LOUDWIRE'S Top 30 HAIRMETAL Album List (number one is totally wrong...)

From Poison to Cinderella, to Ratt and Dokken... this is Loudwire's Top 30 Hairmetal Albums list. What did they get wrong? What did they get right? Do we really need 2 Twisted Sister albums in the Top 30? Should Winger be higher?
Original Article: loudwire.com/top-hair-metal-a...
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Rubric: -5 points for Danzig references. -5 points for not reading the description. -5 points for not watching far enough into the video to answer your own question. -5 points for misquoting me in your comment. 20 points possible. Everyone starts with an A!

[@davidchurchchurchy3674]

It was never called hair metal in the 80s. We all had long hair. It was Glam Metal. Really enjoyed the video. Took me back to a happier time. 1987 should definitely have been No 1.

[@chucklee347]

Glam METAL was Poison. Cinderella. Twisted sister. Faster pussy cat. Their song house of pain fn rocked. Ok im getting to carried away.😮

[@Daniel_1978]

Besides Glam and Hair, there were other names too for the 80"s rock/metal: scream rock, sleazy rock, hard&heavy and finally heavy metal. I hope that Bang Tango are not included somehow in a "love metal" genre from that period, way before ToDieFor even to exist... :))

[@mikescott5655]

Ugh, there’s that term again! I absolutely hate the term Hair Metal

[@rodedawg77]

It was called Cock Rock

[@larryfleming7295]

GLAM ROCK

[@tima6549]

Badlands and White Lion should definitely be much higher on the list. Two of my all time favorite guitarists, Jake E Lee and Vito Bratta. The were the GOATS. And many of the albums listed are still in my regular rotation. Best era of music ever. True musicians.

[@slbvideoarchive]

The fact that Loudness' album, Thunder In the East isn't included is criminal. I would have even respected a more nuanced choice of including a Visual Kei act like X-Japan and their album Blue Blood.

[@ponzo1967]

Thunder in the east was one of the best guitar albums of the 1980's. I can't remember the label or producer but I remember hearing RRCNs for the first time and that guitar tone just knocked me out. Massive!!

[@bobslydell806]

YOU GODDAXM RIGHT! 🤘🏽🤘🏽

[@FullertonRadioService]

You are expecting waaaaaay too much from Loudwire.

[@slbvideoarchive]

@@FullertonRadioService lol, probably.

[@dag221]

The album 'Tell No Tales' by TNT is an exceptional album and they meet all the requirements of a hair metal band except they were better than most. The vocalist was one of the best to ever sing melodic metal.

[@iconoclast6665]

Dokken should have been at the first place. I only mention Under lock and key or Back for the Attack.... at least tooth and nail got some recognition. Thx for making those videos and all the work you put into them. And you have a good taste in album artworks 😅 great stuff Much love from Germany!

[@rosskrause3926]

I agree with you here..I am from the hair metal era and George Lynch is in my top 1-3 guitar influences..actually I have many but as I play my Lynch Red Tiger bodied guitar I did myself along with the Ratt album for me should be out of their list 1&2..I listen to both still to this day.."I'm insane" on the Out of the Cellar album has a great Warren DeMartini guitar solo and Robbin Crosbys rhythm work make a great tag-team combo of killer guitar playing...hell I would even put Ozzy's Blizzard of Oz and Diary of a Madman here even though they are not considered "hair metal".. overall this is an ok list but we all have our own versions in our heads. Great Job Max..your descriptions are spot on and I appreciate you putting this out..now it's time to jam !

[@bigsauce1116]

I honestly agree

[@GustavoZepeda]

I agree!

[@John_Doe657]

Well my top 15 would look something like this: 1. Van Halen - 1984 2. Ratt - Out of the cellar 3. Dokken- Under lock and key 4. Ratt - Reach for the Sky 5. Dokken - Back for the attack 6. Ratt - Invasion of Your Privacy 7. XYZ - XYZ 8. Tesla - Modern day cowboy 9. Dokken - Tooth and Nail 10. Def Leppard- Hysteria 11. Winger - In the Heart of the Young 12. Whitesnake- 1987 13. Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation 14. Kiss - Lick it up 15. Danger Danger - Danger There are other bands from this period that i like but they didn’t make any solid records but rather have 1-5 good songs in their entire catalouge.

