Released:  1990

Recorded:  1990

Genre:  Hair Metal, Sleaze Metal

Record Label:  Columbia

Duration:  40.6 minutes

Producer:  Tom Werman

[expand title=”Band” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

• Jizzy Pearl – Vocals
• Jon E. Love – Guitar
• Skid – Bass
• Joey Gold – Drums [/expand]

[expand title=”Track Listing” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. Blackout in the Red Room
2. Rock Queen
3. Tumbleweed
4. Why Do You Think They Call it Dope?
5. Fuel To Run
6. One More Round
7. She’s an Angel
8. Mary Jane
9. Straightjacket
10. Slutsy Tipsy
11. Slave Girl
12. Hell, Ca., Pop. 4 [/expand]

[expand title=”Singles” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. Blackout in the Red Room

2. Why Do You Think They Call it Dope?  [/expand]

Not all great albums are constructed by exceptional musicians. The band Love/Hate is a mixed bag of talented musicianship with questionable lyricism. But something about their entire vibe paired with the excellent production/mixing of their days with Columbia Records makes for an intriguing sound that I can only label as “quality sleaze metal.” The outstanding sound can be attributed to the fact that Tom Werman (of Motley Crue, Ted Nugent, Junkyard, Cheap Trick, Molly Hatchet fame) produced this album. While Love/Hate‘s fame may have been shortlived, and mostly forgotten, their first 2 albums have been criminally overlooked, but Love/Hate‘s debut album Blackout in the Red Room is far and away their best effort.

Blackout in the Red Room is a 12 track sleaze metal classic from the Jizzy Pearl-led quartet Love/Hate. I’m sitting here calling it a classic, and you’re sitting there wondering why in the hell you’ve never heard of it. Even in 1990, there was a good chance you may not have heard of this band. But after this week’s album review, you’ll be on Amazon searching for it, and it’s worth your hard earned dollars. There’s no denying that Love/Hate is about as rock n’ roll as they come. Just take a look at their frontman Jizzy Pearl. He once strapped his body on a cross on the famous Hollywood letters as a publicity stunt, only to get stuck and require law enforcement to get him down! He’s almost solely responsible for the motion sensors that were installed soon after. Now if that ain’t rock n’ roll, I don’t know what is. That’s right up there with Jackyl’s K-Mart stunt.

Blackout in the Red Room explodes right out of the gate with the titular song about getting hammered and blacking out. But this is not the last time you’ll hear a song about getting drunk, stoned, wasted, etc. In fact, this entire album is loaded with debauchery to the max. Sex, drugs, rock n’ roll is the general theme in Blackout in the Red Room, and there’s no hiding it. Jizzy Pearl may not be the best lyricist, but he’s a more-than-capable frontman. The song “Why Do You Think They Call it Dope?” is actually making light of doing drugs and promotes it fairly well. While nearly every song focuses on alcohol and drugs, the debauchery doesn’t stop there, as evidenced in the song “Slave Girl,” where Jizzy Pearl sings “She’s a gangbang slave girl. I’ll be your homeboy” in the chorus. But the songs that have the best sound and production are “One More Round” and “Mary Jane” as they both feature an awesome breakdown that stays in your head for days. The sound in these songs are a hair more mature, albeit with alcohol and drug centered lyrics.

Overall, Blackout in the Red Room is a masterfully composed sleaze metal album. It’s just track after track after track of relentlessly pounding rock music with incredible vocals. I can’t say that Jizzy Pearl is a great singer, as I feel he lacks a sort of “flow” and “rhythm” with his style of singing, but for the kind of music he was making, it strangely enough finds a way to work! I particularly love the song “Why Do You Think They Call it Dope?” and the accompanying music video. But “Hell California, Pop. 4” is one of the worst songs and feels a little silly and poorly conceived if you ask me.

Love/Hate may have had their time in the sun, but it was very short lived. They deserved much more fame than they ever received, but a lot of that was due to poor timing in the music industry paired with a musical style lacking in crossover appeal. Love/Hate’s Blackout in the Red Room has gone from a gold record to a forgotten album, and you’ll likely never hear any of these songs on the radio ever again. But it’s easily found on Amazon and eBay, so go get your hands on the sleaze metal classic from the heyday of the Sunset Strip.

