When we last left Michael Monroe, you know, yesterday, he was fronting the band Hanoi Rocks. Much like that 80's discography the solo efforts of Monroe were not on my want list. Nor did I know of him until digging into the band itself. While I initially wasn't going to pick his two CD's up from the decade, I came across a listing on ebay that had both of them together, and reasonably priced. Story of my life when it comes to buying music.
If you recall from yesterday, shortly after the death of their drummer, Razzle, Hanoi Rocks called it quits. Nasty Suicide would ditch the stage name, picking up his life as Jan-Markus Stenfors, finished school, and become a pharmacist for a drug company. Sam, who was the first to actually leave, continued to work in the music business, joining up with several bands. Andy McCoy would also work with several bands but also spent time painting. Then there was Michael Monroe, who of course went on to a solo career.
Michael would go solo, releasing his first album, Nights Are So Long in 1987. To date, he's released thirteen. Andy, on the other hand, created several new bands, none of which took off. When not performing, he spent his time creating art as a painter.
It's a decent listen, but one thing I immediately noticed was the change in vocal style. Whereas Hanoi Rocks featured a higher pitch and sometimes screechy Monroe, his solo effort brought the range down to a deeper, and raspier one. Both are good, but it still caught me off guard. I guess I was expecting more of the same from him, but it's great that he's not a one trick pony and could mix it up.
Despite the overall listening session being a good one, I only ended up pulling two tracks for the old shuffle list. Those were Shake Some Action, and Nights Are So Long.
Nights Are So Long, the album, would be a moderate success, and attract the attention of Mercury Records, who would release his second studio album, Not Fakin' It. That's where I'll pick up tomorrow, and wrap up my latest journey through Hanoi Rocks, and their lead singer, Michael Monroe.
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