[@johnp.johnson1541]

Van Halen were a nationwide band before MTV and thus pre-date hair metal. The same is true for Aerosmith and Kiss. Where is Guns 'n' Roses, the biggest hair metal act, all time. Welcome to the Jungle.

[@John_Doe657]

@@johnp.johnson1541 i don’t concider G&R hair metal, more like sleaze wich i concider a sub-genre. To me kiss and Aerosmith where hair metal bands during the 80’s because they looked and sounded the part.

[@johnp.johnson1541]

@@John_Doe657 Hair metal = look like Johnny Thunders from his NY Dolls days & and play major chord metal-ish rock. Biggest hair metal band of all-time! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWLXm2Wwf5eKrMk His hair screams hair metal. Kiss and Aerosmith are 1970s band, maybe even one time under the same management way back when. Kiss were a kiddie make-up / fake rock band with ghost musicians playing the hard parts. They failed the scene when the NY Dolls were big in NY. Aerosmith is a 1970s pentatonic rock band that peaked with Rocks, which is way sleazier in sound than anything GnR ever played.

[@keithsmith9889]

Where is Europe?

[@transparent6748]

Good question and I agree

[@donbishop6994]

Northeast of Africa. 😂😂😂

[@bmdshred77]

I agree. Amazing album

[@flyfishincrazy]

Good stuff, young Danzig!

[@MetalAsylumNJ]

TNT and Helix are important from that first wave 82-85 86, and should have made this list, and definitely Stryper should have made the top 20 with Soldiers Under Command or To Hell with the Devil.

[@bmdshred77]

The guitar work on skid row was just amazing. Dynamic and beautiful solos

[@retropuffer2986]

I still remember where I was when I first heard some of these albums.

[@DeadRingerMachine]

I'm just glad they got Blow My Fuse in there. Kix was an awesome bluesy band and "Don't Close Your Eyes" was one of my favorites from back in the day.

[@JoeR203]

White Lion should have been in the top 5. But I get it. It's a popularity contest and they'll comprise the list based on who was more popular and got more exposure on Mtv. And Trixter's debut album had some great songs on it. They should have been on the list.

[@rosariocannistraro3561]

Yeah! there were tons of bands that put out absolute classics but didn't get the sales numbers like Tyketto/Shotgun Messiah , The "big" albums get horribly overplayed and you hear the songs and go groan not this again lol . Even hair channel on Sirius is guilty of this big time its like where's this band and that band ? and when they play Ratt or Poison or whoever its the same three frickin songs always .

[@andygogocomics]

Loudwire needs to hire Max. Their journalist threw this list together after a quick google search. 🤷🏻

[@chrisa1125]

Badlands and Voodoo Highway are some of the most underrated albums of the era... both masterpieces

[@mikeg6666]

Badlands was the bomb , the first album was a masterpiece and Jake was my favorite Ozzy guitarist! PS after Randy passed...

[@chrisa1125]

@@mikeg6666 Jake was also my favorite Ozzy guitarist. If you've never heard the 2nd album Voodoo Highway, check it out... .imo it's just as good as the debut. The 3rd album Dusk is pretty good but not nearly as good as the first 2, imo. But those first 2 are literally 2 of my favorite albums of all time.

[@Horrorfreak106]

@@chrisa1125 All their stuff is amazing. I really love Dusk. It's a bit darker and definitely even more bluesy than Voodoo

[@familiarpurrson8744]

How is Appetite for Destruction not on if they’re including influential albums? It almost managed to pull Hair out of the funeral pyre. Granted, Axl lost his wild locks early on, but Slash had enough for both of them. :)

[@kevinkinnu341]

How about LA Guns? Rough Cutt? TNT?

[@dag221]

TNT is a really exceptional band.

[@tmaestro]

“Lost too many tiles on re-entry” is the greatest burn.

[@TheGospelGuitarist]

Absolutely agree with you. White Snake? Skid Row? Rat(1?) Dokken(1?) This person or group must be too young to have lived those days.

