L.A. Guns (Vertigo) 1988 L.A. GUNS
L.A. Guns was formed by former Guns
N' Roses guitarist Tracii Guns in 1987. Teaming with ex-Girl vocalist
Phil Lewis, former W.A.S.P. drummer Steve
Riley, bassist Kelly Nickles, and guitarist Mick Cripps, Guns adhered to the
Aerosmith-derived raunch of his former
band. L.A. Guns released their self-titled first album in 1988
L.A. Guns (Vertigo) 1988
1. "No Mercy"
(2:45)
2. "Sex Action" (3:38)
3. "One More Reason" (3:05)
4. "Electric Gypsy" (3:24)
5. "Nothing to Lose" (4:12)
6. "Bitch Is Back" (2:50)
7. "Cry No More" ( 1:20)
8. "One Way Ticket" (4:17)
9. "Hollywood Tease" (2:43)
10. "Shoot For Thrills" (4:24)
11. "Down in the City" (3:58)
OK boyz, let's strap on our bullet belt, black leather pants, tease our hair, light up a Marlboro, and let the fight begin. L.A. Guns comes out fighting on their 1988 debut. Musically these guys are usually described as pop metal, but in reality, L.A. Guns side-stepped the glam and schlock of the L.A. strip scene and bring forth an honest and heavy rock 'n roll record, mixing a street version of Kiss with a polished version of early Crue. There are some similarites to Tracii Guns former band, Guns 'n Roses. I am sure the comparisons to G'n R burned Tracii Guns to no end, however, there is almost no way of not comparing the two. Since Tracy Guns formed Guns 'n Roses with Axl, there are comparisons that will inevidably be made. The big difference is that L.A. Guns lacks the charasmatic vocals that Axl Rose offers for his band. Philip Lewis, despite not having that same charm and draw that Axl has, can actually sing and does a more than commendable job on this platter. Lyrically the band travels down similar sleezy roads as every other L.A. band to come out of the Whiskey or Roxxy. This debut actually did well for the band generating a minor hit with "Sex Action" and landing the boyz a tour opening for AC/DC on their '88 Blow Up Your Video Tour. It's also worth mentioning that drummer Steve Riley, used to be in W.A.S.P.
L.A. Guns - Cocked & Loaded (Vertigo) 1989
1. "Letting Go"
(1:22)
2. "Slap in the Face" (3:54)
3. "Rip and Tear" (4:11)
4. "Sleazy Come Easy Go" (4:01)
5. "Never Enough" (4:10)
6. "Malaria" (5:22)
7. "The Ballad of Jayne" (4:30)
8. "Magdalaine" (6:05)
9. "Give a Little" (3:29)
10. "I'm Addicted" [Guitar Solo] (1:51)
11. "17 Crash" (3:39)
12. "Showdown (Riot on Sunset)" (3:18)
13. "Wheels of Fire" (4:56)
14. "I Wanna Be Your Man" (3:36)
Down and dirty Hollywood Strip metal. Tracii Guns and his ragtag crew of glamsters put forth one of their finest albums ever. "Cocked & Loaded" manages to have that fun, party sound without sounding corny, but also manages to embrace the harder rocking side of the genre, stearing clear of the Poison/Warrant light weight stuff. "Never Enough" gained some success on MTV. "The Ballad of Jayne," is a tribute to actress Jayne Mansfield and was a Top 40 hit as well. "Give A Little" has an addictive Aerosmith-like groove.
L.A. Guns - Hollywood Vampires (Vertigo) 1991
1. "Over The Edge"
(5:41)
2. "Some Lie 4 Love" (3:34)
3. "Kiss My Love Goodbye" (4:42)
4. "Here It Comes" (4:37)
5. "Crystal Eyes" (5:54)
6. "Wild Obsession" (4:14)
7. "Dirty Luv" (4:29)
8. "My Koo Ka Choo" (4:06)
9. "It's Over Now" (4:10)
10. "Snake Eyes Boogie" (2:56)
11. "I Found You" (3:43)
12. "Big House" (4:12)
LA Guns' third album, "Hollywood Vampires" was released at the very tail end of the pop-metal era that dominated the 80s and early 90s, and just before the onslaught of the depressing grunge revolution. "Hollywood Vampires" pretty much takes up where "Cocked & Loaded" (1989) left-off, but this time the band incorporates some old-school Aerosmith-inspired, blues-based, boogie-grooves and a much slicker production, thanks to producer Micheal James Jackson. I think this cleaner production was to the band's detriment. It takes away a bit of the band's heaviness, which turned off a lot of fan. Still, this album is chock full of Hollywood attitude and memorable hooks, so there is no reason why it shouldn't have been huge. Perhaps if it had been released just a year earlier, it might have broken L.A. Guns into the mainstream. As it stands, "Hollywood Vampires" is a forgotten gem from that time when lipstick, hairspray, leather and spikes ruled the scene.
