# Big hair bands



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Big hair bands!

Fess up, you probably listened to them as much as I did. The 80's and 90's Glam bands, Big hair bands whatever you want to call them had a huge impact on me. What kind of impact did they have on you? Did it help to shape the kind of musician you would become?

IMHO I think the 80's decade had some of the best bands ever.

Who was or still is one of your favourites and why?

Did you rock the big hair or at least try to? I certainly did. I had blonde spiked hair and loved it.

I had a great appreciation for Wasp. Some killer guitar licks and great vocals. One of many big hair bands that I loved and constantly listened to and still do.


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

I still listen to Maiden and Priest but stay well away from the newer bands of that era like the chicks in Poison...ect.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

What about Ratt? 

One of their more iconic songs.


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## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

Yeah I like that song.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Yeah, I bypassed that era with a few exceptions - Van Halen principally. Mostly I was still exploring 60's and 70's classic rock, right up until a year or 2 into the 'grunge' era.

I couldn't name you a single Ratt or WASP or Poison song, and I consider myself to have a really good music knowledge background. I might know it if I heard it, but then turning it around, I probably couldn't tell you who the artist is. It's a blind spot of mine, but I just never really got into it.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Here's me in like grade 10. I was into all those bands, Bon Jovi, Poison, etc but then grunge hit and it was game over. I think a lot of people were tired of how shallow and pointless the hair bands were. There was more to life than "Cruising down the road with my baby yeah!". lol

Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, etc. It was like a wave that just took over.

Not sure why this is posting the pic twice and i think I drew on the pic with highlighter at some point.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Guncho said:


> Here's me in like grade 10. I was into all those bands, Bon Jovi, Poison, etc but then grunge hit and it was game over. I think a lot of people were tired of how shallow and pointless the hair bands were. There was more to life than "Cruising down the road with my baby yeah!". lol
> 
> Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, etc. It was like a wave that just took over.
> 
> Not sure why this is posting the pic twice and i think I drew on the pic with highlighter at some point.


You remind me if the band "Flock of Seagulls".


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I tolerated the 80s. It was a good decade for the amount of live music that was out there, but the content left much to be desired, IMO. I had quite a few friends playing for a living at the time while I chose post secondary education and a real career. 

The only musical highlight I can think of were Saga. I'm glad Pantera slammed that whole big-hair era closed with a resounding thud.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Pantera? I would say more like Nirvana.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Guncho said:


> Here's me in like grade 10. I was into all those bands, Bon Jovi, Poison, etc but then grunge hit and it was game over. I think a lot of people were tired of how shallow and pointless the hair bands were. There was more to life than "Cruising down the road with my baby yeah!". lol


I keep waiting for the same thing to happen to rap. Yet it keeps going right along that same road. Even the stuff with a "message" is pretty tired and overdone.
I think the image and excess of 80's bands needed to be toned down to more realistic levels. But the music was great, and on the whole I think the talent has yet to be surpassed by any particular genre /era. funnily enough, the excess I referred to still pretty much continued on into grunge... they just weren't as proud of it. substance abuse wasn't just "having fun". they recognized it as pitiful....but did it anyway.
the other funny thing I remember about the '80s was, everyone was so homophobic....yet looking back, we all looked pretty gay lol. and it wasn't just the hair bands...pop, alternative, r&b....all very effeminate.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

High/Deaf said:


> I'm glad Pantera slammed that whole big-hair era closed with a resounding thud.


errr...right.









on the same note, some of us remember when Zakk Wylde








used to look like this









someday ppl will realize that when you got past the hair and spandex, how influential the music of the 80s was (to rock at least).


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

This killed hair metal.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Diablo said:


> I keep waiting for the same thing to happen to rap. Yet it keeps going right along that same road. Even the stuff with a "message" is pretty tired and overdone.


Rap is popular and keeps growing because it changes with the times. I'm not a fanboy but I have to give them credit for evolving the form and adapting.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Hair metal was a blight on music and should be forgotten like pink shirts and Miami Vice.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Guncho said:


> This killed hair metal.


I was still in elementary school and I remember how big this was. I just started to hear about bands like Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and Guns and Roses then Nirvana and Pearl Jam hit. I took a detour but eventually went back to rummage through the hair scene, thankfully it was more of a learning expedition before moving on to the 70's and 60's. These days I take a little bit of everything but try to focus on the current stuff.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

vadsy said:


> Rap is popular and keeps growing because it changes with the times. I'm not a fanboy but I have to give them credit for evolving the form and adapting.


can you elaborate? I don't see it at all, but id love some insight to its longevity.
To me, it seems to come in 2 forms...the superficial "...rolling in my lambo, with big ass hoes, drinking henny..." stuff, and the "deeper" overdone angry thug life crap about the streets and bad cops etc that is mostly a fantasy world for 99% of their listeners. And it really hasn't changed except for whatever brand names they drop in their songs.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Diablo said:


> errr...right.
> someday ppl will realize that when you got past the hair and spandex, how influential the music of the 80s was (to rock at least).


In what way?