[@dalec4906]

More RATT albums needed clearly! Would've been nice to see Judas Priest on there!

[@Pendragon6six6]

So many good glam albums towards the end of that era.. Heavens Edge, Roxy Blue, Southgang, Tuff, Bangalore Chior plus many more....

[@jeremymiller3800]

I was there and Stryper and Europe were two of the biggest bands in 1986 and 1987.

[@Apitome1]

What???? No Damn Yankees, Scorpions, Trixter, You mentioned Firehouse, Mr.Big, Instead of doubling up . There were more bands that couldve been on this list. But, WASP no way. I agree . Metal but not a hair band. Heck even Blue Murder , Siagon Kick, Tora Tora, or Bullet Boys could've made this list. Living through this era there was more that should've been mentioned. And Guitar to the Max. Be cheerful dude

[@kirkplissken8454]

I was 17 back in the summer of 1988 when I attended the Monsters of Rock concert in Pittsburgh. Back then we called it either hard rock or heavy metal and bands like Poison were considered glam rock. The Loudwire list has some decent choices, but I think there should be at least 2 Ratt (Out of the Celler and Invasion Of Your Privacy) and 2 Dokken (Back for the Attack and Under Lock and Key, over Tooth and Nail) albums in there. I also think that Yngwie Malmsteens 1988 Odyssey album with Joe Lynn Turner qualifies…it's a guitar tour de force and Malmsteen's most 'hair metally' album. And I 100% agree with one of the comments that TNT's Tell No Tales album from 1987 should be in that top 30 somewhere as well.

[@Greg-kj5rr]

Hey Maxx ... Thanks for reminding me ... I heard your 'tip of the hat' to Poison for Open Up And Say Ahhhh ... I'm the original creator/composer/writer of the music for 'My' song I wrote in 1986, that C.C. DeVille heard me play from across the street where I used to live here in Minnesota. I saw him acknowledge hearing/listening/liking my song as he was walking to put his black leather jacket into his red convertable Porsche with 'California' license plates across the street, as he was still dressed in his black leather pants and grey and black snake skin cowboy boots. That's just so you'll know my memory is 'accurate' in remembering the day it happened. C.C. used my guitar parts, without my permission, for the song, but they used their lyrics. (Yeh he ripped me off). So the music is mine, but I didn't get a dime even for it, but at least I know I got what it takes to write a hit song!!! Not much compensation for it though!!! Just thought I'd 'set the record straight' (No 'pun' intended seriously). Love your youtube channel Maxx!! Keep up the GREAT job you're doing ... and I think it's sooo cool you're a 'pilot' too brother. Something I always wanted to do with helicopters & Fixed Wing aviation, but never happened for me. So cool you're living the dream man!! Keep on keepin' on!! - Guitar brothers always - Greg Leonard

[@hakankillberg6043]

I would pick Def Leppard “Hysteria”as number 1. What a great album. 2 GnR Apetite for destruction where are they on the list? And where are Europe?

[@thoughtsbeforesleep]

- There needs to be more Ratt representation - I'd put the Whitesnake album at #1 (it was huge, packed with amazing songs, and it doesn't get much better or more iconic than the combination of Coverdale and Sykes)

[@sangdrax5352]

and Adrian and Steve guitar duels live......

[@benburnett8109]

Except that Sykes got screwed.

[@Horrorfreak106]

Sykes guitar playing was fucking amazing definitely deserved to be higher

[@motoguzzigriso]

I’ve got both Badlands albums, and they are absolutely great.

[@jeremymiller3800]

There is a third album as well.

[@deangawley1913]

Try to find Dusk. It's basically demo's, but really well produced with some good stiff on it.

[@motoguzzigriso]

@@deangawley1913 Thanks!

[@JonnyDank888]

You’re assessment seems generously spot on

[@bmdshred77]

Whitesnake , Van Halen 5150, Cinderella nightsongs, white Lion, Europe , Bon Jovi slippery was my go to albums. Oh yea and every Iron Maiden album

[@dolphinzrwj1]

Hair Metal had the best guitarist of all time. Vai, Lynch,Bratta, Beach,Malmsteen,Marrs and the list goes on and on.

