Geffen Records 1985
I bought this cuz Adam Brenner was a major part of what made TKO's In Your Face such a phenomenal record, and so it stands to reason that the songs on Fatal Attraction that sound most like TKO are my favourites. "I Want My Heavy Metal", "Take Me In", and "Russian Roulette" all fall comfortably into this category, but that's not to say there aren't other good tracks on this slab... the title track is an upbeat rocker and album closer "Prime Evil" is uncharacteristically dark and moody. Oddly, Brenner's guitar playing is less flashy and over-the-top than his work with TKO. I figure most egomaniacal guitar players would be chomping at the bit to wank all over their first solo record, but this sounds much more like a real band than Brenner's solo outing. Pretty cool on the whole, and not over produced at all, which is surprising given that it's on Geffen and released at the height of slick west coast over indulgence.
DOWNLOAD: AdamBomb-FatalAttraction.rar (70.92 MB)

Metalhead Records 1986

The little I know about LONDON is that they were stalwarts of the Sunset Strip Glam scene in the early 80s, and pretty much everyone has been a member of the band at one time or another, including Nikki Sixx, Michael White, Blackie Lawless, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Brian West (TKO), Fred Coury, and these are only the guys you've heard of. Don't Cry Wolf is the band's second record, and surprisingly it's quite good. Much much heavier than expected, as many of the songs plow ahead at double time and are stacked with proper Metal riffs. Speaking of which, the riffs are mildly generic and pretty much every one will remind you of another song, but at least that makes 'em memorable. The production by Kim Fowley is dated and artificially huge and the cover of "Oh Darling" is atrocious and misplaced, but these two gripes aside, Don't Cry Wolf is a solid record. Give it a shot, your friends will never know... and how bad can it really be!?!
DOWNLOAD: London-DCW (67.09 MB)

Yahoo! Records 1987
HANOI ROCKS seem to have a polarizing effect on people: you either love 'em or you hate 'em. I think I was in the 6th or 7th grade when I saw Michael Monroe interviewed on a local TV show called The New Music, and ever since I've been firmly entrenched in the love 'em camp. Nights Are So Long was Monroe's first post-HANOI ROCKS solo outting (Night Are SOLO ng... get it?) and it's pretty darn good. Monroe's vocals are stronger (i.e. more in key) than any of his previous recorded output, and the band, though at times sounding a bit stiff, is clearly fulla great musicians (including MOTT THE HOOPLE's Ian Hunter). The bulk of Nights Are So Long is made up of covers by the FLAMIN' GROOVIES, MC5, JOHNNY THUNDERS, and a few written by DEAD BOYS alums Jimmy Zero, Stiv Bators, and Frank Secich, with only one or two crediting Monroe. If you like HANOI ROCKS, you're sure to dig this, otherwise (if my theory holds true) you'll hate it.
DOWNLOAD: MichaelMonroe-NightAreSoLong.rar (63.25 MB)

Fallout Records 1984
Maybe my expectations were a bit too high for this record, but can you blame me? Knox from THE VIBRATORS backed up by HANOI ROCKS' rhythm section... sounds perfect right? But perfect it ain't. When I ripped this I thought it was awful, but subsequent listens show that it's not terrible, just lacklustre. It reminds me of those late JOHNNY THUNDERS records, you know the ones, where he's just going through the motions in a stupor and the results are completely uninspired and kinda depressing. THUNDERS fans eat that shit up regardless of quality, and I'm sure HANOI ROCKS and VIBRATORS fans will do the same with Fallen Angels. As an added bonus, I'm pretty sure that Michael Monroe and Andy McCoy make guest appearances billed as The Cosmic Ted and The Flashing Psychedelic Kid. And here's something I never thought I'd state: the sax solos are the highlight of the record (courtesy of Monroe).
DOWNLOAD: FallenAngels-FallenAngels.rar (72.94 MB)

