Customer Reviews

More 80's Hair Metal

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Note: The Amazon track listing here contains some errors, for example Blackboard Jungle does not do "Paranoid" (see below) and Tracii Guns does not do "Prime Mover" (Zodiac Mindwarp does). The song listings on this review (and the actual box set in stores) ARE accurate. Now on to the review:

'More 80's Hair Metal' is a follow-up to the successful three-cd box set, 'This is 80's Hair Metal.' For the uninitiated, you will need to be aware of a key point. This box set, you will notice, came out on Deadline Records. Deadline is a label that specializes in the following:

1. Rerecorded versions of hit songs by the original artists, these are marketed as 'greatest hits collections' (example: 'Greatest and Latest' by Warrant, represented here on cd 1).

2. Tribute albums featuring members of various 80's rock/metal bands doing the cover songs (i.e. 'Leppardmania-Tribute to Def Leppard' or 'A Rock Tribute to Guns N' Roses', both represented here on cd 3 or 'Bulletproof Fever-A Tribute to Ted Nugent', represented on cd 1).

3. Live albums (i.e. 'Lita Ford-Greatest Hits Live' or Cinderella's 'Live at the Key Club', both represented here on cd 2)

4. Solo releases by members of 80's rock groups (i.e. Kip Winger from Winger, Mike Tramp from White Lion, etc.), in some cases they do new songs and others, Deadline has them rerecord material from their original band. Sometimes, it is a live solo album in which the artist does hits from their original band. This sort of stuff is on this album, see the Vince Neil song. In the case of Kip Winger, it was an 'unplugged' solo release from the studio.

That's what this label does, all for 80's rock/metal acts.

The songs on this box set are pulled from various Deadline releases. The reason you do not see acts like Twisted Sister, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Britny Fox, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Black Sabbath, etc. is that none of those artists ever recorded anything for Deadline, so there obviously is no material available from those bands to use. You can't fault the label for that.

As for the rerecordings, lots of artists have rerecorded their songs for small labels: The Rembrandts, Steppenwolf, Twisted Sister, Starship, Anthrax, lots of bands on this compilation, Blue Oyster Cult, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gene Watson, UFO, John Denver, etc. When a band rerecords the song, they are the ones (along with the new label) that end up making most of the money from it. The label who owns the original version of a song doesn't make all the profits like they normally would from most greatest hits collections. Small labels like this love having 'greatest hits' compilations of 'name artists' to sell, regardless of when the recordings were done. Artists, meanwhile, love keeping in practice (doing the song again) and also the payday they get, in addition to the prospect of sticking it to a label they are likely no longer on (the label they did the original version for).

Given the label's budget, the rerecordings sound fairly good. Yes, I like the originals better, too. However, the songs sound almost the same and you can tell it is the band credited (well, their current lineup). One thing people obviously need to understand about rerecorded songs is that they are almost always done live in the studio (with the whole band) in ONE take. There is no going in and adding parts later or stopping to start the song again. I'm sure if they worked at it for six months (like the original), the remakes would sound closer to the originals, in sound quality.

And what is wrong with having a cd of live material for the car? I didn't know live albums suddenly went out of vogue. As for the Great White cover versions of Led Zeppelin, those are pulled from a live tribute album to Led Zeppelin that was recorded in California by Great White in the mid 90's (title: 'Great Zeppelin'). Not a lot of people buying this even knew that release was out there. How else are they going to hear that stuff, short of paying a hefty import price or special ordering it?

Lastly, compilations featuring original versions of hit songs tend to mention this fact on the cd some place (usually the cover). These collections tend to come from bigger labels (Razor & Tie, Rhino, etc.) and usually are one or two cd sets (almost never three). And such compilations of the original recordings cost more. It takes more money to license studio versions from a big record company (if you can even get the rights) than it does to get rerecorded/live material from an indie label. That explains the budget price for rerecorded sets and higher prices for original recordings. If you want original recordings so bad, consider these points above.

It makes sense to look twice when you see these hits done by Mickey Ratt, Bret Michaels, Kip Winger and Vince Neil, instead of Ratt, Poison, Winger and Motley Crue (such is the case on this cd). If a cd/box set release does not actively promote "original recordings by the original artists" (it makes financial sense to mention it, if they are), then you will want to take a closer look.

