Rock Hard Forever: L.A. Guns

L.A. Guns is a sleaze metal band that has had a “revolving door” policy, as the band has experienced numerous line up changes throughout its storied career. They are notable for being one of the few bands associated with the glam metal movement to have consistently released new material despite their style of music falling out of favor with the rise of grunge in the early 90’s.

In the 1980s, Tracii Guns formed the band known as L.A. Guns with singer Michael Jagosz, bassist Ole Beich, and drummer Rob Gardner. Michael Jagosz was sent to prison for a short time and was replaced by singer Axl Rose. Axl soon quit to form Hollywood Rose and was replaced by Michael Jagosz after he had returned from his time in prison. After a while, Tracii Guns, Rob Gardner, and Ole Beich combined L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose, with members Axl Rose and Izzy Stradlin. When this happened the new band became known as Guns N' Roses, which explains the name, Guns for L.A. Guns, and Roses for Hollywood Rose. Tracii quickly left the band due to differences with Axl Rose.

The second lineup of L.A. Guns was formed by Mau Maus and The Joneses drummer Paul Mars Black who switched to lead vocals and guitarist Mick Cripps (who switched to bass) and teamed up with drummer Nickey "Beat" Alexander who was jamming with Tracii Guns. This lineup is considered to be the original version . Originally this lineup was goin to call itself "Faster Pussycat", a name brought in By Paul Black and Mick Cripps. After much debate, this new group re-adapted the name L.A. Guns in order to utilize the backing and promotional material left over from the former lineup which had been disbanded for over a year. Tracii left L.A. Guns at the end of the year to play with a Penthouse playmate who was signed with Atlantic records. He moved to New York and informed the band he would not be returning right before their record label showcase at the Troubadour in Hollywood. Guns and Roses were called to fill in for the guitar-less L.A Guns and played to a sold out L.A. Guns crowd. Shortly after this show, GNR inked a record deal with Geffen records.

After Tracii left the band Paul Black recruited ex Dogs D'Amour first singer, Robert Stoddard to be the new L.A. Guns guitarist. This lineup quickly picked up where they left off. They demoed and gigged in 1985 and 1986, with Black contributing to most of the material that would be recorded on their debut album. Several record labels were already interested in signing this line-up but the band wanted a fuller sound. At the end of 1986 after his stint with the playmate fell apart Tracii was brought back in to make L.A. Guns a 5 piece band for the first time. A record deal with Polygram records was secured after paul introduce a song called Love and Hate. The label wanted this to be the first single. However, the new five piece line up would not survive.

Paul was replaced by Phil Lewis of the British band, Girl. Mick then switched back to guitar replacing Robert and former member of Faster Pussycat, Kelly Nickels, was added on bass. L.A. Guns then recorded their first album, released in 1988 on Vertigo Records, L.A. Guns. The gold award debut album spawned the singles "One More Reason" which was penned by Paul Black and "Sex Action" also written by Black and originally call Love and Hate. Black also contributed "No Mercy" , "Nothing To Lose", "Bitch is Back", "One Way Ticket", and "Winters Fool" for the first record and "Never enough" the first single for the 2nd record "Cocked and Loaded". Black also made many other contributions to the L.A. Guns repitroire which would Later appear on a record called "Black List" which features Paul Black Singing the original L.A. Guns songs with the original band recorded during his time in the band.

On the first album's supporting tour, Nickey was replaced by former W.A.S.P. drummer Steve Riley leaving only 2 original members. This lineup remained until 1992. In 1989, they released their second album Cocked & Loaded. It contained the smash radio and video hits, "Never Enough" and "The Ballad of Jayne" which brought the album to gold sales status (over five hundred thousand sold), and eventual platinum status. This was the commercial peak of their career. The album also contained the hits, "Never Enough" and "Rip & Tear". The band also released two home videos coinciding with these two albums, "One More Reason" (1989) and "Love, Peace, & Geese" (1990) and participated in world-wide touring as headliners and as support for such acts as AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Def Leppard and Ted Nugent.

