Cries from the Quiet World: Skid Row "Skid Row (Japan, Atlantic Records, 25P2-2494)"

domingo, 8 de octubre de 2023

Skid Row "Skid Row (Japan, Atlantic Records, 25P2-2494)"

Skid Row is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Skid Row, released on January 24, 1989, by Atlantic Records. After signing with manager Doc McGhee, Skid Row signed with Atlantic and began recording its debut. The album was recorded in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with producer Michael Wagener, and received mixed reviews upon its release. The band toured behind the album mainly as an opening act, supporting Bon Jovi and Aerosmith in 1989–1990. The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and was certified 5× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1995 for shipping five million copies in the United States. It generated four singles: "Youth Gone Wild", "18 and Life", "I Remember You" and "Piece of Me", all of which were accompanied by music videos and received heavy rotation on MTV. The album's commercial and critical success made Skid Row a regular feature in rock magazines and brought the group nationwide popularity.

Skid Row was formed in 1986, in Toms River, New Jersey, when guitarist Dave Sabo met bassist Rachel Bolan in a local guitar store where Sabo worked. As they shared similar musical influences, they began rehearsing in Bolan's parents' garage. Guitarist Scotti Hill came from Bolan's previous club band, and Sabo's acquaintance, upstate New Yorker, Rob Affuso, played drums in a Rush tribute band. Once the band was formed, Skid Row started gigging in nightclubs throughout the Eastern United States and quickly built a small following. Sabo was a childhood friend of Jon Bon Jovi and they had agreed if one of them succeeded in the music business, to help the other out. Skid Row caught the attention of Bon Jovi's manager Doc McGhee while opening for Bon Jovi on their 1987 Slippery When Wet Tour. McGhee suggested the band replace original singer Matt Fallon because he lacked the rest of the group's drive.

Sebastian Bach was introduced to Skid Row by the parents of Jon Bon Jovi, who saw Bach sing at rock photographer Mark Weiss' wedding. After completing the lineup, the group signed with Richie Sambora's and Bon Jovi's publishing company Underground, unknowingly giving them the lion's share of the group's royalties. Skid Row later restored Sambora's share of the royalties, but Bon Jovi kept his, which caused a rift between Bon Jovi and Bach. After negotiating with Geffen and A&M, Skid Row finally settled with Ahmet Ertegun and Atlantic in 1988. The band used the Royal Recorders studio in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with producer Michael Wagener to record its debut album. The unpretentious studio was in the back end of a hotel, where the band stayed. Skid Row worked according to a schedule made by Wagener and stayed "dry" while recording. The sessions went smoothly as the band had been playing and performing the songs for the past year. The label initially pressed 150,000 copies of the album and booked the band an opening slot on Bon Jovi's 1988–1989 New Jersey Syndicate Tour.

The 17-month worldwide tour included an appearance at Moscow Music Peace Festival in August 1989 to a crowd of 70,000. The event was organized by McGhee as a penance for drug smuggling and featured artists managed by him or his brother. Skid Row made its UK debut at the Milton Keynes Bowl supporting Bon Jovi, and headlined London's Hammersmith Odeon two months later. After finishing the tour in support of Bon Jovi's New Jersey album, Skid Row opened on Aerosmith's Pump Tour, which launched in October 1989 and lasted a year. At the concert in Springfield, Massachusetts in December, a fan threw a bottle onstage during Skid Row's set. Upset, Bach threw the bottle back into the crowd and hit a 17-year-old female fan in the face. The incident was filmed by a fan and Bach was arrested after the show. He was set free on $10,000 bail and received three years of probation. At another show in 1990, Bach wore a T-shirt with the anti-gay slogan "AIDS Kills Fags Dead". Bach said he put the T-shirt on after a fan threw it onstage, but later regretted the incident, saying he does not support homophobia. Thanks to heavy touring and the band's exposure on MTV, Skid Row quickly went platinum and remained a Billboard top 10 album three months after its release. The album spawned three singles: "Youth Gone Wild", "18 and Life", and "I Remember You", of which the last two charted in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Piece of Me" was released as a promo single and also featured a music video.

Track listing