You know, it’s pretty unfortunate when an album or a song define the entire career of a band or an artist. It’s even more unfortunate when we talk about a band with true talent and potential.
This is the story of WARRANT and their sophomore album, named “Cherry Pie”. To commemorate its anniversary, I decided to go back to that pivotal year for Warrant and remind everyone of some key facts and songs , surrounding its release and legacy. Before I move on with my rambling, I would like to emphasize that I am not one of those people who unfairly judge Warrant or put unnecessary labels on them. I am one of those fans who can differentiate between doing something with your heart and doing something because of environmental pressures. Yes, I am talking about that infamous title song that turned from a blessing to a curse and haunted their career for a while. If you ask true rock music fans, all of them will tell you that Warrant were and still are mind-blowing and will certainly point out a favorite song that’s not going to be “Cherry Pie”. But for the uncultured mass – you say Warrant, they say “Cherry Pie”. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a fun song, a song that everyone knows and had once danced to. But let’s talk about the rest of the album because in case you forgot, it contains the unbelievable tracks “I Saw Red”, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and “Blind Faith”.
Warrant’s sophomore album was released in September 11, 1990 and it quickly turned into one of the biggest albums of the year, mostly thanks to its title song. “Cherry Pie” (the track) was written in 15 minutes by Jani Lane, after the president of their label demanded they record an easy-to-sell sexy rock anthem, similar to “Pour Some Sugar on Me” or “Dr. Feelgood”, probably. I’m not going to go into detail about the track but watch any interview with Jani (may he rest in peace) and you will see what his genuine feelings are, in regards with the top10 hit.
The brilliant track “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” was originally supposed to be the first single and the name of the album. To many fans this track remains one of Warrant’s most memorable works and the highlight of the album, undoubtedly.
“I Saw Red” is in my humble opinion the most special and beautifully-delivered track on the album. When the singer and song-writer had actually experienced every word, the connection we, the listeners, establish is much stronger and easier to create. Deep, meaningful and painful songs like this one are the reason why feel alive when listening to music. The singles are not all of it, though! “Love in Stereo”, “Mr. Rainmaker” and “Bed of Roses” are a few of my other favorites and songs that deserve a play or two.
The entire album showcases a solid musical progression and a bunch of dedicated musicians, striving for growth and ready to learn. The guitars are more prominent, the lyrics are more thoughtful (courtesy of Jani Lane) and more room was left open for keyboards, elaborate arrangements and new musical styles and elements. You can label it as a “party album” but that will never really be the case for me…
Feel free to tell me what you think about this album while listening to the great tunes below:
Def Leppard‘s “Hysteria” is turning 30 years old and we can’t but think about the monumental importance of this release. Not only did this album set new production and song-writing standards but it also demonstrated how important it is to not lose the human aspect when you’re aiming for the sky. 
*) “Hysteria” is the last 
*) The album artwork was designed by legendary graphic designer Andie Airfix who also did the album covers of “Pyromania” and “Adrenalize”. The front image of “Hysteria” represents a terrifying man, transforming into an animal – or it can be the other way around. His presence on the artwork is directly related with and represents the lead single of the album – “Animal” as well as the lyrics of the song. The song itself is about humans’ wild, primitive and rather intense and crazy animalistic nature.
We all know the facts – AC/DC lost their frontman Bon Scott in the beginning of 1980. The decision on whether to continue as a band or not had to be taken (and it had to be taken quickly). Following up the tragic death of the voice and face of the band, AC/DC were facing numerous difficulties and the thought of quitting wasn’t that far actually. Newly-recruited frontman, Brian Johnson was also dealing with many obstacles as the new vocalist. Things were shaky there for a while BUT thanks to one brilliant producer, famous for his precision and obsession with achieving the perfect sound, AC/DC crafted a sound that ended up bringing “Back in Black” the “second-best selling album of all time” title (the first is, of course, MJ’s “Thriller”.) That’s right, I’m talking about the influential producer Mutt Lange who stepped in with brand new approaches and guided the birth of “Back in Black” – an album that perfectly captured the electrifying energy, astonishing technical and lyrical arrangements and a new and reborn AC/DC, ready to take over the world. The album was released in 1980 and it quickly became their most critically respected album. It spawned 4 huge singles – “You Shook Me All Night Long”, “Hells Bells”, “Back in Black” and “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution”, all of which redefined hard rock music and left a mark that can never be erased!