During 1991, the band released their third album Hollywood Vampires on Polydor Records. The album did re-achieve the gold status of Cocked & Loaded and their debut album and did spawn a few hits such as "Kiss My Love Goodbye" and "It's Over Now" Although it still wasn't as well noticed as the first two albums. And in 1993, their first album, L.A. Guns, reached gold status as well. Tracii Guns participated in the supergroup Contraband the same year. The L.A. Guns released a five song EP titled Cuts in 1992 and then in 1995 their fourth album Vicious Circle, drummer Michael "Bones" Gershima played on parts of these recording as this was around this time Phil Lewis fired drummer Steve Riley in January 1992. Riley later returned to the band for the successful Vicious Circle club tour. After this, the L.A. Guns were dropped from Polygram (Vertigo/Polydor) Records. Phil Lewis and Mick Cripps then left the band.

July 1996 saw Tracii Guns and Steve Riley recruit vocalist Chris Van Dahl and guitarist Johnny Crypt after seeing them perform with their band Boneyard. Six months into recording sessions, Kelly Nickels left the band and Johnny was asked to switch to the bass to avoid having to seek out and deal with yet another member. In 1996, the new L.A. Guns released their sixth record, titled American Hardcore. This new album built on the heavy music from Vicious Circle and projected a darker image for the band. They toured throughout 1996 and into 1997 when Tracii let Chris go in hopes of regaining Phil Lewis and the band's former glory. Phil refused, and so Chris was replaced by singer Ralph Saenz. Tracii, Steve, Johnny, and Ralph toured for the remainder of '97 and in early '98 released the six song EP Wasted.

Halfway through the band's 1998 Rock Never Stops tour, Ralph quit to form his own band, leaving Tracii to do another singer change. Joe Lesté from Bang Tango and Jizzy Pearl from Love/Hate were considered as candidates. Tracii and Steve picked Jizzy and quickly geared up to tour. L.A. Guns toured clubs with Jizzy in late 1998 and early 1999 when they released Shrinking Violet, produced by former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. This release was followed shortly by Johnny Crypt's departure. Johnny Crypt a.k.a. Johnny Crystal: See Ripper

Tracii and Steve had been talking with their former bandmates, Phil, Mick, and Kelly about a reunion album and tour. When Johnny found out about the reunion he left on February 6, 1999. The reunion album Greatest Hits and Black Beauties was released on Deadline Records around the same time as Shrinking Violet.

As of September 1, 1999, Jizzy and Chuck were fired from the band as the classic lineup of Tracii Guns, Steve Riley, Phil Lewis, Kelly Nickels, and Mick Cripps prepared for the full blown reunion. L.A. Guns set out on the reunion tour in October of 1999 and recorded a live album in their hometown of Hollywood, enlisting Gilby Clarke as producer, the album called Live: A Night on the Strip was released the following year.

After the reunion, Mick and Kelly couldn't commit to the summer 2000 tour, so they were replaced by guitarist Brent Muscat and bassist Muddy, respectively. Ratt and L.A. Guns teamed up with Warrant for a remainder-of-the-summer tour, which L.A. Guns dropped off in August due to booking problems.

In August 2000, L.A. Guns re-recorded and re-released Cocked & Loaded retitled Cocked & Re-Loaded on Deadline Records. Mick Cripps again rejoined the band briefly in late 2000 to record an album with the band, entitled Man In The Moon, which was released on Spitfire Records in April of 2001. Mick played keyboards on the album, but did not tour to support it. Muddy later left the band after a short promo tour for Man In The Moon. He was replaced by Adam Hamilton for the winter of 2002 Man In The Moon club tour.

In 2002, Andy Johns was hired to produce the next release, Waking the Dead. This album features Adam Hamilton as the new bass player. Hailed by fans as one of the strongest and heaviest material LA Guns has ever recorded, the album features "OK, Let's Roll" - dedicated to Todd Beamer and the people who rushed the cockpit of Flight 93 during the events of September 11, 2001 attacks.

During September 2002, founding guitarist Tracii Guns became very interested in a new project, entitled Brides of Destruction, with Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx. Guns saw the project as an opportunity to recapture the mainstream credibility he had held in the late '80s and therefore became lead guitarist for the outfit. In 2004, Brides of Destruction embarked on a World Tour, and the future of L.A. Guns was in doubt until both Steve Riley and Phil Lewis told the "Hairball John Radio Show" that the band would continue despite Guns' involvement in Brides of Destruction.

With a new guitarist named Stacey Blades, L.A. Guns released the covers album Rips the Covers Off. They had gone through several guitarists since Tracii Guns departed in October 2002. The band released the album Tales from the Strip in August 2005, which was met with critical acclaim from both sides of the Atlantic, hailed as the best L.A. Guns album in years. It is the only L.A. Guns album not to feature Tracii Guns (with the exception of the Japan-only live album).

