Lawrence just published a new music video "Falling Apart" (See below). It's a beautiful song composed by Lawrence a few months ago. He self produced the video, which was just posted on his MySpace page and on YouTube. You can see all of Lawrence's original videos and listen to his music at http://www.myspace.com/lorenzozabal. You can also see the link listed under "LINKS" on this blog.
"Falling Apart" is the first song I posted where Lawrence is playing an acoustic guitar. When you listen to the old Mystix songs on this blog, this is a big change from his Heavy Metal guitar sound. Lawrence is brilliant at composing music and playing the guitar. He is now coming into his own as a lead singer. Please also check out Lawrence's music video "Need A Hero", which is posted on the left side of this blog. Kenny Leibow
Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" was number one in 1989 for three weeks. You can see the popular music video below. This video source is from a "MySpace" page. Typically I write a short background of the band; however as I was doing my research I kept seeing the same biography published over and over again. I will keep the Poison bio trend alive by re-posting it. Back in the 1980's I never really followed Poison; however their big hit "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" flooded the airways and MTV. Kenny Leibow
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison
Biography In a decade fueled by party anthems and power ballads, Poison found a high amount of popularity, with only Bon Jovi and Def Leppard outselling them. While the group had a long string of pop-metal hits, they soon became just as renowned for their stage show, and continued to be a major attraction over the course of their first three albums. Although their commercial success was rather short-lived, one cannot deny the major effect that Poison had on the music industry during their heyday.
Formerly known as Paris, Poison were formed in 1984 by singer Bret Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall, and drummer Rikki Rockett. After traveling from Harrisburg, PA, to Los Angeles, CA, the band added guitarist C.C. Deville to its lineup. Poison were signed to Enigma Records in 1986, where they released their first album, Look What the Cat Dragged In. The record, spawning the Top Ten hits "I Want Action," "Talk Dirty to Me," and "I Won't Forget You," was a surprise success, selling two-million copies within a year following its release.
While the band was already quite popular by the end of 1987, 1988's Open Up & Say...Ahhh! was its commercial breakthrough, due to the massive hits "Fallen Angel," "Nothin' But a Good Time," and "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." After a prosperous tour with David Lee Roth, the group returned to the studio to record Flesh and Blood in 1990. The album, which included the upbeat "Unskinny Bop" and the sentimental "Something to Believe In," was another major success. The dynamic tour supporting the record brought on the release of Swallow This Live, a double-disc set that included live versions of their biggest hits, along with four new studio tracks. The band was secretly falling apart, as an infamous appearance on MTV showed Deville perform nearly half of "Talk Dirty to Me" with his guitar unplugged. The band broke into a brawl backstage after the disastrous performance.
Shortly after the release of Swallow This Live, Poison fired Deville due to his increasing addiction to drugs and alcohol. His replacement, Richie Kotzen, made his commercial debut with the band on the 1993 Native Tongue album, which, despite some strong reviews and a hit single, "Stand," was a commercial disappointment. Kotzen was fired during the subsequent tour, and Blues Saraceno became Poison's third guitarist. The band recorded its fifth studio album, Crack a Smile, for release in 1996, but the record was shelved and replaced with the Greatest Hits: 1986-1996 disc. Toward the end of 1996, Saraceno left and Deville returned to the band, which eventually resulted in a successful reunion tour in the summer of 1999; the Crack a Smile sessions were finally released the following spring, soon followed by the mostly live Power to the People. Another tour was cut short by an accident that left Dall with serious back surgery and at least a six-month break from the band.