In 1987, Guns N’ Roses blew up the music industry by exploding onto the national scene with their first and best album! In addition to being one of the best-selling albums of all time, “Appetite for Destruction” also happens to be the best-selling debut album in history of music! What a debut that was! Not only did it peaked at the number one spot on the Billboard 200 Chart, but it also reached top 10 positions in Australia, Canada, Norway and Sweden.
As we all know, Def Leppard’s “Hysteria” will celebrate its 30th anniversary this August 3rd. Yes, that’s right – one of the most breathtaking and era-defining albums of the ’80s was released in 1987 and it completely changed the rules of the game. To commemorate the anniversary and because this is my favorite album of all times, I decided to prepare a little project, featuring YOU – the other beautiful members of the rock brigade from all over the world. Let’s all gather together as a community and show the world how much we LOVE Def Leppard and this album! 
Europe already had the talent, the potential and the charisma to become a worldwide rock sensation but ultimately, it was “The Final Countdown” that was responsible for their international breakout. In addition to the great lyrical and musical value, I guess one of the most appealing aspects of this album was that each song has its own unique background and history that in a couple of cases goes way before Europe even thought about releasing this album. Take the title song for example – Joey Tempest composed that riff in the early ’80s when he was so young! Thankfully he didn’t use it back then. You know what they say, timing is everything! This song appeared exactly when it had to on the right album, with the right producer. It just all fell into place. Those David Bowie-inspired lyrics were just the final piece of the puzzle. Voila! We ended up with this stimulating, life-changing, eye-opening tornado of a song that we can’t just let go, even after 30 years.
It’s a cold November morning and I am sitting here, at my university, waiting for my next classes to come. My headphones are on because well, music is basically the only thing besides the warm coffee in my hands that actually gets me going through the day. You can find all sorts of treasures on my music player – mostly ‘70s and ‘80s hard rock and the occasional new wave/pop retro tune. After a series of glam rock favorites, suddenly I hear the stunning intro of Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” and just like that, a little smile appears on my face as I silently start singing along with the haunting vocals of Brad Delp. It was this gorgeous song that introduced me to Boston and their debut album. I had no idea who they were as musicians or what they did – all I wanted was to listen and dive as deep as I can into the album, I was simply entranced… The song was over way too soon, but my thoughts kept on sending me back to that glorious year – 1976. I, of course, wasn’t born during the ‘70s but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate or truly feel the magic and impact of such brilliant music.
Who could’ve thought that Tom Scholz – a MIT graduate who worked at the Polariod Corporation would come up with the perfect sonic formula and craft rock music that will change history? It all started as a mere fascination but it didn’t take him that long to realize that his connection with music goes way beyond a simple hobby. He assembled a little cozy record studio in his basement where he would spend countless of sleepless nights in an attempt to create the perfect song. Tom was a persistent, goal-driven visionary who knew his way around the studio and didn’t let anyone else take that away from him. Even when the band was finally signed to EMI and the album was about to be released, Tom always stayed true to himself. He wrote or co-wrote (with the exception of “Let Me Take You Home Tonight,” written by Delp) all the songs on the debut album, played all the instruments, recorded, engineered and pretty much did everything by himself. Mad genius, working in a basement or not, it was his demons that changed the rules of the game at the end.
After they changed the name of the band from Mother’s Milk to Boston, it was time to come up with a revolutionary album artwork that could perfectly represent the concept of the album. Again, the idea was given by Scholz who wanted a “spaceship guitar”, symbolizing “escape”. Three people participated in the design, illustration and lettering, before we were finally presented with the final product. The eye-catching and highly intriguing sci-fi logo became an absolute landmark and one of the most instantly-recognizable album covers.
MY ROCK MIXTAPES 