1980’s - Present

 1980’s glam metal developed out of the disco and rock movements of the 70’s.  The 1980’s were all about excess, and the music scene was no different. The musicians took everything to excess, from their clothes to their hair to their lifestyles.  The musicians took the sound of rock and the sound of punk, along with the flamboyancy of disco, and created a new movement that had a harder edge, but was still flashy.  Many of the bands came from bars on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, where bar owners didn’t want to hire punk bands because of the fear of violence, yet wanted music that had a harder edge.

 During this time period, small batteries were invented which meant that people could carry their music with them without having to plug it in – this meant that ghettoblasters and walkman’s were possible.  Cassette tapes were invented, which made music more transportable.  Video recording was invented, which prompted the invention of the music video, and television stations like MuchMusic and MTV.  Punk bands in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States were very popular, and often incited riots and violence after their concerts as they promoted and encouraged rebellion among teenagers.

 The music was all about rebellion, heart break, and loss of love.  The musicians all grew long hair, wore flashy clothes, and were into partying and rebelling against authorities.  This music has a harder edge than the music of the 70’s, but isn’t as hard as death metal.  The songs use mostly electric instruments (guitars, keyboards, bass guitar), but also use percussion instruments (drums), and acoustic instruments on occasion (acoustic guitar)  It has a lot of catchy guitar riffs and drum solos.  One of the most popular forms of this type of music is the power ballad, which is a slow song about loss or love.

 Metallica  Poison  Motley Crue  Def Leppard  Skid Row  Bon Jovi  Guns ‘n’ Roses  Ozzy Osbourne  Kiss  Aerosmith

 Motley Crue was one of the first glam metal bands to become popular in the mainstream.  They were composed of four people: Vince Neil (vocals), Nikki Six (guitar), Tommy Lee (drums & piano), and Mick Mars (bass guitar)  They sang such songs as “Without You”, “Dr. Feelgood”, and “Kickstart My Heart”.

 They put out 9 albums and have done over two dozen tours since  Over the years, both Vince Neil and Tommy Lee have left to do solo projects before rejoining the band.  Their most recent album was Saints of Los Angeles, which was released in 2008.

 They were the first glam metal band to become mainstream and have hits on the Billboard Top 100.  They have sold over 80 million albums worldwide, making them one of the top sellers of all time.  They are one of the most notorious bands, and their antics were very public, which brought their music into the limelight.  They invented new sounds, new traditions, and other bands were constantly trying to keep up to what they were doing and inventing.

 Without You Without You  Home Sweet Home Home Sweet Home

 Formed in 1983 by four people: lead vocalist Bret Michaels, guitarist C. C. DeVille, bassist Bobby Dall, and drummer Rikki Rockett.  They played night clubs in Hollywood, and made it big with the hit single, “Cry Tough”.  In 1986, their album Look What the Cat Dragged In became the biggest selling record (ever!) for their record label, Enigma.

 They have released 14 albums and have done twelve tours.  Bret Michaels has had a very successful solo career, and has done shows like Celebrity Apprentice and Rock of Love.  The band split up in 2008, but many of them have gone on to have separate careers.

 They have had 10 hits on the Billboard Top 100, most recently in  They have sold over 30 million albums worldwide.  Their songs have been featured in many movies and television shows.  “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” is one of the highest selling singles of all time.

 Fallen Angel Fallen Angel  Every rose has its thorn Every rose has its thorn  Every Rose Has Its Thorn Every Rose Has Its Thorn  Tng Tng

 Dynamics – For a heavy metal song, this is soft and quiet  Rhythm – Tempo: this song is slow  Pitch – The guitar and his voice are both medium pitch, the guitar solo is a higher pitch  Timbre – The guitar is acoustic rather than electric  Texture – There are only a few layers, the guitars, drums, and his voice  Principles of Composition – the song is repetitive in the chorus and beats, but the solos add variety.

 Glam Metal became much less popular with the rise of grunge music and bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam  Many of these artists still enjoy some success, but not like they did in the 1980’s.  Artists from this era who enjoy the most success are those who have adapted their musical style to match contemporary tastes. These artists include Bret Michaels and Jon Bon Jovi.

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