It’s really a unique feeling to share the same passion and love for a music genre that reigned supreme in the 80s and the first couple of years in the 90s, it was ridiculed and almost vanished in the next few years and returned from the dead in the wake of the 21st century. Christopher P. Hilton captures the essence of the hair metal movement as his book gives you a haunting feeling that you are transported back to Sunset Strip and the glorious 80s era. The author clearly states that he is not a fan of the term although he has fully embraced it in the title. Personally, I never had an issue with the term as it perfectly depicted the image of those hard rock bands; after all, I always believed that the flamboyant image didn’t take anything away from the sheer quality of the music. I am glad that Hilton shares the same point of view.
“The Spectacular Rise…” is not really a detailed encyclopedia of the hair metal movement. Far from it, really. Hilton prefers to tell the story by revolving around the greatest bands of them all but that doesn’t mean that he fails to point out some obscure outfits when necessary (personally I wasn’t aware of the band Jester…make sure to check them out). The book really flows as its whole structure and contents don’t tire you at all and makes you wanna keep reading and reading. Hilton is a very good author as he describes the overall scenery without failing of sharing vivid details about an album, a show or a band thus making the whole reading experience even more enjoyable.
All in all, if you are a fan of Crue, Poison, Whitesnake, Guns, Skid Row, White Lion, Winger, Cinderella and think that “Slave To The Grind” or “Hysteria” are true diamonds then this is a must have book for ya all! Niiki Sixx would definitely approve!
