This Weeks Featured Band – Twisted Sister

Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from New York City. Their work fuses the shock tactics of Alice Cooper, the rebellious mood of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the extravagant image of glam rock bands such as New York Dolls and Kiss, notably the makeup. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands. The band is generally categorized as glam metal for their earlier work, although the band does not consider themselves to be so.

Although the band was formed by guitarist Jay Jay French in December 1972, all of their songs were written by Dee Snider from 1976 onward. Snider remarked to Johnny Carson that the proposed name for the band was “This” but was rejected for fear of fans saying “this sucks”. He describes Twisted Sister as “Slade meets Sex Pistols”. Twisted Sister’s most well-known hits include “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock”, both popularized by regular airplay on MTV in the 1980s. Many of the band’s songs explore themes of parent vs. child conflicts and criticisms of the educational system.

History of Twisted Sister

Pre-Dee period (1972–1976)

Twisted Sister was formed in December 1972 by guitarist Jay Jay French. In 1975, Eddie “Fingers” Ojeda, a former high school friend of French, joined as co-lead singer and second guitarist. He had previously recorded with a New York City band called SPV. Kevin John Grace replaced Mel “Starr” Anderson on drums. Bass guitarist Kenny Neill (Kenneth Harrisson-Neill) completed the lineup. The band followed a glam rock direction, influenced by David Bowie, Slade, Mott the Hoople, Humble Pie, and New York Dolls. It played at local clubs without much success until 1976.

Club days (1976–1982)

In early 1976, Dee Snider joined the band as lead vocalist and principal songwriter. After replacing drummer Grace with Tony Petri, the group took a heavier musical direction, influenced by Motörhead, Black Sabbath, and Alice Cooper, but without abandoning its glam image.

! Although glam was out of fashion in those days, Snider’s phenomenal abilities as frontman propelled the band to considerable local success. It broke attendance records at large halls in the Tri-State Region and its growing fan base began to take the name “S.M.F.F.O.T.S.”, for Sick Motherfucking Friends Of Twisted Sister. Later shortened to “S.M.F.” for “Sick Mother Fuckers.” No record label was interested in signing the band, so in 1979 it released the single “I’ll Never Grow Up Now” / “Under the Blade” on their own label, Twisted Sister Records, followed in 1980 by “Bad Boys (Of Rock & Roll)” / “Lady’s Boy”.Eddie Kramer produced both singles.

In this period, the group’s membership changed. On October 31, 1978, Neill left the band, the band’s roadie and friend, Mark “The Very Scary Animal” Mendoza, formerly bassist for The Dictators, replaced him. In December 1980, Petri also left for the Plasmatics and was replaced briefly by Ritchie Teeter. Teeter, also formerly of The Dictators, was replaced in that band by Mel Anderson. In April 1981, Teeter was replaced by “Fast” Joey Brighton, who was in turn replaced by A.J. Pero from Cities, another unsigned band with local fame.

This lineup—Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Mark Mendoza and A.J. Pero recorded four studio albums and perform numerous live shows around the world.

Upon the suggestion of two reporters from Sounds and Kerrang! magazines, Twisted Sister left New York to find a label in the UK. There, in April 1982, it was finally signed by Secret Records, a small British label that was mainly a punk outlet.

Pre-MTV period (1982–1984)

In June 1982, the group released its first EP, Ruff Cuts, on the Secret Records label. This was followed shortly by their first studio album, Under the Blade, produced by Pete Way of UFO. Despite rather low production quality, the album was a surprise[weasel words] underground hit in the UK, providing the band with sufficient name recognition to open for such metal acts as Motörhead. The album had an overall raw metal sound and included “Tear It Loose”, a very fast speed metal song featuring a guitar solo by “Fast” Eddie Clarke of Motörhead. Another single, the future hit “We’re Not Gonna Take It”, was planned for release, but Secret Records went out of business before Snider was able to complete the lyrics. “We’re Not Gonna Take It” later became one of its top singles.

Somewhere around this time, Twisted Sister updated its feminized image with a more grotesque look that distinguished them from other glam metal bands of the era. The group was now regarded more as a weird-looking heavy metal band because its look and music, although still reminiscent of pop/glam styles, were growing closer to heavy metal’s leather and chains image.

After an appearance on the music TV program The Tube, Atlantic Records approached the band and signed them. Atlantic was one of the labels that had turned Twisted Sister down in the Club Days period. Their first LP under Atlantic, You Can’t Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll, produced by Stuart Epps, was released in 1983 and included the UK #19 hit “I Am (I’m Me)”. From a production standpoint, the album sounded better than its predecessor, and it was every bit as heavy. Upon the success of the album the company decided to promote the band more heavily. A music video was made for the title track of You Can’t Stop Rock’n'Roll, which was to become the first of a series of comedic videos that popularized the band.

MTV videos (1984–1985)

International fame came for Twisted Sister when the band’s third LP, Stay Hungry, hit the stores on May 10, 1984. The album was a little more commercial-sounding than the first two, owing to Tom Werman’s production, but it still included heavy songs such as the title track and “Burn in Hell”. During a very successful tour, a young Metallica supported the band. Stay Hungry sold more than two million copies by the summer of 1985, and went on to sell more than three million in subsequent years. It remains the band’s biggest success and is considered a classic among heavy metal fans.

Videos of hit singles “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (a #21 hit in the US) and “I Wanna Rock” (US #68) ran almost constantly on MTV. Their pervasive slapstick comedy proved a change of pace for the genre and gave the band a distinctive appeal. The acclaimed surreal comedy film, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure took this further with the band having an appearance making a fictional video for “Burn In Hell” on the Warner Bros. back lot only to be interrupted by Pee-wee Herman passing through. Despite being comedic in nature, the videos featured violence against parents and teachers, which placed the band under heavy criticism by conservative organizations. They were singled out by the PMRC in 1985. Twisted Sister songs “Under the Blade” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It” were specifically mentioned in the associated Senate hearings. Snider was one of the few musicians to testify before a Senate committee in these hearings on September 19, 1985. (He was addressed formally by the committee counsel as “Mr. Sister”.)

Decline and fall (1985–1987)

On November 9, 1985, the band released its fourth studio album, Come Out and Play, produced by Dieter Dierks. It was not nearly as successful as its predecessor, although it did earn the band a gold album for sales of 500,000 copies. Some speculate that the failure was partly due to MTV banning the video for “Be Chrool to Your Scuel” on the grounds that it was offensive. The song featured such guests as Alice Cooper (who also appeared in the video), Brian Setzer, Clarence Clemons and Billy Joel. The tour supporting the album was a near fiasco, with low attendance and many cancelled dates. Not even Atlantic’s re-release of a remixed Under the Blade helped the band recover its popularity. “Come Out and Play” was one of the first CDs to go out of print.

After the tour, Pero left to rejoin Cities. He was replaced by ex-Good Rats drummer Joey “Seven” Franco. The nickname “Seven” comes from his being the band’s seventh drummer.

In 1987, Snider embarked on a solo project, reportedly approaching future Iron Maiden guitarist Janick Gers, but this did not work out. He then recorded an album with Franco programming the drum machine and featuring several session musicians such as Reb Beach on guitar, Kip Winger (just before he formed Winger) and Steve Whiteman of Kix. Atlantic Records refused to release it unless it was labeled as a Twisted Sister album. So, on August 13, 1987 Love Is for Suckers made its debut. Although the band had not played in the recording sessions, it was mentioned on the album cover as if they had, and they did play some of the songs in subsequent shows. Beau Hill’s production gave the album a very polished pop metal sound. The band’s members had also removed the makeup that they had been wearing since their early days. Commercially, the album was a complete failure and many of their metal fans were disappointed with the pop sound.

On October 12, 1987, almost two months after the release of Love Is For Suckers, Snider left the band, the record label canceled its contract and Twisted Sister broke up. The public announcement of the band’s demise came in January 1988.