Released:  1992

Recorded:  1992

Genre:  Hair Metal, Hard Rock, Southern Metal

Record Label:  Geffen

Duration:  42:48

Producers:  Brendan O’Brien

[expand title=”Band” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″](Regular band members in bold.)

• Jesse Dupree – Vocals, Chainsaw
• Jimmy Stiff – Guitars
• Jeff Worley – Guitars
• Thomas Bettini – Bass
• Chris Worley – Drums
•  [/expand]

[expand title=”Track Listing” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. I Stand Alone
2. Dirty Little Mind
3. Down On Me
4. When Will It Rain
5. Redneck Punk
6. The Lumberjack
7. Reach for Me
8. Back Off Brother
9. Brain Drain
10. Just Like a Devil
11. She Loves My Cock (only on unedited album) [/expand]

[expand title=”Singles” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. I Stand Alone
2. When Will It Rain
3. Down On Me [/expand]

Jackyl hit the scene a little late to grow beyond their first album. Debuting in 1992, any rock music that wasn’t grunge OR from the city of Seattle was having a difficult time on the radio airwaves. So you can imagine that a band from Kennesaw Georgia might go completely unnoticed by the public. Good thing these nice southern gents could give two fucks what you think. Jackyl is one of the few bands who had the balls to do exactly what they wanted and exactly how they wanted.

Their self-titled debut album Jackyl features a track titled “She Loves My Cock” which can only be found on the unedited album. The album cover also features some suggestive themes such as violence and drinking. For those 2 reasons alone, the wholesome superstore K-Mart refused to carry their album unless changes were made. In an act of defiance only punk rockstars would attempt, the band pulled up in front of a K-Mart driving an 18-wheeler with a flat bed loaded with speakers and instruments. They then played an impromptu mini-concert right there! When the police arrived, they proudly stated that they did not have the proper permits for pretty much anything. No fucks were given by Jackyl. If that’s not fucking one of the most rock n’ roll moves you’ve ever heard of, then you better give me something more badass. A music video was actually put together using footage from the gig, check it out below.

And in case you ever felt like questioning the band’s intentions as rockstars, then all you need to do is open the insert and read the bottom of the first page. Here you’ll read the words, “This album does not contain any pussy ballads or keyboards.” So now you know. And they’re entirely accurate as each and every song is a straightforward rock song. Jackyl’s eponymous debut is an exceptional 11 track masterpiece that uniquely blends southern rock and metal with a youthful hair metal mentality. Being as these boys come straight from Georgia, their southern roots are ever present in just about every song.

The overarching theme on the album might not be intentional, but almost exactly half of the songs feature lyrics about sex, drinking, or some other raunchy shenanigans. “She Loves My Cock” needs no explanation, neither does “Dirty Little Mind,” but “Brain Drain” isn’t as identifiable simply by the song title. The chorus goes, “Brain drain, 190 grain. It’s not the caine. Not the Mary Jane. But the golden grain.” “Brain Drain” is an excellent ode to drinking as they repeatedly profess their love for drinking grain alcohol.

The radio single “Down on Me” is a more pop-focused effort from the band which bodes well for radio play. This one sounds like a blend of Blackfoot and ACDC in all of the best ways. While neither complex nor too simplistic, you will instantly have the chorus stuck in your head for days. Quite the opposite, the single “When Will It Rain” is not as radio friendly yet still received plenty of radio play. I find “When Will It Rain” to be the band’s absolute best effort on nearly all fronts, but especially the lyrics and tone. I picture the band writing and recording songs on a hot Georgia summer day. The lyrics are sincere and show real maturity in the band. Just read this excerpt, “When will it rain, I feel the heat burning through my shoes? / Soft shoulders are getting harder adding to my blues. / Can’t count the days gone by, can’t wash away the stain. / Left on the life behind me from which I came.”

