Loud 'N' Nasty - Teaser Teaser (2004)

Country: Sweden
Year: 2004
Line-up: Rob Nasty (lead vocals, bass), Chris Loud (guitars, vocals), T-Bone (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Teaser   2.   Play Dirty   3.   Annie   4.   Hungry   5.   If You Wanna Rock   6.   Love Child   7.   After The War   8.   Saturday Night   9.   Hollywood Dream   10.   Kick 'n' Fight   11.   Help Me

Fletchanator's comment: Just as LA's Sunset Strip was the mecca of sleazy hard rock in the 80s, that role has now been taken over by Sweden. Since the turn of the millennium, the Scandanavian country has churned out a seemingly-endless supply of bands invoking the big hair and attitude of those early acts. Sleazy trio Loud 'N' Nasty are an example of that, forming in 1998 and putting out a string of great albums, this being their second.
I don't often post albums from the 2000s, but this one is pure 80s. There are no modern influences here, this sounds like it crawled out of an alley behind the Whiskey A Go Go sometime during Reagan's presidency. Ratt is the best comparison, mixed with some early Motley Crue, WASP and a smidge of Dokken.
This one is highly recommended - turn it up and party like it's 1984!

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Jag Wire - Made in Heaven (1985)

Country: USA
Year: 1985
Line-up: Art Deresh (vocals), Howard Drossin (guitars), Joey Cristofanilli (bass), Carl Elizondo (drums), Vince Gilbert (keyboards)

Track Listing:

1.   All My Love   2.   On The Run   3.   Heat Of The Night   4.   Takin' The City   5.   Made In Heaven   6.   Love Can't Wait   7.   Nothing At All   8.   Traitor

Fletchanator's comment: This rarity (when the CD pops up on eBay it commands stupid money) is the only album from Sunset Strip rockers Jag Wire, a band formed out of the ashes of the band Sin. At times this shows glimpses of the melodic heavy metal being played at the time by other LA bands like Motley Crue and WASP, but for the most part it is radio-friendly AOR.
Singer Art Deresh has a voice that is rough around the edges, reminding me of Krokus front man Marc Storace and Minoru Niihara from Loudness. Keyboardist Vince Gilbert features prominently (even breaking out a couple of keyboard solos) - he would later play on a couple of albums with Nadir D'Priest in 1990, one with London and the other with the band D'Priest.
This rip is taken from vinyl (not by me) so doesn't have the crispest sound, but if you're a fan of early 80s hard rock and AOR you should enjoy this.

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Trash Can Baby - Trash Can Baby (1993)

Country: USA
Year: 1993
Line-up: Paul Terror (vocals), Mike Pope (guitars, piano), Tim Hoyt (guitars), Duane Lozada (bass), Neil Esposito (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Down For The Count   2.   Day By Day   3.   Coming At You   4.   Overtime   5.   Too Late For Sorrow   6.   Cold As Winter   7.   Don't Take It Away   8.   Love's An Injection

Fletchanator's comment: East Coast rockers Trash Can Baby released just this one album before splitting a couple of years later. The CD is a real collector's item, commanding big money when it show up online.
In terms of sound, Trash Can Baby play a slice of glammy hard rock that can most easily be compared to Warrant and Sgt Roxx. It's good stuff, check it out!

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Javan - Somewhere in the Night (1991)

Country: Germany
Year: 1991
Line-up: Bernd Martin (vocals), Oliver Schwung (guitars), K.B. Hard (guitars), Rainer Herrmann (bass), Winni M Schap (drums), T.J. Rath (keyboards)

Track Listing:

1.   Moon   2.   Somewhere In The Night   3.   Call My Name   4.   Time Of Revival   5.   Back In My Life   6.   In My Heart   7.   Can't Get Enough   8.   Vicious Rumours   9.   Our Love   10.   Eyes   11.   Sophisticated Women   12.   Dreams

Fletchanator's comment: Javan are a German band that as far as I know only put out this one album. It's an interesting slice of melodic hard rock, sometimes bordering on melodic heavy metal but mostly having an AOR-ish sound thanks to the keyboards. Singer Bernd Martin has a strong voice that sounds like he should be fronting a power metal band (and has a prominent German accent in places) - I'm not sure he perfectly suits the kind of music Javan plays. This one will appeal to fans of keyboard-oriented AORish hard rock bands like Zinatra and 1st Avenue.

