In 1989, Skid Row released a debut album that caught my ears as well as many fans of hard rock all over the world. In a time where many bands of their genre were primping their hair, caking on make-up, and depending on smoke & mirrors to hide their lack of talent, Skid Row emerged with a sound that was raw, gritty, and full of fire. Accompanying this gritty, street punk kind of sleazy hard rock was an image that had the band looking like they just woke up with hangovers and took to the stage.
This made a significant impact on me because Skid Row was about the music and the attitude more so that looking the part. In a nutshell, Skid Row walked the walk when many bands were merely talking the talk. I played the self-titled debut frequently, and I had a new favorite band. As a teenager, I remember loving this band so much but wondering how they would top such an awesome album.
The summer before my senior year of high school in 1991, there was a huge buzz that Skid Row would be releasing their sophomore album, which would be titled Slave to the Grind. The title alone pumped me the fuck up because, to me, that title set this album up to be a much heavier album. Before releasing Slave to the Grind, MTV had a world premiere of the video for the first single, “Monkey Business.”
The video for “Monkey Business” was dark as fuck (literally and figuratively.) It was almost uncomfortable, which was a great thing. It took a little bit to sink, actually. It hit me like a ton of bricks. This is the same band that a couple of years earlier had songs like “Youth Gone Wild” and “I Remember You.” “Monkey Business was on a whole other level. It was full of fire, grit, and at times it sounded angry.
At 17 years old, Slave to the Grind was a heavy album, not just musically but also lyrically. In 1991, Kerry King of Slayer even went on to say that Slave to the Grind was one of his favorite releases of the year. I bought the album the day it was released. The songs touched on a lot of social and political commentary that opened my eyes in a way that had only been done at that point by Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime and Megadeth’s Rust in Peace. These songs made me see a darker side of society. I connected with Skid Row’s anger and frustration in “The Threat” and the punk, Ramone’s inspired “Riot Act” and “Mudkicker” which addressed the corruption and greed of the white-collar wealth of our country.
The song “Quicksand Jesus” floored me on the first listen. As a young person already dealing with his own doubt and eventual denouncing his Catholic faith, the lyrics coupled with the heart wrenching vocals and music had hit me like a freight train. I still listen to this song and find myself moved to tears because it reminds me of the innocence and naivety of youth, and I even credit this song for inspiring me to forge my own path. I’m not quite sure if that was the actual goal of the song when it was written, but like many songs, it is up for interpretation by the listener, and this was how I interpreted this one.
It is insane to me that Slave to the Grind will be 30 years old in 2021. After all these years, Slave to the Grind is still a “go to” album for me. For the most part, it has stood the test of time exceptionally well. “Get the Fuck Out” was such a “bad ass” song when I was younger, but today it just sounds childish and kind of stupid. Looking back, I think “Get the Fuck Out” broke up the dark, moody vibe of the album with some lighthearted tongue in cheek ridiculousness. I bought a 2nd copy of Slave to the Grind, known as the “clean version,” which instead of “Get the Fuck Out,” featured the song “Beggar’s Day.” Back then and even now, I find “Beggar’s Day” to be a more superior song, which was also a bit lighthearted but way more substantial.
Slave to the Grind is an album that I still connect with. “Quicksand Jesus” always gives me goosebumps and makes me tear up, “Wasted Time” has me reminiscing about my strained relationship with my father, and “Mudkicker” makes me want to thrash around my basement smashing shit (or maybe just knocking over a bottle of water). Luckily I don’t because I think my wife would probably kick me out for good. Slave to the Grind is an album that projects a lot of moods. The songs are as thought-provoking, if not more than ever before. It’s a fun album; it’s a smart album, and it’s one of many albums that showed me that life isn’t a bundle of smiles and laughs. Real-life is gritty, heavy, and at times brings levels of frustration that need to be released. At 47 years old, Slave to the Grind sounds as great as it did the day I bought it. Slave to the Grind still moves me in many ways and it’s an album that will forever be a huge part of my life.
Happy Birthday Slave to the Grind. 30 looks good on ya!
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