Separation period (1987–1997)

After the band’s break-up, former members were involved in different projects:

• Dee Snider formed Desperado, Widowmaker, and SMFs. He also wrote, directed and starred in the movie Strangeland. A sequel, Strangeland 2, is planned.
• Eddie Ojeda went on to join Scarecrow and then formed Prisoners of War. Both projects were unsuccessful. He also worked as a session guitarist and guitar instructor.
• Jay Jay French stopped performing except for some guest appearances. He formed French Management and managed the alternative metal band Sevendust.
• Mark Mendoza briefly joined Blackfoot. Then he worked as a producer and manager. He also occasionally pursued solo projects.
• A.J. Pero was involved in several projects and subsequently toured with Snider’s SMFs.
• Joey Franco worked as a session drummer and played with Snider’s Widowmaker.

In 1992, Atlantic Records released a “best of” compilation Big Hits and Nasty Cuts that also featured some live performances from the Under The Blade period. A live album from the Stay Hungry era named Live At Hammersmith was released in 1994 by CMC International.

Reunions and reissues (1997–present)

In 1998, the band recorded a song for the soundtrack of Snider’s movie Strangeland.

In 1999, Spitfire Records re-issued the group’s back catalog, supplemented with previously unreleased tracks. This was followed by Club Daze Volume 1: The Studio Sessions, an album containing demo recordings from the pre-Under the Blade era, and Club Daze Volume 2: Live In The Bars, a live counterpart.

In 2001, Koch Records released a tribute album under the name Twisted Forever: A Tribute To The Legendary Twisted Sister. The album featured a wide range of artists and bands who had been influenced by Twisted Sister, including Lit, Motörhead, Chuck D, Anthrax, Overkill, Cradle of Filth, Joan Jett, Sebastian Bach, and Hammerfall. Oddly for a tribute album, Twisted Sister was also present with a cover of AC/DC’s “Sin City”.

In November 2001, the reunited Twisted Sister joined fellow New York metal artists Anthrax, Overkill, Sebastian Bach, and Ace Frehley to headline a benefit concert for NYPD and FDNY Widows and Orphans Fund in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. New York Steel raised over $100,000 for the charity, and the reaction to the first Twisted Sister set in 14 years was overwhelming. The demand for more live dates was immediate, and the band took the first steps toward returning to the concert stage.

In 2002, a remastered “best of” compilation named Essentials was released. Fans generally consider this to be a better compilation than the one previously issued by Atlantic.

Twisted Sister, this time including Mark Mendoza, reunited again for the Sweden Rock Festival in June 2003. They also appeared in August of that same year at the Wacken Open Air festival. Footage from that show was filmed for a DVD release[8], which featured former Violent Apathy and Spite member, Tom Fuller.

In March 2004, they entered the studio to completely re-record their Stay Hungry album for Demolition Records. They reported that they were not happy with the original album’s production, so this time they produced it themselves. The re-recording was released under the name Still Hungry and contained seven bonus tracks.

In July 2005, the group played a free concert in Edmonton for the Klondike Days festival. In late 2005, Snider appeared on Numbers from the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden, performing vocals for the Maiden classic “Wasted Years”. Snider was joined by his contemporaries and peers George Lynch, formerly of Dokken, and Bob Kulick.

Also in 2005, the band released the 2003 Wacken show on CD and DVD simply titled Live And Wacken. It also went on tour with Alice Cooper, acting as the support band but delivering a set similar to a headliner’s.

In 2006, Snider and French worked with Lordi to produce and play on a few tracks on their new album Arockalypse. Snider was featured on the first track, “SCG3 Special Report”, as the voice of Lordi warning of the upcoming Arockalypse. French guest starred on the song “Chainsaw Buffet”.

In June 2006, the band announced that they had signed with the American record label Razor and Tie to release a final CD, of heavy metal Christmas music called A Twisted Christmas. The CD was released on October 17, 2006, and was a commercial success.

On July 8, 2006, Twisted Sister played in front of 80,000 people in Quebec City, Canada. The show also featured Scorpions as the headliner. It also played a small concert at the Wolverhampton Civic Center. The concert was a success, with many fans hailing it as just the same as Twisted Sister at their prime.

The group is still together and occasionally makes small tours around the world, in full makeup. Before each of these mini-tours, it performs as Bent Brother, practising its set and appearing without makeup, usually at reduced ticket prices, although Snider and French have both voiced the opinion that they do not enjoy playing as Twisted Sister.

Twisted Sister was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on Oct 15, 2006.

On December 13, 2006, Twisted Sister made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The group performed their rock version of “O Come All Ye Faithful” which is arranged in the style of “We’re Not Gonna Take It”.

On December 22, 2006, Twisted Sister appeared on CBS’s The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, performing its rock version of “O Come All Ye Faithful”.

On a recent episode of Dee Snider’s syndicated radio program “The House of Hair”, Dee stated that due to the success of the Christmas album and also due to the response to the tour promoting the album that Twisted Sister might not retire, and the band’s future was being discussed.

C.C. Banana interviewed Jay Jay French stating that TS will continue. The band is currently working on a DVD.

On July 15, 2007, Twisted Sister performed at glam metal festival “Rocklahoma.”

Twisted Sister’s famous “I Wanna Rock” was featured in the game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s as a playable song (instead of being a cover like several songs featured in the game, it was the version from the 2004 remake of their classic album Stay Hungry, titled Still Hungry, ).

2008 – Dee Snider appeared on the CMT television show “Gone Country”.

On February 25, 2008 Twisted Sister performed at “Aftermath – The Station Fire 5 years later” in Providence, RI.

On May 10, 2008 Twisted Sister performed a free concert at the Bulgarian town Lovech.

On July 13, 2008 Twisted Sister performed at Snatch Rock n Roll Lounge, in Calgary, AB.

On September 1, 2008 Twisted Sister performed at the Rock The Bayou Festival in Houston, Texas.

Even though they said a Twisted Christmas was their last album they are releasing a new album in 2009. The songs on this album will feature in the Twisted Christmas the musical, the musical will also feature their greatest hits and the twisted christmas songs. The musical will feature on broadway next year in 2009

Current members

• Dee Snider – lead vocals (1976–present)
• Eddie Ojeda – lead guitars (1975–present)
• Jay Jay French – rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1972–present)
• Mark Mendoza – bass, backing vocals (1978–present)
• A. J. Pero – drums, percussion (1982–1986, 1997–present)

This Weeks Featured Band – Metallica

Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper, Metallica’s line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists. Currently, the spot is held by Robert Trujillo.

Metallica’s early releases included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that placed them as one of the “big four” of the thrash metal subgenre alongside Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. The band earned a growing fan base in the underground music community and critical acclaim, with the 1986 release Master of Puppets described as one of the most influential and “heavy” thrash metal albums. The band achieved substantial commercial success with its self-titled 1991 album, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. With this release the band expanded its musical direction resulting in an album that appealed to a more mainstream audience.

In 2000, Metallica was among several artists who filed a lawsuit against Napster for sharing the band’s copyright-protected material for free without the band members’ consent. A settlement was reached, and Napster became a pay-to-use service. Despite reaching number one on the Billboard 200, the release of St. Anger alienated many fans with the exclusion of guitar solos and the “steel-sounding” snare drum. A film titled Some Kind of Monster documented the recording process of St. Anger.

Metallica has released nine studio albums, two live albums, two EPs, twenty-two music videos, and forty-three singles. The band has won seven Grammy Awards, and has had five consecutive albums debut at number one on the Billboard 200, making Metallica the only band ever to do so.[2] The band’s 1991 album, Metallica, has sold over 15 million copies in the United States, and 22 million copies worldwide, which makes it the 25th-highest-selling album in the country. The band has sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide as of the release of their latest album Death Magnetic. As of September 2008, Metallica is the fifth-highest-selling music artist since the SoundScan era began tracking sales on May 25, 1991, selling a total of 50,111,000 albums in the United States alone.

