Remember those times when you listen to this album. It's a time that seems long gone.


A good 80s metal album   April 15, 2005
Daniel Maltzman (Arlington, MA, USA)
10 out of 13 found this review helpful

Skid Row was one of the best bands of the pre-alternative "hair-band" era. It's unfortunate that Skid Row has been lumped in with bands like Warrant and Poison, because Skid Row rocked a lot harder than those bands. I would go as far as to say that Skid Row were second only to Guns N' Roses as the best mainstream rock band of the late 80s, early 90s. Skid Row has always had a knack for writing heavy, catchy, infectious riffs with good sing-along choruses. Sebastian Bach was, in my opinion, second only to Axl Rose as the best singer/frontman of the late 80s/early 90s.

Although Skid Row's debut is their best selling album, it's not their best work. It pales in comparison to their masterpiece "Slave to the Grind" (1991) and the underrated "Subhuman Race" (1995). Although it's still better than the Bach-less "Thickskin" (2003).

Skid Row's debut is slightly generic, although it's still a strong album. The highlights include the ballads "18 and Life," "I Remember You," and the anthem "Youth Gone Wild." The rest of the album is by-the-numbers standard 80s metal. But they're still all good songs.

If you want to check out Skid Row, I recommend the follow-up album "Slave to the Grind." But Skid Row's debut is still a good CD. If you are looking for a good 80s metal record, this album should please you.



Skid Row was never better than their '89 debut   September 19, 2006
R. Gorham
7 out of 9 found this review helpful

THE BAND: Sebastian Bach (vocals), David Sabo (guitars), Scotti Hill (guitars), Rachel Bolan (bass), Rob Affuso (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1989) 11 tracks clocking in at approximately 39 minutes. Included with the disc is a 6-page foldout containing song credits/titles, song lyrics, one black & white band picture, and thank you's. All songs written by Skid Row members (though Sabo and Bolan wrote the vast majority; Bach has only 1 song writing credit on "Makin' A Mess"). Recorded at Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, WI. Released 1/24/89. Label - Atlantic.

COMMENTS: New Jersey's Skid Row put out an incredible first album amongst a sea of great pop/hair metal albums in 1989. Just to name a few of the others... Motley Crue (Dr. Feelgood), Whitesnake (Slip Of The Tongue), Mr. Big (Mr. Big), King's X (Gretchen Goes To Nebraska), Blue Murder (Blue Murder), L.A. Guns (Cocked & Loaded), Shark Island (Law Of The Order), Enuff Z'Nuff (Enuff Z'Nuff), White Lion (Big Game), etc. Skid Row's debut contained the 3 necessary elements of any 80's hard rock hair album: 1. Numerous hard rocking tunes (my favorite track "Piece Of Me", "Midnight/Tornado", "Big Guns", "Sweet Little Sister"); 2. A couple of heavy hits ("18 And Life", "Youth Gone Wild"); and at least one mega power ballad ("I Remember You"). Skid Row's album was absolutely memorable - if not by Bach's trademark high pitched howl, then by the huge chart success of 3 distinct songs (mentioned above)... "18 And Life" (reaching #4 on Billboard), "I Remember You" (#6), and "Youth Gone Wild" (#99). I always remember singer Bach being at the center of controversy... saying things he probably shouldn't have said... as a whole, the band acting like the bad boys of rock (i.e. Guns 'N Roses). I did however like this album way before all the bad press though. It was a rocking in-your-face album with crunchy guitars, gritty vocals and catchy melodies. If you were into the hard rock scene in the late 80's, you HAD this album. *Other notably albums from Skid Row include "Slave To The Grind" (1991) and "Subhuman Race" (1995)... the latter of the two being an underrated heavy metal gem. Skid Row's debut is the place to start though (4.5 stars).


distractingly inconsistent   April 21, 2001
Bryan Wilson (Lexington, MA United States)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful

don't let my rating scare you off. skid row was a very good band. problem is, this album isn't. yes, i know, there are the absolutely essential 80s hits: the disarmingly simple but memorable "i remember you", the anthemic "18 & life", the testosterone fueled "youth gone wild", and the angry "piece of me," which is a good preview of things to come for the band. after those songs though, there isn't much to chew on. you'll be disappointed because the quality seriously drops off in comparison to four classics. lead singer sebastian bach's over-the-top singing is either great or annoying, depending on your taste, but over the course of a mediocre album it's usually the latter. you're much better off looking into "slave to the grind," and "subhuman race." of course, you'll probably want the better tracks from "skid row," but they are readily available on the greatest hits album, "40 seasons," which i strongly recommend if you're simply a passing fan. the fact that a best of exists pretty much makes their debut irrelevant except for the dedicated fan or collector. don't believe the hype.


Underrated pop/metal. Holds up better than you might think.   December 23, 2003
JWP (San Jose, CA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Even when I'm not in a hard rock mood, I can always listen to this album all the way through. Most of their 'Big Haired' peers might've only had one or two other good songs on their albums, besides the hits. That should tell ya something.

1) Big Guns -- Dirty lyric-filled, loud, slightly bluesy pop/metal anthem. A great opener.

2) Sweet Little Sister -- Fast paced, heavy, but also extremely catchy and somewhat poppy tune.

3) Can't Stand the Heartache -- Only a teeny bit less heavy, but more of an arena rock 'post love' anthem. Very underrated and another highlight of the album you won't hear on the radio.

4) Piece of Me -- One of the hits/videos. Probably the toughest, heaviest song on the album. An angry sounding, almost straight metal tune about fighting and partying. It's still singable though.

5) 18 & Life -- The most well-known tune. A melodic but still hard-edged pop/power ballad about a suicidal guy named Ricky. A slight departure from what most of the era's bands' power ballads sounded like.

6) Rattlesnake Shake -- Yet again, a tough, streetwise hard rocker about an, umm, prostitute. Reminds me of something Guns N' Roses would do.

7) Youth Gone Wild -- Another well known, shout-along rebellious (yet fun) anthem. Loud and heavy, yet slightly melodic.

8) Here I Am -- Not one of my favorites. A non-hit, rawer metal anthem.

9) Makin' A Mess -- A fast paced hard rocker, but it strays from the 'Get Chicks and Party' theme of the album. A first person account of, what sounds like, spouse abuse. Told in an anti- kind of way, but not a ballad at all.

10) I Remember You -- The other power ballad of the album. A somewhat accoustic tune in parts, almost reminding me of Mr Big's hit "To Be With You." It still rocks, but it's probably the lighest song here.

11) Midnight/Tornado -- Yet another underrated rocker that got away. This one has more of a melodic, power rock sound to it. It's somewhat heavy as well, but it's one of those songs even someone who isn't a fan of hard rock could like.

Even though I'd technically call this a heavy metal album, it's actually pretty varied. It's a little harder and meaner than Poison, Bon Jovi or Def Leppard. It's not quite as rough and more melodic than Megadeth, Metallica or Guns & Roses. It's more pop than Judas Priest or Iron Maiden. Yet it fits enough into all the afforementioned styles to be recommended to fans of any or all of those bands. The closest equivalent is probably Motley Crue.

I highly recommend geting this album over their 'Greatest Hits', simply because there's a number of cool, severely underrated songs here that you won't find there, and are just as good as the 4 hits.