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Funny Money - Funny Money (1998)

Country: USA
Year: 1998
Line-up: Steve Whiteman (vocals), Billy Andrews (guitars), Dean Cramer (guitars), Ned Meloni (bass), Geoff Burrell (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Off My Rocker   4:09 2.   Art of Persuasion   5:14 3.   Can't Take the Heat   3:27 4.   Baby Blues   4:25 5.   For Keeps   4:30 6.   Boogie Man   4:07 7.   Pick Me Up   4:04 8.   Suckin' My Blood   4:31 9.   Monkey See, Monkey Do   3:55 10.   Dry Eyes Cry   4:17

Fletchanator's comment: I'm an unabashed fanboy of the band Kix and a big part of that is Steve Whiteman's voice. This is Whiteman's side project, featuring a series of non-Kix musicians (although Kix drummer Jimmy Chalfant did join in 2003).
This isn't as good as classic (Blow My Fuse era) Kix - probably because it's hard to replace the guitar work of Younkins and Forsythe - but it's still good in its own right. Given the era it came out, at least Whiteman didn't attempt to cash in on what was "in" at the time and turn all alternative/grunge/nu-metal (I'm looking at you Bulletboys) and remained true to his hard rock roots.
Not quite as sleazy as Kix, this album still rocks and if you're a fan of Whiteman's awesome voice you'll enjoy this.

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Swedish Erotica - Swedish Erotica (1989)

Country: Sweden
Year: 1989
Line-up: Mats Leven (vocals), Magnus Axx (guitars), Morgan LeFay (guitars), Johnny D'Fox (bass), BC Strike (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Rock N' Roll City   2.   Love on the Line   3.   We're Wild, Young and Free   4.   Hollywood Dreams   5.   Love Hunger   6.   Love Me or Leave Me   7.   Downtown   8.   She Drives Me Crazy   9.   Loaded Gun   10.   Rip It Off   11.   Break the Walls bonus track   12.   Hollywood Dreams (acoustic version) bonus track

Fletchanator's comment: Pure and simple, Swedish Erotica's self-titled debut is one of the best examples of late 80s hard rock done right. It's a shame that this band doesn't get mentioned alongside the "big names" of the genre, because they're just as good. Their second album, in 1995, was heavier and had a different singer, best to avoid that one and listen to this instead.
The sound on this album is awesome, from the anthemic We're Wild, Young and Free to the ballad Hollywood Dreams, there aren't any bad songs among the bunch. What really puts it above a lot of other albums from this time is Mats Leven's voice. Leven - who went on to sing with Treat and Yngwie Malmsteen for an album each while also fronting symphonic metallers Therion and doom merchants Candlemass (a gig he still has) - is quite simply one of the best singers in hard rock, up there with Sebastian Bach.
I can't recommend this one highly enough! Turn it up and rock out!

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LeRoux - So Fired Up (1983)

Country: USA
Year: 1983
Line-up: Fergie Frederiksen (vocals), Tony Haselden (guitars), Jim Odom (guitars), Leon Medica (bass), David Peters (drums), Rod Roddy (keyboards)

Track Listing:

1.   Turning Point   4:55 2.   Carrie's Gone   3:48 3.   Wait One Minute   4:29 4.   Yours Tonight   3:42 5.   Back in America   3:45 6.   Let Me In   3:55 7.   Lifeline   4:30 8.   Line on Love   3:38 9.   Don't Take It Away   3:18 10.   Look Out   4:12

Fletchanator's comment: This is one for fans of early 80s AOR, along the lines of Toto, Foreigner, Loverboy and Journey. LeRoux (originally Lousiana's LeRoux) had released four albums between 1978 and 1982 with Jeff Pollard on vocals, but he found God and renounced rock 'n' roll music, so in stepped Fergie Frederiksen to take over the microphone. Fergie would stay with LeRoux for just this one album before taking Bobby Kimball's spot in Toto a year later (creating the great album Isolation), another gig that would end short with his firing in 1985. Sadly Fergie died in 2013.
As mentioned above, this is American AOR in every sense of the word. If you like the bands listed above, you'll enjoy this for sure. Fergie had one heck of a voice and the rest of the band is tight.