History

Early days (1981–1983)

Metallica was formed in Los Angeles, California, in early 1981 when drummer Lars Ulrich placed an advertisement in a Los Angeles newspaper—The Recycler—which read “Drummer looking for other metal musicians to jam with Tygers of Pan Tang, Diamond Head and Iron Maiden.” Guitarists James Hetfield and Hugh Tanner of Leather Charm answered the advertisement. Although he had not formed a band, Ulrich asked Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel if he could record a song for the label’s upcoming compilation Metal Massacre. Slagel accepted, and Ulrich recruited Hetfield to sing and play rhythm guitar.

Ulrich talked to his friend Ron Quintana, who was brainstorming names for a fanzine. Quintana had proposed the names Metal Mania and Metallica. Ulrich used Metallica for the name of his band. A second advertisement was placed in The Recycler for a position as lead guitarist. Dave Mustaine answered, and, after seeing his expensive guitar equipment, Ulrich and Hetfield recruited him. In early 1982, Metallica recorded its first original song “Hit the Lights” for the Metal Massacre I compilation. Hetfield played bass on the song and Lloyd Grant was credited with a guitar solo. Released on June 14, 1982, early pressings of Metal Massacre I listed the band incorrectly as “Mettallica”. Although angered by the error, Metallica managed to create enough “buzz” with the song and the band played its first live show on March 14, 1982, at Radio City in Anaheim, California with newly recruited bassist Ron McGovney. Metallica recorded its first demo, Power Metal, a name inspired by Quintana’s early business cards in early 1982. In the fall of 1982, Ulrich and Hetfield attended a show at the nightclub Whisky a Go Go which featured bassist Cliff Burton in a band called Trauma. The two were “blown away” by Burton’s use of a wah-wah pedal and asked him to join Metallica. Hetfield and Mustaine wanted McGovney out as they thought that he “didn’t contribute anything, he just followed.” Although Burton initially declined the offer, by the end of the year he accepted on the condition the band move to San Francisco. Metallica’s first live performance with Burton was at the nightclub The Stone in March 1983, and the first recording to feature Burton was the 1983 Megaforce demo.

Metallica was ready to record its debut album, but when Metal Blade was unable to cover the additional cost, the band began looking for other options. Concert promoter Johnny “Z” Zazula, who had heard the 1982 No Life ’til Leather demo, offered to broker a record deal with Metallica and New York City-based record labels. After receiving no interest from various record labels, Zazula borrowed the money to cover the record’s recording budget and signed Metallica to his own label, Megaforce Records. Band members decided to kick Mustaine out of the band due to drug and alcohol abuse, and violent behavior. Exodus guitarist Kirk Hammett flew in to replace Mustaine the same afternoon. Metallica’s first show with Hammett was on April 16, 1983, at the nightclub The Showplace in Dover, New Jersey.

Mustaine has expressed his dislike for Hammett in interviews. He said Hammett “stole my job, but at least I got to bang his girlfriend before he took my job — how do I taste, Kirk?” Mustaine was “pissed off” because he believes Hammett became popular by playing the guitar leads that Mustaine wrote. In a 1985 interview with Metal Forces, Mustaine slammed Hammett saying, “it’s real funny how Kirk Hammett ripped off every lead break I’d played on that No Life ’til Leather tape and got voted No. 1 guitarist in your magazine.” On Megadeth’s 1985 debut album Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!, Mustaine included the song “Mechanix”, which Metallica renamed as “The Four Horsemen” on Kill ‘Em All. Mustaine said he did this to “straighten Metallica up”, as Metallica referred to Mustaine as a drunk and said he could not play guitar.

Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning (1983–1984)

In 1983, Metallica traveled to Rochester, New York to record its first album, Metal up Your Ass, with production duties handled by Paul Curcio. Due to conflicts with the band’s record label and the distributors’ refusal to release an album with that name, it was renamed Kill ‘Em All. Released on Megaforce Records in the United States and Music for Nations in Europe, the album peaked on the Billboard 200 at number 120, and although the album was not initially a financial success, it earned Metallica a growing fan base in the underground metal scene. The band embarked on the Kill ‘Em All For One tour with Raven to support the release. In February 1984, Metallica supported Venom on the Seven Dates of Hell tour, where they performed in front of 7,000 people at the Aardschok Festival in Zwolle, Netherlands.

Metallica recorded its second studio album, Ride the Lightning, at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark. Released in August 1984, the album peaked at number 100 on the Billboard 200. A French printing press mistakenly printed green covers for the album, which are now considered collectors’ items. Other songs on the album include “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, “Creeping Death” (which tells the biblical story of the Hebrews’ exodus from slavery in Egypt, focusing on the various plagues that were visited on the Egyptians), and the instrumental “The Call of Ktulu”. Mustaine received a writing credit for “Ride the Lightning” and “The Call of Ktulu”.

Master of Puppets (1984–1986)

Elektra Records A&R director Michael Alago, and co-founder of Q-Prime Management Cliff Burnstein, attended a September 1984 Metallica concert. Impressed with what they saw, they signed Metallica to Elektra Records and made the band a client of Q-Prime Management. Metallica’s burgeoning success was such that the band’s British label Music for Nations issued a limited edition Creeping Death EP, which sold 40,000 copies as an import in the U.S. Two of the three songs on the record (cover versions of Diamond Head’s “Am I Evil?”, and Blitzkrieg’s “Blitzkrieg”) appeared on the 1989 Elektra reissue of Kill ‘Em All. Metallica embarked on its first major European tour with Tank to an average crowd of 1,300. Returning to the U.S. marked a tour co-headlining with W.A.S.P. and Armored Saint supporting. Metallica played its largest show at the Monsters of Rock festival on August 17, 1985, with Bon Jovi and Ratt at Donington Park in England, playing in front of 70,000 people. A show in Oakland, California, at the Day on the Green festival saw the band play in front of a crowd of 60,000.

Burton’s death and Garage Days Re-Revisited (1986–1987)

On September 27, 1986, during the European leg of Metallica’s Damage Inc. tour, members drew cards to see which bunk of the tour bus they would sleep in. Burton won and chose to sleep in Hammett’s bunk. Around dawn near Dörarp, Sweden, the bus driver lost control and skidded, which caused the bus to flip several times. Ulrich, Hammett, and Hetfield sustained no serious injuries; however, bassist Burton was pinned under the bus and was killed. Hetfield recalls, “I saw the bus lying right on him. I saw his legs sticking out. I freaked. The bus driver, I recall, was trying to yank the blanket out from under him to use for other people. I just went, ‘Don’t fucking do that!’ I already wanted to kill the guy.” Burton’s death left Metallica’s future in doubt. The three remaining members decided that Burton would want them to carry on, and with the Burton family’s blessings, the band sought a replacement.

Roughly 40 people tried out for auditions including Hammett’s childhood friend Les Claypool of Primus, Troy Gregory of Prong, and Jason Newsted, formerly of Flotsam and Jetsam. Newsted learned Metallica’s entire setlist, and after the audition Metallica invited him to Tommy’s Joynt in San Francisco. Hetfield, Ulrich, and Hammett decided that Newsted was the one to replace Burton, and Newsted’s first live performance with Metallica was at the Country Club in Reseda, California. The members took it on themselves to “initiate” Newsted by tricking him into eating a ball of wasabi.

In March 1987, Hetfield broke his wrist a second time skateboarding. Guitar technician Marshall returned playing rhythm guitar, but the injury forced the band to cancel a Saturday Night Live appearance. Metallica finished its tour in the early months of 1987, and in August 1987 an all-covers EP titled The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited was released. The EP was recorded in an effort to utilize the band’s newly constructed recording studio, test out the talents of Newsted, and to relieve grief and stress following the death of Burton. A video titled Cliff ‘Em All was released in 1987 commemorating Burton’s three years in Metallica. Footage included bass solos, home videos, and pictures.

…And Justice for All (1988–1990)

…And Justice for All, the group’s first studio album since Burton’s death, was released in 1988. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number six on the Billboard 200, the band’s first album to enter the top 10. The album was certified platinum nine weeks after its release. Newsted’s bass was purposely turned down on the album as a part of the continuous “hazing” he received, and his musical ideas were ignored (However, he did receive a writing credit on track one, “Blackened”). There were complaints with the production; namely, Steve Huey of Allmusic noted Ulrich’s drums were clicking more than thudding, and the guitars “buzz thinly”. The Damaged Justice tour followed to promote the album.