[@guitartim2128]

Badlands should have ranked higher-- Jake E Lee playing guitar,the awesome vocals. Twisted Sister rated too high_ as did Def Leperd-- Def was somewhat pop oriented. Skid Row-- rated correctly . Excellent video🎸👍🎸

[@halohat2286]

Hola Max, any idea if and when your sig guitar will be available again? Any chance of a color that would go with any color clothing, i.e. Transparent Flame White or Black?

[@chrisa1125]

The best hair metal album of all time is Van Halen I.... and they did it in 1978... 5 years before the genre was even invented. So far ahead of it's time that it's mind blowing.

[@strangeuniverse1199]

That first Hendrix album in 1967 and Van Halen 1 were equally impressive and had the same impact in the music world. Everybody wanted to be like Eddie, the finger tappin' and that big toothy grin.

[@chrisa1125]

@@strangeuniverse1199 I agree and have always said those 2 albums were far ahead of their time. You could even go so far as to say JHE was the first metal band or at least had the first metal songs. Many consider Iron Butterfly In a Gadda... or Blue Cheer Summertime blues as the first metal songs but Jimi put out 2 albums before either of those bands and the first album released in May of 1967 (and recording started in 1966) had songs like Foxy Lady and Purple Haze that I would say were metal songs... at the very least some of the heaviest music ever recorded at that time. People who consider Led Zeppelin the first metal band released their first in 1969, Jimi had released 3 albums before they released their first, lol. And Black Sabbath's first album came out in 1970 (I would actually consider Sabbath as the first true metal band, considering everything)... but imo Jimi had the first metal songs.

[@larryfleming7295]

Yeah Van Halen 1984 sayyyyy what??? Yeah it wasn’t Glam Rock but DAYUM!!!

[@larryfleming7295]

RATT INVASION OF YOUR PRIVACY should be #1 … From START to END it kicks ASS ….EVERY DAMN SONG IS ROCKING HARD !! Loved it !!!

[@wasteddude9387]

Hey, Max. Loved that playing at the begining of the video. You are definitely one of the Lords of the Boards. You make it look so easy, other people have to try to do it too. I guess we know how that turns out. But the effort you put into dragging potential players into the light is admirable. Thanks for that. BTW, it takes some hard bark to stand up and put your opinions at the mercy of peer review. But despite a couple of nattering naybobs of negativity, you were endorsed by the general consensus and that's no easy target. At the very least you confirmed yourself to be in tune with the prevailing winds. And dude, that's game ball. In any case, thanks for ankther great video. And until your next video, adios muchacho!

[@bmdshred77]

By the way I would love another video of your signature guitar. Really considering it if it ever comes to reverb for free shipping. I see all kinds of fusion 3 but not the max fusion on reverb

[@JamieLynnMorris]

YES!!! ❤ Max's Signature Guitar is BEAUTIFUL. ❤

[@LocrianDorian]

Loved this video, I would really enjoy it if you did another one like this for another list, maybe the Rolling Stone one? Also, I would put Slippery When Wet as #1 personally, that album is absolutely impeccable, every single track is a banger. Winger and Dave Lee Roth could definitely be in the top 5 for me.

[@kevinbillingsley8256]

Anyone who likes Bon Jovi and Winger more than Twisted Sister needs to be choked out with a guitar string. Burn in Hell vs Livin' On a Prayer, You Can't Stop Rock and Roll vs Bad Medicine: it's bonafide heavy metal vs top 40s crap, written by Desmond Childs and played by a band whose guitarist just discovered a distortion pedal.

[@ajjacobs1338]

Lay it down by Ratt one of the best songs from them

[@mallardtheduck406]

Best Opening Riff ever on a guitar, drop D tuning.

[@ajjacobs1338]

@@mallardtheduck406 absolutely

[@markhaller1985]

I agree with you on the great white album , but one of the best songs you didn't mention which was a hit song was house of broken love. Surprised that you didn't mention it..