L.A. Guns - Vicious Circle (Polydor) 1995
1. "Face Down" (4:11)
2. "No Crime" (2:34)
3. "Long Time Dead" (3:22)
4. "Killing Machine" (3:27)
5. "Fade Away" (4:11)
6. "Tarantula" [instrumental] (:56)
7. "Crystal Eyes" (5:53)
8. "Nothing Better To Do" (2:51)
9. "Chasing The Dragon" (4:50)
10. "Kill That Girl" (3:12)
11. "I'd Love To Change The World" (3:39)
12. "Who's In Control (Let 'Em Roll)" (4:02)
13. "I'm The One" (2:26)
14. "Why Ain't I Bleeding" (4:32)
15. "Kiss Of Death" (5:54)
L.A. Guns attempted a comeback in 1995 with Vicious Circle, the first album in three years from the Hollywood, California metal band. The result is a much heavier album with an almost modern Skid Row flavor. The band clearly doesn't want to embrace the new breed of depressing grunge rockers that owned the world in '94, but they certainly attempted to update their sound here. Along with hair cuts, the band has also cut away most of the 80's Sunset Strip sound, adding in a heavier punk rock aggression and sound much more reactive and a bit darker as well. One of the things I have always enjoyed about L.A. Guns style of metal is that it wasn't about political banter, agendas and such, rather they were just about enjoying life and having fun. I think the band somehow managed to keep that feeling in this CD while at the same time gaining that darker edge. Tracks like "Killing Machine" are full blown heavy metal tracks, this one even pushing the boundries of power metal. "Fade Away" is a rather mystical sounding tune. "Crystal Eyes" is a catchy ballad, while album opener "Fade Away" is just an angry rocker. Perhaps not the band's finest platter but certainly a good comeback album.
L.A. Guns - Waking the Dead (Spitfire Records) 2002
1. "Don't Look at
Me That Way" (4:00)
2. "Ok Let's Roll" (3:54)
3. "Waking the Dead" (3:23)
4. "Revolution" (3:26)
5. "The Ballad" (521)
6. "Frequency" (4:38)
7. "Psychopathic Eyes" (3:04)
8. "Hellraisers' Ball" (3:23)
9. "City of Angels" (3:39)
10. "Don't You Cry" (4:22)
Put this one with Britny Fox's Springhead Motorshark as a great mixture of old and new. (Actually Springhead Motorshark came out a year after this one.) This is the L.A. Guns in full throttle; music straight out of the L.A. strip but with a more modern edge and approach. In other words, they stay true to their roots and yet still manage to sound current and vital. Original L.A. Gunner vocalist Phil Lewis really rounds out the bands sound. It's almost like the cherry on top of the hot fudge sundae, it just makes it that much more appealing.
L.A.
Guns - Rips the Cover Off (Shrapnel) 2004
1. "Rock N Roll Outlaw"
(3:24)
2. "I Just Want To Make Love To You" (2:48)
3. "Tie Your Mother Down" (3:45)
4. "Until I Get You" (4:50)
5. "Wheels Of Steel" (4:49)
6. "Nobody's Fault" (4:22)
7. "Custard Pie" (3:09)
8. "Moonage Daydream" (3:53)
9. "Marseilles" (4:47)
10. "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (3:21)
11. "Search & Destroy" (3:18)
BONUS TRACKS
12. "Revolution" [live] (3:39)
13. "Don't Look At Me That Way" [live] (4:06)
LA Guns, minus Tracii Guns, return in '04 with a disc full of classic covers. Covers of classic hard rockers like Queen, Foghat, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, Bowie, and Iggy prove that LA Guns basically came from the same school of rock and roll that the rest of us came from. All the songs here are capably covered, but some of my favorites are Saxon's "Wheels of Steel" and Foghat's "I Just Want To Make Love To You". These two bands are rarely covered, but both are deserving. Actually, "I Just Want To Make Love To You" was originally a Willie Dixon composition but Foghat re-arranged and made the song their own. The gunners stick pretty close to the Foghat version of the song, obviously playing homage to the 70's boogie rockers. The band's choice in Aerosmith covers was excellent. "Nobody's Fault" is one of 'Smith's heavier numbers, although I think that Testament pulled off a better cover. Vocalist Phil Lewis has a unique voice and does a good job here. He sounds especially good on Bowie's "Moonage Daydream", Rose Tattoo's "Rock n Roll Outlaw" and Iggy's "Search and Destroy", a song that had also been recently covered by Def Leppard. I know many people look down on 'tribute albums' as a whole, but personally I really enjoy them, and "Rips the Cover Off" is no exception.