Cats in Boots - Kicked & Klawed (1989)

Country: USA
Year: 1989

Line-up: Joel Ellis (vocals), Takashi "Jam" Ohashi (guitar), Yasuhiro "Butch" Hatae (bass), Randy Meers (drums)

Track Listing:
1.   Shot Gun Sally   3:28 2.   Nine Lives (Save Me)   3:47 3.   Her Monkey   4:08 4.   Whip it Out   4:14 5.   Long, Long Way From Home   4:15 6.   Coast to Coast   3:17 7.   Every Sunrise   6:13 8.   Evil Angel   3:30 9.   Bad Boys Are Back   4:11 10.   Judas Kiss   3:25

Fletchanator's comment: This band and album kick serious ass! Cats in Boots are one of the definite "could have been huge" bands of the hair metal scene of the late 80s. This was their only album, after a Japan-only EP, until one was put out in 1999 but I haven't heard that one and don't know if it's new material or older outtakes. Anyway, back to Kicked & Klawed - one of the gems of the glam metal scene! Joel Ellis' fantastic vocals ooze sleaze while Jam Ohashi's axework is truly top notch. The stand out song is Shot Gun Sally, but there are no weak tracks here. For fans of Sunset Strip sleaze rock bands like Faster Pussycat, LA Guns, Motley Crue etc, you'll love this!
After Cats in Boots, Ellis was in Heavy Bones,  while Ohashi joined Slumlords. In 2012 Demon Doll Records released material from Ellis and Meers' pre-Cats band, Merri Hoax, recorded in the mid-80s.
I really wish Cats in Boots had been given more opportunity, or had taken what opportunity they had (I don't know the background on why they didn't break out). They had the sound, the swagger and the sleaze to be one of the biggest bands in the land!

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