Most of the people looking at this will already have (or have seen) the first box set in this series: 'This is 80's Hair Metal.' It seems Deadline Records took heed on some of the criticism from that first effort and made a few changes here. This is what you will find to be different:

Some original recordings were used this time, see the songs by WASP, Whitesnake and the Scorpions. It seems there was enough of a budget to license a few cuts from a major label, not a bad job for a small label like Deadline. There are also some bigger names here than on the previous set. Vince Neil (Motley Crue), Enuff Z'Nuff and Joe Elliot (Def Leppard), who were absent from the first set, are featured here. The biggest names on the first box were Paul Di'Anno (ex-Iron Maiden), Ronnie James Dio and Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks), none of whom are featured this time.

Here are my thoughts on the box set. This is a detailed rundown for each disc.

CD 1:
A pointless (and cheesy) intro opens this collection. WASP follows with the original recording of one of their big hits. Quiet Riot and Warrant are next with hit songs, rerecorded in the studio. Stephen Pearcy (ex-Ratt) checks in with an alternate version of one of Ratt's hits, done with a different lineup of musicians. Zodiac Mindwarp is up next, with an alternate version of one of their "classic" songs. Joe Elliot contributes lead vocals on an Alice Cooper cover song (taken from a tribute album).

Vince Neil and George Lynch (ex-Dokken) follow up with a smoking version of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" (again, from a tribute album). Taime Downe (Faster Pussycat) leads a Ted Nugent cover and Mark Slaughter handles lead vocals on an Aerosmith classic, both taken from tribute albums. Another tribute album cut is featured with Enuff Z'Nuff's "Yankee Rose." Pretty Boy Floyd's vocalist, Steve Summers, checks in with a Motley Crue cover. The box set credits Pretty Boy Floyd as a band, but only Steve Summers is actually on this cover. Mike Tramp, the lead singer of White Lion, is next with a rerecorded version of a White Lion concert staple. Again, the whole White Lion band gets credit, but this is Mike Tramp and his solo band. No other White Lion originals were involved.

Love/Hate also contributes a rerecorded version of one of their old songs. To close the cd, Dokken is highlighted by a track ("When the good die young"), which was only available previously as a bonus track from the Japanese import of their reunion album, 'Dysfunctional.' The album intro and the Enuff Z'Nuff cover song (shrill vocals) could have been left off and nobody would have missed them. The rest of this material has legs, though. The Pearcy and Dokken cuts are not easy for the average music fan to obtain.

CD2:
This disc is a collection of live music, up until the last track. Dokken turns in a classic, performed live. Great White does a live cover song (Zeppelin). LA Guns performs one of their classics, but the track (#3) actually ends with the introduction of Night Ranger's song, which makes things weird if you are listening to a single track or playing this on the radio. It seems this slipped through the editing process. You'll hardly miss a beat if this is continually being played in a car, but it was an oversight, nonetheless. Lita Ford covers Montrose, in concert. Cinderella, Bang Tango, Saigon Kick and Dangerous Toys all turn in live versions of some old favorites. A more recent band, Union, checks in with a live version of the first single from their 1998 debut.

Junkyard tears through a live version of a ZZ Top hit song. Pretty Boy Floyd is next with a little-heard cut, done live. Great White ends this little "concert" with another Led Zeppelin cover. The disc, itself, wraps up with a bonus track. This is in the form of a debut single by a band (The Numb Ones) signed to Deadline Records. The plan seems to be piggy backing them onto this cd with established artists, as the opinion seems to be that people who purchase the box set may want to check them out. Purely a promotional tool, but the single is fairly lively and the band is worth a look. Overall, the Saigon Kick, Dangerous Toys and Junkyard cuts fail to measure up, more so from a sound quality standpoint than anything else. The rest of the live cuts do sound good, production-wise.

