Slade was a melodic hard rock band that became one of the hottest acts of the 70s in their native England. Despite their influence, the band never really made a dent on the American charts. Two of their most popular songs made a poor showing on the US charts: "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" stalled at #76 and "Cum On Feel The Noize" at #98. California band Quiet Riot eventually made the latter famous, taking it to #5 in 1983; they also took "Mama" to #51 in 1984. Thanks to Quiet Riot, more Americans became aware of Slade and they finally achieved some Top 40 success in the US. "Run Runaway" reached #20 in 1984 and "My Oh My" peaked at #37. But by 1985 the party fizzled and Slade had their last US chart showing with the excellent "Little Sheila," which stalled at #86. The band's last album, "You Boyz Make Big Noize," dropped in 1987. "Fools Go Crazy" is wrapped in synths, but the attitude and growl of singer Neville "Noddy" Holder is still there in full force.
Skintrade is a hard rock band from Sweden that formed in 1992 and after one album took a long break. In 2014 they regrouped and released "Refueled," a powerful rock record with soul. "Mountain" is one of my favorite cuts. Surprised these guys haven't made their way onto the charts in the US!
Skid Row formed in 1986 in New Jersey and soon found themselves in the Top 10 thanks to a pair of power ballads released in 1989: "18 And Life" hit #4 and "I Remember You" reached #6. Prior to their release, their rocking anthem "Youth Gone Wild" stalled at #99. With their next album, the ambitious "Slave To The Grind," Skid Row took a bold right turn towards harder rock at the expense of the melodic hooks fans came to love. They went from opening for Bon Jovi to touring with Pantera. This reduced their presence at radio, but the band managed to get out one more charting single with another stunning power ballad: "Wasted Time" went to #88 in 1992. For their third record, the band went even further away from melody, grinding and growling their way through "Subhuman Race." By 1996, lead singer Sebastian Bach departed ways with the band over a fight about opening for Kiss. Bach went solo and Skid Row carried on with new lead singers. "Can't Stand The Heartache" is a throwback to their glorious debut album, which stands as classic among the hairband genre.
Nikki Sixx has been rocking since his teens in the 70s, racking up a pile of hits with Motley Crue in the 80s. In his spare time during the last two decades, he's worked with many other artists and helmed numerous side projects, including 58 in 2000 and Brides of Destruction with Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns in 2002. In 2006, he formed yet another side project called Sixx: A.M., which has now released five studio albums and counting. Sixx A.M. is a modern hard rock band that stands strong among their contemporaries, combining Sixx's sense for arena-ready hooks with crushing guitars and thunderous percussion. I honestly have no idea why they haven't stormed up the charts. "You Have Come To The Right Place" is just one highlight of many in their growing catalogue. It comes from their 2016 album, "Prayers For The Damned."
Sixpence None The Richer formed in the early 90s and struck chart gold with the delightfully perky tune "Kiss Me" from 1999. Receiving additional exposure in the movie She's All That, the song shot all the way to #2. The band managed two more chart appearances with cover tunes: their version of "There She Goes," originally by The La's, went to #32 in 1999 and "Don't Dream It's Over," originally by Crowded House, went to #78 in 2003. The latter came from their 2002 record called "Divine Discontent." It is surprising it didn't put the band back in the Top 40 with great cuts like "Waiting On The Sun" and this one, "Tonight."
Sister Sledge were actually a group of sisters from Philadelphia whose songs blended soul, dance, and pop. They scored a pair of big hits in 1979-1980 with "He's The Greatest Dancer" and "We Are Family," which went to #9 and #2, respectively. The sisters maintained a chart presence with lesser-known singles until 1985, when "Frankie" became their last, topping out at #75. "Circle Of Love (Caught In The Middle)" is a great tune from their early days, and it starts off their 1975 album of the same name. While this one didn't chart, another tune from this record did: "Love Don't You Go Through No Changes On Me" became their first chart appearance, landing at #92.
"Hazelnuts" are what they call the fans of this folk rock band from Gainesville, Florida. They formed in 1993 and hit the charts by 1997 in a big way with "All For You." The song went to #11 and has become a 90s classic. Strangely, Sister Hazel has not been able to maintain a chart presence since then and are largely considered a one-hit wonder. After "Happy" and "Change Your Mind" reached #73 and #59, respectively, they weren't heard on the radio much again. And that's a damn shame. Sister Hazel has been consistently cranking out solid albums at an impressive pace for over 20 years, with all of the original founding members still on board. "Green (Welcome To The World)" is the closing track to their 2004 album, "Lift." It is a terrific and heart-warming tune about bringing new life into the world. In this case, presumably a new "hazelnut."
