# Making 80's hard rock mix cd for my cool son. Suggestions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 30, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425 "2003-10-30T12:19:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bunnymom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@bunnymom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bunnymom)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/1 "2003-10-30T12:19:22Z")
My 14 year old son has developed a taste for 80’s hard rock/metal from all the long hours playing GTA: Vice City with me, his loving mother. For those not familiar, one radio station on the game is VROCK and they play Ozzy, Tesla, Autograph, The Cult, Quiet Riot and Judas Priest. Kiddo liked the tunes so much that I made him a cd of them and he plays it constantly. And just the other day he was singing ‘Ballroom Blitz’ under his breath while taking the garbage out. Makes a mom so proud… \ Anyway, I could really use a few suggestions for a hard rock/ metal mix that wouldn’t reveal the whole hair-band-y truth just yet but give him a good sampling of what the 80’s have to offer. What I’ve compiled so far is: Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny (cause he likes it) The Tubes - She’s A Beauty J. Geils Band - Centerfold Sweet - Ballroom Blitz Knack - My Sharona Cinderella - Shake Me Cinderella - Somebody Save Me Cinderella - Push, push (yes, I have a Tom Keifer fixation - stop laughing…) What else in that vein would be good? Thanks y’all! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/2 "2003-10-30T12:57:53Z")
I don’t think there’s any metal there, but maybe you could steer gently in that direction with some Dokken, Ratt, and Bon Jovi. For me, the first time I heard “Still Life” by Iron Maiden, I knew I wanted to hear more! It sounds like you’ve done a fabulous job with that boy, congratulations! ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/3 "2003-10-30T13:04:49Z")
Andy Taylor, “Take it Easy” Slade, “Run Runaway” John Parr, “Naughty Naughty” Joan Jett, “French Song” Whitesnake, “Still of the Night” ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/4 "2003-10-30T13:06:54Z")
Skid Row Metallica Anthrax Motley Crue Heart Ugly Kid Joe Aerosmith Ah, I fondly remember my youth. ---
**Author:** ![gaba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gaba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaba)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/5 "2003-10-30T13:26:40Z")
Let’s see… how about… - Deep Purple “Perfect Strangers” - Heart “Barracuda” - Iron Maiden “Two Minutes to midnight”. or “Infinite dreams”, “Clairvoyant” or… gawd, just about anything from Powerslave, Piece of Mind, or Seventh Son :B (stay away from the song “Quest for fire” it might make you doubt in heavymetal songwriting altogether) - Aerosmith “The Other Side”, “Sweet emotion”, for example. - KISS ‘God Gave Rock’nRoll to You’… ‘I Wanna Rock’n’Roll all Night’ - Alice Cooper … for the eighties feel, something off of “Raise Your Fist and Yell” or “Trash”. (Prince of Darkness, Step on you… or if you can get your hands on “It Rained All Night”, it’s got a great feel to it) - AC/DC **anything** off of Back In Black - Queen “Give Me The Prize (Kurgan’s Theme)” - probably one of the best hard rock songs I know. - Dio, a little into the nineties, but old-school enough “Strange Highways”, great song. - Ozzy. Pick one. 🙂 - Megadeth “Countdown to Extinction” or “Symphony of Destruction” ---
**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/6 "2003-10-30T13:27:31Z")
There definitely needs to be some AC/DC in there. You said 80s, but then threw in “Ballroom Blitz” and “My Sharona”. I remember them as being 70s songs, but maybe I’m wrong. Staying with the 80s concept, and shying away from the few radio-played songs (“Back in Black” and “You Shook Me All Night Long”) and the overly-suggestive for a 14 year old (although I came out ok, I wouldn’t want to have to be the one explaining “Givin’ the Dog a Bone”), I’d suggest “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution” and “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”. Aww heck, just go out and buy him all the recently released reissues. ---
**Author:** ![WIGGUM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WIGGUM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WIGGUM)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/7 "2003-10-30T13:27:45Z")
_We’re Not Gonna Take It_ by **Twisted Sister** was always one of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/8 "2003-10-30T13:32:05Z")
early guns & roses aerosmith the replacements cheap trick ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/9 "2003-10-30T13:34:29Z")