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

I endure your opening shedding just to finally watch your informative video. Usually, it is worth it. 👍. This time, not so much.

[@s.corner8138]

How old are you Max? Were you even around for some of this music when it came out?

[@HorsefeatherCreations]

What is the white V with the primary coloed stripes!? Is there a video on that one?

[@MetalProfessor65]

Great analysis, Max! I don't agree with loud wire on several counts, and you and I have some slightly differing views, but by and large I would say you're on track here. Maybe I'll make my own list of not the best, but my favorite albums from the '80s! Hair metal or other metal.

[@jeffreyrachubinski4716]

A lot of great albums for sure but yeah, also a lot that definitely don't belong. Needed another Ratt, Dokken, Kiss' Crazy Nights, Firehouse debut and more.

[@jasonbates2687]

Eat 'em and Smile should have been much higher, I saw them on that tour and it was in the top 3 of the best live shows I have ever seen. Motley Crue was huge back then because of promotion and production, mediocre band but that said iwas obsessed with SATD. Slippery when Wet was MEGA in '86, I saw that tour too, great show. I was in my teens in the mid to late 80s and I saw many of these bands in concert, what a great time.

[@Chympington]

You should do a follow up video, with your personal top 30

[@mallardtheduck406]

Are you interested in a possible trade for that yellow superstrat guitar? I have a nice one with 24 frets wizard neck, it is a MIJ 1993 Emerald Green Ibanez RG470, Scratches so fine on the back youcan barely see them, Ibanez Edge Trem. It plays very nicely, I just need a change. It is a gorgeous relic guitar.

[@HeavyMetalCamaro]

That’s a sick Edguy shirt!! 🤘🏼

[@gstmusic69]

"....Lost a few too many tiles on re-entry" LOL..fantastic!

[@kevinkinnu341]

Exactly! I think that got past some people

[@wasteddude9387]

​@kevinkinnu341 No, I got it and my brain cells are little more than couch change.

[@captcraig777]

Wow. I have a lot of questions here as well...lol. Where is RATT - Invasion of Your Privacy? I feel like this should be in the top 3. WASP does not belong on this list at all. They are more in line with Ozzy, Megadeth, or Metallica. I do think they chose the wrong Twisted Sister albums and order. It should have only been Stay Hungry, but not at number 5, but maybe somewhere between 10-15. I find it funny that they have David Lee Roth's solo album in the list, but not Van Halen 1984. I would have put that where Motley Crue Shout at the Devil is.

[@fuzzcous]

Here's my top 5 1 Motley Crue Shout at the Devil 2 Ratt Out of the Cellar 3 Kiss Lick it Up 4 Def Leppard Pyromania 5 Twisted Sister Stay Hungry I wasn't super into glam but Loudwire did a good job.

[@klauswigsmith]

Your #1 & 2 picks are EXACTLY what mine are. You have good taste.

[@benburnett8109]

The idea that Kiss would even be on this list eliminates you from any intelligent conversation. They wrote none of the songs on the 80s albums and were a charicature of themselves. Kiss was not relevant until they had a cameo on "That 70s show."

[@klauswigsmith]

@@benburnett8109 Are you trying to be a jerk?

[@klauswigsmith]

@@benburnett8109 For the record, I am not a Kiss fan, but I was a teenager in the 80's and Lick it Up was HUGE. Where were you?

[@benburnett8109]

@@klauswigsmith In Ava Mo. Guns, Skid, Whitesnake, Poison, Wintger, Motley were all huge. Kiss was miming during tours and getting divorced while blowing crack cocaine out their butts. Heaven's On FIre was mediocre, the rest was garbage. You lived your 80s I lived mine. Neither is right or wrong, Except for your version........LOL And in 2023 NOBODY would admit to being a Kiss fan. I'm with you there. Winger was 200,000 times better than Kiss. Little Giants were 134,000 times better than Kiss. And Autograph with "turn up the radio" were 467,000 times better than Kiss.

