I'll tell you an awesome band that faded into the sunset was A Flock Of Seagulls. In terms of musicianship and creativity I think they were a cut above most of the other new wave synthpop bands of the 1980s. Most people only remember 2 things about them: The wave hairstyle of lead singer Mike Score and their song "I Ran" which is unfortunate because they had many other songs that were as good if not better like Wishing, Transfer Affection, It's Not Me Talking, and The Story Of A Young Heart. Another thing that is annoying is that the only CD of theirs that is in print in the U.S. today is "The Best Of." I want more than just 12 of their songs. They released 4 albums. I wish whoever owns the A Flock Of Seagull's catalogue would re-master and re-release all of their albums on CD.  :-/

Yeah, FOS were pretty cool. I have one of theirs on vinyl.

Speaking of new wave cds that are out of print. I've been searching everywhere for "Berlin - Master Series". It has all their hits on it, even some that aren't on the "The Best of Berlin 1979-1988".  :o

well, their first self-titled CD isn't very expensive on ebay usually.. Listen however usually runs around $80 (I should know, I bought a copy), and Story of a Young Heart will run about $30.. Dream Come True on Cd is the rarest though.. I've never seen a used copy of it, probably because it wasn't a great album.. I do have it on vinyl though..

there is a fifth album, though it's really just the lead singer using the name.. it's not bad though, I've liked what I heard from it.. one of the greatest hits packages I bought, actually has five songs from the Dream Come True album, so you can actually get the majority of their stuff on CD, if you spend a little time (and a lot of money)..

The CD Listen goes for much more than $80.00 on eBay check out these links:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2509463947&category=2252

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2514749601&category=2252

I see that we have a serious Nitro fan here. I haven't even heard of them till recently. Just to satisfy my curiosity, I won two auctions on Ebay for "O.F.R." and Nitro 2 "H.W.D.W.S." They both should be in any day now. I hope they sound at least as good as Mr.Big or Lynch Mob.

I have serious doubts though that their sound can rank with the big dogs like Queensryche, Great White, Dokken, Yngwie Malmsteen, Saxon, Scorpions, Judas Priest, House of Lords, Joe Satriani, Armoured Saint, or Whitesnake.

But then again, who knows? I just might be in for a sweat surprise when I finally hear the CDs. I'll be sure to let you know.

I think you'll be impressed Michael Angelo is the fastest most technically proficient guitarist I've ever heard.

My O.F.R. CD came in today. Definitely tallented, guitarist definitely shreds fast enough to make little babies cry, but hearing the CD left me scratching my head thinking...."I've heard this style before".

So I browsed through my CD collection and there it was! I found Nitro's inspiration......VINNIE VINCENT INVASION!

It's not my intention to piss any body off here (much less a fellow Metalhead), but to give my honest opinion here; "Freight Train" was decent, but I don't think anything on this NITRO CD could challenge "Ashes to ashes",
"Boys are gonna rock", "Twisted" or even Vinnie's former works with KISS like "Exciter" or "Creatures of the night".

Personally, I give Vinnie Vincent a 9+ on a scale of 1-10 on the Metal scale. I rate Nitro a 6.

I'll tell you who really impressed me as a guitarist though (now here's your chance to fire back, heh); Jake E. Lee when he was with Ozzy. Dammit that boy can shred! Now here's where you're going to think I lost my mind: I liked Jake's style and think he sounded far better than Randy Rhoads. I know, I can hear you guys already: "What planet did this guy land from?"

By the way, I rate Queensryche at 10+. Jet City woman, I don't believe in love, Eyes of a stranger, Walk in the shadows, Take hold of the flame,....DAMMIT BOY! It just doesn't get any better!

Did you know that Bobby Rock played drums on the album O.F.R.? He also played drums on Vinnie Vincent Invasion's debut album. I am also a fan of VVI I even have the video for Boyz Are Gonna Rock, wild!

"Bobby Rock"? I knew that name sounded familiar. I just checked one of my VVI CDs and sure enough, you're right. And Michael Angelo & Jim Gillette (Sure, that's his real name, heh!) definitely sound like they came from the same litter.

