Slave to the Grind is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Skid Row, released on June 11, 1991, by Atlantic Records. The album displayed a harsher sound than its predecessor and lyrics that avoided hard rock cliches. Slave to the Grind is the first heavy metal album to chart at number one on the Billboard 200 in the Nielsen SoundScan era, selling 134,000 copies in its opening week. The album was certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1998 for shipping two million copies in the United States. It produced five singles: "Monkey Business", "Slave to the Grind", "Wasted Time", "In a Darkened Room" and "Quicksand Jesus". Skid Row promoted the album opening for Guns N' Roses in 1991 and as a headliner the following year.
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 is an American rock band formed in 1986 in Toms River, New Jersey. Their current lineup comprises bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave Sabo and Scotti Hill, drummer Rob Hammersmith and vocalist Erik Grönwall. The group achieved commercial success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with its first two albums Skid Row (1989) and Slave to the Grind (1991) certified multi-platinum, the latter of which reached number one on the Billboard 200. Those two albums also produced some of Skid Row's most popular hits, both in and outside of the United States, including "18 and Life" and "I Remember You", which peaked in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, and other charting singles such as "Youth Gone Wild", "Monkey Business", "Slave to the Grind", "Wasted Time", and "In a Darkened Room". The band's third album Subhuman Race (1995) was also critically acclaimed, but failed to repeat the success of its predecessors. Those three albums featured the band's "classic" lineup, which consisted of Bolan, Sabo, Hill, drummer Rob Affuso and frontman Sebastian Bach. The band had sold 20 million albums worldwide by the end of 1996. Amid rising tensions, Bach and Affuso both left Skid Row towards the end of that year, after which the band entered a three-year hiatus.
"Eternal Flame" is a song by American pop rock group the Bangles for their third studio album, Everything (1988). The power ballad was written by group member Susanna Hoffs with the established hit songwriting team of Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. Upon its 1989 single release, "Eternal Flame" became a number-one hit in nine countries, including Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Since its release, it has been covered by many musical artists, including Australian boy band Human Nature, who reached the Australian top 10 with their version, and British girl group Atomic Kitten, who topped four national charts with their rendition.
"Take a Picture" is a song by American rock band Filter, released to radio in September 1999 as the second single from their second studio album, Title of Record (1999). The song became a hit at the start of 2000 following its January 18 retail release, peaking at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three in Canada. It also became a top-10 hit in New Zealand, peaking at number eight on the RIANZ Singles Chart.
"Hold On" is a song by American vocal group Wilson Phillips, released on February 27, 1990 by SBK, as the lead single from their debut studio album, Wilson Phillips (1990). The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for a week in June 1990 and was the most successful single of that year in the US. It also became a worldwide hit, peaking within the top three in Australia and Canada and the top 10 in Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The song received platinum sales certifications in Australia and the UK and a gold certification in the US. Julien Temple directed its music video.
"When I See You Smile" is a song written by Diane Warren and performed by American-British glam metal band Bad English. It was released in September 1989 as the second single taken from their self-titled debut album released in 1989. The power ballad is the band's most successful song, reaching number-one in both the United States and Canada.
"18 and Life" is a song by American heavy metal band Skid Row. It was released in June 1989 as the second single from their self-titled debut album. The power ballad is the band's biggest hit, reaching No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 11 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 13, 1989, when it sold 500,000 copies. The song also charted at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 6 in Canada, and No. 5 in Ireland.
"Monkey Business" is a song by American heavy metal band Skid Row. It was released in June 1991 as the lead single from their second album, Slave to the Grind (1991). It was written by bandmates Rachel Bolan and Dave "The Snake" Sabo.
"This Ain't a Love Song" is the lead single from American rock band Bon Jovi's sixth studio album, These Days (1995). The rock ballad is an example of the strong rhythm and blues influence that Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wanted the album to have. It reached number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, number six on the UK Singles Chart, and number one on the Finnish Singles Chart.
"Will You Be There (In the Morning)" is a song by American rock band Heart. The ballad was written by veteran songwriter and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who was responsible for writing Heart's US number-two single "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You" in 1990, and was released as the first single from the band's 11th studio album, Desire Walks On (although "Black on Black II" was released to radio first). Unlike the majority of Heart songs, which feature Ann Wilson on lead vocals, the lead singer on the song is Nancy Wilson. The song was released in the United Kingdom in November 1993 and was released in the United States the following month.
"Show Me Heaven" is a song written by American singer and songwriter Maria McKee, Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin, and recorded by McKee for the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise film Days of Thunder, released in June 1990. Produced by Peter Asher, the power ballad received favorable reviews from most music critics, reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became the sixth-highest-selling single of 1990 in the UK. Additionally, the song became a worldwide hit, topping the charts of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway and becoming a top-five hit in Australia, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland. It has since been covered by numerous other artists, including Tina Arena.
"Weird" is a song written and performed by American pop rock band Hanson. The rock ballad was the fourth single released from the band's major label debut album, Middle of Nowhere (1997), and became a moderate hit worldwide, charting within the top 20 in Australia, Canada, Finland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
"When the Children Cry" is a power ballad performed by Danish-American glam metal band White Lion. It is the third single and closing track on their 1987 album, Pride. It peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two in Canada, and number 88 in the United Kingdom.
"All This Time" is a song by English musician Sting. It was released as the first single from his third studio album, The Soul Cages (1991), on 31 December 1990. The song was a chart success, especially in North America, reaching No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100, topping the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts, and peaking at number one on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart.
"On a Day Like Today" is a song by Canadian musician Bryan Adams, released on September 22, 1998, as the first single from his eight album, On a Day Like Today (1998). The song reached number one in Canada and number nine in Hungary. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number thirteen on the UK Singles Chart.
"High Enough" is a song by American supergroup Damn Yankees from their self titled debut album. A power ballad, it is their most successful single in terms of chart position and sales, rising to No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, the group's first top-ten pop single. It also reached No. 2 on the US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The success of "High Enough" helped send its parent album into the top 20 on the US albums chart.
T. Rex were an English rock band, formed in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan, who was their leader, frontman and only consistent member. Though initially associated with the psychedelic folk genre, Bolan began to change the band's style towards electric rock in 1969, and shortened their name to T. Rex the following year. This development culminated in 1970 with their first hit single "Ride a White Swan", and the group soon became pioneers of the glam rock movement.
"Faithful" is a song by English pop duo Go West. The song is the opening track on the band's fourth album, Indian Summer (1992), and served as the album's lead single. Written by the band and Martin Page and produced by Peter Wolf, the song reached the top 20 in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Its highest chart position was in Canada, where it peaked at number two in February 1993. It also reached number three on the adult contemporary charts of both Canada and the United States.
"The Soul of My Suit" is a song by English rock band T. Rex, which was released in 1977 as the second single from their twelfth and final studio album Dandy in the Underworld. The song was written and produced by Marc Bolan. "The Soul of My Suit" reached number 42 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 50 for three weeks.