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Remember this hairstyle?



and then Friends spoof on this


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Diablo said:


> can you elaborate? I don't see it at all, but id love some insight to its longevity.
> To me, it seems to come in 2 forms...the superficial "...rolling in my lambo, with big ass hoes, drinking henny..." stuff, and the "deeper" overdone angry thug life crap about the streets and bad cops etc that is mostly a fantasy world for 99% of their listeners. And it really hasn't changed except for whatever brand names they drop in their songs.


I can't remember the whole discussion but tuning in to a music talk radio show the panel talked about how since its inception and time in the mainstream rap has changed and given the listener something new multiple times while other genres have not been as progressive. I realize this isn't much of an elaboration mostly because I wasn't paying enough attention to remember everything but I do remember thinking they were on to something. It was mostly a rock and pop panel so they weren't all biased but who knows? I do remember them mentioning rock hasn't given us anything new in a long time. What was the last big thing? Grunge? I'm seriously asking, not arguing. Its also hard to pick out specific changes in rap when I don't listen to or follow it but you can't argue that something isn't being done right with how big it is in the popular culture of today.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Diablo said:


> errr...right.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Exactly my point. /\ before CFH. \/ after CFH.










This was the future for metal, transitioning from the 80s and into the 90s. Extremely influential for the rest of that decade.

Bigger picture, the whole popular metal 'wave' was crushed by Grunge in the early 90s, by primarily Nirvana. But metal did carry on, just in a very different form than the hair metal of the 80s.


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## Guest (Nov 30, 2017)

Guncho said:


> This killed hair metal.


It was Disney


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Guncho said:


> In what way?


I think in a few ways...the biggest being musicianship. just about all the guys in the big metal bands could play their instruments really well. for the most part you couldn't get by with just strumming a few catchy chords. Guitarists put a lot of thought an effort into their solos, and it was like an arms race... even accomplished musicians would up their game by taking lessons from those better than them, like Satriani. I think theres prob a reason why Rihanna hired Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme to be in her band, when she could have easily hired someone younger, prettier and cheaper.
Also, there would be no grunge if there weren't 80s rock...most of the grunge guys had some connection to 80s music, they just wanted a "purer" form of it. ie Alice in chains, Pantera.
finally Id say production values. when you think of the time and effort bands like Def Leppard would put into the studio, it was unprecedented...layering 100's of vocal tracks over each other to make a sonic wall of voices for a single song, etc. Quite honestly, the lack of production values is what makes a lot of 60's-70's rock unlistenable for me. Some call it raw, I call it sloppy and lazy. Music since then has gotten much tighter.
There was a lot of great music in the 80s, bands like Queensryche for instance. But few would be familiar with them because all the media wanted to do was play Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot and Motely Crue videos- the Britney Spears' of metal....mesmerizing to watch, not much depth.
so as much as I agree, Nirvana killed the genre, this guy and his band of barely competent musicians put it on life support a few years earlier.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Good points. Pearl Jam at one point were Mother Love Bone who were pretty glammy.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

laristotle said:


> It was Disney


Or Jim Henson?


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

vadsy said:


> I can't remember the whole discussion but tuning in to a music talk radio show the panel talked about how since its inception and time in the mainstream rap has changed and given the listener something new multiple times while other genres have not been as progressive. I realize this isn't much of an elaboration mostly because I wasn't paying enough attention to remember everything but I do remember thinking they were on to something. It was mostly a rock and pop panel so they weren't all biased but who knows? *I do remember them mentioning rock hasn't given us anything new in a long time. What was the last big thing? Grunge?* I'm seriously asking, not arguing. Its also hard to pick out specific changes in rap when I don't listen to or follow it but you can't argue that something isn't being done right with how big it is in the popular culture of today.


Ya, I don't know, sure, prob grunge. And at the same time, when I ask the same question whats new that rap has given us since Tupac and Biggie, I draw blanks as well.
trying to be unbiased, I think the 3 things rap has over metal is 1) its better in a club setting (no one wants to dance to Poison or Winger). 2) its perceived as cooler and sexier in these times. and sex sells. 3) metal didn't appeal to many ppl outside of whites and Asians. therefore because diversity.
but in terms of the music, IMO its equally clichéd and its time has long passed. Reading about the Dellen Millard trial last week, it struck me how today, any jerk with a big mouth can call himself a "rapper". that cant be a good thing for the genre and speaks volumes of it.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Guncho said:


> Good points. Pearl Jam at one point were Mother Love Bone who were pretty glammy.


Did Argent do this song first?


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Diablo said:


> Ya, I don't know, sure, prob grunge. And at the same time, when I ask the same question whats new that rap has given us since Tupac and Biggie, I draw blanks as well.
> trying to be unbiased, I think the 3 things rap has over metal is 1) its better in a club setting (no one wants to dance to Poison or Winger). 2) its perceived as cooler and sexier in these times. and sex sells. 3) metal didn't appeal to many ppl outside of whites and Asians. therefore because diversity.
> but in terms of the music, IMO its equally clichéd and its time has long passed. Reading about the Dellen Millard trial last week, it struck me how today, any jerk with a big mouth can call himself a "rapper". that cant be a good thing for the genre and speaks volumes of it.


It sucks I can't remember more, it would a good discussion to have here. I'll try and track down the show, maybe its available online...


