Friday, July 24, 2009

My Favorite Hair Metal Band

I'm gonna be honest with you - I was never a big fan of hair metal, not even back in the day. I didn't listen to Mötley Crüe or Poison. Skid Row was "okay." I did listen to Slaughter, though. And Winger, well... Winger just sucks. So why am I posting about my favorite hair metal group? Because any group from that sub-genre of hard rock that truly gets my attention has to have a couple of things down: 1. They have to be talented - not just the guys who play the instruments, but the lead singer. I have to like their voice. A lot of these bands falter on that one. 2. Their songs have to have a good hook. Hair metal was a commercial thing in the late '80s to early '90s, so the music had to grab me. 3. Most importantly, the band has to be full of hot chicks. If a band's members are going to tease their hair and put on make-up, they better damn well not be dudes. Fortunately, a band called Vixen fills all those categories nicely. They were talented ladies who played great music to rock out to, they had a great look (they were fucking hot in their tight pants, mini skirts, studded bustiers and what not), and the lead singer (boy, was she smokin') had a great voice. Of course, in a male dominated music industry (dominated by men who put make-up on), a band full of women can only go so far. They didn't achieve the fame that Mötley Crüe or Poison had, but they kept up with some of the other hair metal bands of the day (such as Slaughter, which ascribed more to the "grass-roots" philosophy of replacing all the make-up with denim clothing that came about in the early '90s - a better choice, in my opinion). So if you've never heard of Vixen, here's a little schoolin' for ya. This video wasn't the point where they truly broke out onto the big scene (that was "Edge of a Broken Heart"), but it did help cement their place. It's also one of my favorites from them. If you're wondering why I didn't mention Steel Panther in this, well, they're great - hell, they're fucking hilarious, but they're more of a respectful parody of the genre. They are hair metal, but they weren't from the era. Plus, there's no hot chicks in the band. There are some in the videos, which nets them points, but not enough to put them at the top. Sorry, guys. Kaiser out

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