A lot of interesting things were happening on the rock music scene in the year of 1992. To many itās even the last year of true hard rock before the grunge movement completely took over the industry. It was an expected change, to be honest; after all, hard rock/glam rock was dominating for far too long and people were intrigued by the new alternative scene, making its way during the late ā80s. Still, rock music enjoyed a couple of more successful years, before it was completely overshadowed by grunge and modern rock music, styles and directions, especially from the mid-90s onwards. Of course, well-established rock acts, like Def Leppard, Van Halen, Bad Company, Bon Jovi, Asia and heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Metallica were still going strong and producing great albums during the ā90s. Ā
1992 is a colossal year for rock music and not just because I was born in 1992 (š). That magical year gave birth to some of the most outstanding rock releases and presented long-awaited comebacks of major names, such as Eric Clapton, Bon Jovi, Dream Theater, Def Leppard, Asia and others. Moreover, bands that debuted in the late ā80s, such as Giant and Slaughter jumped into 1992 with strong sophomore albums. 1992 marked a couple of splendid debut releases as well, including the German hard rock band Fair Warningās first self-titled album. Some not so pleasant things also happened in 1992, including the disbandment of White Lion, Europe and Ratt. Nevertheless, my final verdict is that 1992 distinguished itself as a smashing rock&roll year. To prove my statement, [My Rock Mixtapes] presents to you 15 admirable rock releases that made 1992 one of the good years of rock!
Bad Company – Here Comes Trouble
The last Bad Company album to feature the fantastic voice of Brian Howe, titled āHere Comes Troubleā was released in September, 1992. The title track, along with memorable AOR classics like āHow About Thatā and āThis Could Be the Oneā, enjoyed a significant amount of airplay on radio stations, making quite the splash in 1992. The album was an absolute fan-favorite, though it most certainly couldnāt compete with the commercial success of their previous releases.
It took Bad Company three years to release the follow-up to āHere Comes Troubleā. āCompany of Strangersā showcased a brand-new sound, courtesy of lead vocalist Robert Hart.
Giant – Time to Burn
Giantās sophomore album, āTime to Burnā became reality in the early spring of 1992. The follow-up to their successful 1989 debut, āLast of the Runawaysā didnāt get the attention it deserved, despite the bandās obvious musical growth. From the fiery opening track āThunder and Lightningā to one of the most emotional power ballads of all time ā āLost in Paradiseā, the whole album showcased Giant as everything but your ordinary AOR band. With his beautiful voice, Dann Huff brought so much color to the spring of 1992. āThunder and Lightingā and āStayā are some of the other gems from āTime to Burnā which received some considerable time on the classic rock radio stations. Overall, this album remains highly underrated, despite being one of the best releases of 1992, in my opinion. It took Giant 9 years to come back with āIIIā, which is also worthy of checking out.
Def Leppard – Adrenalize
After releasing one of the most important and definitive ā80s albums ā the blockbuster āHysteriaā, things were looking pretty good for Def Leppard. Unfortunately, another tragedy struck the guys from Sheffield just went they barely recovered from Rick Allenās life-changing accident. Guitarist Steve Clark died from alcohol poisoning in 1991. One thing we can say about Def Leppard is that they know how to rise from the ashes with great dignity and strength, despite the constant hardships. In the spring of 1992, after a couple of years of recording, they released āAdrenalizeā ā an album that gave the fans a chance to one last time listen to the killer riffs of Steve Clark. Splendid rockers like āHeaven Isā, āLetās Get Rockedā, āTonightā and āI Wanna Touch Youā stood the test of time and till today remain some of Leppardās most beloved songs. āAdrenalizeā achieved immense commercial success, topping the charts in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand and selling over three million copies. The strong grunge movement wasnāt able to stop the great Def Leppard!
Asia – Aqua
Asiaās first album with new singer John Payne was released in the early summer of 1992. Moreover, Asiaās original guitarist Steve Howe once again reunited with his old buddies after his departure, following the release of āAlphaā in 1983. The new and exciting line-up, armed with glorious, dangerous even, hard rock sound and top quality production are what made the album so good. John Payneās hard-edged vocals brought tons of appeal; not only that, he was like a breath of fresh air for Asia and their fans with his approach to songwriting. The album didnāt achieve much recognition, nor it caused a stir among the public; however, with songs like āWho Will Stop The Rainā, āSomedayā and āLay Down Your Armsā, āAquaā is most certainly one of the great gems of 1992.