Can't blame them though; there never was enough Metal groups that could follow the trail blazed by Vinnie Vincent Invasion.

Funny thing about VVI and Nitro; neither one had band members that looked like they sounded. They look Glam but sound edgy enough to pass for Heavy Metal.

V-MAX Have you heard of the band Autograph? The are one of my top favorites also, I have a website for them. http://www.anycities.com/autograph/autograph.htm

Autograph? Hell yea! "Turn it up" is one Metal tune that, after hearing it hundreds of times, sounds fresh every time. Definitely one of my top 10 favorite Metal tunes. I have that tune on a Rhino compilation CD. I don't recall hearing any of their other tunes though.

There is one tune that I heard that could easily make my top 10 favorites but I only heard it a couple times in 1986. I moved to the east coast before I even made an effort to find out the name of the tune or the group. After 2 years searching, I still haven't found it. It was probably a demo from an L.A. Hair Metal band that never signed with a major label. The lyrics went

"UUHH!
I am a Rock! Living inside of you!
At night you try to set me free!
I am the brains of everything that you do!
Just get me started you'll see!...

(chorus)
I am the Tomorrow! Yea, yea!
I am the Tomorrow! UUHH!
LONG! LIVE! ROCK! Long live Rock and Ro-ll!
LONG! LIVE! ROCK! Long live Rock and Ro-ll!"

I've got more info on it on the "Songs and lyrics" board. I'm back in L.A. now, but after 4 months, I still can't find this tune. You would have to hear this tune to believe how good it really is. I rank it right up there with

Jet City woman (Queensryche)
Fool for your loving (Whitesnake)
She shakes me (Great White)
I wanna be loved (House of lords)
Seven seas (TNT)
Turn it up" (Autograph)
Ashes to ashes (VVI)
Making love (Yngwie Malmsteen)
Uncle Tom's cabin (Warrant)

Once I finally find that "Mysterious 80s Hair Metal tune", my CD collection (as well as my top 10 list) will be complete.

By the way, my NItro 2 CD came in yesterday. The guitar leads sounded alot more stylish on this one. I still like VVI better. Hearing a double bass going on in "Cat scratch fever" was a bit strange. The group itself sounds really tight and had so much potential. The only thing Nitro lacked was a really good songwriter that could take them beyond a Friday night Metal nightclub sound.

Jim's voice sounds like a strange blend of Mark Slaughter, Lizzy Bordan, Axl Rose and Joe Elliot. Quite a bizzar mix. Not bad, just different.

Nitro's second CD does have broader sounds, but it seems somewhat toned down compared to their debut, but It's still cool in a different way Crazy Love has a semi ballad feeling. The solo in the song Johnny Died On Christmas seems to convey the story in the lyrics. Makin' Love well, does sound like hot steamy sex!

Yea the Nitro 2 CD was a bit more toned down. Versatility can be a good thing though. There were a couple tunes on O.F.R. that bordered on Speed Metal.

I'll have to say, the "Hey Mike" solo was a tease; too damn short! I expected at least 4 minutes to play all 4 necks of that weird ass guitar of his. Why 4 necks anyway? Is he amphibius or something? I mean ambidextrious, heh (I know; it sounded funnier when the redneck said it on "Walker Texas Ranger").

By the way; I'm offereing a $100.00 reward for the info on that "Mysterious Hair Metal tune" I'm searching for.

I'm curious to know your top 10 Metal tune list. Different groups of course; most of us could make a top 10 list out of our favorite group (in my case it would be Great White).

Well here is my top 10 right now.

1. Autograph - Loud And Clear
2. Nitro - Freight Train
3. Racer X - Street Lethal
4. Leatherwolf - The Calling
5. Vinnie Vincent Invasion - Boyz Are Gonna Rock
6. Lillian Axe - Show A Little Love
7. TNT - 10,000 Lovers (In One)
8. Dokken - Turn On The Action
9. Stryper - Soldiers Under Command
10. W.A.S.P. - Widowmaker