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

Only liked the bands pre-established in the 70s (Aerosmith, VH etc) or those who played heavy enough for my tastes back then. Nearly any band outside of Maiden, Scorps, Metallica, Priest etc were a bunch of silly ass clowns trying to cash in on the "hair" act. Poison, Helix, Crüe, Cinderella, Bon Jovi... all caterwauling some crappy drivel....you could and still can have them all...


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Someone told me to not lump Tesla into the Hair-Band era, but I can't remember why... Frank Hannon is a superb guitar player. But they're pretty "Hair" like. 

This is the only version I could find with the (beautiful) full acoustic intro: 






I still like Bon Jovi, and I didn't mind Crue, and Poison when they came out, but then it got sooooooo saturated, I couldn't stand it anymore! Sven Gali (even though they're Canadian) Saigon Kick, Warrant, Winger, Slaughter (I know the dudes name is Mark Slaughter) but so inappropriately named for the genre they actually played. 

It got so bad I stopped listening to the radio.... and then The Black Crowes saved Rock'n Roll!




...by recycling the Stones, ya, ya, I know


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Y&T were always my favourite out of that "genre" - but I had a great night in '85 as a 14 year old backstage at a Bon Jovi & Ratt show...

"Dear Penthouse, I never thought it would happen to me..."

Got home Friday and by the following Monday evening I had blown my paper route money on a BC Rich Mockingbird and a buddy down the road gave me his older brothers amp.










Ratt with Bon Jovi opening.
7/18/85 McMorran Place Arena, Port Huron, MI.
$12.50 after fees.

Invasion of Your Privacy had just come out a week or two before, and the Bon Jon's were riding high on 7800 degrees.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

SaucyJack said:


> I still listen to Maiden and Priest but stay well away from the newer bands of that era like the chicks in Poison...ect.


No chicks in Poison. Brett Michaels and crew. All guys.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Lola said:


> No chicks in Poison. Brett Michaels and crew. All guys.


I'm pretty sure Lila Ford started that band


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

All the bands I listened to when I was young had big hair. Many of them now have no hair.

I am glad to say that the hair reduction has not led to a reduction in their musical abilities, though.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Steadfastly said:


> All the bands I listened to when I was young had big hair. Many of them now have no hair.
> 
> I am glad to say that the hair reduction has not led to a reduction in their musical abilities, though.


Was it Stryper or Megadeth?


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

first and foremost, alot of you guys don't even understand what hair metal actually means. it's 100% interchangeable with the term "glam metal". 
in this category you would find (among others) white lion, bon jovi, poison, twisted sister (but only to an extent) motley crue, (the later crue, not early crue) etc. 
judas priest and iron maiden were never hair metal, not even for 5 seconds, on their worst day ever. ratt was not hair metal. tesla was not hair metal. these bands had some substance to them, they had great players, even though they were glammy in their looks, they were not hair metal. anyone who is a true metal head will tell you that grunge did not kill hair metal. hair metal killed real metal. the over marketing of johnny bravo by the industry killed metal. and also, time. 

not all grunge was good. nirvana sucked. kurt cobain was a hack who got lucky riding a wave. he was an asshole as a human being, just like his wife is. any artist who openly shows contempt for their audience is a piece of shit human being, and deserves nothing good. we are all lucky he killed himself when he did. if only he did it sooner, we might have all been spared the insufferable sheeple who call themselves nirvana fans. shitty, tired music kept alive solely by marketing. any child who knows 3 cowboy chords can write nirvana songs all day long. 
soundgarden is one of the best bands to ever have happened. losing cornell was a huge loss to rock and roll. easily the best singer rock has ever known, period. pearl jam, meh, not my cup of tea. i know lots of folks like them, but eddy vetter turnt me off right away when he said he was a genius who would only work with other genuises, and then had the war with ticketmaster. violent femmes and the meat puppets were just as good as most other grunge bands, but did not get the recognition they deserved.

i know alotta you folks weren't really metal heads, so you don't really get it. that's cool, it took me a long time to learn to appreciate tomm dorsey, glenn miller, count basie, etc. it's just how it goes.

lastly, i would agree that rap has done quite a bit of evolving. credit debbie harry for turning us on to fab 5 freddy, and in this way helping rap to break into the main stream. in the beginning you had curtis blow with "that's the breaks". grand master flash, and the fat boys. then you had ice-t, ghetto boys, and nwa with gangsta rap. soon, everyone was sampling other music to stretch and blend things a little further. run dmc/aerosmith for starters. women started getting into it and we had ladies like missy elliot, tlc, and queen latifah, and others who brought some melody to rap. 
before you know it, ****** had to give it a try, and we got vanilla ice, snow, beasty boys, etc. since then rap has used elements of funk, electronica, speed rappers like some of m& m's stuff, and it has flavored many other genres. i wouldn't really call myself a rap fan, but i do appreciate what some of those folks have done, and the contribution they have made to music.


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

Lola said:


> No chicks in Poison. Brett Michaels and crew. All guys.


Didn't Steven Tyler "misidentify" him while watching the band perform which became the origin for "Dude Looks Like a Lady".


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

One of my hair faves...wish I could pull the hair off today! Dang male pattern baldness! Sadly now all I can pull off is my rockstar wig when I get dressed up as my alter ego persona...Tico Topaz.