[@ClintsGuitarsNGear]

Yeah I find it extremely difficult to agree with that loudwire list as well. I understand you feel they got Poison about right and I completely agree with you on most others. I mean 'Poison' "Open up and say ahh!" is easily a top ten one. That was like when hair metal hit peak I reckon. That album alone was phenomenal. Start to finish. CC's Balls to the wall Soldano stack guitar tone was killer on that album. So much so that you could easily ignore the lack of bass. I was 11 years old when that album came out and for me it was played over and over on my Sony Walkman and I was still into it when grunge hit in the 90s. Now my kids love and listen to Poison as well the other greats such as RATT.

[@bobslydell806]

What? Another slight to one of the greats, Mr. Takasaki, Akira! I still watch their live performances on KZbin today! My tone was pretty much lifted from any guitarists top 10 inspirational players, Akira Takasaki. I can hear his influence in my grandsons piano playing. LOUDNESS THUNDER IN THE EAST. Get it, know it, live it…….you’ll be happier.😎🤘🏽😎

[@peterdanielsnilsson9899]

Talking about "covers".. you mentioned "Shy boy" on David Lee Roth.. that's on old song by the band Talas.. featuring Billy Sheehan..

[@ponzo1967]

White Lion might have chisen a bad name..they were an excellent group and probably would have made it with just about any singer. Vito.produced some.of.the best guitar solos of the decade.

[@boxboxbox624]

Where's Autograph's Sign In Please album?

[@Miami_1984]

Finally some love to cinderella, they're my favourite band after van halen and no van halen is not hair metal

[@IDGAF_PLUS]

I'd probably put the Whitesnake at #1. Crue maybe top 10. Maybe.

[@Daniel_1978]

They forget about Kingdom Come - one of the very very good bands! I would propose them for Nr.1 with their self titled album from 1988. Everyone remembers the greatest ballad of all times: "What love can be". They also missed out Tyketto which deserved a place somewhere, and not forget about Shotgun Messiah!!!

[@Giambijuice]

I liked Kingdom Come, but their first album was criticized hard for sounding a whole lot like Led Zepplin

[@Daniel_1978]

@@Giambijuice it's not quite so, in my opinion. There are some simmilarities, but they are something different. But, it was or still is, a romanian band called Survolaj that sounded more like Led Zep. No one has nothing to say to them. 😁 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4fZqn2XmaplntUsi=8kmAPHs-8jpg-rO6

[@K.V.H.]

What I would give to have a time machine and live through the 80's.... 😢

[@rhoadnaroahs]

Only Here I Go Again was a remade song on Whitesnake '87. The rest were new.

[@keithsmith9889]

Was all of every rose just two cords and a solo?

[@TheWinterwraith]

Totally agree that W.A.S.P. and Twisted Sister were never. Glam metal bands (I refuse to called it H**r Metal). I would have picked Girls Girls Girls as the only Crue album on the list. Probably the first Poison album because it embodied the scene at that time. But there are so many bands that could have been on the list: L.A. Guns, Britny Fox, Tyketto, Danger Danger, Extreme, Pretty Boy Floyd, G ‘n’ R, even 80s Kiss. Whoever made the Livewire list wasn’t around at the time for sure. But great to hear you go through the list Max! 😎🤘

[@josephhughes9490]

Would Scorpions not make the list? Not enough hair? 😅

[@jonnykingv9262]

love the singing. don't stop!!! lol

[@tannerbronzingwell7223]

#1 is absolutely correct. You're WRONG Max! WRONG!!!!! I'm surprised Def Leppard "High-N-Dry" isn't listed at all, as IMO it's their best record. I don't get the Twisted Sister inclusion, except that they have big hair. TS makes me think of bands you see in a dive off the highway in NJ or PA somewhere.

[@ardvarkboy]

I agree with you pretty much. I think Hysteria should be number 1 probably followed by Whitesnake if you want to go with top quality, I think they considered historical impact more than qualaity of the actual music.

