\n<\/p>\n
The following list of the most underrated song by 11 legendary hair metal bands proves that the genre was more than hits and filler.<\/p>\n
Hair metal \u2013 or glam-metal, or pop-metal, or whatever you want to call it \u2014 dominated the rock world in the mid-to-late ’80s thanks to a combination of pop-savvy hooks, good-time attitude and its purveyors’ pinup good looks. The Sunset Strip scene attracted a major-label feeding frenzy that, admittedly, contributed to a lot of mediocre and copycat music. But the best bands of the\u00a0glam-metal zeitgeist\u00a0had more going for\u00a0them than just their chart hits.<\/p>\n
We’ve combed through 11\u00a0glam-metal bands’ discographies to find the best and most underrated deep cuts \u2014 songs that flex their musicianship, songwriting chops and, occasionally, ability to\u00a0get heavy<\/em>. Even though some of these songs have become fan favorites or live staples over the years, they never got their day in the sun as singles, which qualifies them as “underrated” in our book.<\/p>\n Read on to see the most underrated deep cut by 11 legendary hair metal bands.<\/p>\n No band put the “pop” in pop-metal quite like Bon Jovi<\/a>, to the point that many rock and metal fans\u00a0balked at\u00a0the\u00a0idea that they\u00a0deserved a spot among their ranks. But Jon Bon Jovi<\/a> and Co. flexed their metallic muscle on\u00a0New Jersey<\/em> album cut “Homebound Train,” a swaggering outlaw-rock anthem\u00a0full of\u00a0slamming drums,\u00a0a smoldering guitar-harmonica-keyboard duel and some delightfully raspy howls from\u00a0their namesake frontman.<\/p>\n Refusing to be written off as a second-rate Poison or Motley Crue, Cinderella<\/a> beefed up their sound and stripped down their ultra-glam image on their second album, Long Cold Winter<\/em>. The LP’s first side closes with the terrific “Second Wind,” a raucous blues-rocker stuffed with hellacious riffs, propulsive grooves and Tom Keifer<\/a>‘s raspy, whiskey-and-cigarette howl. The track shows the group’s indebtedness to the likes of Aerosmith<\/a> and Led Zeppelin<\/a> while still delivering the necessary production sheen and\u00a0catchy hooks to\u00a0stand out among 1988’s class of poofy-haired rockers.<\/p>\n Def Leppard<\/a> never released “Stagefright” as a single, but they clearly recognized the furious\u00a0Pyromania<\/em> track’s potential, as it served as their nightly opener on the\u00a0Hysteria<\/em> tour. It was a wise move on the Sheffield\u00a0quintet’s part. While Pyromania<\/em> as a whole marked Def Leppard’s transition from NWOBHM-adjacent hard rock to ultra-slick\u00a0pop-metal, “Stagefright”\u00a0is rooted firmly in the former, boasting some of their fiercest riffs, raspiest vocals and a spectacular one-take solo from newly recruited guitarist Phil Collen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Following the all-out metal assault of\u00a0Tooth and Nail<\/em>, Dokken<\/a> gravitated toward more radio-friendly hard rock on Under Lock and Key \u2014\u00a0<\/em>but they\u00a0didn’t abandon their roots entirely. Case in point: “Lightnin’\u00a0Strikes Again,” a tough-as-nails rocker featuring muscular, melodic hooks and stratospheric high notes lead singer Don Dokken<\/a>. George Lynch<\/a> shines as always with crunchy riffs and a blazing solo that put him at the front of the pop-metal pack.<\/p>\n On\u00a0Shout at the Devil<\/em>, Motley Crue<\/a> evolved from a scrappy glam-punk foursome into a lean, mean metal machine ready for the big leagues. The album’s singles are all\u00a0time-honored\u00a0classics, but its\u00a0deep cuts\u00a0pack just as much of a punch. Drummer Tommy Lee<\/a>\u00a0shines in particular on “Red Hot,” a quasi-speed metal anthem with\u00a0fiery riffs\u00a0and fancy double bass footwork that\u00a0share more DNA with Motorhead<\/a> than Van Halen<\/a>. They’d never sound this fierce and feral again.<\/p>\n Poison<\/a>‘s sophomore album\u00a0Open Up and Say … Ahh!