[video]




And of course these guys

[video]


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2017)

cheezyridr said:


> anyone who is a true metal head will tell you that grunge did not kill hair metal. *hair metal killed real metal*. the over marketing of johnny bravo by the industry killed metal. and also, time.


glam rock for sure. the chicks were nice to look at, but the sneers we got because of our concert T's and denim vests at some shows. pfft.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

vadsy said:


> It sucks I can't remember more, it would a good discussion to have here. I'll try and track down the show, maybe its available online...


I think I know the video you mean. I was enjoying it. It was quite lengthy. I got distracted and never finished it. Please post if you track it down. 

When discussing genres, I always quote my own wise saying: "There are only two kinds of music-- sincere and insincere."


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

cheezyridr said:


> first and foremost, alot of you guys don't even understand what hair metal actually means. * it's 100% interchangeable with the term "glam metal". *


Yes, but only if their hair was really, really nice.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I took to the guitar riffs. Some of the best guitar intros in history, imo.

I was also listening to Venom and Celtic Frost (didn't have much money, so would save up my allowance and wear out the cassettes), so, knowing those bands existed and then looking at the girl/boys in glam rock put things into perspective. 

Glam rock was also a catalyst for 'necking' at basement parties.


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## Scottone (Feb 10, 2006)

The power ballads were cool


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

When I was in grade 8 my hometown in Muskoka finally got Muchmusic. We spent a whole summer staying up late and watching it. We didn't want to miss anything. This is pre internet so it was like suddenly we had a window into the world of music. Our favourite bands were The Beastie Boys and Poison. It was pretty obvious that The Beastie Boys were kidding to some extent. It was a spoof. We thought Poison was kidding to, dressing up like girls with full makeup. We later realized they were totally not kidding.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

cheezyridr said:


> but eddy vetter turnt me off right away when he said he was a genius who would only work with other genuises, and then had the war with ticketmaster.


I have read a lot about Eddie Vedder and watched a lot of interviews. I have never heard of him being quoted as saying any such thing.

He got pretty annoying with the whole, "I don't want to be famous yet I keep releasing albums" thing but he never said what you are attributing to him. At least to my knowledge.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

Guncho said:


> I have read a lot about Eddie Vedder and watched a lot of interviews. I have never heard of him being quoted as saying any such thing.
> 
> He got pretty annoying with the whole, "I don't want to be famous yet I keep releasing albums" thing but he never said what you are attributing to him. At least to my knowledge.



don't feel bad about it. i used to threaten to beat people up when they said rob halford was gay. until he showed up at a pride parade, i just couldn't understand why they would malign the coolest guy in the entire world. hahahahaha


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Hey if he said it he said it but I don't think he did and you've shown me nothing to believe otherwise.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

laristotle said:


> glam rock for sure. the chicks were nice to look at, but the sneers we got because of our concert T's and denim vests at some shows. pfft.


Is this guy for real? Or, is this photoshopped? 

This guy looks like he's been using steroids if this is real.


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## Guest (Dec 1, 2017)

Lola said:


> Is this guy for real? Or, is this photoshopped?
> 
> This guy looks like he's been using steroids if this is real.


I found it on the internet.
It must be true.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

KapnKrunch said:


> I think I know the video you mean. I was enjoying it. It was quite lengthy. I got distracted and never finished it. Please post if you track it down.
> 
> When discussing genres, I always quote my own wise saying: "There are only two kinds of music-- sincere and insincere."


It was Feedback on SiriusXM, I tune in while driving but also get plenty interrupted so I don't get all of it. Friday is actually a great show as they cover new music coming out across multiple genres. I tried looking yesterday for some archived shows but it's a needle in a haystack since I don't remember when it was except that it was this 'summer'.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

cheezyridr said:


> anyone who is a true metal head will tell you that grunge did not kill hair metal. hair metal killed real metal.


I get your point but that's a little OTT, IMO. 

Metal isn't dead. Hair metal changed metal but it continues to this day. Perhaps it isn't metal like what we had in the 70s, but who's to say that is the only 'real metal'? 

I would even say a number of bands lumped into the 'grunge' genre were metal bands, doing what they do and not complaining about being misidentified. Being misidentified is better than not being identified at all.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Without splitting hairs, I think... and the emphasis is on *I think*, most would equate Hair Metal, or 80's Hair, or Hair Bands, being Poison, Crue, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, to name a few. I don't (again, personally) think Platinum Blonde are a Hair band... they're (for me) in that _New Wave_ vein. Just look at Robert Smith's hair. It's more who they were on the radio next to. I certainly don't think Priest or Maiden fit here either.... but who am I? There were the "Rocker-Guys" in my high school that listened to the above bands, so when they were into Tesla, I sort of lumped them in there too. However, Tesla was a band I really liked. The song structure for them was (to my ear) different to the Poison etal gang. But music is what we make it, I don't think there is a definitive answer to who's in, who's out of any category. 
As I said, I stopped listening to the radio around this time cause it was all too much for me. I've posted before to say the Police were "my band". Not my dads, mums, or sisters music, my music. When I heard them, they opened the world of Ska, Punk, Post-Punk, Two-Tone, New Wave, New Romantic.... I kept listening to that while everyone was hanging upside down in their closets to get their hair, "just right". The Hair era will live forever through some of the great guitar riffs that came out of it. I crank (Wanted) Dead or Alive every time I hear it, just cause its so good, and I think it's held up pretty well. 

my $0.02


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

My first concert ever was Tesla opening for Poison.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

Guncho said:


> My first concert ever was Tesla opening for Poison.


hahaha hows that for irony?


