The oldest rock shirt I own is a Skid Row O’ Say Can You Scream T-Shirt. That shirt has gone through close to 24 years of wear, tear and abuse but I still wear it out every now and then for two particular reasons:
- Because I think the shirt looks cool.
- Because I love Skid Row.
The first album was a product of its time (the late 80’s) but at least Skid Row had the sense to tone down the make up/spandex/hairspray image and go for a more casual, tougher leather and denim look. The first record might have been radio and MTV friendly but it was still heavier than what the likes of Poison and Warrant were doing at the time. You can even hear traces of the band’s punk influence on “Piece of Me” and “Sweet Little Sister.” To this day, I still find the lyrics to “Rattlesnake Shake” amusing. Ole Rachel Bolan has a way when it comes to playing with words.
After the success of the first album, the pressure had to be there to duplicate that success. Skid Row could have easily gone more commercial, which is what most bands in your situation do. I bet the temptation was there but instead Skid Row went: Fuck You Motherfuckers!! We do what we want!!! Although Slave To The Grind was not as massive hit as the first record it sold enough copies to make ‘The Man’ a decent chunk of change. By not wimping out Skid Row also earned the respect of many in the Metal community with Slave to the Grind. Even among some of the people who would normally dismiss bands like Skid Row as: “Faggot poser shit.”
From what I read in interviews, Skid Row did not have the best time recording the album Subhuman Race. I suspect that the bad vibes have affected the band’s perception of the material. Since neither you guys or Bach speak very highly of the record. Personally I love Subhuman Race. It’s the heaviest record the band has done to date. To me, it’s just as good as Slave to the Grind. Although it wasn’t as big a hit as the previous records Skid Row managed to do a better job at adapting to the 90’s music scene than many of their late 80’s peers. I hoped that once the backlash against 80’s Metal died Skid Row would be poised to make a decent comeback. But shit got complicated when Skid Row decided to part ways with Sebastian Bach.
I was not 100% behind the prospect of Skid Row continuing without Bach but I still tried to give the band with new singer Johnny Solinger a fair chance. I was not impressed with the new lineup when I saw Skid Row opened for Kiss but I understood that the lineup was fairly young and needed time to gel as a unit. I saw Skid Row again a year and half later on that rock never stops tour with Vince Neil and Tesla. It seemed the time spent on the road had done the band good. The band sounded tighter, more confident and the energy level was up. That night Skid Row came close to upstaging the whole bill.
That second time I saw Skid Row I heard a then new song called “Thick is the Skin.” I actually liked the song a lot. Skid Row might have replaced their singer but the guys who wrote all the material were still there and that counts for a lot. I was looking forward to hearing the rest of the album (called Thickskin) and was let down when I did. The last song on the record was called “Hitting a Wall” and it seemed oddly appropriate. Even the renamed song “Thickskin” sounded tame compared to the earlier demos. I will admit that I didn’t give Revolutions Per Minute a fair chance but the stuff I heard from the United World Rebellion eps sounded decent. It was as if Skid Row was trying to reconnect with the sound and attitude of the Slave to the Grind record.
After a while I stopped keeping track of the Sollinger lineup of Skid Row. Then again, it seemed that whenever the band was playing anywhere near where I live it was shit like Daytona Bike Week and I’m not into that sort of thing. I had accepted that Skid Row was not gonna get Bach with Bach and that they’d rather have Johnny Sollinger singing and I could live with that. So I was surprised when Skid Row decided to kick Solinger out of the band last year. Especially after Skid Row had spend years defending Solinger on interviews. Saying he was the singer for Skid Row and how he was the one the fans preferred. Then just like that the guy was dropped like a bad habit.
Maybe the years of playing smaller clubs to a diminishing fanbase took their toll on band morale. My guess is that Skid Row hired TNT singer Tony Harnell in an effort to go the route that Slash and Stone Temple Pilots went. Hiring a singer that was easier to work with than say Sebastian Bach or Scott Weiland but was still popular enough to bring his own fanbase and maybe even bump up attendance.
