Song:The Ballad Of Jayne
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best Of L.A. Guns
Usually when a hard rock group has mainstream success, they have a big hit with a Power Ballad. The Ballad Of Jayne was a top 40 hit for L.A. Guns in 1990. They were formed in 1983 by guitarist Tracii Guns (born Tracy Ulrich Jan. 20, 1966 in Los Angeles). Axl Rose was lead singer at one point. But he left to form Hollywood Rose in 1984. They split up and Rose returned to L.A. Guns. Then Hollywood Rose reformed and Guns disbanded L.A. Guns and joined the band. The band name was changed to Guns 'N' Roses to reflect the merger. But Guns left and reformed L.A. Guns with singer Steve Black in 1985. He was replaced by Phil Lewis and L.A. Guns signed with Polydor Records. For the recording of their 1988 debut album L.A. Guns, other members were Mick Cripps on rhythm guitar, Kelley Nickels on bass and Nickey Alexander on drums. Alexander was replaced by Steve Riley after the album was recorded and before it was released. This was the band lineup when L.A. Guns released their 1989 album Cocked & Loaded. The Ballad Of Jayne reached #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990. It would be their biggest hit. The first two L.A. Guns albums were certified Gold. The 1991 album Hollywood Vampire didn't do as well and Riley was fired during the subsequent tour. Then they went on hiatus until the 1995 album Vicious Circle. By this time, hair metal wasn't popular anymore and L.A. Guns took a long break and were forgotten. Polydor dropped them after Vicious Circle didn't sell. This comp covers their Polydor recordings. Since then, L.A. Guns have recorded for small labels and have gone through various versions of the band. Guns left in 2002 when he formed Cockstar with Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue. In 2006, Guns formed his own version of L.A. Guns so there were two bands. The other was led by Phil Lewis. Guns disbanded his version in 2012 and the other version of L.A. Guns is still around. Guns has a new band Tracii Guns' League of Gentlemen and they have recorded two albums. Here's the video for The Ballad Of Jayne by L.A. Guns.
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