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Guncho said:


> My first concert ever was Tesla opening for Poison.


Kinda funny, but the opening act doesn't necessarily have to be in the same genre... I've heard SRV opened for Men at Work in the 80's. The [email protected] fans booed him!! 

Plus, didn't Van Halen take Cool & the Gang along on a tour?? Or was that a joke? 

My first show ever was Living Color opening for the Stones on their Steel Wheels tour. That was odd, I thought the bass drum of LC was going to induce vomiting! I almost passed out.


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2017)

SWLABR said:


> Kinda funny, but the opening act doesn't necessarily have to be in the same genre...


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Why did we like big hair bands or not?

Was it that they could get away with wearing tons of makeup, right down to the lipstick and have a female coiffure *and get away with it? *


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Why did we like mullets (and we did)? Business in the front, party in the back. But why? 

I just put it down the the 80's. Those hazy, crazy 80's. Glad I don't remember big chunks of it, to be honest.


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## Xelebes (Mar 9, 2015)

Lola said:


> Why did we like big hair bands or not?
> 
> Was it that they could get away with wearing tons of makeup, right down to the lipstick and have a female coiffure *and get away with it? *


MTV and music videos. Hard rock needed a amkeover to sell records and getting flashy with your TANDY (Cyan, Magenta, White & Black) meant you stood out in your music videos.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Xelebes said:


> MTV and music videos. Hard rock needed a amkeover to sell records and getting flashy with your TANDY (Cyan, Magenta, White & Black) meant you stood out in your music videos.


I guess it is the same for the general public. 

I see grannies rockin purple hair when I go to the mall.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

PURPLE HAIRED GRANNY


great name for a band....


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Guncho said:


> Hey if he said it he said it but I don't think he did and you've shown me nothing to believe otherwise.


He totally did. I hated him back in the day (because my girlfriend loved him), so I'd point out everything shitty about him. One thing being a self-proclaimed genius.

This is what I found on the web in about a minute (just type "vedder self-proclaimed genius" into google)

_Pearl Jam sucks. I was in college when 10 was released. yea I’m old. It was “ok” I guess, but everything after their first disk sucked taint. They were mediocre at best on 10. I can’t believe anyone still buys their crap. About 6 months into the release of 10 I definitely couldn’t stand them any more.

Even back then at the height of their “success” anyone with any musical taste wanted to leave when their crap came on the jukebox.

Thank god for Soundgarden and AIC. If it weren’t for them Seattle would have put out nothing but garbage. Nirvana was decent. *At least Kurt Cobain wasn’t a self proclaimed genius*.

I think *Eddie Vedder said it so many times in interviews that the media actually started believing him*. That was what made me realize what a douchebag he is. “Look at me, I’m a genius and I’m tortured” >vomit<

I know at lollapolooza, when I saw them, when they came on I went to go find some party favors for when RHCP and some of the other real bands came on.

Trust me, Eddie Vedder had a vagina before Pearl Jam formed._


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

SWLABR said:


> Kinda funny, but the opening act doesn't necessarily have to be in the same genre... I've heard SRV opened for Men at Work in the 80's. The [email protected] fans booed him!!
> 
> Plus, didn't Van Halen take Cool & the Gang along on a tour?? Or was that a joke?
> 
> My first show ever was Living Color opening for the Stones on their Steel Wheels tour. That was odd, I thought the bass drum of LC was going to induce vomiting! I almost passed out.


Yes Cool and the Gang opened for Van Halen, March 17 2012. I have my ticket stub from that concert. Cool and the Gang were amazing as was VH.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

'nuff said.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Dorian2 said:


> 'nuff said.


Wow I never even knew this song existed. This is just not JP in my mind. When I think of them 
I think of songs like Breaking the law, Living after Midnight etc.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Loved this band and still listen to them. They don't look like an 80's big hair band at all here!


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

adcandour said:


> He totally did. I hated him back in the day (because my girlfriend loved him), so I'd point out everything shitty about him. One thing being a self-proclaimed genius.
> 
> This is what I found on the web in about a minute (just type "vedder self-proclaimed genius" into google)
> 
> ...


Sorry he never said any such thing. Did the whole, "I don't want to be famous" thing get irritating yes. But he never said "I'm a genius". Some crazed fan did drive a car into his house so that could get annoying.

PS You're proof he said this is someone complaining about him?


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

adcandour said:


> He totally did. I hated him back in the day (because my girlfriend loved him), so I'd point out everything shitty about him. One thing being a self-proclaimed genius.
> 
> This is what I found on the web in about a minute (just type "_*vedder self-proclaimed genius*_" into google)


I'm not a Vedder fan... I got pretty sick of "10" when it came out and everyone was filling their pants about it. I was in high-school, and every band in the Battle of the Bands seemed to play _Alive_! I was more of a Soundgarden kinda guy, but, I keyed exactly: "vedder self-proclaimed genius" into the Google Machine, and got nothing other than a bunch of hits for song lyrics from the site "genius.com". So unless that's his website, which would be a total douche move, I don't see anything either.

