01/22/2007
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Pop metal reigned on both the album and singles charts back in the mid-to-late 1980s and that success is still reflected two decades later when today’s hard rock stations offer up tribute hours to the era. And while many of those bands have faded into obscurity and/or become nostalgia acts, there are still some classic tunes that stand the test of time. These songs are not necessarily the bands’ biggest hits, but rather album tracks that feature the kind of great riffs and strong songwriting that get the blood pumping every time and cause closet headbangers to reach for the volume dial. In chronological order:
“High and Dry,” Def Leppard (High and Dry) - 1981
It was 1983’s multi-platinum Pyromania album that made the
band international superstars, but some of their best and hardest hitting
music is on their preceding album. The title track features some of
late, great riffmaster Steve Clark’s best work and an urgency from
vocalist Joe Elliott that waned in later years.
“Knock ‘em Dead Kid,” Motley Crue (Shout at the Devil )
– 1983
Coming off the band’s classic second album that they never came close
to topping, “Knock ‘em Dead Kid” epitomized an edgy L.A. hard rock
sound that was widely imitated but rarely duplicated. This song is
one of the many in-your-face anthems that pack Shout, the
type of which the band could only come up with once or twice on each
subsequent album. “Knock ‘em Dead Kid” is like a musical street fight.
Even non-headbangers like Moby love this album.
“Lick it Up,” Kiss (Lick it Up) – 1983
Kiss lost the makeup and legendary guitarist Ace Frehley before this
album, but launched a semi-annual series of raunchy rock classics with
this ode to oral sex. Despite the lack of a notable guitar solo, the
song has a contagious high energy level that seemed to open the door
for a wide number of imitators throughout the rest of the decade.
“Wanted Man,” Ratt (Out of the Cellar) – 1984
The band’s breakthrough single “Round and Round” is the one that dominated
the airwaves, but it was songs like “Wanted Man” that established “Ratt
n’ Roll” as a true musical force. Lead guitarist Warren DeMartini’s
stinging riffs and scintillating solos put Ratt a cut above the pack,
and he remains one of the most underrated guitarists of the era.
“Living on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi (Slippery When Wet)
- 1986
The band’s 1985 album, 7800 Degrees Fahrenheit, actually
rocks harder and fans certainly took note when they opened for Ratt
throughout 1985. Bon Jovi softened their sound a bit on Slippery
When Wet, but “Living on a Prayer” is undoubtedly one of the most
identifiable and enduring songs of the decade. The song has it all
– a psychedelic keyboard line, bluesy guitar riffs, great harmonies
between Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora and in a rarity for
the era, lyrics which have a universal quality that transcend time.
“Look What the Cat Dragged In,” Poison (Look What the
Cat Dragged In) – 1986
Glam metal was all the rage by 1986 and Poison jumped on the bandwagon
with their multi-platinum debut. Their hit songs were definitely on
the poppier side, but tunes like the title track from Look What
the Cat Dragged In showed that Poison could be more than just
pretty boys. Guitarist C.C. DeVille became a caricature of himself
as the years went by, but this song features the type of rock solid
riffage that helped launch Poison to an arena rock level.
“Somebody Save Me,” Cinderella (Night Songs) - 1986
Philadelphia’s Cinderella joined the pop metal party when they were
discovered by Bon Jovi and used a slot opening for Bon Jovi in 1987
to launch their own briefly successful career. “Somebody Save Me” is
the hardest hitting song from their debut album, combining fist-pumping
riffs with a truly bluesy wail from vocalist Tom Keifer.
“5150,” Van Halen (5150) – 1986
Van Halen hit the big time way before the pop metal explosion of the
mid-‘80s, of course, but 1986’s 5150 album was the first of
the “Van Hagar” era. Fans were on the edge of their metaphorical seats
waiting for the release of this album, to see if the band could rock
as hard without David Lee Roth. Songs like the title track proved that
Eddie Van Halen not only hadn’t lost his edge, but was still at the
top of his game. Eddie’s riffs on the song are simultaneously melodic
and edgy, making this some of his best work. Sammy Hagar’s triumphant
vocals are icing on the cake.
“Wasted Years,” Iron Maiden (Somewhere in Time) –
1986
Iron Maiden aren’t a pop metal band, but the influence of pop metal’s
success was felt across the metal spectrum as even heavier bands like
Iron Maiden and Judas Priest found themselves experimenting with poppier
flavors. Maiden perfected the formula with “Wasted Years,” which utilized
melodic riffs and sing-along vocals yet still retained the band’s classic
British metal sound.