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Madison - Diamond Mistress (1984)

Country: Sweden
Year: 1984
Line-up: Goran Edman (vocals), Anders Karlsson (guitars), Dan Stomberg (guitars), Conny Sundqvist (bass), Peter Fredricksson (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Lay Down Your Arms   2.   Run Boy   3.   Sneaker   4.   Don't Look Around   5.   Pictures Return   6.   Diamond Mistress   7.   Don't Go   8.   Squealer   9.   Changes   10.   Turn Me Loose

Fletchanator's comment: Swedish singer Goran Edman is one of the busiest men in hard rock, having fronted bands ranging from Brazen Abbot to Street Talk, AOR to Glory, while also having sung on albums by Yngwie Malmsteen and ex-Europe guitarist John Norum. But this is where it all started, with Madison. If you're familiar with Goran's voice you know what to expect, and here it's at its very best.
Madison play a great brand of melodic hard rock, sometimes bordering on melodic heavy metal, that sounds like a mix between classic Dokken and early Europe. If you like those bands, you'll love this!

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Black Sabbath - Seventh Star (1986)

Country: UK
Year: 1986
Line-up: Glenn Hughes (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitars), Dave Spitz (bass), Eric Singer (drums), Geoff Nicholls (keyboards)

Track Listing:

1.	In for the Kill	3:42
2.	No Stranger to Love	4:30
3.	Turn to Stone	3:29
4.	Sphinx (The Guardian)	1:11
5.	Seventh Star	5:21
6.	Danger Zone	4:27
7.	Heart like a Wheel	6:37
8.	Angry Heart	3:07
9.	In Memory	2:38
10.	No Stranger to Love (alt version)	4:01

Fletchanator's comment: What's this? A Black Sabbath album on House of Hairspray? Surely this is a mistake, right? Well, if you're unfamiliar with this album you might think that, but if you know this album you know that it fits into the theme of this blog perfectly. This, ladies and gentlemen, is Black Sabbath's melodic hard rock album.
Initially recorded as a Tony Iommi solo album, this one ended up having the Black Sabbath name slapped on it by the record company, who naturally wanted to cash in. Boy did long-time Sabbath fans get a shock when they gave this one a listen for the first time expecting something akin to the Ozzy-fronted doom metal or the Dio-fronted power metal, or even the heavy metal of Born Again with Ian Gillan. Instead what they got was a sometimes-bluesy, sometimes-glammy hard rock album, with former Deep Purple singer Glenn Hughes behind the microphone. At times this gets downright AOR-ish, such as with the song No Stranger to Love.
If you've never heard this album, you need to hear it. Forget the Black Sabbath name, this is just great mid-80s hard rock, sounding like Dokken or Y&T in places (see the song Danger Zone). And whether he's chugging out gloomy metal riffs or more radio-friendly guitar work like here, Tony Iommi is one of the greatest axemen of all time. Plus you get current-KISS drummer Eric Singer on the skins and Dave Spitz (who has played with Great White and White Lion) on bass.

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Gypsy Rose - Prey (1990)

Country: Canada
Year: 1990
Line-up: Michael Ross (vocals), Brian Joyce (guitars), Craig Van Gaver (guitars), Michael Vaughan (bass), Steve Thomas (drums).

Track Listing:

1.	Poisoned By Love	4:27
2.	Crawlin'	5:04
3.	Borderline	4:14
4.	Blood 'N Sweat	4:07
5.	Love Me Or Leave Me	4:34
6.	Make Me Do Anything You Want	5:08
7.	Shiver Then Shake	3:27
8.	Wild Reaction	3:18
9.	Don't Turn Your Back On Me Now	4:05
10.	Highway-One-Way	3:30

Fletchanator's comment: Happy (belated) Valentine's Day! I had planned on posting this on Valentine's Day but Zippyshare was down. Anyway, don't say I don't do anything for you, my loyal followers. For Valentine's Day I got you roses... well, one rose, a Gypsy Rose. See what I did there? Okay, let's move on quickly.
Not to be confused with the Seattle band of the same name (which included future Alice in Chainer Mike Starr), the Canadian Gypsy Rose are one of those bands who you hear and you quickly think "how the hell did these guys not get huge?". They've got all the necessary parts and a great overall sound, playing a kickass slice of melodic hard rock, starting with the awesome opener Poisoned by Love and staying strong from there. Other stand out songs are Blood 'N Sweat and Wild Reaction.
Sadly this was Gypsy Rose's only album. They have a great, polished sound - probably the closest comparison is Bon Jovi, especially since singer Michael Ross sounds a bit like JBJ. Turn it up and enjoy!

