It’s always good to have an appreciation of all kinds of music, but I feel a sudden urge to focus on my three favorite musical groups. All three groups may be classified as rock-n-roll bands, but their styles are very different. In no particular order, my three favorite musical groups are Mötley Crüe, Blind Melon, and Perpetual Groove.
Many people crack a lot of jokes about the cheesy 1980s hair-metal bands, but one thing to consider is that many of those rock-n-roll posers (Poison and Warrant, for example) were doing nothing more than trying to be Mötley Crüe. Mötley Crüe formed in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, and they were one of the first bands to wear spandex, make-up, and ridiculous amounts of hair spray. They were not the innovators of this look, however, as they adopted this image from another rock-n-roll band at that time, Hanoi Rocks. However, Mötley Crüe became notorious for this image, as well as living up to the band name.
The thing about Mötley Crüe is that the group’s appearance changed with each album. They started off with spandex and glam-style make-up, and progressed to war paint (akin to Kiss), dog collars and spiked shoulder pads (akin to Judas Priest lead singer, Rob Halford). With the release of Girls Girls Girls in 1986, Mötley Crüe’s attire consisted of predominantly biker’esque material. One thing about Mötley Crüe is that the band was indeed a motley crue. Excessive drug and alcohol abuse plagued the band for years, and it wasn’t until bass player Nikki Sixx’s heroin overdose (he was legally dead for two minutes) that the band members decided to admit they had no control over there addictions and to seek help. Sobriety turned Mötley Crüe into a fine-tuned machine. Dr. Feel Good was released in 1989, and it remains one of the top selling rock-n-roll albums today. Mötley Crüe is still performing, and drummer Tommy Lee recently stated that Crue Fest 3 will not take place this summer because the band is working on new material for a new album. Crue Fest 3 is set to take place in the Summer of 2011.
Blind Melon is, in my opinion, one of the greatest bands to ever grace the music industry. This band was ahead of its time, and the untimely death of lead singer Shannon Hoon was a shock to Blind Melon fans around the world. Blind Melon peaked in 1994 with the hit single, “No Rain.” To my surprise, the singles before “No Rain” did not seem to appeal much to music fans. Sure, “No Rain” is a corky, up-beat tune, but it is probably my least favorite song on the band’s self-titled album. The album is full of singles in my opinion, and I feel that Shannon Hoon’s voice is second to none. Not only that, but his song writing ability is exceptional. It pains me to think about how the media treated Blind Melon after Hoon’s untimely death due to a cocaine overdose. Radio stations stopped playing Blind Melon’s music, and many media outlets portrayed the band as a bunch of drug using freaks. Unfortunately, Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon are considered just another rock-n-roll tragedy among the many that have occurred over time.
How can I explain Perpetual Groove? I think the band name speaks for itself. The men of Perpetual Groove are oozing with talent, and I have never seen another band who has better improvisation on stage. Brock Butler, lead guitarist and vocalist for Perpetual Groove, qualifies as a “Guitar God” in my opinion. Some may call me crazy, but his name should be mentioned among other great guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jeff Beck, and Eddie Van Halen (just to name a few). With a retina-burning light show and seamless transitions from song to song and genre to genre, this band has the total package. It’s rare to find a musical group that moves me spiritually and emotionally, but Perpetual Groove does just that. What’s amazing is the following Perpetual Groove has generated without having the music played on many, if any radio stations. I feel that it is only a matter of time before the fickle music fans wake up and realize just how truly awesome this band is.
