Slave To The Grind – Skid Row

Producer: Michael Wagener

Released: June 11, 1991

Rating: *****

If you followed these bands like I did, we read all the same magazines; Circus, Hit Parader, Metal Edge, Rip, Metallix, Faces etc. I scoured these rags every month, looking for release dates and all the dirt I could find about my favorite bands. Most of it was fluff, and a lot of the magazines recycled the same information. One of the things I got used to reading was how, “Our next album is going to be really heavy,” or, “The new album is the heaviest stuff we’ve done.” It’s almost as if the hair bands felt guilty about the metal lite music they’d been writing and recording. I can honestly say that in almost every circumstance when a band made this statement, they followed it up by releasing an album of material that sounded like everything else they had released and in some cases, the music was lighter than previous recordings.

So, when Skid Row made this proclamation prior to releasing Slave To The Grind, I wasn’t holding my breath. Truth be told, it didn’t matter. Skid Row had the “gift of riff” and if they released an album as good as their debut effort, I could’ve cared less how heavy it was. Much to my surprise, Slave To The Grind was indeed “heavier” than the band’s self titled, debut release and it kicked ass.

Not only was the album heavier, but the lyrical content was much angrier. A lot of the “anger” in metal music is contrived and therefor not believable. Lucky for Skid Row, the volatile on stage antics of lead singer Sebastian Bach resulted in some well-earned scrutiny. Bach was young enough and therefor naive enough to believe that his behavior and the resulting criticism should be mutually independent of each other. Regardless, the band was pissed off and came out swinging in round two.

The album’s opening track and first single, Monkey Business is a riff heavy track that any metal head can sink their teeth into. Probably one of my favorite Skid Row tunes. The album’s title track, Slave To The Grind, is up next and is clearly an indictment of the 9 to 5 lifestyle. The album’s real treat, and one of the band’s unspoken gems is the third track, The Threat. An obvious condemnation of a “cruel” society, this tune has a killer riff and Bach’s performance is top-notch. The background vocals are dripping with cynicism as the band offers, “Hard line, you’ll see. Once you’ve made your mark, you’ve made a threat to society.”

Quicksand Jesus is the first of three moody tracks found on Slave To The Grind, two of which (including this one and In A Darkened Room) tackle the doubting of one’s faith and religion. Most of the lyrics found on Slave To The Grind are a departure from the clichés found on the typical hair metal tunes. Psycho Love is one of two exceptions, but still has a kick-ass groove.

Skid Row released two versions of Slave To The Grind. The censored version included Beggar’s Day. The tune has a slick riff, but somewhat forgettable lyrics. The “alternate” uncensored version included the track, Get The Fuck Out. On the surface this song may seem like a typical, somewhat generic track. With one of the album’s best riffs, Get The Fuck Out is an extremely satirical look at the life on the road, one night stands that every rock star can relate to. This is a classic hard rock tune.

The second half of the album offers some killer tracks including the infectious Livin’ On A Chain Gang, which probably showcases Bach’s best performance on Slave To The Grind. Creepshow is somewhat forgettable, but the frenetic Riot Act and sleazy grind of Mudkicker help make this album killer from start to finish. Closing out the album is the heart wrenching Wasted Time, a haunting track about drug addiction. It’s an unusual choice to end the album, but somehow in the context of all the other tracks it works.

Slave To The Grind is not only Skid Row’s masterpiece, but it was the last album of its kind for the band. They’d record one more with Sebastian Bach, but Subhuman Race was a vast departure in style and sound. During the Soundscan era, Slave To The Grind was the first heavy metal album to debut at #1 on the Billboard Charts.

