John Lynch, replacing Brian Dickhute as “regular host” joins us to riff on the eponymously named debut studio album by Skid Row from January of 1989 (Youth Gone Wild / I Remember You / Sweet Little Sister / 18 and Life). ENTERTAINMENT TRACK: Theme song for the animated series “Alf: The Animated Series” STAFF PICKS: “Charlotte Anne” by Julian Cope — Bruce. “Driven Out” by The Fixx — Rob. “Funky Cold Medina” by Tone Loc — Wayne. “Two Hearts” by Phil Collins — John. NOVELTY TRACK: “Let's Put the X in Sex” - Kiss. **(NOTE: What the Riff?!? does not own the rights to any of these songs and we neither sell, nor profit from them. We share them so you can learn about them and purchase them for your own collections.)
Hair band Skid Row hails from Tom's River, New Jersay. The band was formed in 1986 by bassist Rachel Boland and guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo, and rounded out with guitarist Scotti Hill and drummer Rob Affuso. Lead vocalist Sebastian Bach was recruited after being seen as a wedding singer at the age of 18 well before Adam Sandler would reveal this as a potential career option and path to love and fame. Sabo was a high school friend of Jon Bon Jovi, and the two made a pact that if one was sucessful in the music business they would help the other out. This led to Bon Jovi's manager Doc McGee seeking out Skid Row and getting them a contract with Atlantic Records in 1988.
Skid Row was the band's eponymously titled debut album, and it would prove to be a huge success over time. Though it received mixed critical reviews, the album went to number 6 on the Billboard 200 charts, and would be certified 5x platinum in 1995 by the RIAA. The band headlined tours for Bon Jovi and Aerosmith in 1989-1990.
Bach would be the front man for the band for their first three albums until 1996, when friction between himself and Sabo led to his departure. Skid Row is still active as of 2022, and has released six albums to date.
John Lynch takes the helm on this album in his debut as a permanent member of the What the Riff crew.
Youth Gone Wild
This rocking anthem was the first single released from the album. No matter what walk of life you are from, you are one of us - the youth gone wild. Be true to yourself and not to what others expect of you. "Hi man, there's something that you oughta know. I tell ya Park Avenue leads to Skid Row."
I Remember You
The third single would be the one to really put Skid Row on the map. It is a power ballad depicting a guy who can't get over a long lost love. Bass player Rachel Bolan contributed the lyrics. The line "love letters in the sand" was also the title of a number 1 hit from 1957 by Pat Boone.
Sweet Little Sister
A deeper cut that sounds a lot like Motley Crue chronicles the trouble that a boy crazy sister of a member of the band can create. "For such a sweet little lady I would swear she's rotten to the core. Oh yes she got her hands in the cookie jar."
18 and Life
This darker ballad tells the story of Ricky who kills someone with a gun while drunk and is sentenced to life in prison. Dave "Snake" Sabo and Rachel Bolan wrote the song after reading a story in the local paper about an 18 year old who accidentally killed his friend with a gun he thought was unloaded.
ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:
Theme song from the animated series “ALF: The Animated Series”
After its "real life" series, the cat-munching alien ALF returned in animated form. It finished its run in 1989.
STAFF PICKS:
Charlotte Anne by Julian Cope
Bruce leads off the staff picks with a forgotten song that hit number 1 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart at the time. This is the first single from Cope's fourth solo album "My Nation Underground," an album that Cope considers to be a poor album. Julian Cope comes out of the Liverpool punk scene, and his solo work is a bit reminiscent of the Cure.
Driven Out by The Fixx
Rob brings us British new wave band The Fixx in a work off their fifth album. It talks about the pillaging of the land driven by greed. "I'm cooking with microwaves to warm up food not seen the soil - plugged into my TV, used to the lies their telling me." It hit number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 1 on the mainstream rock charts.
Funky Cold Medina by Tone Loc
Wayne's staff pick was everywhere in 1989. A funky cold medina was an aphrodisiac, and its use would get the singer into all kinds of trouble when he gives it to his dog, or to a girl who turns out to be a transvestite. It peaked at number 3 on the charts, and if the main beat sounds familiar, it may be because it comes from "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner.
Two Hearts by Phil Collins
John features a song Collins sang for his poorly received film "Buster." Lamont Dozier of Motown fame wrote this song, and it was Dozier's 14th and last number 1 song. It is about two people connected through time and space even when they are not together.
NOVELTYTRACK:
Let's Put the X in Sex by Kiss
Even rock legends put out a failure from time to time. This could be considered one of those - you be the judge!