| Vicious Circle | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 4, 1994 | |||
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| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 56:06 | |||
| Label | Polydor [1] | |||
| Producer |
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| L.A. Guns chronology | ||||
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| Singles from L.A. Guns | ||||
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Vicious Circle is the fourth album by the American hard rock band L.A. Guns. [2] [3] The first single was "Long Time Dead". [4] The band supported the album with a North American tour. [5]
Michael "Bones" Gersema drums on several songs. [1] "I'd Love to Change the World" is a cover of the Ten Years After song. [6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| Calgary Herald | A− [6] |
| Chicago Tribune | [8] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10 [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [1] |
| Rock Hard | 8.0/10 [10] |
| The Tampa Tribune | [11] |
The Chicago Tribune stated that the band "hasn't wandered a bit from the glam metal they helped popularize in the late '80s—a raunchy sound that makes the true headbanger cringe," but conceded that the album "also features some danceable tunes." [8] The Calgary Herald determined that "bow-taut guitar solos are slung against arrows of melody fired at the bulls-eye of '70s rock." [6] The Tampa Tribune opined that "guitarist Tracii Guns' trigger-finger riffs still fire faster than a speeding bullet." [11]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Face Down" | Kelly Nickels, Mick Cripps, Michael Gersema, Phil Lewis, Tracii Guns | 4:11 |
| 2. | "No Crime" | Nickels, Gersema, Steve Dior | 2:35 |
| 3. | "Long Time Dead" | Nickels, Cripps, Lewis, Guns | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Killing Machine" | Nickels, Cripps, Lewis, Guns | 3:27 |
| 5. | "Fade Away" | Nickels, Cripps, Gersema, Lewis, Guns | 4:11 |
| 6. | "Tarantula" (instrumental) | Nickels, Cripps, Lewis, Guns | 0:56 |
| 7. | "Crystal Eyes" (American and European bonus track) | Nickels, Cripps, Lewis, Steve Riley, Guns | 5:53 |
| 8. | "Nothing Better to Do" | Nickels, Cripps, Lewis, Guns | 2:52 |
| 9. | "Chasing the Dragon" | Nickels, Cripps, Gersema, Lewis, Guns | 4:50 |
| 10. | "Kill That Girl" | Nickels, Cripps, Lewis, Guns | 3:13 |
| 11. | "I'd Love to Change the World" (Ten Years After cover) | Alvin Lee | 3:39 |
| 12. | "Who's in Control (Let 'Em Roll)" | Nickels, Cripps, Lewis, Guns | 4:02 |
| 13. | "I'm the One" | Nickels, Cripps, Gersema, Lewis, Guns | 2:28 |
| 14. | "Why Ain't I Bleeding" | Nickels, Cripps, Lewis, Guns | 4:32 |
| 15. | "Kiss of Death" | Gersema, Lewis, Dior | 5:55 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "Death in America" | Nickels, Cripps, Gersema, Lewis, Guns | 3:41 |
| 17. | "Empire Down" | 3:29 | |
| Total length: | 57:23 | ||
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) [12] | 58 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC) [13] | 13 |
Hollywood Rose was an American glam metal group formed in June 1983. They are best known as the precursor for what would eventually become Guns N' Roses. The group was founded by Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin and Chris Weber, while they were aided during live shows by Rick Marrs, Andre Troxx, Daniel "DJ" Nicolson, Johnny Kreis and Steve Darrow. Rose, Stradlin and Weber, along with Kreis and Nicolson, recorded a five-song demo on January 1984. However, after a number of lineup changes, which includes Weber, Kreis and Nicolson being replaced by Slash and Steven Adler as well the departure of Stradlin, the group disbanded the same year.
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.
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.
BulletBoys is an American hard rock/glam metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1987. The group's original lineup was composed of singer Marq Torien, guitarist Mick Sweda, bassist Lonnie Vencent, and drummer Jimmy D'Anda. The group released two successful albums and had a number of singles featured on MTV between 1988 and 1991. From the 1990s onward, the group went through numerous lineup changes, with Torien as the only consistent member. Their most recent album From Out of the Skies was released in 2018. The original lineup reunited for one-off shows in 2011 and 2019.
Brides of Destruction was an American hard rock supergroup from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002. The band's last lineup consisted of singer London LeGrand (vocals), Tracii Guns and Scot Coogan. Previous members of the band were Nikki Sixx (bass), Kris Kohls (drums), Adam Hamilton (keyboard), John Corabi, Scott Sorry (bass) and Ginger.
Paul Stanley is the first solo album from American musician Paul Stanley, the singer-songwriter best known for serving as the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of hard rock band Kiss. It was one of four solo albums released by the members of Kiss on September 18, 1978, yet still under the Kiss label, and coming out alongside Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, and Gene Simmons. It is the only release out of the four Kiss solo albums to feature all original songs, as Simmons, Criss and Frehley each recorded one cover song on their albums.
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.
Eye II Eye is the fourteenth studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released in 1999. It is a radical departure in that Eye II Eye is much more pop-oriented than their previous work, which alienated some fans, despite the single "Mysterious" reaching number 26 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It is the first studio Scorpions album to feature James Kottak on drums and also the final Scorpions studio album to feature Ralph Rieckermann on bass guitar.
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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Shrinking Violet is the sixth studio album by glam metal band L.A. Guns, first released on June 1, 1999, through Perris Records, and is the only L.A. Guns album with singer Jizzy Pearl. The album was reissued, with bonus tracks and new artwork, on May 24, 2010, through Favored Nations. The album was produced by former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke who also provided additional guitars on the track "Dreamtime".
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.
Contraband was a short-lived supergroup/side project that included members of several famous rock bands from the 1980s, such as Shark Island, McAuley Schenker Group, Ratt, L.A. Guns, and Vixen.
Breaking the Chains is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Dokken. It was originally released in Europe as Breakin' the Chains on the French label Carrere Records, in 1981. This version contains different mixes and titles of songs from the later U.S. edition. "Paris Is Burning" is called "Paris", and is actually a studio version as opposed to the live recording in Berlin from December 1982. The album also contains a song called "We're Illegal", which later turned into "Live to Rock ".
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.
The Missing Peace is the eleventh studio album by American hard rock band 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.
Wasted is an extended play (EP) by American hard rock band L.A. Guns. Recorded at Red Zone Studios in Burbank, California, it was co-produced by the band with recording and mixing engineer Denis Degher, and released on September 15, 1998, by StandBack Entertainment. The EP features four new tracks, a re-recording of "The Ballad of Jayne" and a cover version of the Kiss song "Cold Gin". It is the only L.A. Guns release to feature vocalist Ralph Saenz.
