Ahhh another trip down memory lane this time with Skid Row’s first album entitled Skid Row! These guys broke out of the LA Glam / Hard Rock scene in the late 1980’s after a successful tour supporting Bon Jovi and with this their first album became an arena rock band in their own right.
The album opens up in absolutely fine form with “Big Guns” immediately showing off guitar and vocal chops that only existed in the 80s. Seconds into this and you know you’re dealing with a killer band here. Big Riffs and even bigger choruses these guys are an instant winner here. The magic keeps happening with “Sweet Little Sister” and “Can’t Stand the Heartache”. Skid Row looked like the business with every girl I knew basically prepared to have his babies, one of the few metal bands that I remember girls actually liking when I was in school.
“Piece of Me” follows in great style and the absolute show stopper of a ballad “18 and Life” Shows off the band’s control with the more melodic songs. Great song and chart topping single from the band.
Side 2 of the record (I still have my vinyl of this hahah) starts off with sleaze laiden “Rattlesnake Shake” and another chart topping but very anthemic “Youth Gone Wild” I can’t remember how far up the charts these got when the band first broke, but it was a hell of an achievement. “Here I am” and “Making a Mess” both follow in fine style but its “I Remember You” which thrust the band into #1 on the charts in my country and probably everywhere else too. This is a really heartfelt power ballad that again showcases the bands mastery of writing songs that really get to you. Great video clips and great production also helped the band out big time.
I’m not the only one that loved this album. All my friends at the time did, as the album climbed up the charts to reach #6 in the US and achieve a whopping 5 x platinum status.
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