SpiderWars
Well-known member
Oh, and my pick for the best Hair Metal band is the Black Sabbath of Hair Metal...KISS.
C
cragginshred
Well-known member
At the time it absolutely was metal. Who did they tour with? Sabbath!! Did not get more metal than them in 1978. My mom would call it 'Acid rock' Ha! A term that did not endure with time. The radio played Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and for a heavy selection it would be Journey. It was not until mid 80's that we got the local channel KKDJ in Fresno Ca to play Maiden and Metallica and that was only after 11pm
.gif "guitar :m17:")
311splawndude
Well-known member
The closest thing I can think of that 'might' fit Hair Metal is Motley Crue.
Although the term itself was not coined until the 1990s (see below).
The term Hair Metal and Hair Band is a negative term to descibe an era. I don't consider Van Halen or KISS to be a Hair Band, although they certainly contributed a lot to the 'genre'.
Wiki-
Sociologist Deena Weinstein points to the large number of terms used to describe more commercial forms of heavy metal, which she groups together as lite metal. These include, beside glam metal: melodic metal, false metal, poodle bands, nerf metal, pop metal or metal pop, the last of which was coined by critic Philip Bashe in 1983 to describe bands such as Van Halen and Def Leppard.[9] AllMusic employs the umbrella term "pop metal", which refers a late-1980s variation of pop metal characterized by flashy clothing and heavy makeup influenced by glam rock (as embodied by Poison and Mötley Crüe).[14] Use of the derogatory term "hair metal" started in the early 1990s, as grunge gained popularity at the expense of 1980s metal.[14] In the "definitive metal family tree" of his documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, anthropologist Sam Dunn differentiates pop metal, which includes bands like Def Leppard, Europe, and Whitesnake, from glam metal bands such as Mötley Crüe and Poison.[15]
History
Predecessors
The New York Dolls in 1973. Their visual style influenced the look of many 1980s-era glam metal groups.
Music journalist Stephen Davis claims the influences of the style can be traced back to acts like Kiss, Boston, Cheap Trick, and the New York Dolls.[3] Kiss, and to a lesser extent Alice Cooper, were major influences on the genre.[16] Finnish band Hanoi Rocks, heavily influenced themselves by the New York Dolls, have been credited with setting a blueprint for the look of hair metal.[17]
Van Halen has been seen as highly influential on the movement, emerging in 1978 from the Los Angeles music scene on Sunset Strip, with a sound based around the lead guitar skills of Eddie Van Halen. He popularized a playing technique of two-handed hammer-ons and pull-offs called tapping, showcased on the song "Eruption" from the album Van Halen.[4] This sound, and lead singer David Lee Roth's stage antics, would be highly influential on glam metal.[18]
Although the term itself was not coined until the 1990s (see below).
The term Hair Metal and Hair Band is a negative term to descibe an era. I don't consider Van Halen or KISS to be a Hair Band, although they certainly contributed a lot to the 'genre'.
Wiki-
Sociologist Deena Weinstein points to the large number of terms used to describe more commercial forms of heavy metal, which she groups together as lite metal. These include, beside glam metal: melodic metal, false metal, poodle bands, nerf metal, pop metal or metal pop, the last of which was coined by critic Philip Bashe in 1983 to describe bands such as Van Halen and Def Leppard.[9] AllMusic employs the umbrella term "pop metal", which refers a late-1980s variation of pop metal characterized by flashy clothing and heavy makeup influenced by glam rock (as embodied by Poison and Mötley Crüe).[14] Use of the derogatory term "hair metal" started in the early 1990s, as grunge gained popularity at the expense of 1980s metal.[14] In the "definitive metal family tree" of his documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, anthropologist Sam Dunn differentiates pop metal, which includes bands like Def Leppard, Europe, and Whitesnake, from glam metal bands such as Mötley Crüe and Poison.[15]
History
Predecessors
The New York Dolls in 1973. Their visual style influenced the look of many 1980s-era glam metal groups.
Music journalist Stephen Davis claims the influences of the style can be traced back to acts like Kiss, Boston, Cheap Trick, and the New York Dolls.[3] Kiss, and to a lesser extent Alice Cooper, were major influences on the genre.[16] Finnish band Hanoi Rocks, heavily influenced themselves by the New York Dolls, have been credited with setting a blueprint for the look of hair metal.[17]
Van Halen has been seen as highly influential on the movement, emerging in 1978 from the Los Angeles music scene on Sunset Strip, with a sound based around the lead guitar skills of Eddie Van Halen. He popularized a playing technique of two-handed hammer-ons and pull-offs called tapping, showcased on the song "Eruption" from the album Van Halen.[4] This sound, and lead singer David Lee Roth's stage antics, would be highly influential on glam metal.[18]
Les Zombie
Well-known member
Cheese Metal, i used to hear that term for hair bands when i was in school in florida. Dudes that liked thrash didnt consider the motley, jovi, poisons of the world as metal, so they would sarcasticly say Cheese Metal.For sure!