In 2005 a remastered set of demos, which were recorded around the time L.A. Guns wrote their first album (before Phil Lewis joined) was released, featuring Paul Black on vocals. The album was called "Black List" and received great reviews. It also showed Paul Black to be responsible for much of L.A. Guns success showing him as a main contributer of the music on the first 2 records. This was supprising to many L.A. Guns fans since Black was denied his credits on the on the first two record and this information was never made public Until the "Black List" release. Soon after this, as the Brides of Destruction's second album did not maintain the success of the first, Tracii Guns put together a "solo" band and focused his attention on that.

The line-up for the Tracii Guns Band – featuring former L.A. Guns members Paul Black, Nickey "Beat" Alexander and Tracii Guns, as well as Jeremy Carson (who adopted Guns name and is Tracii's step son) The band is now also going under the L.A. Guns name, regardless of the fact that the Phil Lewis version is still together, recording and touring. It should also be noted that the rights to the L.A. Guns name lies with the members Tracii Guns and Steve Riley.

In an odd twist on October 10, 2006, Phil Lewis joined Paul Black and Tracii Guns onstage at "Cathouse 20th Anniversary" (a Hollywood club, ran by Riki Rachtman and Taime Downe), the two frontmen dueted a version of the band's song "Rip and Tear".[1]

On August 29, 2006, Phil Lewis' L.A. Guns released "Loud and Dangerous: Live From Hollywood", a live compilation featuring the bands current line up, including a DVD of some recent live tracks as part of the package.

On January 2, 2007, the Phil Lewis version of L.A. Guns released a cover of the song "Crazy Bitch" - originally by fellow L.A. sleaze rockers Buckcherry. As of March 2007, bassist Adam Hamilton has been replaced by Scott Griffin.

In December 2007, the Tracii Guns band's dressing room was robbed during a show at McGuffy's in Dayton, OH. Items taken included wallets, "a Blackberry and a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey."

On March 4, 2008, Paul Black's version of LA Guns was announced as one of the acts on the second Rocklahoma festival.

In May Paul Black once again parts ways with L.A. Guns. He is replaced by Marty Casey.

Official Website: http://www.laguns.net/ & http://www.lagunslive.com/

Band Members

Current line-up I

Phil Lewis - vocals
Stacey Blades - guitar
Scott Griffin - bass
Steve Riley - drums

Current line-up II (formerly The Tracii Guns Band)

Marty Casey - vocals
Tracii Guns - guitar
Alec Bauer - guitar
Jeremy Guns - bass
Chad Stewart - drums

Discography

Studio Albums

No.1 Collector's Edition (1984)
L.A. Guns (1988) - Platinum certified (1,000,000 copies sold)
Cocked & Loaded (1989) - Platinum certified (1,000,000 copies sold)
Hollywood Vampires (1991) - Gold Certified (750,000 copies sold)
Cuts (1992)
Vicious Circle (1995)
American Hardcore (1996)
Wasted (1998)
Shrinking Violet (1999)
Cocked & Re-Loaded (2000) Rerecording of Cocked & Loaded
Man in the Moon (2001)
Waking the Dead (2002)
Rips the Covers Off - Phil Lewis' L.A. Guns - (2004)
Tales from the Strip - Phil Lewis' L.A. Guns - (2005)

Live Albums

Live! Vampires (1992) - Japan only
Live: A Night on the Strip (2000)
Live Ammo (2004)
Loud and Dangerous: Live from Hollywood - Phil Lewis' L.A. Guns - (2006)
Hellraiser's Ball Caught In The Act (CD Version) (2008)

Compilation

Best Of: Hollywood A Go-Go (1994) - Japan only
Hollywood Rehearsal (1997)
Greatest Hits and Black Beauties (1999)
Black City Breakdown (1985-1986) (2000)
Ultimate LA Guns (2002)
Fully Loaded (2003)
Hollywood Raw (2004)-Old Demos and No.1 Collectors Edition CD Re-Issue
Black List (2005)
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best Of L.A. Guns (2005)

Official Website: http://www.laguns.net/ & http://www.lagunslive.com/

Listen to L.A. Guns Music!

Get your own Flash MP3 Player

Watch L.A. Guns Video!

The Ballad of Jayne