In 1989, Metallica received its first Grammy Award nomination for …And Justice for All, in the new Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal or Instrument category. Metallica was the favorite to win; however, the award was given to Jethro Tull for the album Crest of a Knave. The result generated controversy among fans and the press, as Metallica was standing off-stage waiting to receive the award after performing the song “One”. Jethro Tull had been advised by its manager not to attend the ceremony as he was expecting Metallica to win. The award was named in Entertainment Weekly’s “Grammy’s 10 Biggest Upsets”. Three years later, Ulrich referred to the award when accepting a Grammy for “Enter Sandman” stating “We gotta thank Jethro Tull for not putting out an album this year.”

Following the release of …And Justice for All, Metallica released its debut music video for the song “One”. The band performed the song in an abandoned warehouse, and footage was remixed with the film, Johnny Got His Gun. Rather than organize an ongoing licensing deal, Metallica purchased the rights to the film. The remixed video was submitted to MTV, with the alternate performance-only version held back in the event that MTV banned the remix version. MTV accepted the remix version, and the video was viewers’ first exposure to Metallica. It was voted number 38 in 1999 when MTV aired its “Top 100 Videos of All Time” countdown, and was featured in the network’s 25th Anniversary edition of ADD Video, which showcased the most popular videos on MTV in the last 25 years.

Metallica (1990–1993)

In October 1990, Metallica entered One on One studio in North Hollywood to record its next album. Bob Rock, who had worked with the bands The Cult, Bon Jovi, and Mötley Crüe, was hired as producer. Metallica (also known as “The Black Album”) was remixed three times, cost $1 million, and ended three marriages. Although the release was stalled until 1991, Metallica debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with shipments exceeding 650,000 units in its first week. The album was responsible for bringing Metallica to the attention of the mainstream and has been certified 15 times platinum in the United States, which makes it the 25th highest-selling album in the country. The making of Metallica and the following tour was documented in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica. Dubbed the Wherever We May Roam Tour, it lasted 14 months and included dates in the United States, Japan, and England.

On August 8, 1992, during the co-headlining GNR-Metallica Stadium Tour with Guns N’ Roses, Hetfield suffered second and third degree burns to his arms, face, hands, and legs. There was confusion with the new pyrotechnics setup, which resulted with Hetfield walking into a 12-foot (3.7 m) flame during “Fade to Black”. Newsted recalls Hetfield’s skin was “bubbling like on The Toxic Avenger”. Guitar technician John Marshall, who had previously filled in on rhythm guitar and was now playing in Metal Church, replaced Hetfield for the remainder of the tour as Hetfield was unable to play guitar, although he was able to sing. The band’s first box set was released in November 1993 called Live Shit: Binge & Purge. The collection contained three live CDs, three home videos, and a book filled with riders and letters.

Load, ReLoad, Garage Inc., and S&M (1994–1999)

After almost three years of touring to support Metallica, including a headlining performance at Woodstock ‘94, Metallica returned to the studio to write and record its sixth studio album. The band took a break in the summer of 1995 and played three outdoor shows which included headlining Donington Park in the United Kingdom, supported by Slayer, Skid Row, Slash’s Snakepit, Therapy?, and Corrosion of Conformity. The short tour was titled Escape From The Studio ‘95. The band spent roughly one year writing and recording new songs, resulting in the release of Load in 1996, which entered the Billboard 200 and ARIA Charts at number one, marking the band’s second number one. The cover of Load was created by Andres Serrano, and was called Blood and Semen III. Serrano pressed a mixture of his own semen and bovine blood between sheets of plexiglass. The release marked a change in musical direction for the band and a new look with band members receiving haircuts. Metallica headlined the alternative rock festival Lollapalooza in the summer of 1996.

During early production of the album, the band had produced enough material for a double album. It was decided that half of the songs were to be released, and the band would continue to work on the remaining songs and release them the following year. This resulted in the follow-up album, ReLoad. The cover was created by Serrano, this time using a mixture of blood and urine. ReLoad peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, and number two on the Top Canadian Album chart. Hetfield noted in the 2004 documentary film Some Kind of Monster that the songs on these albums were initially thought by the band to be of average quality, and were “polished and reworked” until judged to be releasable. To promote ReLoad, Metallica performed on NBC’s Saturday Night Live in December 1997, performing “Fuel” and “The Memory Remains” with Marianne Faithfull.

In 1998, Metallica compiled a double album of cover songs titled Garage Inc.. The first disc contained newly recorded covers by bands such as Diamond Head, Killing Joke, The Misfits, Thin Lizzy, Mercyful Fate, and Black Sabbath. The second disc featured the original The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited, which had become a scarce collectors’ item. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number two.

On April 21 and April 22, 1999, Metallica recorded two performances with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Kamen. Kamen, who had previously worked with producer Rock on “Nothing Else Matters”, approached the band in 1991 with the idea of pairing Metallica’s music with a symphony orchestra. Kamen and his staff of over 100 composed additional orchestral material for Metallica songs. Metallica wrote two new Kamen-scored songs for the event, “No Leaf Clover” and “-Human”. The audio recording and concert footage were released in 1999 as the album and concert film S&M. It entered the Billboard 200 at number two, and the Australian ARIA charts and Top Internet Albums chart at number one.

Napster controversy (2000–2001)

In 2000, Metallica discovered that a demo of its song “I Disappear”, which was supposed to be released in combination with the Mission: Impossible II soundtrack, was receiving radio airplay. Tracing the source of the leak, the band found the file on the Napster peer-to-peer file-sharing network, and also found that the band’s entire catalogue was freely available. Legal action was initiated against Napster with Metallica filing a lawsuit at the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, alleging that Napster violated three areas of the law: copyright infringement, unlawful use of digital audio interface device, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Though the lawsuit named three universities for copyright infringement, the University of Southern California, Yale University, and Indiana University, no individuals were named. Yale and Indiana complied and blocked the service from its campuses, and Metallica withdrew the universities’ inclusion in the lawsuit. Southern California, however, had a meeting with students to figure out what was going to happen with Napster. School administrators wanted it banned as it used 40% of the bandwidth, which was not for educational purposes.

Metallica hired online consulting firm NetPD to monitor the Napster service for a weekend. A list of 335,435 Napster users who were believed to be sharing Metallica’s music was compiled, and the 60,000 page document was delivered to Napster’s office as Metallica requested the users be banned from the service. The users were banned, and rap artist Dr. Dre joined the lawsuit against Napster, which resulted in an additional 230,142 Napster users banned.

Ulrich provided a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding copyright infringement on July 11, 2000. Federal Judge Marilyn Hall Patel ordered the site place a filter on the program in 72 hours or be shut down. A settlement was reached between Metallica and Napster when German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG BMG showed interest to purchase the rights to Napster for $94 million. Under the terms of settlement, Napster agreed to block users who shared music by artists who do not want their music shared. However, on June 3, 2002 Napster filed for Chapter 11 protection under U.S. bankruptcy laws. On September 3, 2002, an American bankruptcy judge blocked the sale to Bertelsmann and forced Napster to liquidate its assets according to Chapter 7 of the U.S. bankruptcy laws.

At the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards, Ulrich appeared in a skit with host Marlon Wayans that blasted the idea of using Napster to share music. Marlon played a college student sitting in his dorm room listening to Metallica’s “I Disappear”. Ulrich walked in and asked for an explanation. On receiving Wayans’ excuse that using Napster was just “sharing”, Lars retorted that Marlon’s idea of sharing was “borrowing things that were not yours without asking.” He called in the Metallica road crew, who proceeded to confiscate all of Wayans’ belongings, leaving him almost nude in an empty room. Napster creator Shawn Fanning responded later in the ceremony by presenting an award wearing a Metallica shirt, saying, “I borrowed this shirt from a friend. Maybe, if I like it, I’ll buy one of my own.” In 2007, Metallica was named #17 on Blender magazine’s list of “biggest wusses in rock” for its “anti-Napster crusade”.

