And as yet another debut album comes up for review here on this podcast, we again delve into how the band formed and traversed the path from start up gig to recording that first album. In the case of Skid Row, it was initially formed back in 1986 in New Jersey, when guitarist Dave Sabo met bassist Rachel Bolan in a local guitar store where Sabo worked. As they shared musical influences - Sabo from Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, while Bolan’s roots were in The Ramones – their styles complemented each other, with Kiss and Van Halen being shared loves, and they began rehearsing in Bolan's parents' garage. Guitarist Scotti Hill was drafted in and came from Bolan's previous club band, and Sabo picked up drummer Rob Affuso.
What became the band’s biggest influence on their early success was the connection with the band Bon Jovi. As was brought up on the previous episode of this podcast that relates the story of Bon Jovi’s debut album, Sabo was a childhood friend of Jon Bon Jovi and they had agreed if one of them succeeded in the music business, that they would look to help the other out. That initially came from being able to support Bon Jovi on their “Slippery When Wet” tour in 1987, at which time they caught the attention of Bon Jovi’s manager Doc McGhee. It was he who suggested that they replace their lead singer, as he lacked the drive of the rest of the group. When they did indeed follow through with this, they then had to find another front man who could fulfil their requirements. It was then at a wedding reception that Jon Bon Jovi’s parents attended that a band played with a lead singer who seemed to be a possibility. His name was Sebastian Bach. He was invited to meet with the band, and while some doubts and tensions remained, both sides agreed to come together.
After completing the lineup, the group then signed with Richie Sambora's and Bon Jovi's publishing company Underground, unknowingly giving them the majority of the group's royalties. How this occurred goodness knows, but it did cause a lot of friction for some years. Eventually negotiating some years later returned the royalties for their work, though not retrospectively, so the Bon Jovi element made a fair amount of money on Skid Row’s success.
With the band set, they entered the studio to record their album, a move that went smoothly apparently firstly through the fact the band made a pact to stay dry during the recording sessions, and secondly because they had been playing the songs for some time, and knew exactly how they wanted them put down on vinyl.
This album comes out rocking hard from the start. The hard guitar riff of "Big Guns" makes for a big statement start to the album, simple, hard hitting and a great opening track, that extends swiftly into the fast paced "Sweet Little Sister". “Sweet Little Sister” is dripping with the attitude of the lyrics perfectly attuned to Seb’s vocals, but for me the star element is still Rob Affuso’s drums, a song that I still cannot help but air drum along to even today. Don’t get me wrong, his drumming is brilliant throughout this whole album, but they just stand out proud on this song. One thing Skid Row have done well here through Sabo and Bolan’s terrific songwriting are repeatable and singable choruses, ones that everyone knows and can sing along to. The rhythm section on all of these songs is magnificent. Each song has its own timing and beat, which (while you are singling along) you can't help but find yourself banging away on the desk or table or knees in time. Affuso's drumming is clean and clinical and lends itself to this kind of air drumming. I find this especially so in the aforementioned “Sweet Little Sister”, but also tracks such as "Rattlesnake Shake" and of course "Youth Gone Wild". All are great songs to drum along to.
"Can't Stand the Heartache" is a mid-tempo song that transitions between the heavier and lighter songs beautifully, led by the chorused vocals throughout. "Piece of Me" ramps up the attitude of the guitars and the vocals once again, Seb once again belligerently singing what he knows the band’s fans are thinking and want to both hear and say themselves. The same happens in songs such as "Here I Am" and "Makin' a Mess", both have the same vibe and attitude and are great heavy songs with Snake and Scotti’s guitars ripping through the speakers as Seb's spitting lyrics wail over the top. The middle of the album takes all of the collective building in drive and power and unleashes the best of all in the songs “Rattlesnake Shake” and the forever youth of 1989 anthem of “Youth Gone Wild”. By the time the band reached Australian shores they had already outgrown the local clubs and pubs circuit, but I still imagine just how these must have sounded in those smaller venues of the time, sweat dripping off the walls from the energy dispensed by both band and crowd. They still pack such a punch today. The closing song "Midnight" is also particularly awesome, a slashing conclusion that perhaps gives a real insight as to what was to come on the band's follow up album a couple of years later.
