Released: January 27, 1990
Genre: Glam Metal / Hard Rock
Duration: 49:02
Label: Capitol
Producer(s): Dana Strum, Mark Slaughter
OVERVIEW
What an explosive start of a new decade! American hard rock band Slaughter debuted in January 1990 with what quickly turned into one of the best-selling and most beloved albums of the year. “Stick It To Ya” was like a much needed slap in the face – the audience was waiting for someone to come and finally wake them up! The ride, unfortunately, didn’t last that long. Slaughter became one of the last glam rock bands to enjoy a significant amount of success before that grunge wave wiped them all, together with other talented acts, such as Winger, Danger Danger, Giant and many more. Nevertheless, thankfully, they still managed to leave this beautiful piece of hard rock music behind and now, 27 years later, classics like “Fly to the Angels”, “Spend My Life”, “Up All Night” and “Eye to Eye” are still relevant and deeply appreciated by any rock fan out there.
Vocalist/rhythm guitarist Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum are the ones that deserve a standing ovation for what they showcased on “Stick it To Ya”. It’s such a rare selection of ear-shattering, soul-scratching, mind-blowing rockers – you jump from one track to another and you don’t even know what the hell is going on! All of a sudden your temperature goes up and you want to go do something wild! I gotta say, not many albums provoke such a strong physical reaction; it’s like my body is a volcano ready to erupt! “Eye to Eye” and “Burnin’ Bridges” are like a shot of adrenaline. Mark Slaughter is a one of a kind vocalist and he just knows how to trigger that hidden rebel spirit of yours with his rough, high-pitched voice. “Fly to the Angels” – one of the most beautiful ballads of all time and a #1 hit, is also among the main reasons why this album is such a treasure. There’s no way you will ever forget the touching melody or cruching lyrics of that song. “She Wants More” and “That’s Not Enough” are just a couple of the other standout sexy tunes, all set and done to knock your socks off. “You Are the One” is a personal favorite – a mid-tempo, romantic tune, perfect for any softie out there (like me).
Nothing more to say about “Stick It To Ya”, except – CRANK IT UP and enjoy it to the max! Slaughter became one of the best early-90s hard rock bands and I’m glad they came to the scene, though it was too little too late. Travel back to 1990 and experience Slaughter’s best effort so far (in my opinion). It absolutely deserves any second you will devote to it!
Another curious (lyrical) “Rock of Ages” moment is of course that empowering saying “It’s better to burn out, than to fade away” at the beginning. The lines are a reference to Neil Young‘s song “My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)”. According to some sources, however, Joe Elliott saw those lines on someone’s T-shirt and took them for the song, without actually knowing who they belong to.
![[MIXTAPE] EUROPE In 10 Outstanding Rockers](https://thatmixtapewillrock.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/europe-band-collage.jpg?w=825&h=510&crop=1)
As a proud European, it’s only natural for me to be a huge fan of Europe; as a matter of fact they are among my most beloved hard rock acts of all time. I feel pretty excited to be writing this because the connection I share with those guys is too strong and I do have to say a thing or two about their fantastic career, spawning some of my favorite songs of all time.
I will wrap up my playlist with three hit singles from “The Final Countdown” (1986) – the spirited party-anthem, “Rock the Night”; the gentle power ballad, “Carrie”; and of course the monstrous hard rocker, “The Final Countdown”. Each of these tunes have its own uniqueness and became an absolute staple of ‘80s rock scene. You don’t have a party without “Rock the Night”, you don’t create a power-ballad playlist without “Carrie” and you don’t associate with people who don’t like “The Final Countdown” – simple as that!
Symphonic/progressive rock is my guilty pleasure and to people who know me it would come as no surprise that I am a HUGE fan of Jeff Lynne and Electric Light Orchestra. Records such as “Out of the Blue”, “Face the Music” and “Eldorado” have always been an inseparable part of my life. There is just something so magical about the music of ELO – immensely uplifting, spirited, incorporating elements of modern rock, classical music, friendlier pop-sounds, piano, string instruments, keyboards…It’s all mixed up in a perfect (at least to me) symphonic rock extravaganza.
The debut album topped the US Billboard chart, spent 25 weeks on the UK Albums Chart and spawned three timeless hit singles. Fans, critics – everyone was giving it their stamp of approval. The music scene in the early 70s was drowning in flamboyancy and experimentalism – nothing wrong with that of course. Among the dazzling theatrics and extravagant musical innovations, “Bad Company” was the much needed “back to the roots” record. Unpretentious, quite simple even, the debut album creates the perfect bluesy, soulful, working class rock&roll atmosphere.
Bad Company’s secret weapon was the strong songwriting collaboration between vocalist Paul Rodgers and blues-based guitarist Mick Ralphs, both shining as bright as the Sun on the self-titled effort. Loaded with classic rock staples like “Can’t Get Enough”, “Rock Steady” and “Ready for Love”, the record was destined for success. Interestingly, even the more dynamic songs on “Bad Company” are fueled with a sense of danger, under an umbrella of gloom. That’s definitely the ultimate charm of the band and ultimately the record itself – moody but instantly captivating. I have always found an immense attachment to “Ready for Love” (original by Mott the Hoople). Paul Rodgers’ vocals absolutely did it for me – with his sensual, quite erotic even performance, he simply immortalized it. The title track is another high point from the record – I have never witnessed such a brilliant synergy between piano and rock&roll. Not to mention the intriguing theme of the song – a band of fugitives and “rebel souls” that carry nothing but trouble with them! Sounds like a good soundtrack, doesn’t it?
Time to funk things up ‘80s style!
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 