Newsted’s departure and St. Anger (2001–2005)

As plans were being made to enter the recording studio, Newsted left the band on January 17, 2001. His statement revealed his departure was based on “private and personal reasons, and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love.” During a Playboy interview with Metallica, Newsted revealed intentions he wanted to release an album with his side project, Echobrain. Hetfield was against the idea and said, “When someone does a side project, it takes away from the strength of Metallica” and a side project is “like cheating on your wife in a way”. Newsted countered his statement by saying Hetfield recorded vocals for a song in the South Park movie, and appears on two Corrosion of Conformity albums. Hetfield replied, “My name isn’t on those records. And I’m not out trying to sell them”, and pondered questions such as, “Where would it end? Does he start touring with it? Does he sell shirts? Is it his band?”

In April 2001, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky began following Metallica to document the recording process of the next studio album. Over two years, more than 1,000 hours of footage was recorded. On July 19, 2001, before preparations to enter the recording studio, Hetfield entered rehab due to “alcoholism and other addictions”. All recording plans were put on hiatus and the band’s future was in doubt. However, when Hetfield returned on December 4, 2001, the band returned to the recording studio and Hetfield was required to work four hours a day, noon to 4 PM, and spend the rest of his time with his family. The footage recorded by Berlinger and Sinofsky was compiled into the documentary, Some Kind of Monster, which premiered at the Sundance film festival. In the documentary, Newsted described his former bandmates’ decision to hire a therapist to help solve their problems as “really fucking lame and weak”.

Metallica held auditions for Newsted’s permanent replacement in early 2003, after St Anger ’s completion, for which Bob Rock recorded bass. Bassists that auditioned included Pepper Keenan, Jeordie White, Scott Reeder, Eric Avery, Danny Lohner, and Chris Wyse. Following three months of auditions, Robert Trujillo, formerly of Suicidal Tendencies and Ozzy Osbourne’s band, was chosen as the new bassist. As Metallica moved on, Newsted joined Canadian thrash metal band Voivod in 2002, and was Trujillo’s replacement in Osbourne’s band during the 2003 Ozzfest tour, which included Voivod as part of the touring bill.

In June 2003, Metallica’s eighth studio album, St. Anger, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and drew mixed reaction from critics. Ulrich’s “steely” sounding snare drum, and the absence of guitar solos received particular criticism. Kevin Forest Moreau of Shakingthrough.net commented that “the guitars stumble in a monotone of mid-level, processed rattle; the drums don’t propel as much as struggle to disguise an all-too-turgid pace; and the rage is both unfocused and leavened with too much narcissistic navel-gazing”, and Brent DiCrescenzo of Pitchfork Media described it as “an utter mess”. However, Blender magazine called it the “grimiest and grimmest of the band’s Bob Rock productions”, and New York Magazine called it “utterly raw and rocking”. The title track, “St. Anger”, won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2004, and was used as the official theme song for WWE’s SummerSlam 2003.

Before the band’s set at the 2004 Download Festival in England, Ulrich was rushed to hospital with a mysterious illness, and was unable to perform. Hetfield searched for volunteers at the last minute to replace Ulrich. Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, and Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison volunteered. Lombardo performed the songs “Battery” and “The Four Horsemen”, Ulrich’s drum technician Flemming Larsen performed “Fade to Black”, with Jordison performing the remainder of the set. Having toured for two years in support of St. Anger on the Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003 and the Madly in Anger with the World tour, with multi-platinum rockers Godsmack in support, Metallica took a break from performing and spent most of 2005 with friends and family. However, for two shows on November 13, 2005, and November 15, 2005, Metallica opened for The Rolling Stones at the AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Death Magnetic (2006–present)

In December 2006, Metallica released a DVD containing all the music videos from 1989 to 2004. The DVD, titled The Videos 1989–2004, sold 28,000 copies in its first week, and entered the Billboard Top Videos chart at number three. Metallica recorded a cover of Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold” for a tribute album titled We All Love Ennio Morricone, released in February 2007. The cover received a Grammy nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards for the category “Best Rock Instrumental Performance”. A recording of “The Ecstasy of Gold” has been played as the introduction for Metallica performances since the 1980s. However, this new version features the band itself performing the piece, giving a new guitar-based interpretation to the music.

In 2006, Metallica announced on its official website that after 15 years, long-time producer Bob Rock was stepping down and would not be producing Metallica’s next studio album. Metallica chose to work with producer Rick Rubin, who has produced albums for the bands Danzig, Slayer, Slipknot and System of a Down. Metallica set the release date for the album Death Magnetic as September 12, 2008, and they filmed a music video for the first single “The Day That Never Comes”.

In early 2008 Metallica collaborated in a tribute to Iron Maiden called “Maiden Heaven” sponsored by Kerrang! Magazine with a cover version of the classic 80’s theme “Remember Tomorrow”.

On September 2, 2008, a French record store began selling copies of Death Magnetic nearly two weeks ahead of its scheduled worldwide release date, which resulted in the album being made available on peer-to-peer clients. This prompted the band’s United Kingdom distributor, Vertigo Records, to officially release the album two days ahead of schedule, on September 10, 2008. It is currently unconfirmed whether Metallica or Warner Bros. will be taking any action against the retailer, though drummer Lars Ulrich who has made such responses to the leak as, “…We’re ten days from release. I mean, from here, we’re golden. If this thing leaks all over the world today or tomorrow, happy days. Happy days. Trust me,” and, “By 2008 standards, that’s a victory. If you’d told me six months ago that our record wouldn’t leak until 10 days out, I would have signed up for that.”

Death Magnetic debuted at number one in several countries to make it top the Australian, Canadian, Mexican and European album chart. Selling 490,000 units in the United States to debut at number one, Metallica became the first band to have five consecutive studio albums debut at number one in the history of the Billboard 200. After a week of its release, Death Magnetic remained at number one on the Billboard 200, the European album chart, and became the fastest selling album in Australia for 2008.

Death Magnetic stayed at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart for three consecutive weeks. Metallica became the only artist, aside from Jack Johnson with the release of the album Sleep Through the Static, to remain on the Billboard 200 for three consecutive weeks at number one this year. Death Magnetic had also remained at number one on Billboard’s Hard Rock, Modern Rock/Alternative and Rock album charts for five consecutive weeks. Internationally, the album peaked at number one in 32 countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Since this album’s success, MTV Europe nominated Metallica in two categories (Rock Out and Headliner) of their Music Awards edition and also MTV Latin America invited them to perform in their Music Awards edition. Metallica performed “The Day That Never Comes.” On October 21, 2008, Metallica started their World Magnetic Tour.

Metallica have most recently been linked to playing a concert at Knebworth House, England in July 2009 as part of their World Magnetic Tour. In interview, Lars Ulrich announced that the band would be staying on tour until early 2010.

In November 2008, Metallica came to the end of their record deal with Warner Bros., the band is considering their options for the future and according to drummer Lars Ulrich, one of their options is to release their next album through the internet.

Band members

List of Metallica band members

• James Hetfield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1981–present)
• Lars Ulrich – drums, percussion (1981–present)
• Kirk Hammett – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–present)
• Robert Trujillo – bass guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)

Former members

• Ron McGovney – bass guitar, backing vocals (1981-1982)
• Dave Mustaine – lead guitar, backing vocals (1981–1983)
• Cliff Burton – bass guitar, backing vocals (1982–1986)
• Jason Newsted – bass guitar, backing vocals (1986–2001)

Session musicians

• Lloyd Grant – lead guitar (”Hit the Lights”, 1981)
• Bob Rock – bass guitar (St. Anger, 2003)

Y&T To Record First New Original Material In A Decade

Y&T have issued the following press release:

Happy holidays to our fans around the world, from all of us in Y&T! We loved spending our busiest year so far this decade with those of you who came to the 2008 shows, talked with us in person, and communicated with us online through our forum. We care what you have to say and love hearing from you. We never forget or take for granted that the success of the shows we do each year are in large part made possible because of the dedication of you great fans who come out to see our shows every year. As long as you keep coming, we’ll keep playing.

