1989, and it was the YEAR OF ROCK. Mötley Crüe was a strippers best friend, Bon Jovi was putting New Jersy on the map,and a group by the name of Skid Row was about to light the stage up with fury and reckless abandon. The band’s self titled debut “Skid Row”, produced by Michael Wagener, was not just a great album, but it set forth a whirlwind for the metal scene and helped in pushing metal forward, and they all just looked and sounded great!!
Released in January 1989, the album yielded a number of hit songs, and introduced the world to Rachael Bolan (bass), Dave ‘The Snake’ Sabo (guitar), Rob Affuso (drums), Scotti Hill (guitar) and Sebastian Bach (vocals). Their first single ‘Youth Gone Wild’ was a call to arms for metal fans to take arms and unite. The song was aggressive, and jaw breaking,the vocals screamed from beginning to end with reckless abandon, while Sabo shows what he’s made of. I remember the first time I saw the video on MTV. I was excited and mindfucked at the same time. It was a gritty dirt like sound with vocals that sound like angels to a metal heads ears. The song sang of non conformity and going against what society was preaching at the time…and it was played EVERYWHERE.
’18 and Life’ was the next single to be released, and it too was a hit for the band. The video was number one on ‘Dial MTV’ what seemed like for years. The song told a story of a kid,who had a rough life and lived on the edge daily, and listened to no one. He ends up shooting his friend and finds himself in prison, reflecting on his life.
The guys even dove into the power ballad pool with the hit ‘I Remember You’. Probably one of the most powerful of the power ballad songs released that year (Steel Heart STILL holds the title however). But not that Bach can’t hold his own vocally. I still play this song on several of my music lists, and I still choke up a little when I hear the song. Memories…
Skid Row,the album produced a few hits, and showed off the playing style of Bolan, Hill,and the vocals of Bach. This album, introduced us to a band that knew how to rock, and they rocked hard. Like GnR, this album was one of many soundtracks for some in the year on 1989-90. Not only did it produce several hits and introduce the band to the world, but it set forth the movement that helped keep hard rock/metal alive during its slow periods. Today, the album is 5X’s platinum and still being sold (thanks to iTunes) and other file sharing sites. The guys have since parted ways and are on doing other things. But we fans can still hold out hope that maybe, like GnR just maybe they might be able to set aside differences for a reunion tour…DOUBT IT…BUT HEY, WE FANS CAN HOPE RIGHT??
