In 1989, the year "Metal Ballads Vol. 2" hit the shelves, the spandex was starting to sag a little, the hairspray was losing its hold. Grunge was lurking in the wings, ready to kick down the door and declare that feelings didn't have to be wrapped in a neon guitar solo and a fog machine. But before the flannel takeover, we got one last, lingering look at the heart of hair metal, exposed and raw on this compilation LP.
Now, let's get one thing straight. This ain't no groundbreaking artistic statement. It's a product, assembled by Modern Media GMBH, a company that probably saw dollar signs in the tear-streaked mascara of teenage girls. The cover art, courtesy of Michael Albers, is a study in contrasts - a cold, metallic cityscape juxtaposed with a lone rose, hinting at the vulnerability beneath the leather and chains. It's cheesy, sure, but it also captures the essence of what these ballads were trying to do - find a sliver of humanity in the bombast.
The tracklist reads like a who's who of late '80s hard rock. We've got Cinderella's power ballad anthem "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)," complete with Tom Keifer's raspy vocals and a chorus that'll stick in your head like bubblegum. House of Lords brings the melodrama with "Love Don't Lie," while Deep Purple throws in a classic with "Soldier of Fortune." Quiet Riot, Poison, Bonfire - they're all here, laying their hearts on their sleeves (or maybe their ripped denim vests).
Side two kicks off with the Scorpions' epic "Holiday," a song that manages to be both sweeping and intimate. Kingdom Come delivers a soaring vocal performance on "What Love Can Be," and Gary Moore shows off his bluesy chops on "Empty Rooms." We even get a curveball with Zed Yago's "The Pale Man," a dark, brooding track that hints at the heavier side of metal ballads.
Now, some folks might dismiss this album as a cynical cash grab, a collection of overwrought power ballads designed to tug at the heartstrings (and wallets) of impressionable fans. And sure, there's some truth to that. But if you listen closely, you can hear something else - a genuine yearning for connection, a desire to express emotions that often got buried beneath the swagger and bravado of the genre.
These ballads weren't just about lost love and heartbreak. They were about vulnerability, about facing your fears and insecurities, about finding strength in the face of adversity. They were a reminder that even the toughest rockers had a soft spot, that even the loudest music could speak to the quietest parts of our souls.
So, is "Metal Ballads Vol. 2" a masterpiece? Hell no. But it's a fascinating time capsule, a snapshot of a moment when hair metal was at its peak, teetering on the edge of self-parody but still capable of genuine emotion. It's a reminder that even the most commercialized music can have a heart, that even the most overblown ballads can touch a nerve. And hey, if you're feeling nostalgic for the days of big hair and even bigger choruses, you could do a lot worse than spinning this vinyl and letting the memories wash over you. Just don't forget the lighter.