Krypt Kicker Records 1984
It seems ridiculous now, but when I found this record, I actually thought it was gonna be good. I figured it would be one of two things a) sleazy Glam trash or b) full on Metal... or better yet, a combination of both. Unfortunately it's none of the above. What it is, is hackneyed amateurish Rock that desperately wants to be Metal, but falls way short. The songs are sophomoric and obvious, the playing is barely adequate, and vocalist Kerry sounds totally uninspired. The chick doing background vocals is much much better than the band's namesake. The sound quality is demo-ish at best... this is really subpar stuff. It's not even so bad that it's good, it's just plain bad. I couldn't wait for this record to be over... thank god it's only got one side. Oh yeah, that's the only good thing about this record: it's a one-sided picture disc, and the picture is pretty funny/cool. Download if you must.
DOWNLOAD: KerryDoll-TilDeathDoUsPart.rar (35.74 MB)

Metal Blade Records 1986
My first exposure to KRANK left me with the distinct feeling that I'd just heard the worst band of all time... and I'm not totally unconvinced that that wasn't their goal (fuck that's a few too many double negatives to unravel). KRANK deliver a nasty Metal/Glam amalgam that's hard to pinpoint and even harder to dislike. At once sounding like rock'n'roll dregs just up from the gutter, and the next a well-oiled Metal machine. KRANK's raison d'etre is not unlike INFERNAL MAJESTY's was a few years later: to combine Glam aesthetics with heavier Metal musicality... of course INFERNAL MAJESTY were considered little more than a joke (at least that's how they were viewed in Toronto), while KRANK are in on the joke, never taking themselves too seriously. The sleaze factor is high on "Hideous", which led me to assume that KRANK were L.A. through-and-through, but no... they hail from the cock rock mecca of Philadelphia, PA. Go figure!
DOWNLOAD: Krank-Hideous.rar (69.47 MB)

Planet Records 1984
Saw this one at Discovery Records and thought it looked cool, but it was a bit pricey, so I did a little investigating. Turns out this is kinda rare, and highly sought after, so the record collector nerd in me had to have it. Good thing too, cuz this is a really good record. Again, I'm no Glam Rock/Metal expert, but if I was gonna compare this to other notable bands, I'd say: GBR are more solid than HANOI ROCKS, and their singer can stay in key (I love HR, but it's true), but they're far less inventive and wacked-out than HR. GBR lack the nastiness, and are not nearly as sleazy or "street" as the first GUNS N ROSES album, and they're musically less raucous too. The first thing that jumped out at me was the SEX PISTOLS influence... in particular a Jones/Cook "Silly Thing" kinda vibe. A cover of "Did You No Wrong" mighta helped with this - but they musta really made it their own, cuz it's barely recognizable to me (but then again, I haven't heard the song in at least 15 years, so it could be spot on for all I know). A couple of songs on the B-Side contain some riffs that would have fit perfect on an early AC/DC record. The guitar player is very good, his solos are well crafted and über-Rock N Roll. The singer's voice is much higher than I expected - it took me a few songs to get used to it, but he's very good and a natural (ie he's not forcing it at all). This is a very solid Rock N Roll record, if any of the aforementioned bands appeal to you, then I'm sure you'll enjoy this... I certainly did. Oh yeah... according to the liner notes, the song "Too Much" might (and I quote) make you poop in your pants... you've been warned!
DOWNLOAD: GloriousBankrobbers-GloriousBankrobbers.rar (57.46 MB)

Bullet Records 1983
I think pretty much everybody remembers that "Stakk Attakk" record that WRATHCHILD put out... if the music was forgettable, the cover was not - it's prolly the only reason they sold any records. I think I've heard that album once maybe, and I remember it being a low rent Metal affair - this single on the other hand, is heavily rooted in 70's Glam Rock. "Do Ya Want My Love" blatantly borrows from BROWNSVILLE STATION's "Smokin' In The Boys Room", and there's a definite nod to KISS' "Do You Love Me" in there too. The B-side "Twist Of The Knife" opens with a knock-off of the handclaps and "Hey! Hey! Hey!" from T REX's "Solid Gold Easy Action". I'm no Glam expert, but I'm willing to bet there's bits stolen from GARY GLITTER and SLADE too. The coolest thing about this record is that in 1983, while the NWOBHM was in full swing, WRATHCHILD bucked the trend by pumping out pure and simple Glam Rock. So even if this isn't a fantastic record, it's respectable none the less.
DOWNLOAD: Wrathchild - Do Ya Want My Love.rar (15.17 MB)