Metal Sludge Gossip Board

During my teen years, I didn't hear the term Sleaze Rock used. In fact, I first learned of it on Sludge. It is a good descriptor for bands like LA Guns, GNR, Faster Pussycat, etc. It's a shame the general public doesn't say it. Much better than the generic Hair Metal term. What is your view?

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:16 pm During my teen years, I didn't hear the term Sleaze Rock used. In fact, I first learned of it on Sludge. It is a good descriptor for bands like LA Guns, GNR, Faster Pussycat, etc. It's a shame the general public doesn't say it. Much better than the generic Hair Metal term. What is your view?

There was no "Hair Metal", "Sleaze Rock" until sometime in the mid 90's It was all Heavy metal or hard rock. We all knew there was a difference between Metallica/Slayer and Poison/Bon Jovi, but no one felt a need to categorize everything back then

SleazeRoxx was/is a great site that has been around forever (not sure its still here) Think that site is when I first actually heard that term and is a perfect description of the bands you mentioned

Snobby Thrash fans would get pissed if you called Poison, or Bon Jovi, Metal. My older brother's friend called it Glamour Rock.

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:42 pm Snobby Thrash fans would get pissed if you called Poison, or Bon Jovi, Metal. My older brother's friend called it Glamour Rock.

Ha. Ya thrash fans were never happy with that. Never heard the term Glamour Rock, but it does fit. I can only remember the "hair" bands being called posers by thrash fans. Still not sure what that means

daveg wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:47 pm

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:42 pm Snobby Thrash fans would get pissed if you called Poison, or Bon Jovi, Metal. My older brother's friend called it Glamour Rock.

Ha. Ya thrash fans were never happy with that. Never heard the term Glamour Rock, but it does fit. I can only remember the "hair" bands being called posers by thrash fans. Still not sure what that means

I think the poser thing is to infer that they are fake and playing simplified poppy music for the chicks and the fame.

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:16 pm During my teen years, I didn't hear the term Sleaze Rock used. In fact, I first learned of it on Sludge. It is a good descriptor for bands like LA Guns, GNR, Faster Pussycat, etc. It's a shame the general public doesn't say it. Much better than the generic Hair Metal term. What is your view?

The general public doesn't say it because it's such a small niche. One of the bands you mentioned was/is? one of the biggest bands in the world. No way they, or anyone else, was going to put a label on them other than "rock & roll". The other 2 bands you mentioned, while maybe they are #2 & #3 in Sleaze Rock, no one's ever even heard of, for the most part.

What makes it sleazy? Are they always bumming smokes or something?

Sleaze bands are usually more explicit and sexual in the lyrics. They also appear more dirty and sweaty. It's a better category name because it refers to elements in the music. Just mentioning "hair" in a category name can be confusing.

tooth wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:50 pm The other 2 bands you mentioned, while maybe they are #2 & #3 in Sleaze Rock, no one's ever even heard of, for the most part.

And it really drops off after that. How many people outside this board have heard of the other bands who would fall in this category? Every Mother's Nightmare? Slik Toxic? The Band Who Shall Not Be Named? Sleez Beez?

VinnieStJohn wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2024 7:00 am

tooth wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:50 pm The other 2 bands you mentioned, while maybe they are #2 & #3 in Sleaze Rock, no one's ever even heard of, for the most part.

And it really drops off after that. How many people outside this board have heard of the other bands who would fall in this category? Every Mother's Nightmare? Slik Toxic? The Band Who Shall Not Be Named? Sleez Beez?

TBWSNBN not really if you ask me. They're closer to Mötley and Ratt or even VVI, Nitro and Slaughter = glam.

Dirtier and sweatier bands from around 1990 makes me think of Skid Row, Junkyard, Shotgun Messiah, Little Caesar and local heroes Straight Up and Swedish Erotica.

Skid Row had sleaze elements like in songs like Sweet Little Sister. Some bands tried to straddle the fence between Sleaze and poppy Hard Rock. They'd include those perverted fast songs for the guys and also have poppy songs for the girls.

kwf wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2024 3:29 am What makes it sleazy? Are they always bumming smokes or something?

sleaze• /slēz/
immoral, sordid, and corrupt behavior or material, especially in business or politics.

daveg wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:47 pm

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:42 pm Snobby Thrash fans would get pissed if you called Poison, or Bon Jovi, Metal. My older brother's friend called it Glamour Rock.

Ha. Ya thrash fans were never happy with that. Never heard the term Glamour Rock, but it does fit. I can only remember the "hair" bands being called posers by thrash fans. Still not sure what that means

My cousin was about a year older than me and was into alternative stuff like They Might Be Giants. This was around '89. I was telling him about the bands I liked. He said, "So you're into glam." He then gave me his old Love Gun cassette.

Never quite heard the term like that before. But it was obviously something used to describe the genre by people who looked down on it.

"Hair metal" came around in the '90s as a semi-derogatory nostalgia reference.

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:42 pm Snobby Thrash fans would get pissed if you called Poison, or Bon Jovi, Metal. My older brother's friend called it Glamour Rock.

Kind of went both ways...the Poison guys would give me shit about my Slayer, Metallica, Manowar/etc. albums, rightfully, because all of that shit was so: ""ooooh! Scary!" A different kind of pose, but still a pose. Gruff and frowning.

They referred to themselves as glam rock or glam metal and used used the sobriquet: The glam slam kings of noise.

Mister Freeze wrote: ↑Sun Nov 10, 2024 10:04 am

daveg wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:47 pm

Rocker4Real wrote: ↑Thu Nov 07, 2024 12:42 pm Snobby Thrash fans would get pissed if you called Poison, or Bon Jovi, Metal. My older brother's friend called it Glamour Rock.

Ha. Ya thrash fans were never happy with that. Never heard the term Glamour Rock, but it does fit. I can only remember the "hair" bands being called posers by thrash fans. Still not sure what that means

My cousin was about a year older than me and was into alternative stuff like They Might Be Giants. This was around '89. I was telling him about the bands I liked. He said, "So you're into glam." He then gave me his old Love Gun cassette.

Never quite heard the term like that before. But it was obviously something used to describe the genre by people who looked down on it.

"Hair metal" came around in the '90s as a semi-derogatory nostalgia reference.

Yes to both. One of my college buddies would say "glam!" and pose/pout. And "hair metal" was definitely a post-mortem term.

The term Sleaze Rock & Sleaze Metal were definitely used especially here in L.A. on The Strip.