Don't Call It Hair Metal
Art in the Excess of '80s Rock
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $27.83
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Sean Kelly
-
Written by:
-
Sean Kelly
About this listen
A love letter to the hard-rocking, but often snubbed, music of the era of excess: the 1980s
There may be no more joyous iteration in all of music than 1980s hard rock. It was an era where the musical and cultural ideals of rebellion and freedom of the great rock 'n' roll of the '50s, '60s, and '70s were taken to dizzying heights of neon excess. Attention to songcraft, showmanship, and musical virtuosity (especially in the realm of the electric guitar) were at an all-time high, and radio and MTV were delivering the goods en masse to the corn-fed children of America and beyond.
Time hasn't always been kind to artists of that gold and platinum era, but Don't Call It Hair Metal analyzes the sonic evolution, musical diversity, and artistic intention of '80s commercial hard rock through interviews with members of such hard rock luminaries as Twisted Sister, Def Leppard, Poison, Whitesnake, Ratt, Skid Row, Quiet Riot, Guns N' Roses, Dokken, Mr. Big, and others.
©2023 Sean Kelly (P)2023 TantorYou may also enjoy...
-
Into the Void
- From Birth to Black Sabbath—And Beyond
- Written by: Geezer Butler
- Narrated by: Geezer Butler
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With over 70 million records sold, Black Sabbath, dubbed by Rolling Stone “the Beatles of heavy metal,” helped create the genre itself, with their distinctive heavy riffs, tuned down guitars, and apocalyptic lyrics. Bassist and primary lyricist Geezer Butler played a gigantic part in the band’s renown, from suggesting the band name to using his fascination with horror, religion, and the occult to compose the lyrics and build the foundation of heavy metal as we know it. In Into the Void, Butler tells his side of the story.
-
-
Great book!
- By Roch Brisebois on 2023-06-09
Written by: Geezer Butler
-
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
- Tales from the Other Mötley Crüe Frontman and Journeys Through a Life in and out of Rock and Roll
- Written by: John Corabi, Paul Miles - contributor
- Narrated by: John Corabi
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Corabi recounts his life from the mean streets of Philadelphia to the Sunset Strip. Take a look behind the scenes at Corabi’s time fronting Mötley Crüe, Union, and The Dead Daisies, as well as his time playing rhythm guitar with Ratt and even his stint as a long-haul trucker. Whether it’s detailing his parents' difficult divorce, his family’s dark history of abuse, his run-in with a serial killer, or simply the best way to arrive at a wedding—which maybe is by helicopter and maybe it isn’t—he pulls no punches and outlines the good and bad of it all in this raucous autobiography.
Written by: John Corabi, and others
-
My Effin' Life
- Written by: Geddy Lee
- Narrated by: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Cliff Burnstein
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Geddy Lee is one of rock and roll's most respected bassists. For nearly five decades, his playing and work as co-writer, vocalist and keyboardist has been an essential part of the success story of Canadian progressive rock trio Rush. Here for the first time is his account of life inside and outside the band.
-
-
You move me, you move me
- By Jon D'Alessandro on 2023-11-19
Written by: Geddy Lee
-
Turn It Up!
- My Time Making Hit Records in the Glory Days of Rock Music
- Written by: Tom Werman
- Narrated by: Tom Werman
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As an A&R man at Epic Records, Tom Werman helped introduce the world to REO Speedwagon, Boston, Ted Nugent, and Cheap Trick; he also discovered KISS, Rush, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but his record label passed on all of them. Then, as an independent producer, he oversaw landmark albums by Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Lita Ford, Jeff Beck, Poison, and many more. All in all, his record-making resume includes twenty-three gold- or platinum-selling albums and cumulative sales of more than fifty-two million copies.
Written by: Tom Werman
-
18 and Life on Skid Row
- Written by: Sebastian Bach
- Narrated by: Sebastian Bach
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
18 and Life on Skid Row tells the story of a boy who spent his childhood moving from Freeport, Bahamas, to California and finally to Canada and who, at the age of eight, discovered the gift that would change his life. Throughout his career, Sebastian Bach has sold over 20 million records both as the lead singer of Skid Row and as a solo artist.
-
-
Sooo Awesome!!
- By Chris Pascoe on 2019-06-05
Written by: Sebastian Bach
-
Brothers
- Written by: Alex van Halen
- Narrated by: Alex van Halen
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this intimate and open account—nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read—Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and band mate. In his rough yet sweet voice, Alex recounts the brothers’ childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working class Pasadena, California, with an itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesian-born mother.
-
-
Life long fan!