[@kryptych]

There is a bit of a disparity going on between someone like Max, who is clearly a connoisseur of the genre, and the average person who may have only a passing appreciation for it and not all the deep knowledge. Personally, I am somewhat in the middle - I was a child in the '80s, but my sister was a teen, so I was exposed to all of this before the age of 10, and so much of it has stuck with me... and so much hasn't. The fact that Max is addressing production and actual musicianship and songwriting is a testament to how seriously he takes it, which is part of why this channel rocks so much. "The first iteration is not always the best." Absolutely true, and I applaud him for being able to properly articulate the strengths and weaknesses of these albums in a way that Loudwire never seems to. It's refreshing to hear him place one album by a band over another, challenging what could be called the common perception... for instance, Stay Hungry - the album that gave us the "hits" like "We're Not Gonna Take It," "Burn in Hell," and "I Wanna Rock" - being not as good as Under the Blade... that's a pretty bold (and not inaccurate) statement that not many would make simply because Stay Hungry had the hits. Twisted Sister or hair/glam metal bands might know the songs off Under the Blade, but on the wider spectrum, most probably know Stay Hungry more. So, kudos to Max for actually being true to his love of the genre and not making it about the popularity, but actually talking about the album's/band's quality. He's thinking about the list of hair metal FOR hair metallers, as opposed to Loudwire, who were probably looking at it as "hair metal for the masses." Yeah, Nevermind isn't the greatest grunge record ever... but it's the one EVERYBODY knows, and one that arguably made grunge "known" to the masses. Same with a Stay Hungry or a Shout at the Devil... they're not the "best" by any means, but you ask a passerby who at worst has only a peripheral knowledge and at best is pretty well familiar... they'll probably not disagree with those choices. Again, testament to Max taking it seriously from the standpoint of a hair metal fan. Plus, how many publications do lists like these across the board for every genre, and they're all usually... like halfway or two-thirds okay, while the rest is somewhere between, "Let's just put in the popular choices" and "Let's put in some esoteric deep cut to seem like we know what we're actually talking about"... and almost all of them change every 1-5-10 years anyway. -Shrug- Max... you should do YOUR Top 30 Hair Metal albums. I would LOVE to see that list!!!

[@jessemendez7715]

The term hair metal was never used in the 80’s. Was concocted in the 90’s to mock the Glam Metal genre.

[@martinkasper197]

Tawny Kitaen R.I.P. was on the cover of the Ratt Album and in the Whitesnake Videos from 1987 album...🤓

[@cruzedude1]

the first europ album could have been somewhere on this list,it was huge

[@bobowrathsovine.]

Wow I forgot that one it needs to be in the top 10

[@bmdshred77]

Cinderella better be on list

[@Rikamortis6stringer]

Yeah they got about a 1/3 of them right. They're #1 was way off I totally agree with you 👍. They forgot Night Ranger. What about the Scorpions!!!!!! That was a big miss in my mind and they didn't have great hair but they were a hair metal band. Cinderella and whitesnake and winger should have been higher as well as white lion. Those should have all been at least close to the top 10! Great video Max. Thanks again 🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@Scottiej41]

This WAS my era. It made me want to play guitar, chase women, and party like a rock star. WHICH I did. It just really feels like some millenial googled hair metal and should have really asked their parents how to rank them. But mostly good calls Max. You get it.

[@hmoen]

I agree 100% with you about Tesla.

[@bigsauce1116]

Detonator is the best ratt album imo

[@Mandrahale]

Dokken Back for the Attack is number one. If not Dokken, Whitesnake’s 1987 release. Motley Crue? Not so much

[@TheDoug625]

I agree with most of what you said( except I really like Tesla) and I would argue that Long Cold Winter is a better album than Night Songs for Cinderella

[@chico280]

"Modern day cowboy" .. Come on man! Tesla rocked and this was a good spot for them if not higher. "Love song" and the entire 5 man acoustical jam album pretty much launched MTV unplugged IMO..

[@aceforyoutoo]

There is no vinnie vincent , no kiss revenge or carnival of souls (bruce kulick) or Frehleys comet , I have worked on the Vinnie Vincent albums and played together on the second album All systems go ,this loudwire is missing out on a lot , also the band Vandenberg (Adrian Vandenberg) or Bodine ,or Heloise , and Sleeze Beez and much more

[@tonyeckman4822]

This list is missing- Odin, Seduce, Roxx Gang, Halloween, Diamond Rexx, Geisha, Lust, Lizzy Borden, Tuff Luck, Tigertailz, Wrathchild (UK), Krank, Madam X, X Japan, EZO, Pretty Boy Floyd, Vain, London.

