Top 10: L.A. Guns Songs

In the late 80s, as glam metal became more slick and radio accessible, one band of leather-clad bad boys set out to take the style back to its sleazy, streetwise roots. That band was L.A. Guns. Owing more to New York Dolls and Motörhead than anything on Top 40 radio, L.A. Guns dominated the playing field, towing the line between hard rock and metal over the course of a few classic albums. Like many of their peers, the band was swallowed by the grunge/alt rock tidal wave of the 90s, but soldiered on, albeit in various incarnations. Today, singer Phil Lewis and guitarist Tracii Guns have since made up their differences, and thank heavens they did. After all, it was their Page/Plant chemistry that served as the band’s driving force. So in the spirit of all things hairy and hedonistic, today we pay tribute to the “Electric Gypsies” known as L.A. Guns, with our Top 10 L.A. Guns Songs!

10. “The Ballad of Jayne”

Kicking off our list at #10 is, ironically, the song that became L.A. Guns’ biggest hit, “The Ballad of Jayne”. True to its title, this acoustic-centric cut is a power ballad and a half, with a massive singalong chorus that gets crowds going to this day. Thanks to extensive airplay on both MTV and the radio, it would reach #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming their only Top 40 hit. Although I almost didn’t include this song on the list, I’d be remiss not to. Simply put, if it weren’t for “The Ballad of Jayne” and its enduring legacy, we may not even be talking about L.A. Guns today. I mean, maybe we would, but it would likely be more among the ranks of super obscure hair acts like Alleycat Scratch or Sea Hags. “Who?” Time to do your homework son!

9. “Never Enough”

Everything about “Never Enough” screams “badass”. The guitar work channels Aerosmith in their drugged out prime, the verses are sly in a playful 80s glam metal way, and that chorus is larger than life. Its so simplistic and sugary, one can’t help but draw comparisons to the high priests of hard pop rock, Cheap Trick. Speaking of Cheap Trick, once upon a time, I saw Rick Nielsen and his sons Miles and Daxx (both standout musicians in their own right) at an L.A. Guns show not far outside of Rockford, Illinois. This must’ve been about 3 or 4 years ago now. I was too nervous to say hello. After all, Cheap Trick IS one of my favorite bands of all time. However, in that moment, we were all L.A. Guns fans. How about that to add to Rick Nielsen’s description? Master songwriter, riff god, guitar connoisseur, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, savvy businessman…and L.A. Guns fan!

8. “Sex Action”

Remember in the introductory paragraph when I described L.A. Guns as “sleazy”. Look no further than #8. Although “Sex Action” isn’t nearly as explicit as the output of W.A.S.P., Mentors, or other bands who terrorized Tipper Gore’s nightmares, it sure is pretty straightforward in its message. The song itself is a sleaze metal hymn, following in the tradition of Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Angels, and…any other “A” bands I missed? The guitars are ballsy as hell, the drumming is four on the floor, and the lyrics meet the obligatory innuendo quota of the day. “You’re a cool operator got the machine in motion.” What machine? Oh, you know…you know? “S-E-X, who’s next?”

7. “Crystal Eyes”

If L.A. Guns and Cocked and Loaded were L.A. Guns’ Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II respectively, then it only makes sense that Hollywood Vampires was their Led Zeppelin III. While the sweaty hard rock of yore remained ever present, it became more of a backdrop to a broader portrait of introspective lyrics, dynamic arrangements, and musical experimentation. This was the band’s “serious album”, and unlike their peers, who reached Spinal Tap level of parody with similar efforts, L.A. Guns hit a grand slam with this one. There’s no shortage of musical highlights to choose from on here, though hardly any reach the level of the sublime “Crystal Eyes”. While “The Ballad of Jayne” is an archetypal power ballad, “Crystal Eyes” is a subdued masterclass in atmospheric emotion. Take that you stuffy critics who thought hair bands were only about sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll!