CD3:
This is a mix of live and studio versions of power ballads. Most come from rerecorded greatest hits collections, live albums or tribute albums. Whitesnake and Scorpions start off with original versions of their hit songs (licensed from the original record label). Vince Neil turns in a live, spirited rendition of a Motley Crue classic. Bret Michaels follows with a studio rerecording (solo) of a Poison hit single. Cinderella are up next with a live version (not specified on the cd) of one of their smash hits. Spike, from the London Quireboys, turns up with a Styx cover from a tribute album. Spike is the only member from the group who cut the song, disregard the fact that the whole band is credited. Mike Tramp follows with a rerecorded White Lion hit, again, featuring his solo band. As was the case on cd 1, it was only Mike Tramp and not the entire White Lion lineup. Stephen Pearcy contributes an alternate version of another hit by Ratt (like he did on cd 1), again under the name of Mickey Ratt. Kip Winger follows with a solo rerecording of a Winger hit in the studio, done acoustically. Tim "Ripper" Owens (Iced Earth, ex-Judas Priest) teams up with Yngwie Malmsteen for a great rendition of Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley" (from another tribute album). Jizzy Pearl (Love/Hate, ex-LA Guns, etc.) pairs up with Tracii Guns for a decent version of a Guns N' Roses classic, taken from a tribute album they did together. A lesser known veteran band, Blackboard Jungle, surfaces with a tender ballad, which is one of the best tunes on the whole box set. Marq Torien, lead singer of the Bulletboys, turns up with a Journey cover (from a tribute album). Despite the box set promoting the full Bulletboys band, Marq is solo here (with other musicians serving as the rhythm section). Steve Whiteman, of Kix and Funny Money, closes the box set with a different take (his trademark lispy vocals) on one of Def Leppard's staples.

The recordings here are well done, also. Of course, some other readers might have their own opinion on the songs taken from tribute albums, none of which have the same punch, admittedly, as the originals (then again, you wouldn't expect them to).

I am a radio dj so having a large box set like this works great if I need to fill a little time on the rock/metal specialty show I do for my station. It's also great for a cd changer, based on the fact it runs three hours. Considering the price and if you can deal with the lions share of these not being the original studio versions, then this is a great purchase for an "80's metal" fan, old or new.

The booklet is fairly generous, though it pales in comparison to the book that came with 'This is 80's Hair Metal' (the first in the series). There are plenty of pictures (old & new) of the artists involved, which is nice as it lets you know who you are listening to (a face behind the song). Songwriting credits are also here, in case you are curious. A lot of care went into this collection.

For anyone who liked this set, I'd suggest trying the original box set issued a few months before this one by Deadline, 'This is 80's Hair Metal', which is the exact same setup, but different songs and artists.

The only difference is that the first box set did not have any original versions of hit songs (whereas, this box set had three), unless you count scattered later day "new" material (non-hits done after 1993) by veteran acts. Some lesser known artists were on the first set, represented with either live cuts, covers or their recent studio material.

However, there were a few performances by artists (listed earlier) that were not featured on this box set. For example, Ronnie James Dio and Yngwie Malmsteen turn in a stellar version of Aerosmith's "Dream On", and you will find Paul Di'Anno doing his early Iron Maiden material live (as a solo artist). You will also find a very detailed booklet within 'This is 80's Hair Metal' that far surpasses the liner notes/booklet included here.

To close the book on 'More 80's Hair Metal', here is a bare-bones breakdown.

Pros:
-Lots of talent here and plenty of music, for the price. Many of these songs are second to none in the 1980's/90's rock lexicon, regardless of whether or not they are the original studio versions.
-Some material on here that admittedly can be found on other albums, but all of those albums would be very time-consuming and expensive to locate. This would include the import version of the album that Dokken's song (cd 1) came from, or all of the tribute albums that were represented on this box set.
-A good way to hear something a little different by some of your favorite artists.

Cons:
-Some tracks on cd 3 are live, but these are not specified.
-There is no mention of the studio tracks being rerecorded songs.
-Sometimes, you will find that an entire band is credited when it is merely the singer performing as a solo artist, without any of the other members. However, these are ALL noted above, for your convenience.
-The label doesn't do much to let you know where a lot of these recordings originally came from, in the event you want to look them up.
-On the live album, the editing is done poorly, so before L.A. Guns "Sex Action" (track three) ends, it bleeds into the opener of Night Ranger's tune and then moves to track four.
-The corny intro to the first cd stereotypes the type of person buying the cd and it is embarrassing to listen to, especially around friends, but even when you are alone.

There are not too many negatives on this compilation, to me. I enjoyed this one a lot, just as I did with the first in this set. Keep up the good work, Deadline.

First off, for me the second CD didn't even play at all for me but somehow I didn't seem to mind that much as this is an awful CD with the exception of a couple of good tracks. It consists mostly of former hair metal bands covering other hair metal bands songs. Additionally, some of these cover bands I never heard of. I agree with the reviewer above. This box set is pretty much good for only one thing: a coaster set.

Admittedly, I don't scour the surface of the Earth for hard to find B, C, and D-class tracks to add to my metal collection. If you do, you may agree with the novelist who wrote the first review on this set. As for me, this is one of those items that you just have to admit to yourself was a mistake and file it with sanitation engineering. Luckily, I got mine on clearance.