Not piling on, just searching from a (fairly) impartial position.


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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

Lola said:


> Wow I never even knew this song existed. This is just not JP in my mind. When I think of them
> I think of songs like Breaking the law, Living after Midnight etc.


That was their breakout album iirc, when heavy metal was considered dead.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Lola said:


> Yes Cool and the Gang opened for Van Halen, March 17 2012. I have my ticket stub from that concert. Cool and the Gang were amazing as was VH.


VH were kind of known for bringing 'alternative' (I mean, before that was a genre) bands out on the road. 

I think it was the 1984 tour, they had a rockabilly band open for them. I'd like to think they were more 'expanded' than many in the audience were, and they were introducing cool shit to a wider market. But these guys nearly got boo'ed off the stage. The crowd was pretty much not into anything that wasn't heavy. That makes me wonder if VH did it for a joke or to make themselves seem grander by throwing out a band that would be well-hated.

And we can't believe what Eddie would tell us. He lies about everything, right down to whether he used that variac to increase or decrease the voltage (all while GP was busy writing "Kids, don't try this at home" CYA statements under his comments LOL).


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Yup, Eddie is a chronic liar and so *not *humble! I really dislike him as a person but as a player he is absolutely a world class virtuoso and still is. At least he is a little more tolerable then Yngwie.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Lola said:


> Yup, Eddie is a chronic liar and so *not *humble! I really dislike him as a person but as a player he is absolutely a world class virtuoso and still is. At least he is a little more tolerable then Yngwie.


A little more? That's like saying the Grand Canyon is a little gully.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

High/Deaf said:


> VH were kind of known for bringing 'alternative' (I mean, before that was a genre) bands out on the road.
> 
> I think it was the 1984 tour, they had a rockabilly band open for them. I'd like to think they were more 'expanded' than many in the audience were, and they were introducing cool shit to a wider market. But these guys nearly got boo'ed off the stage. The crowd was pretty much not into anything that wasn't heavy. That makes me wonder if VH did it for a joke or to make themselves seem grander by throwing out a band that would be well-hated.
> 
> And we can't believe what Eddie would tell us. He lies about everything, right down to whether he used that variac to increase or decrease the voltage (all while GP was busy writing "Kids, don't try this at home" CYA statements under his comments LOL).


Haha....dude, I was at the 1984 concert here in Edmonton when I was 15. The name of the band you're talking about is The Velcros. They WERE booed off the stage at the old Coliseum after 2 1/2 songs. The Velcro's seemed to be following Brian Setzer's Stray Cats style and sound to me. They were lucky they weren't dragged off the stage by rabid fans. Same thought went through my head after as well re: VH. Thought they did it on purpose to allow themselves a grandios entrance as the crowd chanted Van Halen until they came out like 20 minutes later. Good times.

No shit they were booed off the stage with that crowd. And judging by watching this, I would say they pretty much sucked balls. I still don't like them.






And speaking of Malms guys...this is a great interview...seems to have calmed down a bit with weight loss and age!


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

One thing that makes me with I was more into hair metal is Eddie Trunk. That guy is great to listen to. Wish he was into more bands I am into.

Metalfavs


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Dorian2 said:


> 'nuff said.


I'm not sure if you're responding to some other post about 'Priest, but NWOBHM bands had basically zero in common with hair metal bands.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

jb welder said:


> I'm not sure if you're responding to some other post about 'Priest, but NWOBHM bands had basically zero in common with hair metal bands.


Haha. I see why your confused by my post. It was basically my way of saying I didn't go for the hair metal scene whatsoever...for the most part anyways. I was into it in like grade 8 and 9 a bit, but the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal for those unfamiliar with it) was my thing totally. I dug a few bands that had previously been older school hard rock turned hair metal, such as:






This album was the first I'd bought of Whitesnake. Didn't like it when they went towards the more glam/hair stuff (although I saw them with Steve Vai here in Edmonton)

And






Another LP that I had and no one I knew had ever heard of them.

Of course it's all about what you or I consider "hair metal". Every band I've listened to then and since have had hair down to their assholes.

I despised Motely Crue (except shout at the Devil, that entire album is killer), Poison, etc...I'm still not sure what the dif between hair and glam metal is though. I prefer my Metal with a little more meat on it.






and the other usual suspects


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

That's as Hair as I got haha


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Sorry guys, I'm probably posting stuff that isn't hair metal at all.


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## bluebayou (May 25, 2015)

Spent most of that time outside of north america so thankfully missed most of it. Really can’t even recall any tunes from that period by big hair bands.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)




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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

cheezyridr said:


> hahaha hows that for irony?


You guys are giving Tesla too much of a pass IMO. back in the day I lumped them in with the rest of the "we have a power ballad in the Top 40!" gang. The difference, Tesla were ugly. they had a slightly rougher edge on a few songs, but meh....too close to argue IMO. Same could be said for Skid Row. And you could put Warrant somewhere in between. And Ratt were most definitely hair metal. FFS.....