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-10-27
Written by: Alex van Halen
-
Into the Void
- From Birth to Black Sabbath—And Beyond
- Written by: Geezer Butler
- Narrated by: Geezer Butler
- Length: 8 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With over 70 million records sold, Black Sabbath, dubbed by Rolling Stone “the Beatles of heavy metal,” helped create the genre itself, with their distinctive heavy riffs, tuned down guitars, and apocalyptic lyrics. Bassist and primary lyricist Geezer Butler played a gigantic part in the band’s renown, from suggesting the band name to using his fascination with horror, religion, and the occult to compose the lyrics and build the foundation of heavy metal as we know it. In Into the Void, Butler tells his side of the story.
-
-
Great book!
- By Roch Brisebois on 2023-06-09
Written by: Geezer Butler
-
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
- Tales from the Other Mötley Crüe Frontman and Journeys Through a Life in and out of Rock and Roll
- Written by: John Corabi, Paul Miles - contributor
- Narrated by: John Corabi
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Corabi recounts his life from the mean streets of Philadelphia to the Sunset Strip. Take a look behind the scenes at Corabi’s time fronting Mötley Crüe, Union, and The Dead Daisies, as well as his time playing rhythm guitar with Ratt and even his stint as a long-haul trucker. Whether it’s detailing his parents' difficult divorce, his family’s dark history of abuse, his run-in with a serial killer, or simply the best way to arrive at a wedding—which maybe is by helicopter and maybe it isn’t—he pulls no punches and outlines the good and bad of it all in this raucous autobiography.
Written by: John Corabi, and others
-
My Effin' Life
- Written by: Geddy Lee
- Narrated by: Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Cliff Burnstein
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Geddy Lee is one of rock and roll's most respected bassists. For nearly five decades, his playing and work as co-writer, vocalist and keyboardist has been an essential part of the success story of Canadian progressive rock trio Rush. Here for the first time is his account of life inside and outside the band.
-
-
You move me, you move me
- By Jon D'Alessandro on 2023-11-19
Written by: Geddy Lee
-
Turn It Up!
- My Time Making Hit Records in the Glory Days of Rock Music
- Written by: Tom Werman
- Narrated by: Tom Werman
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As an A&R man at Epic Records, Tom Werman helped introduce the world to REO Speedwagon, Boston, Ted Nugent, and Cheap Trick; he also discovered KISS, Rush, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but his record label passed on all of them. Then, as an independent producer, he oversaw landmark albums by Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Lita Ford, Jeff Beck, Poison, and many more. All in all, his record-making resume includes twenty-three gold- or platinum-selling albums and cumulative sales of more than fifty-two million copies.
Written by: Tom Werman
-
18 and Life on Skid Row
- Written by: Sebastian Bach
- Narrated by: Sebastian Bach
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
18 and Life on Skid Row tells the story of a boy who spent his childhood moving from Freeport, Bahamas, to California and finally to Canada and who, at the age of eight, discovered the gift that would change his life. Throughout his career, Sebastian Bach has sold over 20 million records both as the lead singer of Skid Row and as a solo artist.
-
-
Sooo Awesome!!
- By Chris Pascoe on 2019-06-05
Written by: Sebastian Bach
-
Brothers
- Written by: Alex van Halen
- Narrated by: Alex van Halen
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this intimate and open account—nothing like any rock-and-roll memoir you’ve ever read—Alex Van Halen shares his personal story of family, friendship, music and brotherly love in a remarkable tribute to his beloved brother and band mate. In his rough yet sweet voice, Alex recounts the brothers’ childhood, first in the Netherlands and then in working class Pasadena, California, with an itinerant musician father and a very proper Indonesian-born mother.
-
-
Life long fan!
- By Amazon Customer on 2024-10-27
Written by: Alex van Halen
What listeners say about Don't Call It Hair Metal
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- leigh budd
- 2023-06-24
Wonderful step back to a beautiful time!
If you love rock music this is a fantastic book. if you love(d) "hair metal" this book is a MUST! I will say it took me forever to get through only because so often Sean would mention an album, artist or song and I would stop and start listening to music. Sean's knowledge of the era and the interlinking of artists and influences is second to none. If you grew up needing Nothin' But A Good Time you will love this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael I Bax
- 2024-02-02
Don't call it anything but entertaining!!
Sean's take on the heavier music of the 1980's is a re-telling of many elements known to fans of the genre, but he brings in a unique small-town northern Ontario perspective here that is very refreshing. Sean has worked with, and performed alongside, some of the artists included in this book, and this allows him to add a unique perspective to 1980s metal. Included in Kelly's book are many answers to specific questions he has asked of members from bands like Skid Row, Guns n Roses and Mr Big; their take on the genre they were so attached to are quite unique to this this story. Kelly has a strong, friendly speaking voice, which enhances the entertainment value of Don't Call it Hair Metal significantly, making it one of the better audiobook music biographies I have listened to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!