We want to give a very special thanks to those who work so hard for us in front of and behind the scenes each and every year. Our great crew–Tom, Chrys, Rolf, and our amazing manager Jill. You keep us moving forward and running smoothly, ensuring we always come across the best we can. We’re blessed with your hard work, dedication, great talents, class, and most of all–your friendship.

And now we look ahead to 2009, which is to be a banner year for Y&T. Not only will it be our 35th year anniversary as a band, but we will be starting the year out by immediately getting into the studio to write for the first new original material Y&T record in over a decade. And depending on our tour schedule, and with any luck, we will be shooting for a late 2009 release.

We look forward to kicking some serious ass and sharing this upcoming monumental year with as many of you as we can, as we head back out to tour around the world again.

Thanks, again, for an amazing year!
Dave, Phil, John, Mike

Y&T live dates:
December 31 – Redwood City, CA – Little Fox Theatre
March 19 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick
March 20 – San Juan Capistrano, CA – Coach House
March 21 – Redondo Beach, CA – BriXton
April 17 – New York, NY – BB King Blues Club
April 18 – Springfield, VA – JAXX
April 19 – Virginia Beach, VA – Steppin’ Out
June 26/27 – Balingen, Germany – Bang Your Head!!! Festival

Courtesy of www.meniketti.com

(Via Everyone’s Blog Posts – Hair Metal Mansion.)

This Weeks Featured Band – Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi is an American hard rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 1980s. Over the past 25 years, Bon Jovi has sold over 120 million albums worldwide, including 43 million in the United States alone.

Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such, and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994 (which pared the lineup down to a quartet), the lineup has remained the same for the past 25 years. After two moderately successful albums in 1984 and 1985, the band scored big with Slippery When Wet (1986) and New Jersey (1988), which sold a combined 19 million copies in the U.S. alone, charted eight Top Ten hits (including four number one hits), and launched the band into global super stardom. After non-stop touring, the band went on hiatus after the New Jersey Tour in 1990, during which time Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora both released successful solo albums. In 1992, the band returned with the double platinum Keep the Faith and has since created a string of platinum albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

In 2006, the band won a Grammy for best Country Collaboration for “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland and also became the first rock band to reach #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with the same song. The band has also received multiple Grammy nominations for music from the albums Crush, Bounce, and Lost Highway.

Throughout their career, the band has released ten studio albums, of which nine have gone platinum in US. They also have seven #1 albums in Australia, six #1 albums in Europe and Canada, five #1 albums in UK, four #1 albums in Japan, and three #1 albums on US Billboard charts. In addition, the band has charted 19 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, five of which reached #1 (”You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Livin’ on a Prayer”, “Bad Medicine”, and “I’ll Be There for You”) including Jon Bon Jovi’s solo hit “Blaze of Glory”. The band also holds the record for the most weeks for a hard rock album at #1 on the Billboard 200 with Slippery When Wet, as well as the most Top 10 singles from a hard rock album, with New Jersey, which charted five such singles.

Formation

Founding member Jon Bon and Nathan Shaw Jovi began to play piano and guitar at thirteen with his first band, called Raze. He was enrolled in an all-boys Catholic school, St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, but left to attend public school at Sayreville War Memorial High School.[3] At sixteen, Bon Jovi met David Bryan (born David Bryan Rashbaum) and formed a 12-piece cover band named Atlantic City Expressway after the New Jersey highway. They played at New Jersey clubs, even though they were minors. Still in his teens, Bon Jovi played in the band John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones, playing local clubs like “The Fast Lane” and opening for known acts in the area.

By mid-1982, out of school and working part-time in a women’s shoe store, Bon Jovi took a job at the Power Station Studios, a Manhattan recording facility where his cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was a co-owner. Bon Jovi made several demos (including one produced by Billy Squier) and sent them out to many record companies, but failed to make an impact.

In 1983, Bon Jovi visited the local radio station WAPP 103.5FM “The Apple” in Lake Success, New York. He spoke directly to the D.J., Chip Hobart, who suggested Bon Jovi let WAPP include the song “Runaway” on a compilation album of local homegrown talent. Bon Jovi was reluctant but eventually gave them the song on which Bon Jovi had used studio musicians to play on the track “Runaway” (originally written in 1980). The studio musicians who helped record “Runaway” were known as The All Star Review. They were: guitarists Dave Sabo and Tim Pierce, keyboardist Roy Bittan, drummer Frankie LaRocka and bassist Hugh McDonald.

The song began to get airplay in the New York area, then other sister stations in major markets picked up the song. In March 1983 Bon Jovi called David Bryan, who in turn called bassist Alec John Such and an experienced drummer named Tico Torres.

Tapped to play lead guitar was Bon Jovi’s neighbor, Dave Sabo (a.k.a. The Snake), who later formed the group Skid Row. Sabo was eventually replaced by Richie Sambora. Before joining the group, Sambora had toured with Joe Cocker, played with a group called Mercy and had been called up to audition for Kiss. He also played on the album Lessons with the band Message, which was re-released on CD through Long Island Records in 1995. Message was originally signed to Led Zeppelin’s Swan Song Records label, although the album was never released.

Tico Torres was also an experienced musician, having recorded and played live with Phantom’s Opera, The Marvelettes, and Chuck Berry. He appeared on 26 records and had recently recorded with Franke and the Knockouts, a Jersey band with hit singles during the early 1980s.

David Bryan had quit the band he and Bon Jovi founded in order to study medicine. While in college, he realized he wanted to pursue music full-time and was accepted to Juilliard School, the New York music school. When Bon Jovi called his friend and said he was putting together a band and a record deal looked likely, Bryan followed Bon Jovi’s lead and gave up his studies.

The Bon Jovi lineup, which remained stable for a decade, was:

• Jon Bon Jovi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)
• Richie Sambora (lead guitar, backing vocals)
• David Bryan (keyboard, backing vocals)
• Tico Torres (drums, percussion)
• Alec John Such (bass guitar, backing vocals)

1980s

Once the band began playing showcases and opening for local talent, they caught the attention of record executive Derek Shulman, who signed them to Mercury Records, part of the PolyGram company. Because Jon Bon Jovi wanted a group name, Jerry Jaffe, head of A&R at PolyGram, came up with Bon Jovi.

With the help of their new manager Doc McGhee, the band’s debut album, Bon Jovi, was released on January 21, 1984. The album went Gold in the U.S and was also released in the UK. The single “Runaway” was the band’s first Top 40 hit, reaching #39 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984. The group found themselves opening for ZZ Top at Madison Square Garden (before their first album had been released), and for Scorpions and Kiss in Europe. They also made an appearance on the popular television program American Bandstand.

In 1985, Bon Jovi’s second album 7800° Fahrenheit was released. While embarking on a tour opening up for Ratt, the album received a poor response by critics. The leading British metal magazine Kerrang!, which had been very positive about the debut record, called the album “a pale imitation of the Bon Jovi we have got to know and learned to love.” Jon Bon Jovi himself later said it could have and should have been better.

In April of 1986, Bon Jovi packed up and moved to Vancouver, British Columbia to record their third album. Six months of decadent living and non-stop studio work resulted in Slippery When Wet. The album, produced by Bruce Fairbairn and recorded and mixed by Bob Rock, was released in August of 1986 and was destined to represent what would become the trademark Bon Jovi sound. The first single, “You Give Love a Bad Name”, became the band’s first Number One single on the Billboard charts. The follow-up single, “Livin’ On A Prayer” hit Number One as well, spending four weeks at the top position. The album’s third single, “Wanted Dead or Alive” peaked at #7 on the Billboard charts but emerged, and still remains to this day, the Bon Jovi “National Anthem” – the band’s most recognizable hit.

When Slippery When Wet was released in August of 1986, Bon Jovi was the support act for 38 SPECIAL. By the end of 1986, Bon Jovi were well into six months of headline dates in arenas across America (including a sold-out New Year’s Eve concert at their hometown venue, New Jersey’s Brendan Byrne Arena.) With the overwhelming success of Slippery When Wet (it spent 94 weeks on the Billboard charts and eight of those weeks at #1,) Bon Jovi were bona fide superstars.

