Hollywood Vampires (L.A. Guns album)

Last updated
Hollywood Vampires
Laguns-hollywoodvampires.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 25, 1991
RecordedFall 1990
Studio
  • Ocean Way, Hollywood, California
  • Rumbo, Canoga Park, California
  • 4th Street Recorders, Santa Monica, California
  • Studio 55
  • The Fortess
  • Paramount Studios
  • Soundcastle Studios
  • Original Sound Studios
  • Beat Street Studios
  • Track Recorders
  • Studio II, Hollywood California
Genre
Length52:18
Label PolyGram/Polydor
Producer Michael James Jackson
L.A. Guns chronology
Cocked & Loaded
(1989)
Hollywood Vampires
(1991)
Holiday Foreplay
(1991)
Singles from Hollywood Vampires
  1. "Kiss My Love Goodbye"
    Released: 1991
  2. "Some Lie 4 Love"
    Released: 1991
  3. "Over the Edge"
    Released: 1991
  4. "It's Over Now"
    Released: 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 7/10 [2]

Hollywood Vampires is the third studio album by the American glam metal band L.A. Guns, released in 1991. While no track from the album topped the charts (and the band's success declined soon afterwards as their style fell out of commercial favor), Hollywood Vampires presents various shades of the band and is representative of the late 1980s/early 1990s glam metal scene, with riff-laden songs and big choruses on every song. The meticulous production gives the album a sound typical of the period — a full sound, with many background harmony vocals, layered guitars and additional keyboard tracks.

Contents

The album starts in a more somber note with "Over the Edge", which was used in the film Point Break , but the bulk of it consists of standard hard rockers, such as "Kiss My Love Goodbye" and "My Koo Ka Choo". The band aims for the ballad hit several times, in "Crystal Eyes", "It's Over Now" and the 1950s-style "I Found You", attempting to repeat the earlier success of their major single "The Ballad of Jayne". "Kiss my Love Goodbye" is featured in the 1992 comedy film Ladybugs .

The Japan pressing adds the original version of "Ain't the Same" from the Cuts EP, with the addition of several saxophone solos. The original CD and cassette releases featured a 3-D photo cover and a small pair of 3-D glasses was included designed by John Kosh.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mick Cripps, Tracii Guns, Phil Lewis, Kelly Nickels and Steve Riley except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Over the Edge" 5:41
2."Some Lie 4 Love" 3:34
3."Kiss My Love Goodbye"L.A. Guns/Steve Diamond4:42
4."Here It Comes" 4:37
5."Crystal Eyes" 5:54
6."Wild Obsession" 4:14
7."Dirty Luv" 4:29
8."My Koo Ka Choo"L.A. Guns/Jim Vallance 4:06
9."It's Over Now"L.A. Guns/Jim Vallance 4:10
10."Snake Eyes Boogie" 2:56
11."I Found You" 3:43
12."Big House" 4:12
Total length:52:35
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Ain't the Same"4:16

Personnel

L.A. Guns

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart (1991)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [3] 91
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [4] 20
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [5] 28
UK Albums (OCC) [6] 44
US Billboard 200 [7] 42

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faster Pussycat</span> American hard rock band

Faster Pussycat is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985 by vocalist Taime Downe, guitarists Greg Steele and Brent Muscat and bassist Kelly Nickels. The group has since gone through numerous lineup changes leaving Downe as the only constant member. They broke up in 1993, but reformed in 2001. Faster Pussycat has released four studio albums to date: Faster Pussycat (1987), Wake Me When It's Over (1989), Whipped! (1992) and The Power and the Glory Hole (2006). They were a successful and influential hard rock band during the late 1980s and early 1990s, having sold over two million records worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L.A. Guns</span> American rock band

L.A. Guns are an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns, Phil Lewis, Ace Von Johnson, Johnny Martin, Adam Hamilton and Shawn Duncan. The first incarnation of the group was formed by Tracii Guns and Rob Gardner in 1983 and merged with fellow Los Angeles group Hollywood Rose to form Guns N' Roses in March 1985. After only a brief tenure in that band, Guns reformed L.A. Guns with a new lineup, consisting of Paul Black, Mick Cripps, Robert Stoddard, and Nickey Alexander. Black would soon be replaced by former Girl singer Phil Lewis while former Faster Pussycat bassist Kelly Nickels was added to the group. Later, Alexander would be replaced by former W.A.S.P. drummer Steve Riley with this being known as the "classic lineup" of L.A. Guns. They achieved moderate chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, the group went through numerous lineup changes and failed to regain mainstream attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracii Guns</span> American guitarist

Tracy Irving Richard Ulrich, known professionally as Tracii Guns, is an American guitarist best known as the co-founder of glam metal group L.A. Guns, as well as the supergroups Brides of Destruction and Contraband. He was also a founding member of Guns N' Roses, but left shortly afterwards and was replaced by guitarist Slash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Riley (drummer)</span> American drummer (1956–2023)

Steve Riley was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with Keel, W.A.S.P., and L.A. Guns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Cripps</span> Australian musician

Michael Thomas Cripps is an Australian musician. His current musical project is The Brutalists, previous bands include L.A. Guns, Burning Retna, and several other groups.

<i>L.A. Guns</i> (album) 1988 studio album by L.A. Guns

L.A. Guns is the debut studio album by American glam metal band L.A. Guns. Recorded at The Village Recorder in West Los Angeles, it was produced by Jim Faraci and released on January 4, 1988, by Vertigo Records. The album is the only L.A. Guns release to feature drummer Nickey "Beat" Alexander, who was replaced by Steve Riley before it was released. "One More Reason", "Sex Action" and "Electric Gypsy" were released as the three singles from the album.