I'm getting a vibe here that some think that hair bands werent good musicians. IMO, that's false. Mr. Big was hair but, hmmm....Billy Sheehan, Paul Gilbert? GTFO.
John Sykes? George lynch? Vito Bratta? Warren Demartini? Steve Vai? Brad Gillis? You all wish fuckaz today could play like them.
Please.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

robin and warren were, from the first moment i heard them, 2 of my favorite players. i would *easily* rank them as high as glenn tipton and kk downing. i saw ratt play in a really small bar once, just after their heyday. it was one of the highlights of my rock and roll life. bobby blotzer, as fine a drummer as anyone could ask for (except for geddy lee, who could ask for neil peart, the greatest drummer since buddy rich or gene krupa)
in my mind, hair band means that the look was all they had going for them. i can't think of ratt as a hair band. aside from all the talent they contained, they lived the rock and roll life, and at least 80% of their catalog is bad-ass. aerosmith on the other hand, started out as a bad-ass band, and became a hair band later


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

There were a few good bands from that era for sure. Don't know if Y&T (Yesterday and Today) was considered Glam. I liked them.


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## John Fisher (Aug 6, 2017)

Ratt was great. Some great guitar work then, and even now they are ok with the guy from Quiet Riot .
Who could ever forget the Scorpions when they ruled in the 80s, Mattias Jabbs has never got credit for his lead work.
I even include Rainbow with JLT singing in that category. 
As much as everyone looks back and mocks the hair and spandex, there was some really great guitar work behind many of those bands


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Dorian2 said:


>


That is so bad.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I don't think anyone denies that a lot of the guitarists in hair metal bands where technically great players but it got old. 

More technique than feel.

And way too much delay!


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)




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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Guncho said:


> I don't think anyone denies that a lot of the guitarists in hair metal bands where technically great players but it got old.
> 
> *More technique than feel.*
> 
> And way too much delay!


Re: bolded, to me that's an overused cliche. It has no meaning to me.
Playing 3 notes in 10 seconds while grimacing with a fuckface, doesn't invoke "feeling" for me. Melody, phrasing, rhythm and technique exist. "Feeling"is subjective and may as well be made from unicorn dust.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

cheezyridr said:


> robin and warren were, from the first moment i heard them, 2 of my favorite players. i would *easily* rank them as high as glenn tipton and kk downing. i saw ratt play in a really small bar once, just after their heyday. it was one of the highlights of my rock and roll life. bobby blotzer, as fine a drummer as anyone could ask for (except for geddy lee, who could ask for neil peart, the greatest drummer since buddy rich or gene krupa)
> in my mind, hair band means that the look was all they had going for them. i can't think of ratt as a hair band. aside from all the talent they contained, they lived the rock and roll life, and at least 80% of their catalog is bad-ass. aerosmith on the other hand, started out as a bad-ass band, and became a hair band later


To me, the look is essential to being a hair band. Attitude is second. Talent/virtuosity? Might be there, might not. Like in any kind of music.
I do grant you, there was a 1%er club of hair bands that might be what you're thinking of....the LA bar scene bands...Faster Pussycat, Bang Tango, LA Gunns etc. But I think most people have a broader definition than just them, to include the mainstream prettyboy metal bands that were on the top40 charts and got tons of video rotation in the mid 80's.
The Best Hair Metal Bands Of All Time
50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time
The 15 Best Hair Metal Bands of All Time
Tesla and Ratt seem to be on them all.  face it, you like hair metal Na-na-na-na-naaaah!


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

It became more about who could play the most notes in the shortest period of time as opposed to who could convey the most emotion.

Is that better?

BB King could say more in two notes than any of these hair metal shredders have ever said combined which is why he's a household name and no on the street could name most of these guys.

BB King, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, etc,etc,etc.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

We'll agree to disagree. I don't get anymore "feeling"out of those guys, although I know that's their angle and their fans eat it up. Not sure it matters to nonfans though or if they buy into it. What did BB ever say other than he liked to play the 12 th fret on the high E string with a big vibrato about 60times in every song? 
Probably more people know Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber than Jimmy and Eric. Not sure what that proves though....oh ya, feeling.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

Guncho said:


> It became more about who could play the most notes in the shortest period of time as opposed to who could convey the most emotion.
> 
> Is that better?
> 
> ...


i would say that's rather trite in itself. it ignores alot about why both types of music were written in the style that they were.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Diablo said:


> We'll agree to disagree. I don't get anymore "feeling"out of those guys, although I know that's their angle and their fans eat it up. Not sure it matters to nonfans though or if they buy into it. What did BB ever say other than he liked to play the 12 th fret on the high E string with a big vibrato about 60times in every song?
> Probably more people know Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber than Jimmy and Eric. Not sure what that proves though....oh ya, feeling.


I guess you'll have to agree to disagree with every "Top Guitarists" list as well.


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## VanillaTrice (Feb 24, 2016)

I don't know what you guys are all talking about. Hair Metal is alive and well! 










.....I'm surprised no one mentioned Steel Panther earlier......


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

That's pretty hilarious.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Guncho said:


> That is so bad.


My feeling at the time was and still is it was fucking awesome. I was one of those 15 year old long hairs who didn't like ALL the stuff that was coming out, but appreciated that my preferred genre that made many of us feel like outcasts was getting the same space as George Michael and his radio friendly friends at the time.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Guncho said:


> It became more about who could play the most notes in the shortest period of time as opposed to who could convey the most emotion.
> 
> Is that better?
> 
> ...