In 1987, the band headlined England’s “Monsters of Rock” festival with Dio, Metallica, W.A.S.P., Anthrax, and Cinderella. The tour took its toll on singer Jon Bon Jovi when he began having vocal difficulties. The extremely high notes and unrelenting schedule threatened to damage his voice permanently. With the help of a vocal coach, he made it through the tour. Bon Jovi has tended to sing slightly lower pitches since then.

The next album was 1988’s New Jersey. The album was recorded shortly after the tour for Slippery When Wet. The resulting album was a commercial success, with hit songs “Bad Medicine”, “Lay Your Hands on Me” and “I’ll Be There for You”, which are still in their live repertoire. New Jersey was a commercial hit and became the first hard rock album to spawn five Top Ten singles on Billboard Hot 100 singles chart . “Bad Medicine” and “I’ll Be There for You” both hit number one, and “Born to Be My Baby” (#3), “Lay Your Hands on Me” (#7), and “Living in Sin” (#9) rounded out the list.

Bon Jovi mounted another huge worldwide tour that continued throughout 1989 and 1990. They visited more than 22 countries and performed more than 232 shows before it was all over. The personal highpoint for the band was their June 11, 1989 sell-out homecoming at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. In August of 1989, the band headed to Russia for the Moscow Music Peace Festival, a 2-day rock concert staged at the Lenin Olympic Stadium to promote two goals: 1) raise awareness about and provide treatment for drug and alcohol abuse among Russian teens and 2) introduce Russia to rock ‘n’ roll American style. Bon Jovi were the first band officially sanctioned by the Russian government to perform in Russia and New Jersey was released on the state-owned record label, Melodiya, a privilege no Western artist had ever been granted before.

Perhaps, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora’s most influential performance was on the 1989 Mtv Video Music Awards. Armed only with acoustic guitars, They performed “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and “Livin On A Prayer.” To Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, it wasn’t much of a big deal; the songs were written on two acoustic guitars and, therefore, stripping them down to their basic form was a natural thing to do. However, the response from those who witnessed the performance, both live at the awards and at home on television, was instantaneous and enthusiastic. This performance has generally been acknowledged as the inspirational spark that led to the MTV UnPlugged series and the catalyst for the subsequent popularity of the unplugged movement in popular music.

New Jersey was supported by video releases such as New Jersey: The Videos and Access All Areas, as well as a massive 18-month tour, originally billed as The Jersey Syndicate Tour.

1990s

Between 1990 and 1992, the band members went their separate ways. The exhaustion of recording both Slippery When Wet and New Jersey back to back with highly paced world tours after each album took its toll on the band. The band have since stated that there were few if any goodbyes between them at the end of the New Jersey tour. During the time they took off from the scene, the band retreated to their own interests and showed no desire for making another album.

Jon Bon Jovi recorded a solo album, a soundtrack to the movie Young Guns II, more commonly known as Blaze of Glory, (in which he had an extremely brief cameo). Released in 1990, the album featured high profile guests such as Elton John, Little Richard, and Jeff Beck. The album fared well commercially, received positive reviews and quickly achieved platinum status. The title track, “Blaze of Glory”, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Jon an Academy Award nomination for Best Song. “Blaze of Glory” was awarded a Golden Globe.

Sambora, with the help of Tico Torres and David Bryan, released a solo album entitled Stranger In This Town, in 1991. The album featured Eric Clapton on the song “Mr. Bluesman”. David Bryan recorded a soundtrack for the horror movie The Netherworld, which was the brighter part of that year after he was hospitalized with an illness caused by a South American parasite.

In 1992, the band met together and managed to resolve their differences by allowing each member to speak about his feelings without interruption from another. Upon resolving their issues, the band returned with the album Keep the Faith.Album was released in November of 1992 to the most critical acclaim the band had ever received.Produced by Bob Rock, the album signified an ending to their early Glam Metal roots in previous albums, introduced a more “rock n roll” driven groove to the album. Much more complex, lyrically and musically, the album proved Bon Jovi could still be a viable band in 1992, despite the decline of the late ’80s pop metal genre into which the band had been lumped and despite the industry’s and audience’s growing affinity for Grunge. As Bon Jovi’s sound morphed itself to work in the 90’s music scene, their image changed as well. Gone were the excessive rock ‘n’ roll trappings of spandex and hairspray and hair.Singles “Bed of Roses” which was a huge Top 10 hit, “Keep the Faith” and “In These Arms”, all hit the Top 40 in the U.S. Other songs on the album were released as singles internationally, mainly “Dry County”, “I Believe”, and “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.”

In 1994, Bon Jovi released a greatest hits album titled Cross Road, with two new tracks: the hit singles “Always” and “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night”. The video for “Always” featured Carla Gugino, an actress known for her roles in several TV shows’ and films such as Son In Law and actor Jack Noseworthy, best known for his role in the 2000 film U-571. “Always” spent thirty-two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Bon Jovi’s biggest hit. The song peaked at #4 on the US charts and at #1 in countries across Europe, Asia and in Australia. The single sold very well, going platinum in the U.S.Album sales soared all over the world and Bon Jovi’s popularity grew exponentially on an international level.

That same year, bassist Alec John Such left the band, the first lineup change since Bon Jovi began. Hugh McDonald, who was the bassist on “Runaway”, unofficially replaced Such as bassist, with rumors that he had also recorded bass on previous albums. Jon Bon Jovi said, regarding the departure of Such: “Of course it hurts. But I learned to accept and respect it. The fact that I’m a workaholic, studio in, studio out, stage on, stage off, want to be dealing with music day and night, doesn’t mean everyone else has to adjust to that pace. Alec wanted to quit for a while now, so it didn’t come as a complete surprise.”

Faced with the first change in their line-up since the band’s inception and Cross Road lingering on the charts as a massive hit, Bon Jovi had to decide what to do about their next album, which was finished and just about ready to be released.

With Hugh McDonald called in to handle bass duties, Bon Jovi opted to tour heavily in support of Cross Road and, while out on tour, These Days was released in June of 1995.”This Ain’t a Love Song” was the first single off the album and with an exotic video filmed in Malaysia, the ballad emerged as another worldwide hit for the band. Critics responded to These Days much as they had to Keep The Faith, noting that the band had continued to mature lyrically and explore different styles of music, while keeping the music undeniably Bon Jovi.

The band’s popularity continued to grow by leaps and bounds internationally and the summer of 1995 saw Bon Jovi merging their Cross Road tour into the These Days tour. The tour that kicked off in India took the band though Asia, Europe and the Americas before the band’s first-ever shows in South Africa. A career highpoint came in June 1995 when Bon Jovi sold out three-nights at London’s historical Wembley Stadium in London, England. With film crews in tow, the concerts were documented for Bon Jovi: Live Form London, a Grammy-nominated video of their record-breaking appearance.

Following the overwhelming global success of the These Days album and tour, the members of Bon Jovi went their separate ways. But unlike the period following the New Jersey tour, tainted with uncertainty, this hiatus was a conscious group decision. The members of Bon Jovi agreed to a self-imposed two-year sabbatical from the band.

Tico Torres used the opportunity further pursue his painting while David Bryan started writing and composing various musicals. In 1998, Richie Sambora released his second solo outing called Undiscovered Soul.

Jon Bon Jovi had also been bitten by the acting bug. He landed lead roles in movies Little City and The Leading Man, and supporting roles in Moonlight and Valentino, Homegrown, and U-571, among others. While he was free between filming different movies, Jon wrote what would become his second solo album, 1997’s Destination Anywhere. The album received positive reviews and was a success across Europe. A short movie of the same name was recorded around the record’s release, based entirely on the songs from the record and starring Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon and Whoopi Goldberg. Dave Stewart of Eurythmics played guitar on the record, and produced some of the tracks.

