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Aerosmith – Dude (Looks Like A Lady) (Tyler/Perry/Child) b/w Love In An Elevator (Live) (Tyler/Perry) & Walk This Way (Live) (Tyler/Perry)

1987

This was the track which confirmed Aerosmith as a credible hair metal act perfectly suited to capitalise on the MTV boom.

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry brought hitmaker supreme Desmond Child on board to beef up their late 80s songwriting and the transformation was awesome. Slick pop rock tunes combined with cutting edge video clips breathed new life into the Toxic Twins and sparked a golden era in Aerosmith’s chequered career. Read the rest of this entry »

Alice Cooper – Poison (Cooper/Child/McCurry) b/w Trash (Cooper/Frazier/Sever/Child) Ballad Of Dwight Fry (live) (Cooper/Bruce)

1989

When 70s shock rocker Alice needed to bring his sound bang up to date and compete with the new kids on the hair metal block he knew exactly who to turn to.

Enlisting the help of super producer and songwriter Desmond Child had worked for so many fellow rockers before and it worked again for the Coop.

Poison is still the most loved and instantly recognisable Alice tune for anyone under the age of 35 and more than two decades after it stormed the charts it still commands a key slot in his live show. Read the rest of this entry »

They’re one of rock’s great survivors and if they’re no longer Livin’ On A Prayer – all their prayers have been answered including that dream slot on X Factor – then Bon Jovi are still, at least, living.

With five number one albums under their belts in the UK alone it’s not as if Jon and the boys really need to work these days. Or at least they don’t have to work too hard.

But a lot of effort has gone into latest release The Circle and with an o2 Arena residency on the cards Bon Jovi is still a band demanding attention. So we’re giving them it in the shape of a full review.   Read the rest of this entry »

Like a Shane Warne over in the IPL we’ve got six of the best for you this week including the latest offering from Sunstorm featuring David Coverdale’s best mate Joe Lynn Turner (pictured).

It’s another big week for melodic rock with Hardline and The Trophy hitting the mark and not-to-be-missed newcomers 4Bitten releasing a tasty little debut.

Throw in the strangely addictive ska-core of Sonic Boom Six and a rock band from Belgium (!) in the shape of The Black Box Revelation and this is one of those weeks when we can confidently predict there really is something for everyone… Read the rest of this entry »

It’s back – the occasional series in which rushonrock fuses new releases with old classics to bring together two golden eras of our favourite music.

Now: 2008 Along Came A Spider (SPV) is Alice Cooper’s sensational 25th studio album and if the concept of a serial killer who chops off his victims’ legs isn’t too crazy to put you off then your reward is a record brimming with Cooper classics. 

Wake The Dead is our standout track with its addictive beat and bittersweet humour but there are moments of brilliance throughout. Cooper’s long-time pal Slash guests on the classy Vengeance Is Mine and Killed By Love is a trademark ballad from the man who brought us Only Women Bleed.

There really isn’t anything wrong with a record which feels so right and it’s little wonder ACAS gatecrashed the UK top 40 this month. That it was heading for chart oblivion after just two weeks is a damning indictment on the CD-buying public. We love it and so will you.

rushonrock rated: 8/10 Along Came A Classic.

…And Then: 1989 Trash (Epic) sparked the rebirth of the Coopmeister after almost a decade in the commercial doldrums. We loved Constrictor but the critics didn’t and after a series of so-called flops this was the record Alice needed to make.

Remembered as the home of chart-busting rock anthem Poison there is much more depth to Trash than one of hair metal’s all-time classics.

Boasting songwriting credits from the likes of Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Joan Jett, Desmond Child and even Diane Warren there are thrilling twists and turns on every track. Bed Of Nails is pure Cooper brilliance and Only My Heart Talkin is a lighter-waving monster of a ballad.

This is a record which every self-respecting rock fan in the late 80s simply had to own. The combination of Cooper’s rich heritage, wildman reputation and a raft of polished soft metal tunes made this classy album the perfect package. And of course there was Poison…

rushonrock rated: 9/10 Trash Bang Wallop