TheSpirit
Brandon Scott
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Last Active 10-04-22 3:24 pm
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TheSpirit's Hair/Glam Metal Classics

Glam metal is rightfully one of the most derided genres of metal, but that doesn't mean there weren't some top-notch and downright classic albums that spawned from that decade of decadence. Here are my 10 favorite glam metal albums (not ranked except 1)
10Skid Row
Skid Row

Here in Philadelphia, we have a saying regarding New Jersey; it's trash. On their self-titled debut, Skid Row took that trashiness and glammified it, creating an album that had huge hooks, but defied the typical cleanliness of late 80's hair metal. Sebastian Bach was a step above most other hair metal vocalists (check the ending run in "18 and Life") and overall the band's musicianship better than most of their peers. Hair metal started to implode around 1989, but Skid Row's debut was stellar enough to hold it together a bit longer.
9Cinderella
Night Songs

There's not too much to say about Night Songs, other than it absolutely rules from top to bottom. Tom Keifer's glass-coated howl is iconic, and songs like "Shake Me" and "Nobody's Fool" are iconic for a reason.
8L.A. Guns
Tales From The Strip

Most people would put the self-titled or the infinity more popular Cocked & Loaded here, but Tales from the Strip is actually L.A. Gun's best and most consistent record. Coming out in 2005, it modernized the glam metal sound without losing the filth, and the playing is off the charts. Phil Lewis was always an inconsistent vocalist at best, but he really shines here. Stacy Blades guitar playing is also phenomenal here as well.
7Ratt
Out of the Cellar

Ratt were the godfathers of the LA strip scene, and for good reason. Out of the Cellar started their climb to the rock stardom, which is pretty impressive considering how much heavier it was than the majority of their contemporaries at the time. It's hard to deny the rockier Judas Priest influence (not to mention their harmonized solos) which paired surprisingly well with Stephen Pearcy's scratchy yelps. It would all kind of go downhill from here, but Out of the Cellar is an undeniable glam metal classic.
6Killer Dwarfs
Dirty Weapons

Probably more than any other album on this list, Dirty Weapons doesn't have anything special going on except (in my opinion) great, catchy songs. They are simple, they are straightforward, and they fit neatly into "glam metal" but they are solid with hooks for days.
5Motley Crue
Shout at the Devil

The members of Motley Crue have always been dicks, but for about 3 months in 1983 they were "satanic" dicks. Messing around with some occult paraphernalia, Shout at the Devil is inspired by darker things in life, particularly the seedy underbelly of L.A. And it's absolutely fantastic. Never before and never after has their been such a sleaze-filled yet legitimately heavy hair metal album. Mick Mars guitar tone is thick and filth-covered, Tommy Lee hits those fucking drums harder than anyone in existence and the banshee wails of Vince Neil just can't be replicated. Of course Nikki Sixx played a huge part, writing a majority of the music as well as lyrically depicting the hellscape of Hollywood i
4Def Leppard
Hysteria

I'm not 100% confident in calling this hair or glam metal, but it's close enough to fit the bill. Simply put, Joe Elliot and co. wrote the best goddamned hooks of the 80's. They were anthemic, they were a bit dirty, and they had this way of just worming their way into your brain. I could honestly see somebody having "Armageddon It" stuck in their head for 30 years.
3Whitesnake
Whitesnake

John Syke's lead playing has the smoothiest, silkiest tone I've ever heard and David Coverdale's voice is like butter on butter. One of the most suave hair metal albums ever.
2Guns N' Roses
Appetite for Destruction

Do i really need to?
1Motley Crue
Too Fast for Love

Loud, dirty, sloppy - Too Fast For Love is a glam metal album that was made by four punks who had no regard for the rules whatsoever. The hooks are off the charts catchy. It's sleazy and had some of the dirt (see what I did there) that was lost in the later era of the genre. Most of all, it's oddly sincere. Undeniably classic album whose importance can never be accurately quantified.
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