Skid Row is right up there too
I hate the term Hair Metal as most of it is not metal at all. Hair Bands is a better term IMO.
Greazygeo
Well-known member
VH was never metal. Hard rock is more like it. Metal is Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Ozzy, Dio etc.At the time it absolutely was metal. Who did they tour with? Sabbath!! Did not get more metal than them in 1978. My mom would call it 'Acid rock' Ha! A term that did not endure with time. The radio played Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and for a heavy selection it would be Journey. It was not until mid 80's that we got the local channel KKDJ in Fresno Ca to play Maiden and Metallica and that was only after 11pm
Hair Bands were all the late 80’s shit like Poison.
Hair metal…no clue what that would be.
tallcoolone
Well-known member
They sure look the part. I’ve seen Schenker several times in the past 20yrs but growing up in the 80s and 90s I never heard of UFO the band.Using that logic UFO would also be hair metal. No?
SpiderWars
Well-known member
Yep it was 1978. Its hard to put it into perspective today because it came just before some other music...that came along AFTER it had heard VH. Now it all blends together as same era music but the chronology of it all mattered at the time.At the time it absolutely was metal. Who did they tour with? Sabbath!! Did not get more metal than them in 1978. My mom would call it 'Acid rock' Ha! A term that did not endure with time. The radio played Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and for a heavy selection it would be Journey. It was not until mid 80's that we got the local channel KKDJ in Fresno Ca to play Maiden and Metallica and that was only after 11pm
tallcoolone
Well-known member
Agree 100%. “Hair bands” def at least started as a derogatory term mocking the over the top “fashion” of the time. And yup after the mid 80s it got even more ridiculous. But there was a lot of cool music that came out of it—esp at the beginning. Even the late 80s stuff had great guitar players, and the mocking is pretty lighthearted—no different than goofing on old yearbook pictures. Even the cool rock bands like VH and Aerosmith started teasing their hair and wearing stupid shit—it’s just what you did then.Your on the right track!!
Holy diver as an album was much better. Last in line was kind of like Mob rules as a follow up to HnH -good but not as good.
So here's the deal 'Hair metal??? Really? I know it's a term used but typically to make fun of the posers whop emerged at the end of the 80's
Let's review: the 80's began in 1978 when VH I came out. Then there was randy Ratt and so many others who followed suit. By 1985 all the best stuff had come out then you had clones ad nauseum.
As a result the self respecting dudes moved on the thrash. By the end of the 80's When Lynch mob dropped wicked sensation it sanpped me out of the thrash thing but make no mistake it had nothing to do with George's use of aqua net LoL
311splawndude
Well-known member
Yep
But VH was already doing that back in the 70s just not as crazy. And I don't consider Van Halen a metal band but in 1978, Atomic Punk was definitely metal.
tallcoolone
Well-known member
I don’t know the right word to describe it other than ‘badass’I don't consider Van Halen a metal band but in 1978, Atomic Punk was definitely metal.
dooredge
Well-known member
I was a pretty shelterd kid growing up and really didn't discover hard rock, hair metal, whatever you choose to call it, until 1984.
I burned all these albums up repeatedly. All of them had a profound effect on me, especially the 1st & last albums listed below.
Van Halen - 1984
Cinderella - Night Songs
Tesla - Mechanical Resonance
Whitesnake - Self-Titled
Dokken - Under Lock & Key
Badlands - Self-Titled
DLR - Eat'em & Smile
I burned all these albums up repeatedly. All of them had a profound effect on me, especially the 1st & last albums listed below.
Van Halen - 1984
Cinderella - Night Songs
Tesla - Mechanical Resonance
Whitesnake - Self-Titled
Dokken - Under Lock & Key
Badlands - Self-Titled
DLR - Eat'em & Smile
mentoneman
Well-known member
fek
Well-known member
Can't argue with that. Agreed.
B
blackie13
Well-known member
Noone remebers these guys??
mentoneman
Well-known member
i ran sound for poison at my college before they hit the big time. that lip gloss and leg warmers crap was gayer than liberace and p. diddy having sex at baskin robbins and the beginning of the death of 80s metal. that and way too much cocaine.
rsm
Well-known member
when VH hit around '78, we had the older metal bands like Sabbath, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, UFO, etc:
I saw VH open for Sabbath on the never say die tour in '78; and saw solo Ozzy with Rhoads on both tours, Blizzard and Diary. Diary had Joe Perry Project and Motorhead opening for Ozzy.