I wouldn’t say that many of the songs on Jackyl have what I would consider high-caliber musicianship, lyricism, and the like. But one thing is for certain, this album is purely fun and enjoyable. Jesse Dupree’s voice might start to wear on you after a while, and the full-band synchronized yelling might also become a bit tiresome, but the simplicity and catchiness of tunes like “The Lumberjack” and “When Will It Rain” will leave you mesmerized. “The Lumberjack” features a nice little blues boogie-romp sound with gnarly chainsaw solo. Yes, you read that right. Jesse Dupree uses the chainsaw as an instrument, adjusting the throttle up and down for the pitch. It’s really fun and exciting and just makes you shake your head in awe.

Perhaps my biggest complaint about this album is the mixing of the lead guitar. It doesn’t really stand out enough to separate itself from the other instruments and blends far too much with the rhythm guitar. Ironically, the lead guitar efforts are extremely pedestrian, so maybe it’s for the better that they aren’t featured too much. The mixing of the bass guitar is possibly the best part of the album and shines in the songs “Just Like a Devil” and “Redneck Punk.”

Overall, Jackyl’s debut album is an excellent effort from the southern quintet. With a heavy dose of southern rock fused with howling vocals in the vain of Brian Johnson from ACDC, Jackyl is a unique album unlike anything before or after it. I truly can’t say that this album as a whole sounds like anything I’ve ever heard, and that is why it is extremely refreshing. The mixing overall is a bit weak, but with the right set of speakers, you can overcome this on your own. Jackyl still plays and tours when Jesse Dupree isn’t running his insane biker bar. Jackyl (the album) is an album worthy of being remembered and it’s a shame that so many have already forgotten its greatness.

Released:  1989

Recorded:  1988 – 1989

Genre:  Sleaze Rock, Hard Rock, Hair Metal

Record Label:  Geffen Records

Duration:  38:25

Producers:  Tom Werman

[expand title=”Personnel” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

• David Roach – vocals, percussion
• Chris Gates – lead and rhythm guitar
• Patrick Michael Muzingo -drums and percussion
• Clay Anthony –  bass guitar
• Brian Baker- lead and rhythm guitars [/expand]

[expand title=”Track Listing” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. Blooze
2. Hot Rod
3. Simple Man
4. Shot in the Dark
5. Hollywood
6. Life Sentence
7. Long Way Home
8. Can’t Hold Back
9. Texas
10. Hands Off [/expand]

[expand title=”Singles” tripos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. Hollywood
2. Simple Man [/expand]

Junkyard’s self-titled debut album will likely freak you out a little. When you first see pictures of the band, you’ll probably notice lots of tattoos, plenty of denim, loads of leather, and shit-kickin’ cowboy boots, all in black of course. Then you’ll hear the opening track and shit a brick the moment you hear David Roach’s howling vocals paired with the high-energy instrumentals. This debut album was produced by legendary producer Tom Werman of Motley Crue, Ted Nugent, and Molly Hatchet fame, which is telling of why the album sounds so damn raunchy! Although Junkyard went largely unnoticed by the general public, it remains a classic sleaze metal album and can actually be purchased brand new from Geffen Records today.

Junkyard (the album) oozes with punk rock infused with southern rock and blues. Lead singer and frontman David Roach moved from Texas to L.A. with friend and guitarist Chris Gates in the mid ’80s. With a bit of searching and plenty of luck, Roach and Gates were able to round out the rest of the quintet with Brian Baker, Clay Anthony, and Patrick Muzingo. With a heavy rotation in the famous clubs and bars of the Sunset Strip, Junkyard received $3,000 to record a few songs which ultimately earned them a signing deal with Geffen Records.

When listening to any of the 10 tracks, David Roach’s whaling vocals take front and center, becoming an instrument of its own. I wouldn’t say that Roach has a wide range of notes, but he excels at the sound he intended to make. It’s gritty, it’s off-key, it’s lacking in discipline, and it’s truly all over the place. That is EXACTLY why he rocks this album from start to finish. His Texas roots lend a hand in the vocalist’s twang but his style leans more towards punk rock. It’s odd that Geffen chose to showcase Junkyard’s softest song in “Simple Man” as opposed to their heavier efforts like “Blooze” or “Life Sentence.” But maybe the song tested well. After all, it is one hell of a song.

