Stone Fury - Burns Like a Star [1984]

Country: USA

Year: 1984

Line-up: Lenny Wolf (vocals), Bruce Gowdy (guitar), Rick Wilson (bass), Jody Cortez (drums)

Track Listing
1. Break Down The Walls
2. I Hate To Sleep Alone
3. Life Is Too Lonely
4. Don't Tell Me Why
5. Mama's Love
6. Burns Like A Star
7. Tease
8. Hold It
9. Shannon You Lose

Requested by: Fish

Fletchanator's comment: Before he was in Kingdom Come, Lenny Wolf (possessor of without a doubt one of the best voices in hard rock, bar none) was in Stone Fury. This was his first band after coming to LA from Germany, and it's good stuff. This is the first of two studio albums Stone Fury put out, and possesses the moderate hit Break Down the Walls. Stone Fury isn't as polished as Kingdom Come, with a rawer sound, but KC fans will love this.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Trixter - Hear! [1992]

Country: USA

Year: 1992

Line-up: Peter Loran (vocals), Steve Brown (guitar), P.J. Farley (bass), Mark Scott (drums)

Track Listing
1. Road Of A Thousand Dreams
2. Damn Good
3. Rockin' Horse
4. Power Of Love
5. Runaway Train
6. Bloodrock
7. Waiting In That Line
8. Nobody's A Hero
9. Wild Is The Heart
10. What It Takes
11. As The Candle Burns
12. On The Road Again

Requested by: Henk

Fletchanator's comment: The follow up to Trixter's self-titled 1990 debut, Hear! continues in the same vein, with song after song of saccarine melodic hard rock. I don't rate it as highly as the debut, but that could be because I know the debut like the back of my hand, having thrashed it in the early 90s. This effort I'm not as familiar with, but on the few listens I've given it, it's a solid effort. If you know the debut you know what to expect. If not, expect to hear something resembling Warrant and Firehouse.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Angel - Sinful [1979]

Country: USA

Year: 1979

Line-up: Frank Dimino (vocals), Punky Meadows (guitar), Felix Robinson (bass), Gregg Giuffria (keyboards), Barry Brandt (drums)

Track Listing
1. Don't Take Your Love
2. LA Lady
3. Just Can't Take It
4. You Can't Buy Love
5. Bad Time
6. Waited A Long Time
7. I'll Bring The Whole World To Your Door
8. I'll Never Fall In Love Again
9. Wild And Hot
10. Lovers Live On

Requested by: Pat

Fletchanator's comment: This is probably the oldest album I've uploaded here, and it's technically not "hair metal", it's more "pomp rock". But it was requested, and it does have a tie-in to hair metal in that Angel eventually transformed into Giuffria (due to other original band members objecting to Greg Giuffria using the band name Angel in 1984), and Giuffria put out two awesome AOR/hair metal albums. But here you get to hear Giuffria and his bandmates in full classic rock mode, similar to Cheap Trick or early Boston.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Child's Play - Long Way [1993]

Country: USA

Year: 1993

Line-up: Tommy McRae (vocals / guitar), Nicky Kay (guitar), Idzi (bass), John Allen (drums)

Track Listing
1. I Can't Believe
2. Long Way
3. Foolish Pride
4. Kind Of Life
5. Never Make It On Time
6. Keep On Tellin' Me…
7. Woman
8. Wind (Live)

Requested by: Justin

Fletchanator's comment: With Tommy McRae's smooth vocals replacing Brian Jack's raspy singing after the debut album, Long Way marked the second and last offering by these Baltimore boys. Long Way is average bluesy hard rock, kind of like a poorer version of Great White.