The main winners on the album for the band in regards to radio play and singles sold are the two power ballads, "18 and Life" and "I Remember You", which dominated the airwaves during their release. Now as most of you who read my reviews are aware, I am no lover of power ballads. They invoke themselves to becoming a part of the hair metal and power metal genres, but unless they can bring something worthwhile to the table I believe all they do is suck the momentum and life out of an album at an inopportune time, and can damage said album irreparably. On Skid Row however, that is not (totally) the case. Both of these songs are driven dramatically by Seb Bach's amazing vocals, in such a way that you can't help but like the songs, and also sing along. "18 and Life" is not really a ballad in the sense of the word or in the way it is written anyway, but it is drafted into that category by many. It fits in nicely with the whole flow of the album, and the energy and passion brought through in Seb’s vocals help it rise well and truly above the pack when it comes to any discussion of the ballad. "I Remember You" is certainly a power ballad, but again it is performed so well vocally that it doesn't feel like a ballad. Bach's efforts on this song are sensational, and help to offset any sense of imbalance with the rest of the album.
I can totally understand if kids, or adults I guess in 2024 put this album on and just want to tear shreds off it. It is most definitely tied to its era, when hair metal like the bands such as Ratt and L.A Guns and W.A.S.P. were at their peak. Could a teenager in 2024 really get this? I was 19 when this was released, and it was one of those albums that really spoke to what my youth and to what my future may be, and as a result it will always be a part of my makeup. It could turn misery to joyousness in 40 minutes just by listening to it, and albums like that are very special. Too bad if you might sneer at a 54 year old jumping around the lounge room, singing "Youth Gone Wild" at the top of his lungs to his own kids. These songs still have this same meaning to me now, as much as Alice Cooper's "School's Out" and "Department of Youth" still do. While those that didn't grow up with this album might not be able to understand what it is that I find so wonderfully brilliant about it, I can assure you that for me, and others like me, that it is still one of the best albums of our youth, and invokes the same joy today as it did all those years ago.
This was an amazing album when it was released, alongside other well performed hair metal albums of 1989 such as Motley Crue's “Dr Feelgood” and Alice Cooper's “Trash”. But even though “Skid Row” was a debut album from the band, it more than holds it own against these established acts. The music is energetic and bouncy, the guitars squealing in all of the right places, and Sebastian Bach's high energy vocals make every song sound exciting. As it turns out, I saw all three of those bands, touring on all three of those albums, in a period of just eight days in early 1990, and they were three of the best gigs you could imagine.
I got this album on the recommendation of two unusual people, the sister of one of my best friends and the girlfriend of another of my best friends, who both said I should get this album and listen to it, I would like it. And I did. And I BLOODY well enjoyed it! More than that. It went into high spin rotation on all of my devices for… I don’t know how long. A long time, long before I saw them in concert and long after as well. Because these became the anthems of my life, and became moreso than I would ever have imagined. As I said, I saw them on this tour, their first tour of Australia. And they played the whole album because it was all they had to play, and added in some cover songs they loved, and even played a brand new song “Get the Fuck Out” that they had never played live before, that eventually appeared on their following album. And it was outstanding in every respect. I was standing side by side with my best friends from school, friends who all still remain my best friends today, our arms linked around shoulders, jumping up and down singing “Youth Gone Wild” along with the band. It is one of the strongest and still most heartfelt moments of my life. All the more because we are all still together as friends 30-odd years later. It was an amazing gig, and the album spoke to us. It’s OUR album. I might be 54 years old as I do this episode, but whenever this album is on, I’m still 19, and every song is of my generation. All of it sends me back to 1989. And no one can ever take it from us.
As much as the band as a whole are terrific here, and even better on the follow up, the thing that makes this such a terrific album is Seb Bach’s amazing vocal chords, the attitude and energy he puts into all of that, that really takes these above average songs and makes them the superstar elements that they have. The band needed Seb to take them to this level, and Seb needed this band to do the same.
For me, this is still one of the greats. Yes, it is all because of the memories it invokes, of where I was in life when I got this album, and of how the album and songs speak to the generation of the time. And that’s me. No matter how old I get, I will always be the age I got this album whenever I listen to it.
And we will forever stand and will not fall, we are forever one and one for all. We are still the youth gone wild.
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