Skid Row – Skid Row

 

Producer: Michael Wagener

Released: January 24, 1989

Rating: **** 1/2

When this album was released in 1989 I was a freshman in high school. This style of music literally provided the soundtrack to my youth. At the time, I was naive enough to believe that my “brand” of music would last forever. I wasn’t old enough to understand that music is a style or trend just like clothes or hair styles. By 1989 hair metal was on cruise control and there was very little originality left in the music being released. The cookie cutter formula was in place and the record companies were counting their fortunes. Lucky for fans of the genre, there were still a few albums of our favorite anthemic music that were released late in the game that would become classics. Skid Row‘s self titled debut release was one of these albums.

The album was an instant, mega hit. When listening to the three hit singles 18 And Life, I Remember You and Youth Gone Wild it’s easy to understand why. More impressive is the rest of the album. This is one brilliantly crafted record. The album’s stand out tracks include Sweet Little Sister, Can’t Stand The Heartache (my favorite track), Rattlesnake Shake, Here I Am and Makin’ A Mess.  This album is like a drug. The more you listen, the more you want. You keep waiting for the album to let you down and it really never happens. Sure, the album’s closing track Midnight/Tornado isn’t the greatest, but perhaps that’s because of the strength of the 10 previous tunes. Plus, the instrumental portion of the tune (Tornado) kicks ass.

Oddly, I did not gravitate toward this album or band upon its initial releases. The chicks were madly in love with heart-throb, lead singer Sebastian Bach. “Bullshit,” I thought to myself, “It should be about the music not about how hot the lead singer is.” This was a ridiculous argument considering my bedroom walls were wall papered with pictures of “artists” such as Poison, Ratt and Warrant. It wasn’t long before I got the itch and “dubbed” a copy of the Skid Row cassette from a friend. Somehow, listening to a copy of the album rather than one I purchased rationalized things in my mind. Great logic, I know. Not long after this I picked up a copy of the album on CD. I could not deny that I was a fan of Skid Row, the band and the album.

Over 20 years later and I stand behind that decision. What makes this album hold up over time is the top-notch song writing and killer production. This album was released around the same time that bands like Warrant and Firehouse were gaining popularity. While those two bands are phenomenal and were very successful, they were also more pop than metal. Skid Row definitely had a harder edge, earning them respect from the metal crowd.

There’s no denying that a good portion of the band’s and album’s success is due to the powerhouse talent of lead singer, Sebastian Bach. Just 20 years old when the band recorded their debut album (at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin of all places) Bach brought unbelievable vocal power into the genre at a time when singers were starting to sound more like crooners. Sebastian displayed his metal chops on songs like Big Guns and Piece Of Me, but conveyed absolute tenderness in tunes like 18 And Life and especially, I Remember You.

Bach not only provided kick-ass vocal performances (in the studio and on the stage), but also stirred up plenty of controversy. In 1989 Bach was hit in the head with a bottle while on stage opening for Aerosmith. Bach then picked up the bottle and threw it back in the audience, hitting a woman (who had not thrown the bottle) in the face. Bach then dove in the audience after the guy who tossed the bottle at him. Not long after this, Bach appeared on stage with a t-shirt that read, “AIDS Kills Fags Dead.” While I do not support that sentiment, there is no denying that these kind of controversial events fuel album sales.

At the end of the day, the reason this album was so successful and sounds fresh two decades later is the strength of the songs. Most impressive is that all of the tracks were penned by the band and the band only (most of the songs were written by Rachel Bolan and Dave “The Snake” Sabo). No outside song writers were used. In an odd twist of fate, rumor has it that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora received all the publishing rights to the album in return for helping the band get signed. For all those keeping score at home, publishing is how bands/artists/song writers make money. If a song is used in a movie, television program or commercial, those who own the publishing rights are the ones who cash checks. According to the always accurate Wikipedia, Sambora eventually gave his share back to the band.

Skid Row would go onto record one more (really) great album before they suffered the same fate as most of the hair bands. For a very brief moment, however, it did seem that Skid Row might be able to outlast any trends or unfortunate labels. This album is a must have for fans of hard rock, not just hair metal fans.