ALBUM OF THE WEEK # 317: SKID ROW - SLAVE TO THE GRIND (1991)

[Jon]

(WARNING: This post and album feature disgustingly filthy language so beware, dammit!)

Disclaimer: All info that does not reside in my brain is not info that you need to know since I know everything and the stuff that I may not know is stuff that I really don't care to know (unless otherwise noted).

The #1 album series is rightfully continuing with this week's AOTW selection, Slave To The Grind from Skid Row. And, at this time, there is STILL no collusion!

This is the followup to the self-titled debut that was released in 1989, an album I didn't care much for. It sounded like another hair metal band to me, but someone must have liked it since it sold a bunch a copies, enough to be certified 5X platinum in the U.S. and sold very well in other countries which I don't feel like listing since, yep, I'm lazy.

Slave To The Grind, released in 1991 is a completely different beast than the debut. Kicking off with "Monkey Business" (FEATURING COWBELL!!!!!!!), you can tell this is going to be harder than the debut. Granted, there's a couple power ballads, but the rest of the album is loud and heavy. No pandering to the record companies here. 

Not pandering didn't seem to make a difference since this album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200Album Chart, the first metal album to do so. It was certified 2X platinum so it seems that some folks were put off by the heaviness. Their loss, I suppose.

Well, let's wrap this up with the allmusic.com review:

Skid Row get harder and heavier on their sophomore effort, matching Sebastian Bach's gritty, streetwise rants to lean, driving riffs that manage to back up all the attitudinal posturing. Largely missing are the bits of pop-metal fluff that filled out Skid Row; in their place are tales from the dark side about drugs, corruption, and the like, with Bach affecting a tough, threatening persona most of the time. The furious noise kicked up behind Bach is usually more threatening than his overwrought vocal delivery, but Slave to the Grind is powerful enough that it doesn't really matter. "Monkey Business," "Get the Fuck Out," and the thrashy title track crush most anything on the debut, and power ballads like "Quicksand Jesus" and "Wasted Time" are far less generic than their Skid Row counterparts. Many observers were surprised when Slave to the Grind became the first heavy metal album to debut at number one on the Billboard charts, but it really was one of the best -- and heaviest -- examples of mainstream hard rock/heavy metal in the genre's MTV heyday.

This is available from amazon.com for less than $5. If you're a wuss, you can get the clean version for around the same price. 

Tracks:

1. Monkey Business
2. Slave To The Grind
3. The Threat
4. Quicksand Jesus
5. Psycho Love
6. Get The Fuck Out
7. Livin' On A Chain Gang
8. Creepshow
9. In A Darkened Room
10. Riot Act
11. Mudkicker
12. Wasted Time

Yet another quality post from a guest doing it right the first time. 

 

[Scott]

1991 and life was busy for me and my growing family...  Totally whiffed on this one, but not totally because I didn't know about it, more so because I wasn't much a Skid Row fan.  Cant say anything has swayed me to them since either...

It does help that I've been in a much heavier mood the past couple of months.  Monkey Business is a fine opener, but I can already feel that the BachScream© will come to annoy me... The pace of the songs and the riffs kinda start feel similar in a frenetic way, not bad though.  I do like the short spirts of guitar work, wish they would jam those break a bit longer and more often, maybe if they'd have added as much guitar as they did BachScream© it would have felt more interesting.  Quicksand Jesus is pretty cool, it sounds familiar to me but I have no idea where I would've heard it from.  More cowbell on Creepshow! 

I can certainly hear why folks had grown weary of this genre in 91 and maybe we started burning out earlier than this.  I don't think the heaviness is what turned people off though its the sameness of it all...  Had this came out in 84-85 it probably would've lit the world on fire, because it would have been ahead of its time, but the production fits that time frame as well, so that's the feel I get. 

I loved the closer the best, weirdly, this is the one that shows range, feel, song writing skill, in spite of the BachScream© it worked for me best ...

Fine non-colluded post sir! 

[RJhog (Admin)]

I'm not sure whether I prefer Slave To The Grind or the debut overall.  They are quite close, probably a draw.  This one is definitely heavier.  The first two songs set the pace, a pace that the remainder of the album can't quite keep up with. Basically, side one is far superior to side two for my money.  I used to have this version (with GTFO) on cassette, but that seemingly has disappeared over the years, and my CD version has that song replaced by Beggar's Day.  I like GTFO, or at least I did when the album came out.  That was pretty much my mentality at the time.

Anyway, for me, Skid Row is hit and miss.  Several really good songs and a fair amount of filler.  At least on the first two albums.  That third album is just middle of the road.

Good post.  Wonder what you'll come up with this week?