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Black Angels - Hellmachine (1982)

Country: Switzerland
Year: 1982
Line-up: Clive Murray (vocals), Mark Egg (guitars), Andy McKay (guitars), Walt Lion (bass), Brian Irving (drums), Harry Stone (keyboards)

Track Listing:

Side A
1.	Hellmachine	04:43
2.	Midnight Rider	03:19
3.	Seamer Station	04:25
4.	Amsterdam	03:00
5.	Rock It	03:50
Side B
6.	Over the Limit	03:53
7.	Juvenile Delinquent	03:35
8.	Tell Me Why	04:04
9.	Problem Child	03:52
10.	Don't Look Back	03:54

Fletchanator's comment: This one is a bit of a departure from the usual stuff that I post on this blog, but I ripped it from vinyl for my own purposes and figured I would share it anyway. It's not glammy, it's not sleazy, but it is hard rock. Black Angels are a Swiss band that play a brand of 1970s-ish keyboard-laden hard rock reminiscent of Deep Purple, with some NWOBHM thrown into the mix. This album, their first, was recorded in the studio owned by their Swiss compatriots Krokus.

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Kik Tracee - No Rules (1991)

Country: USA
Year: 1991
Line-up: Stephen Shareaux (vocals), Michael Marquis (lead guitar), Gregory Hex (rhythm guitar), Rob Grad (bass), Johnny Douglas (drums).

Track Listing:

1.   Don't Need Rules   3:18 2.   Mrs. Robinson   4:33    3.   You're So Strange   4:36 4.   Trash City   4:46 5.   Hard Time   4:24 6.   Big Western Sky   4:53 7.   Generation Express   5:21 8.   Soul Shaker   4:31 9.   Tangerine Man   4:46 10.   Lost   4:58 11.   Velvet Crush   3:44 12.   Rattlesnake Eyes (Strawberry Jam)   4:06 13.   Romeo Blues   4:46 14.   Fade Dunaway   0:41

Fletchanator's comment: Now here is a fantastic band that came along too late in the day to have any lasting impact on the scene. This, their debut album, was released in 1991 and we know how the music landscape was shaping up by that stage (*cough*grungepocalypse*cough*). They did release an EP a year after this, but the writing was on the wall by that stage.
This album is produced by Slaughter bassist Dana Strum, so you get highly-polished production, reminiscent of Strum's own band. In terms of sound, Kik Tracee are a little difficult to peg down. The closest I could get would be to say they sound like Guns n Roses mixed with Slaughter mixed with Saigon Kick. But whatever the recipe, the end result is excellent and is worth hearing just for Stephen Shareaux's distinctive vocals.
The stand out tracks are You're So Strange and Trash City, but you also get a pretty-good Simon & Garfunkel cover (Mrs Robinson) and a string of other great tunes. It's a shame Kik Tracee hit the scene in 1991 and not 1986/87, because I could have seen them having a great career. Kik Tracee rocks!

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Vyper - Prepared to Strike (1984)

Country: USA
Year: 1984
Line-up: Christy Black (vocals), Robbie Saint (guitars), Jacky Foxx (guitars), Rik Brock (bass), Michael Scott (drums).

Track Listing:

1.   I'm Not Waiting   2.   Cold As A Stone   3.   Diamonds   4.   Nighttime Is Wild   5.   Runnin' With The Pack   6.   Can't Stop Dreamin'   7.   Dealer   8.   Climbing Up The Walls   9.   Drivin' Me Insane   10.   She's Nasty

Fletchanator's comment: The only full-length album by Kansas City, Missouri band Vyper, who also released a four-track EP a year later in 1985. Originally put out in 1984 by Greenworld/Kondor Records, this was re-released by Retrospect Records in 2005 (with the four EP tracks tacked on the end). Even the rerelease goes for some hefty money - last time I looked it was going for $50+ on eBay.
Apparently Vyper suffered from the familiar situation of their record label going tits-up and later in the band's life there was two versions of Vyper touring, ala LA Guns, Ratt and so many other hard rock bands in recent years.
In terms of sound, this one bounces between AOR-edged hard rock and NWOBHM-influenced melodic metal. You can definitely hear a Judas Priest influence on the song Dealer, and for the most part the guitar sound is heavier than you would usually hear on AOR/hard rock.
Other songs have a definite Ratt or WASP sound to them, although singer Christy Black doesn't attempt anything close to Stephen Pearcy's or Blackie Lawless's rasp, sticking to straight-forward singing. Some of the lyrics are a bit too simple ("Nighttime is wild so don’t bring your child to the park" as a chorus for example), but this is good, rare stuff - if you like your Sunset Strip glam rock to have a heavier edge to it you'll enjoy this.