Songs such as the single “Simple Man” showcase the band’s perfect execution of blending multiple genres while the mixing of the song keeps the drums heavy and the guitar distortion high. While it might have a bit of a southern melody with the piano and vocals, there’s a dose of punk rock in it to keep it from ever being compared to harder southern rock bands such as Blackfoot, Black Oak Arkansas, or Molly Hatchet. “Hollywood” is a bit faster and heavier with darker overtones and is without a doubt one of the strongest tracks on the album. “See the boy on the corner, he’s only 12 years old. Every night he’s out there doing his best to get his goodies sold” is the lyric that opens the track. Touching on real life issues wasn’t one of Junkyard’s most prominent skills, but they were certainly more than capable.

It doesn’t appear that there is any one theme that ties the songs together as Junkyard is a straightforward, no frills hard rock album. It’s raunchy and edgy with a punky attitude unlike anything around it. But even with no intentional theme throughout the album, one thing is for sure: these fellas like to drink hard. “Blooze” is one of the best tributes to drinking I’ve ever heard. There’s a particular line in the song where Roach says “I’m talkin’ about when ya got 2 bucks left, you don’t want nothin’ to eat, you just gotta keep drinkin.” If that isn’t an excellent ode to getting drunk then I don’t know what is. “Blooze” fits in well with the songs “Hot Rod,” “Life Sentence,” and “Can’t Hold Back” with similar fast-paced guitars and a youthful raunchiness.

“Simple Man” and “Hands Off” are Junkyard’s slowest efforts but are easily some of their strongest. “Hands Off” closes out the album with one of their catchiest tunes to date. The song is about David Roach dating a girl and her cheating on him with his best friend. Doesn’t sound very funny, but the presentation is slightly comical. The piano really makes the song what it is along with Roach’s howling vocals.

Overall, Junkyard’s self-titled debut is an exceptional outing by the 5 man group. Their approach to effortlessly blending blues with punk and hard rock makes for a wildly unique sound. In fact, the entire album sounds like Molly Hatchet banged Motley Crue and had a baby called Junkyard. I know this entire review is about “forgotten hair metal albums,” but Junkyard should NEVER be confused with glam-metal or hair metal. This band got lumped together with other hair metal acts based solely on their long hair and a close proximity to glam metal bands on the Sunset Strip. Either way, Junkyard (the album) has long been forgotten but is worth heavy consideration for fans of hard rock, blues rock, punk rock, and more. It’s unfiltered and dripping with sleaze.

Reviewed by Nerdberry

Released:  1989

Recorded:  1988 – 1989

Genre:  Sleaze Rock, Glam Rock, Hair Metal, Hard Rock

Record Label:  Island Records

Duration:  53:17

Producers:  Paul Northfield and Davy Vain

[expand title=”Personnel” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

• Davy Vain – vocals
• Danny West – lead guitar
• James Scott – rhythm guitar
• Ashley Mitchell –  bass guitar
• Tom Rickard – drums [/expand]

[expand title=”Track Listing” trigpos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. Secrets
2. Beat the Bullet
3. Who’s Watching You
4. 1000 Degrees
5. Aces
6. Smoke and Shadows
7. No Respect
8. Laws Against Love
9. Down for the 3rd Time
10. Icy
11. Without You
12. Ready [/expand]

[expand title=”Singles” tripos=”above” tag=”h22″]

1. Beat the Bullet
2. Who’s Watching You [/expand]

In my eternal quest to uncover every hair-teased rock band from the mid ’80s to the early ’90s, I came across this CD at a yard sale. I had no clue what to expect as I had never heard of the band Vain before. But upon flipping the case over I was more than pleased to see 5 guys who had “the look.” No, not the look of a pop glam rock band wearing pounds of make-up looking pretty (I’m looking at you Poison, Jetboy, and Cinderella), but the look of a band who lived in the gutter, got into bar fights after their own concerts, and most definitely was into some heavy drinking and drugs. Don’t get me wrong, they were glam alright, just look at that hair, but they carried themselves with a little more attitude. Was I going to shell out the $1 for this unknown Vain album? You bet your ass I was. What did I think when I popped it in my CD player on the way home? It was one of the best finds I had ever come across.

