Length 39:28 Producer Michael Wagener | Label Atlantic | |
Released January 24, 1989 (1989-01-24) Studio 1988 in Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Genre Glam metal, heavy metal | ||
Skid Row is the eponymous debut studio album by American heavy metal band Skid Row, released on January 24, 1989 by Atlantic Records. After being noticed by 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 favorable reviews upon its release. The band promoted Skid Row mainly as an opening act on worldwide tours by 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 three singles: "Youth Gone Wild", "18 and Life", and "I Remember You", 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.
Contents
Background and recording
Skid Row was formed 1986 in Toms River, New Jersey when guitarist Dave Sabo met bassist Rachel Bolan in a local guitar store Sabo was working at. They both shared similar music influences and soon began rehearsing at Bolan family’s garage. Guitarist Scotti Hill came from Bolan's previous club band, and Sabo's acquaintance Rob Affuso played drums in a Rush tribute band. Once the band was formed, Skid Row started gigging in nightclubs throughout the Eastern United States and quickly built a small following. Sabo was a childhood friend of Jon Bon Jovi and they had agreed if one of them succeeded in the music business, he would help the other out. Skid Row caught the attention of Bon Jovi's manager Doc McGhee while opening for Bon Jovi on his 1987 Slippery When Wet Tour. McGhee suggested the band to replace original singer Matt Fallon because he lacked the rest of the group’s drive.
Sebastian Bach was introduced to Skid Row by Dave Feld, a friend of the band, who saw Bach singing Led Zeppelin covers at rock photographer Mark Weiss wedding. After completing the lineup, the group signed with Richie Sambora's and Bon Jovi's publishing company Underground, unknowingly giving them the lion’s share of the group’s royalties. Skid Row later restored Sambora's share of the royalties, but Bon Jovi kept his, which caused a rift between Bon Jovi and Bach. After negotiating with a number of labels such Geffen, Atlantic, and A&M, Skid Row settled on Atlantic in 1988. The band entered the Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin with producer Michael Wagener to record its debut. The studio was in the back end of the hotel the band stayed in. Skid Row worked according to a schedule made by Wagener and stayed dry during recording. The recording went smoothly because the band had been performing the songs for a year. The label initially pressed 150,000 copies of the album and booked the band an opening slot on Bon Jovi's 1988–1989 New Jersey Syndicate Tour.
Critical reception
Released on January 24, 1989, Skid Row received generally positive reviews from the music press. AllMusic's Steve Huey classified the album as "typical pop-metal fluff" of the late 1980s, but praised it for the consistent songwriting and said Bach's vocals gave the songs the much-needed nasty attitude. Sputnikmusic's Dave Donnelly considered Skid Row one of the more talented bands of the glam era because of its charismatic frontman, and described the group's debut as mainly a "party album" best remembered for its ballads. Q magazine described the album as a fusion of rock riffs and commercial hooks, and proclaimed it a notable debut. Spin's Erik Davis said Skid Row was slightly different from contemporary albums by Warrant and Great White because it contained less "fake-gutter narratives of sluts and bad boys". Aniss Garza was more critical in the Los Angeles Times, finding the record "highly unoriginal" and lacking any lyrical substance or musical ingenuity. Robert Christgau said the band was not "offensively sexist" if only by heavy metal standards, jokingly saying that the disreputable women in the songs were at least "characters rather than objects". Martin Popoff thought Skid Row represented a "grittier, more street version of hair metal", unlike its California–based peers. The critical and commercial success of Skid Row made the band a regular feature in rock magazines such as Hit Parader, Circus, and Metal Edge in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Touring
The 17-month worldwide tour included an appearance at Moscow Music Peace Festival in August 1989 to a crowd of 70,000. The event was organized by McGhee as a penance for drug smuggling and featured artists managed by him or his brother. Skid Row made its UK debut at the Milton Keynes Bowl supporting Bon Jovi, and headlined London's Hammersmith Odeon two months later. After finishing the tour in support of Bon Jovi's New Jersey album, Skid Row opened on Aerosmith's Pump Tour, which launched in October 1989 and lasted a year. At the concert in Springfield, Massachusetts in December, a fan threw a bottle onstage during Skid Row’s set. Upset, Bach threw the bottle back into the crowd and hit a 17-year-old female fan in the face. The incident was filmed by a fan and Bach was arrested after the show. He was set free on $10,000 bail and received three years of probation. At another show in 1990, Bach wore a T-shirt with the anti-gay slogan "AIDS Kills Fags Dead". Bach said he put the T-shirt on after a fan threw it onstage, but later regretted the incident, saying he does not support homophobia. Thanks to heavy touring and the band's exposure on MTV, Skid Row quickly went platinum and remained a Billboard top 10 album three months after its release. The album spawned three singles: "Youth Gone Wild", "18 and Life", and "I Remember You", of which the last two charted in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song "Piece of Me" was also released as a promo single and featured a music video.
The band released a video album "Oh Say Can You Scream" featuring live performances from the band's self-titled debut album. It was released on December 4, 1990 and sold nearly 2 million copies around the world.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.