[@BMooreMusic]

Didn't agree with some of the Loudwire picks but being a teenage guitar player right when all this was coming out, I don't really agree with some of your opinions either. Tesla was HUGE to most of the people I knew both musicians and just fans. I hate that Stryper is never on these lists. Soldiers Under Command is great! Maybe because I'm older I see it different than you but I appreciate you covering it!

[@jimliedeka3978]

As an old dude who lived through it, I have a lot of thoughts but I'll spare you most of them. I wholeheartedly agree that Invasion of Your Privacy is a better album but I did love Out of the Cellar. I think the category of hair metal didn't exist before Poison so a lot of bands got lumped in retroactively. I have a hard time thinking about Def Leppard as a hair metal band. In those days, metal was more of a marketing category than a genre. You would see Van Halen on Headbanger's Ball and Van Halen was never a metal band. Same with AC/DC.

[@knowyourenemy66]

I'm 58 and I agree with you.🤘

[@yman74]

How is GNR not on this list?

[@klauswigsmith]

#1 Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil #2 Ratt - Out of the Cellar Those rankings aren't even up for discussion.

[@slaytanic777]

Badlands should definitely be higher

[@denisden934]

I'm surprised they didn't include Appetite for destruction in the list...

[@jorgeb9715]

No Trouble,,WASP or Savatage? ,,Def Leppard Pyromania,,Autograph,,Overkill,, Nuclear Assault and Flotsam and Jetsam

[@MrWill9894]

No XYZ, Icon, Tora Tora? Bummer. Okay, here’s on you should check out: Now or Never by Niagara. Spanish hair band from the 80s, super under the radar but some great songs

[@MrEric622]

Kinda surprised we didn't se KISS' Animalize on the list.

[@willybilly528]

I would put Tesla way up at the top 5 easy, along with Slaughter and Warrant up in the top 10. All Ratt albums were way up there as well IMO.

[@vromanspianovault6684]

Man I really wish Edguy would do another studio album.

[@jeremysmetana8583]

I was almost impressed that they included Y&T, which, was a band that, at the time of Mean Streak's release, we just thought of as Metal, since they weren't yet in their true "glam" phase. I love Y&T, as most Bay Area kids did, but I recognize they have largely been forgotten by the people who track these things. So I was ALMOST impressed. But to include Razormaid (who?), who I don't think I even remember (who?!), despite being the target audience and a full-time concertgoer in those days, and to leave off Night Of The Crime by ICON, which is routinely considered one of the greatest Hair Metal/Glam/AOR masterpieces of the time...? That just tells me they don't really remember or understand the era. And if any band deserved two entries on here, it would be Ratt: Out of the Cellar and Invasion of your Privacy. Also, I hate to say it, but no Stryper? I was never really into them, but they were HUGE media darlings, they were DEFINITELY Hair Metal, and they sparked an entire subgenre of it. To Hell With The Devil was a GIGANTIC seller. Lame.

[@MetalAsylumNJ]

Love that W.A.S.P debut but maybe The Last Command more of a better choice given the topic.

[@JamieLynnMorris]

Hysteria @ Numero Uno ❤

[@johnmarden5935]

I don't think they put a hole lot. Of thought in this list, but evebody has an opinion on what is best and what is an infuence

[@justbob9006]

Wow! Tesla Michanical Resonance is EPIC!! Should be top 5 and Winger??? Your take on Tesla should have been Winger. Wings should have been clipped along time ago. Outside of 17 the album is vannilla, recylcled , cliche hair trope. Usually agree with you @Max but not on these 2 albums. Loudness: Thunder From The East should have veen in the top 5 as well.

[@TheDoug625]

Tesla's Mechanical Resonance was huge, lots of songs had tons of airplay.

[@chairmankaga101]

Skid Row was the apex predator of hair metal. Riffs, solos, vocals, swing. You could say GnR was more raw, which is NOT what hair metal was about. It was Skid Row. That should be #1.