6. “Malaria”

Describe this song in one word? “Sick”! In all seriousness though, it isn’t just the title “Malaria” that makes this song sick and subsequently the strongest cut on the all killer, no filler Cocked and Loaded, but rather the musical and lyrical content. While L.A. Guns could crank out feel-good, party hardy anthems with the best of them, they could also conjure dark, ferocious, heavy beasts like this one, bastardizing the gruesomeness of 70s Sabbath with a barrage of glitter and eyeliner. And let’s take a second to appreciate these lyrics…

“Somewhere from another time
Asiatic death
Yellow fever bodies writhe
Sugar on my breath”

If I read those lyrics blindly, I would honestly believe they belonged to Hell Awaits era Slayer. SICK!

5. “No Mercy”

A lot can be said about a band’s first song off their first album. It can’t just be a simple, “Hi there! We’re your run of the mill rock n’ roll band!” No, to be executed right, it needs to be a fucking mission statement. That’s exactly what “No Mercy” is for L.A. Guns: A lightning fast, wham, bam, thank you ma’am melee of traditional metal, snotty punk, and mischievous glam rock. While the chorus chants, “Show no mercy!”, I can’t help but think they avoided titling this so to avoid confusion with W.A.S.P. and Slayer, both of whom had songs of the same title five years earlier in 1983. Or I could be wrong and the title “No Mercy” was more to the point, just like the song itself. Either way, there’s no way “No Mercy” wasn’t making this list.

4. “Electric Gypsy”

Steppenwolf had “Born to Be Wild”. Judas Priest had “Hell Bent for Leather”. Saxon had “Motorcycle Man”. And L.A. Guns had “Electric Gypsy”. In the pantheon of heavy metal, motorcycles have long been the go-to choice of transportation. Well, that or riding into battle upon a warhorse, but L.A. Guns ain’t no power metal band. No, these dudes hop upon their trusty Harleys, tearing up every town in their path and taking no prisoners along the way. “Electric Gypsy” is about as straightforward as sleaze metal goes, with its scorching solos, addictive riffs, and yet another shout-along mega chorus. Good luck not pumping your fist to this one.

3. “Killing Machine”

Thrashy riffs aren’t exactly what one thinks of when listening to L.A. Guns, yet that’s exactly what we have here in the tour de force that is “Killing Machine” off their fourth album, Vicious Circle. When Vicious Circle hit the shelves in late 1994, glam metal was all but an afterthought. Those who weathered the storm significantly beefed up their sound, and L.A. Guns was no exception. Vicious Circle is a lean, mean monster of an album that doubles down on the metal side of L.A. Guns’ influences, with a razor sharp production to boot. Every song is a certified ass-kicker, but “Killing Machine” is another level of brutality. An L.A. Guns song with a mosh breakdown? Sign me up!

2. “One More Reason”

I’m sure I’ve explained this before, but there is a different between a band’s “greatest” song and your personal “favorite” song. If this were my Top 10 Favorite L.A. Guns Songs, “One More Reason” would be #1, pun fully intended. Of all the songs in the L.A. Guns canon, this one embodies all of the elements of the band in one 3 minute sleaze metal masterpiece of glam-tastic proportions. Lewis delivers the action-packed lyrics with an anxious energy reminiscent of Iron Maiden’s Paul DiAnno, albeit in a far more polished and melodic manner, while the rest of the band holds down the fort with hard rocking riffage and 80s metal finesse. What could possibly be better?

1. “Over the Edge”

Behold: The greatest L.A. Guns song, “Over the Edge”. Of course it comes off their creative highpoint, Hollywood Vampires. It also made an appearance in the soundtrack for the 1991 blockbuster Point Break with Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. Dare I say “Over the Edge” is more memorable than the movie itself? Yes. Yes I do. Marrying the eastern inspired psychedelia of The Beatles and Led Zeppelin with their own signature Cali metal sound, L.A. Guns crafted quite the epic here. Droning guitars? An orchestra? Throat singing? Oh yeah baby. All that and more! It’s no wonder the band still performs it every night. They know damn well I and a few others would riot if they didn’t! After all, it is their greatest song.