Download (NEW LINK JULY 2016)

White Trash - Si o Si Que? [1994]

Country: USA

Year: 1994

Line-up: Dave Alvin (vocals), Ethan Collins (guitar), Aaron Collins (bass), Mike Caldarella (drums)

Track Listing
1. 6 Toe Sid
2. Got To Get Away
3. Minor Happiness
4. Young Zombies In Lust
5. Señorita
6. Electric Messiah/Leather Priest
7. St. Moondog
8. Pig
9. Come Tuesday
10. Catalepsy
11. 21 Club
12. Find Me Somebody

Requested by: Sandox

Fletchanator's comment: Although they'd gotten rid of the trumpets and other brass instruments that were such a feature of their debut album (see earlier upload on this blog), White Trash returned in 1994 with a continuation of their fast-tempo boogie rock. I can't say this is really to my tastes, but if you like like funk (think RHCP or early Faith No More) mixed with hard rock, topped off with a singer who sounds like the guy from Ugly Kid Joe, this is for you.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Bandit - Tuff 'n Dirtee [1992]

Country: Germany

Year: 1992

Line-up: Bernd Mader (vocals), Chris Kolb (guitar), Dave Chow (bass), Andi Nitsch (drums)

Track Listing
1. Sound So Good
2. Slut Groove
3. Bad Beat Boogie
4. Down Town Riot
5. Damn Pretty
6. Backseat Shuffle

Requested by: Justin

Fletchanator's comment: I don't really know too much about this one, other than the band is German and this indie release is the only album they ever put out. The sound is run of the mill party rock, with some good guitar hooks. The vocalist is the weak point, but if you look past that it's listenable at least.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Steelheart - Steelheart [1990]

Country: USA

Year: 1990

Line-up: Michael Matijevic (vocals), Chris Risola (guitar), Frank Di Costanzo (guitar), James Ward (bass), John Fowler (drums)

Track Listing
1. Love Ain't Easy
2. Can't Stop Me Lovin' You
3. Like Never Before
4. I'll Never Let You Go
5. Everybody Loves Eileen
6. Sheila
7. Gimme Gimme
8. Rock n'' Roll (I Just Wanna)
9. She's Gone
10. Down n' Dirty

Requested by: Goatlord

Fletchanator's comment: I know, this isn't exactly "rare", but it was requested, and is definitely a must-have for any hair metal collection. Singer Michael Matijevic is simply one of the greatest hard rock singers ever, with a range that is second to none (of course you already know that he was the voice of the band Steel Dragon in the movie Rockstar). This is Steelheart's debut and best, IMO, with incredible songs like She's Gone, Sheila, Can't Stop Me Lovin' You and I'll Never Let You Go. If you don't already have this, you need it.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Darxon - Shout! [1992]

Country: Germany

Year: 1992

Line-up: Massimo De Matteis (vocals), Frank Dielewski (guitar), Thomas Hanscheidt (guitar), Ingo Geiger (bass), Jan Yildiral (drums)

Track Listing
1. On The Run
2. Walk In The Shadows Of Madness
3. Dancing Undercover
4. Waiting For Your Heart
5. Shout!
6. Down And Dirty
7. Don't Think Twice
8. White Line
9. Heart Of Stone
10. Down By The River

Requested by: Eldoopa1

Fletchanator's comment: The album cover may look like that of a death metal band, but don't be fooled - Germany's Darxon is a hard rock band who play a brand of guitar-oriented, hook-laden rock in the style of Dokken or Firehouse. It's good stuff - check it out!

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)

Roxx Gang - Things You've Never Done Before [1988]

Country: USA

Year: 1988

Line-up: Kevin Steele (vocals), Wade Hayes (guitar), Jeff Taylor (guitar), Roby Strine (bass), David James Blackshire (drums)

Track Listing
1. Scratch My Back
2. No Easy Way Out
3. Race With The Devil
4. Red Rose
5. Live Fast, Die Young
6. Too Cool For School
7. Ball n' Chain
8. Fastest Gun In Town
9. Nine Lives
10. I Need Your Sex

Fletchanator's comment: The debut of Florida rockers Roxx Gang, who went on to put out a string of albums right up until the 2000s. This is middle of the road hard rock - the singer's voice isn't anything special and the songwriting's nothing to write home about. Still, there's plenty of energy and most of the tunes rock. Kind of like a less-talented cross between Faster Pussycat and Bulletboys.

Download (NEW LINK NOV 2015)