80's Hair Bands - Studio Musicians?

[The Rossness]

 

I like old Crue, especially Mick Mars.

 

 

I say new crue over the summer and they were terrific!

[bee3]

On Bon Jovi: I don't know their story and/or if it's a (well-known) fact, but to me it was always clear that they called Jon to have a prettier blonde face as frontman. ... Because the talent in the band is clearly Sambora. He always even sang better than him.

Just saw them (at least a couple of songs) at Jazz Fest in New Orleans... Sambora didn't even play any leads and was not nearly the showman I've seen him be on tv... then I heard this morning that he just put himself back in rehab. Such a shame how his disease completely impacted his performance.

[Gas Hed]

 

Just saw them (at least a couple of songs) at Jazz Fest in New Orleans... Sambora didn't even play any leads and was not nearly the showman I've seen him be on tv... then I heard this morning that he just put himself back in rehab. Such a shame how his disease completely impacted his performance.

 

 

It's a shame. Sambora is a good guitarist. You hit the nail on the head too - it is a disease.

[Alecto]

He refuses to mention any names but Steve Bailey

[straycat113]

You picked the wrong era as most of the musicians in the 80s were stellar players and maybe the era with the most technically proficient guitarist. Go look up about the documentry on the Wrecking Crew in the 60s and 70s as they list all the albums they played on and some band names will blow minds. CC Deville did do guitar solos on Warrants first album. Joe Perry did not play a lot of the solos on the first Aerosmith album, did you ever hear Joe ever do a scale run similar again to the intro on Dream On.

[Engl Kramer]

I don't remember the guys name but I read an interview with a session bass player years ago (it was I believe in Making Music).

He said he had recorded album tracks for Judas Priest as Ian Hill was in another country and couldn't make the sessions.

He said it was fun to play root note for a change but it makes you wonder why they bothered to get a sessions player.

I'm sure one of the guitarists could have played it - lets face it they could have probably got the plumber to do it.

[Mesa/Kramer]

Warrant is the only one i heard anything of.

 

The story i heard was that they brought in a Guitar coach to help them write and perform better solos.

 

I'm sure they actually played the solos as they were to crappy to have been played by a studio guitarist

[csm]

In the early 70s original Alice Cooper band, Glen Buxton was extensively studio-ghosted by Steve Hunter, Dick Wagner and Rick Derringer -- and on the later tours, the band carried an extra guitarist (Mick Mashbir) with Buxton mostly out of the mix.

[Malcolm Ramone]

I like old Crue, especially Mick Mars.

 

Too Fast For Love ftw! -Adam

[kirs]

 

I never heard anything of the sort, and I don't believe that for a second.

 

 

I probably have it wrong. Never listened to Cr

[FoonkySteve]

Steve Steven's has got to be in amongst some of these shenanigans, he was THE session guitarist of the 80s

[yell03]

Good thread....

 

I listen to some recorded stuff and I am blown away by how good it is and how I could not even come close, then I see the Band live on TV and think there is no way that guitar player pulled it off.

 

Now I realize many of them didn't.

 

Then again, I see some of them live and say, WOW!!!, that guy rocks.

[richey888]

 

In the early 70s original Alice Cooper band, Glen Buxton was extensively studio-ghosted by Steve Hunter, Dick Wagner and Rick Derringer -- and on the later tours, the band carried an extra guitarist (Mick Mashbir) with Buxton mostly out of the mix.

 

 

That's Hunter and Wagner on Train Kept A Rollin (Aero) and countless others (Lou Reed Live, the Sweet Jane intro....there were in his band though, no secret there). Two of the best IMHO. Bob Kulick on lots of KISS records. Pre-hair metal I know but hey.....

[soundcreation]

 

You would think they would be a lot better if a studio cat played them.

 

 

 

LOL...true dat...

