Hollywood Vampires (L.A. Guns album)

Hollywood Vampires is the third studio album by the American glam metal band L.A. Guns, released in 1991. While no track from the album topped the charts (and the band's success declined soon afterwards as their style fell out of commercial favor), Hollywood Vampires presents various shades of the band and is representative of the late 1980s/early 1990s heavy metal scene, with riff-laden songs and big choruses on every song. The meticulous production gives the album a sound typical of the period — a full sound, with many background harmony vocals, layered guitars and additional keyboard tracks.

Hollywood Vampires
Studio album by L.A. Guns
Released	June 25, 1991
Recorded	Fall 1990
Studio	Various Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood, California Rumbo Recorders, Canoga Park, California 4th Street Recorders, Santa Monica, California Studio 55 The Fortess Paramount Studios Soundcastle Studios Original Sound Studios Beat Street Studios Track Recorders Studio II, Hollywood California
Genre	Glam metal, hard rock
Length	52:18
Label	PolyGram/Polydor (North America) PolyGram/Vertigo (Europe and Japan) PolyGram/Mercury (Europe)
Producer	Michael James Jackson
L.A. Guns chronology
I Wanna Be Your Man (1990) Hollywood Vampires (1991) Holiday Foreplay (1991)
Singles from Hollywood Vampires
"Kiss My Love Goodbye" Released: 1991 "Some Lie 4 Love" Released: 1991 "Over the Edge" Released: 1991 "It's Over Now" Released: 1992

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	7/10[2]
Sputnikmusic	3/5[3]

The album starts in a more somber note with "Over the Edge", which was used in the film Point Break, but the bulk of it consists of standard hard rockers, such as "Kiss My Love Goodbye" and "My Koo Ka Choo". The band aims for the ballad hit several times, in "Crystal Eyes", "It's Over Now" and the 1950s-style "I Found You", attempting to repeat the earlier success of their major single "The Ballad of Jayne".

The Japan pressing adds the original version of "Ain't the Same" from the Cuts EP, with the addition of several saxophone solos. The original CD and cassette releases featured a 3-D photo cover and a small pair of 3-D glasses was included.

During the Hollywood Vampires tour in January 1992, drummer Steve Riley was fired and replaced by M.C. Bones.

Track listing

All credits adapted from the original CD edition liner notes.[4]

All tracks are written by Mick Cripps, Tracii Guns, Phil Lewis, Kelly Nickels and Steve Riley except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Over the Edge"		5:41
2.	"Some Lie 4 Love"		3:34
3.	"Kiss My Love Goodbye"	L.A. Guns/Steve Diamond	4:42
4.	"Here It Comes"		4:37
5.	"Crystal Eyes"		5:54
6.	"Wild Obsession"		4:14
7.	"Dirty Luv"		4:29
8.	"My Koo Ka Choo"	L.A. Guns/Jim Vallance	4:06
9.	"It's Over Now"	L.A. Guns/Jim Vallance	4:10
10.	"Snake Eyes Boogie"		2:56
11.	"I Found You"		3:43
12.	"Big House"		4:12
Total length:			52:35

Japanese edition bonus track

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Ain't the Same"	4:16

Personnel

L.A. Guns

• Phil Lewis - lead vocals
• Tracii Guns - lead guitar, 6 and 12-string acoustic guitars, slide guitar, theremin, backing vocals,
• Mick Cripps – rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, strings arrangements
• Kelly Nickels – bass, backing vocals
• Steve Riley – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Kevin Savigar - strings arrangements
• John Townsend - additional backing vocals

Production

• Michael James Jackson - producer, engineer
• Chris Minto, Micajah Ryan, Pat Regan, Will Rogers - engineers
• Jamie Seyberth, Jim Wirt, Ken Allroyd - assistant engineers
• David Thoener, Micajah Ryan, Mick Guzauski - mixing at A&M Studios, Conway Studios and Lighthouse Studios, Hollywood, California
• Rob Jazco, Ed Korengo, Gil Morales, Kevin Becka - mixing assistants
• Stephen Marcussen - mastering at Precision Lacquer, Los Angeles
• Mark Sullivan - production coordinator

Charts

Album Year Chart Position 1991 Billboard 200 (US)[5] 42 Australia ARIA Charts[6] 91 UK Albums Chart[7] 44

Singles Year Single Chart Position 1991 "Kiss My Love Goodbye" Mainstream Rock (US)[8] 16 "Some Lie 4 Love" Mainstream Rock (US)[8] 48 UK Singles Chart[7] 61 1992 "It's Over Now" Mainstream Rock (US)[8] 25 Billboard Hot 100 (US)[9] 62

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "L.A. Guns - Hollywood Vampires review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
2. Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 237–238. ISBN 978-1-894959-62-9.
3. De Sylvia, Dave (22 December 2005). "L.A. Guns - Hollywood Vampires". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2017-11-09.
4. Hollywood Vampires liner notes. Polygram Records. 1991.
5. "L.A. Guns Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
6. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
7. "L.A. Guns Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
8. "L.A. Guns Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
9. "L.A. Guns Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-07.