Many of the guitarists that you're referring to in such a demeaning fashion were greatly influenced by these guys, among many other Blues legends. You're beginning to sound like a bit of a cork sniffer to be honest, unless I'm reading what you're trying to convey wrong. What's your feeling on an artist that was the epitome of POP tart music radio at the time?






Or this dude who epitomizes the LA scene many people here are extremely fond of?






BB King himself wouldn't appreciate what you seem to be going on about.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Dorian2 said:


> Many of the guitarists that you're referring to in such a demeaning fashion were greatly influenced by these guys, among many other Blues legends. You're beginning to sound like a bit of a cork sniffer to be honest, unless I'm reading what you're trying to convey wrong. What's your feeling on an artist that was the epitome of POP tart music radio at the time?


I am saying that while a lot of hair metal guitarists were technically very good guitar players it got boring after a while.

It became more of a competition than an art form.

I think the general public got bored of them and would rather hear a guitarist that can convey emotion.

That is what I am saying.

Does that compute?

ie Would you rather listen to Adrian Vandenberg or Jimi Hendrix?


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Huh?

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Guncho said:


> I am saying that while a lot of hair metal guitarists were technically very good guitar players it got boring after a while.
> 
> It became more of a competition than an art form.
> 
> ...


Depends on the tune. Vandenberg happened to be a greater influence on me than Hendrix at the time. 

And what's with the "does that compute"? remark. I wasn't born yesterday.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Does that compute=Do you understand what I'm saying?


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

I understand what you saying. Don't understand the way you phrased it.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Guncho said:


> I am saying that while a lot of hair metal guitarists were technically very good guitar players it got boring after a while.
> 
> It became more of a competition than an art form.
> 
> ...


Jimi Hendrix would be my personal choice here!

I totally comprehend what your saying. So yes, that does compute. I may lack a few brain cells but the way you worded your question is a slap in the face. I am not a total moron!!!


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Lola said:


> Jimi Hendrix would be my personal choice here!
> 
> I totally comprehend what your saying. So yes, that does compute. I may lack a few brain cells but the way you worded your question is a slap in the face. I am not a total moron!!!


I'm so lost.

I wasn't replying to anything you said.

Let's just drop it.

There's been some misunderstanding.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

Guncho said:


> I'm so lost.
> 
> I wasn't replying to anything you said.
> 
> ...


Yes, a miscommunication. No worries. It rolls off my back like water on a duck. 

Don't worry, be happy!


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Almost forgot about these guys


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## Xelebes (Mar 9, 2015)

Guncho said:


> It became more about who could play the most notes in the shortest period of time as opposed to who could convey the most emotion.
> 
> Is that better?
> 
> ...


One shouldn't reduce it down to that. The reason BB King is said to be full of emotion is because he is drawing much of his riff embellishments from gospel music traditions. The flutterfingers like Vai and gang are much more inspired by the thrill of the showmanship of seeing someone excellently pull off something. It gets old insofar that it did not develop further than that. Once you get to the caprices of Paganini, you have to ask what is next and it requires a radical rethink of what hasn't been done. In the mean time, guitarists get to use those techniques developed in that frantic moment to create intricate reworkings of more beloved melodies. You might say that they take those techniques back to the more European church music traditions that we are more familiar with (see: Symphonic metal.)


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Damn. Paganini's 24 caprices wa a must listen to album at the time. Listened to that a tonne! Recommended by Guitar World at the time I believe. Along with Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop I believe. Great Mag!











Just got back from my buddies playing pool, so yeah. I'm happy.

And I digress.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Xelebes said:


> It gets old insofar that it did not develop further than that. Once you get to the caprices of Paganini, you have to ask what is next and it requires a radical rethink of what hasn't been done.


Rachmaninoff.


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## John Fisher (Aug 6, 2017)

Malmsteen...... Uli Jon Roth.....


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2017)

Udo Dirkschneider (Accept)


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## Xelebes (Mar 9, 2015)

High/Deaf said:


> Rachmaninoff.


See, there is nothing that spectacular about Rachmaninoff when you compare it to his predecessor Franz Liszt. What makes Rachmaninoff so difficult to play is that requires large hands. But one must admit that Rachmaninoff certainly has a knack for creating beautiful pieces that are simply not flutterfingering. Which goes more to the point that Rachmaninoff adapted the techniques of Liszt to bring a more traditional understanding of it.

When I say that Paganini's techniques hit a wall, I do mean it as it required 20th century composers and violinists who wanted to do something spectacular for the violin that would vex Paganini would have to think outside of the box. And they did so. Ben Johnston's string quartets are very difficult to play and are now the gold standard for amazing difficulty.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

Xelebes said:


> Ben Johnston's string quartets are very difficult to play and are now the gold standard for amazing difficulty.


Yea, but how much steroids did he need to do _that? 
_
While I don't mind TdF riders taking mass quantities of performance enhancers, I want my composers to be clean, clean, clean, dammit!


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## fretboard (May 31, 2006)

Since Tesla came up a few times, here's what Frank Hannon has been up to on a song written by his father in law and helped out with the writers son, Duane...


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