10 Perfect Albums That Will Make You Love Hair Metal Music

When the Sunset Strip started to really kick into high gear in the mid '80s, we were starting to live in the golden age of excess. For all of the hits that a band like Motley Crue may have put on top of the hit parade, these were the kind of troubadours that were looking to indulge themselves in whatever way they could, and you wouldn't want to know what was going on behind those backstage doors. Whereas most bands may have just been wanting to live out some perverse fantasy, Slippery When Wet gave us a hair metal band with a Jersey heart.

Being one of the first real success stories from the East Coast, Bon Jovi came on the scene with a close attention to songwriting rather than the chunky guitar riffs. Originally looking to just be a Jon Bon Jovi solo outfit, you can really feel a sense of camaraderie on Slippery When Wet, as the band talk about everything that got them to where they were, whether that's the long bus rides that come with being a star on Wanted Dead or Alive or the jaded love songs like You Give Love a Bad Name.

This wasn't just about the love for rock and roll either, as songs like Livin on a Prayer had a fully fleshed out story behind it, dealing with a couple that was trying to find a way to survive in a world that seems to get crueler by the day. They might not be as glamorous as Warrant by any stretch, but there's a certain honesty in this record that you aren't going to find on any other record in the hair metal scene.