July 1987

ROCKPIX

We’re back—rocker than ever and pixer than ever, too! And, more importantly, we're back with what has to be the greatest issue of ROCK PIX in our long history. Why? Because we read each and every questionnaire you wonderful readers sent us from the last issue.

CONTENTS

THE BEASTIE BOYS

Yo! The Beastie Boys have become an American institution! They’ve stolen the hearts (or libidos) of teens throughout the country. They’ve had a number one record—and who’d have ever thunk it? The Beasties started out during the era of punk as just another hardcore band from the streets of Brooklyn, New York.

ANDY TAYLOR

He’s come a long way since Duran Duran! Andy Taylor is on his own now and has hardened his sound with a bold new guitar style. As Andy says, “All I want to do is rock ’n’ roll," so now he’s riding the storm out with his debut solo album, Thunder. Stepping out front as lead vocalist, Andy has already had a hit with “Take It Easy."

The Rock Pix Winners Circle!

One hundred winners?!? That’s right: to thank our faithful readers, we launched the biggest giveaway in the long and illustrious history of ROCK-PIX! We value your opinions, and so when we asked you to let us know what you want to see in this, your favorite magazine, we were overjoyed when thousands of surveys filled our mailbox.

BRYAN ADAMS

It's been a long time since 1984's Reckless. Bryan’s colossal tour de force that spawned hit after hit after hit. So you can imagine ROCK-PIX's collective gasp of anticipation when we first learned that Bryan's new album, Into The Fire, was released.

CINDERELLA

Tom Keifer (guitar), Jeff LaBar (guitar), Eric Brittingham (bass) and Fred Coury (drums)—they seem like pretty normal, All-American names, huh? Well, put ’em all together and you've got Cinderella, a deceptive name for a hard-rocking quartet.

GEORGIA SATELLITES

When the Georgia Satellites’ debut LP first hit the stores, everyone thought it would go belly-up. The record label, the producer, the critics.. .even the band. Instead, the Satellites’ straight-shootin’ guitars, vocals and drums sent the record to the top of the charts.

HEART

The Wilson sisters—the official stars of Heart—have had a long, checkered career. During the early '70s, the Wilsons led one of the hottest bar bands in the Canadian provinces, doing their originals with a lot of Led Zeppelin covers. (In fact, the Heart crew still occasionally perform the Zep’s “Rock ’N’ Roll” during their live shows.)

U2

The newfound superstardom of U2 shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Like Bruce Springsteen before them, U2 have slowly built a devoted following by playing powerful, soul-searching rock and appealing to very human concerns. Last year, band members Bono (vocals), The Edge (guitar), Larry Mullen (drums) and Adam Clayton (bass) acted out their frustrations with the dark side of humanity by spearheading the Amnesty International tour.

EUROPE

The first mega-successful musical export from Sweden since Abba comes in the somewhat unlikely form of Europe, a straight-ahead quintet who've cracked the Top 10 in over a dozen countries with their hit album The Final Countdown. And, if their success was unlikely, it was no weirder than their first big break: they won a record contract in 1982 in a national competition among Swedish rock bands.

PETER WOLF

When Peter Wolf left the J. Geils Band several years ago, many people wondered exactly what kind of fate the lead singer would meet in his solo career. Of course, Wolf had always been the voice behind the Geils Band, but J. Geils was still the name that everyone knew.

AEROSMITH

A '70s revival has been stirred up lately by rap bands Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys who, oddly enough, have recently featured the songs of hard rock kings Aerosmith. In 1970, Aerosmith burst out of New Hampshire bearing more than a passing resemblance to the Rolling Stones.

DAVID LEE ROTH

Is he a heartthrob or a rock singer? An actor or a jungle explorer? A bit of video fluff or an accomplished media-manipulator? Actually, David Lee Roth is all this and more. One of the most entertaining rock personalities of the ’80s, Roth helped establish himself and Van Halen as a #1 act—before abruptly shifting gears, recording an EP of old material and then leaving the band amid accusations and controversy.

THE CULT

As the opening act on Billy Idol’s Whiplash Smile tour, fellow-Englanders the Cult have turned up the volume and are tearing up the arena-rock circuit. The old flower-power sound of The Cult’s early records has been sliced up and rearranged with a straight-ahead hard rock guitar, as featured on the band’s appropriately titled new Electric album.