Eric Clapton – Unplugged
In January 1992, armed with an acoustic Martin, backed by just a couple of musicians, in front of a small audience, legendary guitar hero Eric Clapton performed acoustic versions of original compositions, along with a few blues classics for the infamous MTV Unplugged TV series. In August, the concert album was out, becoming one of the first-ever MTV albums and consequently, a turning point in Eric Claptonās career. After a series of ā80s AOR jewels, including āAugustā and āJourneymanā, Clapton successfully went on to complete a once in a lifetime project, which critics often consider his best, most sincere release of all time. With so much class, splendid guitar work and emotions, no wonder āUnpluggedā stole so many Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Best Rock Male Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song. The tender and absolutely heartbreaking hit single “Tears in Heaven” went on to become one of Claptonās highest career achievements and ultimately the highlight of the concert record.
Fair Warning – Fair Warning
March was certainly the rock month of 1992! Despite achieving a moderate commercial success in Japan and some European countries, Fair Warning and the album itself didnāt really make a huge splash in the States, unfortunately. Every song on āFair Warningā is a glorious melodic rock anthem. From the power ballad āLong Goneā to the dangerous rockers āLonging for Loveā, āOne Step Closerā and āHang Onā ā the albums presents a great selection of breath taking AOR classics. Such passion, fuelling āFair Warningā can rarely be observed. I often consider this album as one of the most underrated debuts of all time! Fair Warning came back three years later with an equally appealing release, titled āRainmakerā.
INXS – Welcome to Wherever You Are
INXSā eight studio album, āWelcome to Wherever You Areā, marked a new musical direction for the Australian rockers. Amidst the war between grunge and rock, they just said āscrew itā and grabbed the sitar, called a 60-piece orchestra and did something they havenāt done before. On top of it all, the sound was more intriguing, different and much more raw than their previous releases. The album topped the UK charts; though things went downhill after that for INXS. Nevertheless, songs like āBaby Donāt Cryā and āNot Enough Timeā did achieve a certain amount of recognition and remained some of INXSā most beloved tracks. Ā Fans were impressed with the bandās new approach and some even call it āthe most welcoming INXS album everā. There is a reason for that, believe me!
Bon Jovi – Keep the Faith
āKeep The Faithā was a very important album for Bon Jovi because it marked a significant shift for the guys – they turned from glam rockers with the perfect ’80s sound and image to becoming a true rock&roll band of the 90s. Released in the end of 1992, the album did manage to create quite the fuss and excitement among fans. Romantic piano ballads and straightforward rockers, decorated with longer guitar solos and more meaningful lyrics, showcased Bon Joviās growth as a band. No wonder āKeep The Faithā sold over 2 million copies! The new and improved Bon Jovi was all fans could talk about and listen to. Impressive gems like āBed of Rosesā, āIn These Armsā, āI Believeā and the title track, of course, are pretty solid easons to fall in love with this album.
Great White – Psycho City
Great White warmed up the autumn of 1992 pretty well with their sixth studio album, titled āPsycho Cityā. The fact that the industry personnel preferred to give more attention to grunge music and screamed at the faces of bands like Great White that hard rock was dead, couldnāt change the fact that āPsycho Cityā was and still is a brilliant hard rocker, full of great music. Great White were not the ordinary āpoodle rockā band from the ā80s ā they had something special in them and I think that this album showcases this exact spark I am talking about. Exceptional songs, like the gentle āLove is a Lieā, āBig Goodbyeā, āI Want Youā and the bluesy āMaybe Somedayā prove that their sound was unique and definitely going in a more sophisticated direction. 2 years later, they released their acoustic album, named āSail Awayā.
Slaughter – The Wild Life
In April, 1992, Slaughter came back with an enthusiastic sophomore album that solidified their position as one of the talented, early ā90s rock bands that could actually produce something meaningful and impactful. Considered as one of their best effort, āThe Wild Lifeā presents variety, good old rock&roll and pretty much something for everyone. āDays Gone Byā, āReal Loveā, āThe Wild Lifeā and āOut for Loveā are just some of the tracks, displaying Slaughterās great potential and well-deserved fan adoration. It was indeed blown away by all those grunge bands who were dictating the music scene at that time, but still, itās an album that definitely made the spring of 1992 much more interesting.