Bon Jovi reunited in 1999 to record the song “Real Life” for the movie EdTV. David Bryan didn’t make it to the filming of the video for the song because of a hand injury sustained in a home improvement mishap, so the band used a cardboard cutout of him for the shoot.

2000s

After a nearly three-year hiatus, during which several band members worked on independent projects, Bon Jovi regrouped in 1999 to begin work on their next studio album. Their 2000 release, Crush, enjoyed success both in the U.S. and overseas, thanks in part to the smash-hit single “It’s My Life”.Crush, which also produced such hits as “Say It Isn’t So” and “Thank You For Loving Me”, soon became the band’s most successful studio album since Keep the Faith, and helped introduce them to a new, younger fan base.

The Crush Tour, which began that summer, originally encompassed only 60 or so shows and was extended because of demand, with the band remaining on tour through mid-2001. While on tour, Bon Jovi released a collection of live performances from throughout their career in an album entitled, One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001. The Crush tour was notable in that the European 2000 leg included the band headlining two nights at Wembley Stadium. These were the final shows at the venue before it was demolished. Shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the band performed as part of the star-studded The Concert for New York City benefit for victims and their families. They performed an acoustic medley of “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” with a stirring finale of “It’s My Life”.

In late 2002, Bounce hit stores. It produced hit single “Everyday”. The band went on the U.S. Bounce Tour for this album, during which they made history as the last band to play Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia before it was torn down. The band also released a promotional album through Target, featuring eight demo and live tracks.

Following the end of the Bounce Tour in August 2003, Bon Jovi embarked on a project; originally intending to produce an album consisting of live acoustic performances, the band ended up rewriting, re-recording and reinventing 12 of their biggest hits in a new and much different light. This Left Feels Right was released in November 2003.

The following year the band released a box set entitled 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong, the title being an homage to Elvis Presley’s 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong. The set consisted of four CDs packed with 38 unreleased and 12 rare tracks, as well as a DVD. The box set marked the sales of 100 million Bon Jovi albums and also commemorated the 20th anniversary of the release of the band’s first record in 1984.

In November 2004, Bon Jovi was honored with the Award for Merit at the American Music Awards, where they performed a sneak preview of an unfinished song, “Have a Nice Day”. Bon Jovi also participated in Live 8 on July 2, 2005, where they debuted the full, final version of “Have a Nice Day”, alongside “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “It’s My Life”. On August 20, 2005, the band headlined Miller Brewing Co.’s Big Brew-Ha, celebrating its 150th anniversary. The free stadium concert at Miller Park in Milwaukee included one preview song from the band’s forthcoming album.

Bon Jovi’s ninth studio album, Have a Nice Day, was released in September 2005. The album topped the charts around the world, giving Bon Jovi its career-best first week sales of over 202,000 albums. “Have A Nice Day” was the first single off the new album, and debuted at radio worldwide on July 18, 2005. The second single, “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”, was released in the U.S. in early 2006, although internationally it was the third single release after “Welcome to Wherever You Are”. In the U.S. a duet version of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” with country singer Jennifer Nettles of the band Sugarland was released, and in May 2006, Bon Jovi became the first Rock & Roll Band to have a #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Chart.On February 11, 2007, Bon Jovi also won the Grammy Award, for “Best Country Collaboration with Vocals” for “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”.

Soon after the release of Have A Nice Day, the band started gearing up for the new 2005-2006 worldwide Have A Nice Day Tour. This tour, being shorter than previous ones with only seventy-five shows originally planned, took the band to numerous stages and arenas throughout the world. During the tour, Bon Jovi performed as the headlining act at Nascar’s Daytona 500 on February 19, 2006. Originally it was planned for them to be the first act to perform at the new Wembley Stadium in London, but the stadium’s rebuilding project was delayed until 2007. The concerts were therefore moved to the Milton Keynes National Bowl and Hull, KC Stadium with the same performance dates. Following dates in Japan and Europe, Bon Jovi extended the tour and returned to the U.S. in 2006 for a few stadium shows, including 3 sold-out shows in the band’s native New Jersey at Giants Stadium. On February 7, 2006, a promotional album, Live from the Have a Nice Day Tour, was released through Wal-Mart, which contained six live tracks recorded in December 2005 in Boston. Three of these tracks were released in the U.K. in June 2006 as B-sides on the single “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”.

On November 14, 2006, Bon Jovi were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame alongside James Brown and Led Zeppelin, joining music legends such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna and Elvis Presley. They will not be eligible for the U.S. equivalent until 2009.

With the end of the Have A Nice Day Tour, Bon Jovi began to throw around ideas for their next project. Among the potential offerings were going to Nashville to record with country stars (following the success of “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”), a second greatest hits CD, a new studio album, and even new movies.

In June 2007, Bon Jovi released their tenth studio album, Lost Highway. The album debuted at number #1 on the Billboard charts, the first time that Bon Jovi have had a number one album on the U.S. charts since the release of New Jersey in 1988. The album sold 292,000 copies in its first week on sale in the U.S., and became Bon Jovi’s third US number one album. The first single from the new album was “(You Want to) Make a Memory”, which debuted (and peaked) at #27 in the Billboard Hot 100, Bon Jovi’s highest ever debut in the U.S. charts. The album reached Number #1 in Japan, Canada, Australia and Europe, and reached number #2 in the UK.

To promote the new album, Bon Jovi made several television appearances, including the 6th annual CMT Awards in Nashville, American Idol, and MTV Unplugged, as well as playing at the Live Earth concert at Giants Stadium. They also performed ten promotional gigs in the U.S., Canada, the UK and Japan. As part of the ‘tour’, Bon Jovi were the first group to perform at London’s new O2 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome) when it opened to the public on June 24, 2007. The 23,000-seater stadium sold out within 30 minutes of tickets being released.

On June 6, 2007, Richie Sambora checked himself into a rehabilitation facility. This meant that he missed a concert in Puerto Rico as well as several television appearances, with backup guitarist Bobby Bandiera taking his place. He checked out on June 13, and was present for Bon Jovi’s remaining summer concerts.

When questioned on American Idol, Jon Bon Jovi stated that the band would embark on a tour beginning in January, after playing ten dates in New Jersey in the fall. The band were criticised due to the perceived excessive ticket prices charged for the shows, tickets for which were priced as high as $337 according to one report[8] and $1000 according to another. According to Richie Sambora this tour would be a greatest hits tour, so it would not be in direct support of Lost Highway. However, in October 2007 the band announced the Lost Highway Tour. Starting with the New Jersey gigs, the band are touring Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and then Europe, finishing in the summer. In early December 2007 the band took time off from their Canadian tour to become the first ever American band to headline the Royal Variety Performance in Liverpool, England, performing in front of the Queen herself. The U.S. leg of the tour began February 18, 2008 in Omaha, Nebraska.

Next Bon Jovi Album

With $240 million in ticket sales alone from the hugely successful Lost Highway Tour, the band are looking to move on from the Country Rock theme of Lost Highway. When asked by Billboard.com whether they will release another country album, Lead Guitarist, Richie Sambora said, “No, we have to change. We have to do something different. I don’t know what that’s going to be. As we get into the writing process and continue on, we’ll see what that’s going to look like. I think it comes to stylistically what songs you’re writing. What kind of music is coming out of you, and what’s the mood of those songs. You have to color those little drawings with the right production value and the right music.”

Sambora also recently stated in the same interview with Billboard.com “We’ve been filming a documentary and are in the process of mixing a live DVD of last year’s Lost Highway concert tour”, he continued, “Also, I think we’re looking at doing a greatest hits album next year. Jon and I are writing some new songs for it and to just load up for the next Bon Jovi record.”

Band members

Current members

• Jon Bon Jovi – vocals, guitar, percussion, harmonica (1983-present)
• Richie Sambora – guitar, backing vocals (1983-present)
• David Bryan – keyboards, backing vocals (1983-present)
• Tico Torres – drums, percussion (1983-present)

Additional musician

• Hugh McDonald – bass guitar, backing vocals (1994-present)

Former members

• Alec John Such – bass guitar, backing vocals (1983-1994)
• Dave “The Snake” Sabo – guitar (1983)