THE BEATLES

Many people claim that the Beatles were the greatest rock 'n' roll band of all time. And there aren't a whole lot of people who'd argue with that claim. Unfortunately. the tragic death of John Lennon on December 8, 1980 made it impossible for the Beatles to ever really reunite like the Monkees and other '60s acts have done during the past several years.

THE MONKEES

What can be said about the Monkees that hasn’t already been said a million times during the last year? The Monkees are back—and it looks like this time they may be back to stay! Following the phenomenal reunion tour of last summer, the boys have kept in touch during this last year, making plans—and the good news is that the tour will hit the road againg this coming summer.

POISON

It was four years ago, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that Rikki Rocket, Bobby Dall and Bret Michaels formed the nucleus of what would be one of the most astonishing success stories of 1987: Poison. After adding a talented New York guitarist-none other than C.C. DeVille-the guys headed out to Los Angeles, where fame and fortune would be theirs.

POISON

BILLY IDOL

Billy Idol's back—and people are saying he’s better than ever. Billy was on the top of the world several years ago. Billy, who began his career in England with Generation X at the height of the punk movement, took the attitude and antics of punk rock, and synthesized them into a format that would appeal to an American pop audience.

BOSTON

One of rock's most enigmatic figures is surely Boston, led by-and essentially consisting of-Tom Scholz, a guitarist/ songwriter/technical wizard. The Boston saga is a strange one: years ago-way back in the '70s!-they had two monstrous albums, Boston and Don't Look Back (the debut LP has already gone platinum nine times, somthing even Bon Jovi must look up to).

DAVID BOWIE

David Bowie is a musical chameleon, a legendary performer and provocateur whose ever-changing artistic direction can’t be pinned down. In his earliest days, Bowie (then David Jones) dabbled in a variety of roles: graphic artist, R&B saxophonist, mime and pop singer.

BON JOVI

Recording successes come often, but recording phenomenons come rarely. Bon Jovi is such a phenomenon. 1986-and so far, 1987 as well-saw an overwhelming surge of interest in this clean-cut quintet from New Jersey. Slippery When Wet, their third album, simply exploded, as the group dominated the charts, MTV and the tour circuit with an efficiency rivalled by few.

BANGLES

In almost no time at all, the world has developed a love affair with the Bangles. And it’s no wonder: with their charm, talent and international smash hits, like "Walk Like An Egyptian” and “Manic Monday,” the latter which was written by an avid Bangles-fan, Prince.

PATTY SMYTH

Like Pat Benatar and Sheena Easton before her, Patty Smyth has one of the throatiest, most exciting female voices in rock. And it’s no wonder that her voice is as tough as she is—the former gang leader came out of the means streets of N.Y.’s East Village.

KISS

If you think Kiss smacks of crass contrivance—or cosmetic values over content—you’re greatly mistaken! The faceless band was instrumental in popularizing glam/glitter rock in the ‘70s and for raising rock theatrics to a sophistiicated art form.

GENESIS

RATT

It looks like Ratt fever is here to stay! The handsome guys of Ratt—Stephen Pearcy, Robbin Crosby, Juan Croucier, Warren DeMartini and Bobby Blotzer— were part of the initial heavy metal invasion that swept out of Los Angeles during the early part of the '80s.

NIGHT RANGER

As rock steady as they come, Night Ranger have added another notch to their reputation with their latest album, Big Life. Hearkening back to their rougher, earlier sound (and their dynamic stage show), Big Life has proven that Ranger can rock with the best of them.

PRINCE

Prince, that skinny guy who lives like a hermit in a huge purple house deep in the backwoods of Minneapolis, is back with yet another album. This time he seems to have toned down the experimentations that have guided his last two records—psychedelia on Around The World In A Day, and God-knows-what on Parade.

VAN HALEN

When flamboyant frontman David Lee Roth left the band, not many would’ve guessed that Van Halen would actually become bigger— but they have.

JOAN JETT

When it comes to the world of pop entertainment, it appears that Joan Jett is a real queen of all trades! As has been well documented numerous times in the past, Joan was an original member of the Runaways, Kim Fowley’s group of L.A. teenage rock ’n’ roll vixens.

STRYPER

Few would’ve suspected that someday a band could combine hard rock and a big image with spreading the Christian gospel—but Stryper have done it in a big way. The Californian quartet, led by brothers Michael and Robert Sweet (and managed by their mom), started slowly, built a dedicated following, and then captured considerable commercial success with their most recent album, To Hell With The Devil.

MOTLEY CRUE

CINDERELLA