By the time he got back into shape, the band stepped into the studio and recorded Hollyweird, which was released in the summer of 2002. The following tour was promoted as a nostalgia experience and was funded by VH1, laying the brickwork for a lucrative relationship between the band and the television channel. Deville would later appear in the network's sixth season of The Surreal Life, while Michaels was awarded his own show, Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. Hollyweird's reception was lukewarm at best, and Poison spent some time out of the spotlight while Michaels and Rockett released solo albums. They reconvened in 2006, celebrating their 20th anniversary with a nationwide tour and a greatest-hits album. The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock debuted in the Billboard Top 20, a feat the band hasn't accomplished since Native Tongue. The following year brought similar luck, with the band's seventh studio effort -- a covers album titled Poison'd! -- moving over 20,000 units during its first week. ~ Barry Weber, All Music Guide
I was reading Billboard Magazine's number one songs for 1988 and 1989; when I noticed that Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" was listed both times. Poison's song showed up in both years because it was number one for 3 weeks at the end of December 1988 through the beginning of January 1989. You can read Poison's biography and see their famous music video in my next posting. According to the list below; Bon Jovi and Poison were the only hard rock bands to have number 1 hits in 1989. Kenny Leibow
1989 Number One Songs
Date
Artist - Title
Weeks at #1
December 18 1988 – Jan 7 1989
Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn
3
January 8 – 14 1989
Bobby Brown - My Perogative
1
January 15 – 28 1989
Phil Collins - Two Hearts
2
January 29 – February 4 1989
Sheriff - When I'm With You
1
February 5 – 25 1989
Paula Abdul - Straight Up
3
February 26 – March 18 1989
Debbie Gibson - Lost in Your Eyes
3
March 19 – 25 1989
Mike and The Mechanics - The Living Years
1
March 26 – April 1 1989
Bangles - Eternal Flame
1
April 2 – 8 1989
Roxette - The Look
1
April 9 – 15 1989
Fine Yourng Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
1
April 16 – May 6 1989
Madonna - Like a Prayer
3
May 7 – 13 1989
Bon Jovi - I'll Be There for You
1
May 14 – 27 1989
Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl
2
May 28 – June 3 1989
Michael Damian - Rock On
1
June 4 – 10 1989
Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings
1
June 11 – 17 1989
New Kids On The Block - I'll Be Loving You (Forever)
1
June 18 – 24 1989
Richard Marx - Satisfied
1
June 25 – July 1 1989
Milli Vanilli - Baby Don't Forget My Number
1
July 2 – 8 1989
Fine Yourng Cannibals - Good Thing
1
July 9 – 15 1989
Simply Red - If You Don't Know Me By Now
1
July 16 – 29 1989
Martika - Toy Soldiers
2
July 30 – August 5 1989
Prince - Batdance
1
August 6 – 26 1989
Richard Marx - Right Here Waiting
3
August 27 – September 2 1989
Paula Abdul - Cold Hearted
1
September 3 – 9 1989
New Kids On The Block - Hangin' Tough
1
September 10 – 16 1989
Gloria Estefan - Don't Wanna Lose You
1
September 17 – 30 1989
Milli Vanilli - Girl I'm Gonna Miss You
2
October 1 – 28 1989
Janet Jackson - Miss You Much
4
October 29 – November 4 1989
Roxette - Listen To Your Heart
1
November 5 – 18 1989
Bad English - When I See You Smile
2
November 19 – December 2 1989
Milli Vanilli - Blame It On The Rain
2
December 3 – 16 1989
Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire
2
December 17 1989 – Jan 13 1990
Phil Collins - Another Day In Paradise
4
Source: Billboard Magazine
33 different songs hit number one in the US during 1989.
Top 5 Songs of 1989
1: Chicago - Look Away 2: Bobby Brown - My Prerogative 3: Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn 4: Paula Abdul - Straight Up 5: Janet Jackson - Miss You Much
Vixen in the late 1980's is one of the bands that lit up the stage with other heavy metal and hard rock bands. Sometimes referred to as the female Bon Jovi; Vixen created great music and fun live concerts. This is my first blog entry regarding female rock artists. Below is a brief history of Vixen. I have included 3 rock videos. The first video is on Vixen's big hit "Edge of a Broken Heart". The second video is a live concert in the late 1980's of Vixen performing "I Want You To Rock Me"; then the last video is the rock ballad "Cryin". Kenny Leibow
History
Vixen was formed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1980 by guitarist Jan Kuehnemund while still at high school. In 1984, an early version of the band with Kuehnemund and singer Janet Gardner appeared in the movie Hardbodies as the on-screen band "Diaper Rash." In 1985 the band moved to Los Angeles to be part of the LA rock scene. Line-up changes happened during the following years until the 'classic' line-up of Jan Kuehnemund (guitar), Janet Gardner (vocals & rhythm guitar), Share Pedersen (bass guitar) and Roxy Petrucci (drums) was formed. This line-up of Vixen was interviewed in 1987 along with many other rock artists of the day by Penelope Spheeris for her film The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years.
In 1988 the band were signed to EMI and they began recording their debut album Vixen which was released in September 1988. Singer and Songwriter Richard Marx actually wrote and arranged their signature hit, "Edge of a Broken Heart," on the album. He also produced the song. Rumor was he was asked to assist the all-female band by EMI to produce their first major hit to compete with the all-female band The Bangles. Marx had nothing to do with their follow-up CD since he was becoming a more of a mainline singer than songwriter. The next year Vixen spent touring the world supporting acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions and Bon Jovi as well as headlining their own shows. The band returned to the studio in late 1989/early 1990 to record their follow up album Rev it Up which was released in July 1990. A year of touring followed including headlining their own shows and supporting acts such as KISS and Deep Purple. In mid 1991 the band split due to musical differences.
