What is poodle rock

A few days earlier, appearing on Sky News, he admitted that he was never a great fan of vulgar s rock. He was more of a Smiths fan, apparently. I thought them people was all a bit daft. Twenty years later, just look at my own attire. The very presence of Brand in the film confirms how difficult it is to address s pop rock without drifting into irony. The accidental wave was pitched at such a heightened intensity that it always seemed to be offering its own irresistible parody.

It is probably just as well that, arriving in , This is Spinal Tap was too early to catch the phenomenon. Even the makers of that peerless film would struggle to surpass the excesses on display.

Bands such as Foreigner, which featured bits of the famously difficult King Crimson, had connections with progressive rock. What linked them all was a taste for over-production, an enthusiasm for semi-operatic screeching and — thumbing their nose at punk — an undiluted passion for showy guitar solos. Towards the end of Rock of Ages, one character is ridiculed for being lured into a pop band that looks very like New Kids on the Block.

The implication is that this music is inauthentic, manufactured and trivial. Yet few sane observers, gifted the power of hindsight, will find anything gritty, spontaneous or rebellious not that these things matter all that much in the absurd posturing of bands such as REO Speedwagon or Europe.

Everyone is playing the same compromised game. It is not stretching the argument to see the phenomenon as a reflection of certain unlovely political and social trends of the time.

This was the era of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. The post-war consensus had broken down and accumulating conspicuous wealth was suddenly fashionable. It shows the hedonistic celebration of indulgence while lacking the integrity of s music, which was such an emblem of the counter-culture. Well, yes. Brand remains, however, positive about that earlier era. Whether it is Elvis Presley with his untelevisable sexuality or the Beatles with their jaunts into mysticism or the Rolling Stones with their bad-boy arrogance, it seemed to hint at the possibility of change and showed youth in itself as being representative of the possibility of change.

So, was the s wave really a corruption of those supposed ideals? Why not? Michaels pursued a movie career and has since set up a production company with Charlie Sheen while former crimper Rockett has written his own comic book, Sisters Of Mercy. His new book, Backcombing Towards Success is out next year. Er, possibly. Cinderella Sporting the ideal poodle rocker's band name, this effeminate, lipsticked and lacquered bunch were actually discovered by King Poodle Rocker Jon Bon Jovi in the early '80s.

Often hailed as a second-rate Bon Jovi act, Kiefer struggled to rid himself of the comparisons and his Steven Tyler like howl. Nevertheless the band persevered and after a slow start, their debut album, Night Songs was certified gold after a sell-out tour, er, supporting none other than Bon Jovi.

However by , the band's career was slowed by several events. Keifer had developed nodules on his vocal chords, presumably from his Steven Tyler like howl , requiring surgery and rest. Kiefer's mum also passed away presumably unable to face another night in the front row at a Cinderella gig and internal band wrangles led to the departure of drummer Fred Coury. But hang on, the band are reforming and a new album is planned next year. Oh dear.

Jon's spandex trousers and lipstick, powder and paint may have been frowned upon by his New Jersey compatriot Bruce Springsteen though. Jon has always stressed his working class 'Noo Joisey' roots and love of a Springsteen tune, but let's face it, what hard-working steelworker can order a beer in his local dressed in lurid pink spandex trousers, ripped T-shirt and sporting a carefully coiffed hairdo?

After movie soundtrack success in with Young Guns 11 and the worldwide hit, Blaze Of Glory, Bon Jovi started to concentrate on an acting career.

In he appeared in the film Moonlight and Valentino before releasing his first official solo album, Destination Anywhere. Some critics say it's the best pipe work of his career. One reviewer said Bon Jovi discussing terrorism was like The Tweenies discussing third world debt and famine. It seems a man who takes care over his hair just can't be taken seriously in the political arena In fact the poodle perms and spandex trousers almost pale into significance next to the awful, illegal litany of pranks the band carried out during their career.

Amazingly, the slew of battered and abused groupies have never seen fit to prosecute. In December , Vince Neil was involved in one of the darkest periods for the group when he was involved in a major car crash which killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle.

He also smashed a bottle of champagne over a Japanese man's head on a train and then mistook the waiting assembly of police and irate commuters as a gathering of fans. Despite a critical mauling, in the band scored their first US No 1 with Dr. After Vince Neil was ejected from the the band in for on misdemeanour too many, the band continued with replacement John Corabi but split towards the end of the '90s after a disastrous North American tour which no doubt involved more abused groupies and household pets.

Europe Like their Swedish counterparts, Abba, Europe got their first big break after winning a song contest. In the band, then called Force, won a local talent competition. Lead singer Joey Tempest's girlfriend posted the tape without him knowing.

The victory led to a record deal and a tour across Europe but it was in that the band experienced global success with their third album, The Final Countdown and the resulting single, No.

Cue lots of hapless hack questions about Abba and saunas as the band embarked on a globe-trotting, mega-bucks world tour. The song was played at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games and will always feature at nail crunching Premiership relegation battles between Bolton and Southampton probably. The band split in the mid '90s after disagreements with their label.

Joey had presented a batch of dark, intricate tunes prog rock anyone? Ah, artistic differences It was essential to the whole Simpson-Bruckheimer era. Let's face it, Top Gun wouldn't have been half as much fun if Tom Cruise had been blasting through the skies while " Boys Don't Cry " was blaring in the background. Or " How Soon Is Now ". For the sake of posterity, here are the five quintessential poodle rock songs: 5.

A style of music that was predominant in the mid- 80s.