[smorgdonkey]

On Bon Jovi: I don't know their story and/or if it's a (well-known) fact, but to me it was always clear that they called Jon to have a prettier blonde face as frontman. ... Because the talent in the band is clearly Sambora. He always even sang better than him.

 

I disagree with the above. I am not a Bon Jovi fan but that guy can sing. If that has not always been the case then he has learned along the way. As for Sambora being 'the talent'? My lord...the most over-rated guitar player in rock.

[BryanMichael]

I'm not a fan of Bon JOvi's but check out their unplugged stuff - the ENTIRE band was {censored}ing amazing - everything from Richie Sambora (I agree he is probably THE monster talent in that band- but no disrespect to the others) playing 12 string and 6 string AND singing harmonies to the Keyboard player playing acoustic piano, to the bassist playing a (plugged in) electric upright bass - to Jon himself. You can't take anything away from those guys. Also, stuff like Poison is so pedestrian, I have trouble believing that they would want or need to bring in another player. Another point in fact, KIP WINGER was a "for hire" bassist for a long time, his gig before Winger was as the touring bassist with ALICE COOPER. I have seen some appearances of Winger back in the day that did seem to have them playing to a synched track, but everyone in that band was talented too- Reb Beach, Rod Morgenstein (played with Steve Morse) and even Kip - Kip WAS one of those studio musicians that was in the background writing songs and playing on other people's albums! The music scene has and always will be made up of a variety of artists. Some are good front people with a good look and a halfway decent voice, and maybe a big "performer" personality - you need those people. Some are amazing musicians with a command of their instrument - you need those people. Some are good songwriters, and have a gift for words or melody, or great production ideas - you need those people too.

 

EDIT: I'm pretty sure Bon Jovi has used various bass players over the years after they fired the original bassist because they had to- but the original guy (Alec Jon Such) was a good player when he was sober.

[Grantus]

I hear more stories about session players for '60s and '70s rock bands -- Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, etc. -- than '80s hair bands. I don't like hair metal at all, but I think most of those guys could play their instruments.

[awd83]

It's interesting to me that Joe Perry didn't play all of his stuff. I've never thought that he was a great guitarist, nor have I thought many of their songs had great guitar parts, but I always thought that it was him.

 

From what I've read, all of Winger were top notch, all classically trained. Warrant was the one that got me to thinking about this thread.

 

Thanks for all of the input, this was really informative (for the most part).

 

What other big names are actually just fronts for studio musicians? Any others as big as Joe Perry?

[BryanMichael]

I think you need to understand the nature of the "music business" at various times as well. A friend of mine is a drummer in Nashville and he plays and tours with a particular band- but when the band goes into the studio, they get the best session players they can to play on their albums- not because the guys can't play! They do it LIVE all the time, but because it's part of the way the system works. Also, some producers just want what they want on a track and will call players in far a session to get some stuff down that they can later choose from when doing the final mix. Take it back a few decades and you really have a "label driven" industry, and it was a system that kept lots of people working doing different things - some were songwriters, some were session folks, etc... and a way to get royalties was to play on a track - then there were musicians that didn't do sessions but became part of the touring band for an act - it's much more complicated than what you are making seem "A FRONT FOR STUDIO MUSICIANS" - it's always been a more collaborative community than that- for better or worse. You also have to take into account that many musicians had huge drug and alcohol problems and wouldn't show up for sessions - the producer and the label still had the obligation to get the damn thing done, so someone else might end up laying down some tracks. In fact, I can't remember where I read it (and I may have this wrong) but I thought on the Stones "Satisfaction" that it is actually Mick playing the fuzz riff, and that Keef played bass on that track as well as guitar or something of that nature?? Just because of who was in the studio that day.

 

You have to remember the COSTS associated with time in a professional studio back then and the cost of bloody TAPE. Those things have all but disappeared in the digital age.

[soundcreation]

It all goes to the "purity" of rock that many rock fans seem to be blinded by. They're is a lot of mysticism and romanticism in rock but if most people knew the realities behind the scenes they probably would be so quick to feel superior to "crappy pop" music.

