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Slave to the Grind

 
Album Review: Slave to the Grind

  • Artist: Skid Row
  • Rating: StarStarStarStar
  • Release Date: June 11, 1991
  • Total Time: 50:01
  • Type: Contains explicit content, Lyrics are included with the album
  • Genre: Rock

Review

Skid Row gets harder and heavier on their sophomore effort, matching Sebastian Bach's gritty, streetwise rants to lean, driving riffs that manage to back up all the attitudinal posturing. Largely missing are the bits of pop-metal fluff that filled out Skid Row; in their place are tales from the dark side about drugs, corruption, and the like, with Bach affecting a tough, threatening persona most of the time. The furious noise kicked up behind Bach is usually more threatening than his overwrought vocal delivery, but Slave to the Grind is powerful enough that it doesn't really matter. "Monkey Business," "Get the Fuck Out," and the thrashy title track crush most anything on the debut, and power ballads like "Quicksand Jesus" and "Wasted Time" are far less generic than their Skid Row counterparts. Many observers were surprised when Slave to the Grind became the first heavy metal album to debut at number one on the Billboard charts, but it really was one of the best -- and heaviest -- examples of mainstream hard rock/heavy metal in the genre's MTV heyday. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Monkey Business (Lyrics) Rachel Bolan, Dave "The Snake" Sabo Skid Row (4:17)
Slave to the Grind (Lyrics) Dave "The Snake" Sabo, Rachel Bolan, Sebastian Bach Skid Row (3:31)
The Threat Dave "The Snake" Sabo, Rachel Bolan Skid Row (3:47)
Quicksand Jesus (Lyrics) Dave "The Snake" Sabo, Rachel Bolan Skid Row (5:21)
Psycho Love (Lyrics) Rachel Bolan Skid Row (3:58)
Get the Fuck Out (Lyrics) Dave "The Snake" Sabo, Rachel Bolan, Sebastian Bach Skid Row (4:02)
Livin' on a Chain Gang (Lyrics) Dave "The Snake" Sabo, Rachel Bolan Skid Row (3:56)
Creepshow (Lyrics) Rachel Bolan, Scott Hill, Rob Affuso Skid Row (3:56)
In a Darkened Room (Lyrics) Rachel Bolan, Dave "The Snake" Sabo, Sebastian Bach Skid Row (4:57)
Riot Act (Lyrics) Rachel Bolan, Dave "The Snake" Sabo Skid Row (2:40)
Mudkicker (Lyrics) Scotti Hill, Rachel Bolan, Sebastian Bach Skid Row (3:50)
Wasted Time (Lyrics) Dave "The Snake" Sabo, Rachel Bolan, Sebastian Bach Skid Row (5:46)

Credits

Rachel Bolan (Strings), Dave "The Snake" Sabo (Marimba), Scott Hill (Amplifiers), Michael Wagener (Producer), Dave "The Snake" Sabo (Equipment Technician), Scott Hill (Guitar), Riley J. Connell (Assistant Engineer), Craig Doubet (Assistant Engineer), Rachel Bolan (Guitar), Rachel Bolan (?), Scott Hill (Equipment Technician), Michael Wagener (Mixing), Rachel Bolan (Bass), Dave "The Snake" Sabo (Producer), Rob Affuso (Cymbals), Rachel Bolan (Guitar (12 String)), Bob Defrin (Art Direction), George Marino (Mastering), Rob Affuso (Stick), Rob Affuso (Drums), Michael Wagener (Engineer), Rob Affuso (?), Scott Hill (?), Dave "The Snake" Sabo (Guitar), Rob Affuso (Percussion), Dave "The Snake" Sabo (?), Dave "The Snake" Sabo (Processing)
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Wikipedia: Slave to the Grind
Top
Slave to the Grind
Studio album by Skid Row
Released June 11, 1991
Recorded 1990–1991 at New River Studios in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Scream Studios in Studio City, California
Genre Heavy metal
Length 48:41 (Explicit)
50:01 (Clean)
Label Atlantic
Producer Michael Wagener, Dave Sabo
Professional reviews
Skid Row chronology
Skid Row
(1989)
Slave to the Grind
(1991)
B-Side Ourselves
(1992)

Slave to the Grind is Skid Row's second album, released on June 11, 1991. Slave to the Grind is notable for being the first heavy metal album to hit #1 on the Billboard 200 during the SoundScan era, and many other metal albums followed, such as The Black Album by Metallica, and Far Beyond Driven by Pantera. Although it hit first in the SoundScan era, it only sold just over 4 million albums worldwide as of the end of 1996.

Two different versions were released: the original version, and the "clean" (censored) version. The clean version replaced the song "Get the Fuck Out" with the less-offensive "Beggar's Day".

Slave to the Grind marked the band's shift towards a heavier sound. The lyrics were more complex, criticizing modern ways of life, authority, politics, drugs, and organized religion, among other topics.

Sebastian Bach's father painted the cover art, which is actually a long mural, continued inside the album's booklet. It is set in the medieval era, yet features people using technological gadgets of the present day.

Contents

Track listing

# Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Monkey Business"   Rachel Bolan, Dave Sabo 4:17
2. "Slave to the Grind"   Sebastian Bach, Bolan, Sabo 3:31
3. "The Threat"   Bolan, Sabo 3:47
4. "Quicksand Jesus"   Bolan, Sabo 5:21
5. "Psycho Love"   Bolan 3:58
6. "Get the Fuck Out"
"Beggar's Day" (On the censored "clean" version)
Sabo
Bolan, Sabo
2:42
4:02
7. "Livin' on a Chain Gang"   Bolan, Sabo 3:56
8. "Creepshow"   Bolan, Rob Affuso, Scotti Hill 3:56
9. "In a Darkened Room"   Bach, Bolan, Sabo 3:54
10. "Riot Act"   Bolan, Sabo 2:40
11. "Mudkicker"   Bach, Bolan, Sabo 3:50
12. "Wasted Time"   Bach, Bolan, Sabo 5:46

Personnel

Other credits

  • Riley J. Connell – assistant engineer
  • George Marino – mastering
  • Michael Wagener – producer, mixing
  • Bob Defrin – art direction
  • Craig Doubet – assistant engineer

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1991 The Billboard 200 1

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1991 "Monkey Business" Mainstream Rock Tracks 13
1992 "Wasted Time" Billboard Hot 100 88
1992 "Wasted Time" Mainstream Rock Tracks 30

References

Burial of St. Lucy by Caravaggio

Notes

1. http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,164054,00.html

Preceded by
Niggaz4Life by N.W.A.
Billboard 200 number-one album
June 29 - July 5, 1991
Succeeded by
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge by Van Halen

 
 

 

Copyrights:

Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Slave to the Grind" Read more

 

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