<i>Cocked & Loaded</i> 1989 studio album by L.A. Guns

Cocked & Loaded is the second studio album by American glam metal band L.A. Guns. Recorded at Hollywood studios One on One, Music Grinder and Conway Recording, it was produced by Duane Baron, John Purdell and Tom Werman, and released on August 22, 1989 by Vertigo Records. The album is the first to feature drummer Steve Riley. "Rip and Tear", "Never Enough", "The Ballad of Jayne", "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "Malaria" were released as the album's singles.

<i>American Hardcore</i> (album) 1996 studio album by L.A. Guns

American Hardcore is the fifth album by the American rock band L.A. Guns. It is their only album to feature singer Chris Van Dahl and the first to feature bass guitarist Johnny Crypt. This album continues the increase in heaviness by the band started on their previous album Vicious Circle. The band was very influenced by Pantera during this time.

<i>Cuts</i> (EP) 1992 EP by L.A. Guns

Cuts is an extended play (EP) by American hard rock band L.A. Guns. Recorded at Red Zone Studios in Burbank, California, it was self-produced by the band and released on December 2, 1992, by Polydor Records. The standard edition of the EP features five tracks, including three cover versions, one re-recording and one new song. The Japanese edition includes two additional cover versions. Cuts is the first L.A. Guns release to feature drummer Michael "Bones" Gershima.

<i>Vicious Circle</i> (L.A. Guns album) 1994 studio album by L.A. Guns

Vicious Circle is the fourth album by the American hard rock band L.A. Guns. The first single was "Long Time Dead". The band supported the album with a North American tour.

<i>Live! Vampires</i> 1992 live album by L.A. Guns

Live! Vampires is the first live album by American hard rock band L.A. Guns. Recorded in August 1991 at two shows in the United States, it was self-produced by the band and released in Japan only on February 26, 1992, by Vertigo Records. The majority of songs performed on the album are from the band's third studio album Hollywood Vampires, plus one each from L.A. Guns and Cocked & Loaded. Live! Vampires registered at number 91 on the Japanese Albums Chart.

<i>Cocked & Re-Loaded</i> 2000 studio album by L.A. Guns

Cocked & Re-Loaded is a re-recording of L.A. Guns' 1989 album Cocked & Loaded. It also includes a remix of "Rip and Tear". This album also has at least three different album covers.

<i>Holiday Foreplay</i> 1991 EP by L.A. Guns

Holiday Foreplay is an extended play (EP) by American hard rock band L.A. Guns. Released in November 1991 by Polydor Records, it features one track from the band's third album Hollywood Vampires, three previously unreleased live recordings from shows on the album's promotional tour, and a short holiday message from the band's frontman Phil Lewis. The album was a promotional release, and was not made available for widespread retail purchase.

<i>Greatest Hits and Black Beauties</i> 1999 studio album by L.A. Guns

Greatest Hits and Black Beauties is an album by L.A. Guns. Although the title would indicate that the album featured the group's biggest hits, it is in fact more accurately described as a unique studio album, featuring re-recordings of older L.A. Guns songs in a newer style, along with a handful of new tracks.

<i>Hollywood Rehearsal</i> 1997 compilation album by L.A. Guns

Hollywood Rehearsal is a collection of demos by L.A. Guns that was released in Japan. None of the demos had already been released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L.A. Guns discography</span> Discography of American band

The discography of L.A. Guns, an American hard rock band, consists of seventeen studio releases, nine live albums, 13 compilation albums, four extended plays, 27 singles, six video albums and 25 music videos. After some early lineup changes, the group – consisting of vocalist Phil Lewis, lead guitarist Tracii Guns, rhythm guitarist Mick Cripps, bassist Kelly Nickels and drummer Nickey Alexander – signed with PolyGram and released its self-titled debut album in 1988. It reached number 50 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Alexander was replaced by Steve Riley, and the 1989 follow-up Cocked & Loaded reached number 38 on the Billboard 200. The single "The Ballad of Jayne" gave L.A. Guns its debut on the Hot 100, reaching number 33.

<i>The Missing Peace</i> (album) Album by L.A. Guns

The Missing Peace is the eleventh studio album by American hard rock band L.A. Guns.

<i>Loud & Dangerous: Live from Hollywood</i> 2006 live album by L.A. Guns

Loud & Dangerous: Live from Hollywood is the third live album by American hard rock band L.A. Guns. Recorded on June 28, 2005, at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California, it was self-produced by the band and released on September 12, 2006, by Shrapnel Records. The album features the Tales from the Strip era lineup of the group, which included lead vocalist Phil Lewis, guitarist Stacey Blades, bassist Adam Hamilton and drummer Steve Riley.

<i>The Devil You Know</i> (L.A. Guns album) 2019 studio album by L.A. Guns

The Devil You Know is the 12th studio album from L.A. Guns. The album was produced by Tracii Guns and released by Frontiers Records on March 29, 2019.

References

  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "L.A. Guns - Hollywood Vampires review". AllMusic . All Media Network . Retrieved 2017-11-09.
  2. Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 237–238. ISBN   978-1-894959-62-9.
  3. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 159.
  4. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  5. "Swisscharts.com – L.A. Guns – Hollywood Vampires". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  6. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  7. "L.A. Guns Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on October 26, 2017. Retrieved 2017-11-07.