[Funkwire]

I don't believe that about Mick Mars. I am NOT a Crue fan by any means (as you can see by my not bothering with the stupid umlaut), but Mick was always a tasty player.

 

Jon Bon Jovi just a pretty face? His uncle was one of the owners of the Record Plant, I believe...a guy who can get free or discounted time in a world-class recording studio will have no problems putting a band together. Again, not a fan, but give the guy his due.

 

A friend of mine works for the law firm that represents Kip Winger. He tells me he is actually a very talented guy.

[awd83]

I think you need to understand the nature of the "music business" at various times as well. A friend of mine is a drummer in Nashville and he plays and tours with a particular band- but when the band goes into the studio, they get the best session players they can to play on their albums- not because the guys can't play! They do it LIVE all the time, but because it's part of the way the system works. Also, some producers just want what they want on a track and will call players in far a session to get some stuff down that they can later choose from when doing the final mix. Take it back a few decades and you really have a "label driven" industry, and it was a system that kept lots of people working doing different things - some were songwriters, some were session folks, etc... and a way to get royalties was to play on a track - then there were musicians that didn't do sessions but became part of the touring band for an act - it's much more complicated than what you are making seem "A FRONT FOR STUDIO MUSICIANS" - it's always been a more collaborative community than that- for better or worse. You also have to take into account that many musicians had huge drug and alcohol problems and wouldn't show up for sessions - the producer and the label still had the obligation to get the damn thing done, so someone else might end up laying down some tracks. In fact, I can't remember where I read it (and I may have this wrong) but I thought on the Stones "Satisfaction" that it is actually Mick playing the fuzz riff, and that Keef played bass on that track as well as guitar or something of that nature?? Just because of who was in the studio that day. You have to remember the COSTS associated with time in a professional studio back then and the cost of bloody TAPE. Those things have all but disappeared in the digital age.

 

This is by all means not what I meant. I totally understand the guys behind the scenes that write some of the songs, and that there have always been session players that record stuff...I mean them no disrespect. What I was getting at is the guys that stand up and take all of the credit for performing and writing, when in actuality, they were only "stand-ins", a pretty face to market to fans. You know, the lip syncers out there, the guys that play air guitar while a tape plays in the background, that sort of thing.

 

And I also understand the whole drug/alcohol thing, some of our "gods" are just habitual users of stuff. Some of them have huge talent along with the huge addictions, and therefore can't always "do it themselves". But some, like Slash, maybe, are actually better when they're strung out. I think that's why I like AFD stuff so much more than anything he's come out with sober.

 

I just wanted to know more stories like the Warrant stories. i want to hear of the pretty kid who doesn't know an A from a Dsharp, but stands up there and acts like he's the bomb.

[BryanMichael]

To be honest, I don't think you are going to find many of those stories, especially in the "hair metal" era. Even your Justin Biebers out there have SOMETHING going on- check out youtube videos of him "busking" on the street with an acoustic guitar at like 10 years old- it's not like the kid doesn't have some talent- it just gets packaged and processed into instant Mac & Cheese to sell it to 11 year old girls.

[danswon]

 

Producers in the 80's were pushed by the record companies to get records made so they could make money. Sometimes that meant session guys for even awesome players like DeMartini. Just a timing issue.

 

 

As a fan of Ratt i don't believe this for a second. I'm very familiar with all of there material and he's clearly playing all his won parts. he has such a distinctive technique. On the VH1 Ratt special they mention that Beau Hill wanted to get a session guitarist in and the band said NO WAY

 

To be honest guys, there may have been a few instances in terms of 80s metal, just as much as any genre before or since, but don't you think if it happened a lot the music would sound like it was played better? i think a lot of it is pretty sloppy and weak. there were just a few bands who had very good musicians eg. Ratt, GnR, and they're clearly playing their own stuff

[danswon]

Didn't the M