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Jetboy - Feel the Shake (1988)

Country: USA
Year: 1988
Line-up: Mickey Finn (vocals), Fernie Rod (guitars), Billy Rowe (guitars), Sam Yaffa (bass), Ron Tostenson (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Feel The Shake   4:28 2.   Make Some Noise   3:45 3.   Bad Disease   4:09 4.   Fire In My Heart   3:34 5.   Hometown Blues   5:15 6.   Locked In A Cage   3:04 7.   Talkin'   4:05 8.   Hard Climb   4:13 9.   Bloodstone   3:48 10.   Snakebite   3:40

Fletchanator's comment: This is the debut effort from late-80s Sunset Strip regulars Jetboy, another band who were big in the Cali scene but never really broke out on the national or international stage. With ex-Hanoi Rocks bassist Sam Yaffa twanging the strings, this release has a similar mix of glam rock, punk asthetics and blues riffs to that legendary Finnish band. Throw Hanoi Rocks, LA Guns, The Cult and Cinderella into a pot and you've got Jetboy (just don't expect the raspy vocals that were popular on the Strip back in those days, Mickey Finn's vocals are cleaner than that). Great stuff, especially the opening track, which kicks butt!

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Axatak - Axatak EP (1985)

Country: Australia
Year: 1985
Line-up: John McCulloch (vocals, guitars), Pete Denero (vocals, guitars), Andy Zouman (vocals, bass), Don Hailes (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Shock Rock 3:37 2.   You  3:44 3.   Let the Beast Run Wild 3:43 4.   Live Out Your Dreams  4:38 5.   Night Fighter  4:26

Fletchanator's comment: Axatak were formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1983, out of one of that city's first Kiss cover bands, Kiss Klones. Hearing this five-track EP it's easy to see that connection, as they do sound a lot like Kiss in places, mixed with early Motley Crue. So essentially you get straight-forward song-writing ala Kiss and a smidgen of the sleaze and underground sound of Too Fast For Love/Shout At the Devil-era Crue. The result isn't anything that's going to blow your socks off, but it's solid stuff and this album is damn near impossible to get hold of (not released on CD as far as I know, and vinyl copies go for $100+ on eBay).

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Fair Warning - Fair Warning (1992)

Country: Germany
Year: 1992
Line-up: Tommy Heart (vocals), Helge Engelke (guitars, keyboards), Andy Malecek (guitars), Ule W Rigten (bass), CC Behrens (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Longing for Love   3:49 2.   When Love Fails   3:41 3.   The Call of the Heart   4:13 4.   Crazy   3:50 5.   One Step Closer   3:59 6.   Hang On   4:03 7.   Out On the Run   3:53 8.   Long Gone   4:39 9.   The Eyes of the Rock   3:47 10.   Take a Look at the Future   3:55 11.   The Heat of Emotion   3:03 12.   Take Me Up   4:25

Fletchanator's comment: This album is a must-have for all fans of hard rock music. To date Fair Warning have released 8 studio albums (the most recent in 2013) and this is where it all started for the German rockers. From start to finish this is a near-faultless album - great songwriting, fantastic guitar-work and the stellar voice of Tommy Heart. There are no weak songs, just song after song of top-notch AOR-edged hard rock.
Because of their nationality and the way that Heart pronounces words, it's easy to compare Fair Warning to fellow countrymen like Scorpions and Bonfire. They definitely sound like those bands (with a bit more of an AOR flavour due to the keyboards), but are also comparable to the likes of Bad English, Firehouse and Victory.
If you have never heard Fair Warning, you're in for a treat!

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Sittin' Pretty - Sittin' Pretty (1988)

Country: USA
Year: 1988
Line-up: Tommy Lee (vocals), Joey Herr (guitar), Naz (bass), Andrew (drums)

Track Listing:

1.	Lola's Place
2.	Down in the Big Time
3.	Sweet Sweet Love
4.	China Died
5.	Rock n Roll Boys
6.	All the Pretty Lies
7.	Stay With Me (Faces cover)

8.	Why Do You Love Me

9.	She's Just a Kid

10.	Small Town Girl

Fletchanator's comment: Sittin' Pretty were a New Jersey/NYC four-piece who recorded just the one album and were poised for big things (getting major airplay in their home area and making the pages of Hit Parader) when sadly singer Tommy Lee was killed in a car accident.
This is a rip of the first-ever CD issue of the album, released in 2014 by Demon Doll Records, which goes for pretty big money on eBay.
Sound-wise, Sittin' Pretty remind me of Great White, with some Poison thrown into the mix. They play typical late 80s glam hard rock - the best songs are Lola's Place, the ballad China Died and the kickass cover of The Faces' hit Stay With Me.