Vain formed in 1985 but wouldn’t see an album release until 1989 with their debut No Respect. But that made no difference to the members as they were already considered a major act, appearing on the cover of Kerrang! magazine before they ever signed a major record deal. While L.A. was far and away the place to be when recording any hard rock music during the ’80s, San Francisco was slowly gaining some recognition with bands like Vain, Jetboy, and Sea Hags. Vain would be the most popular of those 3, and No Respect is often heralded as one of the best Sleaze Rock albums ever created.

No Respect oozes with sexuality driven by creator and frontman Davy Vain as his technique often includes moaning his lyrics as if he were getting a succulent blow-J at that very moment. While each song is unique and different from one another, the entire album has a distinctive sound that you know could ONLY have come from this album and none of their other efforts. Most notably you can hear drummer Tom Rickard’s furious lashing on the drums from song to song, but nothing compares to his slow, heavy, and methodical style on the song “Smoke and Shadows.” It is a slower song but that doesn’t make it soft. The drums have a bit of an echo-sound that makes me wonder if he met up with John Bonham for a drum-off in a castle somewhere. The guitar is especially distorted and gritty and shines with a lack of distraction from other instruments. “Smoke and Shadows” can only be classified as slow and heavy and worth every second of its nearly 6 minute excursion. “1000 Degrees” falls along a somewhat similar pattern as “Smoke and Shadows” but has a much heavier sexual overtone and a hair more speed.

Tracks such as “Secrets,” “Beat the Bullet,” “Who’s Watching You,” and “Ready” will have you banging your head and trying to start a mosh-pit in your mom’s kitchen with your family. She’ll most certainly tell you to remove your Walkman at the dinner table and you’ll absolutely have to punch your fist into the bowl of mashed potatoes to make it known that you can’t tell Vain what to do. The first 3 tracks on the album are uptempo, fast, and mildly heavy, but “Beat the Bullet” is possibly the best radio-track on the entire album. It’s perfectly composed and features a catchy and energy-laden chorus that makes you think Davy Vain is about to bust a nut when he screams “more more more.”

With the exception of the slower poor attempt at a ballad in “Without You” (by far the worst track on the album and was possibly forced at the demands of the label), the rest of the songs on this 12-track masterpiece fall on middle grounds in terms of heaviness, speed, and musicianship. “Laws Against Love” and “Aces” have especially catchy choruses but fail to make much of an impression. The title track “No Respect” features some interesting lyricism about wanting a girl so bad that you’ll allow her to abuse you and mistreat you because you have no self respect. Davy Vain says, “Go ahead and use me baby, when it comes to you, ain’t got no self respect. No respect for myself baby. Mistreat me right.” Unique lyrics for a rock band, to say the least.

The writing in No Respect is varied but mostly deals with sexuality and insecurities. Davy Vain really wears his emotions on his sleeve and put it all out there for everyone to hear. A recurring theme is desire for sex and acceptance. Songs such as “Down for the 3rd Time” and “Laws Against Love” really detail Davy Vain’s struggles with love, sexuality, desire, and insecurities. “Baby cries, she knows he’s outside. She’d die to be by his side” from the song “Down for the 3rd Time” says a lot about people who would do anything to be loved. And “Excuse me if I’m trembling but with you it’s really love” from the song “Laws Against Love” is an interesting piece showing some of the singer’s insecurities. Rock Stars are expected to be cocky and downright confident, but Davy Vain took a different approach by being honest and touching on daily struggles with intimacy.

Overall, No Respect is a criminally underrated and forgotten album from the Hair Metal movement of the mid to late ’80s. Most will never get a chance to experience this album, but all of these songs are on YouTube so it’s worth a look. With a variety of high-energy rock, slightly detained pyrotechnic guitar work from lead guitarist Danny West, unique lyrics, and an overall darker sound than Vain’s pop-metal contemporaries, No Respect deserves much more recognition than it ever got. Unfortunately Vain’s 2nd album, which was recorded and fully mixed in 1991, wouldn’t actually see a release until 2010 and may have kept them from fully reaching their potential. Regardless, No Respect is a sleaze metal classic worthy of any collection.

Reviewed by Nerdberry