Yngwie Malmsteen – Fire and Ice
The sixth studio album of guitar God Yngwie Malmsteen, titled āFire & Iceā was released in early 1992 and marks a return to more classical, baroque-influenced heavy metal music. As a matter of fact it could easily be considered as one of the best examples of how well classical and heavy metal music can co-exist, if approached with talent and creative mind. Every track on āFire & Iceā is a loud expression of virtuosity, brightened by relevant lyrics and enjoyable melodies. Malmsteen and Edmanās āCry No Moreā, āForever is a Long Timeā and the magnificent title track, of course, are just some of the mind-blowing guitar tornadoes which made quite the statement in 1992. Nothing much to add or say as a matter of fact ā the entire album is epic and able to please any fan of Yngwie.
Warrant – Dog Eat Dog
Fans and critics consider Warrantās āDog Eat Dogā as the bandās most solid effort, despite its weak chart and commercial performance, compared to their previous two releases. The LA-based hard rock band got overlooked, in favour of the solid grunge movement that occupied pretty much every corner of the music scene during that time; however, āDog Eat Dogā is still one of the strongest, most appealing releases of 1992 and nothing can change that. The album is harder, way more dangerous and sincere, but still managed to keep that fun and exciting glam-spirit that made them so famous in the late ā80s. āThe Hole in My Wallā, āBonfireā, āQuicksandā and āLet it Rainā are just ome of the tracks that stood out, proving that Warrant could easily compete and even rise above the big names, like Bon Jovi or Motley Crue. āDog Eat Dogā is a genuine heavy metal album and one of my personal 1992 favorite releases! Thereās just something so special going on there!
Skid Row – B-Side Ourselves
āB-Side Ourselvesā is Skid Rowās tribute to the bands that left the biggest imprint on their career. Thrilling cover versions of songs by The Ramones, Kiss, Judas Priest, Rush and The Jimi Hendrix Experience are what make the project so interesting and appealing to the public ā thereās just so much diversity, dressed up in obvious respect and passion towards their idols. “Delivering the Goods” is one of the most impressive points on āB-Side Ourselvesā because itās actually a live recording, featuring Judas Priestās Rob Halford sharing the mic with Sebastian Bach. Skid Rowās interpretation of Rushās āWhat Youāre Doingā is a personal favorite of mine ā Sebastian is absolutely killing it!
Iron Maiden – Fear of the Dark
1992 was a great year of heavy metal and Iron Maidenās āFear of the Darkā is one of the reasons why. The bandās ninth studio album also became the last one to feature lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson before his departure (thank God he came back later on). There seems to be an obvious division among fansā opinions when it comes to this album ā some find it weak, showcasing Iron Maidenās creative decline in the ā90s; while others think itās a solid masterpiece. Nevertheless, it did conquer the charts and it does have a huge amount of charm which pleases me and many other people, so thatās whatās important. As a matter of fact, the title track is one of my favorite Iron Maiden songs of all time! āFrom Here to Eternityā, āChains of Miseryā and āWasting Loveā are great rockers and perfect for fans who prefer lighter and catchier heavy metal hooks.
Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
One of the most definitive ā90s heavy metal albums is Panteraās āVulgar Display of Powerā, featuring a couple of the bandās most instantly recognizable tunes, such as āThis Loveā, āMouth for Warā and āWalkā. Moreover, the album went on to become the bandās best-selling album, achieving a double-platinum status in the USA. When it comes to this release, the title says it all ā āVulgar Display of Powerā is intense, forceful and full of rage and hostility. Thatās exactly why the metalheads love it so much! Heavier, darker and presenting more polished heavy metal sound, as compared to Panteraās 1990 āCowboys from Hellā, their 1992 release definitely stood the test of time and is still one of the mandatory records for any metal fan! Not to mention that it’s also the perfect representative of the groove-metal genre.
Megadeth – Countdown to Extinction
In the hot summer of 1992, Megadeth released āCountdown to Extinctionā ā an album full of classic heavy metal gems, such as “Symphony of Destructionā, āSkin Oā My Teethā and the title track, which even won an award for raising awareness for animal rights issues. The album was welcomed with open arms from both fans and critics, celebrating its melodic thrash qualities. As a matter of fact, āCountdown to Extinctionā was responsible for the bandās commercial breakthrough in the ā90s. No surprises there ā the album unveils confidence, pure thrash fury, killer riffs and some great hooks. It might had been quite difficult to top the success of āRust in Peaceā but Megadeth still produced a classic rock gem, which is equally intriguing and fascinating, at least to me that is.