| 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 |
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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.
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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.
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