In '78 I remember being in a car with friends when the driver put in a cassette tape that really sounded great, it was the new Judas Priest album Stained Class which I bought shortly after.
In the late 70s (I was there living it) hard rock and metal bands were often grouped together with some considered lighter (Aerosmith) some heavier (Sabbath). Newer hard rock / metal bands were bands like Kiss, Scorpions, Priest, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Motorhead, Boston, Rush, and eventually Venom, Slayer, Crue, Megadeth, Metallica, Testament, Overkill, Dokken etc.
As for best hair metal, while Stryper, White Lion, were some of my favorites.
However Kiss was killing it in the '80s - every one of their 80s albums had hits, and many of the other hair metal bands of the decade got their exposure opening for Kiss.
I saw VH open for Sabbath on the never say die tour in '78; and saw solo Ozzy with Rhoads on both tours, Blizzard and Diary. Diary had Joe Perry Project and Motorhead opening for Ozzy.
In '78 I remember being in a car with friends when the driver put in a cassette tape that really sounded great, it was the new Judas Priest album Stained Class which I bought shortly after.
In the late 70s (I was there living it) hard rock and metal bands were often grouped together with some considered lighter (Aerosmith) some heavier (Sabbath). Newer hard rock / metal bands were bands like Kiss, Scorpions, Priest, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Motorhead, Boston, Rush, and eventually Venom, Slayer, Crue, Megadeth, Metallica, Testament, Overkill, Dokken etc.
As for best hair metal, while Stryper, White Lion, were some of my favorites.
However Kiss was killing it in the '80s - every one of their 80s albums had hits, and many of the other hair metal bands of the decade got their exposure opening for Kiss.
rsm
Well-known member
Late '70s punk was also big; living in CT, we would often go to NYC on the weekend and sneak into CBGB (get there early, hide in the back, or ask bands if they needed help with moving gear, etc.) Bridgeport CT, New Haven CT also had small punk scenes and even easier to get into the clubs since the drinking age was 18, we didn't look too young to be in the clubs at 13-14.
Then, 80s new wave / MTV started...until MTV music was regional, what was happening in NYC was different from the midwest or SoCal, etc. I'd hear about bands from friends, college radio, or in magazines then we'd have to find someone to buy the record or go to the independent record store and see if they'd play it for us before we bought it.
Then, 80s new wave / MTV started...until MTV music was regional, what was happening in NYC was different from the midwest or SoCal, etc. I'd hear about bands from friends, college radio, or in magazines then we'd have to find someone to buy the record or go to the independent record store and see if they'd play it for us before we bought it.
jabps
Well-known member
Honestly it was great growing up in that era because frankly, no one gave a shit about labels.when VH hit around '78, we had the older metal bands like Sabbath, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, UFO, etc:
I saw VH open for Sabbath on the never say die tour in '78; and saw solo Ozzy with Rhoads on both tours, Blizzard and Diary. Diary had Joe Perry Project and Motorhead opening for Ozzy.
In '78 I remember being in a car with friends when the driver put in a cassette tape that really sounded great, it was the new Judas Priest album Stained Class which I bought shortly after.
In the late 70s (I was there living it) hard rock and metal bands were often grouped together with some considered lighter (Aerosmith) some heavier (Sabbath). Newer hard rock / metal bands were bands like Kiss, Scorpions, Priest, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Motorhead, Boston, Rush, and eventually Venom, Slayer, Crue, Megadeth, Metallica, Testament, Overkill, Dokken etc.
As for best hair metal, while Stryper, White Lion, were some of my favorites.
However Kiss was killing it in the '80s - every one of their 80s albums had hits, and many of the other hair metal bands of the decade got their exposure opening for Kiss.
One day your jamming Sabbath, the next you'd be listening to Kiss, Queen, Cheap Trick, Lizzy, Journey. Van Halen comes out, blows the roof off, and no labels, just another great rock band. Basically things were rock or heavy rock. Sure the metal term or glam was out there but from my memory nobody cared
I think the first big distinction or label was NWOBHM and all the bands that came out of that. Then you'd be listening to Maiden or Leppard thrown in with Ozzy.
Then the whole initial LA groups, again just another great time in music and for awhile it was all just an amalgam of bands and you either dug the band or you didn't. The label or categorization didn't matter. Again, Grunge really defined the difference and then the term Hair Metal term was coined to lump all those previous band in it. Funny enough the whole Grunge thing lasted an even shorter time than what it replaced.
At this point I could care less what labels people use, the only time it bothers me is when that term is used to demean that era because basically anyone that had long hair and played hard rock can be defined as Hair Metal. But I get it, today's society has to label everything so they'll feel safe.
angelspade
Well-known member
As was Pantera.Slayer and Venom were hair metal.