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Skid Row - Matt Fallon demos (1986)

Country: USA
Year: 1986
Line-up: Matt Fallon (vocals), Dave "the Snake" Sabo (guitars), Scotti Hill (guitars), Rachel Bolan (bass), Rob Affuso (drums)

Track Listing:

1.	Midnite/Tornado
2.	Forever
3.	18 & Life
4.	Youth Gone Wild
5.	Rattlesnake Shake
6.	Rescue You
7.	Walk With a Stranger

Fletchanator's comment: Following on from yesterday's posting of the Reckless Youth CD, here is another piece of Skid Row history - the demos recorded with original singer Matt Fallon. He was of course replaced by 18-year-old Sebastian Bach and the rest is history.
It's definitely interesting to hear some of the band's biggest hits (18 & Life, Youth Gone Wild) how they originally sounded. Fallon doesn't have the pipes that Seb does, but that doesn't mean he's a bad singer. His voice is okay, it's just hard to compare him with one of the most talented hard rock singers of all time.
What is apparent from listening to these demos is that the songs that ended up on the self-titled debut album three years later were already written three years earlier and didn't change much except for inserting Bach's voice. I think this debunks the "Sebastian Bach WAS Skid Row" argument, because the songwriting was great before he joined the band. Sure, his voice elevated the band to dizzy heights, but credit needs to go to Bolan and Sabo for their kickass songs.
As for Fallon (who had briefly fronted Anthrax in 1984), after Skid Row he toiled away in relative obscurity, playing in a number of New Jersey bands (including Fallon) but never reached stardom.

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Skid Row and Sebastian Bach demos - Reckless Youth (2005)

 Country: USA, Canada
Year: 2005 (CD released), 1985-2000 (material recorded)
Line-up: Various

Track Listing:
CD1 - Skid Row demos 1988-89

1.   Makin' a Mess 2.   Midnight/Tornado ver 1  3.   Walk with a Stranger  4.   In it to Win  5.   Knock Knock  6.   Shame Shame 7.   Can't Stand the Heartache 8.   Love Comes Down  9.   Rattlesnake Shake ver 1 10.   Edge of the Night

11.

Can't Wait 'til it's Here

12.	Midnight/Tornado ver 2

13.

18 & Life

14.	Rattle Snake Shake ver 2

15.	Shine in the Night

16.	Dirty World

17.	Waiting for Me

18.

Piece of Me

CD2 - Other demos

1.	Kid Wikkid - Take a Look at Me
2.	Kid Wikkid - Money in a Hurry
3.	Madam X - High in High School
4.	Madam X - We're Gonna Have
5.	Madam X - She's Hot Tonight
6.	Madam X - Dirty Girls
7.	Madam X - Heavy Metal in my Veins
8.	Madam X - We Reserve the Right
9.	Madam X - Good with Figures
10.	Madam X - Cat Got Your Tongue

11.	Madam X - We Want Rock

12.	Madam X - Stand Up and Fight

13.	Skid Row - Thick is the Skin (Johnny Solinger on vocals)

10.	Skid Row - Youth Gone Wild (Johnny Solinger on vocals)

Requested by: Jani

Fletchanator's comment: This double CD was released in 2005 by Metal Sword Records and gathers together a whole bunch of demos from the career of Skid Row and their one-time enigmatic frontman Sebastian Bach. Because there are demos the quality ranges between "close to the finished product" and "barely listenable".
CD1 is the demos Bach and Skid Row recorded for their first album in 1988 and 1989. A bunch of the songs didn't make the cut, while some of the familiar tracks from the self-titled album are there - 18 & Life, Piece of Me, Midnight/Tornado, Makin' a Mess etc. This CD is the stronger of the two, giving an insight into the very early days of Skid Row, before they became superstars.
CD2 is a mishmash of demos from Bach's pre-Skid Row bands (plus a couple of post-Bach demos thrown on at the end for some reason). The Kid Wikkid songs are pretty good, showing that even as a teenager Seb had great pipes. The Madam X songs are also good, but I have to point out that I'm not convinced that's Bach singing on these demos. The CD says they are 1986 demos, and Brett Kaiser had left Madam X by the end of 1985, but it doesn't sound like Bach. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Overall this CD is made for Skid Row/Sebastian Bach fans. If you count yourself in that group, you'll enjoy it. If you could take or leave them, this won't change your mind. They're rough demos afterall.

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