<\/em> benefited\u00a0from\u00a0the guiding hand of hotshot producer Tom Werman, who\u00a0helped mold the band’s\u00a0songwriting smarts and raw charisma into slabs of glossy, stadium-sized pop-metal. It’s\u00a0the Pennsylvania quartet’s\u00a0most consistent album, as evidenced by deep cuts like the rowdy “Back to the Rocking Horse.” Propelled by a killer cowbell groove, gigantic riffs and\u00a0spit-shined vocal harmonies, it shows Poison firing on all cylinders.<\/p>\n Buoyed by its epic title track and a Top 5 cover of Slade<\/a>‘s “Cum on Feel the Noize,” Quiet Riot<\/a>‘s\u00a0Metal Health<\/em> became the first heavy metal album to top the Billboard 200. Anybody who questioned the band’s metal bonafides need only check out the side two rocker “Breathless.” With its furious, Iron Maiden<\/a>-like gallop and piercing vocals from Kevin DuBrow,\u00a0“Breathless”\u00a0asserted Quiet Riot’s metal credentials while reflecting the hooky songwriting chops that briefly made them superstars.<\/p>\n There’s a good reason Ratt’<\/a>s debut\u00a0full-length turned them into multi-platinum upstarts and the heirs apparent to Motley Crue’s glam-metal throne. The album is top-to-bottom bangers, and among the non-singles, “You’re in Trouble” leads the pack. The\u00a0strutting bass riff and snarling vocals emphasize the band’s streetwise swagger, and guitarist Warren DeMartini delivers one of his\u00a0most jaw-dropping solos in a career full of them.<\/p>\n Skid Row<\/a> shed their\u00a0glam-band trappings and became a full-throated metal juggernaut on their sophomore album,\u00a0Slave to the Grind<\/em>. (Still, their origins qualify them for this list.)\u00a0“The Threat” epitomizes everything that’s unadulteratedly awesome about the LP.\u00a0The down-tuned riffs bristle with menace, the drums and bass thrum in lockstep and Sebastian Bach<\/a> delivers one of many otherworldly vocal performances. When the band drops out and he wails,\u00a0“TO MAKE ME SMILE PRETTY FOR THE WRECKING BALLLLL!<\/em>” you’ll feel an overwhelming sensation to jump out of your seat and punch the air with both fists. We won’t blame you.<\/p>\n With their cocksure self-titled debut<\/a>, W.A.S.P.<\/a> announced\u00a0themselves as the most shocking, depraved band of the burgeoning glam-metal movement. But despite the album’s debauched lyrical content and metallic fury, “The Flame” harks back to ’70s arena rock with its simple, three-chord riff and poppy chorus. It’s proof that Blackie Lawless<\/a> was a savvy songwriter first and provocateur second.<\/p>\n By the time Warrant<\/a>\u00a0debuted with\u00a0Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich<\/em> in 1989, critics were beyond sick of the glam-metal zeitgeist and wrote the band off as another\u00a0gang of sex-obsessed also-rans.\u00a0And, yes,\u00a0they were spectacularly horny \u2014 but they expressed their carnal desires with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor and songwriting sophistication that eluded many of their peers. Lyrically,\u00a0Cherry Pie<\/em>‘s\u00a0“Love in Stereo” is a simple ode to threesomes, but\u00a0its\u00a0clever riffs, flashy vocals and rollicking piano\u00a0solo make it an absolute blast all the same.<\/p>\n Many of the scene’s biggest bands caught lightning in a bottle on their first try.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nBon Jovi, “Homebound Train” (New Jersey<\/em>, 1988)<\/h3>\n
Cinderella, “Second Wind” (Long Cold Winter<\/i>, 1988)<\/h3>\n
Def Leppard, “Stagefright” (Pyromania<\/em>, 1983)<\/h3>\n
Dokken, “Lightnin’ Strikes Again” (Under Lock and Key<\/em>, 1985)<\/h3>\n
Motley Crue, “Red Hot” (Shout at the Devil<\/em>, 1983)<\/h3>\n
Poison, “Back to the Rocking Horse” (Open Up and Say … Ahh!<\/i>, 1988)<\/h3>\n
Quiet Riot, “Breathless” (Metal Health<\/em>, 1983)<\/h3>\n
Ratt, “You’re in Trouble” (Out of the Cellar<\/em>, 1984)<\/h3>\n
Skid Row, “The Threat” (Slave to the Grind<\/em>, 1991)<\/h3>\n
W.A.S.P., “The Flame” (W.A.S.P.<\/em>, 1984)<\/h3>\n
Warrant, “Love in Stereo” (Cherry Pie<\/em>, 1990)<\/h3>\n
Top 11 Hair Metal Debut Albums<\/h2>\n