Hair Metal

For Unlawful Carnal Composition: Danger Danger- “Naughty Naughty”

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This week on “For Unlawful Carnal Composition” we’re reaching back to the rock ‘n’ roll excess of the late 80’s for another song about getting down and dirty. The musical landscape of the time was rife with tunes like this, as abundant sex was secondary only to rocking out for the long-haired guys in rock bands. Taking the spotlight on this edition of my music series on songs about sex is Queens, New York-based Danger Danger and their raunchy hit “Naughty Naughty” (their other biggest hit was “Bang Bang,” I’m sure you can see what’s going on here with the nomenclature). Continue reading →

Essential Power Ballads, Vol. 5

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Volume 5 of this continuing series on the tear-jerking rock songs you need in your life is here!

Aerosmith– “Angel”

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Kicking off with a cascade of sound from the legendary Joe Perry’s guitar and Joey Kramer on the drums, this huge hit from Aerosmith’s 1987 album Permanent Vacation features impassioned vocals from frontman Steven Tyler, and an all-around emotional sonic landscape that you’d expect from any great power ballad. Seriously, you’re going to want to listen to the opening of the song over and over again. The 80’s rock music scene was obsessed with keyboards, and in this song, the band used the instrument to synthesize violin music.  Continue reading →

Book Review: Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock by Stephen Pearcy

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Everybody has heard about the excess and debauchery for which the 80’s were known, myself included, but never before have I seen it presented in such gritty, shocking, and honest detail. Stephen Pearcy, the former lead singer of the hair metal giants Ratt, puts forth his memoir, Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock, which chronicles the span of his life thus far. He tells of everything from his humble beginnings in Southern California, to dealing with an abusive, drug-addicted father, to developing his love for music, to the drive and persistence that led him to build a band that nearly took over the world, to spiraling downward into his own addiction, and beyond. Anyone who lived through the 80’s, or is a fan of the rock music of the time, is undoubtedly aware of the wanton sex and drug use that went on within the scene’s biggest bands, and Stephen Pearcy is here to tell you that every last bit of it is true.

Continue reading →