Slaughter Stick It To Ya CD

Slaughter emerged from the ashes of the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. When, after Vincent's 1988 sophomore release, ALL SYSTEMS GO, the ex-Kiss guitarist became too unbearable to work with, singer Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum defected to form Slaughter with guitarist Tim Kelly and drummer Blas Elias.

Where the Invasion was more or less a vehicle to showcase Vincent's guitar shredding, Slaughter focused more on songwriting, combining sticky sweet pop-metal a la Dokken and Quiet Riot with the bombastic songwriting of classic rockers such as Queen and Led Zeppelin. Their 1990 debut, STICK IT TO YA, was a surprise hit, spawning such anthemic rockers as "Up All Night" and tear-jerking power ballads like "Fly to the Angels." Both were sizeable MTV hits.

Commercial hard rock bands were still immensely popular at the end of the 1980s, when Slaughter (named after lead singer Mark Slaughter) recorded its debut album, Stick It to Ya. Mining the same territory as "corporate" bands like Bon Jovi, Winger, and Warrant, Slaughter soared to the top of the charts and sold millions of albums. Slick and not terribly original, much of this material comes across as very contrived and calculated. Nonetheless, hook-laden tracks like "Up All Night," "She Wants More," and "Burnin' Bridges" are fairly catchy. But as hot as Slaughter was at the dawn of the '90s, its success would prove to be short-lived when alternative rock became the rage a few years later. [The album was remastered and reissued in 2003 with the addition of four bonus tracks: original demo versions of "Mad About You," "She Wants More," "Up All Night," and "Fly to the Angels."] ~ Alex Henderson

W/ 4 Bonus Tracks.

Recorded at Red Zone Studios, Studio 55, Pasha Music House, Los Angeles, California in May 1989. Includes liner notes by Mark Slaughter, Dana Strum.

Personnel: Mark Slaughter (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Tim Kelly (vocals, guitar); Dana Strum (vocals, bass guitar); Blas Elias (vocals, drums, percussion); Todd Cooper (horns).

Audio Mixer: Brian Maluf.

Audio Remasterers: Mark Chalecki; Dana Strum.

Liner Note Authors: Dana Strum; Mark Slaughter.

Recording information: Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles, CA (05/1989-06/1989); Pasha Music House, Hollywood, CA (05/1989-06/1989); Red Zone Studios (05/1989-06/1989); Studio 55 (05/1989-06/1989); The Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA (05/1989-06/1989).

Photographers: Mark Weiss; Neil Zlozower.

Arrangers: Dana Strum; Mark Slaughter.

Slaughter: Mark Slaughter (vocals, guitar); Tim Kelly (guitar, background vocals); Dana Strum (bass, background vocals); Blas Elias (drums, background vocals).