No one disputes that Def Leppard and Guns N’ Roses qualify as hair bands; however, Winger, with its debut in 1988 and hits such as “Seventeen,” absolutely did so. hair metal was a hedonistic subgenre that dominated MTV and radio in the eighties before it was suddenly rendered irrelevant by distortion-soaked grunge in 1991.
Motley Crue
Motley Crue is widely considered one of the premier hair metal bands ever. Their loud, provocative music has attracted both praise and scorn from rock critics, yet their songs continue to enthrall millions of teenagers worldwide. Motley Crue’s songs espouse an aesthetic of parties, fast women, and instant self-gratification that resonate with younger Americans feeling marginalized from society. Motley Crue’s style has drastically shifted since John Corabi took over vocal duties for Vince Neil. However, strong tracks such as Hooligan’s Holiday have survived this transformation and remain fun listens that boast one of their catalog’s most memorable music videos.
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi revolutionized big-haired 1980s rock with their groundbreaking single “Slippery When Wet,” ushering in an era of big-haired American rock bands with energetic guitar riffs and expressive melodies in emotionally charged power ballads that made Bon Jovi one of the most enormous American rock acts to sell records into the 21st century. Jon Bon Jovi was raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. At sixteen, he began working as a janitor at his cousin Tony’s recording studio – The Power Station – while still in high school. By seventeen, he had started performing at local clubs with a drummer and keyboardist before writing his own demos to put out at local radio stations; eventually, his song “Runaway” caught the ear of one such station, leading him to land his first record deal.
Dokken
Dokken was at the forefront of glam metal’s popularity when it first hit in the 80s, dominating for several years before they went into hiatus – only to return four years later with even stronger fan support and continue touring and performing their driving heavy metal music ever since. Breaking the Chains was their breakthrough album in Europe and garnered them a record deal, while Tooth and Nail proved much more successful upon its US release. Dokken released their song Dream Warriors as a tie-in to the third Nightmare on Elm Street film and, through it, scared away Freddy Krueger with their music – making for an intense video that made for great horror viewing! Don Dokken was featured prominently alongside guitarist George Lynch and bassist Mick Brown to complete their sound.
Ratt
“Round and Round,” “Wanted Man,” and “Lay It Down” helped shape the 1980s Los Angeles hard rock and glam metal scene, as well as other bands such as Skid Row and Dokken. Guitarists Warren DeMartini and Robbin Crosby were legendary guitarists during this era, while drummer Bobby Blotzer provided hip-shaker haymakers. Finally, vocalist Stephen Pearcy stood out with a unique rock singing tone similar to Rob Halford.
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is synonymous with hair metal music. While frontman Dee Snider may refute that they fall within this genre, Twisted Sister unmistakably fulfilled all its criteria with their stadium-sized riffs and eye-catching outfits – not to mention music videos featuring both sexualized and provocative imagery, which helped pave the way for other glam metal acts to follow suit.
W.A.S.P.
On May 30th, they officially debuted with an album and a one-person live event at Nakano Heavysick ZERO in Tokyo. Tickets were distributed via a lottery held at their multiple MANiACS stores; other prizes included rice cookers and vouchers for Matsusaka beef. At this event, they premiered a new song called “I Won’t Let You Go,” which featured flyers with a toll-free number for fans to call and listen to it directly at Tower Records stores.
