Year : 1991 (Vertigo Records Reissue 2017)
Style : Hard Rock , Glam Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans + Video
Size : 149 mb
Info:
L.A. Guns is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1983. As of 2013, the lineup consists of Phil Lewis (vocals), Michael Grant (guitar), Scott Griffin (bass) and Steve Riley (drums, percussion). The first incarnation of the group was formed by Tracii Guns in 1983, but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles group Hollywood Rose, becoming the first lineup of Guns N' Roses. The same year, the group was reformed by Guns and singer Paul Black adding Mick Cripps and Nickey Alexander. Black would soon be replaced by former Girl singer Phil Lewis while former Faster Pussycat bassist Kelly Nickels was added to the group. Later, Alexander would be replaced by former W.A.S.P. drummer Steve Riley with this being known as the "classic lineup" of L.A. Guns. They achieved moderate chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, the group went through numerous lineup changes (with Riley being the most consistent member) and failed to regain mainstream attention.The "classic lineup" of the group would reunite in 1999 and began recording new material. However, the group continued to change lineups and Guns eventually left to form the hard rock supergroup Brides of Destruction with Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe in 2002. L.A. Guns continued without Guns, bringing in guitarist Stacey Blades, however, following his decision to put Brides of Destruction on hiatus in 2006, Guns formed The Tracii Guns Band. The group's lineup consisted of former L.A. Guns members Black, Alexander as well as Jeremy Guns (though the lineup would eventually change), with the group eventually changing their name to L.A. Guns. Both groups continued to record and tour under the L.A. Guns moniker until 2012, when the Tracii Guns led version of the group disbanded.To date, L.A. Guns have released ten studio albums – L.A. Guns (1988); Cocked & Loaded (1989); Hollywood Vampires (1991); Vicious Circle (1995); American Hardcore (1996); Shrinking Violet (1999); Man in the Moon (2001); Waking the Dead (2002); Tales from the Strip (2005); and Hollywood Forever (2012), two extended plays – Cuts (1992); Wasted (1998) as well as a number of live and compilation albums.
Album:
Hollywood Vampires is the third release from iconic sleaze rockers L.A. Guns. It follows their two most influential albums, 1988’s self-titled release, and 1989’s Cocked And Loaded. Each album had middling success on the charts and sales wise, peaking at #50 and #38 respectively on the Billboard Hot 200 charts. Hollywood Vampires maxed out at #42 on the same chart in 1991. According to the mostly reliable Wikipedia, the singles “Kiss My Love Goodbye” and “It’s Over Now” would peak at number 16 and 25 respectively on the Mainstream Rock Chart, while “It’s Over Now” maxed out at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.Right from the opening song “Over The Edge”, you knew this would be a different L.A. Guns. Buddhist gongs and Asian laments set the tone for something completely different from Cocked And Loaded. Hollywood Vampires is mellower, and in my opinion, way over produced for the band’s style and legacy. One may call it a “maturing of sound” but I cry shenanigans to that. The time was mid ’91 and the record companies surely saw grunge on its way. Bands like Skid Row with Slave to the Grind and Van Halen with For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge were exploring a harder sound, but for some reason L.A. Guns chose a different route.Sure, there are still some interesting tracks. “Some Lie For Love” and “Kiss My Love Goodbye” revert to songs that could have worked on Cocked And Loaded. “Here It Comes” stands out in its own right as a sleaze throwback, as does “Wild Obsession.” But I find other tracks like “Dirty Love” or “My Koo Ka Choo” to be too forced and lacking in what I consider to be organic writing.And frankly, there are too many ballads or ballad-like songs for me to appreciate a good long listen of Hollywood Vampires without skipping all over the place. Let’s face it. “The Ballad Of Jayne” was a masterpiece and L.A. Guns have tried to recreate it several ways without success. “I Found You” is a plodding bore. “Crystal Eyes” has some emotion to it, which I can appreciate, but still comes across as your average power ballad. “It’s Over Now” is acceptable. I don’t mind that one so much. It’s just kind of “there”, neither a ballad, nor sleaze-worthy.Ultimately, I look back on Hollywood Vampires with melancholy. It wasn’t what the previous two L.A. Guns offerings were anything close to. I’ve listened to this album repeatedly over the past week, and find myself longing for some “Sex Action” or “Rip N Tear.” And, after sampling 1994’s Vicious Circle and other latter day recordings, it sure seems to me that Hollywood Vampires was a misplaced anomaly.
Line-Up:
Mick Cripps guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, keyboards, string arrangements, backing vocals
Tracii Guns lead guitar, acoustic guitars, slide guitar, backing vocals
Philip Lewis lead vocals
Kelly Nickels bass, backing vocals
Steve Riley drums, percussion, backing vocals
Tracklist:
01. Over the Edge
02. Some Lie 4 Love
03. Kiss My Love Goodbye
04. Here it Comes
05. Crystal Eyes
06. Wild Obsession
07. Dirty Luv
08. My Koo Ka Choo
09. It's Over Now
10. Snake Eyes Boogie
11. I Found You
12. Big House
13. Ain't The Same (Extra Bonus Track)
+ Video "It's Over Now" (Official Video)
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