Aw Yeah!!1982-1992.What a time period for music.Everybody waz trying to outdo each other.Every new band had bigger hair,pointier guitarz and flashier logos.It waz an amazing time.I spent that time period putting together,performing,writing and breaking up my band in nowhereland Michigan,but Hollywood waz in our mind's eye cuz these were the bands that waz gettin' all the chicks by looking like chicks but in ripped up spandex and pirate shirts.
Cleopatra Records have captured all that glittered in Hollywood in thier new book "Hollywood Rocks!"and they've done a damn fine job.This book has it all-rare picks of Guns N' Roses,Faster Pussycat,Poison,L.A.Guns and all the others,famous & infamous,that cluttered the streets & clubs of L.A. back when rock and roll waz all about RAWKIN' & ROLLIN',not contemplating thier bellybutton lint like they did in the 90's or whining like they do now.It waz all about the PARTY,and every page of this book smells just like we were all there.There's pages & pages of band flyers,live shots,magazine articles & band want ads culled from the collections of those who were really there for us that wished we were.
And now Cleopatra Records is asking for old recordings of bands that were there to compile a Hollywood Rocks Box Set planned for the near future!
Wanna see Axl Rose in lipstick & eyeliner?How about pix of Poison before C.C.Deville joined?Gilby Clarke with ratted up hair?It's even got pix of the band Lit when they were all glammed up and known as the band Razzle.It's all here.
If this doesn't inspire the kids to toss thier Staind cd in the garbage and invest in stock for those big tall purple cans of Aqua Net then there'z no hope for rock n' roll.Get it.GET IT NOW!
Ragz Ratez It A:10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The Darkness sure uses the word "motherfucker"alot.
I guess they have to to win pointz with the kiddiez nowdayz,since the music iz a throwback to the mid-eighties glory dayz of good ol'Butt Rawk-a little bit o KISS,a smidgeon of Queen and a whole lotta ATTITUDE!It takez some gettin' use to with the singers' vocals-kinda high pitched and warbly,but once ya do these toonz stick in your head and all the headbangin' in the world won't shake 'em loose!Yep,I do believe I have found the ALBUM OF THE YEAR here,all the thingz that makez The Ragzter wanna shake his shimmy too!And the video for "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"is a downright hoot!They battle a giant octopus in outer space,using thier geetarz az lazer shooting weapons.Take that Limp Bizkit!!
They rawk it up good here,loud geetarz,catchy choruses and even some soft spot here n' there for giving a use to the bic lighter besidez lightin' up a hootchie with.Rock and Roll haz finally seen the light,and it's The Darkness!!
Highly Recomended!
Ragz Ratez It A:9.5

 

I stumbled upon a cd by a new band called FLIPP!Obviously because of the cd's covers resemblance to KISS' first album I had to give it a listen.The cover isn't the only thing they have in common with KISS,the make-up of the lead singer is reminiscent of Paul Stanleys' & they even lift the guitar solo to "She"on one of thier songz-note fer note,obviously paying homage to the greatest band in the land!They also remind me alot of "One On One"era Cheap Trick with a touch of punk.It's a schlock n' rockin' good cd-fun,catchy & full of explosions!!Yay!Big rock is back!!I guess they also appeared in the Troma film "Terror Firma"which I need to dig out and watch again one of these dayz cuz there's just so much chaos in that movie it's hard to absorb it all in one sitting.Check out Flipp at http://www.flippcentral.com

Ragz Rates It A:8.25