Track Listing

1. Big Guns
2. Sweet Little Sister
3. Can't Stand the Heartache
4. Piece of Me
5. 18 and Life
6. Rattlesnake Shake
7. Youth Gone Wild
8. Here I Am
9. Makin' a Mess
10. I Remember You
11. Midnight/Tornado

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1833 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Japanese only SHM pressing. Features 24-bit mastering and packaged in a paper sleeve. The SHM-CD [Super High Material CD] format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players.

Amazon.com
Skid Row distinguished themselves from the legions of pop-metal bands of the late '80s and early '90s chiefly by their attitude, which was closer to Guns N' Roses than to Bon Jovi. They're also distinctive these days, mainly because they're still around. Though their debut is the most radio-friendly and least musically mature of their albums, it does have some excellent songs on it, including the slow but edgy "18 and Life" and the anthem (every metal album must have one) "Youth Gone Wild". Musical talent and vocalist Sebastian Bach's over-the-top delivery made this band stand out from the crowd, although these days the material on this album does sound dated. -- Genevieve Williams

Customer Reviews

Youth Captured on a Disc
If you're like me, you grew up in the late 80's/early 90's and wanted to be in a band like Skid Row, Whitesnake or Def Leppard. At that time, these and other hair/glam/hard rock bands could do no wrong. From their wild hair to their sonic screams, you loved it all.
"Skid Row" is one of those albums that embodies that time of my life. From "Youth Gone Wild" to "I Remember You," the simple lyrics talked to every teenager growing at that time. There isn't anything great about any of the songs here, but they were the world to a lot of people back in '89. "18 and Life" is on the Classic Rock stations(as it should be) and I still know all the lyrics. You probably do too. These songs remind me of a fun time in life, when anything was possible.

Remember those times when you listen to this album. It's a time that seems long gone.

Underrated pop/metal. Holds up better than you might think.
Even when I'm not in a hard rock mood, I can always listen to this album all the way through. Most of their 'Big Haired' peers might've only had one or two other good songs on their albums, besides the hits. That should tell ya something.

1) Big Guns -- Dirty lyric-filled, loud, slightly bluesy pop/metal anthem. A great opener.

2) Sweet Little Sister -- Fast paced, heavy, but also extremely catchy and somewhat poppy tune.

3) Can't Stand the Heartache -- Only a teeny bit less heavy, but more of an arena rock 'post love' anthem. Very underrated and another highlight of the album you won't hear on the radio.

4) Piece of Me -- One of the hits/videos. Probably the toughest, heaviest song on the album. An angry sounding, almost straight metal tune about fighting and partying. It's still singable though.

5) 18 & Life -- The most well-known tune. A melodic but still hard-edged pop/power ballad about a suicidal guy named Ricky. A slight departure from what most of the era's bands' power ballads sounded like.

6) Rattlesnake Shake -- Yet again, a tough, streetwise hard rocker about an, umm, prostitute. Reminds me of something Guns N' Roses would do.

7) Youth Gone Wild -- Another well known, shout-along rebellious (yet fun) anthem. Loud and heavy, yet slightly melodic.

8) Here I Am -- Not one of my favorites. A non-hit, rawer metal anthem.

9) Makin' A Mess -- A fast paced hard rocker, but it strays from the 'Get Chicks and Party' theme of the album. A first person account of, what sounds like, spouse abuse. Told in an anti- kind of way, but not a ballad at all.

10) I Remember You -- The other power ballad of the album. A somewhat accoustic tune in parts, almost reminding me of Mr Big's hit "To Be With You." It still rocks, but it's probably the lighest song here.

11) Midnight/Tornado -- Yet another underrated rocker that got away. This one has more of a melodic, power rock sound to it. It's somewhat heavy as well, but it's one of those songs even someone who isn't a fan of hard rock could like.

Even though I'd technically call this a heavy metal album, it's actually pretty varied. It's a little harder and meaner than Poison, Bon Jovi or Def Leppard. It's not quite as rough and more melodic than Megadeth, Metallica or Guns & Roses. It's more pop than Judas Priest or Iron Maiden. Yet it fits enough into all the afforementioned styles to be recommended to fans of any or all of those bands. The closest equivalent is probably Motley Crue.

I highly recommend geting this album over their 'Greatest Hits', simply because there's a number of cool, severely underrated songs here that you won't find there, and are just as good as the 4 hits.

SKID ROW, THE PROVERBIAL "MUST HAVE"!
This album is a classic! It belongs in every serious collection of music. I sincerely believe you don't have to be into "metal" music to appreciate this album. Sebastian Bach's voice is incredible, and he brings the songs on this album to life. It is easy to see why SKID ROW stood out in the crowd of fledgling bands that emerged at that time. The songs don't sound "all the same" and there's absolutely no "filler" in this album. You can expect to enjoy every song. Any fan of Sebastian Bach's vocals will especially appreciate this album since now, ten years later, they can listen to his first solo effort and hear him sing five of the songs from this album again, live, and better than ever. Add this album to your collection. It will be one that you find yourself playing again and again. If you like SKID ROW and related bands then you may be pleasantly surprised to find that many of your favorite bands have released new material in 1999-early 2000. Need a memory jog? Click over to my home page on Amazon. I have most of the bands reviewed or at least mentioned. Are you ready to rock? :o)