W I L D S I D E
Wildside - Under the Influence (Capitol)
1992
1. "Hang on Lucy"
(4:38)
2. "So Far Away" (4:15)
3. "Monkey See Monkey Do" (4:00)
4. "Just Another Night" (5:19)
5. "Looks Like Love" (4:46)
6. "Lad in Sin" (5:58)
7. "Drunkin' Man's Blues" (:47)
8. "How Many Lies" (5:07)
9. "Hair of the Dog" (3:46)
10. "Heart-N-Soul" (4:03)
11. "Kiss This Love Goodbye" (4:08)
12. "Clock Strikes" (5:21)
I must be getting soft in my old age. I use to hate pop metal, but in recent years have grown to not only appreciate it, but to love it. I think there was just this insipid mentality amoung 'true metalheads' in the 80's and early 90's that it was uncool to listen to this type of metal. But I digress. Wildside is yet another unheard of gem from a time period when the grunge explosion overshadowed excellent rock 'n roll like this. Sadly, Capitol Records buried this CD in favor of Blind Melon and other such boring garbage. The band is in similar musical territory as Britny Fox, Bangalore Choir, and even Ratt and Dangerous Toys at times. If Guns n' Roses, Skid Row and Britny Fox got into a ring to duke it out, this is what it might sound like. I had to check the writing credits on "Clock Strikes" to see if it was written by some members of Ratt as this song has a strikingly similar sound. There is loads of attitude, big sing-along choruses, skillful guitar playing and memorable vocal and musical hooks. Vocalist Drew Hannah has that hint of Axl Rose/Jason McMaster screech that is both melodic and aggressive at the same time. I began looking for some information on this band after I got the CD and discovered that this disc is one of those eBay gems that sells for around $15 - $20, which means that this disc is most likely out of print and hard to find. Well, glad I found a copy. (thanks James.)
Wildside is: Drew Hannah lead vocals, Brent Wood lead, rhythm, and acoustic guitars, backing vocals, Benny Rhynedance rhythm guitar, backing vocals, Marc Simon bass, backing vocals Jimmy D. drums. Brent Woods also performed with Vince Neil's band.