“Modern Day Cowboy,” Tesla (Mechanical Resonance)
– 1986
1986 was a banner year for pop metal – even as the year was winding
down, one more band managed to make a splash when Tesla released their
stunningly excellent debut album. MTV’s “Headbanger’s Ball” show was
THE place for breaking new hard rock acts. When the “Modern Day Cowboy”
video hit the airwaves with its electrifying twin guitar attack and
semi-political lyrics, fans rushed to record stores in droves. Tesla
became known as a band liable to blow the headliner off the stage,
as bands like Poison and Great White found out the hard way, and became
one of the best bands of the era.
“Still of the Night,” Whitesnake (Whitesnake) – 1987
David Coverdale, former singer of Deep Purple, had put out the strong
but little-noticed Slide It In album in 1984. He made sure
his next album would get noticed by crafting “Still of the Night,”
one of the most bombastic yet kickass songs of the decade. Coverdale
didn’t try to hide his obvious influences – the song is clearly derivative
of Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” and “Whole Lotta Love,” and even featured
a working title of “Up Yours Robert.” But it didn’t matter – Guitarist
John Sykes’ superb riffs and Coverdale’s over-the-top vocals launched
Whitesnake to American stardom.
“Nightrain,” Guns n’ Roses (Appetite for Destruction)
– 1987
Gn’R weren’t really a pop metal band, they were a straight up rock
and roll force. But they came out of the Hollywood pop metal scene
and influenced everything that came thereafter. “Welcome to the Jungle”
is of course the breakthrough song that catapulted Gn’R to the top
of the hard rock world, and “Sweet Child of Mine” is the #1 mega-hit
that enabled the band to cross over to pop radio as well in 1988. But
no song better embodies what Gn’R was all about than “Nightrain.” Always
a crowd favorite at their stupendous live shows (when Axl wasn’t in
a bad mood, that is), the incendiary riffs and lyrics that paid homage
to getting wasted on cheap wine epitomized Gn’R’s bad-ass West Coast
ethic.
“Kiss of Death,” Dokken (Back for the Attack) – 1988
Dokken never quite made it to the level of arena rock headliners,
but were on the verge with Back for the Attack, one of the
strongest guitar albums of the era. Dokken even headlined over Metallica
on the “Monsters of Rock” tour in the summer of ’88, something they
probably came to regret. But guitarist George Lynch’s skills were second
to none and this album features so many great cuts that it’s hard to
identify one as the best. But the album opener “Kiss of Death” has
got it all – the stinging pinch harmonics, the monster power chords
and a blazing solo that seems to defy gravity. Don Dokken’s lyrics
about a character who contracts AIDS from casual sex made this song
notable in an era of music devoted to debauchery.
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” Warrant (Cherry Pie) – 1990
Warrant made a vague attempt at shaking their pretty boy label by
trying to toughen up their sound a bit on their second album, and they
succeeded on this track. “Cherry Pie” got more airplay with its big
hooks and sexy video, but “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is a straight-up rocker
with a bluesy edge and some mean riffs. The lyrics about characters
who witness the disposal of dead bodies by a crooked sheriff definitely
stood out at the time.
“Monkey Business,” Skid Row (Slave to
the Grind) – 1991
Another band discovered by Bon Jovi, Skid Row hit the big time with
their debut album in 1989. But it was their second album that really
put the hammer down, packed full of edgy songs with killer riffs and
soaring vocals from Sebastian Bach. Songs like “Mudkicker,” “The Threat,”
and the title track were as heavy as anything in pop metal at the time,
but “Monkey Business” combined that heaviness with a catchy hook that
still resonates as one of the best of the era.
The Gn’R/Skid Row tour in the summer of ’91 is arguably the pinnacle of the pop metal era – two of the best bands of the genre, at the height of their powers, right before “grunge” broke. The last night of the American tour, at the L.A. Forum, saw Gn’R deliver a three hour and 36-minute performance that stands as one of the greatest rock shows of all time. But Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam all released hugely influential albums in the fall of ’91 that saw hard rock evolving away from the excesses of pop metal and into what became known as alternative, or grunge. It was truly the end of an era.