and boring. Give me the hard rock bands of the 80s any day, including the hair bands.

[@FLtrailblazer]

Great to look back on this

[@marcel1372]

oh fuck yes this is exactly what I'm looking for . need more stuff like Todd in the shadows or music video time. love to see people go in depth and like actually give a shit when talking about older / less popular acts. so so so tired of 99% of youtube being surface level research reddit wikipedia regurgitation. keep it UP!

[@Sandman60077]

I think Bon Jovi is the only band that made the right decision on how to evolve. As all those other bands tried to stay cool and relevant with metal kids, (which is like when your dad tries to be cool), Bon Jovi targeted middle aged moms. They were the only band smart enough to realize that they weren't going to be accepted by the new generation of music lovers and their best course is to stick with their aging fan base and just write music they'll like.

[@brandonjackson5865]

Listen to Motley Crue 94 today and it’s a pretty good album, it was ahead of its time and some one could probably argue it’s their best creative and performance wise, the drums and guitars are somehow even bigger than on Feelgood . If that album came out around the year 2000 and it wasn’t known that it was Motley it would’ve fit in with rock radio perfectly from 2000-2010 , it’s kinda a proto Nickelback lol I love the first two Skid Row albums and everyone says Subhuman Race is good but I can’t get into it. I’ll be the first to admit I really didn’t take them seriously until I saw them in The Vulgar Video, Skip Rope ha ha and Dime and Vinny loved Nickelback too Richie Kotzen is one of the baddest guitarists to walk the earth. The craziest thing in all of this is all of these glam guys who celebrated the excess of rock n roll are still alive raking in cash touring on nostalgia and people coming back to music that’s just fun. The saddest part is a lot of our grunge heroes are dead, the “big four” of grunge only has one front man still standing, RIP , Layne, Kurt, and Chris. Hard to believe Cherry Pie is on the same album as Uncle Tom’s Cabin not hard to believe the record company chose Cherry Pie over Uncle Tom’s Cabin and a year later were really pushing AIC, instead of Warrant

[@daywalker3735]

This is a GREAT video

[@johnnyblackout]

Danger Danger - Dawn & Shotgun Messiah's Violent New Breed are other great examples. Good video!

[@user-bz9sj8mh5d]

Interesting note on that latter band: Bassist Tim Skold of Shotgun Messiah went the industrial route after SM broke up. He toured as a solo artist and was also a member of KMFDM and Marilyn Manson. I like his industrial sound a lot more than anything from Shotgun Messiah.

[@michaelwills1926]

It all makes sense when you figure “hair to grunge” was an ‘implementation’ rather than an organic musical progression. Otherwise, no reason music of all genres couldn’t coexist simultaneously, just like in the 80’s

[@drexelmarz7144]

What if any of these bands adapted to a Power Metal sound? Which was becoming a huge thing in Europe. That would have been cool!

[@KaptRocket]

Blind guardian CARRIED the European power metal movement

[@nykcarnsew2238]

Trouble is they aren’t in Europe

[@drexelmarz7144]

@@nykcarnsew2238 back in the 90s & early 00s it was a big thing, they even claimed that they viewed grunge as competition on their careers

[@LuchaLibertaria]

Malmsteen went Power Metal with The Seventh Sign

[@ByTorSnowDog65098]

I was a teen all through the 80s and when the 90s came I was disillusioned by my favorite bands chasing new sounds. Now that I'm 50, I find I listen to the 90s output pretty frequently. It has just enough maturity in it (especially Def Leppard's Slang and Winger's Pull) to hold my interest with my much broader musical tastes now.

[@dsvet]

What stands out is grunge didn't even last a decade. It was just a short fused passing fad. I had Pantera, Dream Theater and Meshuggah to get me through it.

[@mikemurphy1208]

KISS had an interesting entry to the grunge genre but reunited mid-production and it just got absolutely steamrolled by the reunion. Definitely a valiant attempt. Some great tunes. I don't know if it ever would have been a commercial success, but on music alone, I really dig the album.

[@andyspencer4786]

Not to mention "Revenge" was their best album in over a decade, in my opinion. Cool seeing Ace and Peter back in the band, but considering what happened after, the reunion cursed the band.

I didn`t even bother to listen to the album back then bc everyone said it was just KISS doing grunge. Under the pandemic I dug into a lot of music I ignored for stupid reasons in my 20s (I was 20 in 1990) and CARNIVAL OF SOUL is actually not a bad album and has some really good and some really interesting songs on it. Probably because they TRIED to make a grunge album but failed on the grunge style, but it became almost a new genre of it`s own. Like a hybrid of alternative metal and glam metal. They should have gone back to this after 5-6 years on the reunion thing. Being a KISS fan today is almost as embarrassing as in the 80s.

[@brianhuffman2070]

I like most of carnival of souls personally I think it's a solid record

[@diegorivas1991]

Carnival of Souls was meant to be released in 1994 but named "Head". The record got rejected by Mercury and later reworked in late 1995 as a Plan B if the reunion didn't came to fruition.

[@jessielakes8118]

I love all the hair metal bands. But so do I love Nirvana and Alice In Chains. And Guns n Roses was and still is my favorite band with the Misfits. I love punk. Fuck man I love outlaw country. I love all music! Hip hop too. It's the best way to be. I got to give the narrator credit for what he said about the mullet becoming self-aware on the bon Jovi part. I was almost going to wreck the guy but he actually did a good job. His words were well chosen and he was right with about every band he talked about

[@puturro]

Poison's Stay was a hell of a single. Bon Jovi were the only ones that were able to dribble the 90s seamlessly.They did grow up, IMO

[@baron_von_brunk]

I've got a suggestion for a video: how about '70s hard rock bands adapting to the '80s. For starters, there's Aerosmith - originally their songs were heavy and gritty, but by the '80s they completely got onboard with power ballads written by Desmond Child, just in time for the MTV era. AC/DC with Bon Scott were also very gritty, rough, and blues-inspired - but in the '80s with Brian Johnson on lead, they were a total arena rock band. I'd also include Heart with their heavier stuff like "Barracuda" vs. their power ballads like "Alone" - and of course we can't forget KISS without their makeup.

[@MrVortex1313]

Shotgun Messiah is a great example as Tim Skold went on to KMFDM and Marilyn Manson.