It seems oh so long ago after hearing this for the first time back in ’89. They were touted as the next big thing and they actually were a big deal – until a mix of grunge and a third album which moved away from the sound that made them successful. I really like Subhuman Race, but it didn’t sell a whole bunch. Dave Sabo was friends with Jon Bon Jovi since school, in fact, he was in Bon Jovi for a while. They had an agreement that whoever made it first would get the other a record deal. It got a bit more complicated that than and would eventually be taken care of by lawyers.
There is no doubt that the first two Skid Row albums hit the spot, and they helped revive a flagging rock scene, where bands like Poison were not seen as cool. The impact of Youth Gone Wild and 18 And Life cannot be underestimated. The band went from nothing to household names in a blink of an eye due to heavy rotation on MTV. Who can believe it?! MTV actually playing music videos! As well as those songs, tracks like Rattlesnake Shake and Midnight Tornado are awesome tunes that make this album a hard rock classic that any rock fan probably owns.
9.5/10 from The Grooveman.