It might have been a good idea in theory but then Harnell decides to quit. According to what I read on blabbermouth Skid Row found out about him quitting the same way Solinger found out he was fired: through the internet. If that isn’t some form of karmic justice… In all honesty, Harnell did Skid Row a huge solid by quitting. The guy is alright on tnt but with Skid Row he fucking sucked. On the live clips I saw he looked bored, and half assed the vocals. I was surprised the guy wasn’t after he fumbled his way through Slave to the Grind. I would have.
According the press statement I saw on Blabbermouth.net Skid Row is insisting on continuing with Skid Row. The rumor (on Blabbermouth again) is that the one guy who used to be in Dragonforce is going to be the next Skid Row singer. He seems like a better fit than Harnell. He has a decent (but generic) voice and good stage presence but he lacks the intensity of Sebastian Bach. You guys do what you want but as a fan and somebody who has enjoyed the music of Skid Row for over 25 years I think you guys should reconsider getting another singer in the band so soon.
I get it. You never ever ever ever want to work with Sebastian Bach. If the way he acted on the VH1 shows Forever Wild and Supergroup were any indication of what it was like to work and live with Bach then you have my deepest sympathies. I bet you guys got a kick of Evan Seinfeld decking him on that Supergroup show. Unfortunately Sebastian Bach is the singer most fans would prefer to have in Skid Row. The band member people associate most with the band.
Bach might have not been the easiest person to get along with but he is good at his job. He could sing all pretty and shit put can also be loud enough to peel paint off with his voice. Although Bach has made some questionable decisions since being kicked out of Skid Row. Such as prostituting himself to every tv singing competition that would have him; when it comes to singing Metal and doing them old Skid Row songs he is 100% business. He might have not written the bulk of the material but he’s always sang those songs as if he wrote and meant every single word. It’s your band do with it what you want but please do not fallow Tracii Guns example. A guy who alienated a sizable portion of his audience with each replacement singer he hired to front his version of LA Guns. The last time he played Orlando Fl was at some yuppie burger restaurant. Don’t be like Tracii. Be like Mike Tramp instead.
I don’t know if you guys are aware, but after White Lion broke up in 1991, Mike Tramp formed another band called Freak of Nature. He did a few records with the Freaks but by the late 90’s Freak of Nature was done and Mike Tramp was a solo artist. Then around the time all the old 80’s Pop Metal started reuniting Tramp tried to get in on that action. There was only one problem: the other members, especially guitarist Vito Bratta were not interested. Undaunted, Mike Tramp proceeded with his version of White Lion despite the constant threat of legal action by Bratta. It got so nasty that Tramp was forced to drop off a tour with Poison and Ratt. Yet Tramp kept at it. He even did another White Lion album with an entirely new lineup called Return of the Pride. But after close to a decade of an uphill climb Tramp abandoned the idea and went back to being a solo artist.
I saw Tramp perform last year as an acoustic singer songwriter act. The show I saw was just him and his acoustic playing songs and telling stories in between. The cool thing about the show was that Tramp was able to strike a balance between forging a new musical path while still and playing the hits the fans want to hear. I think the members of Skid Row could strike a similar balance. Skid Row might be in need of a singer but it still has Rachel Bolan and Dave the Snake Sabo its core songwriters. I’m sure Snake and Rachel still have some good songs in them. But have would you guys considered doing something new under a different name? You might be able to get more money out of promoters by dragging the Skid Row name around but you’d probably draw just as many people with a new name and a flyer that said: featuring members of Skid Row. Besides, if you only cared about money you guys would have reformed with Bach years ago. Right?
I heard on You Tube a song from the Ozone Monday project. A band that was essentially Skid Row without recently freshly fired frontman Sebastian Bach. Musically it is pretty far removed from the Heavy Metal sound Skid Row is known for. The song reminded me of the hit that band Spacehog had back in 97 but with crunchier guitars. If there was an full album of these type of songs available I’d buy it. So what do you say guys? Have a little fun. Be creative. GIVE THE SKID ROW NAME A BREAK.
ahandfullofnapalm 