Flashback Friday: Forgotten Genres

The uber-shredder soloist

Falling somewhere between the tail end of the heavy metal icons of the late 1970s and early 1980s and the beginning of glam rock/hair band epics of the late-1980s is the uber-shredder genre. Instead of the one- to two-minute (and sometimes longer) solos of the heavy metal days, these songs usually consisted of one continuous solo; at the very least, the rhythm section of a piece was usually so complicated that it would likely classify as a solo section if played in a different genre.

An absolute staple of the 1980s, some artists still hang onto this style and try to keep it alive. This particular shredder is named Michael Angelo Batio, and apparently, he got bored with "standard" shredding and decided that he was too good for a guitar with one neck. Hence, the double-neck guitar. More necks = more shredding. Bonus jackassing for keeping that hairstyle "alive" -- although "alive" might not be the best way to describe that 'do.

Freestyle (aka Electro aka Club R&B)



No one epitomizes this steaming pile of sonic shit better than Stevie B, although Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam might have something to say about that. Normally, something so blatantly homosexual in nature would be blamed on San Francisco but you can thank Miami for this. All that said, Stevie B looks like a pretty rugged dude once you get past the soft, high voice and speed lined mullet. Freestyle was huge in the 80's, probably because it sounded better if you were on cocaine. I can only imagine the dance parties I missed out on.

Some blame the rise of alternative rock for the death of freestyle, since all those angst-ridden white kids were the ones buying up Stevie B albums. I blame freestyle for being inherently crappy and not evolving with the public's musical tastes. You can't play the same song a dozen times on every album for a decade and expect to get away with it.