Oh, you definitely need _Cum On Feel the Noize_ by Slade on there. And some Van Halen too. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/10 "2003-10-30T13:37:22Z")
I agree the bands listed in the OP aren’t metal, some of them barely qualify as hard rock, and some of them aren’t 80s. But I would think anything by Def Leppard would fit in nicely somewhere between Tesla and the Tubes. Oh, and did anyone mention the Scorpions? ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/11 "2003-10-30T13:40:00Z")
I agree some of the bands listed in the OP aren’t metal, some of them barely qualify as hard rock, and some of them aren’t 80s. But I would think anything by Def Leppard would fit in nicely somewhere between Tesla and the Tubes. Oh, and did anyone mention the Scorpions? ---
**Author:** ![gaba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@gaba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaba)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/12 "2003-10-30T13:54:57Z")
:doh: Van Halen. Right. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/13 "2003-10-30T14:54:21Z")
What excellent suggestions, \*\*gaba! \*\* 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/14 "2003-10-30T15:09:13Z")
I love me some 80’s rock. Good suggestions so far, but what about these? “Glamour Boys” by Living Colour “Easy Come Easy Go” by Winger “The Warrior” by Patti Smyth ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/15 "2003-10-30T15:27:17Z")
Motorhead: Killed by Death, Ace of Spades, Iron Fist, Overkill, Shine, Love Me Like a Reptile Iron Maiden: Aces High, Number of the Beast, Powerslave, Iron Maiden, Two Minutes to Midnight, Somewhere in Time Twisted Sister: We’re Not Gonna Take It, Stay Hungry, SFM, I am I’m Me, Under The Blade Anthrax: Only, Bring the Noise, Belly of the Beast, Anti-Social Judas Priest: You’ve got Another Thing Coming, Painkiller, Breakin the Law, Sinner Savatage: Power of the Night, Hall of the Mountain King Or just randomly pick from the above groups. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/16 "2003-10-30T15:41:00Z")
_Animal Magnetism_ - Scorpians Might want to put some Ozzy in there. ---
**Author:** ![Husker\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Husker\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Husker_Dude)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/17 "2003-10-30T17:00:54Z")
The Replacements - Bastards Of Young ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/18 "2003-10-30T17:50:05Z")
Lou Reed – The Blue Mask Since we’ve got a few 70s examples up already, I won’t feel too bad about suggesting– King Crimson – 21st Century Schizoid Man (Rocks out way ahead of its time, anyway.) ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/19 "2003-10-30T18:11:15Z")
Well, I think by the 80’s, most metal bands were poseurs, except for a few like AC/DC and Aerosmith. I would also recommend going back a few years to the 80’s and considering tracks from bands like Led Zeppelin (_not_ Stairway to Heaven, please – try Physical Graffiti or Kashmir), AC/DC (Shook Me All Night Long or Dirty Deeds), Styx, Yes, Rush, Jethro Tull, Heart… even some Beatles… stuff recorded back when all the poseurs were making disco. Ooh, and don’t forget old ZZ Top, either. Those bands invented “metal” and by the 80’s were being copied by bands that were all production and no talent. In fact, put on a Clear Channel “classic rock” FM station to find examples of what _not_ to include. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2003, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425/20 "2003-10-30T18:58:18Z")
[minor hijack] Waaah waaaaah waaaaaaah. Hair metal not music? Hair metal was certainly music. And it was great music in the same way that horror movies can be great films. It’s all about adherence to a form and doing it well. And bands like Poison, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Cinderella- these bands made not only great examples of theire genre, but damn good music as well. All production and no talent? _Look What the Cat Dragged In_ had less production than _Appetite For Destruction_ and was just as good a rock-n-roll album. _Slippery When Wet_ and _New Jersey_ were amazing rock records, and _Heartbreak Station_ had more than enough of a bluesy feel to make it worth listening to even today. I have seen all these bands (and many who were, in fact, subpar) in concert both in their heyday and as recently as this past summer, and they played well then and they play great now. It’s not the music that’ll save the world. But it’s not supposed to be. [/minor hijack] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-80s-hard-rock-mix-cd-for-my-cool-son-suggestions/210425.md?page=2)